Paul Crossley

We switched on and opened the Christmas Market on Thursday Evening. The Christmas Market in Bath is now in its sixth year. It was started by the Liberal Democrats against Tory obstruction and opposition (usually in the background rather than upfront and open). This year the Tories again tried to thwart the Guildhall Christmas Market extension.

The Christmas Market has been a huge succcess - it has kept several small business afloat with the extra trade it has brought in. It provides a real buzz with knock on benefits to other shops, restaurants and pubs. It is a real boost to the economy. Ours has a policy of promoting local business and so it looks and feels quite different from several such markets. It also has a policy to include music and entertainment into the market. It would be nice to have more though.

The market snuggles up to our Abbey and last year the new rector started a policy of promoting several short 30 minute carol services to allow shoppers to get some relief from the scrum and an opportunity to sing some favourite carols.

Today went to London as part of the Bath and North East Somerset Learning Disabilities Partnership Board for the Big Conference on 5 years of Valuing People. Went up with Chris, Hannah and her carer Jan.

It was a really good conference, covered a lot of ground and it was good to hear a wide range of comments from people with learning disability, their families and their carers. The Minister Ivan Lewis spoke to the conference on the Valuing People agenda. It was an excellent speach and I was very impressed with his grasp and knowledge on the area and his obvious committment to this group of citizens.

I was sitting next to Debra and Bearsac during the ministers speach and Bearsac told me all about his journeys before and after the Minister's part of the conference. Bearsac's diary is worth a read. 

In the afternoon I attended the workshop on families. One lady with learning disability was very angry and upset as her local social services had taken her daughter into care because of her learning disability. From the reaction around the room and the understanding comments this was clearly a regular issue. I was very angry about this. What right does any society have to take a child off her parent purely because they have a learning disability? Tomorrow I shall be asking what our Council would do in similar circumstances.

Tuesday 7 November

A momentous day!! Started off at the Bath Spa Hotel for the Bath Chronicle Business breakfast meeting and the Chronicle debate on Bath Rugby and the Rec. The meeting was excellently chaired by John Inverdale and there were contributions for and against rubgy on the rec and for and against the 2 schemes being proposed.

My statement: the_Rec_1_.doc

Then off to London to visit No 10. About two weeks ago I got a call from No 10 inviting me to a meeting with the Prime Minister. I thought it was a hoax! Anyway I called back the number and it wasn't. The Prime Minister wanted a meeting with 5 Council Leaders and 5 leaders of Social Enterprise companies to discuss the barriers to success for the social enterprise sector of the economy. Also at the meeting was Ed Milliband MP who is clearly well briefed on the issues around Social Enterprise and very ably steered the meeting. We had an hour (well 57 minutes to be exact) with the PM. He was really engaged in the subject and clearly interested in the issues.

I think I was selected as Bath and NE Somerset has its recycluing contract out with ECT and its leisure contract out with Aqua Terra - 2 of the larger socvial enterprises. I have also spoken at social enterprise conferences and published an article in the trade journal. We are also working with several smaller Social Enterprises in our authority such as the Catering Crew - working with people with Learning Difficulties provideing a range of menus for events and meetings.

The 5 leaders (2 Lib Dem and 3 Labour) were all given a good opportunity to put forward both the oportunities as well as the pitfalls, risks and problems. For me the main barrier for the smaller units is the need for longer secure funding timescales to get the enterprise up and running. For the larger organisations it is the packaging of the work by Councils when tendering. Too large a package makes it difficult to compete against large multinational companies.

My briefing points social_enterprise.doc

Afterwards in the Red Lion we were all pleased with the meeting and the fact that Tony Blair is clearly interested in this area. There is a Social Enterprise day coming up next week and Ed Milliband will be releasing a paper on the subject soon.

So I support Bath Rugby at the Rec and Social Enterprise Companies. Train service to and from Bath - London excellant again.

Me at No 10