Sunday, June 25, 2006
Of Footpaths and Conferences
It was an interesting experience to sit in the sunshine on the footpath on Whiteshute Ridge last Sunday, armed with clipboard, bottled water and floppy hat. Badger Farm Parish Council was one of many in Hampshire involved in footpath surveys on 18th June.
Hats (floppy or otherwise) off to those Parish Councillors who carried the bulk of the burden for the day. I was glad that I was able to help relieve some of the pressure on them with a 90 minute stint, followed closely by Brian who stood the watch after mine. We were doing two things, counting numbers and types of users and, where possible, interviewing them with a short questionnaire. People were very friendly and by the end of the day we'd filled out 48 questionnaires and counted 105 people using the path. I trust the data gathered will help underline the importance of footpaths and their maintenance.
And so yesterday (Saturday 24th) to London for the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC) Local Government Conference. As always with these events, plenty of good ideas to mull over and think about whether they make sense in a Winchester context. It was good to hear Vince Cable (MP for Twickenham and Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor) talking about some of the proposals emerging from the Party's Tax Commission. It's clear that there is willingness to look at new and radical approaches, incorporating the environment at the centre of tax policy. "Fairer, Greener and more Local," said Vince. "Amen," say I.
Browsing around the exhibition stands during the lunch break some guy walks up to me and says "Are you the David Spender who used to be a Barking councillor?" Not bad after 20 years!
Hats (floppy or otherwise) off to those Parish Councillors who carried the bulk of the burden for the day. I was glad that I was able to help relieve some of the pressure on them with a 90 minute stint, followed closely by Brian who stood the watch after mine. We were doing two things, counting numbers and types of users and, where possible, interviewing them with a short questionnaire. People were very friendly and by the end of the day we'd filled out 48 questionnaires and counted 105 people using the path. I trust the data gathered will help underline the importance of footpaths and their maintenance.
And so yesterday (Saturday 24th) to London for the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC) Local Government Conference. As always with these events, plenty of good ideas to mull over and think about whether they make sense in a Winchester context. It was good to hear Vince Cable (MP for Twickenham and Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor) talking about some of the proposals emerging from the Party's Tax Commission. It's clear that there is willingness to look at new and radical approaches, incorporating the environment at the centre of tax policy. "Fairer, Greener and more Local," said Vince. "Amen," say I.
Browsing around the exhibition stands during the lunch break some guy walks up to me and says "Are you the David Spender who used to be a Barking councillor?" Not bad after 20 years!
