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Notes:
WYRE FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL
ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTIVITIES 2008/09
COUNCILLOR: Julian Phillips
WARD: Bewdley & Arley
Activities
During my first year on the council I have taken any opportunity I can to learn about local government and how to be effective for the people of Bewdley & Arley.
I have been appointed to the Bewdley Partners and Community Together (PACT) panel and Bewdley Youth PACT panel. I am also a governor at Bewdley School & Sixth form.
I have addressed around 50 individual items of casework ranging from highway issues to street scene and have been involved with Community Action projects such as litter picks and ‘tidy days'. I also participated in the council's review of Alcohol Restriction Zones that involved an evening observing the Local Police Tasking Team operating in and around Bewdley.
I am the Council's representative on the Wyre Forest Cycle Forum. I have also taken it upon myself to regularly attend meetings of Wyre Forest Youth Forum. This group has the task of campaigning for the three priorities in the manifesto of the Worcestershire Youth Cabinet. These are education, transport and positive image of young people in the media.
I have established a dialogue between the two groups with a view to a joint campaign to encourage young people (under 19) to take up cycling – this issue being relevant to the transport priority of the Youth Cabinet.
My flagship project has been the campaign to prevent the closure of Kidderminster Driving Test centre. In Summer 2008 I chaired a scrutiny panel that investigated the Driving Standards Agency's (DSA) reasons for the closure, the panel's conclusions subsequently set council policy against the closure. Council offered the DSA concessionary alternative accommodation in the district but it declined and the final day of driving tests at Kidderminster will be 29th May 2009.
Council Activities
Community Services Overview & Scrutiny (Vice Chairman)
Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny
Driving Standards Agency Review Panel (Chairman)
No Surprises Review Panel
Alcohol & Substance Misuse review Panel
Achievements During the Year
I am very pleased and honoured to have established a cross-party consensus with the Driving Test Centre issue. Although the Council has no direct control over the service, I feel that we have offered sufficient resistance to the closure.
As Vice Chairman of the Community Services Overview & Scrutiny Panel I feel that the Chairman, Cllr Mrs Dyke, and myself did a good job of contributing to the Council's public relations and accountability when hosting public forums regarding important issues such as flooding and Post Office closures. With the DSA and ARZ review panels, and others that I did not sit on, we established dialogues with external public services and got a greater understanding of how they worked.
Most of my casework requests have been addressed within a few weeks of their occurrence. For example in Arley there has been an increase in provision of litterbins and signage directing visitors to the public toilets has been much improved.
Members' Surgeries
My ward colleagues and I hold a weekly surgery at 10am on Saturday mornings at Three Gables, Hop Pole Lane, Bewdley. We also distribute a newsletter to every household every two months with contact details.
I also regularly patronise the businesses in my ward where residents are welcome to talk to me informally. I feel I am very accessible to my residents.
Training and Development
Laptop Training 08/05/2008
Code of Conduct 08/05/2008
Chairmanship 20/05/2008
Scrutiny 21/05/2008
Licensing 03/06/2008
Planning 04/06/2008
Audit 13/06/2008
Housing 18/06/2008
LSP 'Learning to Deliver' Workshop 30/06/2008
Cairo Training 09/07/2008
Annual Report as a representative on an
Outside Organisation – 2008/09
Name of Outside Body: Wyre Forest Cycle Forum
Meeting Commitment: 3 per annum
Meetings attended: September 2008, January 2009, April 2009
Details of any topics of particular relevance to Wyre Forest District Council
Health, Transport, Young People
Details of any significant decisions made
• Improvements to and publication of the cycle routes network in the District and County.
• Requests for maintenance and alterations to street and highways furniture that effect cyclists
Details of any matters in progress
•‘Bikeability' – encouraging Wyre Forest schools to be pro-active in encouraging their pupils to take up cycling.
•Contributing to the revised cycle strategy section of the Wyre Forest District Local Development Scheme
Information on any allowances received undertaking this role
None
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