Last week: meetings and more

The last week or so has sped by and I've hardly touched on some of the meetings and news of this week....here's a quick round up of some stuff....

SW Press Officers meeting - was in Bristol for this meeting to start planning Euro elections - June next year - photo of me outside Cornurbia pub where we met.

Strategic and Overview Scrutiny meeting - I'm not on this committee but wanted to hear stuff re post offices as we are seeking ways to stop their closure - see previous blogs - there was a particularly useful discussion on what makes a successful village shop -from the Coaley Village Shop folk - very useful stuff that we could use locally in Whiteshill - I've offered to share my notes - the meeting also had a useful presentation on Systems thinking - see webcast for 1st April for all that - however I had a long arranged meeting later so had to leave well before end of Scrutiny to get to..

Willow Elfins - a planning session in the Clothiers pub to sort out next years programme for the children - we are lacking a leader who will run the sessions each week so need to ensure more of us are leaders - anyhow here below is our draft programme - we may have some spaces so if any local children aged 6 to 9 are interested contact the area Woodcraft membership organiser Helen White on 753687. Anyhow here's some of the draft prgramme that I've just typed up: Bluebell walk in Randwick woods, Den Making at Hawkwood, Swimming, Bugs, birds and ice cream on the Common (with bug expert available), Tracking animals and looking at the food chain (led by wildlife experts), Haresfield Treasure Hunt, Selsey Sausage Sizzle and
Raft making.

Stroud Green party meeting - coffee and cake at Star Anise Wednesday night - lots on elections - we have a full slate of candidates for the first time - my ward is not up for another two years - we also talked about arrangements for quite a number of public events we are organising like Caroline Lucas on this Friday - ethical politician of the year and great stuff (more here), a meeting on First Great Western trains on 15th, a Biofuels debate at the next Coffee House on 25th.

Green councillors - District councillors met up to plan next weeks particularly stuff around Post Office motion to Council, canal and regeneration - again in Star Anise - infact had quite a few coffees there recently.

Crunchy Dancing - Yes I know I had to ask - but it is what the children's country dancing is called by local schools - after last weeks Stratford Park dancing it was now there again for many parents for the country dancing - the hall was packed, live band and hundreds of children dancing - Randwick School were there and I had one child say: "This is the best day of my life".

They certainly had loads of fun - and I even managed to get a dance when parents were allowed to join the floor.

Performance and Audit Overview and Scrutiny Committee - I just love being a member of a committee with a title like that - anyhow we started at just after 6pm and didn't finish until way after 10.00pm. I was feeling tired at the beginning but by half way I was not living - chairing needs to improve if we are to be efficient - and also that evening the chair asked all the questions - he had done lots of good work but surely the job of the chair is to chair - and after other councillors raise issues then to ask questions. Of course with elections we have no idea who will be chair next year. Anyhow one issue I raised was re carbon audits - we are looking at finances but still no carbon audit - more of that in other blogs - I didn't get an answer to my question there but will pursue it. It was also Labour leader, Hilary Fowles' last Scrutiny - she is retiring after 10 years - I may not always agree with her views or style but her experience and knowledge of the Council will be sorely missed. Many is the time she has been spot on and picked up key issues.

More coming soon on the successful Ruscombe Brook walk on Saturday.