From time to time over the last few weeks I have intended to write a blog post about what we are up to as Town Councillors. When I agreed to stand for the Town Council I had no idea what the time commitment would be; as a District Councillor, I'd heard that I could expect a commitment of around 20 hours a week.
I've posted previously on my attendance at Mayor-Making at the beginning of May. Since then, the Labour Group have been allocated places on the various committees. I'm very pleased to sit on two committees: Economic and Tourism and Finance and Policy. Both of these committees meet for the first time in mid-June.
I attended an Open Day at The Old Court House at which the plans for Unlocking Warwick were unveiled. I spoke to various people involved in the project and I put forward a few ideas of my own about how the pubic space can be used by the community. My 4 year old son put forward an idea of his own: a corner with a few books and toys for children. I'm looking forward to seeing the building transformed and public use increasing.
This week, Councillor John Holland and I met with the Community Workers at The Packmores Centre in Warwick. It was very interesting to see the range of services that are delivered from there. So, we are getting around the town and finding out what the current issues facing residents are. Clearly, the loss of the evening bus service in Warwick is going to have a detrimental impact on the town, with people unable to get home from work, access services in the evening and access public transport.
I've also been asked to try and sort out the grass-cutting on Chase Meadow verges. Some are maintained well by the District Council, but some areas were looking incredibly neglected. It appears that the difference in standards is due to the fact that some roads are unadopted and are therefore maintained by the developers. I've been asked to write a piece for the Residents Association on this issue, and outline who residents should contact with complaints. Happily, the area in question has now been cut and I am hoping that this is due to my intervention! Who knows, it could just be a coincidence.
Next week, we are off to the Warwick Community Forum so I shall blog about that next week. I've finally got onto the invitation list for these meetings, having missed out on an invitation to one this evening. I couldn't get childcare at such short notice, but it is quite concerning that the elected representatives aren't invited to these things!
