Think my spring clean of the blog is pretty much done. I’ve really struggled with getting it to present to older browsers. I’m throwing in the towel on that one. Even the council are upgrading.
Category: Blog
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Anger mounts – School Crossing Patrols
Monday saw school crossing patrol protests taking place across Trafford. Including this one in Gorse Hill that Councillor Walsh and I attended. Nothing is more important than children’s safety.
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People need to understand power
If people don’t wake up, they get left out. Disengagement means someone else takes the decisions. But who has the ideas? Why, you do of course!
Worthwhile video. We’re being actively disengaged all the time. Never forget that consultations are about managing engagement rather than seeking it out.
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Rhyan Wilson
Such sad news that we have lost a young man on a night out in Urmston that ended so violently and tragically.My thoughts go out to the family of Rhyan. I can only imagine the suffering they are going through now.
The police are keeping the councillors updated as much they can. And hopefully their investigations can be concluded speedily.
If anyone can help the police with information, please call the 101 number or crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
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It’s not really about Alex Salmond is it?
I caught bits of the Scottish Independence televised debate. It looked to me that Alistair Darling edged the contest.
I like Alistair, he’s a good labour man. He’s an honest man and it’s easy to see why he was chosen to lead the together campaign. I just happen to believe he’s wrong. The whole focus of the debate seems to be about the first few months of an independent Scotland under the SNP. My problem is that this is one of those huge decisions that can’t be judged over months or even a few years. I have absolutely no doubts that over time an independent Scotland can sort out any teething difficulties over currency or EU membership.
What seems certain to me is that in one hundred years the quality of the decision will not be judged upon the inevitable uncertainty that will exist whichever way Scotland votes. We have almost come to terms with the fact that as a nation we’ll often have periods of uncertainty whilst coalitions form yet Alistair was clearly making a period of uncertainty the absolute clincher in deciding that Scotland would have to remain ruled by London. Yes there would be days of the nation been swept along in a stormy sea but the prize being offered to an independent Scotland free from London rule is far too valuable and long lasting for it simply to be judged against a period of turbulence. It’s almost a crime against future generations to allow it to be determined on a week of two of discomfort.
My party supports the better together campaign. I think it’s wrong. I support the independence of Scotland
Alistair Darling Photograph
Financial Times, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Alex Salmond Photograph
Harris Morgan, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Litter – What is it good for?
The Select Committee responsible for looking at Councils has just launched an inquiry into litter.
The promotional video below is looking at very similar aspects to the Panorama last year featuring Gorse Hill. There’s a focus in the video on enforcement looking once again at the Braintree experience which has a zero tolerance regime.
Trafford has opted for zero enforcement and it’ll be interesting to see how the inquiry goes.
How we can contribute to the inquiry
Written submissions are invited from interested parties on:
- What problems do litter and fly-tipping create for local communities-is the situation improving or deteriorating?
- How effective are the actions of those responsible for managing waste in the local environment? What more should local councils, the Environment Agency, and Government funded bodies such as WRAP do?
- Does the current statute, regulation and guidance set an effective framework to minimise litter and fly-tipping. What, if any, further changes are required?
- What roles do and should the private citizen and campaign and action groups have in tackling litter?
The Committee particularly welcomes any evidence from local authority scrutiny committees.
Photographs
The Committee welcomes photographs illustrating problems with litter and fly-tipping and also before and after photographs where areas have been successfully cleaned up. Please tweet your photographs to @commonsclg, using the hashtag #litterpix
Deadline
The Committee asks for written submissions in accordance with the guidelines below by 2.00pm on Thursday, 16 October 2014. As a guideline submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words.
Submissions should be uploaded onto the website in word format no later than the deadline.More Details on the parliamentary website
Panorama Programme
Joan Bakewell’s original programme is hard to find but there is an excerpt still available on the BBC site that highlight’s the work of Gorse Hill’s PooBusters and the general approach to litter
