Councillor’s Diary – Week Commencing 31st October

Monday 31st October 

• Escalated Casework on the Dane Road lift. It's not helped that Metrolink is down again. I've moved the enquiry up a level. Hopefully I'll get somewhere with this.
• Checked the planning application for Station Road. The consultation period closes 14/11/2016. I think what I need to do is read the planning inspector's judgement on the last appeal.
• Escalated Thursday evening's casework of my constituent effectively trapped in hospital whilst a care package is procured. Cllr Harding and I agree to talk to Corporate Director this evening.

Momentum

• Slightly confused by the weekend's problems within Momentum. It seems from afar that the hard left don't like the idea of allowing one member one vote and prefer their MPs to determine future direction of the Momentum movement.
  Oh wait…..
  Ok, it's not MPs, it's ' delegates', but the parallels and contradictions implicit in this compared to Momentum's critical stance on the Parliamentary Labour Party is impossible to dismiss. Animal Farm is the book to turn to, if we want to see how this plays out.
• Prepared for Executive by reading 900 pages on the rewriting of the conservation areas planning guidance.
• The actual Executive meeting was in the evening. Despite the aforementioned 900 pages the meeting was not a particularly long one. Not at all convinced that the Tory presenting the report had read it despite his claims to the contrary.
  The issues I raised included protection of our existing conservation areas. I suppose the area most local to us is the Empress estate on Chester Road/City Road. The Essence Factory is in a poor state and developments are unfinished. It says something that the site of the former Northumberland Pub has been removed from the conservation area – since the pub has been raised to the ground and is just flattened rubble.

Tuesday 1st November – Thursday 3rd November

Largely taken up with preparation for Friday's Constituency Labour Party AGM. Difficult few days as competition for places heated up. Receiving applications for positions, organising the meeting itself, trying to be fair, distributing the applications to our 1400 members.

Friday 4th November

Similar on the Friday but also attended by monthly advice surgery

And finally the AGM….

150 people in the room, the chair, Joanne Harding and I on stage

I was dying for a drink of water by the end of it, but have to say it went well. Not everyone I voted for got elected, but I was reasonably pleased with the outcome. I was particularly pleased that Steve Adshead was continuing as Treasurer. The treasurer is one of those behind the scenes roles that people don't notice and don't always appreciate. Having been Kate Green's agent in the last two elections, I know how vital it is that the Treasurer keeps his focus and diligantly gets the cheques paid, and keeps the agent informed. I'm delighted that the party backed him. He does a fantastic job.

I can say this because I'm now an ex CLP Secretary, but I genuinely think we've improved the management team, it's got a good mix with plenty of new faces.

Saturday 5th November – Sunday 6th November

Just because I'm finally free as Secretary, I still have get the minutes drafted and arrange the handover. Talking with other Secretaries, it seems fairly typical that it's been taking 15 to 20 hours each week or at least during the past year with leadership elections etc. It's probably been 50 hours this past week but it's done now.

Oh and I get to watch City v Barcelona. 3-1 wonderful game.