tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185841697425248556.post2497994120838171095..comments2023-08-27T13:19:08.110+01:00Comments on Paula Keaveney - Lib Dem Campaigner: Funders Fair informationPaula Keaveneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814842819611094232noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185841697425248556.post-3354956445368664192008-03-27T14:32:00.000+00:002008-03-27T14:32:00.000+00:00I'm all for later starts myself - although having ...I'm all for later starts myself - although having said that Richard Oglethorpe, who chairs the n committee is quite good at moving agenda items around depending on who is there at what point.<BR/><BR/>the 5 30 start was, I am told, fixed after a survey of some members of the public. had I been asked I would have said 6pm is the earliest you can realistically commute home without causing problems. It is for this reason that I did all my surgeries at 6pm or later. The tendency of some councillors to do them in working hours simply discriminates against working people, and for those who find a 6pm time difficult (and in winter there are some who will say it is a bit on the dark side.. or who have child care issues) it is always possible to arrange a home visit - which again is what I used to do.Paula Keaveneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13814842819611094232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185841697425248556.post-10953999246222485482008-03-27T12:48:00.000+00:002008-03-27T12:48:00.000+00:00Whilst I appreciate that many of the people who wi...Whilst I appreciate that many of the people who will attend events like this are at least professionally involved in the types of groups which are likely to apply and are therefore able to make room for these events in their workday. However the continual scheduling of meetings around community development during office hours completely pushes out those that have day jobs on top of the good work that they are doing in the community. 10 -3 on a work day may well exclude those who work and yet organise community projects which will disproptionaltely be any new intitiatives which haven't grown to the point of being able to employ a project officer thus ensuring that funding is distributed to the same old faces, something that I'm used to seeing after 8 years working in regeneration. <BR/><BR/>This doesn't just happen with funders fairs mind the Garston Neighbourhood committee meets at 5.30pm which is too early for most people to get to after work I'm quite keen on attending and I've only been able to get there once in the last year becuase of the early start. <BR/><BR/>I appreciate councillors may already give up a lot of free time but we need to ensure people have a chance to be heard. Maybe if it has to be a 5.30 start you could begin with items such as the report on police activity or the huge education item much of which are just the presentation of lists rather than discussions on proposed neighbourhood regeneration. At the meeting I attended 90% of the attendees were elderly and 90% of items arising from the last meeting and the questions submitted were on issues related or raised by the elderly. <BR/>You often ask why there is little participation in the democratic process by the young might it be becuase the way you try and engage people hasn't changed since Bevans day? <BR/><BR/>Also I did post quite a bit recently over my desire to see the propsed plans for St Marys road, I'm still very keen to understand what the council is proposing yet the agenda item for the Exec meeting is not the strategy for the area but merely a short report from council officer to councillors about the council officer plans, there are nothing there which I would regard as a plan or strategy for the area on which I feel I could comment.PM Swimmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07428758579809124880noreply@blogger.com