Saturday, August 19, 2006
Back from hols and back to work!
The Spenders have returned from two weeks in Galicia and northern Portugal; and returned, it seems, to a traditional English summer! Anyway, time to pick up the blog again with a few thoughts on City and Ward issues.............
I was pleased that Winchester's Tourist Information Centre recently received a national award for its excellent service. Tourism and culture are very important parts of our local economy and this importance can only grow in the future. During late August and September I'll be taking part in a review of the City Council's museum strategy, looking at how we can ensure that our local museums meet the future needs of both residents and visitors. If you have any thoughts on this issue I'd love to hear from you.
I was also pleased to see that new bollards have been put in place down in Ivy Close to prevent vehicles getting onto Whiteshute Ridge. This was Badger Farm Parish Council's initiative and I applaud them for it.
Our local bus shelters continue to give some cause for concern. The ones in Ridgeway in particular are in a poor state. Sometime ago the glass in these shelters was replaced with perspex. This was done because the glass was being repeatedly smashed. Now the perspex itself is getting into a bad state. We've asked the contractor who's due to clean the shelters at the end of August to see if it's possible to do a more thorough cleaning job on them.
During the next couple of weeks I'm planning to go "walkabout" with one of our Oliver's Battery Parish Councillors. We're going to take a look at all of the street signs in Oliver's Battery and draw up a list for possible cleaning or replacement. If you know of any that you think are in a poor state, please let me know.
I was pleased that Winchester's Tourist Information Centre recently received a national award for its excellent service. Tourism and culture are very important parts of our local economy and this importance can only grow in the future. During late August and September I'll be taking part in a review of the City Council's museum strategy, looking at how we can ensure that our local museums meet the future needs of both residents and visitors. If you have any thoughts on this issue I'd love to hear from you.
I was also pleased to see that new bollards have been put in place down in Ivy Close to prevent vehicles getting onto Whiteshute Ridge. This was Badger Farm Parish Council's initiative and I applaud them for it.
Our local bus shelters continue to give some cause for concern. The ones in Ridgeway in particular are in a poor state. Sometime ago the glass in these shelters was replaced with perspex. This was done because the glass was being repeatedly smashed. Now the perspex itself is getting into a bad state. We've asked the contractor who's due to clean the shelters at the end of August to see if it's possible to do a more thorough cleaning job on them.
During the next couple of weeks I'm planning to go "walkabout" with one of our Oliver's Battery Parish Councillors. We're going to take a look at all of the street signs in Oliver's Battery and draw up a list for possible cleaning or replacement. If you know of any that you think are in a poor state, please let me know.
