Suzanne Fletcher's Blog

Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.  I was recalling the thoughts I had on that day and the days following.  Scores of people were turning up on the Princess Diana Bridge in Stockton to lay flowers there.  Flowers in cellophane wrappings, so there was no smell, except the deacaying smell as they lay there.  At that time I was desperately trying to get funds for a local charity working with homeless families, a cause that Diana would, I am sure have supported.  However it was difficult to get the money and I remember driving over the bridge and shouting out in anger ( to myself, I hasten to add) that people were wasting money on flowers no-one could appreciate, whilst a worthwhile project went down the tubes.

Would I have felt differently today ? probably not.  As it happens I was making representations to the Council scrutiny committee looking at the policy of memorials in cemeteries.  People do feel the need in some cases to put many things on graves or where people have died, it may well help them to grieve, but couldn't our society be thinking of other ways ?

On a more practical note, other issues being looked at by scrutiny committees are the Theatre at Billingham Forum, Enforcement Officers, getting people into employment, and River based activities.  Get in touch if you want to make any comments on any of these.

Over the last few days meeting targets and ticking boxes seem to have dominated.  What, I wonder is achieved.

First the Council.  We are about to have a Corprate Performance Assessment (CPA), so all eyes are on meeting the demands of that, and other reviews going on at the same time.  Understandably the Council is very concerned about keeping it's "Excellent" CPA rating and doing everything it can to meet the targets set by assessors and Government to do so.  It is working hard, and there are some great employees, so why not.  However I do wonder if all of the effort that has to go into meeting the targets of these assessments , by Councils up and down the land, detracts from the main business of Coucnils - to deliver the services that people want, in the way that they want ?

Then the voluntary sector.  I am a long time volunteer for a voluntary organisation.  It's aims are to help people and that is why people volunteer to work there.  However there are a plethora of different rules that come in that all take time to fulfil, but have to be done to meet the requirements of legislation, and targets to ensure funding.  Do the targets really go towards meeting the needs of the clients ?

Then health.  My psoraisis got much worse a few days ago and was extremely painful.  I didn't know what to do with myself, and I turned to a website that directed me to another, ecouraging people to "tell their story".  I thought someone reading it may have been able to come up with some handy hints that might help.  However when I looked back at it later, it was full of people in pain, embarrassed, depressed, irritated, not sleeping and not coping.  Much worse than I was.    If nothing else, it might be helpful if there were some health professionals in the community that could take the time to listen to people with difficult skin problems, and maybe offer some ideas and support.  But that would cost money, and would it meet any targets ?  People generally don't die of such, or lose much time from work, but can be very unhappy, and you cannot measure that.  Helping them doesn't meet any targets.

Three days off, and the sun is out!  I did have some work to do, and reading to catch up on, but we had time for some lovely trips out to our local countryside too.  We hadn't been to the Yorkshire moors this year, and it was just heavenly at Rosedale Abbey on the moors.  You can stand and see moors and hills all around, and breathe in that strong smell of honey.  A photo just didn't seem to capture it.  Then on to Lastingham where some of my family came from, and it's beautiful and interesting Church.  St Cedd is buried in the crypt here, and he is known for taking Christianity for Essex.  A Saint indeed !

Teesdale the next day, with a call at the Farmers Market on the way to get lots of organic vegetables.  Very beautiful again, but I did need to be rescued from a long walk by John going back for the car.  High Force is a terrific sight, and on the way we saw many unusual flowers, a lizard basking, a foxes hole with footprints in the sand and what looked like wild honeycombs. 

Both these places are less than an hour from home, we spent very little money - but then we are priveleged to have the use of our car, and the time to snatch to go. 

Then it was Kiplin Hall.  We had never been here before, even though it is only 30 minutes away.  All very interesting, and I was surprised to see that the last owner, Bridget Talbot, was a Liberal, and stood in the 1950 election in Bermondsey - just 33 years before it was won for the Liberal Democrats by Simon Hughes MP!  She had had a very interesting life, especially when you think of the role of women in yars gone by.  She had worked on the field for the Red Cross in the first world war in parts of Europe; invented a watrproof torch later adopted for use by the Royal Navy; had championed and worked for Belgian and Russian refugees; been a trustee of a fund raising committee raising funds at garden parties at 10 Downing Street for the impoverished in the North, and campaigned to save a local rail service.  A good Liberal indeed.

Another sunny day, and accompanying John as Deputy Mayor for 3 events, all showing what communities can do when given help, support and some inspiration.  it was one of those days with no time for lunch, so I had the strange mixture of a giant hot dog (the least fattening food I could see at the Stockton summer show) and a Pimms.  Tees Active were one of the many stalls there, promoting healthy lifestyles,and we did discuss the difficulty of finding healthy foods when "out for the day".  It is all very well promoting healthy lifestyles, as happens at so many events we go to - and then having to rely on burger vans and fudge stalls for food !

A lot of different aspects on how poverty affects people have come to me through various channels in the last few days.  Someone just starting work after a period of unemployment, promised food vouchers till he gets his first pay cheque after a month working, and then being told that the organisation issuing them has "run out of vouchers"; Someone who had just lost a baby being told by an offical that she needed to start looking for work, and this was before the funeral; tax credits and their incomprehensibility making it impossible for someone to plan next steps; someone else not able to get tax credits as they were under 25; people with mortgages not able to get help with paying them when they had a sudden drop in income;

It goes on, but the next time I hear someone from the government telling us that poverty is being tackled .........

All the people above happened to have someone to give some support to get them through, but not always.

Thursday 23rd August

What a lovely day today, just as August should be, and just as it needed to be for the hundreds of young people from the region at "Street Games", that I was accompanying the Deputy Mayor to.  I did learn a lot, as well as enjoy the day, and got a number of ideas as to what might work in our ward.  One activity that I was particularly struck by was frisbees, and there were a number of different games that could be played in a way that shouldn't upset neighbours and wouldn't cost much to set up.

Then I was acting as Deputy Mayoress again to Sundell Court in Stockton, where the Anchor Sheltered Housing was celebrating its 30th anniversary.  This was very special for me, as I had worked at Sundell Court for the 2 years after we moved into this area in 1979.  I was a local representative of the Housing Association, and went there several times a week to work with the residents and warden.   Interviewing new prospective new tenants. was also part of the job.  I did enjoy seeing the tenants happy and enjoying the event, as well as a number of improvements that were made.

The best was yet to come though!  An e-mail from Fiona Hall's Office told me that a High Court Judge had decreed that asylum seekers must not be sent back to the Democratic Republic of Congo until there was evidence that it was safe to do so.  What massive relief and joy that our justice system has been able to decree that people's lives matter.   

What a contrast to most of the letters I have had back from Ministers where they appeared to have no understanding at all of what enormous problems people were facing when deported back there.

Wednesday 22nd August

A busy day, with a meeting and 3 Deputy Mayor engagements too.  When I read people's obituaries, I marvel at how many say that people have suffered terribly, but never complained.  Well they won't be saying that in mine, I am sure.  I suffer from psoriasis, which I know is minor compared with many illnesses, (have a look at their helpful website) but it is particuarly bad on my face at the moment, and it needed to be covered up.  I'm going to have a moan.  I didn't sleep very well with the itching; was not pleased at having to get up early to put on the many layers of treatment and camouflage to set me up for the day; and not pleased to find the camouflage smeared over the collar of a jacket either.  I've had my moan now, and I'll leave it there - but I do think it is important that people are allowed to let it out occasionally!

The very best thing of the day was our celebration of becoming a Fair Trade Borough.  I and others have not just waited but worked for this for a long time.  Whilst I was Mayor, I was determined that we would reach "Fair Trade Borough" status, and spent quite a bit of time talking, and even pursuading people and organisations to start using Fair Trade products - even to the extent of looking in their cupboards if people "thought they might be"!  However none of this would have worked without the dedication and inspiration of Jenny Medhurst, campaigner for 28 years; the commitment of the local Churches; local "Fair Traders"; and more recently the Fair Trade Steering Group which was chaired by Mike Chicken, and now by Maureen Rigg.  There are more details and pictures on the Deputy Mayor's blog.

However this celebration was not the end of the road, just the beginning of the next stage of the campaign, to increase the number of places selling and serving Fair Trade products,  and increase the range there is already available.  For anyone reading this - do YOU use them at home, does your workplace, does where you go out to for entertainment ?

Tuesday 21st August

Another well wrapped up outing (is it really August ?) to a site visit in the ward to look at the possibility of goal posts on a green area for the young people on the estate.  We even talked about it being more than a goal post, and maybe a basketball ring as well.  That afternoon we got the message that "the goalposts had changed" and the funding for that project was no longer available.  Grrrrr!  We are not allowed to spend the Environmental Improvement budget on it either as it doesn't fit that criteria, so it is back to square one. 

Monday 20th August

 Today was the first of the roadshows to celebrate Stockton becoming a Fair Trade Borough, and it was starting off in Billingham Town centre.  Fortunately I was warned by Maureen that it was very cold, so I dressed up in my arctic tracksuit - and still froze, despite dashing around  to pick up blown away leaflets!  However it was really good to have the chance to talk to local people about Fair Trade, and let them see what sort of goods they could buy in the shops.  More people than I expected were aware of Fair Trade, but they wanted more shops to sell a wider range of goods - is  anyone out there listening ?

Sunday 19th August

John was acting as Deputy Mayor today, so we left Church very promptly to be picked up for our own local Glastonbury at a very wet and drizzly Preston Park.  I decided it was time I came to grips with how to put this blog on the web.  Failed.  I do enjoy the fruits of what modern technology can bring, but not too clever at working it, sadly. 

Saturday 18th August 

I decided to make time for clearing out a drawer (yes, you've guessed - no room for some things that had to go in there!).  what a wonderful reward I had too - I found my old Bretton Park badge -

"BP Centenary, 1857 camp 1957, Bretton Park".  Does anyone have any memories of this, or where else to look for them ?  I also found my Girl Guide badge that I had hunted high and  low for whilst I was Mayor. I'm sure there is a moral about clearing things out more often!

Friday 17th August

Time for lots more work in the office till Gareth arrived again.  As usual I had a pile of problems for him to sort.  I left him shifting, literally, piles of Cabinet papers.  It is all on the intranet now, so no need for paper copies to be kept - at least that is the theory!

A meeting with a Council Officer along with Julia, was a hopeful beginning of sorting out a large emerging problem in part of the ward.

Thursday 16th August 

Bliss! it is reflexology day.  I have this treatment once a month, and  is the one hour of "me time" that I plan and treasure.  I always feel so much better afterwards, both mentally and physically.

Only one Council appointment too, a meeting mainly about training needs of Councillors, so at least some time to catch up on casework and paperwork, to say nothing of those endless e-mails. 

Then a visit to see Jenny Medhurst and her husband.  Jenny has been a stalwart of Fair Trade, campaigning for awareness, inspiring others to use and sell it, as well as working so hard in building up a team of people to carry on the work in Churches and the Community.  She had lots of posters for us to display next week, but also press cuttings and photos going back to when she first started the campaigns locally 28 years ago.  What immense dedication, and I am so pleased that she will be able to be part of the celebration next week.

Wednesday 15^th August

Cooking from fresh is getting difficult!  However making the sauce for tonight was fitted in with eating breakfast, as it was a long day.

Voluntary work, meeting with the Council Leader, a site meeting about a planning problem, physiotherapy, and then a management meeting in the ward.  When I finally got home I was glad of a ready cooked meal.

Tuesday 14^th August

The Cavalry has arrived !  A student friend, Gareth, has been able to come and sort out many, many problems in our office at home.  The printer we wrestled with for hours was sorted in minutes, filing done, computer tidied.  Hooray!

Ward surgery tonight with difficult problems and a delegation.  But that is what we are there for, and I would always rather that people came along with the problems and issues, rather than let them fester and get worse.

Monday 13^th August

It is catch up time with personal appointments this week, and I start with a visit to the opticians.  It is ok for me, I get free eye tests as I am over 60, and could afford them before that, but I think it is so wrong that most people have to pay, are put off from going for tests, and important problems are not detected.  Time and again in the surveys we do in the ward people tell us that paying for eye and dental checkups deter them and their families from going.

Catch up time with my ward colleague, Julia, too, who has been working hard whilst I was away, and catching up with ward issues and going to a ward meeting.

I was trying to go to a meeting in Middlesbrough, but a number of very urgent phone calls about a ward crisis made me an hour late.  Thank goodness for African time!  The meeting was about more asylum seekers being deported to DRC, and action that needed to be taken.  A lot of lobbying needs to be done to ask the Government not to deport any more people to that country before the tribunal has been heard to determine whether it is a safe place to be returned to.

Sunday 12^th August

Still catching up, but time to be Grandma and Grandpa, play with the grandchildren, and despite the drizzle enjoy a few hours at Preston Park.  We have seen some lovely places recently, but this is on our doorstep - and free!

Saturday 11^th August

Going through the post I came across a very nice "thank you" from Butterwick Hospice Care, which was one of my mayoral charities, thanking me for the £10,774.75 for the Out of Hours Service.  Enclosed was a report "Getting it right for people with cancer" by the National Cancer Director.  In this "clinical case for change" one of the good  practices for the future cited was this very service.  Well done to our local Butterwick for pioneering the way forward in this new service, without compromising the excellent care within the Hospice.  I do think that services like Hospices should not have to rely so much on voluntary funding, but of course one of the values of the voluntary sector is that it can innovate and show the way forward.  I still think there should be more support from the Government though!

This morning was supposed to be a tour by some Councillors of Stockton Market.  However I was the only one who turned up, so that was postponed, and I did enjoy filling the  shopping trolley with fresh fruit and vegetables from market stalls, to say nothing of the indoor market's range of fresh produce.  After my family's wonderful cooking for us, I am determined to cook more meals from fresh produce.  Well in August anyway, whilst it is quieter!

Friday 10^th August

Time to go home, but first some lovely stopping places.  Stowe Landscape Gardens (another National Trust area) gave an opportunity to stretch legs and have pleasant refreshment, so much better than a Service Station stop.  There was an interesting monument to our own Captain James Cook, actually set in the lake.

Clumber Park, south of Doncaster was the next stop.  A lot of happy memories here as it was somewhere out in the country to go and enjoy when I was at school and living in South Yorkshire.  Lots of opportunity for leg stretching here!

Home to another large pile of post, unread e-mails, and messages.  Councillors are allowed to go away, but they do pay for it when they get back!

Thursday 9^th August

A lovely walk along the Kennet and Avon Canal at Hungerford and back through some meadows lush with vegetation.  Much of it was "Common Land" showing, yet again the wisdom of those before us in preserving the countryside for future generations, and not to be tarmaced over.

Wednesday 8^th August

Another lovely day to enjoy an English Summer garden, this time at Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds.  Beautiful gardens celebrating their centenary and beautifully preserved for people present and future to enjoy.  If only more people thought about future generations, and what we leave for them.

Tuesday 7^th August

As National Trust members we get information and free admission to many interesting and beautiful places, and today went to visit the House and garden at The Vyne in Hampshire.  Beautiful and interesting and far from daily stresses.  We saw the "Hundred Guinea Oak" so called because the owner, years ago, was offered £100 for the large oak tree.  He refused and so the next day was offered 100 guineas.  He decided that if it had increased its value so much in a day it would be very valuable if kept for longer.  Indeed. Priceless!

I hear that Benjamin has been saved, was not deported, and is having time to make a Judicial Review.  Brilliant.

Monday 6^th August

Break time again, going to stay with my sister and her husband in Wiltshire for a few days..  Packing up to go away takes quite a long time when you are a Councillor.  5% of the time to pack the case and car, 95% to finish off all the bits of casework, and start off for others to deal with urgent issues that come in during the morning, to say nothing of dealing with all the other issues hanging around.

We stop for our picnic lunch at the sculpture park at Bretton Hall, just off the M1.  Always a good place to stop and have a good  walk round.  This year I was especially interested as it is the Centenary of Scouting, and I can remember being at Bretton Hall for the 50^th Jubilee as a Girl Guide - now that dates me !  I cannot remember a lot, but I remember there being Girl Guides from all over the world, and being very over awed by the fact that we had all come together bound by one Guiding principle.  Thankfully it still lives on, and I wonder what other people's memories are ? Who else went ?  I found one other person very soon, the nice lady serving refreshments (Fair Trade I'm pleased to say!) in the information kiosk.

Today is the deportation day, will the campaigning have made a diference ?

Sunday 5^th August.

Our 35^th wedding anniversary today!  Congratulations to us!

It was also the second John Owen Trophy match in the afternoon, and I did need to go to that as the Patron of the African Football Embassy.  I am used to "African Time" by now, or so I thought, but I just thought it meant always being early - not kicking off 30 minutes before kick off time.  I don't know enough to comment on the footballing, but they all seemed to be enjoying the game, it was good to see people of all nationalities watching and enjoying the game, and the entertainment by the African bands was excellent.

The evening was the grand finale of the Stockton Riverside Festival so we went into Stockton for a meal and enjoyed one at Al Ristorante, before moving back to the High Street for the finale.  There must have been thousands of people around that night, and the High Street was full of people to watch the brilliant display.  The festival can be controversial but whatever anyone says, it provides free, exciting and different entertainment for masses of people, both locally and visiting.

Saturday August 4^th.

The Community Carnival procession through the High Street today, and I was accompanying John who had been invited as Deputy Mayor.  What colour, what brilliant ideas and costumes, and how well our community did.  It just goes to show what groups of local people, especially youngsters, can do when a little time, effort, and no doubt some funding is given to them.

The dinner for the African Football team playing in the John Owen Trophy tomorrow, along with guests was  held at Apollo's new restaurant, Kilimandjaro in Middlesbrough.  In true African style too!Kilimandjaro_Menu.pdf

Friday August 3^rd

^{As well as some more letter writing and casework, I did enjoy most of the day being out and about in our ward, giving leaflets to people who kindly help to deliver and meeting and listening to lots of people.  The very best bit of being a councillor is being amongst people that you represent, and doing your bit to help.}

Thursday 2^nd

^{I went along to a meeting of local people from the DRC to exchange information and plan the campaign.  What wonderful people they all are, with an enormous sense of humour and great fortitude, despite such awful fears hanging over them.  I don't think I managed too well when I had to address the meeting in French!  I was lucky enough people were there to translate.}

^{It was one of those (many!) days when I was leaving some things early but still arriving late at the next one, but arrived at the reception for the opening of the Stockton International Riverside Festival.  A chance for something to eat, lobby about the deportation, and then relax watching the excellent Bollywood performance in the High Street.}

Wednesday 1^st

^{I finished being Mayor over 2 months ago, but the work still continues!  I was talking to a group of people at Norton Library on the life of a Mayor, and  I did enjoy meeting the people there, remembering so many of the good things that happened, and answering the questions.  There was a special bonus as I met a long lost colleague there too.}

^{Tuesday 31st July}

^{A training session on using a new method of dealing with casework.  Unfortunately I was not in the mood for even more technology, and it is so complicated I don't know if I will actually use it.  On a brighter note, on to a Fair Trade steering committee meeting, where we were making plans for our celebration of our Borough becoming a Fair Trade Borough.  There has been a lot of effort gone into this, and I'll write more about it when it happens, but when I was Mayor last year I was determined that we would get there!}

^{Then on to an even nicer task.  The official handing over of the cheques for money I raised for my 2 charities whilst I was Mayor.  These were the outreach service of the Butterwick Hospice, and the Mary Thompson Fund.  I was proud to be associated with both of these excellent organisations, and delighted to have not only raised the money, with the help of a lot of other people, but raised the profile of both too.  I was also pleased that because £303 had been Gift Aided, £85.00 was added by the Government, too.}

^{Mayor_s_charities_-_a_resounding_success.doc} 

^{Monday 30th July}

^{Back to earth with a bump!  A committee meeting about the Billingham Forum Theatre, actually in the theatre, followed by a Sure Start meeting in the ward.  Then a leaflet writing session.  We do a regular leaflet, Focus, to all residents in the ward to keep them informed about what we are doing, what is happening in the area, and asking for their views.  Great stuff, and I enjoy writing it, but the technology part is not at all nice.   Admittedly it didn't look as good, but I do yearn for the days of scissors and pritt stick.}

Sunday 29^th July.

I spent some time researching the contact details for who to lobby about the DRC flight, but then it was many hours of going through all of those e-mails to catch up.  It took 2 hours to get through just one day.  Doing everything "e" has many advantages, but I must say I would have preferred to sit and read a pile of paper in the garden.

Saturday 28^th July

A quick makeover from being a relaxed holidaymaker to a smartened up Deputy Mayoress, to escort my husband, deputy mayor the for year, to the opening of Billingham International Folklore Festival.    We enjoyed meeting representatives of the French group at lunch and were looking forward to the afternoon.  I always enjoy each group walking onto the stage with their Countries flag and being greeted so enthusiastically by everyone in the audience.  This is followed by each group performing.  I think it is a marvel that a small town like Billingham can be the host to an International Folklore Festival, that people from all over the world come here, entertain us so well, enjoy themselves, and there is such a true spirit of international co-operation.  We all want peace in the world, and this is surely the beginnings.

Such peaceful thoughts were shattered though when I heard at the end that another plane has been chartered to take back asylum seekers from our Country to the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 6^th.  The DRC is very dangerous for asylum seekers to return to, and the tribunal to decide if it is a Safe Country to return to has been postponed yet again to September.  How can the UK call itself civilised when we act like this, I ask myself ?

Friday 27^th July

We wake up to the news that we will be several hours late into Newcastle - not very good news, but it does mean a bit longer in bed before we have to pack! 

As a result of a delayed arrival time I decide to start catching up on e-mails via the ubiquitous blackberry - I cannot believe that there are hundreds of messages there  and we haven't been away a full 2 weeks yet.  Problems started when we docked.  I sat on the deck reading a novel as there was no point in joining a huge queue to get off the boat, when we realised nobody was leaving - we must be the last people on the boat! However a hasty trip down the stairs showed there were hundreds of people waiting to leave in a hot, sweaty and irritated atmosphere.   Only a few people at a time were being allowed to leave due to "heath and safety reasons" by British Immigration.  The next hour was no fun as people were standing around waiting, impatiently and not understanding why, to be let off the boat.  When we eventually got off there was one large hall with a lot of seats round the outside before going into the corridor leading the 3 immigration officers efficiently scanning passports.  Why the huge delays and people not being allowed off the boat, we had no idea, but by the time we had waited another 30 minutes for everyone to be off the boat before the bus to the station in Newcastle could leave, we had gone distinctly off the idea that integrated transport was a good thing and worked.  A letter is being winged off to find out just what sort of "health and safety" risk was averted by all those people queuing up on the boat.  I'll let you know the answer (if one arrives).

At least the house was in one piece when we arrived home and carried off in floods.  But it was weighted down with rather a lot of post to be gone through!  I spent 1% of the rest of the day unpacking and washing and the rest wading though all that post and e-mail - no rest really for Councillors.