Reconsidering the Consequences of Neglecting Ground Maintenance

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.

For want of a message the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

If we don't invest in simple things, like the nail in a horse shoe, or in my world a sweeper to keep the kerb clean, it can lead to large consequences. 

Sweeping is an easy thing to reduce, nobody notices too much that it isn't being done, as the build up of soil along the kerb is relatively slow in most cases, and the consequences are too far removed for people to notice the massive impact. But the impact is felt.

The poem could read something like this;

For want of a maintenance budget the sweeper was lost.

For want of a sweeper the kerb was lost.

For want of a kerb the drain was lost.

For want of a drain the field was lost.

For want of a field the harvest was lost.

For want of a harvest the Kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a maintenance budget.

If we did a better job sweeping our roads and keeping our drains unblocked, we might have less flooding. 

This article identifies the exaggerated problems in Brighton & Hove after a lack of maintenance. 

https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/12/12/keep-drains-and-gullies-clear-to-reduce-flooding-urge-councillors/

According to the article “There are far too many blocked drains and gullies, with around 800 identified across Brighton and Hove in 2022.”

To me, that seems incredible. Surely it's not a massive leap to see that this is going to cause flooding, which costs a monumental amount of money to sort, and will put up the insurance of businesses and residents. Don't use climate change as an excuse, if the risks of flooding are increasing, then there are even bigger reasons to keep the drains clear.