Mary Reid

Jim Fitzpatrick MP, a Minister for Local Government, was worried that we would turn out to be nerds who would overwhelm him with techno-babble. In fact, he was pleased to discover this morning that we were quite normal, and only interested in improving the services that local government provides.

I am one of six councillors on the e-Government Task Group of the Local Government Association. We comment on government initiatives from the perspective of local councils, and get a chance to put our views to ministers and senior civil servants. For most of the time we are in full agreement across the party political lines - we are more interested in making sure that the voice of local government is heard.

I asked Jim Fitzpatrick a couple of questions:

My first one was about all the clever little handheld computers around these days - from iPods to phones with video cameras. On my Blackberry I can go on the Web, handle all my emails, check my calendar, as well as make phone calls. More and more devices will be designed which bring together functions to suit individual lifestyles - and they will all be as easy to use as an iPod.

This is the future of popular computing, not the clumsy desktop PCs which you have to learn to use. Yet, when we talk about the digital divide we always seem to be thinking about PCs and how people need to be trained to use them. Have you ever seen an evening class in 'Learn to use your mobile phone/MP3 player'?

So, how can these desirable toys be used to give access to public services? He said that it was a strong point, and I saw his adviser busy scribbling down ideas.

My other question was about schools. Schools are becoming more and more independent of local councils, and the proposals in the Schools White Paper (which I will blog about very soon) will push them even further apart. And yet there seems to be little done by central government to ensure that the administrative systems that schools use are compatible with each other, let alone with other public services.

Schools did not feature in the huge local e-government programme. But councils are expected to make sure that all the services offered to children, by schools, councils and health authorities, are integrated. To do that, all their databases and other IT systems must be able to exchange data, and that does not happen by chance.

So what was the government doing to ensure that schools, however independent they may be, have compatible information systems? He said he thought this was an important point and would follow it up - he seemed a genuine guy and I think he will. But I'm not sure that he will get anywhere. Isn't it interesting that local government is expected to do the joining up of public services, when central government departments don't seem to be able to talk to each other?

Seen on TV in the States recently: an advert for a toothbrush with an 'onboard computer'.

I kid you not. Apparently it tells you when you need to buy a new one.

All these photos were taken a couple of weeks ago in New Hampshire. Through the week the foliage colours changed from green to a breathtaking mixture of red, yellow and orange interspersed between the conifers. It is the maples and birches that provide the striking colours, but there seems to be something magical in the climate that holds the leaves on the trees for longer than over here.



Pumpkins everywhere................



Leef peepers chase the colours across New England, aided by several websites that track the changes with daily reports.



Canterbury, New Hampshire, taken earlier in the week before all the colour had developed.

I heard Beverley Hughes (Minister for Children, Young People and Families) speak today at a the LGA Social Services and Education Conference in Birmingham.

She was asked why there was so much emphasis on childcare in all the pronouncements about extended schools. I share that concern. Schools that truly serve their communities throughout the year should be able to respond to many local needs and demands. They should be able offer a really wide range of services, from health clinics to yoga classes, from support with children's problems to advice sessions with the police, CAB etc. And, of course, childcare will feature in that mix, since good quality childcare is needed by many. But to present extended schools purely as a childcare solution underplays one of the most exciting opportunities that we have ever had in education.

In her reply Beverley Hughes made it clear that the main driver for extended schools was to get more people back to work - in other words it is all about the economic development of the country, not about the individual needs of children, families and their communities.

Then she was asked why adult education had been squeezed by the Government so that classes can only be run if they lead to qualifications. Again this is something I feel very strongly about. Surely it is obvious that non-examination classes in in managing children's behaviour, managing family finances, creative crafts, exercise, dance and fitness all contribute to the well-being of families and communities.

Again, her answer was that the Government wanted to concentrate on basic skills and vocational training that would get people back into work. Yes, of course, but is that all?............

I have written about Kingston's approach to extended schools before (and here). I'm delighted that the schools here are together working up some imaginative ideas that go far beyond these impoverished notions.

I went to a reception at the House of Lords yesterday. After the speeches, someone asked me if I realised that there was a gift shop. "Of course," I said, "every museum has a gift shop."

I've just returned from a trip that I have always wanted to do - visiting New England for the Fall. It was wonderful, and I'll post some pictures soon.

But I did return to some excellent news. Three schools in the borough have been successful in their bids for capital - to a total of £12.5 million.

I've written before about the federation of Coombe Girls and Beverley Boys, and this has now received DfES blessing in the form of £6 million. It was impossible to attract funding for Beverley whilst its numbers were dropping, but this will be the best possible start to its new existence as Coombe Boys School.

St Mary's Primary sorely needs the £2.5 million - all the junior classes are in huts, and I am astonished that it has been turned down for funding before. But this time the best brains of the local authority, the Guildford Diocese and the school - with strong support from me - produced a bid that could not be refused.

Grand Avenue Primary is in a similar plight with unsatisfactory buildings, so we are very much hoping that the £4 million it has been offered can be matched by the 20% required from local sources.

Then on top of all of this - a complete windfall in the form of a grant from DfES to rebuild one of our secondary schools. This is a kind of compensation to Kingston for being put to the back of the queue in the Building Schools for the Future programme, which we are not going to be able to access until 2012 at the earliest.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, this must be used to rebuild an existing school, not for a new school. A lot of work needs to be done before decisions can be made about which school will benefit and how it will be developed. But it's an amazing opportunity to think about how to create a building from scratch that will enhance modern styles of learning and be deeply embedded in its local community.

I never thought I would get excited about litter bins, but watch out for the new bins that will be appearing around the borough this weekend.

117 new bins will have separate sections for paper, cans and plastic so you can recycle as you go.

Apologies if you have visited this site recently and found that it was down.

Apparently the Readmyday project has been subjected to a massive spam attack.

Monty Python has much to answer for.