Fear for Nottingham

After all the work our team has done to get our Councillors relected in the wards they represent has not worked. I'm sure the national situation had most to do with it but I'll let other people argue about that. I am going to go out on a limb and say that it can't be for a particular like for some of the candidates of Nottingham Labour or the Nottingham party itself.

Not all of them. There is one in particular I talked that, I felt, was a reasonable person who was actually there to look after the people she represents, a community activist instead of a partisan politician.

Having spent time with our Councillors well before election time I've have got to say that they are a bunch of people to be proud of. Always trying to work to better the situation for the residents of their wards the best they can. There never seemed to be a conversation in my presence about their own aggrandisement and their first concern was helping.

I have attended several (resident) meetings they have been to, outside the normal freak show that is Full Council, and found that they never politicised a meeting just to make a personal gain. Sound advice and help is what they offered.

I really hope that given the way I have seen Nottingham Labour behave that Nottingham doesn't implode and all the good work that our team doesn't come undone. The arrogance of the current ruling lot thinking they naturally deserve the votes of the people of Nottingham and not actually doing the detailed basic work for constituents to show that people should vote for them on merit makes me cringe.

We shall see what the next 4 years brings.

Constance Street, New Basford

I have just been delivering some Liberal Democrat leaflets to Constance Street in New Basford.

Last time I was there I noticed a peice of land sold with planning permission to build a 4 bedroom house that had a significant amount of fly-tipping on it. I reported this to the lady at Nottingham City Council investigating this sort of activity to which I received an email saying she had visited the site and follow it up.

She must have got in touch with the land owner and either one of them has done a good job in clearing the rubbish away and replacing the protective fence. The land looks a lot better for all around. Well done whoever did it.

Nottingham City Recycling

I bike to work every morning. Always the same way so I can usually get to work without thinking too much about the bike ride itself.

Unfortunately sometimes this leaves me time to look around at the surroundings. This morning in our area it was household general waste collection (green bin). There are four of us in our house and I'm amazed how heavy the bin is but at least the lid is always closed.

On the way to work this morning I noticed a bin overflowing with a lid almost vertical but what really gets my goat is the fact that one of the bags on top was full of drinks cans. Really annoying. As much as this City doesn't get right there are large parts that do have access to the brown/grey household collection recycling bin. What else was in the bin that could have been recycled?

Cans are perfectly acceptable in the recycle bin and you don't have to take it anywhere other than the street on collection day.

It does tend to make me seeth that this facility is there freely provided by the City Council and a few people have the arrogance not to do just the smallest little bit.

I hoping that the binmen report it to their supervisors so that these people receive the correct education material to help them mend there ways.

Hopefully printed on recycled paper. :-)

Nottingham City Council Democracy

Nottingham City Council have a section on "Council and Democracy" on their website like most councils. It gives you the opportunity to submit a question to be answered publicly in a Full Council meeting as long as the question doesn't fall in to certain criteria.

This is how it is meant to work anyway.

I had a few thoughts about an issue mentioned in a press release just before the summer holidays that I felt

On submission of a question on the website, which I believe fell in to acceptable criteria, it was directed by the Customer Relations Department to a department they felt was relevant without any explanation of why this was not put forward for Full Council hearing.

May be the Customer Relations department feel that it is their job to keep oiks like me away from out Lord and Master Labour Councillor Portfolio Holders. It might explain why there has been no written questions to full council in the last 14 months and only one oral question in January 2009.

http://open.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/comm/question.asp

I was a little put out so have emailed Customer Relations and Committee Services for a response and some clarification. Hopefully their future communication and procedures will be more customer friendly.

I wait with baited breath!



UPDATE

I've had an email from Customer Services who realised their mistake and forwarded it forthwith to the Committee Team for reading and investigation.

The question was read out in Full Council on 14th September 2009. There was also an absolute stack of questions about one issue with Licenced properties on Churchfield Lane, Radford