bloomingyeovil

Well it’s been a week of learning, and my brain is not set up for all that knowledge; Ouch.

On Wednesday I was at the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) conference in Bristol and on Saturday I was in Clifton for another conference, this time with the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC)

Wednesday was networking opportunity with councils from far and wide in attendance; the conference was a chance to see colleges from other authorities that we have had dealing with before, and to make new friends in authorities we have not yet had the pleasure to deal with. That said there was a serious side to the conference as well as it is an opportunity to learn new things, this year it’s all about the Localism Bill, that is a mine field in the making, but they say the devil is in the detail and the act is in the House of Lords for its second reading at the moment, so if approved then the details will be applied and we will then have something we will better understand and hopefully be able to work with. The principles good but will it ever work. WATCH THIS SPACE.

On Saturday I went to Clifton, over the bridge, twice, 50p each time, lovely view. This conference was different, it was a political conference for the Liberal Democrats, again it was a networking opportunity and a learning place but this time we were all of the same party. We even had Nick Clegg MP (Deputy Prime Minister) and Richard Kemp CBE, there to talk to us, and I have to say he was interesting and worth listening to. There was a lot about the Localism Bill again as it is the subject of the moment. As you expect with Lib-Dems there were lots about Green Environmental issues, my poor little brain cell was working overtime, I must try and get another one from somewhere.

Below is Engineers House in Clifton

If you have not heard of the Localism Bill before, there are some key provisions like:

• A General Power of Competence
• Community right to challenge
• Community right to buy
• Neighbourhood plans
• The standards board regime
• The ‘predomination’ rule
• Local referendums
• Elected Mayors

These are the basics that are going forward at the moment, how it will be delivered will be in the detail, which has not yet been written.

Caught up with some old friends this week, at Cadbury House, what a good day, it was a very posh place to have the award ceremony. There were councils from all over, and there were Councillors from the Professional Btec course I did (and passed). Some of the councillors were not re-elected but as the presentation was part of the package we paid for from day one of the course, all had the opportunity to come along and celebrate our success.

There were Councillors from Bath & NE Somerset Council, Devon County Council, Dorset County Council, West Dorset District Council & from South Somerset District Council. All of these councils think enough of their councillors to have them trained, so they can offer a higher standard in the role as a councillor.

Council’s obtaining the Charter for Members Development on the day were; Mid Devon District Council, Mendip District Council, Exeter City Council and the Forest of Dean District Council. Torbay Council was awarded the Charter Plus, which is an upgrade to the Charter showing their continued support to their members.

The Key note speaker was very good; it was Rob Whiteman from the Local Government Improvement & Development. He spoke about the big society and how the neighbourhoods and communities will be able to shape thing in the future, but he did not tell us how or most important how we were to get past the “Guidance” from HMG that is considered law for so many planning authorities. I will watch this space with interest to see what come next. I have two conferences to go to next week; it will be interesting to see if I can find out more on the matter at them.   

On a different note; it was real good to see the summer bedding out together with the bedroom furniture from The Old Creamery, ( www.oldcreameryfurniture.com )  this was specially made for us and it looks good, Thank you “The Old Creamery Furniture” Without our sponsors Yeovil would not look so nice. You will be please to know it is not real furniture but specially commissioned dummy pieces for show only, so please don’t think you can get a new bed or cupboards for free.  Yeovil in Bloom has done it first, our designer and horticultural team ROCKs.  The big planters and hanging baskets go out in the next week or so, I’ve seen them in the nursery and they look great.

On a completely Daft Note.

Lunch Anyone

As I sit here AGAIN looking out on a wet Sunday morning, Golf has been abandoned because it RAINING and I am a fine weather golfer.

This week has been eventful, it started wet and guess what it is finishing on the same note “WET”, don’t you just love English summers. Monday was a bank holiday so rain was expected; we can’t have a day off work without the weather to go with it. We went back to work on Tuesday and the sun came out and stayed out for the whole working week, while I was stuck in a warehouse with no windows, typical.

Thursday saw the arrival of the Twinning association from Herblay, ( http://www.yeovil-twinning.co.uk/herblay/index.html )  they arrived at 4 to 4:30 pm, we were expecting them from 4:30 to 5pm so we were a little surprised to find them settled into the Red House enjoying a cold one, After tidying up the house for a week and stocking up on nice food, I learnt that my guest had not made the journey as she was poorly, my wife was disappointed and relieved at the same time as she cannot speak a word of French, this was to be our first hosting and we didn’t know what to expect, but now we get to eat all the food and the cleaning is already done. “Party on Dude”.

Friday we ( the Twinning Association in Yeovil,  http://www.yeovil-twinning.co.uk ) took our guests to Weymouth and Portland, in Weymouth we had a presentation from the Olympic team about the progress made so far regarding the 2012 games, the new road is now open making getting there a lot easier, and the sun shone all day. We were to met the Portland Town Crier at Portland Heights but he didn’t turn up, so we did our own thing, the view from the war memorial looking over Weymouth and the Chisel Bank was spectacular and it was loved by everyone, we went on to Portland Bill for a walkabout and an ice-cream in the sunshine, it was great to wander about without a care in the world, forgetting the hurly-burly we had left at home, and even better I was not the designated drive, we were all on a South West Coach, We  got back to Yeovil around 6pm just in time to collect the boss from work, giving us about one and a half hours to get ready for the get together at Grahams house where he had a marquee set up for a bit of a do, we all had to bring so food, my contribution was Cheese’s from Somerset, we all had to bring something different, and what a spread we had,  it was great, the food was excellent the company was excellent and the venue was JUST THE JOB, Thank you Graham and Heather, without you it couldn’t of happened. A great night of socialising and party game followed, did I say it was Great — It was, even the Mayor of Yeovil came, he’s always welcome.

Saturday saw us going to the Royal Bath & West Show, and the sun shone all day for us. The last time I went to the Royal Bath & West I was pushing a pushchair some 30 years ago. Thing don’t change much, there were still animals and tractors in large numbers, there were thousands of people making moving around difficult, but the good weather gave an old man lots of scantily dressed females to look at, I know I’m married I shouldn’t be looking, but there were so many of them you had no choice. Once again we went on a South West Coach, the drive there was uneventful except for a fox that decided to race us in the road, we won and the fox dived for cover in the hedge. It never ceases to amaze me what you can see from a coach, you sit so much higher up and you can see over hedges and stuff, none of what I say could be seen from a car, even though there has not been too much rain it is still a Green and Pleasant Land.

Our French visitors left for the ferry today, it was only a short visit, but that was of their choice, I think they enjoyed themselves, I certainly got that impression, There is an outward Twinning trip very soon, to Samarate ( http://www.yeovil-twinning.co.uk/samarate/index.html ), That will be fun for those that are going, not me sadly as I have to work.

In July we see the Germans from Taunusstein, ( http://www.yeovil-twinning.co.uk/taunusstein/index.html ) I am not sure what we have planned for them yet but it will a lot of fun, and I am have time off work to be with them for as much as I can, my wife and I are not hosting, but we will join in with as much as we can, the boss will be at work during the day so I can do what I like “Whoopee”.

On a sad note: some thieving “low life” has stolen the bedding plants from my front garden, how low some people can go, I hope they have something they have put a lot of time and effort into, goes missing. You know how I feel I will say no more.