Published 7th June, 1995. Joan Whitehall
The community has been shocked by the tragic death of Joan Whitehall.
Joan was the very popular secretary of Walter Halls school and was killed in an accident on a school trip. The Council held a minute's silence at its full meeting.
Beechwood
13 residents, 15 beds. One offence in the local community - the first for 9 months. Ideas of a fence for the neighbours was dropped after asking them.
Callum McBride, the acting principal, leaves on June 16th. A replacement could well be appointed soon. Senior officers will not take risks with the appointment.
Road Safety
In 1994, 84 people were killed on Notts.' roads and 1103 were seriously injured.
This was an increase of 2.6% on 1993. A disappointment, though in line with national trends.
(A public meeting is being held on 20th June to encourage parents not to use cars to take children to school.)
Fatality
A man was killed at the junction of Magdala Road & Woodborough Road recently (3:20am, Sunday 28th May).
I've asked officers re-designing the junction to check the accident for any lessons to be drawn but it's questionable whether any relevant lessons can be drawn.
Traffic Calming in Mapperley Park
Oliver Kingdon has written to condemn the new Magdala Road scheme already.
Hampstead Road
The Environment Cttee. is to support new no parking lines at the entrance of Hampstead Road to allow ambulances to get off Woodborough Road.
Sherwood Vale
Sherwood Vale ranked 17th in the 1994 review and so will be re-assessed in future.
There is no new finance available for any new schemes in 1995 and therefore it is likely to be at least three years before a traffic calming scheme could be considered for Sherwood Vale. ...
Sherwood Day Nursery
This nursery serves dysfunctional children. It is being re-furbished and changed to focus more clearly on family work. County Council issues
Committees
I'm on Leisure, Community Services & Public Protection and so will have been a member of every service committee.
I'm also to be on some sub-committees.
Community Services Committee
First meeting tomorrow (see County report.)
The July full council will discuss a motion on gay and lesbian rights.
£40m cuts
The Labour Group is considering its priorities at a full day session on Sunday.
At the end, Councillors will have to prioritise services we wish to maintain.
QMC
The Environment Cttee. did reject the QMC's application for a new incinerator.
Working with the District Councils
My motion for the next Labour Group asking us to look again at our relationships with District Councils was passed.
Local Government Review
The Tories have hung onto Rushcliffe by the casting vote of a Mayor who was no longer a Councillor.
However, all 3 Districts surrounding Nottingham have now come out against seeking unitary status.
If the Government force through Parliamentary orders by the end of January 96 for a unitary Nottingham, then there will be elections in Mapperley on May 2, 1996. Currently, Mapperley will only have 2 Councillors instead of 3.
Meanwhile, the costs of re-organising Cleveland into 4 unitary Councils has out-stripped all predictions. The costs from re-organisation have to be met by the local Councils.
Pedestrianisation
The City & County Councils are proposing the pedestrianisation of Pelham St.
Nationally Harold Wilson
I hope Harold Wilson is remembered for more than the Open University. He was the first prime Minister to see more spent on education than defence, and had a true understanding of the tragedy of unemployment.
He was an exciting politician in the '60s and inspired my Dad to be active in the Labour Party.
By the time I got to see him in 1979, he was reduced to complaining about the high number of managers introduced into the NHS by Heath - and how often we've heard that since.
Consensus
But I don't agree with the nostalgia for consensus.
Unemployment did increase in the '60s and for the first time did not result in lower inflation.
Labour needed to get to grips with the growing power of big business.
They turned their backs on ideas like industrial democracy and instead turned the focus on the trade unions.
New Economic Policy
And are we set to repeat the mistakes of the past? Our new commitment to put low inflation first is designed to re-assure the City, but will they ever choose us ahead of the Tories? Don't we need to be talking about putting the needs of he economy first?
New Policy Guide
A small handbook outlining our policies has been produced by the Party.
It's compromised by the need to keep tax plans and spending plans secret until the General Election. Even so, our ideas on tackling unemployment seem thin. Europe
Ken Coates
I attended a Euro day school organised by Philip Whitehead (MEP Derby & East Staffs.)
Most of the MEPs there spoke for too long and were not able to show how Europe is truly relevant.
But Ken Coates gave a very lucid speech and left it open-ended by highlighting a conflict in EU policies.
Maastricht
Maastricht seeks to bring European economies into line to allow monetary union. Monetary union is sought by some on the left to allow the ECU, Dollar and Yen to tackle currency speculation, that undermines companies and destroys jobs.
Companies organise across countries and their internal pricing mechanisms makes them difficult to tax. Again, a common currency helps control.
Maastricht seeks monetary discipline, reduced inflation rates, reduced stock of deficit and a lower PSBR - all measures which are likely to cost jobs. In fact it's suggested it will cost 10.4 million jobs.
Delors White Paper
Meanwhile a Delors white paper seeks to cut unemployment throughout the EU by 15 million by 2000, through a European investment fund - investing in transport infrastructure, firms and inner-cities.
These policies conflict with Maastricht. Ken suggested Jacques Delors saw this, but neither he, Ken Coates or others appear to have an answer. Cases
117 in 1995.
Woodthorpe Park Festival
We held a stall ...
Комментарии