Tim Naylor's Weblog

Last Word (for now)

2004-10-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't have long to get into the hang of doing a blog but I hope some of it at least was of interest. It is certainly a useful addition to the ways elected people can keep in touch with the public. I nearly wrote "their electorate" but, as I've tried to indicate, I believe we have a wider remit than that.
I would really appreciate any feedback on what worked and what didn't and what you might like to hear more about if we keep these blogs going.
Lastly, have a think about getting involved in something yourself!

Friday

2004-10-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Send diary to work colleagues so they know my availbility.
Next week is relatively quiet; monday early evening is elections for Youth Parliament.
Tuesday's regular briefing is with Head of CAMS (Contracts & Management). CAMS has a number of functions including IT. There is a big programme of investment within the County Council and with partners to make best use of modern electronic means of communication and of doing business.
Wednesday no singing (half term) which is handy because it is also the LAC event (see tuesday).
Thursday, I'm taking 1/2 a day's holiday to meet my sister and visit the Peter Greenaway exhibition at Compton Verney before it closes. Been once and it is a staggering piece of work. Suggest you check out PG's website if interested.
Friday, I have an ESPO meeting in Leicester. ESPO (Eastern Shires Purchasing Consortium) is a collective (there's an old-fashioned term!) of 7 local authorites who combine to purchase goods and services in bulk and get a better price. It is a rapidly developing area of activity and I expect a very full agenda.

Thursday

2004-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

6:00pm
Two e-mails stand out as worthy of mention.
The first is from a gentleman in Nuneaton and he has sent it to all councillors. He asks that we find continued funding for a scheme called Silver Surfers. This provides training courses for senior citizens in using computers and the internet on public facilities in our libraries. He goes on to explain that his wife died a few months ago and this scheme has provided him with much needed interest and focus in his life. A very moving and telling appeal.
The second is a progress report on major capital schemes. Many of them are schools-related, new sports halls or replacing temporary classrooms but also multiuse facilities at a new library. They total over £56M and I'm struck by the connection between this and the previous item. The question is never what to do with resources but what not to; what schemes are more worth more than others and to whom?

Call a constituent who I've known for years. She suffers from a debillitating disease which she struggles with daily but never complains. I've been told that the benefits agency have just decided to withdraw her disability allowance. No interview, no nothing, just BANG! no money. I don't want to go into details for fear of breaching confidentiality but it leaves her with less to live on a week than some people spend on a night out. She's been told she can appeal but that will take weeks. It's not something I feel I can influence greatly and we agree I'll talk to our MP, James Plaskitt.

Wednesday

2004-10-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

7:55
Got the last but one parking space next to the department, so that's a good start to the day.
Wednesdays I check all the various systems that supply our lab. Air conditioning (it's a clean room environment similar to an operating theatre), coolant water, compressed air and nitrogen, purified water. There are major mods going on at present for an new machine of staggering complexity, so some are off-line. Nothing amiss, so on with sorting out the electrical job from yesterday. Telephone discussion with the engineer about the nitrogen plant; we decide it must be due to contamination and agree a plan of action.

4:40 Leave for home and do remember to go via Kenilworth this time (see tuesday).
Only two items of post: An invitation to lunch with the victorious Warwickshire Cricket team and the report for the AREA COMMITTEE on the Warwick Town Centre TRaffic Management Scheme proposals. The former would be nice but I'll decline to save time for other meetings. The latter is much more serious. WTCTMS is the result of a prolonged exercise but despite the efforts of WCC staff, there is much local opposition, criticism and quite a campaign against our approach. It wouldn't be right to express my views now or here but this is a good example of the difficult postion any elected person can find themselves in.
On the one hand we are elected to represent the people but what does that mean in practice? On almost any issue you could find people who hold differing, even opposite, views. Which side do you take? You can't just repeat the arguments "on the one hand this, but then again, that" ; noting would get decided. I firmly believe we are elected to take decisions as best we can. Not only do we need to take into consideration the views and effects on local people (and particularly those in the wards we represent) but we have a duty to think about the wider community. In this case that includes the people in the cars and the goods in the trucks trying to get through Warwick, the money if spent on this in Warwick that will not be available for something else, the views and plans of other bodies like the District Council and the chamber of trade, compliance with government targets, and so on. This isn't a complete or even accurate list but I hope I have conveyed just a little of how a councillor has to think all time. It's easy to knock things, but society is complex and it's problems aren't simple and ultimately you do what you think is best all round, in the long run, taking everything in to consideration... and all the other cliches you can think of. Sometimes there just isn't a right answer and you know whatever you decide will dissappoint or anger some individuals or communities. You listen to advice and arguments and debate it and eventually make a decision and move on to the next question, but it can take days or weeks before you quite stop thinking about it.

7:45
Singing. This is a highlight of the week. I sing with a big community choir, about 40 of us, and all are welcome whatever their ability or experience (good job too, in my case). The songs are very varied; from the Balkans, African, Celtic, 50s pop, english folk, MC Hammer, even an old French drinking song. It's great fun - Bruce Knight, the organiser, affects everyone with his enthusiasm and energy and by the end of the session you feel better than when you started. Best of all, you aren't worrying about decisions for a while.

Tuesday

2004-10-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

8:00
The equipment that makes liquid nitrogen isn't producing any. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of -196C; we use it for a variety of applications, e.g. to improve the conditions in some of our vacuum equipment. The compressor is running and everything else seems OK but no cold stuff. Myself and another technician have run out of diagnostics so another engineer callout looks on the cards.
Spend time on routine maintenance and tech support for other members of our research group and I'm currently rebuilding a small furnace. Construction goes well, but final testing indicates earthing is poor to some parts. It will have to wait until tomorrow.

4:00
Leave for Shire Hall, via Kenilworth to drop off a colleague. On auto pilot (I've travelled this road for over 25 years), I head for the bypass as usual , not Kenilworth. Colleague politely points out this error; quick change of plan and we're back on course.

On Tuesdays I have a briefing session with one of the 4 chief officers (COs) whose departments fall within my Cabinet portfolio . Today, it's Peter Ridley, head of Property Services.
Also present are staff from Libraries & Heritage, CO Noel Hunter and fellow 'Cabbie', John Haynes. Plans for the future of the museum service are explained and the implications for our buildings especially, Market Hall and St John's in Warwick. Details and issues such as planning are explored and it sounds an exciting prospect. Main difficulty, as always, is funding. We are talking 7-figure sums and there is no spare in our current programme. Noel, though, is optimistic (as ever) and is glad of our interest and support for the principle.
We move on to other matters; schools, office accommodation [see- PROPERTY STRATEGY], reports for future meetings and next year's budget. Everyone reckons it will be very tight and each department will be expected to find significant savings one way or another. FINANCE & BUDGETS discussion anyone?

5:45
head home. Tuesday's is my turn to cook dinner, but friends have invited us round this evening, so I'm off the hook. Not much post, 20-odd e-mails. One from Rob Dunster about an event next week for Looked After Children (LAC). Very pleased to be going to this as I used to have the portfolio for Young people and spent some time with Rob and a LAC group in Bedworth. At any one time, there are around 300 children in care in Warwickshire and we (the Council) have a duty to act as parents. An almost impossible task and councillors were given a very powerful message two years ago by a number of our children who worked with a theatre group for a few weeks. The performance they produced, based entirely on their own experiences of schools, accommodation, and 'the system' generally made a deep and lasting impression on everyone who saw it . I wonder if any of those will be there next week?

Monday

2004-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

7:25
leaving earlier and earlier these days to beat the traffic and stand a chance of parking near work. Think about using the bus but I have meeting in Warwick at lunch time and there simply isn't any other practical way of getting there.
8:00
Check e-mails. Clear out 80 junk mails from my inbox.
IT services mark about half "SPAM" [ where did this term begin? Is it "SPurious American Mail" ? !] and my browser remembers anything else I mark but it still has to be glanced over and dumped . Latest offer seems to be cheap Rolexes (makes a change from Viagra) - does anyone ever buy these things over the net?

One of our calibration instruments is behaving oddly so ring the supplier's office to arrange an engineer. Number unobtainable; oh dear, they must have moved. Good ol' Google & internet soon track down the US site which lists a UK number. Yes, they say, we still service these - £150 an hour including travelling, minimum 4 hours but we don't have anyone available for at least 2 weeks. Great. Tell colleagues the good news ....

11:40
set off for Shire Hall, Warwick. I'm lucky that it's only 15 minutes drive down the A46 from Warwick University. Car park full when I get there but spot someone just leaving and nip in.
ought to discuss TRANSPORT ISSUES in another thread

12:03
make way to meeting - PROCUREMENT STEERING- only 3 minutes late but most officers already there.
Suggest we get on with business and eat lunch (which has just arrived) afterwards.
Good discussions on Brokerage services for schools and e-enabling our purchasing finance systems. Both these are government development issues. There's lots more to say on this if anyone wants to know...

1:35
finish the business and start on the food. Discover that some of it was hot items like samosas which are now lukewarm. B******. Next time we'll order it for the end of the meeting because it is a great incentive to people to keep their contributions to the debate short :-)

2:10
arrive back at Uni Warwick . Students waiting (not long) to use equipment as part of their 3rd year project. Good lads who ask sensible questions and have picked up the basics of operating high vacuum apparatus pretty quickly. Session goes without a hitch and they leave with their piece of silicon successfully coated with nickel.

5:45
Head for home. Traffic not too bad. Check the post when I get in; relieved there are no big reports from County to wade through. Check the e-mails from County and compose replies.

9:10
Had enough for now. Watch "Spooks" and the news.

day one

2004-10-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

At work (semiconductor research group, Warwick University) by 8:00.
Made progress on re-constructing equipment in the lab until 12:00; leave for Shire Hall.

12:30 short speeches and presentation of long service awards to staff in Property Services. Followed by lunch and chatting with various staff.

2:00 time to do some more reading of the Cabinet papers (see blog #?).
Brief visit to TResurer's dept to confirm travel arrangements to Birmingham tomorrow.
Discussion with Naomi, our group's politcal assistant, about some research I'd like her to do.
2:45 Meeting with Keith Jones, external consultant, about the Council's property strategy; where it's at now, what sort of issues are facing us, how the Prop. Strat. may help address some of the problems (a.k.a. challenges) looming in the next few years.
4:15 regular weekly briefing with one of the 4 heads of department covered by my portfolio (see blog above). This week it's treasurer's. Dave Clarke is away, so it's Oliver Winters, one of his deputies and section head. Pensions is a hot topic at the moment so we discuss our responsibilites, the state of the local gov't scheme, locally and nationally, a paper from the Office of the deputy Prime minister (ODPM). Then the timescale and developments around setting next year's budget.
5:15 bail out and head for home.
6:00 Jane busy preparing tons of windfall apples; kindly declines my help so,
open post - includes papers for tomorrows meeting in Brum. Bit late but better than too late, I guess.
domestic chores and dinner followed by hours on the computer reading e-mails, trying to download a report from LGIU (look it up, reader) and then, er, writing these blogs.
10:20 Had enough for one day, go and catch the end of the news and weather forecast for tomorrow.

local democracy week

2004-10-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

LDW is rapidly approaching and I am beginning to panic. I was just going to keep a diary but the more I think about it, the more boring that sounds. Maybe I'll do that anyway and add extra blogs as issues arise that might be worth exploring. All depends on what feedback (if any) we (there are three of us in this exercise) get.

Union meeting

2004-10-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

Just been to an AUT meeting about job evaluation and new payscales. After finally getting a measure of common understanding nationally and locally it seems the management at University of Warwick are already trying to ignore big chunks of it. No doubt they would have a different view but we'll see what they have put in writing and if they will ratify it.