Still not a councillor-blog
I will admit to finding the new, improved, extra-full Antonia life a little bit difficult to manage at the moment. Some of that is down to having a little too much fun - going to see elephants and hippos at West Midlands Safari Park, eating curry with friends in the Balti Triangle, going on a steam train and drinking Pimms in the rain in an very English way - but some of it is down to balancing a full-time job that I love with discovering how to be a good councillor and local representative. Certainly not there yet, but definitely trying.
Doing this, you need a really understanding employer. I have one of those, and they’ve bent over backwards to help me out, but I fear that I’m becoming the newbie bore with my constant repetition of “can we do it outside work hours please?” Happy to fit around childcare responsibilities, of course, but how are we supposed to get a wider mix of councillors if everything is set up for the convenience of people who are not working or retired?
I’m also really beginning to resent badly-chaired and off-topic meetings, even those which I would previously have gone along with. Chairing isn’t hard, though some people never get the knack; having a quick think about what your audience needs to know rather than how to dazzle them with knowledge and acronyms isn’t hard; sticking to an agenda isn’t hard; answering the question asked rather than another one of your own invention isn’t hard. Last week, I attended a meeting for new councillors about planning in which we discussed the philosophical basis of the planning regulation system (that the idea that a person’s property could be subject to rules other than those of the owner was a real blow, albeit covert, to capitalism - you see, I started the meeting off listening) yet didn’t discuss the detail of how to call-in decisions, why you might want to, and which grounds were appropriate for refusing permission.
The other useful thing would be sorting out the practicalities - email addresses that work, requested IT equipment being available, inductions that induct rather than landing new councillors with more paper than they could ever carry home on the bus, not sending me twenty packets of sunflower seeds that I can never use due to not having a garden or in fact any outside space at all, you know the sort of thing. Oh, and I’d really appreciate no more glossy magazines from the LGA, LGIU or IdEA that talk about the importance of having a thorough induction for new councillors, thanks.
To end on a happy note, though, the stuff that’s important, the stuff that’s about people living in Rose Hill, that I’m finding really interesting. Not always fun, not always with a happy ending or the right result, but what I signed on for.
“drinking Pimms in the rain in an very English way” (pompous middle class drivel)
How your constituents are blessed, you have only been in the post for five mins and already you are moaning, that post was basically a long whine about how Oxford Council isnt the West Wing.
That’s really funny. Thanks for giving me a laugh to start the day, Mike.
Who is this Mike guy? There seems to be a real thing online at the moment that people who don’t like certain bloggers are intent on reading their every word and slandering it (and the blogger). I had to ban my first commenter the other day - not a nice experience.
Dunno who he is. I’m guessing one or more of the following: Tory, Lib Dem, anti-choice, F4J or homophobe. (NB - not everyone who falls into the first two categories are horrid, btw)
Hello
Any views on whats happening in Jericho?
Thanks
Michael
Welcome to the horror story side of being a councillor Antonia. The first few months are horrible as you try to work out a balance between work, council and life. I have been incredibly lucky with employers, but spent two and a half years using my annual leave to attend a monthly afternoon meeting that I was told could not be re-scheduled…
You’re right too that some councils aren’t very good at doing the induction thing - they seem to forget the lessons of the last election by the time they get to the next election.
But there will be compensations, over time….
Britblog Roundup # 68…
Now that we’re getting into golf scores for the Britblog Roundup we have one that’s a little below par in terms of the number of entries. Must be something to do with spring and young men’s fancies. You can make…
V. true. Does Oxford have daytime or evening meetings?
Both. Evening area committees and full council; daytime executive committee, licensing and scrutiny committees. I wouldn’t mind if these times were set up for the convenience of those who attend, but they’re not - they’re at those times because they’ve always been at those times.
Rob,
You don’t need to ban commenters like Mike. Everyone who reads his little dig will think he’s a complete wanker. And those that don’t won’t ever be sympathetic readers in the first place.