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Sarah Check these portfolios all of which, and more are at : http://213.210.33.3/mgCommitteeDetails.asp?ID=262One Hounslow - Leading and promoting Hounslow as a successful and diverse community of communities. Cllr. Colin Ellar. Has he done this given the St George's Day flag fiasco? Cllr Ellar is supposed to be the Leader of the Council. I’ll leave that thought with you but its somewhat worrying that a Leader of a local authority can divide the people of the borough with the monumental St George’s day flag cock-up.  Children and Lifelong Learning - Successful Schools, achieving the full potential of our children. Cllr. Ruth Cadbury. Belmont School I hear you cry. Nursery school places too.Promoting Community Cohesion and Community Safety - Reducing fear of crime and serious crimes. Cllr. Amrit MannUmmm, do we feel safer? Are we only to expect to feel that crime and serious crimes are reducing rather than being assured that crime numbers are actually reducing? Supporting Vulnerable People: - Reshaping services to adults, and improving partnership working to support a range of vulnerable groups. Cllr. Gurmail LalI have my own views on the closure of day centres and care homes, both of which the Labour leadership of this borough have carried out over many years. Enhancing Our Environment - Improving the visual impact of the local streetscene through waste minimisation and recycling. Cllr. Ron BartholomewSo the streets may look better if you view them from eye level upwards but look down at the cracked paving and you won't be impressed. Cut the trees down and you’ll have nothing to look at save for more planes flying overhead. Sustainable Mixed Housing - Working towards our ‘decent homes’ target for Council Housing; tackling homelessness and reducing the use of B&B accommodation; sustainable housing with homes available to rent or buy for people with a range of incomes, including key workers. Cllr. Krishan Chopra. Where is all this supposed sustainable mixed housing? This borough needs several hundred extra decent homes today. We needed them yesterday, last week and last month. Are we seeing them built or are we being sold promises which will never materialise? Positive Regeneration - Cllr. John Chatt – Under John Chatt, are they kidding? Improving Customer Care - Improving the customer experience of Hounslow Council and developing our consultation and communication arrangements. Cllr. Bobbie Wason. Improving the customer experience of Hounslow Council eh? That'll be good when it happens. How effective have your own "customer experiences" of Hounslow Council been? Great that Hounslow are consulting, what on? The St George's Day flag flying? Then again, Hounslow are consulting on trees, maybe Hounslow are going to follow Ealing in proposing to cut down thousands of trees. Oh and the communications angle, I'd forgotten about the distribution of Labour Party leaflets at taxpayers expense which were distributed with the Hounslow Council magazine. Better Performance - Strong performance management to improve outcomes for our residents. Cllr. Pritam Grewal.When are Hounslow going to start on this initiative? Resources For Future Improvement - Developing the medium term Financial Plan’s objectives and improving procurement to deliver cost effective, value for money services for the borough. Cllr. Jagdish Sharma. That'll be building a conference centre at the Civic Centre which as contributors to council tax funds we will fund so that Hounslow as a local authority can take the natural business step of diversifying into the conference centre and catering business. Are they having a laugh or what?

Gareth Evans ● 7359d

I have had a busy week, but tune in occasionally to see what is going on..Corinna is on the right lines (thanks for the information :-) ) about avenues to feed thoughts, ideas etc into the Fortress, but as always IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT HAPPENS TO IT WHEN WE MANAGE TO INFILTRATE THEIR LINES...?  especially as the departments dont talk to one another (several officials have said this to me)(Sorry, Zec, about my comment about you frisbeeing unwanted CDs into the park, but you may have a better understanding of where I am coming from?)I wrote a bit on W4 about being a fringe member of the Marlborough (Primary school) Mob.I understand (I think) that the people who had been charged with presenting reports about the schools (disgraceful) state, had failed to present a fair and reasonable report?It was suggested at the time? that this was linked to politics and there were (scandal!) rumours about secret liaisons, which gave people personal favours (you really haven't lived until you start to dabble in local Politics, so God knows what you are like by the time you reach Phil’s chosen destination?) .. but the end result was that the school had not been given the attention and money it deserved.  To sum that up, the expected avenue of reasoned analysis of the situation, or the base lines assessments which were to be compared in order to decide where the money should be spent, were screwy.Another way of saying the information was interpreted differently once it got to comparison stages, and the school was passed over, again and again?It appeared to me to be all about who shouted the loudest, in the right ears, was listened to?  maybe it was as simple as who you smoked with and the type of cigar you smoked?The experience was amazing.  Working alongside people who really knew how to run a campaign, and with support from strategic people (Cllrs and others from places in the Fortress arena who were working with reasoning and priorities) and we ended up outside the Fortress for our shout in, with the Children.The avenue of conversation and the direction of the flow of that information (towards the walls) here was organised by ... well, I hope I am not giving too much away if I say if you want to organise a shout in, ask a Policeman?  Your front liner here with the knowledge of how to do it, is always going to be a Policeman who has seen it all done and could put together the best bits?  He had everyone chanting - and was conducting the groups which he had all sorted out, as if we were an orchestra.  He even had us chanting in a round!Anyway, what I am trying to get around to saying is - should we start a walls of Jericho, thread?

Sarah Felstead ● 7363d