---

Archery World Cup comes to Dover

This evening i attended the opening ceremony of the Archery World Cup. particpants from 32 countries have come to take part.

the Dover district Council is helping to organise this prestigious event and has a dedixcated page on the white cliffs website

with the olympics coming up in 5 years it will be of increasing importance that we can demonstrate to the world the capacity of local authorities to help stage such events.

Latest on Arab Bloggers

after yesterdays entry on the perils of being a blogger in Malaysia, today i noticed a story about the woes of being an arab blogger.

It seems that those who misrust freedom of speech have great fears about blogging and the potential for abuse of that freedom.

 

They talk a load of rubbish

this afternoon i received a copy of the Kent Joint Municiapl Waste Management Strategy. You can view this document online at the Kent County Council website.

This is an important part of the council's busines and with the new contract due next year, is a topic uppermost in our minds. In fact we even had a decision on it this morning at the cabinet meeting.

i was particularly taken by the statement in the documnet that "Waste minimisation and re-use will be a priority in order to break the link between waste production and economic growth" hence trying to tackle the growth in waste at its source.

We need such thinking if we are to have a real impact on waste without jeopardising the economy and way of life here in Kent.

cabinet meetings

this morning I have two cabinet meetings to attend. the first relates to the cabinet's role as trustees for two local charities. the second cabinet meeting is devoted to the usual cabinet business. both the agenda are available on the council's website.

pandemics

work in australia is trying to help health professionals track pandemics

during the southern winter there is concern that the lastest flu is causing an increasing mortality rates so a health organsiation is asking people to particpate in tracking  the spread though the use of an internet website

there is much we still need to learn if we are to avoid a pandemic which followed the end of the first world war.

the downside of blogging

in this country we possibly take for granted some of our freedoms to Blog whatever concerns we feel appropriate but in malaysia things are not so simple.

a recent report suggests that bloggers there may find that criticism of the government may lead to jail terms under ant terrorist legislation.

while i would not condone the use of a blog to slander political opponents, i would also see that bloggers have a legitimate right to question authorities.

Tilmanstone Fete

This afternoon i went to the Tilmanstone Fete. There seemed to be a good turnout despite the threat of rain which i am pleased to say did not eventuate.

I also met our new parliamentary canddate Charlie Elphicke there.

i was pleased to see  so many of the residents of the villge enjoying the fete and i hope the worthy causes represented manage to raise some funds.

Good Government

try looking at this video on  You Tube for examples of good government - best practice even!

 

why not send me your examples of what irritates you!

New web based service for residents

tonight i received an email about a way residents can save postage for the council.

the council is keen to use the internet as way to reach residents more effectively.

here is the text of the email.

"Dover District Council can now communicate with you electronically. Where possible, we will send you e-mails rather than write to you and benefit notifications, council tax bills and other documents will be sent electronically.

Please note that not all services can communicate in this way at the moment and some documents cannot, by law, be sent to you electronically.

By signing up to our electronic register you'll help to save time, paper and money.

To sign up please log on to"the dover website

I hope as many residents as possible take advantage of this service.

now if we can just get bus stops to sign up too...

 

Eastry Drop In

This morning i went to the eastry drop in.

people were discussing recycling. There is a view that part of the poblem of waste is that people do not plan to re use foods enough, that good menu planning involves looking at how leftovers can be used to create dishes for the following days. For example having a roast one day  can give meat fritters the following day, jacket potatoes one day can be made into a topping for a cottage pie.

Such re use of food can significantly reduce our food waste arisings.

perhaps this is a skill that our effluent society is losing.

Code of conduct training

tonight i went to code of conduct training.

this is training for town and parish council members plus a few district councillors who were unable to attend the sessions held during working hours.

i was pleased to see that the revised code seems a bit less restrictive on members, an attemp to try to right the over cautious approach favoured under the previous code although some things, notably the provision on gifts and hospitality seems unduly bureaucratic.

 

we are indebted to those members who choose to push the limits of the code and the resulting case law which clarifies the code for the rest of us.

 

Localism

this afternoon i attended a discussion about localism with other party memebers.

There were issues raised about local democratic accountability on a number of key services.

Many residents want more of a say about the way services are delivered and to have the ability to hold to account those responsible for these services.

There is much more to be said and it is hoped that a document will be released outlining the way forward.

i was also able to speak with Cllr Paul Carter about a matter which a resident had raised with me this morning at the Great Mongeham Drop In.

great mongeham drop in

this morning i went to the drop in.

among the topics up for discussion today were the Kent County Council newspaper Residents are concerned over the time for time for it to be delivered here in east kent.

There was also discussion on footpaths and we looked at a map from 1987 to try to determine which footpaths and bridleways have changed.

let the sun shine

there is much discussion about wind power and the latest in the local medi is about a proposed wind farm  in the Langdon parish.

However a quick glance at news websites in Oz shows that solar power is becoming increasingly important.

it still comes down to a tradeoff between preserving the natural landscape and building power generating facilities which rely on renewable energy sources.

Its a debate which will go on unless we can find a way to  reduce our energy consumption.

End of term

this afternoon i went to my sons end of term church service.

the service marks the transition of these pupils from primary school to secondaery education.

i found it quite a moving event and i am glad that the church can help mark this milestone.

the way forward?

in the coming months the Priest in charge of our benefice will be retiring. An option being mooted is that our parish could split from this urban benefice and join with the more rural cluster based on Eastry.

there is much discussion on this in the PCC (parochial church council) as we have only been part of the upper Deal benefice for five years so there is a degree of  people feeling unsettled by this proposal.

there is much to be said on both sides of the discussion and i will attempt to keep readers of this blog informed.

Bats in the Belfry

tonight we had a bat evening at St Martins Great Mongeham.

Shirley from the Kent Bat Group.

She had a presentation on bats.

we have long been aware of the presence of bats in our church and Shirley outline some of the problems associated with preserving the bat population.

after the presentation we all went outside to observe bat activity in the vicinity of the church. we also had bat detectors to help locate the bats.

river management consultation

with the recent flood disaster in the news it perhaps timely that the environment agency is doing a consultation.

so what not have your say and help

the environment agency has this to say about the consultation

"The environment in the South East River Basin District is very special. It is a major reason why people want to live in this part of the country, and our coasts, estuaries, rivers and lakes attract visitors from all over the world.

 

Today we have published a consultation document for the South East River Basin District, which covers Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and South and East Kent . It summarises the main issues in our region and has been endorsed for consultation by the South East River Basin Panel."

so follow the link and ensure your views are considered.

who checks the checkers

i came across a story from Oz about residents being subjected to noise pollution by a council.

It seems that Parramatta City Council engages in street cleaning activities during the night which disturbs local residents but apparently the environmental rules allow this activity.

it seems a difficult situation as the council needs to keep the streets clean but is causing a noise nuisance.

i am interested in your views!

alliance briefing

this afternoon i attended a briefing meeting on the Alliance.

The main opposition party on the council is keen to keep in contact with the work of the Alliance and following the election in may there are few opposition members who have much knowledge of the work that the Alliance is trying accomplish. Over the last 4 years the council has built a strong working relationship with the alliance and its former predecessor, the CCC.

There is still much to be done on regenerating parts of the district and the Alliance has a key role in achieving this.

 

your say

up till now this blog has concentrated on the short entry to let readers know what i am up to in various facets of my life. Naturally this has concentrated on political activities however i have also included the occasional report on my social life (Do i have one?), my professional life , my family life and of course my religious side (or spiritual may be a better description).

Anyway what i ask from the readership is - would you prefer longer entries with more comment or is the short snappy, pithy even entry more readable?

its your say - leave your comments now!!!

Dover North Neighbourhood forum

Tonight i attended the forum which was looking at health issues.

There was a lot of discussion  about the lack of GP provision on Elvington.

Another key issue which has been going on for a number of years relates to transport. the current situation is that patients will only be admitted to either the william harvey hospital at Asford or the QEQM hospital at margate.

both of these hospitals are difficult to reach by public transport from the dover district yet the representatives from the PCT seem to be unable to provide satisfactory responses to residents concerns.

clearly there needs to be some further service design to ensure that our residents  are able to access NHS services in a sustainable manner.

flood response

this morning while listening to our local BBC radio station i was struck by the number of listeners who wanted to donate to fllood relief yet did not know where to donate.

It has long been my beliefe that the salvation army is extremely good at providing such practical relief and indeed they have a part on their website whch outlines their response to this situation.

i understand that the there is resistance at the BBC to publicise or support in anyway the work of the salvation army given a certain presenter's opposition to the Christian religion, but i for one applaud the efforts of the Salvation army to put in practice the commandments  of Christ.

Virtual debates

the latest from the US election process is a virtual debate between Democratic candidates .

now the voters have the power to set their questions directly to the candidates and its similar questions that we get on the doorstep. "what are you going to do that will make a difference".

perhaps this will set a precedent not just for the national elections but also for the local ones.

i do not thisnk it will replace the door to door work we do but it may just give us another forum to debate our views.

rainy monday

after a harry potter weekend - reading the 7th book and going to see the fifth film it back to normal today- more rain.

i also had one of my regular briefing sessions with the cabinet agenda for next weeks meeting - i cant understand why such scintillating reading is not giving me millions of hits enjoyed by the chinese blogger, perhaps if wrote in chinese i might get more hits!

Mobile Message

Mobile Message

correspondence

this morning i received in the mail a request to lobby on behalf of Connaught park's 125th anniversary.

i did some surfing and found a page with some interesting information about the park .

i shall refer this matter to my colleagues for their attention.

rain

well the trip back yesterday to dover was a nightmare with very slow traffic due to the rain. i was fortunate to have an experinced driver brin hill who managed to negotiate the trip safely.

with global warming there is the prospect of  more such weather during the summer.

high intensity rain fall will lead to more flooding - the co-efficient of rainfall exceeding the coefficient of the ground to absorb the rain so more runoff events. Well that is the explanantion i remember from my days at agricultural college studying soil conservation. such flooding may also cause more soil erosion so perhaps those responsible for land managegemnt need to consider soil conservation practices which may also aid in flood mitigation.

alliance national meeting

this morning I am attending the executive meeting of the alliance, a national lobbying group of local authorities from traditiona! industrial areas. there is discussion on the latest changes to central government and how this will impact on our work to regenerate these areas.

where to eat in Eccles

tonight I am in salford for a meeting tomorrow of the alliance, formerly the ccc. I was fortunate to discover the naz a wonderful buffet restaurant in monton road eccles. delightful atmosphere and only £9.99 per head. good food at an affordable price.

the service was great but it is not licensed so its BYO (bring your own).

where to eccles

tonight I am in salford for a meeting tomorrow of the alliance, formerly the ccc. I was fortunate to discover the naz a wonderful buffet restaurant in monton road eccles. delightful atmosphere and only £9.99 per head. good food at an affordable price.

great mogeham drop in

this morning I went to the drop in to deliver a recycling black box and update a resident about concessionary bus passes. there was also discussion about streetlight maintenance.

Dover North Neighbourhood Forum

Next week is the Dover North Neighbourhhod Forum the agenda is on this link - Draft_agenda_24-7-07.doc

The health care of residents on the district is of continuing concern so i hope as many as possible attend this meeting at St Margarets Village Hall on the 24th July.

 

joint council meeting

today is a meeting of walmer and great mongeham parishes and deal town council. this is a chance to air common concerns. one the items traffic safety on st richards road affects all 3 councils.

The Port of Deal?

our MP, the seafaring Gwyn Posser has declared Deal a port in a speech in Parliament today

perhaps Colin Gibbs is right?

does this mean Deal can expect a similar body to the DHB to be appointed?

 

 

the continuing Oz experience with E campaigning

this morning there is yet another tale of woe in the australians quest to use You Tube for an election campaign.

it s interesting to see people are quick to find fault with politicians when perhaps the problem is beyond their control.

the annoucemnt is on this link.

 

there are a number of spoof videos such as this one

 

Life was not meant to be easy!

M20/ A20 again closed

this afternoon while listening to the local radio station i heard that due to a serious traffic accident the only dual carriageway to Dover has been shut.ppropriate that

Dover has one of the worlds busiest ferry ports yet the regional transport chiefs think it appropriate that there is only one motorway linking the port with the rest of the UK.

There is another option, dualling of the A2 between Lydden and Dover, a small distance yet i understand that this is not planned until late in the next decade.

 

how long must we endure this misery which affects not only Dover but the wider UK economy.

Tilmanstone Parish Council

Last night i went to the July meeting of the parish.

a number of residents also went to hear the proceedings.

as well as discussion on the usual issues such as planning, footpaths and fiance, there was a discussion about japanese knotweed.

there are concerns about its spread in the parish so residents are asked to be vigilant and perhaps ask advice over the best way to control it if they find it at their property.

alliance midlands region

this morning I am attending the midlands region of the alliance, formerly the ccc. infact it is now known as the midlands and southern. cllr eion watts has been elected chairman with cllr kevin jackson and myself as vice chairs. an additional executive member was also appointed.

take the weather with us

this morning I wrote an entry about the wet weather. today I have travelled up to leek in staffordshire for a meeting early tomorrow morning. the wet weather has followed us but I am reliably informed that the weather back in kent is lovely. perhaps I needed watering.

the rains came

with the wet weather today, i expect the organisers at Aylesham and other summer fairs yesterday must be thanking God for the great weather.

The result would have been much different if it had been like thos with much thundery activity about.

Summer fair in Aylesham

This afternoon i went to the summer fair in Aylesham.

there were a number of stalls and activities. i sampled the hot dogs while my wife was tasting the straberries and cream.

I was able to introduce our new candidate Charlie Elphicke to a number of local residents

a you tube election

following yesterdays entry on Oz Politics and e govenment comes another story from that same newspaper on the lastest developments in the national election.

the story illustrates the pitfalls as well as the advantages of cyberspace battles and how viral videos can haunt candidates.

will we all become much more cautious all just admit our failings and go with the flow.

 

as big brother says

you decide!

conservative party lunch

today we are having a party lunch. this is an excellent opportunity for party members to discuss issues and get to know each other better. we are also getting the chance to hear from our new parliamentary candidate charlie elphicke.

Eastry Drop In

This morning i went to the drop in.

A topic for discussion was the story in the Dover Express about the family claiming Gypsy Status.

This case has been discussed a number of times at the Tilmanstone Parish Council and i believe that they are awaiting the decision.

Flooding around the village was also discussed.

the parish council has created a pleasant atmosphere where residnts can come and chat about issues which concern them not to mention have their hearing aids serviced!

E-politics?

in my quest to bring you stories from parts of the world - ok australia

i found the following story

Myspace makes impact with pollies

my hope is that the use of such technology can help us reach parts of the community that may be otherwise disengaged.

The young people of today use such technology freely and if we can use it perhaps they will leave their comments too!

so today's challenge is to try to get feedback from the younger generation.

 

Northbourne Parish Council

 busy night tonight.

i started by going to my sons school to watch a production of Oliver.

it was vey enjoyable and the whole cast  and crew had put in an enormous amount of effort to produce such a spectical.

 

after the finale i went to the parish council meeting.

i leanrt good news about the Fowlmead Park. The plan is that it will be open 7 days a week from Saturday.

this is a major step forward and i am sure residents will applaud this move.

 the parish council also discussed the recycling question from the district council meeting last night.

Highways issues were also raised.

great mongeham drop in

This morning i went to the drop in

lots of questions to answer so i will have to do some research before next week on a number of issues including concessionary fares, recycling and lighting

Time Management

in these days of increased time pressures we are always on the lookout for time saving opportunities.

and for those who dont have time to read the entire Lord of the rings

or watch all 3 movies

try this abridged version

How lord of the rings should have ended

 

other great screen classics are also given the same loving translation.

full council meeting

the meeting commenced with the  chairman and leaders of all political parties paying tribute to the work and reputation of our colleague helen bartolo. the leader and chief executive then gave a presentation on the future regeneration of the town of dover.

there were also questions on topics such as recycling, broadband availability (was the answer really that boring- yes that was directed at me) transport issues, electronic counting,

Northbourne CE School Governors Meeting

Tonight i attended a meeting of the above body as an observer.

The school is going through a building project and looking to impove a number of key aspects.

This is an exciting time for the school and is closely linked with the community.

monday morning

this morning i went to prayer group in one of the villages.

there was much discussion about developments on the district.

one of the issues was about wind power generation and the conflicting environemntal concerns.

On the one side there is the desire to promote sustainable energy solutions.

on the opposing side is the need to preserve the natural landscape.

 

these are issues with no easy answers at this stage.

i wish there was a baffled emoticon for the mood!

fun day feedback

just an update on yesterday. the local church managed to raise over 400 pounds. other village organisations were also able to raise funds. a big thank you to all who came and supported the event.

Great Mongeham Village Fun Day

the fun day was again a sucess with good weather and good attendance by residents and visitors.

There were many activities to challenge those present.

I was looking after the ring the councillor event. This is a version of Hoopla with the councillors represented by empty drums, being the targets.

The adult competition was hotly contested with the scores tied at the end of normal time between a local expert and a young tourist from the antipodes.

A sudden death playoff was agreed and after the first round the scores were still tied so it was into the second  sudden death round where the young tourist held steady to close out the match.

In a gesture of magnamity the prixe (a £5.00 meat voucher) was awarded to the local  contender.

 

Sunny Day

the weather for great Mongeham Village fun day has dawned bright and sunny

lets hope it stays that way.

so if you are looking for something to do today in east knet then why not come down to the village green from 2pm onwards.

eastry Drop In

This morning i went to the drop in.

it seemed quieter than usual possibly as i was there a bit earlier.

the promotion of fowlmead park was raised and there were similar concerns about the amount of information in the Sandwich Tourist Information Centre.

blogs of the month?

why do the top two blogs of the month concern the imperfections of members?

who decides these rankings?

perhaps i should make fuller confessions to get my blog promoted further up this dubious chart!

ok i admit i leave the toilet seat up!!!

resident feedback

over the last couple of days i have been visiting a number of residents.

There have been questions on recycling, and traffic speed through the village.

there was also a request for more information about the Fowlmead country park which i have passed on. I feel many residents do like to be able to voice their concerns to a local member who is committed to representing the intersest of the community.

major event at Fowlmead

This weekend Kent is hosting the first leg of the Tour de France.

as part of the events surrounding this the Fowlmead park is hosting the World Hand Cycling Federation  JOHN RUDD MEMORIAL RACE SERIES.This is an international event .

The weather forecast is promising and will help promote the district to wider global audience.

great mongeham parish council

tonight the parish council discussed a number of matters. a petition was presented and ignored by the council on the right of residents to bring any matter they want to any parish councillor. the council decided that all representations must go in writing to the parish clerk first <gmonpc@tiscali.co.uk> . members are not allowed to bring up items from residents unless they have been authorised in that function

Great Mongeham Drop In

this morning i went to the drop in

there was discussion about the naming of places particularly the confusion when postal addresses do not match electoral boundaries.

there was also discussion about the effects of global warming compared to the weather this summer and its unusual rainfall. one of the older residents of the district said he could remember cutting hay in june in an overcoat. 

 

we are hoping for  fine weather for the great mongeham fun day on saturday afternoon.

licensing

tonight I am attending a meeting of the licensing committee to discuss a short agenda

useful consultation

the communities england was useful with interesting discussions. I was particularly interested in a statement by baroness ford that the english coalfield program will be completed as the money for this has been ringfenced. our colleagues from thanet seemed to be in agreement that future projects should be aimed at areas of need even though this might in more risky projects

shaping communities england

this morning I am at a conference in guilford. the event is looking at the way forward for communities england which is the new body responsible for community regeneration

sutton parish council

tonight I am at the july meeting. planning issues are very topical tonight.

Farewell Helen Bartolo

This morning i attended the funeral of my colleague Helen Bartolo.

the church St Finibars in Aylesham was packed with several hundred mourners.

as well as a larger number of the villagers whom she served so vigourously, there were local politicians from all sides of the political spectrum including our local MP Gwyn Prosser and county as well as district and parish councillors.

a number of officers from the council both past and present also came to pay their respects.

i found the eulogy by former District and County councillor Reg Hansell particularly moving.

the homily by Fr Cridland touched upon the real dilemma in that while we are sad at losing such a spirited member we are also happy in that she lived a life so energetically and accomplished so much in the community and that she is bound for her reward in paradise.

she has set a standard that few others will measure up to.

where do i fit in

this afternoon i was filling in a application for a rail pass for my son who is starting secondary schoool soon.

it is form T1 from admission and transport office at Kent county council

under the section for parent/guardian i have the following four choices

Mrs/Mrs/Miss/Ms

 

at least can't they have an "other" option for us mere males? even a none of the above would be of help.

or has the education department abolished recognition of this undervalued category of parent.

Eastry Parish Council

tonight i went to eastry

among items for discussion were planning, waste, the recent flooding in the village and work on community facilities in the village.

there was also a discussion on graveyards.

cabinet

this morning is a meeting of the council's cabinet. among items on the agenda are a summary of the regeneration of dover. a reort on equality issues' efficiency savings achieved by the council' and the adoption of a new design guide.

new graphics

the new style on the home page is a bit of a shock but i hope our readers find it user friendly.

 

let us know your views.

 

yes i know i am shamelessy canvassing for comments!

Preston Steam Rally

to make up for not attending Galsonbury this year i took advantage of the mud to viist the Preston steam rally.

 

it was great to see the machines on display and ine can only wonder at the effort and expense that these enthusiasts put in.

it was a real treat to see them in action although the mud made conditions very trying although one had to say that they were in the right place of one got stuck.

 

Not only steam engines were on display but also some classic cars.

 

we enjoyed the refereshemnts provided by the local church.

Coalfield research

recently i received a briefing paper on some research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

"The study assesses how far the regeneration of coalfield areas relies on their links with neighbouring cities. It draws on eveidence from statistical analysis of labour market changes in the British Coalfields.

The authors suggest taht a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable for reviving former coalfield communities, and it is not always valid to treat cities as the dominant economic hub in relation to these areas."

i look forward to seeing how this works impacts on our efforts to regenerate the coalfield areas of the country, especially in East Kent.

feedback

from last months statistics, the most common search phrases which led them to this blog were: Fowlmead Park as well as Foulmead, the try angel awards, Charlie Elphicke,  and Helen Bartolo.