---

want a challenge!

try google fight

put in the names of 2 contenders to see how they fare!

charlie passes his first test

the mood following the announcement of our new candidate, charlie elphicke seems to positive following the judgement of our local mp. his analysis that we have made a mistake perhaps displays his increasing worries following the may local government elections.

I would have been concerned if our MP had been glowing in his recceomendation.

I also notice that the Lib Dems are likewise opposed to this selection.

Perhaps bad news can be good news.

all you ever wanted to know about great mongeham

looking though the internet i cam across this entry about the village where i live - great monegham.

 

why not have a look at what it says about some of the other villages in the dover district!

a short tribute

Dr Stephen Ladyman, has lost his position as transport minister in the new government. This is a sad blow for east kent. Dr Ladyman has been an active campaigner for many transport issues affecting east kent such as the channel tunnel rail link to dover as well as operation stack.

He was also helpful for the CCC campaign on transport.

i would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts.

no mail today

with the third day of the new PMs reign we have a postal strike. is this the shape of things to come?

Eastry drop In

after the training it was off up to Eastry. A resident had taken the trouble to visit to discuss parking problems in Deal.

Having had similar exepriences with the same machine i was able to understand the problem.

the machine in question has a very high usage and does tend to suffer faults more than other machines in the vicinity.

i still want to get a satisfactory outcome.

i have emailed by colleague cllr collor to get his advice

Licensing Training

This morning i attended a training event on the role of the licensing committee.

as i have been put forwards as a member of the licensing committee i have to undergo the appropriate training. I attended this event with one of my colleagues Cllr Diane Smallwood. the council has been operating under the new licensing regime for a while now as has gained useful experience in this field.

U tube

i notice from the downing street website that it now has a u tube account where we can watch exceprts from cabinet meetings.

 

at least i can claim that my account is older - does this mean i can claim that downing street follows where i lead?

 

 

recycling

this morning I went to the county waste station at whitfield. the council was doing a customer survey. the main outcome seemed to be on the lack of plastics recycling

great mongeham drop in

this morning I went to the drop in. there was much speculation about the new pm a . the residents were angry at what he had done to pension funds

summer?

global warming is a hot topic at the moment, so it comes as something of a surprise to have such cold weather today.

i am tempted to think it could be the wimbledon effect and that normal summer will return on the 9th July.

i just hope the contestants in the big brother house have packed the appropriate clothing.

Northbourne

a resident in Northbourne contacted me about the problem of people using The Street as a shortcut to Deal. Although slightly shorter than the alternative it is not quicker and in fact more dangerous. i have contacted Kent Highways to see if there can be signage erected to deter non local drivers.

rationality in recycling

this morning i was contacted by a resident about trade waste trucks going through some nearby villages.

apprently they are collecting waste from public houses.

the resident asked why this waste could not be collected through the black box scheme as there were a lot of bottles which could be recycled.

i explained that my understanding is that this is counted as trade waste and therefore the council is unable to collect this through our black box scheme. 

i also believe that the council is reviewing this situation.

further enguries to the council confirmed that there are trade waste collectors who do recycle glass but that the service still has to be paid for..

there is still work to be done to clarify this situation.

what does he do???

while surfing the net this morning , keeping up to date with other bloggers, i found this site about the work record of our MP

its a fascinating insight in to how the hero of the east kent coalfelds works for the good of his constituents.

(well he did ask a question on miners compensation on 11th July 2002 - "To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to monitor progress on the payment of coal health claims.")

the information provides everything you wanted to knopw about him including this wonderful statistic

"Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 35 times in debates - well below average amongst MPs."

 

knowing this vital piece of information you can now sleep more soundly tonight!

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally. Monday June 18th At the Pines Calyx

last monday there was a meeting on the environment.

I was not able to attend but the organisers have kindly let me publish their report on the meeting.

 

  

 

This meeting was very well attended and produced lively discussion on  the issues surrounding climate change.

After the showing of two short films, the audience gave us a wide range of ideas, information, opinions and suggestions for action to combat climate change within our local communities.

 

 The following points were emphasised:  that individual responsibility was of primary importance but that we needed to extend that commitment beyond the already converted.   To that end it was felt that a programme of conscious raising and education needed to be undertaken, and that one way to tackle that would be small group showings of the Al Gore film followed by discussion.    It was also suggested that a good relationship with the local press (and the KCC television station) should be cultivated.

 

People recognised that KCC (Kent County Council) were addressing the issue and there was a commitment to work with them where appropriate, especially through the neighbourhood forums but that it was also felt that there were areas that needed monitoring, especially mentioned in this respect were the obstacles to planning permission for environmental improvements to existing buildings, the termination of the plastic recycling programme, the existing charges for collection of waste from premises such as shops and pubs and the commitment to inappropriate bio fuels. There was also concern about the domestic housing carbon footprint both with regard to existing properties (attitude to grants for eco improvement) and the eco standards of new build.

 

  There was also  a  feeling expressed that the burden of recycling was borne too much by the consumer, that packaging was excessive and that the responsibility for this should be placed where it belonged, with the producer who should be obliged ( by law ?) from using packaging that was not recyclable. 

 

The importance of the availability of local food, and the role that the rural communities could play in this with the setting up of composting and allotment schemes was discussed.  One specific action a  St. Margaret's  "Digger Day " to prepare an available allotment site was supported by the meeting.

 

Many examples of good practise were cited, for example the projects achieved at Sandwich school where they have a rain harvesting system, composting, allotments and a proposed wind turbine.  These all encouraged a positive attitude and that although the situation was extremely serious, there was much that could be done to alleviate it.  

 

It was proposed that a group should be formed  to get certain initiatives underway .   It was felt this group must be inclusive and would facilitate a joined up approach from grass roots level through local government to national.  It was suggested and approved that a meeting should be held on July 16^th  the purpose of which should be to constitute such a group.   This meeting will also be at the Pines and will start at 7pm.

 

rosie rechter

 

 

i wish Rosie and her group well and hope i will be able to attend future events

monday morning

this morning i had the unusual experience of not having a meeting to go, so i accompanied my wife to bible study.

there was discussion about Fowlmead park and about how to broadcast some personal experience stories which they have been developing, I suggested that they could use blogging sites such as myspace.com to publish such material as websites can reach a wider audience.

i am keen to help people utilise the potential of the internet for a variety of purposes including the way to evangelise.

sunday musings

well it was not a frantically busy day but i was kept occupied.

this morning it was church with my wife and it was one of those services where one just has to let things happen with a number of unexpected events.

later my wife and i spent the afternoon with some friends discussing a range of topics.

the wet weather (the wimbledon effect) meant it was not great weather for being outside.

sad news

it is with great sadness and regret that i was informed about the passing of one of my colleagues, Cllr Helen Bartolo.

She was a hardworking member always striving to get the best deal for her residents and her passing will be a great loss to the residents of Aylesham. 

although we may not have agreed with her, we respected her and she will be a hard member to replace.

nostalgia in eastry

theres rock n roll in the eastry village hall tonight. 60 & 70s band quest is playing tonight to a packed hall. residents from the village as well as tilmanstone and deal have come to enjoy the music in aid of the village hall.

and the winner is ...

after a long day of interviewing the selection of the new cadidate is finalised and he is charlie elphicke

Here is our chairman roger frayne (on the right) congratulating charlie

a riddle solved

last week I received an unusally high number of hits to this blog and it now transpires that one of the reasons for this was that candidates for the selection process were keeping track of the blog to research about the constituency

Eastry drop In

this morning i went to the drop in.

one resident was concerned over the level of funding for joint operation with the police service as well as how much use there is made of the neighbourhood watch scheme. the scheme does have a lot of value and it would sadden me to think that this organisation of residents is not being used to its fullest extent.

i was also informed about problems with flooding in gore lane. there appears to be insufficient drainage causing flooding. One resident is greatly affected and it floods her garden which is heartbreaking for her as she spends much time tending her garden.

i have informed kent highways as i believe that such problems wrill occur more frequently with the changing climate. i anticipate more summer rainstorms characterised by short high intensity rainfall which will increase runoff.

we need to start thinking about best practice in mitigating such events.

community health

i see from the BBC that the latest community health maps have been published

here is a link to the profile for the Dover District

from this profile we can see that the district is approaching the england average.

it is heartening to see that the educational attainment for GCSE is above the national average.

the council is putting a stronger focus into health with the appointment of cllr Heath as the cabinet member.

there is still much to be done working with our colleagues and the local PCT

 

east kent Try angle awards

this evening i attended the east kent Try Angle awards ceremony.

this event celebrates the positive impact many younger people have in our communities. In fact i felt humbled listeng to the stories of achievement in the face of adversity that some of the people go through. a good dose of humility is what every elected member needs from time to time.

i applaud the efforts of the chairman of the committee Roger Gale MP and his colleagues for putting on a first rate ceremony as well as showing to us all that not all young people are the yobs which so frequently are mentioned in the press. Bill Butler too deserves credit for his efforts.

Great Mongeham Drop In

this morning i went to the drop in.

there was discussion about the move by Pfizer to relocate its animal discovery team to the US.

many attendees have been past employees at Pfizer so still take a keen interest in the firm.

i must admit to being a past employee too but that was in australia.

 

i was also informed about some street lights which are not working so i have duly notified Kent highways about them through the online reporting service.

recycled magazines

today I had to take my daughter to a medical appointment in folkestone. while waiting I looked through the magazines in the waiting room. I was forced to read a punch from march 2001 which had predictions to watch out for iain duncan smith and david davis as future leaders of the conservative party. can't these practices find any more recent magazines without celebrity big brother stories?

rain

last night east kent received a good soaking. the BBC said there was two inches over three hours so rainfall exceeded the ability of the soil to soak it up. the result was some flooding and in our village several black bags were washed onto the village green (it was waste collection day today). I contacted the council waste services to get them cleared away.

Spam

many of us who use the internet frequently are often deluged with spam. and one of the ways to cope with this is through the use of spam filters on our email applications. but how often do we check to see of any "good" emails are in there?

i make it a point to regualrly check my spam folders as occasionally i find emails in there which do not belong in there.

its a fine balnce to sort the suspicious looking ones and we should expect the occasional mix up. 

tilmanstone parish coucil

I have hot footed it over to tilmanstone to catch the last half of the meeting. items discussed inc!uded the revised code of conduct , the annual financial report and report from the district councillors.

st martins pcc

tight is the meeting of the pcc. items under discussion include re-ordering of the church building, churchyard maintenance,fundraising,legacies & wills,and the healthy churches programme.

so you think you know yourself?

my cousin sent me this link

so if you have a few minutes to spare

why not try this quick quiz

 

are you left or right on the political spectrum

and are you a control freak or an anarchist?

rise in hits recorded

i too like mary reid elsewhere on this site have recorded a sharp increase in the number of hits.

one would like to think that it is due to the increasing level of interest about the work of elected members but due to the low number of comments i am sceptical about whther people are here by design or by accident.

so if you are a regular visitor or even have a view, please leave a comment.

we all need your feedback even if it jsut to say we all need to get a life and stop blogging so much!!!

preston school fete

this afternoon I am at preston school fete with some of my family. there is maypole dancing, giant hoopla, "lob the loo roll" and many other stalls.

 

a belated happy fathers day to my uk readers.

fowlmead

this afternoon i popped in to the park to have a look around and see how things were going

i spoke to mark kilmurray who is overseeing things.

he gave a positive picture as to the takeup of the park with it being busy most days.

i also read the visitor book comments and was struck by two entries, in the same handwriting too!

"where is the wildlife?"

and on the line below

"Flora & Fauna is beautiful"

have i missed something? 

Eastry drop In

after the hectic pace of the last few days it was a relief to get back to the more leisurely pace of the Eastry drop in.

there was talk about the Fowlmead Country park so i was able to relay the lastest that i heard last night.

there was also discussion about planning issues.

the ladies who run do this drop in  work tirelessly to provide a pleasant environment and keep people coming back week after week.

the village warden also dropped by to discuss matters with people.

northbourne annual parish meeting

tonight I am in northbourne to attend this meeting. there are reports from village organisations as well as reports from elected members.my colleague reported on the major projects happening in the district.

the county colleague also reported on situations in other villages throughout her division.

there was discussion on the regeneration of the colliery site with complaints about the vandalism at the community park. there is a real concern that this park may have to close if this vandalism continues which would be a sad loss to the residents of circular road.

 

the comments about the Fowlmead park and the lack of seating and bins was discussed and there was good news that SEEDA is to rectify this situation.

 

the parish council had provided refreshments so it was a bit of a disappointment that villagers did not attend tonight's meeting to hear firsthand about the work of the parish council as well as other orgainisations within the parish.

village design statement group

this evening I went to the first annual general meeting of the great mongeham village design statement group. the work is continuing to produce a document which will benefit the community.

there is still real enthusiasm to complete this document and the team looks forward to the next stage of community consultation.

conference debrief

with so much information over the last few days from the conference i hope to prepare a short report to publish here however i need a little while to let it assimilate.

The major theme seemed to be shared services and many of us are still grappling on how to achieve this for the benefit of residents. Many speakers seemd to emphasis that the public is not concerned over who is delivering the service, whether a particular tier of government, Private sector or even third sector, so long as they are able to access the service and the service is run efficiently.

Clearly there is still much to be planned and discussed however i am happy that the first steps we are taking through our east kent cluster working are on the right path.

Folkestone Multi-cultural Festival

Today i heard from a colleague about the multi cultural festival in Folkestone. It is to run from today until sunday with a range of events around the Town centre. I had a chance to day to see some of the regeneration work going on around the town and was impressed how much had been achieved since last i visited.

there is much going on around the area and i look forward to similar work happening in the town of Dover.

making the most of technology

douglas johnson poensgen from BT government services discussed new technology and the challenges associated. he found that the average british citizen relies on 264 computers a day and is probably not aware of these computers. douglas also discussed how technology allows better collaboration.

shared services workshop

the first session I am attending today is a workshop on shared services. this is a popular one as the room is full with some delegates having to sit on the floor or stand due to the seating being full. we have heard case studies from around the country on this issue.

ccc colleagues

this morning I have been talking to colleagues from the ccc. I met a welsh colleague who had not managed to make it to rotherham last week. I also met a member from rotherham and talked about the own centre development there. one of the real benefits of these conferences is to discuss issues with colleagues from around the country.

excitement in bournemouth

tonight I got back to my hotel to find the fire alarm sounding, all the residents waiting outside and the fire brigade had sent two appliances to investigate. fortunately it was a false alarm so we were soon let back into our rooms.

3rd sector views

the final session of the day was focussed on the third sector. stephen bubb from the association of chief executives of voluntary organisations. he discusssed the role of partnerships between local authorities and 3rd sector organisations.

demographic change

prof david coleman from oxford university discussed the uk in a new world of demographic change. many of the challenges are well known such as the low birth rate,falling death rate leading to an ageing population. migration pressure will also exist for decades. he also found that these pressures will lead to fragile families. prof coleman also stated that some problems arise from central government policies but are left tttto local authorities to cope with. he also showed data about births outside marriage. I noticed that 3 out of the top 5 areas were in coalfield areas,

current finance issues

this afternoon I am at a workshop being run by the society of district council treasurers. there are a number issues including efficiency targets, planning, waste charges, fees and charges, concessionary travel, specific grants and of course the comprehensive revue later this year. there are a number of unknowns around these but we need to watch for developments and understand their impact on our budgets.

the public health challenge

representatives from NICE spoke about issues around the cost of health care and local authorities impact in this area. the team showed a comment from 1905 wjich shows that this is not a new issue.

outcome budgetting

rory mair from cosla provided a scottish perspective. he found that the agenda for shared services will have an effect on the way services are budgeted . thisss will force local authorities to change the way they manage these services

systemic failures

steve thomas from the welsh lga was discussing differences between england and wales. he highlighted the role of local boards to tackle systemic failures.

lga challenge to local government

paul coen chief executive of the lga dicussed the problems of communication anh how desput bvpi information residents still not recognise the value of services provided by local authorities

the imperative for change

rod alridge who has experince in both public and private sectors of the economy. he talked about the desire of residents to get better quality services regardless of who provides them.

opening address

cipfa president john butler gave the opening address. he touched on subjects such as the benefits as well as disadvantages of change. he also talked about problems in NHS funding as well as the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

CIPFA 2007

over the next two days I will be blogging the annual CIPFA conference. the conference has the theme "modern services - are we there yet?. delegates from public sector organisations from around the UK have travelled here.

CIPFA is the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountantcy.

well fed

it occurred to me that I am very quick ti tell of bad culinary experiences but have not celebrated the others. last weeki dined very nicely at the bluecoat in rotherham and tonight I had very pleasant meal at the pizzaexpress in bournemouth. now I am not a restaurant critic but I would like to share my positive as well as negative experiences.

a busy Day

Good Morning loyal readers as well as those dipping in for the first time.
today io have a busy day.

this morning i took my bicycle in for a service .

i have a 10.00 am meeting on communities at the council office before i head over to Bournemouth for the annual CIPFA conference on public finance.

It should be an exciting week so i hope to have news and views from the conference.

no no no no no no yes

tonight i went to a parochial church council meeting.

the well known sitcom the Vicar of Dibley seems to combine the parish council with the parochial church council meeting.

anyway we met tonight to discuss a range of church issues including mobile phone masts on church buildings and the policy regarding baptisms.

there was also discussiion on finance, access to the internet and child protection issues.

"real internet"

during my browsing of news over the other side of the world i came across this article about the internet.

 

i see from the the councils website that website usage in constantly increasing and see the ability to provide our services online in a 24/7  environment as a necessary condition however i am also mindful of the dangers of being left behind. In a rural setting such as that which i represent i am also keen to ensure that all residents have access to such facilities. I know that some villages such as Tilmanstone have had difficulties but i am confident that progress is being achieved to ensure that a better service is delivered.

clearly there is a need to keep this progress on track so that the ideals mentioned in the article are available to all residents.

Near Miss

today i witnessed a near miss as cyclist was almost struck by a car. The cyclist was a schhol student coming from from school but had decised to cycle the wrong way up a one way street. The car was entering the road and the driver was looking for oncoming traffic coming the correct way down the street unaware that the cyclist was coming the other way.

Fortunately the driver was able to stop in time but it left me wondering who was at fault as i believe that the school student would not accept that he had any blame in the matter.

Village design Annual Meeting

This week is the second annual meeting for the village design group.

As treasurer for the group it is my responsibility to prepare the annual finance report so tonight i was getting the report audited by another villager who has expertise in this area.

The statement is taking longer than anticipated but i feel that we are producing a quality document which will give greater input to planning decisions in the village by villagers. Planning is probably one of the most contentious aspects of the council's responsibilities and I feel that residents should have the chance to influence the planning process at the earliest possible stage. I believe that the village design statement is a valid way of achieving this aim.

Dirty Dover wins recycling award

recently on a well known breakfast radio show, Dover was described as dirty due to its apparent lack of recycling. today i wrote to the host of that show pointing out to him Dover District Council's good performance in this area.

 Dear John
recently on your programme you had a lengthy discussions on recycling and
how bad Dover is doing.
i thought you may be interested in this press release which i believe
demonstrates that Dover District Council is in fact setting a standard in
recycling services that is sustainable and for the long term benefit of
residents and the environment.

regards
cllr steve manion
dover district council


"PAPER RECYCLING WINS AWARD

A special award for clean recycling has been made to Dover District
Council - and the Council is thanking householders across the district who
have been sorting and recycling their paper and helping to make the news.

The Council has received a certificate from Aylesford Newsprint Ltd for the
quality of the newspapers and magazines delivered to them for recycling.
This is an important award as it shows that householders are playing their
part by putting out clean newspapers, magazines, junk mail, brochures,
catalogues etc for recycling. The quality of paper means that Aylesford
Newsprint Ltd can use the recycled paper from the district to make new
newspapers.

Cllr Nicholas Kenton, Cabinet Member for Environment, who received the award
on behalf of DDC, said: 'We are delighted that the quality of paper being
collected by us has been recognized. We would like to say thank you to all
residents who are recycling and the message is to please continue. We are
currently recycling 20% of our household waste and want to increase this to
25% by March 2008.'"

  

sunday

this morning my wife and I went to our local church with a friend. after we went to canterbury to sort out a mobile phone.. while in canterbury we met some my colleagues cllrs rook.

 

they too were taking the opportunity to do some shopping together.

Saturday

today i have spent most of the day fixing sundry computer problems on a number of PCs about the house.

As my wife says - "computers are supposed to be labour saving devices" but it can be frustrating faced with some problems - is it a hardware problem or is it a software problem or a combination of both.

 why dont they have a mood for frustrated?

Aylesham & District Community Workshop Trust

this afternoon i attended an event to celebrate 10 years work by the Aylesham & District Community Workshop Trust. There were a number of my district council colleagues as well as our local MP on hand to celebrate the work of Derek Garrity MBE and his team in helping the community of Aylesham.

We look forward to the continued success of the trust as a vital social enterprise helping businesses in the district as well as the wider community.

the trust was a major sponsor at the recent opening of the Fowlmead Country Park.

ccc agm

this morning I am in rotherham for a significant meeting on the future of the ccc. it is looking to merge with other traditional industrial organisations. before the meeting I went for a walk round the town with our community development manager Brin Hill to look at the public realm design. we hope to take back some ideas.

 

We were both impresed by the concept of hoardings to keep the public informed about the state of regeneration projects, past, current and future.

There is much going on in the Dover district at the moment and we feel it is important to keep the residents informed.

 

actually the meeting was in two parts.

Firts as the CCC to elect to merge with the other organisations to form a new body called the Alliance, then to have the inaugural AGM of the Alliance.

the meeting started by electing Cllr John devon from wansbeck as its chair following in the footsteps of cllr Bill flanagan, with cllr Eion Watts from Bolsover as senior vice Chair. I have known Eion through his work as the Midlands chair of the CCC for a number of years and have tremendous respect for him even though he is of a different political persuasion to me.

mixed messages

tonight I am in rotherham. I met some colleagues from the ccc for an informal chat over the direction of the ccc. There was an discussion about election results and how this might impact on the future work of the organisation

 I noticed a no smoking sign over the cigarette vending machine and pondered over the logic of this.

 

I also had a chat to one of my colleagues about the difficulty in improving health outcomes and how best to work with local PCTs. The recent reorganisations have led to much confusion about joint working in this area. Regeneration is not just about the physical side of site remediation but also about improving the health and skills which leads into better quality housing and other community aspects. one f the real benefits of active participation in the CCC is the chance to share experiences with colleagues from around the nation, with not just English local authorities but Welsh and Scottish too

great mongeham drop in

this morning I went to the drop in. people there were discussing the cost of the betteshanger regeneration project. I will see what I can find out. there was also discussion on single interest political organisations.

Parish council circulation file

This morning i was reading the circulation file for the Great Mongeham Parish Council. This contains reports which will be discussed at the parish council meeting tomorrow night.

one part i was interested in was the request by Whitfield action group for funding, i feel it is inappropriate to fund a political organisation whose sole aim is to minimise housing development in the parish of Whitfield. i will be unable to put this view at the meeting as i will be away on district council business. I hope my fellow parish councillors share my concerns.

sutton parish council

tonight I am at the monthly meeting. topics for discussion include planning, maintenance of playing field and allotment, transport for school children.

the parish Council also voted to adopt the new code of conduct with additional provision 12(2) so as to allow members to speak on an issue even if they have a prejudicial interest.

The council also decided to award a grant to the Whitfield Action Group which some think is a purely political organisation aimed at minimising any housing growth in the parish of Whitfield.  The Parish Chairman is a leading figure in the Whitfield Action Group but took no active role in the debate after stating his views.

Open Studios for Deal Artists

i have just been informed about a local art event being run by SEAS - South East ArtistS.

it is on several weekends 11am - 6pm from the 30th June to 15th July at venues around Deal as well as Eastry, Woodnesborough, Guston, Ringwould, St Margarets and Walmer.

 

There are many promising artists in the district and some even displayed their work at the recent opening of the Fowlmead Country Park.

I hope residents will support these artists.

of course i'm not perfect

well as a civic leader we are expected to set standards and any regular reader of this blog will know my spelling is less than perfect.

this is your chance to help

especially all you readers in h(H)ampshire.

let me know any errors you see!

help make the world a better place and improve my spelling.

eastry parish council

tonight I am at eastry parish council for their monthly meeting. among the topics for discussion is the speed of traffic through the village. there is frustration at the lack of action from kent highways and it seems as only a fatality will get any action. the rural warden gave his report which included golfers practicing near the allotments and some instances of criminal damage in the cemetary.

cabinet meeting

this morning I have a regular cabinet meeting. the agenda is mostly devoted to audit and other governance matters. the cabinet is keen to keep improving council services for the benefit of residents both through better use of resources and providing better services

Website Statistics

i like to keep an eye on the Dover District Council Website statistics as i believe that this is an indicator of how effective the site is as well as also demonstrating the increasing importance of web based services.

I was pleased to see that the site has for the first time got over 1 million hits during the month - as a comparison this blog only attracted 3000 hits last month.

Over 40% of the hits related to planning issues however the councillors pages was the second most popular category with over 7%. The most popular time is between 8.00pm and 10.00pm with a second hump around 1.00am - obviously people in need of something to send them to sleep  so maybe that is where the 7% reading the councillor pages comes in!

 

 

Trinity Sunday

this morning i went to church with my wife.

while there a resident was concerned about waste collection assocaited with street cleaning operations so i will make some enquiries.

a su