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.