Suzanne Fletcher's Blog

A long day starting with a group meeting to discuss and make plans for the Council meeting tomorrow, and look at other problems.  Planning issues were top of our agenda, and there is so much we are not happy about, to say nothing of the public being very dissatisfied about.  We have some ideas how to take this forward now.  We need to campaign for a different way of doing things to get a better result.

Then our Hardwick Dene meeting where we got some good updates on activities there by the ranger, Dave O'Brien, a report on actions taken on the many issues (planning related!) we had raised about  a new housing site next to the Dene and meadow.  It was Dave's last meeting and we will miss him, he has made a huge difference to opening up and maintaining the areas of interest and beauty in Hardwick and Elm Tree.  He made a difference

Non stop then to my next meeting, the Task and Finish Group looking at the Voluntary and Community Sector.  I was glad I had spent so much preparation time, as there was a lot to look at in our last meeting before meeting with Cabinet members to agree the recommendations.  As always there is a balance between the recommendations we would like to make, and what the Cabinet will agree to, but I think we have got it right.  Time will tell.  The important thing is, we make a difference that makes matters better for the organisations and people they serve.

A long session made me late for the next meeting, our Local Strategic Partnership meeting, with more reports of many of our strategies.  They key question - will they make a difference we notice ?

It was a lovely venue for a hot day, the Watersports Centre overlooking the river, with a nice cool breeze through the door.  And a balcony to nip out onto the make a quick call to John to put the mean on!

Then home for a very quick meal and change before going out again to talk to the Links WI about my life when I was Mayor.  Did I make a difference when I was Mayor ?  I think and hope I did.  I enjoyed meeting the members and reliving some of the good moments, and I did warn them that whoever bought the Bill Bryson Book "Life and times of the thunderbolt kid", to be careful where they read it - I just couldn't stop laughing out loud when I did.

Home to something different? - afraid not, a little pile of casework had built up to be dealt with as tomorrow is a non stop day again -and the subject of the problems, yes, it was planning issues.