No rest for the political

Morning friends,

In the syle of Jessie from The Fast Show, "This week I have mostly been..."

: The week started by attending a parliamentary reception discussing our city's approach to sustainable transport, namely that well delivered transport solutions will drive forward our city's economy which will grow our way out of recession. It was useful as I managed to pin hole both the Chair of Trustees and the Chief Executive of Sustrans, who were hosting the event. We should be looking forward to visits from the national team and the Big Lottery Fund in the future. It was interesting to see how the other half live; with champagne, delicate cakes and dainty sandwiches...the best we can look forward to at Council is luke warm tea from a flask!

Not too shabby a picture if I say so myself.

: Tuesday saw me record back to back interviews with Radio stations across the city; Jack, Breeze, Wave and Solent. It was a bit weird as I managed to catch myself on three different radio stations on the drive into work on Friday. The subject matter was the Highways Agency’s closure of the M27 over the weekend. Their decision, their cost; but strangely everyone wanted to talk to me and not them…and obviously obligatory local media hysteria. I am starting to wonder if they're sponsored by a company called Chaos - because they seem to use it in their headlines on every other page!

: Discussions with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Business Solent and Sustrans over the City Centre Masterplan; and teasing out a greater level of responsibility for business in the city. Namely, we'll agree with you on certain aspects of planning and design, but you have to step up in terms of what you're doing.

 : Hurt my back when picking Lucy out of the bath. Birthday night spent lying on the floor. Absolutely no sympathy from anyone. You see I hadn't bent my knees. It seems I am getting older like everyone else!

: Batting back some of the ridiculous misinformation propagated by our red top newspaper friends; the saga of three bins and our green waste collection service. Some truths…very few people have complained to me that this is now a chargeable service. The service is OPT IN; no one is forced to take it. People can choose to have two sizes of bins OR bags. Alternatively those people quoted in the articles (all in Millbrook ward and also the road I live) could take their green waste the maximum one mile it is to the Household Waste Recycling Centre. And there will not be three bins on the street; I have always driven for an alternate collection i.e. blue top bins one week, brown top bins the next week. But why let the truth get in the way of a front page story.

: Met Dave for lunch before his regional meeting on inland water fisheries. And I thought I only attended the exciting meetings!

: Wrote to 300 residents in and around Regents Park Road to let them know of my dismay at the quality of the works (the road works which caused the delays on the Millbrook Road last month). The site was left untidy; damage to the public realm; and an exceptionally dangerous design flaw - lorries are now cutting across the pavements, at speed. All it would take is a pedestrian to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So after receiving poor responses from Balfours, I went nuclear. There is no way we should be held hostage to a poor job from contractors - better to be on the front foot and publicly challenge officers and partners. Perhaps this is a story the Daily Echo would rather cover?

This state of dirt from local developments is unacceptable

: I was due to round off the week with a visit to First Bus Depot to talk hardball about bus subsidies. However, due to the motorway closure, it was a case of more media interviews. Fingers crossed that it all passes off ok.

Happy Mothers Day to all Mum's out there. The presents wrapped, but the cards yet to be written. Some quality family time to be had after we've put out two rounds of leaflets this morning. No rest for the political.