The Quality of Mercy is not strained

Or perhaps it is. I've listened with care but growing annoyance to the torrent of comment on the release of Al Megrahi. I don't doubt that there have been some discussions on trade and suchlike in the background. Trade underpins international relations and has done for as long as I can see in my limited studies of history. But it's not the whole story, I'm sure. Life is more complex than that. Scotland's justice minister had an unenviable job and he carried it out wth dignity. Whether he did it with integrity is between him and his Maker. One part of Kenny McAskill's statement stood out to me: Mr Al Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die. In the middle of a carefully argued statement that comment spoke volumes.
I was frustrated by people describing Al Megrahi's homecoming as " a hero's welcome." What I saw looked more like a family welcoming home a long-lost relative. Leave aside the posturing of Gaddafi's son, and a few zealots. The others at the airport looked to be celebrating a long awaited homecoming. Perhaps we in the "developed" world forget how important family, tribe and nation can be.
My heart goes out to those in Scotland and beyond who thought that the appeal hearing might bring some understanding of what happened and why on 21 December 1988. Now, there's always going to be the feeling that there's more to be told and it may not come out in our lifetimes.

After an excellent day yesterday clearing out everything from broken suitcases to worn out blankets the loft looks remarkably tidy. Would that the office looked the same!
Today, apart from various domestic chores, there was time for a very productive meeting with some of the campaign team for Stockton South. Listening to radio reports on the election in Afghanistan makes me wonder how we can reach a happy medium - the enthusiasm of the Afghan people to take part in a democratic process which most British people find uninteresting here but without the violence and threat of violence that mars elections there. Meanwhile let's hope that whatever the result when the counting is over today's process has been sufficiently transparent to allow most people to accept the result and get on with building the peace.

I started the morning at a meeting of the Recreation Committee of the Parish Council, discussing the results of the most recent stage of the consultation on St Margaret's play area. Lots of positive feedback from people about the plans along with some understandable concerns about the possibility of attracting more anti-social behaviour and excitement on the part of the young people about the prospect of a more exciting play area coming soon. After years of struggle it feels good to be involved in such a positive project.
Somewhat less positive were comments from a visitor to Stockton who thought that the investment in the barrage and the riverside hadn't been used to the best advantage. One of the big issues for the borough is how to regenerate at a time of recession, and the riverbank is one of our biggest assets so these comments were apposite and I'll be passing them on.
Meanwhile I had to comment on a letter which will be going out soon to all electors in the borough and which, at least in the form I've seen it so far, is almost incomprehensible. No doubt eventually it'll be put into English rather than jargon, but why it's produced in jargon in the first place is beyond me.

A Day Off

The weather forecast wasn't wonderful but the residential home where my mother lives had organised a trip to Whitby so we duly packed up raincoats and set off. How wrong could the forecast be? Beautiful blue sky, little white clouds, hot sunshine. Add that to fish & chips by the sea and it was a tonic for us all, not just the residents. The gulls were disappointed - we ate all our lunch ourselves.
This evening I decided to do a little more on my family history, still intrigued by the great uncle whom none of the family seems to know about. To my surprise I find that he had become a bus driver. So between leaving school and joining the army during World War 1 he had been a tailor then a bus driver then a livery stable proprietor. He became a gunner in the RFA then in the Tank Corps, then came home to his wife after the war. At his death he was a retired coal miner but I wonder if he did any other jobs in between.

Credit Crunch again

I had a meeting this morning as chair of the Western Area Partnership board to check on progress on our project to lessen the impact of the credit crunch in our area. We know that we're fortunate in this area compared to some, but nevertheless there are people facing redundancy or short time working and in some ways, especially emotionally, it can be harder to be in that position in an affluent area than in a deprived area where many more people understand your situation. Which is not to denigrate at all the problems faced in deprived areas - not at all.
The little bit of money which was allocated to the Western Area is to fund a support and advice package for people in this area, but it's been slower to start than I'd expected. We hope that it will now launch in September and people of the Western Area will be able to access the support and advice which they need to cope with the difficulties caused by the recession and so won't get into unavoidable problems.

St Margarets Play Area

Today was the last day of consulting with children attending the playscheme and parents & other interested adults on the plans for the upgrading of St Margaret's Play area. Plans have been on display at Butts Lane school during the playscheme for the last 3 weeks and today I made time to go along and hear what people were saying. There's been surprisingly little comment from people but today made it all worthwhile. As one neighbour of the park was commenting on the likelihood of antisocial behaviour another two, agreeing that there was a likelihood of some bad behaviour, suggested a simple re-design of one part of the park, swapping a few features about to make the dark corner less attractive to youths as a drinking den at night. Simple, and so positive. One mother of young children recalled her teenage years visiting the same park, gathering in the same corner and could share what would help to encourage teenagers to congregate a little further from the houses. Also she was a great advocate for the idea of a Multi Use Games Area and thought we should spend the money on that first!
There were children's suggestions in plenty too, so lots for us to discuss at our Recreation Committee meeting next week. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results in spring next year.

Shooting Stars

Last night we went up to the North Yorkshire moors to look at the night sky. Once a year the planet goes through a cloud of dust and bigger debris and some of it turns into "shooting stars". For a more techie explanation see one of the more erudite sites on the subject! Suffice to say that a fair number of people gathered to watch as amazingly bright lights shot across the black night sky. Between these highlights there was plenty of opportunity to see stars which are invisible in the brightly lit streets of Teesside and to watch the moon rising majestically through the wispy cloud.
The sheep looked somewhat non-plussed at these intruders into their late evening rest, and I wondered what the residents of the scattered cottages thought of the number of cars going up what's probably a deserted road at that time on most nights.
I wasn't quick enough with my camera but there's a super photo here

No meetings today so a chance to catch up on a few other things. The to do pile has decreased, the ironing pile has increased and the pot plants look a little less wilted. I like days like this!
I didn't like hearing on the news that Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to even more time in detention. It wasn't a surprise, considering the past history of the Burmese military junta but it is disappointing none the less. I'm still enough of an optimist to hope for a miracle one day. Meanwhile I've signed a petition calling on the UN to hold the military junta to account for the crimes they have committed against their own people. I encourage readers to do the same. If in doubt about the politics behind today's decision the BBC has a relatively impartial look at what's going on.

Cash in the Attic?

Not in this councillor's attic there isn't, but emptying it today in readiness for laying new insulation was revealing in other ways. The battered old roasting tin which I thought I'd binned years ago turned up in a cardboard box. Anyone want an old rucksack with external frame? Or a hifi set with a dodgy volume control and a damaged amplifier? Or a cabinet for holding such a hifi system? Or an empty cardboard box which once held a DVD player? You get the idea! I foresee many trips to Haverton Hill and the feeding of the civic amenity site.

50 years and going strong

Today my friends and Lib Dem colleagues, Suzanne & John Fletcher, celebrate a total of 50 years of continuous service on Stockton council. That's quite an impressive achievement in itself. Looking back over all the things, small and not so small, which they've changed in that time is even more impressive. Nagging away until recycling is now part of the borough's life style, there's a proper set of criteria for pavement repairs, the public is allowed to speak at planning committee meetings, members of the public can ask question at full council meetings, are just some of the general ones. The problems that have been resolved in their wards would fill more than this blog. And then there's the encouragement (empowerment in today's jargon) of local residents and party members and the lives they both lead in communities outside Stockton Council.
Congratulations and best wishes for the future were shared last night with friends and colleagues at a celebratory party. Well done both!

Patient Choice?

A saga of inefficiency labelled as choice:
A problem with a creaky shoulder becomes more acute so eventually hubby makes an appointment to see a doctor. He waits a week for an appointment, very willingly, because he wants to see a particular doctor for whom he has a great deal of respect but who happens to be on holiday. Doctor looks at shoulder and discusses options, deciding eventually to refer for physiotherapy. Hubby comes home expecting an appointment to arrive soon.
Letter arrives some days later from the local PCT with a series of instructions from which we eventually deduce that he needs to ring the musculoskeletal assessment unit, and use the password on the letter to arrange an appointment. Hubby telephones, gives the password and is told that there's at least a 3 week waiting period and he will receive an appointment in due course by post.
Why oh why couldn't they just make the appointment there and then even if it is 3 or 4 weeks in advance? Or, why not the old system of an appointment card arriving and it being his responsibility to keep or change the appointment as appropriate? Where is the efficiency gain in this system I ask?
Rant over. It's a lovely sunny morning and I'm going to make the most of the day before going to spend an evening enjoying the company of fellow Lib Dems and supporters tonight.

Two related issues came up today at ward surgery, both to do with the school zones and traffic calming schemes being proposed near The Links and Junction Farm. The new school zone signs on Carnoustie Drive aren't to everyone's liking it seems, while the small length of waiting restriction now doesn't please those who want it to be bigger.
Meanwhile speed bumps near Junction Farm school are worrying some people concerned about people with osteoporosis and brittle bone disease. It seems as though nothing about these schemes is going to please everyone. Let's hope that after all the angst people feel it's a bit safer to let children walk to school rather than being taken in a car.

Tristar Open Day

Fairtrade in the sun today - the Tristar Open Day in Preston Park was blessed with fine weather all day but round noon the sun was extremely hot. We had our stall for the Fairtrade Partnership set up, with samples of chocolate very kindly donated by the Co-op at Roseworth along with a luscious looking chocolate cake as a prize for the winner of our quiz. Stopping the samples melting in the sun was quite a challenge! At one point I wished I had some cornflakes to make chocolate crispy cake! I was surprised by the number of children who preferred to sample the dark chocolate rather than white or milk - we have more sophisticated children than adults when it comes to chocolate if today's sample was anything to go by.
There was quite a lot of interest and a pleasing number of people who recognised it as something associated with their church or school or local co-op. Only one person who spoke to me thought Tesco had started the movement and I soon corrected her!
All in all, it was well worth getting hot and sticky for a few hours. Next year we'll make sure we have even more cool boxes and ice packs and a gazebo for shade. Then it'll probably rain.
It was good to hear that one Norton school is going to do a full term next summer on Fairtrade and related topics. Also good to know that so many of our chldren have at least some idea of the ethics of Fairtrade.
It was also good to see Tristar homes giving so many of their tenants a really good fun day out. Coaches were laid on for those who didn't want to or couldn't drive or catch a bus. There was tea & coffee along with fruit for the children. The climbing wall, bouncy castle, go-karts and so on had a steady stream of people enjoying them and the burger van did a good trade. I also heard a number of people talking of going to visit the museum while they had the chance, so a good day all round. Congratulations to all the Tristar staff who played a part.

Building Schools for the Future

Today we had confirmation that all 3 RC schools in the borough will be in the current wave of BSF funding. The planned federation of St Michael's in Billingham, St Pat's in Thornaby and Our Lady & St Bede's in Stockton has enabled them all to be in the same funding wave. That's good news, especially for St Pat's which desperately needs some investment in its buildings. However, it leaves Egglescliffe, Conyers and All Saints out on a limb as the only 3 schools in the borough which won't benefit from this funding. What the government is thinking of, cutting 3 schools off from what's happening in the rest of the borough, is beyond me. But so is much of what this government does.
So what next for Egglescliffe school? Well, nothing much at present. A study will be undertaken to look at a variety of sites which have been suggested for building a replacement school when funding becomes available. One of those sites is Preston Park, and so far I haven't found anyone living in Eaglescliffe who's happy with that. One of course will be the Allens West playing field site which suffers from the problem of the pylons at one end and therefore the overhead cables which alarm some people. I've heard other sites suggested but I'll wait to see which are proposed in the Cabinet report next month.
Given the shortage of money in government coffers now that it's been spent on propping up banks and fighting an illegal war in Iraq it seems unlikely that the BSF programme will continue beyond this wave so another means of financing the rebuild will need to be found and that won't be easy.
Meanwhile plans are progressing for the general election. For most voters there's nothing much to an election - a date is announced and they vote (or not) then wait for the result. For the council officers and members there are decisions to be made about where to count the votes, where to store the postal votes as they come in, how many people are needed for all the different jobs and so on. Planning is ongoing now for an election in May to coincide with the local elections which happen in some areas, though not in Stockton. Before that we have the annual canvass of the borough to produce the electoral register and already plans are being made for conducting the 2011 census. There's never a dull moment in Electoral Services.

Back to Earth

I did not enjoy this Monday morning. Knowing that the holiday is at an end is one thing. Knowing that there were papers to be read for this afternoon's meeting and not really time to read them was bad. Finding out that I couldn't even download the papers because the laptop wouldn't connect to the council system and I couldn't even try to read them on a minute hand held screen because that system wasn't working either was the final straw. And that was all before 0830.
The IT problems have now been resolved but anyone who sent emails to me over the weekend might be well advised to resend them as they may not have made it to my mailbox. Perhaps I should be thankful for small mercies because I still had several hundred to contend with when I could finally access a computer screen.
Monday afternoon did provide some interesting insights into the workings of IT in the authority as the Environment committee grappled with ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the authority while keeping the IT systems working and fit for purpose. The new computer room and servers should help, as should the "Campus Stockton" approach being taken now to school IT but there's still a long way to go. It was more disappointing to hear from one of the council's architects about the costs and other problems associated with ensuring that our new buildings are as energy efficient as possible. To hear that we can't reach the goals we would like to set because of budget caps is realistic but depressing. Now it's up to the committee to decide what we want to recommend as the way forward for the council. Weighing in the balance the savings to made over 30 years against high costs now meaning that something else has to be left out of the programme is another judgement of solomon moment.

R & R

Home again after a week of rest and relaxation in Dorset. Our wonderful holiday house had no mobile phone reception, no internet connection - bliss for a week. I know I wouldn't want to live like that for ever but it did mean that work couldn't intrude on our evenings and only when we went out of the village quite a distance during the day did anyone have any chance to contact us, apart from the two close relatives who had the number of the payphone in the house.
It meant all the more time to spend seeing the world through the eyes of a 3 year old whose pleasure at watching the deer browsing in the field at the bottom of the garden was a joy in itself. Having breakfast looking out on a wildflower meadow with a pair of roe deer feeding, then an evening meal watching the swallows swooping and gliding to catch their evening meal - what more could we ask? With a Wendy House in the garden, and walk in wardrobes for hide & seek it was paradise for children as well. We even got to watch master thatchers at work on the house next door.
The choice of area had been made largely so that I could visit the Tank Museum at Bovington. Not my usual choice of holiday visit but in researching my family tree I'd discovered a great-uncle who'd served in the Tank Corps in the Great War. He was the only one of several brothers who'd served in the forces because the others were all miners and so were needed there. I'd never known that this person existed and nor had my cousin so I was intrigued to know what I could about his life. The Tank Museum staff had already helped me with a transcript of the war diary of the battalion in which he served. Now I wanted to see the kind of machine he'd been in and the life he'd led as a member of the Tank Corps. I found it interesting that part of the daily rations was 1/50 ounce of mustard - not what I'd have considered an essential to daily living. I presume it went with the 3/4lb of meat per day! I did find myself wondering just how much of the daily official ration they actually got when it was so hard to get supplies to the front line troops and perhaps at times hard to know where the front line was in all the chaos of a battle prior to our modern communications systems. Unexpectedly, I found that I could climb up and sit in just the model of tank he'd served in, and have explained to me what he'd have done and how cramped they were in there. Prior to being called up to the army he'd worked with horses in a livery stable. It must have been horrible for him to go into a noisy, oily, fume-filled, overcrowded tank and drive across the battlefield knowing that if his tank were hit all the spare ammunition that was under his feet would explode and blow him to kingdom come. I think I came close to understanding why he didn't want to talk much about his experience when he was discharged, why he wasn't quite part of the large but close-knit family back home in Murton. Those experiences must have changed him for ever, and he was the only one to have had them. He couldn't share the jokes, memories and worries of the miners and they couldn't share his memories.
On a lighter note we took the opportunity to visit Chesil beach in a wind so strong we struggled to stay upright, Lulworth cove where the rain spoiled our picnic but then the sun allowed us to enjoy one of the best icecreams ever, Dorchester where it rained so hard that the road was like a river and we waited almost an hour in a Tea Shop for a sandwich to be made, Weymouth for excellent fish and chips, and enjoyed a Dorset Cream Tea in the open air at a Farm shop. At least, those who like cream did - for the others it was warm Dorset apple cake with local ice cream. The diet starts tomorrow!

Difficult Decisions

Planning committee this afternoon had one of those decisions that I wish we never had to make. An empty site on a busy road into Stockton, a discount retail chain wanting to build a supermarket on it, residents strongly in favour of it because they want to be able to buy things at a lower price than they currently can in the local shops, policies written relatively recently in an effort to sustain the town centre saying that this supermarket would be too big so close to the centre, the historic buildings officer saying that the building would detract from the listed building next door, but other people pointing out that on the other side is a modern car tyre business, local shop keepers pleading for their businesses - all arguments that can be clinchers in deciding a planning application, but here they just made it too difficult. After an hour or more of debate, listening to residents and questioning the applicants we decided that we'd defer the decision to give the applicants chance to come back with a more sympathetic design. Whether we should give more weight to the hopes for the Town Centre which would benefit the residents in the long term or to the desires of those residents to have what's in reach now is a conundrum for another day.

The "councillor" day started at 8.30 with a phone call about someone questioning work that has been done on the Park and Stride route for a local primary school. It carried on with e-mails about a mistake we'd made with a phone number on a leaflet and then with lots about the proposal from IBIS councillors to build a school on Preston Park to replace Egglescliffe comprehensive, and only improved when I got on to clearing some of the backlog of consultations and enquiries. The pile of unanswered mail has almost disappeared and the pile of filing is a bit lower now.
At the meeting of the Fairtrade Borough Partnership meeting we spent quite some time discussing our stalls at the Tristar Homes fun day in August and then at the Freshers Fair of Queens Campus of Durham University. A wine tasting later in October should complete the year's activities. Not content with that we're looking forward to spring and Fairtrade Fortnight next year. We also registered our disquiet at the fact that George Alagiah has been told by the BBC that his work as patron of the Fairtrade Foundation isn't compatible with his work as a BBC journalist. He won't give up all his work on Fairtrade but it does mean that he won't be associated in such a high profile way. We're all enormously grateful to him for what he's done and hope that we find another patron as capable as he is.
This afternoon's first task was to deliver some letters from our PPC, Jacquie Bell, to people who'd responded to her Credit Crunch survey. The results of the survey have gone to Vince Cable to help build up his detailed picture of what's happening around the country. It was good to see in those results the amount of support there is in the borough for Vince's economic strategies.
Time this evening to read some papers ready for tomorrow's planning committee meeting and to sort out some domestic issues before our holiday. Just another day in the life of a councillor.
Ward surgery didn't bring any new problems but did offer an opportunity to catch up with John on what's going on in the ward and in the council. Not what a ward surgery is designed for but useful all the same.

The rain stayed away from me today but I understand that's because I moved around - it certainly didn't stay away from the borough.
A friendly market trader noticed that I had a Liberal Democrat shopping bag and asked if I was a Lib Dem - must work harder on my political profile! He proceded to tell me that if only Vince Cable was chancellor we wouldn't be in this mess - couldn't disagree with him on that one, and then said that if Cameron has any sense when he's PM he'll appoint the blessed Vince as his chancellor - not sure that David Cameron will agree with that one.
England's cricket team seem to be redeeming themselves in this match so perhaps the age of miracles isn't completely past.

I was going to catch up on filing, visiting and helping to deliver leaflets in another ward today but the rain put paid to the latter and numerous phone calls to the former!
By early afternoon some of the issues from last night's Parish Council meeting had been satisfactorily resolved and we could move on to further planning. Meanwhile a resident called with questions around some building works but because the Planning website was misbehaving and the officer concerned wasn't available that's had to wait till Monday to be fully answered. The question of the council tax valuation of properties in Timothy Hackworth court is still vexing a number of the residents there. I hope they manage to sort out the problem. To my layman's eye it does seem as though their valuation is based more on where the building is located than on the facilities in their property. As we've been so short of sheltered accommodation in the ward it's a pity that when some is built (albeit not in the most suitable location) many of the possible purchasers are finding it too expensive to move there comfortably. Meanwhile of course we have lost the affordable sheltered housing of Witham House with no sign of it being replaced in the near future.
The good news of the day came when a colleague pointed out that Fiona Hall, recently re-elected as MEP for the North East, has been elected by her colleagues to lead the UK Liberal Democrat group in Europe. This gives Fiona a much higher profile in Europe and means that the North East's voice will be heard even more strongly. One of her UK Lib Dem colleagues, Sharon Bowles, has become chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee, a very powerful committee in Europe, overseeing the regulation of the financial sector amongst other things.
And now that it's too late to go out delivering or visiting the rain has stopped -the joys of the British summer.

This morning delivering Focus in the Millfield area I stopped to chat with several residents out doing their gardens, all with one message - get it done before the rain! It made a change not to pick up any problems from people, maybe it's the sunshine effect. I did report one instance of obstructive car parking when I got home. Why people think it's OK to park on a pavement is beyond me, especially when leaving too small a gap for people with prams or wheelchairs to get through.
The rain did come this afternoon and "forced" me to sit in the car for 5 minutes listening to the end of an interesting item on the lunar landings of 40 years ago. I well remember deciding that I couldn't go without sleep entirely so went to bed late and set the alarm for 4a.m. in order to see the first moon walk. I was so excited and really thrilled that I managed to take some photos of the TV screen showing the walk. The grainy black and white prints are probably still in the loft somewhere.
This evening was the last meeting of Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe Parish Council before the summer recess. For once there was some very robust debate around the table. Genuine concerns about the plans for St Margaret's play area and what should be included will only be finally resolved when the detailed plans are drawn up. Our neighbourhood police called in, bringing news of the latest crime statistics for the parish. Once again anti-social behaviour reports around Durham Lane shops is our biggest problem. Two months ago we were told that the link for a CCTV camera wasn't suitable but that it should be improved within a month or so. I'm following it up now to see whether we can install a temporary camera and try to nip this problem before it gets any worse.

Halcyon Care

This afternoon I attended the official opening of the Halcyon Centre in Thornaby. This former infant school building has been transformed into a day care centre for adults over the age of 55 who have been assessed as needing such a facility. It's a relatively small scale operation, only 22 clients allowed on any one day, which covers Eaglescliffe, Yarm, Ingleby Barwick and Thornaby with the surrounding villages. Unlike some centres years ago this one is a hive of activity with arts & crafts on offer at times as well as all kinds of other activities. A 2 course meal is served every day and clients can even have a shower there if that's an appropriate thing for them.
The official opening was carried out by the Mayor and Mayoress of Thornaby, Cllr & Mrs Green, who were obviously proud to have this facility on their patch. Young families came to visit as well as older people and the children of some of the clients. There were raffles, tombolas, cake stall and more - all raising funds to further the extra work done there. The garden looked splendid thanks to the work done by, among others, some of the prisoners from Kirklevington Grange prison. The photos aren't brilliant because I forgot to pick up my camera so these were taken on a phone - not the best camera around!
A short bus journey back into Stockton took me to a complete contrast - Children & Young People committee as a substitute for Alan who's off taking tea with the Queen today. Most of the meeting was taken up with a scrutiny review of Child placements but right at the end were the progress reports on two scrutinies which I'd chaired when on that committee - Teenage Pregnancy and Bullying. I was really bitterly disappointed by the latter one. I feel as though hardly any progress has been made and we've let down another 2 years of children going through our schools. The best that the committee could do was to agree to bring an officer to a future meeting to find out what's going on - toothless or what? Meanwhile no doubt the good schools and youth clubs will protect our young people and the bad ones will go on allowing them to be abused.
The meeting went on so long that I caught the last of the frequent buses home, arriving at the stop a minute before the bus. Interesting to note that the 3 passengers on the bus were two councillors and a council officer!

Carbon Management

This afternoon's Environment committee produced some interesting facts but also raised some serious questions. For example, to produce a really top notch, carbon neutral school building might cost something like 7% more than to produce one that just scrapes through the new building regulations. It'll save lots more energy, but over a long period of time. Should we spend the extra £1m on that building, thus perhaps not being able to do something else? If so - what do we cut? Or do we settle for just getting by?
We had the usual problem of council officers who are immersed in their subject not being able to explain it in layman's terms but in the end came to an agreement about what information they can provide and how they'll do that. What we'll make of it remains to be seen. This review is proving very interesting but also very difficult to manage. Unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees - I'm sure Gordon Brown wishes it did.
The council's PR department did manage to work with the technical people to produce an interesting and useful press release. I hope the local press pick it up but in case they don't I reproduce the relevant parts below. Do read, learn and inwardly digest as my English teacher used to say.

SAVE THE WEIGHT OF AN ELEPHANT - ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND LOW CARBON LIFESTYLE TIPS

All week Stockton Borough Council is offering advice and top tips on how to make a small change in your life to help make a big difference to the environment.

And of course, saving energy also saves money.

Each home in the UK produces approximately six tonnes of Carbon Dioxide each year. That’s practically the weight of a whole elephant!

The average resident in Stockton each has a carbon footprint which is equivalent to 4.3 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide - the weight of two rhinos.

Insulating your home is by far the best way to make your home more energy efficient. Cavity wall and loft insulation, which can cost as little as £99 each, can start you off saving on your heating bills straight away.

While some people may see this as a cost, it’s really a very reasonable investment as the price can often be recovered in just one year. If you are on certain benefits, or over 70 years old, you can have cavity wall and loft insulation installed free of charge.

To find out more visit the Small Change Big Difference road show or log onto www.stockton.gov.uk.

The road shows, which runs from 10am – 2pm, will be at the town centres of Billingham on Monday, Stockton on Wednesday and Thornaby on Thursday.

Top Tips for Energy Saving

• Wash wise – try to wash a full load in dishwashers and washing machines – two half loads use more energy and water than a full load.

• Wash at 30°C - today’s washing detergents are designed to work best at lower temperatures.

• Give your oven the day off – slow cookers use the same amount of energy as a light bulb. A microwave uses 10 minutes of energy for every 40 minutes used by a conventional oven.

• A fridge can use 20 per cent of the energy used in your home – make sure it is well maintained and running efficiently. Replacing your old freezer with a new energy efficient model will save you money. A new ‘A’ rated energy efficient model uses nearly a third of the energy of a 10 year old model.

• Computers – when replacing consider a laptop which uses 70 per cent less energy than a desktop computer. Not changing yet? Why not invest in an energy saving mains controller or ‘powerdown’ unit which automatically switches off the monitor, printer, scanner etc when the computer is switched off.

Anyone in the Stockton Borough who wants to find out about how much energy they are using can borrow an energy meter for one month from their local library. Part of our ‘Watt’s Going Down’ scheme to encourage lower energy usage, the meter simply connects to the electricity meter in the home and provides a read out of the cost of energy used.

Elementis Update

The first meeting of the day was at Elementis in order to follow up some of the questions raised by its imminent closure. I went along not really expecting anything but wondering what the company would say. In the event I was pleasantly surprised at just how much they were prepared to say and to share with us, and also surprised at the amount of work which will go into shutting the plant down. They're talking of 3 years at least to be able to clean the site and shut down safely, so no "cowboy" operation here. As a chemist by training I'm impressed, as a ward councillor I'm highly relieved. There's also a commitment to helping the redundant staff to find new jobs. For some it might be the start of an exciting and interesting new career but for others it will be the start of a longer than expected retirement and for others perhaps a spell of unemployment or not very satisfactory employment while waiting for the jobs market to improve. I'd like to hope that no-one is unemployed but that might not be realistic in this economic climate.
Unfortunately the remaining meetings of the day weren't nearly so positive. Best not to say anything lest I say more than I should. Suffice to say that housing and me aren't getting on too well today.

I had a meeting with fellow ward councillors, traffic officers and residents today at Aislaby to discuss possible solutions to the parking and speeding problems which the residents had identified at the Parish Meeting a few weeks ago. I say residents, but it was actually one resident and his dog, though he does chair the Parish meeting. Of course today there wasn't a parked car to be seen and the traffic through the village was very sedate. We did find out that a speed survey is already underway in response to concerns so when the results of that are known it'll be decided whether anything needs to be done.
Later, at cabinet, there was quite a discussion about whether or not the South of the Borough, including Eaglescliffe, should have more facilities for sport and active leisure with most people seeming to agree that yes, we should have more in an ideal world but there isn't any money and all the usual excuses. That's always followed by a reassurance that our concerns will be looked at. No doubt they'll then be put into a strategy and consulted on and by the time we've done all that we'll be past caring. Or am I being cynical?
Later still we discovered via the wonders of email that the process being used to make one of the most important and far reaching decisions the council will make this decade might have been fatally flawed. It's a good job the broadband cables don't react to the wrath of the councillors using them.
I need a holiday - a long one!

The Play Area is coming!

This afternoon there was a meeting of the Recreation Committee of Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe Parish Council with 2 agenda items. The first was to receive the outline plans for our refurbishment at St Margarets' play area. Very exciting and we're looking forward to hearing residents' views during the consultation. Plans will be on display at the Playscheme in July and August, in our notice boards and perhaps in one or two shop. We'll have letters to go to houses very near the park so that those people know what's going on. We hope the press wil help to publiise it and we hope that lots of people will say their piece.
The second item was to complete the application for funding for work to be done on the memorial garden at Egglescliffe. Fingers crossed now - we hope to get up to £1700 to help with the planting of shrubs, a memorial tree and another bench.
I like it when money comes in and we can fulfil residents' wishes and aspirations.

Monday morning, a Focus leaflet to produce, an article to write for our newsletter to party members, a few bits of casework to finish up and a meeting with colleagues to discuss some issues. Just another day in the life of a councillor. This particular day was broken into by an unexpected and very pleasant chat with our daughter on the other side of the world, so not all work!

Celebration Time

The first Sunday of the month means Fairtrade stall at the church coffee morning. We only manage once a month but there's now a group of regulars as well as those who pop in occasionally. It's almost impossible to predict what will sell on a particular day. Some months everyone seems to want coffee and biscuits. Other days it's chocolate or tea. This week several people wanted snacks to eat while travelling which wouldn't make their fingers sticky and wouldn't melt in the heat like chocolate - Paradise Fruit mix and Geobars to the rescue!
This evening was spent celebrating Fiona Hall's re-election as our MEP for the North East. We were blessed when the weather changed for the better shortly before people were due to arrive and we could barbecue and eat outside. Fiona called in for an hour between campaigning in Dormanstown and driving home to Northumberland. Fairtrade Cola and wine, along with locally produced sausages and assorted other foods and drinks made for a very convivial evening.

Home again and time for a more detailed account of the last 3 days. The council's economy drive turned out to be a bit of a pain when the hotel we were booked into proved not to have a restaurant or even a breakfast room attached. The breakfast was delivered in a plastic bag to the floor outside the bedroom door. Or at least it was on the first morning. On the second morning it just didn't materialise at all. The content of the plastic bag was worthy of a photographic record. Fortunately I'd already decided that I was going to an early bird session on planning at which breakfast was provided - a selection of hot items, lots of fresh orange juice, coffee and fresh fruit. Definitely worth getting out of bed for.
The session on planning was useful and interesting, but would have been even more useful 2 years ago - c'est la vie!
The conference proper had a session with Michael Parkinson talking about dignity in old age and how every one of us has a responsibility to treat people with dignity and respect whatever their mental state. He talked with humour and pathos of his experiences as his mother developed dementia.
A fringe meeting with Sandi Toksvig, billed as a Question Time style evening, was more disappointing as lots of pre-prepared questions were put to a panel and there was little time for spontaneous contributions from the audience. It did, however, produce a few excellent moments and gave a name to be watched for in future - Amina Ismail from Liverpool hopes to be a councillor after the next elections there and has been shadowing the leader to find out what's involved. If she's not in a leadership role in 5 years I'll eat my hat. The title of the evening was "A woman's place in local government" and I concluded that Amina's was at the top.
That was followed by a very pleasant meal with colleagues from Yorkshire and Sussex, sharing ideas, hopes and concerns about the next couple of years.
And at the end of all that it was still so hot that I needed a shower before I could settle down to sleep, only to be woken by the ongoing noise from the Rock Bar over the road - the joys of the Harrogate Travelodge.
Thursday's early bird meeting was in a different venue and there wasn't such a good selection for breakfast but nevertheless the fresh juice was very welcome and the bacon sandwich was a rare treat.
A session on inland waterways was relevant to the river both in our ward and in the centre of Stockton. The workshop on climate change was less interesting, but was followed by a talk from Vince Cable, measured and convincing as ever. Why aren't the banks which were bailed out by the taxpayer helping the economy by supporting small and medium businesses more? Why is the government in such a hurry to sell them back to private ownership before they've put right the wrongs which led to their being taken over in the first place.
There followed a session on protecting the most vulnerable in our society - young children who can't protect themselves. The first part of it was full of statistics and had me wondering why I was there rather than doing something useful but the second part, from Martin Narey of Barnardos was excellent. He dared to go against the current view that keeping a child in a family is always the best thing for the child and suggested that at times a well run residential home can be much better for some children. His illustrations included the story of a child with severe behaviour problems who had over 40 foster placements in under 3 years - what earthly good was that doing for the child? It was a very challenging talk and will colour my thoughts on the care of children for some time I think.

Harrogate in the Sun

I'm spending 3 days at the Local Government conference in Harrogate, with lots of opportunity to meet up with other councillors and officers from around the country and chances to discuss issues with exhibitors and see if there's anything they might offer in the way of help, advice, funding etc. So far I've managed some information on carbon reduction, ideas on planning and some information which might be of help in what we are hoping to do for young people in the area.
There's more to come and I'm going to suffer from information overload by the end of the conference but lots of notes will help sort it out over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile the sun's shining outside and it's far too nice to be indoors.

Two very different issues on my plate today, but both important.
This morning I took a call from a man who used to live in this ward but moved out of Witham House so that Erimus could demolish and build a new sheltered housing complex. 3 years later it's still standing there with nothing being done to it and he's angry that he moved out of Eaglescliffe to somewhere he didn't want to live and all for nothing. Sadly I couldn't offer him any consolation other than the fact that he's not alone.
This afternoon I chaired the meeting of the Environment select committee which is looking at Stockton Council's carbon management programme and trying to find ways to save even more carbon emissions and more money. There was lots of information to digest and lots of questions being raised. Our next meeting will be a long one I expect- looking into how schools contribute to the carbon emissions in the borough and how their contributions can be reduced. We plan to look at everything from building materials in new buildings through to retro-fitting insulation etc for older buildings, travel to school and many other issues.

Where has summer gone?

There might be a heatwave at Wimbledon this weekend but not up here. We've got rain, drizzle, more rain, sunny interval, more drizzle. The fog on the A19 was bad enough to lead to a series of accidents on Friday night. This is summer?
Meantime I see that Ed Balls still thinks the government can conjour money out of thin air and not have any spending cuts while paying back the national debt. Such is the failure of our education system under Labour that even well educated ministers believe in fairies.

Armed Forces Day

It was only this morning that I realised we've had an official Veterans Day in this country till now. I've obviously missed it in news broadcasts etc for the past umpteen years. Perhaps it's because I don't live in a town with a military base very near?
Although my own personal inclinations are towards pacifism I recognise that there are situations when this country is involved in war and I believe that the women and men who risk life and limb and mind to fight those wars deserve our support. Democracy means to me that however much I might disagree with the politicians who make the decision once it's made the personnel sent to do the job need the very best support we can give, both practical and emotional. That's why I'm pleased that Stockton's nice new flagpoles are flying the Armed Forces flag this week and why I'm glad that one soldier was to be presented with his Afghanistan medal today by the Lord Lieutenant of Durham in the dignified surroundings of the Town Hall.
I was told about Stockton Council's plans for today a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed that I was committed to being elsewhere so wouldn't be able to take part. As it was, at the last minute plans changed and I was in Stockton after all. So I took the chance to go to the Library to see the "exhibition of wartime memorabilia" which had been advertised as happening all week in the Library foyer. What a disappointment - the foyer was full of a very interesting exhibition about eye problems and Louis Braille, mounted by Blind Voice UK. Not a bit of military memorabilia to be seen. Eventually we tracked it down - a handful of photographs mounted on a couple of display boards in one aisle of the library with no sign to direct people towards them.
Denis had provided a digital copy of the photograph owned by the Museums service of the 225th Company Royal Engineers. He and one of the museum staff are trying to put names to faces on the photo - over 100 Stockton men who signed up to fight in the First World War. They were rapidly followed by two other companies which aren't as well documented. Denis' grandfather and two of his closest friends signed up and are there in the photo. Denis is in touch with descendents of 2 others, but that leaves a lot to be identified. Sadly, the book which had been put with the photo for people to write in if they thought they could help identify anyone has been stolen. So much for respect for the armed forces.
On a more positive note I heard some rare serious discussion of what the army is doing in Afghanistan now and why on BBC Radio 4. It's a pity that such discussion doesn't happen more often - we all need to try to understand what's going on there and why.
I also caught on radio a brief bit of Any Answers when a british muslim woman talked about why she wears a burkha when she leaves her house and the circumstances under which she removes her face veil. I wished I could have met her and had a much longer discussion with her. She answered questions clearly and her passionate commitment to Islam shone through. It was one of those radio gems which crop up occasionally and leave me wishing for lots more. I'd love a BBC producer to go and make a programme with her to explore some of the prejudices that exist on both sides of the divide over the wearing of such distinctive clothing. But I don't suppose I'll be that lucky.

We have a bathroom!

OK, it's not exactly earth shattering nor political but it is quite important to me, and to hubby. Right on time the work was completed and the finished article was handed over to us. I mention it here because so much is said and written about poor workmanship and "rip off Britain" that I feel it's worthy of note when someone takes a real pride in their work, does a good job on time and within budget. It may not be a multi million pound contract but it's of great value to us. So well done Andy and Simon and a huge thank you for being so careful and doing such a good job.
In among today's post was a carefully hand-written envelope which of course I opened before any of the formal typed ones. Inside was a beautiful piece of artwork inviting me to a performance of Pepys Show at Durham Lane School next month. It's one of the perks of being a governor that we get these invitations but I've never had one which was also a work of art. I shall certainly be going along to find out what the show is about. I know I'll be in for a treat of music and acting far better than one might expect from primary school chldren.
The business part of the day consisted of meeting with colleagues to discuss some of the important issues facing us in the borough over the next few weeks and running through to the general election. There are lots to keep us busy over the summer and beyond and to give our new younger members things to get their teeth into.

Spending Money and other problems

Who'd have thought that spending money could be so fraught with difficulty? For years Liberal Democrat councillors argued for having a budget to be spent in each ward according to what local people wanted. When we finally got it we found it hedged with restrictions so that we couldn't actually have quite a lot of what people wanted. Nevertheless we've managed in Eaglescliffe to do most of the things people asked for in the first couple of years, including some which we'd been told previously were impossible like surfacing the area between the church gate and the cemetery at Egglescliffe and improving the path from West View Tce to Yarm Rd. This year we've had a number of requests which we're probably not going to be able to satisfy, not because there's not enough money to do everything (though there isn't) but because one person's meat is another person's poison. One wants tarmac instead of grass while his neighbour wants the grass improved. One wants parking and another doesn't. One wants roundabouts improved while another doesn't. We can't please everyone and so it goes on. One good thing about having the budget and publicising it is that lots of people are getting involved in making suggestions on how to spend it - real local democracy which is what Liberal Democrats have argued for over years. Give power to the people and we'll use it well. If only the Westminster Government could believe that, what a different country it would be.
This week I've also been involved in putting together a bid for funding for some work to be done to the Parish Council land near the war memorial at Egglescliffe. In 2006 we had some plans drawn up for making that into a Memorial Garden but then the funding applications didn't work out and the work was never done. This week we decided to look at doing some smaller scale work such as laying the hedge and planting up low shrub beds on the slopes to the memorial as well as a plaque recording the history of the memorial. There's the possibility of grants towards that sort of work if we can get some community involvement in the project.
Meanwhile if you live in the area and know anything about hedge laying please get in touch!

The meeting of Western Area Partnership Board tonight had a presentation from the North East Ambulance Service on their application to become a Foundation Trust, seeking support from the public for the application. We saw a DVD of the ambulance service's work and were given a nice glossy booklet about it. Then the board spent half an hour or more questioning the two representatives at some length. There were issues about how people could "advise" the trust, questions about whether going to a business model would take away from the public service model, questions about what right the trust have to exclude "vexatious individuals" from membership and more. At the end it was pointed out that although an erratum slip was included, changing two of the questions in the light of previous consultations there was still another question which didn't make sense! There was no answer to the question of how much this exercise is costing - money which might otherwise have been invested in the ambulance service, except that the government has decreed that such Foundation trusts are the best way to go so who are we mere mortals to object.
The consultation document and questionnaire is available online and anyone with an interest in the NE ambulance service should read it and answer the questions - if you don't make your voice heard you can't complain that it isn't working the way you want.
Most of the rest of the meeting was taken up with a consultation from SBC couched in such jargon that most people round the table didn't know what they were being asked! It took rather a long time to get to the point of comprehension.
At the end of the evening the highlight was the agreement of some of the young people who'd sat through this session to meet up with us and discuss the best way to be involved in shaping the future of the area for young people. Watch this space.

People Power

Having spent Sunday happily playing with grandchildren and collecting photos of play equipment in their new park in readiness for the design being done on St Margaret's Play area I realise that I didn't get round to sharing any thoughts on the Lib Dem councillors' conference on Saturday. If you're interested you can read about a super day on Suzanne Fletcher's blog. Suffice to say from me that it was a very useful day and I came away with some ideas for ways to do things better in Stockton.
While in Sheffield I spotted an imaginative use of a phone cable box in the city centre which reduces the amount of clutter by combining signage with a necessary but usually ugly piece of "street furniture".

A Friday off (almost!)

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A whirlwind morning which included driving for the first time for a month in order to fit everything in - public transport just wouldn't work for the timetable I had. Then packing, making sure the house was safely locked up, and I was off to the station for the train to Sheffield. I was going with others of the Lib Dem council group from Stockton to a conference organised mainly by councillors for councillors, so some real grass roots politics for a day. To make sure that the brain was working properly on Saturday we'd opted to go down early and enjoy a relaxing evening in this great city (especially so since it has a Lib Dem council of course).
I was down in Sheffield last autumn for the Fairtrade Campaigns day and was impressed then by the lovely water features with their imaginative use of steel on which so much of Sheffield's past greatness was founded. It was no different this time - still a stunning welcome to the city when leaving the station. Outside the hotel was the Peace Garden though it wasn't very peaceful on Friday afternoon with dozens of young people having great fun running through the water spouts. There were no objections as far as I could see - they were enjoying themselves without harming anyone else.
I went with Alan to look at the City Hall, a splendid building with marble interior. Talking to one of the civic officers it was obvious that there's great pride in the building and how it's used but a sense of disappointment that so many tall buildings are being allowed in the vicinity, dwarfing what they felt should be the most important building. I could see what he meant. The very hotel in which we were staying was one of the culprits.
The evening started with a welcome drink in the Winter Gardens, with a brief visit from the local MP who also happens to be leader of the Liberal Democrat party. He spoke with great enthusiasm about Sheffield and the way in which it's changing and improving with a Lib Dem council, about the need for such delegation of real power to people and the need for Fair Voting systems to allow real representation.
Follow that with a super meal and we were all ready to get on with the next day's agenda, renewed and refreshed.
And in case anyone is thinking otherwise - it was all paid for out of our own pockets - travel, accommodation and conference costs. No expenses claims here - it wouldn't be right to have such things funded out of the tax people pay for services.

Pedestrians rule OK?

Today was another of those all too rare opportunities to see the NHS at its best - a doctor giving the impression to an elderly patient that there was all the time in the world to listen to her concerns while skilfully steering the conversation to answer the questions she needed to ask, a really meaningful consultation discussion about possible treatments (including do nothing different) and everyone seeming to come out feeling that things were better than they had been. Yet again I'm reminded that the NHS is not a system but people and when people are allowed to do the job they want to do they do it as well as they can and other people share the benefits. Why oh why do successive governments think they can solve all the problems by tinkering with systems?
This afternoon's meeting was at a venue which is not easily accessible by public transport but has such awful car parking problems that it's not worth trying to take the car either. I opted for the bus to Stockton High St and a walk from there over the bridge across the river and through Teesdale. It was a pleasant walk if a longish one. My point about car parking was made when as I sat down in the meeting room with my water and my papers all out ready to start the chair rushed in and apologised to me for not stopping to give me a lift - he'd passed me but on the other side of the road and it wasn't safe to stop. He'd then spent so long finding a parking spot and walking from it that I got there a good 3 minutes before him! I did pick up a couple of interesting points to share with colleagues at the next Western Area Partnership meeting but the afternoon went down hill when the train home from Thornaby was delayed by over 5 minutes which gave time for the rain to start at Eaglescliffe and me to get thoroughly wet walking down from the station. It's summer in England - whoopee.
Before the formal parish council meeting tonight there was a discussion with Stockton's town centre manager about the problems caused by the proliferation of A-board advertising. The whole discussion did seem to be about consulting on a new policy being developed until he said that the policy was already drafted but might need a few little tweaks following the consultation! Yet again a meaningless consultation from Stockton Council. The fundamental issue of whether or not to allow such boards wasn't really being considered, just how they should be regulated. So those who struggle with eyesight problems, those whose mobility is such that they need a wheelchair, those who push prams around the streets, will still have to struggle but they'll have the "consolation" that the obstructions are licensed. So that's all right then.

Yarm & Green Spaces

A visit to the hospital this morning confirmed that the radial knuckle (elbow) is mended nicely but there's some inflammation of the tendons so the arm is still in need of a little tender loving care! Gentle stretching exercise is prescribed so if you see my arm waving in the air I am definitely waving not drowning.
A leaflet arrived through the letter box today about parking in Yarm. It's a topic of great interest to many people in this ward whether or not they park there, because one of the biggest causes of congestion in Yarm High St is people looking for parking spots. Although there are no new suggestions in it for some reason it had to be kept confidential and not mentioned to Eaglescliffe councillors until the public leaflet was ready and the display was being set up. As a result we couldn't let people know in time for today's exhibition in Yarm. There's a number of suggestions being made and it's worth looking at them and making comment. None of them will completely solve the problems but it's a serious effort to make a difference so please do have your say. If you haven't got a leaflet there's a section on the Council website about it so you can see what's being suggested there.
There was a drop in session for councillors this evening to discuss the various plans and strategies that are developing at the moment for all our green spaces around the borough. Although there was nothing new in there it was helpful to be able to see how everything is starting to link together. I've only been a councillor for a few years but in that time I've been frustrated on occasion by the fact that the right hand didn't seem to know what the left hand was doing on open space and green areas. It must be much worse for people who've been involved for much longer.
At last every bit of green is being recognised as having some value, whether it's in someone's garden, beside a road or part of a big park. That doesn't mean that we never remove green areas, but it does mean that we consider their value in relation to other values and make a more informed decision, or at least I hope that's what it will mean. It's certainly beginning to make a little bit of difference in planning committee meetings. It also means that green spaces and play areas are planned differently now, aiming to let young people take risks which a couple of years ago were frowned on - there's nothing new under the sun is there? Now we encourage them to climb trees etc. without doing a risk assessment first!
The session was also useful because I could make some enquiries about how things are progressing with the Parish Council's work on the Play Areas and remind some relevant officers of promises that have been made of further help for us.
There's an on-going consultation on our green spaces and what we want from them so if you haven't already done so please go to the website and have your say.

Nick Clegg - the radical

I couldn't believe I'd heard it the first time, but having listened twice and read it on news websites and seen it on TV news I now believe that Nick Clegg actually confronted the Trident question face on and didn't fudge. Two years after a cracking good debate at conference and a messy resolution we have a leader with the courage to say "I've changed my mind. Times have changed." Even if I didn't agree with him on saying we wouldn't support spending the money on a replacement missile I'd have to admire his courage in saying that he'd changed his mind.
I am, however, one of those people who cannot see a moral justification for using warheads which have an effect far beyond their immediate point of impact. At the age of 12 I wrote a passionate, carefully researched, essay on why nuclear war could never be justified and whilst I've changed my mind on many things since that age I still believe what I wrote then.
Now if only Brown & Cameron would change their minds on fair voting systems and on letting local government get on with local things ....................!
I fear the age of miracles isn't with us yet, though.

A Tale of Two Governments

A govemment makes a decision and a million people walk through the capital to protest about it. The decision is implemented. Years later public pressure forces an enquiry - to be held in secret and not to apportion any blame but to see if we can learn any lessons.
A government makes an announcement of the election result and a million people walk through the capital to protest about it. 2 days later the "Guardian Council" says that it is prepared to recount votes in contested areas.
Which country has a democratic government?
Simplistic - yes. Not the whole story - I agree. But I do wonder, increasingly often, about where the Mother of Parliaments has ended up. Certainly not sitting at the head of the table nor even at the fireside offering wise counsel to her offspring.

Another scorching hot weekend - what's happened to the great British summer? The BBQ's been used more so far this year than in the whole of last year.
An encouraging moment at the market yesterday when one stall holder whom we've been trying to encourage to stock Fairtrade bananas complained that now we've really started something and as soon as he gets a box they sell! I'm instructed to get there first thing on a morning if I want to confirm that he's selling them because he can only get one or two boxes at a time. I regard that as something of a success story. I suggested that he keeps his eyes open for other fruits and expands his choice over the year. We shall see. He's a great character and very much part of Stockton Market. Long may he thrive.
The English strawberries he had on sale were small, juicy and bursting with flavour. Absolutely superb and a lot cheaper than the water-fattened ones in a supermarket not too far away. I love the soft fruit season. I'm watching the raspberries and cherries swelling nicely in the garden - not too long now before we can eat them.
Meanwhile residents continue to contact us about the issues that concern them - the uncertainties over the bus services, the perceived unfairness of having a service every 10 minutes during the working day on one part of the ward but only every hour on the other part, and so on. The next meeting of the Public Transport Users’ Forum for this Borough meets on 11^th July from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in ARC, Dovecot Street, Stockton, with John in the chair. This is the opportunity to get the latest information and make your voice heard.

I started the day with a trip using 2 buses to get to the Education Centre in Norton (formerly William Newton Girls School). The meeting was about scrutiny of policies and decisions in council and was a regional get together to share ideas on the best way of doing things. It had some interesting parts and was worth attending. I also managed to catch up with the council officer supporting the Carbon Management scrutiny over lunch and talk through some of the issues we need to explore. It's the first time I've been asked for a tour of the building - one member had 3 schools about to close in his area and he wanted to do something imaginative with the one in his ward so wanted to see how this had been utilised. Another member wanted to look at the Energy from Waste plant at Haverton before going home, having heard so much about it. So now we know what Stockton's famous for!
For the first time in 3 weeks the bus which I caught to start the journey home was late. That's not a bad record considering how many buses I've used since breaking my arm. As it was a hot sunny day I used the time as heat therapy for the aching ligaments!
During the afternoon we managed to choose a new garage door and sort out a number of things in and around the garden before repairing to our local restaurant for a weekend treat.

I can see the desk top!

One very short meeting today meant that I had some time this afternoon to tidy and file. My usual reluctance to do this was added to by the difficulty of working one-handed recently, so there was even more to do than usual. A solid hour's work means that a window sill and part of the desk top are now cleared, dusted and only have on them the things that are meant to be there - a phone, a radio, a modem - the important things in life.
I also had time to do some research as part of the scrutiny review of Carbon Management in the council. All in all, a good day.

Planning Committee did indeed approve both of the big applications this afternoon, with some requests for some thought at the detailed stage of North Shore about renewable energy, insulation, public art, public transport and road safety. The next steps will be interesting but may well take several years.
Gordon Brown has announced his next big idea - he'll think about possibly letting people have a fairer voting system but not until the next election is over. David Cameron says no way - why go for a fairer system when the present one works as he wants it. Strange how reluctant Westminster politicians are to let people have any power.

Inspirational Developments

There were 2 Planning site visits this afternoon and both were described thus. I make no comment here about how they fit with Stockton's planning policies but both were certainly significant applications. First we went to Yarm School to see how they propose to improve their facilities having been refused permission last year for a greenfield site. The present application has a very innovative theatre design, modern play areas, a newly unified early years section and more. It's a very ambitious project for what is undoubtedly a very ambitious school. I was interested to hear that several pupils are already training as part of the British elite squad for rowing in hope of being selected for the Olympics. Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's planning committee such excellence should be celebrated in the Borough.
The second visit was to see a presentation on the North Shore proposals and to view the site from the vantage point of an office over the river in Thornaby. Looking down from a 3rd floor window made it relatively easy to see how the plans would sit on the ground. Again, a lot of variables to be considered and no guarantees that funding will come forward but a lot of aspirations to improve that area of Stockton and make the most of a fantastic riverside site.
Tomorrow's planning committee meeting should prove interesting.

Swine Flu

The bug arrived on my doorstep today, causing the closure of Teesside High School for a week. 3 youngsters returned from their half term break carrying the infection but fortunately seem to be recovering well according to the NHS bulletin. For those people confused by the inability of the NHS to pinpoint the school's position accurately - it is in The Avenue, Eaglescliffe and not in Yarm! Exam pupils are coping with even more separation between desks than usual and all pupils and staff are being offered anti-viral medication. I've seen no evidence of panic and the whole operation seems to be running smoothly.
What's more, I now "know" the full name of the bug! In case anyone is interested it's influenza A type H1N1

Aislaby & Newsham

Tonight was the annual meeting of the two smallest parishes in Eaglescliffe ward. Neither parish has a hall or a pub nor any other public meeting place other than the open air of the village green and so they assemble in the neighbouring parish. Tonight the discussion included the vexed issue of development control. The village is deemed unsustainable with respect to public amenities and transport. That's generally welcomed because it should prevent any large scale developments but what about one or two houses in a gap between others? Should a line be drawn and no further development at all be permitted or should small, sympathetically designed properties be allowed in certain circumstances?
Those in the room seemed to favour the latter but of course that wasn't the whole population at all. Other issues were raised about road safety and about recycling, both of which I'm following up. All in all a very interesting meeting and very different to the annual meetings of the bigger councils.

Fiona Hall Re-elected

Today dawned grey and threatening, matching the mood of Stockton Lib Dems. Stories and rumours from verification sessions around the region sounded gloomy. Waiting for the count to start at 6 some of us were occupied by the Fairtrade stall at The Greener Living Roadshow in Preston Park. Although the rain held off it was quite cold and not as many people came this year. Nevertheless we did have some interesting conversations with people. We vwere also treated to the spectacle of some very interesting veicles, including a bike for 5 - otherwise known as a conference bike.
Tonight was nailbiting but the advantage of being in a small region is that we declare fairly early. The relief when Fiona was re-elected! The champagne came out and we toasted her in style. Tomorrow there's time for all the analysis but tonight it was sufficient to enjoy the moment.
I'm sorry Wales missed out and I'm very disappointed that the BNP gained a seat in our neighbouring region - lots of heart-searching to be done by other parties there I think.
But tonight, in the North East, I'm going to enjoy the rosy glow.

Customer Service

It's no fun when the phone and the internet (and thus Skype) give up for no apparent reason in the middle of a Friday afternoon. A call on another phone to our provider of both services produced a friendly voice with some sensible questions, quickly folloed by an appointment for an engineer to visit this morning.
This morning, mysteriously, things were working again but they still did a thorough check of the line and followed up a couple of hours later with a call to check that everything was OK. Full marks for service!

The Die is Cast

I've spent the day working with other Liberal Democrats in Eaglescliffe, encouraging people to cast their vote for our MEP. All the door-knocking is over for now, all the delivering, all the phoning. Tonight the numbers of votes are checked or verified to make sure that none have been lost and then they'll be locked away securely until Sunday afternoon. It's frustrating to have to wait so long but it's only fair that the countries which vote early don't announce results before others have cast their vote,
Meanwhile the problems continue to mount for Gordon Brown. At this rate I might start to feel sorry for him, but not yet!

European Parliament elections

Firstly I must apologise for the paucity of blogs over the last 10 days or so. There were several reasons including breaking my right arm (yes I am right-handed) and having both daughters and their families here to stay at the same time - an event last enjoyed almost 3 years ago. I trust that I'm forgiven for spending some time enjoying their company and the unusually consistent weather.
I havn't been entirely idle politically though - how could I with the Euro elections coming up?
I find it sad that so many politicians of other parties are trying to use this election as a message to Gordon Brown about the abysmal state of the country. That's for the General election when it comes. This one is about who does the best job of representing the North East in Europe. Fiona Hall, the Lib Dem MEP, has worked amazingly hard to help the NE build on our strengths, access support and funding and to shape european policies to help new NE industries such as renewable technologies.
A vote for the Lib Dems in this election really does count because of the fairer voting system used. I hope eveyone will take the opportunity to cast their vote wheter by post or in person and keep that strong representation in Brussels.