Planning and Development Control Training

An interesting training session this evening teaching how Development Control is a balance between the needs of all interested parties.  I was pleased to see that legislation now better recognises that councillors are political animals and that as such we are able to take part in planning decisions so long as we do so with an open mind (and say so) even if we have publicly expressed strong views before.

I was also interested to hear about the new House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation and how Oxford City Council will apply it.  It could make quite a difference to places like Reliance Way, where I live.

More Street Pastor Training

This evening we learned about the work of Thames Valley Probation and also had a brief but very useful introduction to Mental Health issues.

The range of things the Probation Service does is amazing.  I had no idea there was so much to a Community Order.  I think Community Payback is especially positive.

One more training session to go!

Annual Council and Mayor Making

We had the annual council meeting today which passed off without event and with much good humour.  I wish all full council meetings were like that.

We the had the first meeting of the Licencing and Gambling Acts committee.  I was elected vice-chair and Mary Clarkson is chair.

At 5pm we had the ceremonial council meeting in the Assembly Room.  John Goddard formally took over the role of Lord Mayor of Oxford and many speeches were made proposing and seconding him, the Sherrif (Colin Cook) and the Deputy Lord Mayor (Dee Sinclair) as well as the outgoing postholders.

Induction Training

I was invited to attend this as I haven't been a councillor for four
years and things have changed!

We had a good introduction from Peter Sloman, the Chief Executive and
then some overviews by three strategic managers.  Jeremy Thomas, the
Head of Law and Governance gave a useful overview of services and
decision making, including delegation, and there was an excellent
"Freshers Fair" set up for us new councillors where we could meet all
the council services and their staff.

We had a sandwich lunch and then we were given information about legal
rules.  There was useful instruction about the difference between
personal and prejudicial interests and I was interested to note that the
bar for prejudicial interest is now much higher than it used to be.  It
essentially has to be a pecuniary interest.  We also learned about the
difference between pre-disposition and pre-determination.

The last session I attended was about Partnership Working and this is
extremely important in an area with two-tier local government but also
includes lots of other statutory bodies.

I was unable to stay for the session about Scrutiny and Scrutiny
committees as I needed to get back to my day job!

Criminalising people a success?

I've just read a City Council Press release entitled "Successful Prosecutions for Littering in the City Centre".  I'm afraid to say that I don't really see prosecution and issuing of fines as a success, more as a failure.  Surely the objective here is to make the City Centre tidier - not turn people into criminals?  Now I'm not for a minute condoning littering and I entirely support holding people to account for their actions but wouldn't it have been much better to make the offenders take part in a City Centre clean-up / litter pick rather than just fining them?  I think that would have a much more positive effect on their future behaviour and would be a success in terms of tidying up the City.

Maybe I'm just too Liberal?  But it would have been nice to see a more positive headline than this.

Street Pastors training

I'd actually started this before being elected.  I am quite excited about it for two reasons:

1.  As an active Christian I believe we are called to take the love and care of Christ to people wherever they are.  This is a great opportunity to do that.
2. As a Carfax Councillor it will really help me to keep in touch with what happens in my ward during the small hours.

We were given a huge amount of useful information about drugs and alcohol and how they affect people we might be assisting as Street Pastors.  There are two more evening sessions to attend and then I'll have attended all sessions bar one which I will have to catch up with as I was in Cornwall last weekend.

Student night-time safety issues meeting

Just had a useful meeting with two VPs from OUSU (Eorann Lean, and Katherine Wall).  City Council staff including Karen Crossan, Nightsafe Manager, attended as did Thames Valley Police.

We discussed issues around student safety; perceived as well as actual threat; street lighting (particularly on Magdalen Bridge and Norham Gardens); the Safety Bus (which has had some less than ideal press coverage) and various other issues.

Attendance at the City Centre Neighbourhood Action group was important and it is good that there will be more student representation now that the OUSU person for that role has more time dedicated to safety.

Meeting with Oxford Hub folk

I met at 9am today with Sara Fernandez and a colleague at G&Ds on Cowley Road.  They explained to me how the Oxford Hub is the focal point for charitable activity at Oxford University. Soon, they're going to bid for a building, at 16-17 Turl Street, so the can open a multi-purpose venue for community benefit.

This looks like a good use of a building on Turl Street that has had a rather chequered history in the last few years and could do with a more permanent use. I may have to take decisions as a councillor about this so will keep my powder dry on it at the moment other than to say it looks like a good idea and a good use of the building to me.

Central South and West Area Committee

An interesting meeting tonight.  Oscar is a good chair and keeps things moving along well.  Now we are 4 LibDem and 4 Labour members we have agreed, I think, to have alternating LibDem and Labour Chairs.  Probably Oscar and Mark. More about Central South and West Area Committee

The main business of the meeting was planning applications.  The first was for a replacement mobile phone mast 10cm taller than the existing one that was given permission on appeal by a planning inspector.  The committee refused the permission although I refrained from voting, having only just been elected and not visited the site.  I also fear the grounds for rejection, given the precedent set by the planning inspector, are weak and that we may get our decision overturned and costs awarded against us.

We also had long and interesting presentations from the planning officers and representatives of Oxford University on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter development.  We were just commenting on, rather than determining, the application and we were all wholeheartedly in favour of it.  We expressed a desire to take serious action on the safety of pedestrain and cycle approaches to the site, particularly from the West, and I expressed a hope that some of the buildings that will be vacated by the University when departments move into ROQ might be considered for use as further student accommodation.

Official!

Very efficient Council Officers at Oxford City! I've now signed my declaration and received my ID card. All very quick and easy.

I also met a new councillor from another party who I know well. I was sorry to see that party tribalism is alive and kicking as that councillor studiously ignored me despite me extending greetings.

This evening I get to attend my first LibDem group meeting since 2006 when I was last a member of Oxford City Council.

I got elected!

I am now a member of Oxford City Council representing Carfax Ward, which is essentially the western half of the City Centre. I am excited to be back on the council and pleased to have a ward that has an interesting mix of all types of accommodation and people including social housing, private apartments, heads of houses, lots of students and lots more.

I will try to blog here as often as I can with my activities as a councillor.

I start today at 3pm by signing my declaration of acceptance of office and receiving my new councillor pack.

Time to clear some space in the filing cabinet methinks!