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I'm a councillor in the London Borough of Wandsworth; this blog mainly covers that, sometimes general politics and policy and occasionally anything else that takes my fancy.
Tag Archives: councillor
What does a councillor do?
I’ve thought rather a lot about this leaflet from Swansea council since I saw it on the Localopolis blog in the middle of last month. Part of that is because, despite its simplicity, it’s a good assessment of what a councillor actually is (or could be). But moving past the desire to self-evaluate I was
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My annual report (of sorts) 2011-2012
Is this an annual report? I don’t think so really, not by any stretch of the imagination but last year I posted on my attendance rate at Wandsworth Council meetings. I’m not sure how useful it was, personally, I think rating councillors according to town hall meetings is a poor indication of their effectiveness: would
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What do I do?
It’s a valid question. And not one I’ve ever found an easy answer to. When asked socially I usually find myself fudging; “I work in local government” I’ll mumble, prompting a discussion about bin collections (this is regardless of where the conversation takes place, no-one asks if I work for their local authority or if
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A councillor’s job…
One of the questions I’ve been asked a few times recently is what a councillor actually does. I don’t think I’ve ever given a satisfactory answer. However, it does provide an excuse to post this. While I was sat in the library with no-one showing up for my surgery – again – I made a
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A councillor’s life…
I’m currently reading “More Blood, More Sweat and More Tea”, the second book from the Random Acts of Reality blog of an east London emergency medical technician (ambulance driver, to most, although he’s in the process of moving back to nursing). While it’s strange reading a blog in that way (and both his books are
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Weekly wrap-up, 22 January
I seem to have stopped taking photos this year – so the cup of tea is getting a few outings – not that photos of meetings or a fairly damp and dreary London are any more exciting. Councillor Awards I started the week off acting as a judge for the Local Government Information Unit’s first
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Posted in Regeneration, Weekly report
Also tagged Awards, Business, contracts, JSA, LGIU, Local Strategic Partnership, LSP, NHS, Nine Elms, police, Power Station, Unemployment
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Councillor points at pothole shocker
It is not without hypocrisy that I point you towards Glum Councillors – a collection of hard-working councillors working hard at pointing out potholes. I confess I was impressed by the care taken by some in donning high-visibility clothing before venturing onto the road. The ‘councillors points at pothole’ is a classic, and seems to
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Posted in Politics
Also tagged Falcon Lane, Falcon Road, Lavender Hill, Lib Dem, Liberal Democrat, potholes
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And what do you want me to do as a councillor?
After I asked for suggestions on where I might take the blog yesterday one of the comments expressed disappointment that it wasn’t asking what issues I might take up! So now I’m asking, are there any issues, concerns or problems with which I can help? I make the offer from time to time and usually
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What do councillors do?
I have been wondering exactly how you describe the role of a councillor for quite a while. This was partly prompted when a business owner in the borough recently asked where I fitted in relation to their Town Centre Manager (a council employee) and other Economic Development Office staff. And it’s also prompted by a
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More on the council tax…
I’ve blogged and Tweeted at length about the council tax setting, and I’m aware that there’s only so many ways that you can announce we’re keeping tax at last year’s levels…published a YouTube video of Maurice Heaster, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources talking about the announcement. I’m really pleased, not just because
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