Park and Ride ! Costing YOU £40,000 a year!! Crazy or What!!

A report to Community and Regeneration Committee tonight exposed the disgusting waste of money in the Council's Park and Ride Scheme!

Set up when there was a shortage of town centre car parking due to the redevelopment of Weaver's Wharf and Kidderminster College of FE the Park and Ride from Stadium Close at Aggborough is used by between 35 and 50 people ALL of whom could get into town centre carparks!!

YOU the Council Taxpayers are SUBSIDISING this service by OVER £40,000 per year!

The Labour, Liberal, Liberal Democrat, Health Concern and Independent members of the committee, plus one Tory, voted to recommend that the Council suspend this scheme as soon as possible. The rest of the Tories voted against this move!

Why? Do they LIKE wasting our money?

We can think of lots of ways to spend £40,000 that would give far MORE value to the community!

I am utterly ashamed of being a County Councillor!!

Today the Tory controlled County Council Cabinet voted to close the wonderful Llanrug Outdoor Education Centre in Snowdonia.

Thousands of children have benefitted from courses at this wonderful centre. Along with Birmingham's Ogwen Cottage Centre it is one of the best in the country!

It would have cost LESS than the money being spent to REFURBISH the Council Chamber and Members' Facilities at County Hall to keep Llanrug open!!

The County Council Cabinet should hang their heads in shame!

This is the most DISGRACEFUL decision I have ever known a Council take in the 34 years I've been a Councillor!

As a mere opposition member I was denied a vote in this crucial decision!

I am ASHAMED of the County Council!!!

I feel sick that I serve on the same authority as those who took this decision!!

Perhaps Gordon really DOES believe in democracy!!!

The news that Regional Assemblies are to be axed, see BBC article below; really IS good news.

Regional assemblies will be axed The assemblies oversee housing spending in the regions Regional assemblies, which oversee the spending of tens of million pounds on housing, transport and planning, are to be scrapped, the government has said.

These were one of John Prescott's pet projects!

Even better is the news that LSC funding for most 14-19 education is to revert to Local Authorities!! Great! Democracy again!

I am beginning to appreciate that Gordon really IS different from Tony!

All he needs to do is to get the new Chancellor to reverse his hit on pension funds and there really might be a light at the end of the tunnel!!

A final farewell to the "Best Middle School in the County"!!

Just before they made the insane decision to close it, the County were praising Comberton Middle to the heights! It was the fastest improving school of its type in the Country! Its SATs results were the best in the County, so they close it!!

Last night there was a super buffet and dance in the school hall attended by present and former teaching staff, governors, cleaners  in fact everyone who had been part of the Comberton "family".

It was typical of Julie Reilly and her staff that they celebrated with a "inclusive event" which everyone could afford to attend!

It was a "bring a bottle" do and I was delighted to be sitting with Graham and Di Ballinger and, amongst others, their daughter Suzie who is a TA, and John Heseltine and his wife! The wine flowed freely and everyone joined in the dancing.

It was lovely to see the beautiful flowers which Tom Watson MP (an old boy of the school) had sent!

Many of Julie's super staff are going with her to Bewdley, parents in Bewdley are really lucky to be getting such a superb Head and smashing teachers!!

Could YOU do this walk, twice a day!

Now I have heard it all!

A young mum from Albert Rd. had her Nursery aged daughter at Offmore First Nursery. She did not get into either Offmore or Comberton Primaries (the easiest schools to walk to. She did not apply to St. George's, her catchment School. She lost her appeal for Comberton or Offmore, she has been allocated St.Oswald's!!

St.Oswald's is at the TOP of SION HILL! She does NOT have a car!

Just how can she WALK a Reception age child to and from St. Oswald's?

I think this is the STUPIDEST decision I have yet heard of!

Final Prize Giving

On Thursday I was delighted to attend, as local County Councillor, the final Prize Giving at The Sladen Middle School.

As a Middle School Sladen had carried on this tradition from its Secondary Modern Days with many cups and shields being awarded.

It was nice to see Form Prizes being awarded for Effort as well as for Achievement as it is really important to reward those who try really hard.

I was sitting with Tim Gulliver, Head of King Charles 1 and, during the ceremony, Tim was presented with one of The Sladen Silver Cups which will, in future, be awarded at King Charles.

Afterwards we all met for a glass of wine and many former pupils were talking with deep regret about the decision to close the school.

Thank YOU Lea St!!

I was invited to the end of the last ever meeting of Lea St School Governors tonight.

Mike had been a Governor there throughout his 34 years on the County Council. I was presented with a super, framed photo of Mike and Graham Ballinger in the stocks having wet sponges thrown at them at a school fete a few years ago!

It's a lovely memento and a photo I don't already have so all the more precious!

It is so sad to see such a lovely little, community based school closing down.

Thankyou all very,very much!

Symphony in The Park

I went to the superb Symphony in The Park concert tonight at West Midland Safari Park, along with Chris and Alane Harvey.

Thank Heavens the weather has changed!! It was a great evening, everyone took picnics, the wine flowed freely and the music from the English Symphony Orchestra was really great!!"

The concert finished with a spectacular firework display (hope the beautiful white tigers weren't distressed by it!!)

The Safari Park is a superb venue for concerts like this so thanks to evryone involved!