Some things new

Early in November we had the privilege of attending an extra council meeting presented by some of Swansea's Looked After Children (ie these are young people supported for a period of time by the council's social services).  Not surprisingly they are not keen on this label, and judging by the quality of their performance it seems ridiculous and totally unnecessary.  They were all extremely competent and their presentation was far superior to many of the countless ones I've had to endure in the past.  Without doubt they showed "give us the right support and the sky's the limit!"

A couple of meetings which on first glance would appear rather 'dry' were both in fact interesting, to me at least...
A working group I went to looked at car parking in Swansea, asking questions like were there enough spaces? and in the right place? was Park & Ride working? and were parking charges at the right level?  And we were told a converted 'camera car' will hopefully be ready in the New Year to help with illegal parking.  So the issueing of fines should be more efficient, easier and cheaper to deal with, although a council officer will have the last word.
And I also took part in a Forum organised by the Welsh Audit Office, to examine how well we as councillors felt Swansea was being run.  I was well aware that I needed to strike a balance between valid praise and constructive criticism, not that easy!

As this year 'celebrates' the beginning of the first World War the Remembrance service at TOPIC House was all the more poignant.  I have never carried one of the wreathes before, another privilege which I won't forget.

Since the new leader has been in place it was decided to try out cross-party cabinet advisory committees, another measure to help backbenchers be & feel far more involved.  I attended both those that I am on, and of course time will tell if these are successful or not, but I think they are a step in the right direction.

Les