Yesterday was our "validation event" for our PR degree at Edge Hill University. Any academics reading this will realise how important this is. We had been working on plans for improvements to the degree, but obviously everything has to be checked out and go through quality screening, and that includes bringing in external experts to challenge the plans.
It was a long and tiring day but I am glad to say we got approval for the new and improved version and will be rolling it out from September this year. It'll give students at Edge Hill who are studying PR an even better deal so I'm really pleased.
(Of course this does mean I now have to do some detailed writing for the new modules although one of them is in my specialist area of the voluntary sector)
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Friends of Garston Park - update
We had a meeting last night of the Friends of Garston Park Committee. We decided last month to have a trustees committee meeting every other month and a general meeting every other month. A good discussion last night - we talked about activities for the near future, including some wildflower planting and the creation of some planters for near the entrances. We also discussed doing some litter picks, perhaps the weekend after our general meetings. Alan (the Chair) and some of the others had a useful meeting with Dave Thomas from the City Council earlier in the week and reported back on that.
One of the small projects we want to pursue is to draw up a list of the types of birds regularly in the park as we think there are probably more species than expected. We'll be publicising this and asking people to let us know the types of bird they've seen. I'll be adding more details to our website - www.fogp.blogspot.com but in the meanwhile if there is anything you want to pass on please post it here or e mail me at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk and I'll make sure the message gets to Alan.
Our next general meeting is the third Friday of March (19th) at 6 30 at Long Lane Church
One of the small projects we want to pursue is to draw up a list of the types of birds regularly in the park as we think there are probably more species than expected. We'll be publicising this and asking people to let us know the types of bird they've seen. I'll be adding more details to our website - www.fogp.blogspot.com but in the meanwhile if there is anything you want to pass on please post it here or e mail me at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk and I'll make sure the message gets to Alan.
Our next general meeting is the third Friday of March (19th) at 6 30 at Long Lane Church
Stamfordham Drive - digging holes
If you see anyone digging holes in Stamfordham Drive over the next few weeks, don't worry
Its not the pavement being dug up.
Some time ago we were contacted by residents asking if some trees could be planted here. The road certainly can look a bit bleak and a bit of greenery may make a difference.
There's some doubt about whether the ground is right for planting though so a council officer is going to be doing a few "tree pits" to have a look and see if planting would work.
If we get the all clear I'll report back about any planting plans that follow.
Its not the pavement being dug up.
Some time ago we were contacted by residents asking if some trees could be planted here. The road certainly can look a bit bleak and a bit of greenery may make a difference.
There's some doubt about whether the ground is right for planting though so a council officer is going to be doing a few "tree pits" to have a look and see if planting would work.
If we get the all clear I'll report back about any planting plans that follow.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Ward walkabout update
Thanks to the people who e mailed with suggestions for locations for our ward walkabout with the neighbourhood manager later this week. The list includes:
* looking at litter and dumping issues around the junction with Greenhill Road and Booker Avenue
* litter and cleansing issues around Clarendon/Hartington Road
* litter and cleansing issues on parts of Aigburth Road
* resurfacing on Aigburth Hall Road
* state of vacant land on Beechwood Estate
If you have a location you want me to add on, please drop me an e mail at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov by tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.
* looking at litter and dumping issues around the junction with Greenhill Road and Booker Avenue
* litter and cleansing issues around Clarendon/Hartington Road
* litter and cleansing issues on parts of Aigburth Road
* resurfacing on Aigburth Hall Road
* state of vacant land on Beechwood Estate
If you have a location you want me to add on, please drop me an e mail at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov by tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.
Tories need a maths lesson
So the Conservatives are in trouble after getting their sums wrong!
Amazingly, in a report about inequality in Britain they made the startling claim that in the most deprived areas 54% of girls were likely to get pregnant before they turned 18. That's right - 54%.
Now it turns out that the figure is actually 5.4 and the decimal point was omitted.
And sure, it is easy to make proof-reading errors like that.
But seriously, what does this say about a party in which when their policy people and editorial people were putting the document to bed no one thought that the figure was so high it needed to be checked?
Put it this way. If this were true, in any deprived area when you come across two girls of 18, one of them would have to be pregnant or pushing a pram. And we all know(or rather those of us that venture beyond Notting Hill know) that that isn't the case.
Last year the Tories rather tactlessly tried to compare Speke in South Liverpool with what goes on on The Wire. Speke, they said, was an example of Broken Britain.
Now apart from being hugely insulting to people in Speke, this is simply yet another example of how the Tories don't get it. Given that they think pregnancy rates among teenagers are 54 percent in most deprived wards they must believe this to be the case in Speke. And yet anyone who has been in the ward for five minutes would realise this isn't so.
The problem here is that the Tories have no problem with demonising large sections of the population. And if you actually want to help people you don't start off by painting them in such an unflattering light.
Amazingly, in a report about inequality in Britain they made the startling claim that in the most deprived areas 54% of girls were likely to get pregnant before they turned 18. That's right - 54%.
Now it turns out that the figure is actually 5.4 and the decimal point was omitted.
And sure, it is easy to make proof-reading errors like that.
But seriously, what does this say about a party in which when their policy people and editorial people were putting the document to bed no one thought that the figure was so high it needed to be checked?
Put it this way. If this were true, in any deprived area when you come across two girls of 18, one of them would have to be pregnant or pushing a pram. And we all know(or rather those of us that venture beyond Notting Hill know) that that isn't the case.
Last year the Tories rather tactlessly tried to compare Speke in South Liverpool with what goes on on The Wire. Speke, they said, was an example of Broken Britain.
Now apart from being hugely insulting to people in Speke, this is simply yet another example of how the Tories don't get it. Given that they think pregnancy rates among teenagers are 54 percent in most deprived wards they must believe this to be the case in Speke. And yet anyone who has been in the ward for five minutes would realise this isn't so.
The problem here is that the Tories have no problem with demonising large sections of the population. And if you actually want to help people you don't start off by painting them in such an unflattering light.
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Why don't they give change?
I'm in the middle of a complaint letter to Arriva. I have seen repeated incidents now of drivers saying they don't have change when people get on and try to buy bus tickets. Sometimes we are talking about change from £2 for a 1 70 ticket. At other times we are talking about £5-00 being used to pay for a £3 30 ticket. Either way these are small amounts which should present no problem if there is a float.
What happens is if a driver can't give change people either end up having to pay over the odds or they get chucked off.
Surely it can't be beyond Arriva to give a proper working float to its drivers at the start of the day (it is always mornings when I see this happen). It happened to me this morning and it is so annoying when the solution is simple. After all if I had a shop I wouldn't open up without a float and by selling tickets Arriva are also operating in retail.
I wonder if anyone else has had this experience. I asked a question about it at a recent Full Council meeting but its not really Merseytravel's fault - it's down to the operators.
What happens is if a driver can't give change people either end up having to pay over the odds or they get chucked off.
Surely it can't be beyond Arriva to give a proper working float to its drivers at the start of the day (it is always mornings when I see this happen). It happened to me this morning and it is so annoying when the solution is simple. After all if I had a shop I wouldn't open up without a float and by selling tickets Arriva are also operating in retail.
I wonder if anyone else has had this experience. I asked a question about it at a recent Full Council meeting but its not really Merseytravel's fault - it's down to the operators.
Garston waste site - UPDATE
We now have the date for the Public Enquiry. It will start on 15th June. It is likely to last for four days. The venue isn't confirmed yet but venues in Liverpool are being looked at.
The documents for this appeal so far are huge and some people have been having trouble getting access on line. Here is another link.
The documents for this appeal so far are huge and some people have been having trouble getting access on line. Here is another link.
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