Ninety Four and a half days to go!

It might seem like a long way away, but there are now only 14 weeks to go until you the people of Southampton decide how you want your council run, and your services provided.


This week was slightly calmer than last week, but at least that meant I was able to spend some time with the family and not push my luck to much with the wife!


Monday evening was spent at home whilst Councillor Furnell attended Millbrook Community Association. The feedback from Dave was that some really good work had been taking place with a charity in the area to make real improvements to the area. My comment was that it was good to see some work being directed towards our part of the city for a change. We seem to get a new road or as, only for the utility companies to dig them up a few weeks later. Nothing about that in the new Conservative Manifesto!


Tuesday saw the launch of their new ideas document. As best I can work out it means free wifi in the city centre. To be honest I was expecting a dynamic hard hitting and thought provoking document from them. However, as one leading Tory Councillor said to me yesterday - there wouldnt be anything terribly new because they were doing such a good job!


The vast majority of the policies within their document are not new. They are either continuations of what they are doing presently or in one or two cases what they should be doing anyway. My overall feeling in reading their document is that it is exceptionally lightweight. When compared to the inclusive process we undertook through our policy forum to develop a quality product; I must admit I was expecting better from them.
Their document is markedly different from our own as it is nowhere near the considered and comprehensive roadmap which we hope to hand to officers on the first day of our administration (IF the good people of Southampton elect us to run their city).


Tuesday night saw a meeting of the Test branch of the Labour Party. It was a good meeting where we elected our officials for another term, and I am glad to say that I managed not to put myself forward this term. However as we are likely to revisit our appointments in October of this year, I will most probably have my arm twisted. Suffice to say the new secretary of the Test Party is doing a fantastic job!


Wednesday afternoon was taken up with a meeting between Team Millbrook and the strategy team from Southampton Street. We discussed the work and approach we had undertaken since the election last year; the campaigns we have undertaken and the content of our leaflets. The outcome was really positive and it is great to feel so supported by friends and colleagues. Millbrook will continue to be at the forefront of any campaign in our city. But if you've been following my twitter feed (@asaspacey), you may have noticed that this weekend we were out in ALL wards within Southampton Test. Indeed, Councillor Dave is out this morning leafletting on your behalf!


Thursday night was taken up by a meeting at Southampton Voluntary Services, with a briefing on the Care Quality Commission. One of the Lead Inspectors for the Wessex region gave us a run down of the changes which the regulator had undergone over the past few months. This was the organisation which looks at the quality of care being provided across all healthcare providers now - from care and nursing homes to hospitals and even dentists! They had gone through some serious changes, moving from paper based inspections (rediculous) to having people on the ground observing in unannounced inspections. This is in response to the appalling failure of care at Winterbourne View private care home, first raised on Panorama. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/07/disability-abuse-winterbourne-view-care-regulator-review


 Some comments from the meeting:

• CQC checks the providers of care, but who checks the commissioners of that care? The people paying could consistantly underpay for services with their clients receiving poor care a s a result. The CQC cannot challenge commissioners of care;
• Robert Francis, a leading clinical negligence QC, will be publishing a report later this year into what changes regulators should make to insure the failure of care akin to Winterbourne View does not happen again;
• The CQC is limited by its role in law. For example, with personal care allowances people can pay for personal assistants to help them. They cannot be checked by the CQC;
• The most worrying is that the CQC can shut down a care business, only for another business, basically run by the same people to spring up with a new business with a different name;
• Lastly, I have stayed away from commenting on Lansleys new Health Bill. But suffice to say in his brave new world, at a local level you will have Healthwatch, LINK, a health and wellbeing board and the councils health overview and scrutiny panel - all of which will have a statutory duty to ensure appropriate care for the people of Southampton. Who brings who to task? Wo reports to who? Who carrys out the neccessary changes. At best this is messy.

And so yesterday, myself, Dave and Georgie were out and about in Millbrook, door knocking. I must admit we were surprised to see two Conservatives out also (it has been almost a year since we saw them in Millbrook last, but i guess it is a big ward). No sight of the current Conservative Councillor, but I understand he is standing down.

Georgie & Dave looking happy after delivering a LOT of leaflets!

And so another week done, another week closer to go. I won't keep you too mucnh longer as I should really go and make a cuppa for the wife. Just remember, we've only got Ninety Four and a half days to go!