It's been a busy summer, not least because there have been so many local events! As any politician worth their salt will tell you, Gala Days are a great chance to meet local people. I really enjoy them!
I've eaten candy floss, rowed a boat, danced, chatted to firemen, helped a wee girl who had bitten her lip, listened to pipers, had a massage, watched football, and drawn raffle tickets. I also fear there may be a picture in the Glasgow East News of me with Cllr Redmond and Frank McAveety sliding down a bouncy castle! It's all great fun, and everyone involved made great efforts to ensure the success of every event.
The pictures are of the Bridgeton Gala Day balloon race, the Humane Society Boathouse from the river, and Margaret Hattie, Chair of Friends of Glasgow Green, who arranged for the St Francis Gorbals Pipe Band to play in the ampitheatre next to the People's Palace. It was a great success, and well recieved by tourists and locals alike.
It’s been nearly two years since I first started my Councillor’s surgeries, so I’ve taken some time over recess to think about times and venues.
If you’ve never been to a surgery, it’s all pretty simple*. I book a room in a hall, a school or library at a set time every month, and you can come and see me to talk about your problems or ideas for the local area. I’ve stuck some photos up from a couple of the venues – there’s always a chair and a listening ear waiting for you!
A lot people tend to get in touch with me directly, by phone or email, and I pick up a lot of cases while I’m out and about. I still think surgeries are important to do though – unlike MPs and MSPs, Councillors expenses don’t run to providing a local office, so surgeries are the best alternative to ensuring the public can find us when they need us. If no-one arrives, I get some quiet time to work on committee papers or chat to the janitor or staff (great sources of news!).
Some locations are better attended than others, yet there’s no rhyme or reason to when they’re busy. People have come to see me in the pouring rain, and stayed away on sunny evenings. Some I’ve promoted quite a lot, but still seem quite quiet. I think I’ve managed to achieve a good geographical spread within the constituency, in walking distance for most people.
I do eight surgeries a month, which is more than the average. Details of all the surgeries held by Councillors in Glasgow can be found on the Council website or in the back pages of the Glasgow Magazine. I don’t see it as a big time commitment though – eight hours in a month is pretty reasonable.
The main reason for reviewing surgery times and places has been my Calton surgery, which was previously held in St James’ Primary, which Labour voted to close. There are no other public buildings in the Calton – which was of course part of the problem with this particular closure. I have arranged to use a room in St Luke’s and St Andrew’s church on Bain Street, which I hope will be convenient for most people in the area.
I’m also moving three of my morning surgeries at Reidvale, Dalmarnock and Helenslea to Thursday rather than Tuesday. Bridgeton Library will continue to be on a Tuesday, as the Library opens later on a Thursday. Some of my colleagues have surgeries on Mondays and Fridays, but I was concerned that these are often subject to cancellation due to the closure of buildings on bank holidays.
The full list has been updated on the side bar and the Council
website. I’m always up for trying out new venues or ideas to communicate with my constituents – if you have suggestions please let me know!
* These kind of surgeries don’t involve any medical procedures – a friend of mine was quite concerned when I said I was going out for my surgery!
I'm annoyed and disappointed by the news that the UK Border Agency has made a mess of the visa applications of the Lahore Pipe Band, who were aiming to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships on Saturday. A trade delegation from Lahore have also had their applications refused.
The Worlds are an amazing international event, bringing bands from around the world to Glasgow Green. We are extremely privileged to have such an event in Glasgow.
I saw the band compete in 2007, and they added a splash of colour to proceedings otherwise marked by torrential downpours. It was great to see, among the sea of black overcoats, the green, red and gold headdresses of the Pakistani pipers. It's a real shame if they're not going to make it over in time for the Championships.
I find it really difficult to understand why this type of misunderstanding happens time and time again. When Motherwell played Flamurtari from Albania a few weeks ago, there was a very real possiblity several of their team being refused entry into the country due to visa problems with the UK Embassy.
If you're coming as part of a delegation, and there are no reasonable barriers (criminal records, previous issues when visiting) to coming to visit for a few days, why do these problems keep cropping up? Is it because the UK Border Agency have no knowledge or interest in events in Scotland? Are they genuinely unaware or unsympathetic to the needs of large groups travelling for work or leisure?
Whatever the reason, it seems crazy in this year of Homecoming that tourists keen to visit Scotland find the UKBA slamming the door in their face.
I was delighted on Friday to hear the news that the Scottish Government has awarded Bridgeton £1.95 million to go towards redeveloping the town centre.
When the SNP Government introduced this scheme, I really hoped Bridgeton could benefit from it. Our Glasgow MSPslobbied hard to make sure that the definition of "town centres" allowed those in cities to be included. As much as town centres in rural areas need assistance, urban town centres are often neglected for investment in the city centre. The Merchant City, International Financial Services District and the "golden z" are nice, but it's as important to invest in the places where people actually live.
Bridgeton Town Centre was chosen as one of the forty-eight town centres across Scotland to receive this funding, and has received the highest sum of money in Glasgow. This is a massive boost for the area, and shows the SNP Government’s commitment to regeneration in the East End.
I know that staff at Clyde Gateway are working hard to develop plans for the area alongside the wishes of local people, and this money will really add to what they can do. I fully support funds going towards the redevelopment of the former Olympia Cinema, which could become a huge asset for the East End.
There is £20 million in the town centre regeneration fund pot to be awarded later this year, and I am sure that Parkhead Cross, which missed out this time, will have a very good chance of getting selected next time. Parkhead has had some investment through the Townscape Heritage Initiative, but like so many of Glasgow's neglected town centres, it needs a bit extra to really make the difference for local people.
I went swimming last week for the first time in at least a year. It's not because I saw this report, or was particularly influenced by any health campaigns - instead, it's more that the suits I bought when I got elected are starting to get a bit tight.
I reckoned it was time to face facts, and instead of going to a "panic session" of Body Combat whenever I feel a bit flabby, I really need to find time for regular exercise. I've done gym inductions, but have never really been back since. I have no excuse! From where I live in Dennistoun there are great facilities for getting fit - Alexandra Park, Haghill, Whitehill Pool, and the East End Healthy Living Centre.
Although it sounds like it, I'm not actually any kind of exercise-phobe. At school, I played hockey every Saturday and trained during the week. I played all the inter-house sports, and ran the school cross country. I opted to do a session of PE in fifth and sixth year (very few girls did likewise). When I went to Uni, I tried a bit of netball in first year and occasionally played badminton with folk from work. Since then, I've really fallen out of the habit. I loved team sports, and feel a bit shy about joining anywhere on my own. I'm worried too that I wouldn't be able to give the time necessary to stay involved. If there's any teams out there that would have me, I'd be glad if someone let me know!
I went back to the pool this morning for the 7.45am session and it wasn't as hard as I expected. I had an early night last night, and was weirdly very awake this morning. I had plenty of time to fit in a forty-five minute swim, and got back home in time to get changed and catch the train into town with my husband. Now I have proof that it can be done, it's just a small matter of keeping the routine going.
I received an email the other day with my “report card” for the end of the term. Like at school, I’m pleased to report that my attendance record was 100%. This record doesn’t tell the whole story though – my dad always told me that it’s the taking part that counts. In committees, it’s what you contribute and how you hold people to account.
Councillors Attendance at Committee meetings between 01/04/2009 and 30/06/2009
Committee
Total
Present
Absent
%
hh:mm
Calton Area Committee
2
2
0
100
03:00
Council
4
4
0
100
09:25
Executive
7
7
0
100
11:00
Finance and Audit Scrutiny Committee
2
2
0
100
06:00
Personnel Appeals Committee
3
3
0
100
05:40
Totals
18
18
0
100
35:05
For every one of the meetings attended, there’s a lot of preparation and rooting out of information. I would estimate that I spend at least the same amount of time preparing for a committee as I do attending it. Committee papers can be quite chunky, and the cynical among us often think they are written in a way to hide more than they show. Furthermore, we tend to receive the papers only three or four days before the meeting takes place.
All Councillors should be interrogating the papers and finding out the truth behind them; it’s particularly important that we do this as opposition Councillors. I have seen some less dedicated (?) members of the Labour group ping the rubber band off their pristine papers at the start and deposit them straight into the recycling bin at the end, but to my mind, that’s really not good enough. It’s our responsibility to ensure the decisions we make are based on the correct information.
In addition to the committees shown above, I’m a member of the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Board, a board member of the East End Healthy Living Centre, and a member of the East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership, all of which come with their own time commitments and paperwork!
I enjoy the challenges of the different committees, and the wide range of issues I get to deal with; this work does always come second though to the reason I’m a Councillor - representing my constituents.
I was lucky enough last night to be asked along to the 21st birthday celebrations for YDance, the National Youth Dance Agency for Scotland. They put on a performance in four sections at the RSAMD, showcasing the skills and energy that have kept them in the spotlight for all these years.
I have huge admiration for the young people involved - they were all very talented and professional, and had come the length and breadth of the country to be a part of the project. You can catch them at the Eden Court in Inverness tonight, or the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen tomorrow.
YDance have already been part of the Homecoming Launch, but will also be putting together a special performance of Tam O'Shanter at Stirling Castle on Friday 16 & Saturday 17 October and Haddo House on Friday 30 & Saturday 31 October. I'll be making space in my diary when I get in today and booking my tickets!
It's been a busy summer, not least because there have been so many local events! As any politician worth their salt will tell you, Gala Days are a great chance to meet local people. I really enjoy them!
