Fairtrade Supporters Conference

It would take more space than there is here to describe all that happened yesterday, but I'll do my best to pick out the highlights.
On a very personal note, before even arriving at the conference, there was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time with lots of fresh fruit and decent coffee served by cheerful staff.
Arrival at the conference itself meant being greeted by friendly welcoming members of the Fairtrade Foundation team and being shown exactly where everything was and what to do.
The first session was a plenary discussion chaired by George Alagiah of the BBC, former patron of the foundation, between Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International development and Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation.
The theme of the day was Fairtrade in relation to sustainability and climate change.
George Alagiah pointed out in his introduction that aid is a relatively modern invention but trade is as old as mankind, obvious but often forgotten.
Douglas Alexander described being brought up in a family committed to Fairtrade, drinking Campaign coffee because it was the right thing, not because it tasted good, and now as a government minister being completely committed to promoting Fairtrade as part of the solution to dangerous climate change. He announced the government grant of £12m to the foundation as a sign of the commitment the DfID has to Fairtrade as part of the solution to poverty. His personal commitment was obvious and it was pleasing to see someone so obviously in the right job in government. I have never applauded a Government minister so enthusiastically.
Harriet Lamb talked of the time it takes to develop a product/group to Fairtrade certification. E.g. Zaytoun Olive oil took over 5 years. This kind of commitment needs a lot of investment. Much of the investment comes from the fees paid by producers for certification so the Fairtrade movement is self sustaining but larger investment needs large donors. She welcomed the announcement by the government of £12m grant to the Fairtrade Foundation which will allow much more of the development work to be done working with the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation.

In the course of the discussion examples of rules made in the developed world which make trade difficult and unfair for developing countries were given. The one that hit me hardest and which I wished I’d known about a few days earlier when at the European Parliament was that all bananas entering the EU have to be washed! Why??? Health and Safety apparently! As a result water that should be used for drinking is being used to wash the bananas.

After that came the presentation of awards. Groups from all over the country were recognised for their achievements in Fairtrade Fortnight. Interestingly, both the winner and the runner up in the Most Imaginative campaign category were in the North of England - Scarborough and Tees Valley. Our trip round the Tees Valley with a giant inflated banana had really impressed the judges. Shared Interest had contributed money to give cash prizes this year so we have a base on which to build next year's campaign.
The photo was taken by Moe Kafer.
Workshops on different subjects followed and I was pleased to find out that a group of producers in the DRC are working towards achieving Fairtrade certification for their coffee despite the dangerours political situation in that country.
During the afternoon plenary session I was made aware of something I didn't know was happening in this country (where have I been for the last few weeks?). ASDA has initiated a banana price war, cutting their price 6 times in 6 weeks. At 39p a kilo for loose bananas there's no way it's sustainable and someone is suffering. In the short term it's not the consumer who's saving money nor the shareholder who's getting profits from the increased footfall in the stores. The first people who suffer are the producers who are paid less and less. Thank God for Fairtrade which guarantees a fair price to the grower. But as Renwick Rose of the Windward Islands Farmers pointed out, even Fairtrade growers will suffer because the supermarkets that aren't committed to Fairtrade will just stop buying their produce. He had a revolutionary solution which won't be adopted - pay some of the increased profits back to the farmers who grow the bananas!
There was much more debate about sustainability and climate change but I'll close with the comment from Sophi Tranchell of Divine Chocolate: "It’s down to you. Everything you do and buy makes the world the way it is.” Do we want a world run entirely for the benefit of the few, destroying the lives of the many or will we make the necessary changes?
A Thank you presentation to George Alagiah for his support during 7 years as patron rounded off the plenary session, before we went off to taste wine and chocolate and ask all the burning questions that hadn't been answered in the day. A completely spontaneous standing ovation for George expressed everyone's heartfelt gratitude for all he's done. Tammy Stewart-Jones of Thanet Fairtrade group made the presentation on behalf of all campaigners, old and new.

Return to London

A fairly rapid turnround meant that just over 12 hours after arriving home I was on the way again, this time to receive a Fairtrade Award on behalf of Stockton Fairtrade Borough Partnership.
I took advantage of the evening spent in London to go to the theatre. An Inspector Calls is a play which I've long wanted to see so this was an ideal opportunity, especially as I could find a better deal on a decent hotel as part of a theatre break! It was an even better deal than originally expected because the first hotel I had booked had a problem with its computer and double booked the room. I was asked to move to a better quality hotel in the same chain. I agreed so had a deluxe king sized room in a 4 star hotel for the price of a basic single room in a 3 star - not a bad deal.

European Commission

The second day in Brussels included a visit to the European commission, housed in the kind of building that Brussels seems to do so well - preserved red brick frontage, saved from the convent which used to occupy the site, with a modern designed for the purpose building behind it.
The chapel next door is an ecumenical one, designed by and looked after by Christians but open to all to use. Cleverly arranged with a space for private prayer and quiet contemplative group worship in the crypt, a welcoming space on the ground floor, a traditional chapel on the next floor and meeting rooms above, it provides a welcome haven in the busy day of a European civil servant.
The Commission does a great deal of the day to day work of proposing legislation and enabling the negotiations which enable agreement to be reached. The briefing provided some very useful information to counteract some of the myths which are perpetrated.
After that it was time to board the coach and head to the station in time to catch the train back to London. Wide open spaces make building high speed rail links relatively easy and the result is that it's significantly quicker to get to Brussels from London than it is to get to Newcastle. Yet we have a government that dithers over investment in high speed links in this country and when it does decide to invest it chooses the North West rather than the North East to include!

Visit to European Parliament

This morning was free to do our own thing so for most of us that meant a walk or metro ride up to one or more of the tourist attractions in the centre and perhaps a bit of souvenir shopping.
I was intrigued to come upon a group playing music with tools such as hammers in one of the squares. It was part of a campaign calling for decent working conditions and was quite amazing.
The rain held off till after lunch and then there was time for a brief rest and freshen up before the coach took us to the European Parliament. A quick trip into the visitor centre allowed for the collection of lots of useful pamphlets and then it was time to go into the Parliament building itself. The external architecture of the Parliament and associated buildings is stunningly beautiful and unashamedly modern; the inside needs some work – little or no natural light or ventilation in huge areas of it. The stuffy atmosphere made it difficult to concentrate on a genuinely interesting talk on the Parliament. Following the briefing we were taken into the public gallery of the Parliament to watch part of the debate on the result of the Irish referendum.
It was interesting to hear Irish and French and Polish speakers emphasise that politicians across Europe need to start to tell the story of the Union properly and loudly – the benefits that come from membership to individual countries as well as the benefits that come to Europe as a whole. I’ve been saying for years that here in the UK we don’t tell the story well enough, we only seem to make a fuss about the bad aspects of the Union – the difficulties with the rules, the lack of co-operation between member states. It seems as though it’s not just in the UK that that’s true. Others were complaining too.
I look forward to seeing the Lib Dem leadership giving a real lead on being positive on Europe.

Off to Parliament

Not the Westminster one but the European one.
The train journey was uneventful except for the one person who hadn't thought of the need for a passport because we were just travelling within Europe! Miraculously he managed to get a train from Newcastle to Darlington, meet up with someone who'd kindly brought his passport over to Darlington, caught the next train from Darlington to Kings Cross and ran from Kings Cross to St Pancras to get on the Eurostar seconds before the doors closed! The security staff and others at St Pancras were superb, rushing him through just in time.
We arrived in Brussels right on time and walked round to the hotel to check in before walking up towards the centre for something to eat. A restaurant that was previously a cellar was the perfect setting to enjoy a meal and to introduce our friend to the joys of Trappist Beers. An excellent start to the visit.

Spending too much time visiting North Tees hospital at the moment to blog much. Sufficient to say that we had a good session this weekend with colleagues from across the borough planning activities for the next few months, the Tory conference sounds as though it's going to be as meaningful (not) as ever and the Labour one has faded into oblivion.

For the first time in a long while I took an hour out to walk today with no other purpose than to enjoy it. From Municipal Buildings down to the riverside footpath, along to the Infinity Bridge and over to the south side of the river, along the much less used path to the Millennium Bridge and over into the town centre. It's interesting and a little sad that the part of the path which runs beside buildings full of staff doesn't get walked on enough to kill the weeds which sprout up between the paving blocks. We need to encourage the people working in those offices to get out and enjoy the riverside on that side -it's too nice to waste.
Just time to pick up some Christmas cards for Sunday's Fairtrade stall and then it was off to the Library for the Cabinet meeting. This doesn't usually give rise to much debate but I couldn't help pointing out the irony of cabinet congratulating itself on being ahead of the game on Carbon Reduction strategies while sitting under an overhead projector which was switched on in readiness for a presentation to be made an hour and a half later!
The biggies on tonight's agenda were the Business Case for Building Schools for the Future which went through with no real comment from cabinet despite it depending on being able to sell the land on which closing schools stand for housing development; the pressures on Social workers at present owing to the continuing increase in referrals of children suspected of being abused in one way or another - no easy answers there as there's no end in sight to the problem and no bottomless pit of money to pay the extra staff and hours needed; Billingham Town centre, delayed yet again; and the economic climate which is looking slightly more positive with B&M taking over the old Woolworths store, opening on 14th Oct, and a few other retailers showing a great interest in the town along with one or two companies taking on more staff.
The cabinet meeting was followed by an update on the NHS Momentum plans - all very positive and not really looking at the possibility of not getting the money to carry on with the new way of working. I suppose it wouldn't do to come along and admit that of course if the government pulls the plug on spending it won't go ahead!
I was pleased to hear that they're expecting to have as a condition of the planning permission for the new hospital that the community facilities in Hartlepool, Billingham, Stockton and Yarm have to be up and running first. That's the best bit of the whole proposal. A nice new hospital will be a bonus but if we all have to have cars to access a range of treatment and diagnosis we won't be happy. The community facilities will allow basic x-ray and ultrasound, some simple surgery, plastering, maternity and childcare, physio and other therapies which currently are in hospital. It can't come soon enough in my opinion and I look forward to it. Next Friday will be the special planning committee which will give Stockton's response to the plans in readiness for Hartlepool's meeting the following week to determine the application.

Are you a winner?

Colleges week is upon us, so says an email which popped into my inbox this week. Actually it's from 9th - 15th November but now's the time to get ready to enter a competition with lots of amazing prizes. If you're a student of any age, 16 - 116, you can put your creative talents to work and be in with a chance to shadow Sven-Goran Ericsson or chat with an astronaut or visit the set of Hollyoaks to name but 3.
The competition is designed to celebrate the amazing things that go on in our colleges and encourage students to have a go at being creative. All you have to do is submit a video entitled "I'm running the show", explaining in any way you like what you'd do if you were in charge. Details are to be found at the website. Worth a look if you're a student of any age.

Water Aid

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am very proud of my daughters. This week it's Kirsty's turn to make me say it. I shall let her husband explain the reason, and hope someone might join me in sponsoring her.

Lots of cool stuff is going to happen in October, I am sure, but the one you need to know about right now is that my ever-delightful wife Kirsty is going to be walking 10,000 steps each day this month. Probably 40,000 steps in reality because her pedometer only seems to register every fourth step!

I'm not quite sure how she is going to manage this feat as there are only so many hours in a day, but I'm sure she'll do it. If you know Kirsty, you'll know that water is one thing she is very passionate about and this challenge is for Walk 4 Water 2009 for WaterAid Australia.

WaterAid enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. These basic human rights underpin health, education and livelihoods and form the first essential step in overcoming poverty.

The reason that you need to know about this is because Kirsty needs your support. You can sponsor Kirsty and her friends by going to Walk 4 Water and following the instructions. I know she will appreciate your support and I do too.


How could I put it any better? For someone who spends an enormous amount of time at her desk or travelling to site it's going to be a huge challenge. I foresee very active lunch breaks.

Area Transport Strategy Group

Tonight's meeting of the Area Transport Strategy Group showed how much can be achieved by working together. This was the meeting when decisions had to be made about spending the balance of the budget. The traffic calming scheme near The Links school couldn't be considered because it's still not finalised. Consultation with the Parish council is ongoing. The scheme might be a contender for next year's funding but not this.
Similarly a suggestion to do part of the work on Greens Lane in Yarm couldn't be progressed because the cost was way beyond our budget so that'll have to wait until the golf clubhouse is built and the section 106 money is available.
A build-out to prevent unsafe parking on Spitalfields was well supported and then we were back to the thorny issue of speeding traffic. Staffing problems have meant that the safety camera has been deployed less often than we'd like on those roads where speeding is thought to be an issue. We heard more evidence about Speed Indicator Devices and how they can be used. It's possible now to use them to record speeds and to show what time of day or night is most in need of the enforcement camera, thus allowing for more effective targeting of those more expensive cameras.
We discussed Yarm Rd, where most people thought the speeding was related to taxis going to and from Yarm but there were several views as to which section has the worst problem.
We talked about the problem of the A67 from the Hunters Green roundabout towards the Tesco roundabout where for some reason many drivers don't seem to realise they're in a built up area. Having said that, a few years ago I took part in filming for a documentary about speed cameras on site with the camera on that stretch of the A67 and some drivers seemed to be deliberately speeding up, flashing their lights and gesticulating at the camera and at us filming so it's not accidental speeding for some people.
We also discussed Worsall Rd where everyone seemed to agree that speeding is a problem but there were several opinions on which stretch is the worst.
Because there was so little agreement on the detail of the speeding problems officers are going to have to do more investigations on Yarm Rd and Worsall Rd before we can go any further on that matter. Fortunately we agreed tonight that the remainder of he work could be done without more meetings! We even agreed on a proposal to put to a neighbouring Area to jointly fund something which is in their area but has an impact on ours. Co-operation indeed.

Can one woman save the world?

The article in today's Indie is actually entitled Can One Woman save Africa? but the principle extends to the world. It's an amazing inspirational story so read it then do something, however small.
It reminded me of cramming for my O level Geography exam, for which we needed to know the growing conditions of various crops - honestly. I can't remember which crop needs 70 days at 70 degrees under the shade of banana trees but something does. The point being, that trees aren't just trees, they're also sun-shades, carbon sinks, homes for birds and insects, fuel for fires, compost for the ground and so ad infinitum.
If there's room in your garden, plant a tree. If not, plant one in a woodland somewhere through the Woodland Trust or one of the countless other schemes around.

ICT - slave or master?

Once upon a time there were some councillors who wanted to be able to do such complicated things as download and save a document to read off line later. Those same councillors wanted to be able to write letters on their laptop sititng out in the garden or waiting for visitors to their ward surgeries and then to email said letters at a suitable time later. Foolish councillors - they didn't realise that this is too complicated for the wonderful IT system to cope with. To be able to do such things they need to have endless visits from the computer doctor who seems to get younger and more chirpy with every passing problem. And all because a team of computer doctors devised a solution to a problem, not realising that their miracle cure would cause a myriad of other problems in its wake.
Thus, this morning I had a meeting at the unforgiveable hour of 9am in Municipal Buildings. Unforgiveable not because I had to leave home early but because that time means travelling through all the school traffic and parking problems on the estate. The schools supposedly have green travel plans but all I can say is that they don't seem to have much impact on the number of cars taking children to school each morning.
The computer doctors listened to us, nodded sagely and promised to cure the problems.
So what happens? 9 hours later an email from Suzanne to say that the problems have got worse and cost her an enormous amount of time this afternoon. The patient is not cured and there is no sign of a cure on the horizon. The rest of our group are protecting our computers jealously, lest they too succumb to the dreaded "upgrade".
This evening I chaired the shortest ever meeting of the Western Area Partnership Board. The main business of the evening was an update on the work starting in the area on helping people to cope with financial problems in the recession. It's starting later in the year than we'd hoped but sounds even more comprehensive than we'd first thought so a bit of swings and roundabouts. I just hope that people find it helpful. If you live in Eaglescliffe, Yarm, Long Newton, Elton, Kirklevington or Aislaby watch out for the flyer coming through your letter box. If nothing else it has some useful phone numbers on it and a helpful checklist to look at your monthly income and outgoings.

Jobsworth bureaucracy

Why do the good things all come at once? I have the chance next month to go to Brussels and see the European Parliament, a chance to really understand some of the differences between it and our national parliament as well as an opportunity to see something of how it works. All fine and dandy - arrangements made to join a party from the North East travelling by train. But it finishes on a Thursday night and I want to be in London the night after. Can I leave the party early and stay in London? No! That would invalidate the group rail ticket. Now I can understand if someone wanted to join the train part way, but someone not taking up a seat? How can that possibly cause a problem? So rather than run the risk of having the party organiser fined I must go home to Eaglescliffe on Thursday evening and then travel back to London on Friday afternoon.
And to add insult to injury the North East isn't going to get a high speed rail link! Though I must confess that when the train is as crowded as it was going to Bournemouth last week I'd rather have some extra luggage space and extra seats than a few minutes shaved off the journey. Having to balance a suitcase on my knee to let the refreshment trolley get down the aisle was no joke.

Whoops!

Guess who forgot about the Mayor's sponsored walk today along the Teesdale way from the Borough boundary past Aislaby and Eaglescliffe. I met the party walking up Carnoustie Drive this afternoon. That part of the walk has to leave the banks of the Tees as the Golf Course and Teesside High School are in the way. A stroll through a housing estate and then along Yarm Rd rather takes the edge off the rest of the walk along some of the loveliest parts of the river.
I've now promised to sponsor the Mayor retrospectively. This year the Mayor's Benevolent fund is directed towards organisations supporting older people and encouraging young people to enjoy the outdoor life.

Spending money, maybe

A pleasantly empty diary this morning allowed me to catch up on some of the things which haven't been done recently. Cancelled meetings do give these opportunities, though they also bring problems of course.
This afternoon I had the pre-meeting briefing session with transport engineers to discuss the issues for next week's Area Transport Strategy meeting. I'd hoped that we'd have some local evidence to put with the national evidence we had last time about the effectiveness of Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) but such evidence as there is doesn't really help - some slight reduction in speed sometimes in some places but not enough evidence to really be sure whether mobile or fixed are better or indeed whether either has any long term effect. There seems to be some evidence from such areas as Ingleby Barwick that a little like fixed speed cameras or some speed bumps, they cause people to brake as they reach them but not to alter their normal speed or driving style. However, the evidence is mostly anecdotal.
Other projects which we'd decided to look into spending money on are coming out either far too expensive or to be covered by other budgets in due course or the consultation hasn't been completed. At present Yarm, Eaglescliffe and the surrounding villages are very safe according to the statistics with no accident blackspots and no residents coming along to ward or town councillors with serious concerns to take to the Transport Strategy Stakeholder meeting.
Because of the way the funding is arranged we can't carry it over into next financial year so what isn't allocated at next week's meeting will go back into the central pot to help out with general works. It's going to be an interesting discussion - what to spend money on when there are no pressing requests from residents and no statistics suggesting that some safety work should be done.
On the way home I did manage to spend money - my own this time - on some much needed grocery shopping!

Back to normal

The rest of the conference passed in a whirl of activity, too long to note here. Very limited access to the internet while away meant that posting more blog entries didn't happen.
Suffice to say now that there were excellent debates and resolutions on MPs' expenses, torture, consumer rights, tidal power, cutting our carbon emissions, preserving our natural heritage, housing, the war in Afghanistan and much more.

Sadly, the amendment which had been submitted and worked on by a number of members the length and breadth of the country on contracts for waste treatment plants was rejected because people just didn't grasp the complex argument for it.

Suzanne Fletcher took the opportunity to remind conference of the appalling situation in housing revenue where rents from council houses in some boroughs like Stockton are used to subsidise housing in other boroughs. Over the past 9 years she had found out that Stockton tenants paid £88m out to other boroughs, money which otherwise could have been used to improve houses here in Stockton.

The membership took a number of opportunities to remind the leadership team just who makes policy in this party and it seemed as though the message had finally got through. Conference votes on policy and the Federal Policy Committee decides which things should be highlighted in the manifesto. We are the Liberal DEMOCRAT party.

The key messages we all seemed to agree on during the week were:

In the wake of the recession, the world has changed significantly and many of the old assumptions no longer apply. Given the state of public finances it would be dishonest for any party to go into the election with a long shopping list of pledges and not say how they can be afforded.The next government will have to make hard choices about spending. Fresh Start sets out a framework for how the Liberal Democrats would go about making those choices to deliver three key priorities:
Create a sustainable economy: Putting people back to work through investment in green economic growth; breaking up banks so that the risks they take never again jeopardise the whole economy.
Build a fair society: The best start for every child – so that young people do not pay the price for mistakes made today, through smaller class sizes, extra help for children struggling at school, cutting student debt, training and jobs for young people.
Clean up Politics: Cleaning up Westminster – to stop Labour and Tories going back to business as usual after the expenses scandal; Fair votes – so that every vote counts and safe seats are a thing of the past.
And we will cut taxes for people on middle and low incomes – so that no one pays a penny on income tax on the first £10K they earn – paid for from green taxes and closing the loopholes for the very rich.

Mosquitoes should be banned

And not just the winged variety.
In this afternoon's excellent debate on civil liberties Liberal Youth had submitted an amendment calling for the banning of mosquito devices. For those readers not familiar with them these are small devices fitted to the outside of buildings which emit a high pitched noise, extremely uncomfortable for young people whose sensitivity to that pitch has not yet been degraded by age. Typically, people over about 25 aren't affected. They are marketed as effective tools in dispersing gangs of youths, but of course they affect young people gathering together with no ulterior motives. Babies and young children who happen to be in the vicinity are also affected. There have been calls to ban them from no less than the Children's commissioner, Sir Albert Aynsley-Green.
Today Liberal Youth successfully argued the case for a ban being Lib Dem policy. Well done I say.

More from Bournemouth

This morning there were three consultative sessions – sessions run at conference to consult on possible direction for future policy development. I believe we’re the only major party which does that openly with all members able to take part. I went to the session on Quality of Life, a brave attempt to tease out those things which make a real difference to our quality of life and to see if they can be expressed in a way which will help all of our policies to enhance it. There was a lot of discussion, very passionately for and against government interventions in some things, and we could have spent at least as long again on it I’m sure. I look forward to seeing the second stage consultation next spring.

A session on participatory budgeting filled the lunch break, but there were some nice sandwiches, vegetable sticks and fruit to eat. Participatory budget setting is a relatively new idea which enables communities to decide priorities for funding in their area. It can be done with fairly small budgets right up to hundreds of thousands of pounds. A quote from a Brazilian man struck me: when talking about the difference between this and consultation he said “If it feels like we’ve made the decision it’s PB. If it feels like they’ve made the decision it’s consultation”. I certainly want to explore the possibilities in Stockton. It goes much further than anything we already do. What’s more, the speaker from the PB Unit talked about how it empowers LSPs because in order to make the money go further there needs to be partnership working and levering in of extra funds.

The major part of the afternoon agenda was on a policy paper on women’s issues. It’s an excellent paper on the whole, but some of the wording of the motion struck me as a bit sloppy. It produced an excellent debate and although I didn’t agree with all of the wording I could vote for the motion as a whole, confident that if we get to the position of being able to enact it into law the wording will be sorted out and in the meantime the drafters of the policy are working with some of the important bodies which need to be influenced in order to start the process of change voluntarily. That’s the value of bringing something to the forefront as a proposal for policy – outside bodies sit up and take notice.

And then on to a discussion on campaigning on the environment. Fiona Hall MEP spoke very well about how many jobs are up for grabs in the renewables and energy efficiency industries and the need to grab some of them for the UK. But she and Simon Hughes both made the point that unless we as councillors and individuals start to boost the market for the goods by granting the necessary planning permissions and by using the goods ourselves where possible and leading the way in the community the market won’t be there and the jobs won’t be created. Food for thought.

Conference rally was good in places – but I’m going to write a formal complaint about Sarah Teather’s “jokes” about individuals especially Mark Oaten. I just thought it was completely out of order.

Later tonight I’d a phone call to say that everyone was here and meeting up to discuss the amendment so at 10pm I was walking down the road to meet up with people I didn’t know. Only at conference!!

Off to conference

Everything packed up and ready to go, a quick visit to my mother and then off to the station. With a long train journey ahead I’d packed lunch and plenty of documents to read. Two changes of train ensured that we could have a little walk occasionally. We were fortunate and had seats all the way but there were plenty of people getting on the train at around 5pm who didn’t, some of whom complained bitterly about paying good money and not getting a seat. One woman said she’d paid £107. We really do need much more investment in our railways to make the journeys both affordable and comfortable. Cars don’t have standing room only, and until trains & buses are as comfortable they’re not going to compete on an even footing.

The evening was pleasantly warm when we arrived in Bournemouth so Suzanne and I took a walk along the promenade and through part of the town to shake off the lingering stiffness from the journey. There’s something very attractive about the pier and the sea at night. Away from the sea Bournemouth by night reminded me a bit of Yarm by night – a lot of mainly young people enjoying drinking, music and loud chatter.

Adopt a Phone Box

That was the invitation received by Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe council earlier this month - pay £1 and take over the red phone box on the village green at Egglescliffe. Apparently just 19 calls were made from it in the whole of last year and BT have decided it no longer justifies having a phone maintained in it. However, it's an old red phone box and it's in a conservation area so the council made enquiries about what was involved in adoption. Not a lot it seems. Loathe to see this little bit of our history disappear the council resolved tonight to take it on. When the necessary paperwork has been completed the phone box will be looked after by the local council, along with the village green which it stands guard over.
A little bit of history preserved for another generation.

Fairtrade Stockton

It's official - Stockton is still a Fairtrade Borough! After a great deal of work by the people on the Fairtrade Partnership all the evidence was collected, all the photos and press cuttings correlated and sent off. There followed weeks of waiting until out submission was evaluated. Had we done enough? Were we still flying the flag high enough for Fairtrade in the Borough?
The answer is a resounding yes. We have done enough to earn that accolade for another 2 years. We are now looking forward to getting our new Fairtrade Borough logo and using it on our publicity.
If you want to know more just click on the picture and browse.
A huge thank you is due to all the people in the borough who've bought and sold Fairtrade goods over the last couple of years, to those who've encouraged people to try something from the vast range (from avocado to zaytoun olive oil) and to those who've turned out to support events. The producers across the world do appreciate your efforts and they benefit from them.

Man's inhumanity to woman

I spent most of this evening on the phone with a very distressed person who worked extremely hard, not just in her employer's time but in her own as well, on a project only to find now that its success is being recognised her manager has removed her from it and is doing his very best to claim it as a success for the organisation with no acknowledgement of her contribution. I could do nothing practical to help and could only offer sympathy.
Not on the same level as rape and torture in Darfur but very upsetting all the same.
Perhaps tomorrow I'll have something more cheerful to report.

Communities Together

That is the name of the project for which Stockton has been awarded several thousand pounds from a quango in order to try to involve more people in the Area Partnerships. At a meeting today I heard people getting very enthusiastic about the idea of encouraging more people to be involved by taking them round the area, showing them what's happened when money has been spent and how local people have influenced the spending and then asking them what they'd like to see in their area. All very laudable, but with budgets being cut left right and centre at present I'm not sure it's the best possible use of taxpayers' money. But who am I to question a government quango? Only an elected representative of a few thousand people, that's all.
The sad thing is that I don't think a change of party in charge at Westminster will deliver any better local democracy until we get proportional representation and a significant Lib Dem presence in government. Neither Conservatives nor Labour believe that local politicians can be trusted, so we will go on having quangos with "directors" getting expenses for doing jobs that councillors and council officers should be doing. Such is Britain at the moment.
A recent poll has shown that most people would support the idea of having a referendum on voting reform. What are Labour and the Tories afraid of? Could it be the people?

Roseworth Lodge Open Day

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Following substantial refurbishment Roseworth Lodge celebrated with an open afternoon. The staff had worked flat out to make sure that everyone and everything looked their best, there were some wonderful items to be auctioned, a raffle and the Mayor and Mayoress of Stockton were there to make the day for many of the residents. The only disappointment was that no social workers turned up to see the unit which offers stepdown/step up beds for residents of this borough, clients as the current jargon has it, who need that extra support from time to time. Although they do carry out the necessary visits to people who are in temporary residence to see how they're getting on, I thought they might have taken the opportunity to see the home in a different light with the community spirit which makes it such a welcoming place to people who are feeling vulnerable and poorly.
Back at the ranch, so's to speak, there were plenty of emails to sort through including the information that the week after next (21st Sept) work will start to put traffic lights at the entrance to Preston Park. Short term that will cause some problems but long term it should make it easier to control the traffic for big events.
There were other things too, including plans for a consultation on whether Stockton council should have an elected mayor, but that's too big an issue to tack on the end of a blog and needs a section on its own when I've digested all the documents.

Holding the Cabinet to account & Standing up for Justice

Not the Downing St cabinet, but the Stockton Council cabinet. The meeting of full council is one time when it's possible to question cabinet members in public about anything that falls into their remit. Tonight's meeting had a marathon lot of questions down for responses. Of course the question is submitted in advance and the cabinet member can ask officers of the council to prepare answers but then the questioner can ask a supplementary question and that is unscripted. Tonight Alan asked again about facilities for young people in the borough and especially why we don't have anywhere for our youngsters to go and enjoy skateboarding and off road cycling in a controlled safe environment. He got the usual anwers about us having lots of other things but it doesn't get away from the fact that our cabinet has not put the resources into getting that sort of facility when other neighbouring boroughs have.
John's questions about the disruption to bus services during SIRF produced a woefully inadequate answer from the cabinet member, claiming that the delays to bus services were only 5 minutes when we have evidence from one of our own members of an hour wait for a bus that should have been running every 10 minutes as well as complaints from others. Then he claimed that some relevant minutes hadn't been shown to him when they're sent to all members on the same e-mail. I do wonder, yet again, about the quality of some of our cabinet members.
I'm sure that Suzanne will have something to say on her blog about the missing millions paid into other councils from our council tenants. Suffice to say here that the answer to her question wasn't surprising but was appalling.
Perhaps the snappiest quote of the meeting came from a Thornaby Independent councillor protesting about a local PPC trying to claim credit for work done by council officers and councillors. I didn't see the alleged piece in the local paper so I can't comment on the veracity or otherwise of the statements made in the council chamber tonight but his question did bring at least a smile to most faces and applause from some: "Is the ability to distort the truth a product of legal training or being a Conservative?".
On a more serious note the meeting ended with a motion deploring the continued deportation of people back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deputy leader of the labour group moved the motion with a very good speech on why people shouldn't be made to go back there when they're not safe. Suzanne Fletcher spoke movingly of the young man who'd stayed with them for a time before being deported and of the dangers and privations he faced and is still facing. I spoke of Stockton's history of people who stand up and are counted on the side of right and Justice and of how proud I am that Stockton is the home of Justice First, working for justice for people trying desperately to be granted a safe place to live. I'd thought of mentioning the disgraceful response Fiona Hall MEP had from the Minister concerned when she'd raised the issue of safety for those going back but decided against introducing any possibility of being accused of party politicising the subject matter. Those who need to know do know the work that Fiona did at that time.
The motion was carried unanimously of course, because no-one would vote against such an emotive motion, but I hope that many councillors will do more than just go home after it. I'd hate to think it was just lip service.
On the way home I found out that there's to be a fund-raising dinner to support this work so if you live in the Teesside area and you can afford to pay for a ticket you could keep Nov 7th free and watch this space for more details.

More questions and still no answers

I went with John and Alan to meet the owners of Witham House this morning in an effort to find out what their plans are and how long the people of Eaglescliffe will have to wait for a replacement housing scheme. The answer seems to be How long is a piece of string? The housing market isn't strong enough, building costs are high, we need to make some money in order to replenish the coffers having made big investments in housing elsewhere in the borough, etc etc. What it comes down to is that the admittedly not up to modern standard housing which was available isn't any longer there and there seems to be no prospect of its replacement coming any time soon. The deal which was struck between Erimus housing and Stockton council has turned out to be a pretty poor deal for Eaglescliffe even if it has been of great benefit elsewhere in the borough.
I needed a bit of good news and it came later in the day as our daughter told us they've moved a step nearer to selling their house and finding a better one. Hooray. One bit of the housing market that's recovering anyway.

I spent some time today studying the papers for Wednesday's council meeting and drawing together comments and questions on all sorts of issues. There's so much happening at the moment and it's not always easy to keep track of the things that really matter to our residents. For instance, we have the issue of whether Stockton should have an elected mayor or have a Council Leader chosen from amongst the councillors. We have a massive programme to rebuild or refurbish the secondary schools of the borough except for Egglescliffe, Conyers and All Saints. How to spend the money wisely for the future education of the children who're only just learning to walk? What do we do with the schools which aren't included in this funding bonanza? Egglescliffe school building is hanging on by the skin of its teeth and really should be replaced but where and how? Ingleby Barwick needs more places near at hand for its children but where and how will it be paid for?
Council owned housing is about to become a thing of the past thanks to Government policy on funding but who should take it over and how can we be sure that our tenants will be happy with their new landlords?
Young people in our ward and other parts of the borough ask constantly for better facilities for them to spend their leisure time so how do we get them? Why hasn't the present or previous administration in Stockton done more for them?
So many questions and so few answers. Maybe we'll get a bit nearer with some of them on Wednesday.

Out around the ward meeting residents yesterday it was interesting to hear their concerns but also their compliments. The Parliamentary expenses scandal has really damaged politics and democracy in this country, with many people unable or unwilling to distinguish between the different levels of government. It's helpful to be able to meet people face to face and explain what local councillors do as opposed to MPs. When people can talk and ask questions understanding grows. It's a pity that some of the players on the world stage don't remember that at times.
Last night was spent in a completely different task. My sister had returned from a trip to Ireland with lots more information for the family history we're compiling. A couple of hours with the computer and bits of paper and we think we're up to date. Of course, that's only till we meet up with someone else or one of the family remembers something else!

Yesterday was an exhausting but exciting day. I started off wearing my school governor hat, taking part in a professional development day at a local primary school where I'm a governor. We take it for granted that teachers take part in these days on a regular basis but on this occasion the whole adult part of the school community had been invited to take part. So round tables in the school hall were teachers, lunchtime supervisers, governors, teaching assistants, admin staff and the caretaker. We discussed what we expect from everyone in the school, what makes the school the special place it is, what could make it better and our relationships with the wider community.
High on everyone's list of hopes for the children is that they leave the school with confidence in themselves and a hunger for learning, able to achieve their full potential as people not just as exam fodder. I was sorry to have to leave after lunch to go to another meeting. Most people were carrying on in the afternoon and more governors were arriving for that session. I left feeling bouyant and excited about what would be happening in the school in the coming months and years.
The meeting I left to go to was very different - a meeting of the cumbersomely titled "Multi Agency Looked After Partnership", known as the MALAP for short! It's a gathering of representatives of all the bodies and agencies which have any responsibility for or do any work with the children who are in the care of the local authority. Until I became a councillor I'd no idea that I'd be taking on the role of parent to a number of children whom I'd probably never meet. But that's exactly what happens when a child comes into the care of the authority. Whether they're in a children's home or in foster care the council is their "corporate parent". We have a responsibility to ensure that they have a safe home, an education, leisure opportunities and so on - all the things we'd expect to give our own children. Over recent months some representatives of the young people in our care have been meeting with some council staff to discuss what they would like the council to provide for them and what their own responsibilities should be. Yesterday we were shown the results.
One of the young people concerned came along to the meeting and delivered a presentation to us, explaining what was important to the young folk she represented. She seemed quietly confident in herself, in her relationship with the council officer accompanying her and in her role as a representative of those less able to express themselves. As someone who's been in care for a few years she had some valuable messages for us.
The wishes of the young people were not in any way excessive. They wanted a commitment from the council that they'd have as normal a life as possible for someone who's not able to live with their natural family for whatever reason. The next step is a pledge to be drawn up to encompass those needs and for the council to commit to. Then there'll be a regular monitoring of how well we keep our promise and what we do if we fail on any point in it.
So two meetings, two different groups, but both on the same track of doing their best for the young people depending on us. Both looking for definite actions, not just words. The name of the group of young people doing all ths work - Let's Take Action - said it all.

Well, the die is cast - the draft recommendations on Carbon Management are more or less agreed now with just a few details to be sorted out at the next committee meeting. If they can be implemented and enforced they should make a significant contribution to the council's carbon footprint reduction work and, perhaps more importantly build up the council's ability to act as community leader. By sharing our experience openly and fully with businesses and other organisations we can help and encourage people to take the steps needed with the confidence that they're not going to make a costly mistake. By using our buildings as educational tools we can help the wider community to understand the implications of their actions (or lack of them) on energy efficiency, micro-generation and so on. Now all we have to do is write the report, word the recommendations properly and present to cabinet for their approval. Then the real work begins!

Later in the afternoon another die was cast when Cabinet agreed to the proposal to carry out a feasibility study on a further 3 options for secondary schooling in this part of the borough. For reasons best known to the mandarins in Whitehall the only schools in the borough which are not to be included in the funding for major refurbishment or rebuild under Building Schools for the Future (BSF) are Egglescliffe, Conyers and All Saints at Ingleby Barwick. Too many children are needing to travel out of Ingleby for schools around the borough but primarily at Egglescliffe or Conyers and it would be wonderful if IB could have another secondary school or a bigger extension of All Saints. However, land availability is a problem so the IBIS councillors have come up with the suggestion of relocating Egglescliffe comprehensive into Preston Park. The feasibility of that option will be investigated under this new decision.
I've made my views quite clear on the suggestion that a park, loved throughout the borough and beyond, should be partially taken over by a school and it's gratifying to see from the reaction of residents that Im not alone in that view. It will be very interesting to see the result of the study!

This morning I went to the funeral of Jim Cooke, Freeman of the Borough and Honorary Alderman. I didn't know him personally, though I think I met him when I was a child. He and my father were active in the Boilermakers union and I sometimes went with my father to collect or drop off papers at other officials' houses. Jim Cooke had been a councillor in Stockton for many years, serving as mayor for a year and leading the council for several years. It was appropriate therefore that his funeral was something of a civic occasion. Councillors and council officers were led by the Mayor and Mayoress at a simple service in the Parish Church in Stockton High Street. I hope the family found some degree of comfort in the presence of councillors, council officers and ex-councillors.

Tracing Roots

Denis and I decided to go out this afternoon and try to find a little bit of his past. We know that several generations ago an ancestor was the miller at Bowes. This was in the days of watermills which were commercially viable in today's parlance. So we set off under grey skies to follow the footpath along the side of the Greta towards Mill Race Falls in the hope of finding some traces of the old mill. Foolishly I didn't change from my crop trousers and walking sandals which had served me well during the morning! I walked very carefully in an effort not to catch my legs on nettles. Unfortunately, going up the hillside back to Bowes I almost tripped and stung my arm instead. A small price to pay, though, as the walk was through beautiful countryside and we did indeed find traces of the old mill. There's something rather special about standing in the spot where an ancestor worked over a hundred years ago and to know that the landscape hasn't changed all that much - more sycamore trees, a modern tractor in the distance, but nothing very much.
We wandered up to the church where some of the children in that family had been baptised before rain stopped play and we headed East again.
A pleasant use of the bank holiday, and another little holiday from politics.

Hospital v. Prison

I've been reading reports of the Bournemouth University research on nutrition in hospital. I'm sorry to say that it came as no surprise to me to see the conclusion: "Hospital patients don't consume enough. If you are using food as a means of treatment then it's not working."
I've never experienced prison food so I can't comment on that particular comparison, but I have had a great deal of experience over the last couple of years of the food provided to elderly relatives in our local hospital. A serving of soup seemed to be about a couple of tablespoonsful in the bottom of a bowl, already going cold. Something advertised on the menu as "Chicken Curry" turned out to be a dark brown mess which the patient couldn't face putting in her mouth. Perhaps even more depressing is the fact that the menu didn't change week by week so that for long stay patients there was a predictability which induced boredom. Add that to being expected to order hours in advance or to eat what someone else ordered the day before because they've gone home and you've been admitted - enough said.
I'm not even going to get into the debate about whether staff have the time to spend with the patients who need encouragement and help to eat and drink.
Some years ago in another local hospital there was an experiment on hospital nutrition. For a short period of time funding was made available to offer the "little and often" approach to food. The 3 main meals of the day were offered in a choice of small or large portions. Between meals there were snacks brought round at regular intervals - fruit, cereals, scones, little sandwiches, crackers & cheese. Patients could eat when they felt like it and staff would help and encourage. Patient recovery times were found to improve. The project made its way onto the BBC Food Programme on Radio 4. Then it disappeared. Nothing more was heard of it and the meals reverted to the old style. Those researchers must be really fed up when they read today's reports. Why spend money on research which produces positive results if you're not going to do anything with the results?
The NHS has many wonderful qualities and our family has benefitted many times, but on this there's been little improvement for the last decade or more. Something for the managers to think about?

Where's the waste?

There's a lot of talk at the moment about the need to save money in order to pull the country out of the recession. Much of it centres on how we can save in the public sector (councils, schools, hospitals etc) but there's rarely much detail. Sometimes there's a general "cut the top heavy management" proposal, but no-one suggests which managers.

So - Liberal Democrats came up with a rather radical suggestion. Why not ask the people who work in the public sector where they see waste? Teachers, librarians, social workers, nurses, doctors, road sweepers - anyone who works in th public sector is being asked where they think money can be saved. All the results will be put together to see where a change in policy or a tightening or easing of regulation would help to save money. It will feed into the manifesto for the general election and into our policies for years to come.

If you work in the public sector please go to the "In the Know" website and have your say. We're the only political party asking the right people so do take advantage.

Bank Holiday Weekend

The sun's shining at the moment though it's a wee bit breezy out there and not very warm yet. Preston Park is the place to be in Eaglescliffe today. Stockton summer show takes place all weekend. There's something for everyone - sheep shows, dog show, circus, trapeze acts, falconry, theatre, craft stalls, food, drink and flyball demonstrations. If you don't know what flyball is, now's your chance to learn. Admission for the day is £3, but concessions cost £2, children under 5 are free and there's a discount voucher available for adults. And of course, while there you can visit Preston hall museum and wander round the rest of the park enjoying the wildlife, the wonderful views over the river and much more. Go on - go to Preston Park and spoil yourself for a day. The number 7 bus stops outside the Park and on Sunday and Monday there's a Park & ride scheme from Stoctkon.
The show lasts all weekend so there are 2 more days after this to enjoy it and the Park & Museum are there all year round.

Being personal

Nothing at all to do with politics in this post, just congratulations to people who've done well. To all the people who've achieved the grades they wanted in today's exam results - Congratulations to you all. A special mention goes to the two young people I know, my nephew Mark and the daughter of my fellow ward councillor, Hayley. I saw how much effort went into getting those grades and you deserve every mark. Good luck in 6th form both of you.
Excitement also when our daughter rang to say that they've had an offer for their house which they tried to sell just as the market was slowing down and so have had a very frustrating year. Fingers crossed that this turns into a sale and they can get the extra space they need for their family.
And the sun has shone for most of the day - what more can any woman ask?

Reading articles in the press and hearing on radio mention of Ramadan in all kinds of different contexts has led me to really miss my teaching job for the first time since retiring. Not the paperwork and endlessly trying to reconcile the requirements of a scheme of work with those of the students wanting to be able to live confidently in this country you understand, but the sharing with those students of the festivals and feasts which mark the passing of the year. Ramadan seemed to me to draw out the best in people who sometimes didn't observe the traditions of their faith during the rest of the year. Ramadan in the middle of winter meant breaking the fast at the end of our class around 4pm, with students and staff bringing in contributions to share with everyone whether Muslim or not. I was always saddened that our Lenten fast didn't bring the same sense of celebration. We have so much to learn and share, and we waste so much time in hurting and fighting.

I spent the afternoon in discussions about carbon management in Stockton Council, trying to balance what is possible technically with what is possible financially and what's desirable environmentally. As a council we have a duty to lead and encourage the people and communities of the borough but we also have a duty not to squander the financial resources at our disposal. There are more talks to be held before we can produce final recommendations for Cabinet to take forward over the coming years.

Why is it that when you want someone to phone they don't and when you want a bit of peace and quiet the phone never stops? Not entirely true of course. Today we had a lovely long conversation with a daughter the other side of the world, sharing thoughts in a way that e-mails and letters don't allow. But I've also spent considerable time over the past few days trying to get hold of people to make arrangements, leaving messages, calling back and getting nowhere. Meanwhile I've fielded enquiries as to whether my Sky TV package is satisfactory (I don't have Sky TV); whether I'd like to change my car insurance company (certainly not to a company which calls me on a Sunday afternoon). Nor, while I'm chuntering, do I need any more broadband, central heating or other items on offer from random call centres around the world. I keep reminding myself that it's not the fault of the person on the other end of the phone - she or he is doing a job. But I could cheerfully strangle their bosses!
Today brought a bit of sanity with the monthly meeting of the Fairtrade Borough Partnership. A number of decisions made and some sharing of responsibilities for them. Couple that with sharing some good news from actions carried out over the past few months and the world seemed a better place already.

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!