Monday, March 20, 2006
Pavement Politics
It's a cliche for LibDems, but pavement politics still matter!
One of the challenges of being a District Councillor is that many of the things that people care about are handled by other tiers of local government. This weekend I had a very interesting chat with a gentleman from Oliver's Battery who had concerns about pavements (see above!), the Badger Farm Road junction and the Children's Play Area. I had to explain that roads and pavements are the responsibility of the County Council and that the Play Area belongs to the Parish Council.
Now, I don't mind getting questions about these things and I think I can generally help put people in contact with those they need to speak to. I do, however, find it a little frustrating that the road and pavement issues are outside the control of the City Council. I think I'm moving towards the idea of unitary authorities!
Of course, there are plenty of things that we do run, just wait until we get stuck into recycling and alternate weekly rubbish collection! But that can wait for another day.
One of the challenges of being a District Councillor is that many of the things that people care about are handled by other tiers of local government. This weekend I had a very interesting chat with a gentleman from Oliver's Battery who had concerns about pavements (see above!), the Badger Farm Road junction and the Children's Play Area. I had to explain that roads and pavements are the responsibility of the County Council and that the Play Area belongs to the Parish Council.
Now, I don't mind getting questions about these things and I think I can generally help put people in contact with those they need to speak to. I do, however, find it a little frustrating that the road and pavement issues are outside the control of the City Council. I think I'm moving towards the idea of unitary authorities!
Of course, there are plenty of things that we do run, just wait until we get stuck into recycling and alternate weekly rubbish collection! But that can wait for another day.
