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Notes:
ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTIVITIES 2010/11
Ward Activities this year, including outside bodies:
With regular Focus newsletters distributed to every household in Greenhill Ward there are open lines of communication with a Freepost facility for return of residents comments/suggestions - not all of which are necessarily polite but are all read and dealt with appropriately! The excellent local free newspapers Shuttle and Chronicle also provide a good source of information giving and receiving. I regularly attend PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meetings - held in the Catholic Club and ably independently chaired by the local priest - with an ever growing attendance by local residents. Following the inauguration of PACT a few years ago and a slow start, they have become an integral part of community life in the Ward. Since being first elected to represent Greenhill Ward in 1979 the issues raised then such as dogs fouling pavements; anti-social behaviour; lack of play/green space for children ; fewer police officers on the beat ; and planning issues often influenced by "not in my backyard "considerations are often still being regularly discussed. As all my Ward colleagues would say that we do our level best to deal with all these issues but are so often met with the response that whilst agreeing with the need there are no resources (cash) available. That situation is likely to worsen over the coming years.
Highlights:
At a very personal level I find most satisfaction in getting out around the Ward and distributing our regular Focus newsletter throughout the year and not simply at election time. The camaraderie that builds with residents (our customers at the end of the day) is always a highlight for me and is the opportunity to identify new local issues and to get feedback on previously actioned items. The use of e-mails from and to residents has increased as has my own experience of technology having started from a very low base.
Special Knowledge:
Most of my working life prior to my retirement was spent in the statutory and voluntary care sector which hopefully has given me a good grasp of the many social issues which effect all our lives. I have chaired for a number of years a WFDC Scrutiny Committee and also the annual Budget Review Panel which provides an all party analysis of the proposed spend for the following financial year. It provides the opportunity to ensure value for money for the tax paying residents in Wyre Forest and is a task I particularly enjoy. It is this special knowledge which has enabled me to support the proposals to build a single site office facility thereby saving £500K per annum – a decision which should have been taken 20 years ago.
Attendance Percentage for 2010/11
91%.
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