Whoops! Where's our £4m gone!

Finance and Audit Scrutiny Panel last night. We had an emergency item on the Icelandic Bank crisis. I chaired the meeting which was hard with the opposition trying at every point to blame us for what happened. The point was, it has happened. The warnings were out there that some authorities heard and some did not. We were one of the ones who did not. Perhaps Cllr Smith who is Portfolio Holder for Finance could have done more - the point is the Council are very unlikely to get their £4m back when it matures in December. We, as the Opposition, have got to ensure that this does not affect the residents and that it does not happen again.

Ghurkas

I was very pleased to see in the papers that Gurkhas were to be given the right to stay in this country - I hope the Government follows this up! At conference this year, there were many of them working in security and I spoke to some of them on the day of the court case. They are the most dignified of men who have served our country so well. In the past they have been stationed in Colchester and I hope one day we have them back here. Good luck to them and they deserve our thanks.

Conservative Party Conference

A Group from Colchester attended this year and it was very different from other times - business like, serious and corporate. Because of the financial crisis there was no time for frivolity and also as we drove back for the mayors funeral on the Monday, we were in no mood for hilarity.

For those who have never been to a party conference it is very different to what you see on the TV. There are hundreds of fringe meetings in other rooms around the site and it is here that you learn the most. I attended many on defence and health. One, with Bernard Jenkin MP, concentrated on what state our army is in and gave us valuable information on the condition our soldiers face, both at home and abroad. It was also attended by Winston Churchill and members of the UKNDA (UK National Defence Association) and I hope soon to set up a branch in Colchester.

I also attended a very good event on death with dignity with the shadow Health Minster. Due to the endless bureaucracy in our hospitals, if a patient is diagnosed as terminal, it can take weeks for a plan of care to be written. At the most traumatic time, this is not what a patient or their family needs. We also heard about the work of Marie Curie nurses and hospices. I asked about how volunteers are supported as the strain on them can be immense - because of my comments the Health Minister has offered to look into the support they receive. This is what conference is all about - learning from others but giving something back to Shadow Ministers so that they can go away and make things better too.

Allotment rents to double.

Just when we are all being squeezed financially as tight as possible the Lib Dem/Labour/Ind coalition decide to double allotment rents. So those, like me, who like to work hard for their family in the open air, are being squeezed even further. Vicky was not happy and asked what she could do to help - we decided that she should tell the Council that she was not happy and she spoke at Cabinet last week. I was very proud of her - she was then interviewed on BBC Essex as well. I don't know if we can afford to keep the allotment on - doubling the rent is punishing those who work hard - just to prove that Labour are running the show again! Still hope I get some sprouts like last year!

Whoops again!

Remind me next time to check my typing before I post a blog!

ITFC V Colchester United 26/8/08.

A good match at Portman Road with ITFC the winners and I have to say they deserved it. Campo, the new signing looked good but not match fit. There was a biot of troible with the crowd at one stage but it was all pretty friendly - even Lisbie would not celebrate his goal! It took me a while to get home as well - makes you realise how lucky we are at the stadium in Colchester to have free or cheap buses.

Colchester United's First home game at the new Community Stadium.

Went to the first match of the season at home for Colchester United on Saturday 16th August 2008. Although it was a nil-nil draw against Huddersfeild, it was really good to see the stadium and how it coped.

There were a few blips. I had to wait over an hour on the phone to get a ticket, the queues at the turnstiles were bad because it was a new system and some (like me) were finding it hard to work out how the ticket scanners worked. There were queues at the bars at half time and there were also queues for the shuttle buses afterwards.

However I am sure things will be sorted out. Once you know how the scanners work on the turnstiles then fans will get in quicker. They will ensure they get more staff to man the bars - however at any football match you have this 20 minute rush at half time. The shuttle bus that I went on was highly successful. They promised that it would leave at 5.15pm and it did with everyone on it. It arrived with no congestion back at Layer Road and it was free - I just cycled back home! Brilliant!

The fans I spoke to loved the new stadium and if the fans continue to use the shuttle buses then I am sure Col U will get more and more fans going - £26 is a lot of money for a ticket though and I think if they want to get more fans on a regular basis then they will have to reduce ticket prices. I will be going when I can afford it! Well done Col U!

Today

We had a briefing meeting today for the Finance and Audit Scrutiny panel that I chair. It looks very run of the mill but there are so many points that emerge as you go through the amazingly large figures. I really feel that we can make a difference in how the Council is run in the future and that we can learn from the past.

Local Development Framework

Attended the LDF tonight - it is one of the most important panels in the Council. This panel plans the future of the Borough for the next 20 - 50 years. We spoke about 'sustainability' and what that actually means. It is a word that is thrown about at many meetings but it was good to get a proper definition - "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". It is, of course, not as simple as that but it shows what the Council are aiming for. I also spoke to a lady from Mile End who has lived there for 52 years. She has seen it grow from a small village with tithe cottages linked to the hospital to almost a town in its own right. She does not want to see other areas of Colchester, as they develop in the future, going through the same infrastructure problems that Mile End is now seeing. It is a shame that our MP against Colchester, Bob Russell, has gone to the press announcing that he has got the money for the new A12 junction when he has not - this would have alleviated a lot of the problems of Mile End. He has again let the town down.

Weekend work

Had a really good weekend - we had a lovely BBQ with the committee of the Friends of Westlands Country Park on Sunday. I set the Group up so that they could claim for funding for the park - we discused the signage and the benches. It is so exciting as the park is a blank canvass and it has been great to see how the residents and visitors have used it in the last year and how they want to use it in the future.

Whoops! Update-politics.

Ok - I haven't kept up to date but I have been so busy but I am determined to update at least once a month now!

We had a good election here in Prettygate. Ron decided to step down as a Councillor - he had done what he vowed to do and turned all 3 Prettygate seats over to the Conservatives. He is still busy writing a couple of books.

Beverly Davies was elected and together with Wyn Foster who was elected in 2007 we keep Prettygate sorted. We still do a lot of litter picks, campaigns and visits to the local schools.

I am so lucky to work with a great group of people and together with the rest of the Prettygate Conservative Action team we will keep busy and continue working as hard as we can for the people of Prettygate - it is such a great place to live!

I am now Chairman of the Finance and Scrutiny Panel at the Town Hall and it is our job with other Councillors from all parties to scrutinise the finances of the Council. It is quite a task but we will ensure that the tax payers money is spent wisely - including that of Colchester Borough Homes. I am also Chairman of the Conservative Group of Councillors and Chairman of the Conservative Womens Organisation in Colchester.

I have done a lot of training in the past year and been to different conferences both on behalf of the Council and for the Conservatives. I met Sebastan Coe last year to promote Colchester as a base camp for the 2012 Olympics. We succeeded and hopefully we will get competitors from all over the world visiting the town and using the facilities of the University and the Garrison. Many residents do not realise the role of a Councillor - that to promote the town and if it was not for this we would not have new businesses bringing jobs, new stores such as Waitrose, and new facilities coming to Colchester.