Rose tinted committees!

A perennial call by some council members is for a return to the old committee system in place of the current cabinet. Unlike a number of current members I have had the benefit of working under both systems and am amused by the simplicity of their argument. They yearn for the days when members would turn up to meetings, review a few papers and make real decisions! Of course the reality was that the ruling administration would appoint all committee chairs and vice chairs as well as having a majority on all committees. In addition the leading members of the Administration would meet in private on a regular basis, and in advance of the scheduled meetings, to discuss policy with officers before the papers were released. In the meantime the Committee Chairs would work between meetings with the lead officers in a role pretty similar to the current cabinet holders dealing with day to day issues and providing input to the management of the relevant department. If done properly by opposition members the chance to effectively scrutinise is more effective under the current system with plenty of opportunity to contribute to the development of policy through the working parties etc – probably in a more “hands on” way than under the old system. One major difference is the changing role of local councillors in local government now as opposed to then. Being a cabinet member is equivalent to a part time (or sometimes full time) job with an abundance of meetings both internal and external, in Southend and elsewhere, as well as constant working with officers to oversee the provision of services. If we revert to committees the new committee chairs will simply take over from the current cabinet members as to do otherwise would result in an undesirable tipping of control and responsibility from locally elected members to officers. In a recent internal e mail exchange one member (who will remain nameless) opined that the removal of the cabinet would save the council £100K+ per year as all the special responsibilities paid to cabinet members would be saved! It did make me wonder if some councillors have any idea of the amount of time spent by cabinet members in doing their jobs – time which would be needed even with a change of system. In addition the increase in meetings under the committee system would inevitably increase the amount of supporting officer time with resulting cost ramifications. So a rose tinted view of committees indeed!

Chalk up another error!

I was amused to read Independent Councillor Ann Chalk's letter to the Echo this morning on the subject of CCTV cars. She seems to have taken exception to an earlier statement to the effect that no member of council had previously voted for the removal of the vehicles. Ann's problem is that the earlier statement was right! She may have expressed some concerns about certain aspects of the car's operation but she did not vote for their removal as is clear from the minutes of all relevant meetings. Indeed I recall her enthusiasm about the cars being used in certain specific areas. Even more strangely in her letter she makes a quip about using the cameras to record events in the council chamber. Did she not notice the introduction of cameras for that very purpose which were trialled at our last meeting and are set to go live for webcast in the near future. Perhaps she just had a memory lapse! Anyone would think that she had not penned the letter to the Echo - which I am sure could not possibly be the case. At least in the future she will be able to check the webcast recording of full council meetings to remind herself exactly what she did and did not vote for!

Prittle Brook Cycle Path

As a keen cyclist I have been delighted with the improvements we have been able to make to cycle facilities across the town. Highlights include the popular cycle path along the seafront, the designated cycle tracks and signage and the resurfacing of parts of the A127 cycle track. This is in addition to numerous cycle tracks and events. However a real jewel in the crown is the Prittle Brook Greenway which has recently been completed through to Eastwood Road and offers a safe and flat route from Belfairs Park to Priory Park connecting up with other parts of our cycle network. The route has been completed in sections over recent years and save for a quiet section round Bonchurch Park is off road. It is another example of pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers living in peaceful harmony with an element of give and take and consideration on all sides. There really is no excuse for not getting on your bike in this town and if you have not tried Prittle Brook as yet I would recommend it

The Forum Opening

So The Forum formally opened it's doors yesterday and I am delighted that it has received such an enthusiastic welcome from library users and students alike. It really is an amazing building and should act as a real flagship for Southend's Library Service moving forward. I was also fortunate enough to attend the opening lecture in the Forum's impressive lecture theatre from famous scientist Prof Brian Cox. He certainly lived up to his reputation delivering a fascinating and amusing lecture on the creation of the universe, big bang and his work on the Hadron Collider. I am not pretending that I fully grasped all the detail but it was absorbing. The 4 party group leaders were all fortunate to be give a precious ticket for the event with the majority being available to the public on a first come first served basis. Slightly surprised that Cllr Martin Terry announced at the last minute that he wouldn't attend because he didn't want to cross the few protestors outside complaining about library cuts. Still the night wasn't wasted as at least he got his picture in the Echo along with the other protestors but I do wonder whether he ensured that his ticket was used by one of the unlucky residents who missed out on a ticket. I suspect that such a move would have ensured that his evening was not wasted. If he wants to avoid any savings being delivered by the library service perhaps he would like to suggest some alternative source of savings. In the meantime we will continue to deliver well thought out economies which will safeguard a borough wide library service going forward to complement the excellent Forum.

The Forum

The new Forum library opens to the public on Monday morning and yesterday I had the opportunity of a sneak preview. I had visited a couple of times during the building work and had been impressed by the sheer scale and layout of the building and was not disappointed with the finished article. The Forum has a children's library, lecture theatre, Focal point Gallery, display area, café and fiction on the ground floor, non fiction public library on the first floor, university teaching accommodation on the first floor and college teaching accommodation on the second floor with a public square and screen outside. It is the first library in delivered in partnership between local authority, university and college in the country and has been built on time and on budget. It is an excellent example of true partnership working which will continue with it's on going joint management arrangements. It has transformed the old and derelict Farringdon car park and is the final part of the puzzle comprising the college building, university building, university accommodation block and multi storey car park. It opens up to the public access to over a million academic publications owned by the uni and college and with major investment in new materials demonstrates our true commitment to the future of the public library service in the Town. I urge everybody to visit as soon as you can - I guarantee that if you like libraries you will love the Forum Southend.

Pavement politics!

During my time as Leader I have been fortunate in having a hand in some major developments and investment in the Town which will be good to look back on in years to come. But as a local councillor nothing beats the thrill of intervening on behalf of residents who feel aggrieved and delivering for them. Sometimes the action taken can, in the general scheme of things, seem quite insignificant but it really does make the hours in the council chamber worth while. Many of these interventions involve the personal affairs of residents which I would not dream of airing on this blog but last week threw up a good example of the difference a ward councillor can make. At the end of last week I was notified by residents living in Cottesmore Gardens that council workers had started to take up the existing paving slabs to replace with black tarmac. Now whilst there are situations where tarmac is unavoidable it does not in my view enhance the street scene and in common with many residents I prefer slabs. No prior notice of this work had been given to ward councillors and residents were of the view that the general quality of the slabs was reasonable. Fortunately the work was at an early stage and having checked for myself that the existing slabs were generally of good condition I was able to persuade officers to reverse the decision and reinstate the short stretch were work had started. This has pleased the residents and me and leaves the funding available for a more deserving area.

Gwen Horrigan

It is unfortunate to see the current speculation about the future of my ward colleague Gwen Horrigan. In my view Gwen epitomises much of what is good about local government. For about 20 years she has served the residents who have elected her tirelessly taking a particular interest in housing and the armed forces. She is much loved by residents across the Town as has been immediately evident on the occasions I have canvassed on her behalf. I would have to say that on the doorstep she has had a more positive and widespread reaction than any other councillor I have worked with - and obviously that includes me! As mayor she (supported by her husband Pat) was tireless in her enthusiasm and dedication to the job. Unfortunately recent months have seen a deterioration in Gwen's physical health of and we can only hope that with the care of her family and others this can be reversed. Gwen last attended a council meeting in May of this year. The rules provide that if she misses a period of 6 months her term will come to an end and it will then be a question as to whether or not residents trigger a by election. Accordingly at the moment she is still within the very time limit intended to cover situations like these so why the speculation. Surely her service to the Town demands we all show a little patience. Arguably I should be keen for her to step down - at present we cannot rely on her vote leaving the chamber potentially with no effective majority and in circumstances where we would be hopeful of winning any by election it would reinstate an effective majority. It would also mean that my ward colleague John Lamb and I would have help in dealing with ward issues. But I still think that Gwen deserves better and I am happy to wait for her to make her decision and am confident that when and if she decides she cannot return she will stand down. In the meantime do we really want the cost to the town of a winter by election?