Zooming Up Percy Road

Sometimes it comes across that people think the life of a Councillor is tea and biscuits all round, with the occaisional meeting, without being in touch with whats going on in the real world.

As you know I am lucky enough to have a new addition to my family coming along in October. My wife is in full nesting swing, and I'm lucky to have a great set of in-laws who are able to help out physically and financially. Its such an exciting time in my personal life.

In my working life - yes I have a full time job outside of politics - things arent going quite so well, with the threat of redundancy hanging thick in the air. Oh yes, I am very much in touch with the real world and the issues that we in Millbrook are facing.

But enough of me and my issues. This week in politics I have been very vocal in the Health Scrutiny Panel: looking at the major health challenges facing our city; abstaining from supporting Southampton University Hospital in their quest for foundation status (concerns over their financial viability and governance arrangements); and with colleagues from the Conservatives raising issues with the closure of wards at the Moorgreen Hospital (travelling and access).

Due to the fact that I had to go to the Health Scrutiny Panel, I wasnt able to go to the monthly Test Branch meeting of the Southampton Labour Party. Three good points from the meeting: a new secretary for the group had been appointed, bringing my reign to an end; it was "the best meeting we'd had in ages" - it was the only one I've missed for some time!!! and the message went out that members in Millbrook would be invited to an upcoming meeting with myself, Councillor Furnell and Alan Whitehead MP. It would be to discuss the challenges of our community and how we can identify future leaders in Millbrook.

On Friday evening, yes Friday evening, I had a good meeting with the Leader of the Southampton Labour Group, Councillor Richard Williams. I am grateful to Richard for giving up his time and giving me the benefit of his experience on everything from career choices to when I should make my maiden speech (probably next month).

On Saturday morning, as you may have read from my twitter update, I was out with a number of colleagues pounding the streets and knocking on doors in Regents Park. it is important for all politicians to make it clear that we are not only about during times of election. I promise you that Labour in Millbrook is active and representing your views all year round, hence taking a group out early on a saturday morning, in the sunshine, in July. It was good to meet voters on the doorstep and enter into engaging discussions with those who wanted to know how we would tackle the Council shortfall. I think that maybe I am unusual as I think it is very important to be visibly out and about in our community, not just opening fetes or going to openings.

Just to sign off, if you have any non-emergency issues for the police, please ring 101. It is a free number which will put you in touch with the police and appropriate services for low level non-emergency problems. I have a formal meeting with the Police coming up on 11th August: 19.00 hours, Toronto Court. If you have any issues, come along or drop me a line so I can raise them on your behalf. I will certainly be raising the issue of motorcyles zooming up Percy Road!

Help us to help everyone

Yesterday Southampton was bathed in beautiful sunshine, at a weekend, for the first time in a very long time. You will be pleased to know that for the majority of that day I was sat in a room with Labour candidates and fellow Southampton Councillors. A room without a window.

Over the past months, we have been meeting up regularly to discuss ideas and strategies for delivery post May 2012. Yesterday we met together to pull apart those ideas and test those ideas to destruction. It was an emotive and rewarding day as we battled to come up with solutions to the fiscal challenge ahead of us. But yesterday was not just about money, it was about crystalising those ways in which we would be doing things differently from the current Council. We won't have all the answers, and some of our answers may be a difficult to implement, but make no mistake - our choices will be different and they will be fairer.

I am proud of the hard work and effort of my friends and colleagues. We are putting in place those plans which we feel can take back our city. Now is not the time to make public those plans, but we are waiting and planning to turn our city around.

We don't have the numbers yet. We can and do challenge the tory-led council, but time and time again they simply have more Councillors than us. That is why we are trying hard to recruit more members, more activists, more Councillors. There are many ways you can get involved - there are opportunities for all. We need your help. Help us to help everyone.

Planning for the Future

Just a quick post to let you know that this evening I have been working on a new policy for Consultation & Communications with Councillor Andrew Pope (Redbridge). The party in Southampton are working on a number of new policy directives, which we hope to inact if the good voters of our city see fit next year. Also, I have just finished some comments on ideas for economic regeneration and leisure. These two policy areas are interlinked.

I wish I could share more with you at this stage, but I just wanted to let all readers know that we are not just campaigning hard for you, we are working hard for you and planning for the future!

Here's to Hard Work!

This week I was publicly accused of not working hard enough for my ward. I hope that by reading my updates over the past weeks and months, that I can go some way to proving to you just how busy I am on your behalf.

Wednesday was a very long day; catching up with correspondence in the morning, followed by quite a long meeting at Full Council. This week I was conversing with a constituent via twitter, and hope to have successfully solved that problem by using this new means. It was quite interesting given that a) I haven’t been using twitter for that long and b) it was about 22.30 at night! I do already get a steady flow of casework to deal with, but I do try to contact people as soon as I can.

At the council meeting, the Liberal Democrat Fluoride motion had changed - there had been a petition signed by 1500 people, which meant that Full Council would have to debate the issue in September, so it meant that a debate was put off until then. In the evening, I went to meet with the No Biomass group (Wednesdays, Waterloo Arms) as I hadn’t met up with them for some time. Unfortunately I turned up early and the members weren’t so early...Maybe next time!

On Thursday evening I went along to a street briefing held by the local Safer Neighbourhood Team. It is important that all public services try to reach out to their communities, and even more so that both I and Dave Furnell attended. Also of note that local party activist Mary Lloyd came along to meet residents and get to know the local officers.

I had Friday night off.

So to this morning. I’ve gotten up, fed the dog and made my wife a cup of tea. Whilst she watches Sex in the City, I am writing to you. At 11.00, I’ll be out with Mary, Dave and other local members to door knock in the rain. Here’s to hard work!

Full Council Today

Just a quick few lines from me. Today is Full Council; a meeting where all Councillors from across the city gather to discuss the issues currently facing the city and the decisions taken by the Conservative-led Council.

The major issues today are on our call to the Conservatives to bring an end to the Industrial Dispute with the workers of Southampton City Council. I am very much aware of the responsibility placed on my shoulders today as I walk into the Guildhall shortly before two o'clock this afternoon. The issues which have caused the strikes and the strikes themselves are having huge impacts on people across the city, including the elderly and vulnerable. My favourite useless bit of propaganda over the past few weeks was the letter sent out by the Council, from who I do not know (no Labour Councillor saw it before it went out). The first page was setting out how to take rubbish to the nearest tip etc. A tough task in Millbrook as around a third of the people living here don't have a car; the buses won't let you on with rubbish; and the tip won't let you enter on foot! The back page really was just an opportunity for some unknown person to attack the Unions. Very sad that our money paid for in taxes was used in this way.

The other major item for discussion today is on Fluoridisation. This is a motion brought by one of the three remaining Liberal Democrat Councillors. It calls for the reversal of the Strategic Health Authority’s decision to add fluoride to our city’s water supply. I must admit thatthe idea of adding a chemical to the water supply in order to add to a persons health is something, which on the back of my own research and medical advice, could be advantageous. However, there are two issues for me on this issue: firstly, the overwhelming public response to the consultation was no. But they still did it anyway. Consultation was merely a box to tick in the legitimisation of the decision. It failed, so they still pressed ahead. This was a totally improper way to behave. The common sense approach suggests the process was a complete waste of time and that there is not much point in engaging with these professionals. Secondly, I do believe that adding fluoride to a water  supply could aid dental health. HOWEVER, I feel that we might be better placed to spend the money in other areas to achieve better results in improving the dental health of our city. For those individuals who have poorer teeth, I would suggest that they do not use tap water a great deal in their dental routine anyway. If they don’t drink tap water or use it in cooking, how will adding it improve their health? Perhaps this solution is for a different question? Maybe we could support health awareness or dental practitioners to a better extent with the finances that would be used to add this unwanted chemical. The way this has been carried out certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

So, it will probably be a very long meeting, with a number of protesters. Stay safe and lets have a good debate at Full Council.

P.S. Now on twitter @asaspacey

Unambiguous

So that you, the reader, can be clear:

I support the right to strike and support those workers who have legally decided to defend their terms and conditions.

Secondly, my party has not set a budget for next year. I have not seen any plans to make any number of staff redundant. Heck, the elections are not until next year and we still have a Conservative run Council!

Thirdly, does anyone think that the timing of this story is a little bit fishy?