Parks Councillor Swindon - What have I been doing?

Have you been yet? It is great, lots of places to sit and read, window seats etc. Noise doesn't carry and there's a cafe and vending machines! Oh and lots of books too Do go and have a look, & let me know what you think.

This week is heavy on meetings for me, I've just left Housing Advisory Forum, we were looking at the housing options ie whether we'd be better off keeping the housing we have as Council or moving it into an independent group etc. The more I hear the more I think moving may be a better option and I never thought I'd say that.
We also looked at a new repairs programme that was so successful things got left so it's being re evaluated and started again. Then we looed at how the recycling and wheelie bins are going which is good People are getting good at recycling and are still using the bin bottles banks too, there is only about 50% less usage of them.

Yesterday saw me at the Standards meeting, making sure we all obey the rules and looking at whether or not the rules need tweeking, that was yesterdays meeting. I would like the rule tweeked that meant I had to give up my school nurse job but can see the sense in it so didn't bring that one up as an idea. It also monitors when standards have been broken by Councillors and Officers and I'm pleased to say these are down at present.

We had a drop in session looking at benefits, apparently Parks get the most benefits, council tax benefit and housing benefit in all the wards in Swindon. But we have an older population, in Parks the most claimants are 66-81year olds where as in Penhill the biggest group is 19-30 year olds and Central the highest is 31-45 year olds. Interesting, it made me think.

Friday last week I was in the town centre with the Simon Cowell look alike and Batman promoting the benefits of being on the electoral register and being able to vote We were well received mainly because we came withn balloons, free pens, keyrings etc but people who hadn't thought if it were keen to be on the register too. Only trouble was we couldn't give them forms then as they are all bar coded so it does rely on people contacting the council later to join. I must follow up and see how many do.

Finally last week and I thought I'd already covered this but it appears not, I went to the launch of the film made by the peer educators. It's called 'Best friends with Chlamydia', you can see it here . Hopefully it will spread the message of safe sex to our young people and older people too.

Better go, off to work again, no rest....
Have a good week.

Not a good day in terms of gas for Swindon today. What with the Highworth Road closed with a suspected gas leak and then the incident at Ridgeway school. Just reminds me how dangerous things can be and how safe we are kept. I'm pleased everyone is OK at Ridgeway, I'm sure it will be the topic of conversation for weeks to come at school and stories handed down and exaggerated as time goes by, much as an explosion was when I was at school, I doubt it was really an explosion, probably just a loud bang. Chemistry lessons are brilliant, lets hope they never stop them.

Two big issues appear to dominate the Adver at the moment, Speed Cameras and the elected Mayor debate. Have you had your say? What do you think?

I'm unsure about elected Mayors, I do think residents should decide whether or not we want one, but more than just on an Adver poll which for some reason I can't access anyway If we are serious we should put all the info out to every voter and have a referendum. If the people say 'Yeah' then so bit. The only anxiety I would have is the Mayor ending up being a one issue or huge personality Mayor which leaves the council vulnerable. Political parties have there weaknesses but at least it means Councillors are accountable more regularly than every four year when they are next up for election. Once we have an elected Mayor that's it for the term, and they are alone to do as and what they please Get a god one, brilliant but bad......

So, Speed Cameras, no messing I am for them. Interesting the cabinet paper is written in a very different way to normal in my opinion. You can see it here . The last bit reads...

Options available to Swindon Borough Council
2.26 There appear therefore to be two options available to the Council at this
time in addition to the decision already made to confirm 08/09 funding.
2.27 Option 1: No change - Swindon Borough Council signs up to the redrafted
SCP agreement and identifies in that agreement the financial contribution
that will be made over the financial years 2009/10 to 2010/11. This
enables Swindon Borough Council to retain the full capital allocation within
the Local Transport Plan capital programme process, and £67,000 of the
revenue allocation to offset staff costs in the Road Safety Team with the
remainder going to the SCP. This follows the same approach as
previously and would give partners greater certainty over future funding,
but would not enable the Council to review funding annually.
2.28 A variation on this option would be not to identify the financial contribution
but authorise the Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Strategic
Planning to agree this.
2.29 Option 1 gives the partnership greater certainty over funding but assumes
that Safety Cameras continue to be the most effective means of achieving
accident reduction. It does not address the Council’s need to review how
best to achieve accident reduction in the Borough.

2.30 Option 2: This option requires that the Council completes work on a
revised Strategic Plan for Accident Reduction to ensure that we are devoting our resources to those interventions which will have most effect.
It also requires that we work with the Police and Wiltshire County Council
to review and restructure the Road Safety partnership to ensure that we
are all focused on tackling the key issues. However, to ensure that we are
able to use the funds available to us more flexibly it would also require that
the Council gives formal notice that it will withdraw from the Wiltshire and
Swindon Safety Camera Partnership.
2.31 If Members are inclined to accept this option it is essential that more work
is completed on the required accident prevention measures that we wish
to adopt. We also need to be clear on the role of our partners in helping
us to achieve an improvement in KSI performance. It is therefore
recommended that a report on the Strategic Plan for Accident Reduction
be brought back to Cabinet in 3 months setting out progress in delivering
the above recommendations.
2.32 The cabinet report would need to cover a revised SPAR for Swindon and
how the Council could deliver this. Even so, there are a number of risks
associated with this approach. These are;
�� Unless other measures are clearly defined and targeted there could
be a negative impact upon accident reduction in Swindon.
�� We need to maintain a relationship with the partners such as the Police and Wiltshire County Council. If the Council has to organise its own Education and Speed Awareness courses, this could have a significant impact on resources and/or budgets
�� It may undermine aspects of the Local Area Agreement.
2.33 In addition there are financial impacts:
�� There is an estimated £360k maximum cost to be met by Swindon Borough Council through downsizing the operations of the Partnership. This would need to be paid from the grant allocation and would mean that the funding was not available for other
measures for at least 12 months. To cover this expenditure from the Council’s overall budget could have a significant impact on the Council’s budget.
�� No funding currently exists for the above or any other resultant
costs in withdrawal.

Most worrying for me is the year wait whilst plans are made and money put by before we see these new accident reduction measures. Accidents are caused by many things and speed is not always the issue thankfully. I hope accidents reduce in Swindon whatever is decided next week. We all need to be better pedestrians, better on bikes and better in cars lets hope either way our statistics get better as we all become more aware.

Better go now, just off to work

Not In My Neighbourhood Week

A chance for you to meet and speak to the agencies who are working with you to tackle crime and grime in your area ;

Swindon Community Safety Partnership Team
Anti-Social Behaviour Team
Crime Reduction Team
Neighbourhood Policing Team
Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services
Swindon Borough Council Officers from: Housing, Environmental Services and Trading Standards
Neighbourhood Wardens

Tuesday 14th Parks and Walcot

Cavendish Square 08:30 to 09:30
New College 10:00 to 11:30
Welcombe Avenue 12:00 to 14:00

Also, particualry if you have recent problems with new neighbours - THIS FRIDAY – 10th OCTOBER AT 7.00 p.m. AT THE DOME, in Walcot there is a meeting. It is for anyone who is having problems particularly with neighbours. We are concerned that not enough is done to ensure the right people move into the right places. Please come if you can, and have your say.

And Finally something for young children. To celebrate the opening of the Library in Cavendish Square there is going to be a bookstart event. Weds 15th Oct 1.30pm Parks Library. A pirate theme, craft, and refreshments and every child aged 18 - 30 months will get a free Bookstart Plus pack.

Talking of Cavendish Square especially as the article in the Adver provoked a response, what do you think of the new look Square? What could be better? What is an improvment? What lessons should be learnt for future developments?

Would appreciate your thoughts

After my last blog entry wasn't published, I'll be extra vigilant with this one, sorry for that

Did you see the Adver yesterday? You will not believe how hard I worked to get the Adver photo guy to not take photos of the more derelict bits of the Square which are still a work in progress. After the photos of Penhill the day before I was determined Parks would be seen in the good light it deserves. Awful photo of me (according to my daughter! )but never mind
Apologies for those who were unhappy with it being Cav Square too as I've had phone calls from some unhappy people. The square was not well designed at all for anyone with a disability (or a buggy) which I acknowledge. We did get photos of Oaktree and other areas but I can't select which photos go in. I'm happy with what the Adver did though and if I knew the reporters email, I would email and say so, so rare is it for me to be happy with what is said in newspapers!

I was busy the rest of the ten days too.

My HPV vaccine career may be over It turns out the school nurse service is being seconded over to the Council. So I'm left with a conflict of interest ... and no job! This all does need to be confirmed and I'm praying I can stay, but not hopeful.

Full Council was OK, very, very long but OK. Lots of quite good debate. Probably nothing changed anything which is always frustrating but such is full council ever to be when there is such a big majority of one party.

I went to SWAP on Friday, that was a good meeting too, we are progressing on a play area for Park South and hopefully help for South Swindon Football club.

Saturday saw me out on the doorstep with Anne Snelgrove MP, cold but never the less a good time we had. Picked up some new casework, which I've had some joy on though still more to go.

Sunday we were all recovering from the gloom when the Town lost to Milwall, not good.

Monday was a whole day of Care Matters Conference all about corporate parenting. Very moving drama of a kid in care, had many in tears and choked me. Lots of good net working and finding out how we could do things better. Excellent day. Then there was SACRE in the evening, looking at how RE is taught in schools.

Tuesday, Children’s Overview looking at school buildings that need repairs and replacing. It was hard to hear of one school, where cupboards are being used as rooms as there is nowhere else. Plus wheelchair uses where they corridors are too narrow and no ramps into the building. Even with the massive school building programme we have had there are still loads more to do.

Wednesday was all at work at GWH, with a local Labour party meeting in the evening.

Thursday caught up with my reading for next weeks meetings and my casework, and had coffee with a friend.

Today GWH stuff and soon... some friends over for a curry. We have no kids, two on sleepovers and one out !

Not sure what happened as I thought this went up last week, sorry
Here it is a week on...

Following my blog last week we have now had the licensing committee meeting and it has been decided that the three stalls, the donut and sausage stalls by Iceland and the mobile phone stall by Woolworths will all be unable to trade in their present areas from Feb 09. I am disappointed. It does hurt that they are small business which I feel we should be supporting. The vote was not unanimous.
We are most likely not able to offer new places for these stalls to be. There is a possibility of the mobile phone stall being up by the new library, there were no others offered to the two food stalls.
My mind this week has been on the licensing meeting, although I have tried to keep up with the Labour Conference. It remains to be seen how much of what we heard will be actioned and by when but I am pleased to hear about funding for two year olds childcare. It was an issue raised only last month with me by a young mum who works only to pay for childcare as she gets little above the cost of nursery for her son.

I started as a school nurse today, immunising Year 8's with the HPV injection. The girls in Commonweal were very brave and all seemed aware of what we were doing and why. Both the girls and the parents signed the consent form which was a good move. I see one school has opted out of letting its premises be used for the injection, I hope it turns out to be alone. Cervical Cancer is an awful illness, I am keen for my daughters to get this but they'll have to wait as they are in the wrong years for this year. At up to £90 a jab, the govt are spreading out the cost of immunnising all young girls over a few years.

I've also been busy being a corporate parents. All Councillors are 'corporate parents' to the children in local authority care and it is up to us to make sure they have the education and services that they should. I take this very seriouisly and remind other councillors of this important role often too. This week I had Foster Panel and Adoption Panel training. There was some talk of a National trend where Childrens Consultants are no longer keen to diagnose shaken baby syndrome or even other non accidental injury as they risk being discredited and sued. This is worrying, it is awful if parents are wrongly accused and I support anything that makes things fair but I guess what wories me is vulnerable children being let down with tragic consequences. The balance for social services and health care workers is huge and I have huge respect for all in that field.

I've got a bit behind on my casework and will be onto it tomorrow. I have replies to questions from residents that I have asked on their behalf, the replies need to be passed back to people, sorry if you are waiting.

Full Council tomorrow, great joy!