New Year, New Way of Thinking

I try not to get involved in many arguments.  Really, some things are just beneath me and generally, I choose to ignore some of the homophobic things that come from the Church.  However, listening to some of the things this week, it seems that we have gone backwards in time. The newspapers and television have been carrying the story of Cardinal O'Brien likening Gay marriage to slavery and saying that it is grotesque among other things.  Now, I fully support this individuals right to his opinion, just as I am entitled to my right to think that he has an invisible friend.  But, this sort of behaviour belongs in the last century where it belongs, not in 21st Century Britain. I am in a civil partnership; I have been for a number of years now.  In my mind and to all practical purposes I am married.  I class myself as married and I have the same legal rights as someone who is married, I am to all intents and purposes, married and I am glad I live in a place where I have never encountered opposition to my sexuality and am accepted as the slightly odd individual with pink hair.  Cardinal O'Brien has the ability to have his opinion listened to.  He is a representative of an institution with millions of members and his words, if they were referencing another class of people would be considered a hate crime.  Can you imagine if he had said that women going out to work was 'dismantling a fundamental human right', or coloured people. There would be a huge outcry about this.   The words of this person intimate that a section of the population have less right to live a happy and fulfilling life than other people.  Because I, and millions of others, find happiness with someone who happens to have the same genitalia, then We are not to be accorded the same protection as those who prefer a partner with different genitals. I do not want to be a member of an establishment who thinks that ANY other person has less right than I have to do anything. This man is purely and simply homophobic and if his church is too, then I refuse to acknowledge it.   However, I do think that this has brought a level of homophobic behaviour to the fore that I, luckily, have not experienced and I am stunned that it is such an acceptable form of behaviour in Britain and highlights the work that still needs to be done to create a truly equal society, starting with the Church!

Was That Summer...

I have to admit, I missed it!

I have been a busy girl over the summer.  I have handed in my Masters degree dissertation (a 15,000 word essay on how video games function as narrative) and been working on the big issues for the council.

The biggest issue (outside parking) that we have been looking at is the Blue Collar contracts.  This is the bins and the recycling and cleaning.  Most councils across the country (I am told) are transferring to a fortnightly collection services in order to save some of the money that all councils have to save due to funding cuts from the Government - and the need to cut the deficit in the council.  If you read the local paper, you will know that EDC need to save over £1,000,000 per year in order to have a balanced budget.  (For me, this begs the question, as it does for the Government, which idiot let the deficit grow like this - and why does it take a major emergency to review and change the budget?)

Anyway, the Council, as the Herald has been reporting, are looking at ways of saving money - but making sure YOU get a good service - and the estimates for the bins and recycling appear to be able to give a saving, whilst still giving a better service for you.  As my daughter might say 'RESULT!'

It is not a done deal though, there are still another round of tenders to go yet, which might see prices rise to the point where they are not offering such a good deal, but at the moment, it seems like we can offer a good service (which means that your plastic recycling can be collected from the door) and save money.

End of the Month

I have been quiet this month; not because I have been doing nothing, but because I have been doing a lot of council related things.

I received my first queries from residents - one for a parking related issue, another over the Penrith New Squares traffic flow and pedestrian access to the town from the New Squares development, disabled access to our local park, cleanliness on the streets and traffic speeds in the local area. I have done my best with the parking issue - and this brings me to my point for today: the relationship between Eden District Council and Cumbria County Council.

I am aware that the two are completely different bodies; Cumbria County Council. has control over highways and on street parking, whereas Eden District Council has control over off street parking. This, I suppose is fine, until there is a problem. THEN, its always the other lot's fault. What it actually means though, is the people with the problem do not get it solved. If I blame County Council for a parking issue in my ward (because it mainly consists of on street parking and permits), and they in turn blame District Council (as the person on the 'front line' dealing with everyday issues) who then blame County Council (as the governing body) where does it get the poor person with the problem (apart from totally frustrated)?

In my ward, Penrith West, we have problems with permit parking. The principle itself appears sound, but the implementation of this is seriously at fault - it is not working. It is simple really; we have a problem with cars parking during the evening and at weekends without permits - get the traffic wardens (or Civil Enforcement Officers) to come out THEN and enforce the rules. I would also like the area to have some short term parking, maybe 1 hour for people to visit without the need for permits. We are the only estate in Penrith without one, which means using our visitor permits for EVERYONE that comes to the door in a car - and we are allowed 60 of these per year, and no more! This seems like 2 fairly small things really - but would make the world of difference to the way our permit parking scheme works - and I imagine would be directly reflected in a lessening of the complaints!!

Very Concerned

I am VERY concerned; not just a little, not a bit, but I am actually frightened for Eden.

I am not stupid, I know that what is reported in the media is not necessarily what is 100% truth - but this week has seen two news stories jump out with nothing but potential pain for EDC.

The first thing was the News and Star report that Carlisle City was not wanting just a shared chief executive with Eden (you may remember that I and the Lib Dem councillors of EDC were opposed to this in the first place) Carlisle City Council, according to press reports are wanting a wholesale merger with EDC as sharing a chief executive will not be financially beneficial for either of us, despite the assurances we were given in EDC's council chamber that we would be saving money by doing this. This would mean becoming one council. This would mean sharing assets, jobs and debts - absolutely...

OK, so I and my team are opposed to this, this is NOT good for Eden, its residents, its businesses or its future. A shared Chief Executive was hard to swallow, but we lost the vote for this, and made the decision to do what was right for Eden and move on with the Transformation Process.

THEN

Today's Cumberland News has a story that Carlisle City Council are so strapped for cash, so desperate for money that it is selling of a vast amount of its assets. According to the article, they are already selling these assets off to raise money.

So, realistically, what are we getting into? A merger with a council so desperate for money that it is selling off all the land it can (right down to empty fields) How would we benefit from this. If we merge with Carlisle City, then we share their debts and they share our assets.

I think this needs to be looked at again. Quickly and as a matter of urgency, for the good of all residents, business and most definitely its future.

The Monthy Meeting

A big meeting this week- with some big decisions and some big challenges.

The most important thing on the meetings agenda was the 'management of succession' or choosing a new Chief Executive for the council. This was heard behind closed doors, after the press and the public had been excluded from the council chamber. I, and the other Lib Dems have a fundamental problem with some of the agenda item being taken in secret. The fact that the Chief Executive at the moment is temporary is something that has been in the local paper and so the discussion about appointing a new one seemed to be something that did not need to be a secret. Obviously, things like people possibly losing their jobs needed to be discussed with them before it became public knowledge; I would hate to read in the Herald that my job was at risk.

Eden District Council has had problems before with secrecy - and with the release of secrets into the public domain. If something is already public, what is the point in trying to keep it secret?

I am not giving away secrets when I say that EDC decided that it was going to ask Carlisle City Council if it would like to share a chief executive - Gordon Nicholson, the leader of the council has already given a statement in the Herald. I don't think this is the right thing to do -not at this point in time anyway. There can be no denying that the council has a spending deficit which needs to be fixed; but I, and a number of others, believe that this entails a radical restructuring and this could be best achieved by having our own chief executive to oversee this, rather than one that is in charge of two such differing councils. However, we lost this vote, and so we need to get on with things now, and do what we can to make sure that the interests of Eden are served, no matter what.

Confusing? Erm...just a little!

The training is progressing and the meetings have begun. I have a big pile of papers to read and absorb, ranging from the Code of Conduct to the regulations around Planning, with scrutiny regulations in between.

I have been trying to learn the rules of what is allowed, or not allowed as the case may be, and trying to understand the system of government in Eden. Oh my days, it is confusing!

There is a responsibility for me to understand these rules, which I take very seriously; if I want to have any input into this system, I need to understand it. It seems like hard work right now, but I will get there.

After the First Meeting

I have spent a couple of days ruminating on this meeting, so that I do not come across as being...less than positive about the new administration. It will be hard, but I shall try!

I've had a few training sessions now about how the council works and in essence it is like this:

The leader of the council decides on his cabinet (or executive as it is called in EDC) and these people (portfolio holders to give them their official title) make most of the day-to-day decisions; no-one else gets a look in. At the first meeting of the year on Thursday night, the Conservative Gordon Nicholson was voted by everyone except the Liberal Democrats and one other person as the leader. He then chose his cabinet which is made up of Conservatives and the Independent Alliance, an equal 50/50 split.

What we have here then is a coalition. There are no two ways about it. However, due to the way the council works (and frankly, I am confused about this) the Independent Alliance is also the opposition. Erm, how? They form 50% of the ruling body, how on earth can they be the opposition?

Outside the Conservative/Independent Alliance group, there are 12 people out of a council of 38 who can oppose the rulings of Gordon Nicholson and his firmly entrenched party and we have been summarily excluded from the running of Eden District Council. So, realistically, things will carry on the way they have been...Not listening to YOU, the person out in the Eden Valley; not knowing what is really happening in Penrith and the villages of the area (apart from opening fetes and other high-brow occasions); not understanding what it is like to be squeezed by the credit crunch or wonder whether there will still be a wage packet next week. Those of us that are not part of this have a long, uphill battle to fight - and while we are fully primed, you need to play your part too. Make a noise, complain if you think the decisions that these people make are wrong.

I know I will be.

First Day...

Today was the first day that I have been into the Town Hall as a Councillor. There was a 'meet and greet' session, so the everyone could get to know each other prior to the real work starting.

I had my photograph taken for the yearbook and for my ID badge, then I was given a HUGE booklet - the Constitution of Eden District Council, as well as my ward map, a General Advice for Councillors booklet and an Information for Members booklet - just light reading then!

I also handed in a myriad of forms and signed the 'book' to say I am a real councillor now.

What have I let myself in for?