Thursday 14 August 2008

Operation Black Vote

Liverpool City Council is currently running an Operation Black Vote scheme. This involves a group of councillors who have each agreed to be shadowed by someone who is potentially interested in politics/being a councillor and who comes from a Black or Racial Minority Background.

Because most of the sorting out was done last year, when I wasn't on the Council, I don't have a shadow. But because one of my colleagues wanted to make sure there were things to do when she was away, I actually have a shared shadow now!

We met for the first time yesterday. So Kevin spent time with me on a site visit looking at street cleansing (so he saw part of the work of a ward councillor, and then joined me at two internal meetings to do with reports on issues in my portfolio.

I am hoping he can join me at a meeting of the planning committee (I am not on the committee but have objected to a particular proposal on behalf of residents ) and other meetings later in the month.

It is actually good having a shadow asking questions because it forces you to explain what you are doing and why, and that forces you to think about it in more detail rather than just assuming you should be doing it that way!

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