As well as the regulars - Audit, Licensing, Poverty policy group, and Council - I attended two Scrutiny Working Groups on totally different topics, one being Hate Crime and the other Car Parking Charges.
The former assessed the progress the council has been making to address this issue, sadly on the increase and affecting numerous & wide ranging 'minority' groups. On the whole I'm pleased to say we are at least going in the right direction but as ever there's no room for complacency and there's always more we can be doing.
Talking politically with a small 'p' I have never understood how anyone can judge someone else because there is something different about them. The fact is we are all different - I may have a doppleganger somewhere but you can bet she will not have exactly the same interests, views, personality etc etc. and the world would be worse off if this wasn't the case. Variety - in everything from colour & race, to language & opinions - definitely is the spice of life. And how on earth can someone hate someone else they have never even met?!
In complete contrast the Car Parking Charges meeting threw up some interesting concerns from members of the public regarding some of Swansea foreshore car parks. This was followed by an interesting (yes, really!) discussion raising a number of points about how car parks will fit into the future of Swansea, in the city, around Mumbles & on Gower. And it made me realise that something you would have thought would be fairly straightforward, that is how council car parks should be run and in particular what to charge, is in fact far more complex that at first it appears. This is mainly and importantly because they do not 'stand alone' but to work well they need to be assessed as part of the bigger picture alongside all other aspects regarding transport.
(And being slightly frivolous, I do find the pay machines rather stressful when you have to put in your car registration - there's nothing more embarrassing than standing there, far away from where you have parked it, trying to remember!)
Les
Interesting start to the month when alongside other councillors we met with the body who looks into the pay & conditions of councillors. One way they do this is by going around different authorities to get feedback off us, both cabinet members - those who lead on particular area of the council such as Education - and the rest of us 'backbenchers'. It felt good that they were listening to our comments, and definitely not just a box ticking exercise.
The rest of the month has been one of fits & starts - some weeks few or no meetings or appointments, another week full to capacity (well it felt like it!)
I attended two council meetings which do not meet very often during the year. Also with both it was the first time since May so we needed to elect new chair/vice chair, and it turns out that I am now vice chair on both. As it happened I then chaired the Trustees meeting, which administers specific pots of money that have been entrusted to the council to allocate to worthy applicants. A bit of a challenge to do this without any prior notice or preparation but I think I managed it quite well.
In the busier week that followed I had Student Liaison - my other vice chair - Poverty group, and full council. Just a bit more on the Poverty meeting as this can be quite a heavy topic yet we had two excellent & inspiring presentations. One of these was on how a Swansea community, helped in the main by a local
housing association, managed to provide meals during the summer to bridge the gap between term time. Such a positive project, and a positive outcome.
Les
During my time as a councillor I have done what I can to support initiatives aimed at reducing poverty. There are a number of groups address this issues from various perspectives, one being the Financial Inclusion Steering Group (FISG), with part of its remit to encourage partnership working, and which I have recently started attending. Having now served a full term I feel a bit surer of my role as a councillor and feel I can now give this more attention.
We are still keeping busy tending the area around Mayhill Washing 'Lake'. Husband Jeff is secretary of the Friends of group and really helps retain the momentum. There are still jobs to do over Autumn & Winter, including being ever watchful to ensure the area doesn't go back to the bad old days of black bag flytipping.
A sad reflection on the times, one of the training courses I have attended has been about radicalism. The internet & social media has opened up vast opportunities but also threats as people can be indoctrinated behind closed doors without anyone being any the wiser.
Our regular Audit meeting included annual reports from the Welsh Audit Office, fortunately good ones too! And it's the time of year when the council approves (or not!) the annual accounts. As it happens this is something else which comes through Audit first.
I went to the AGM of the local credit union as I am the council representative to their board. There are plenty of places where one can access loans but credit unions also encourage people who become members to save as well. Over the coming months I hope I can do more to spread the word about them.
Not so many meetings, and the training has eased off this month, with just the one
I attended. This looked in detail at the Social Services &
Wellbeing Act which came into force in April. It used the usual
presentation & talk style but we are gradually being encouraged to
do more via the e-learning platform.
Occasionally we have an extra council meeting, as was the case this month. It celebrated the work done by long standing councillors who have since stood down,
by awarding them the title of Alderman or Alderwoman. I wouldn't want all meetings to have the pomp & ceremony that these do, but once in a while it makes a change, and I'm all for saying 'thank you' as much as possible.
Further progress with our Friends of group - Mayhill Washing Lake & Community Food Garden - as we have made more new contacts to help support this project, especially with the food garden and applying for grants. And we ended the month with an excellent Bat Walk up the Black Road and were rewarded with both a lovely evening and lots of bats!
Les
Had some busy patches in July, partly due to ongoing training, one of which was a very interesting session on dementia. It certainly helps to have a better understanding of what a dementia sufferer may well be going through.
I attended an extra Hill Trust meeting where we looked at ways to market the Phoenix Centre more effectively. It was very productive with a lot of ideas bounced around. The centre is a great asset to Townhill yet there are people who live locally who still don't even know it exists! Together I am sure we can introduce improvements which will ensure it's future, and be of even more benefit to the community.
A Hearing? Yet another new one for me as this is something that crops up from time to time linked to the Licensing Committee, where three out of the full committee hear one-off license applications, and decide whether or not to grant them. A bit of a steep learning curve as I was only drafted in at the last minute, but it was interesting enough (albeit somewhat lengthy, from 9.15 to nearly 1pm!) that I would not be adverse to being involved again.
In complete contrast with standard councillor life, I have managed to get to my Voices on the Hill choir a couple of times. A distant cry from what I usually sing as in the past few weeks we have been trying out relatively contemporary pop numbers such as "Roar" by Katy Perry, and Coldplay's "Fix you". Definitely different!
Les
A bit late with my blog for last month. But the last few weeks, since the beginning of the new council 5 year term, has been pretty busy with training, as well as some meetings continuing as normal.
I remain on most of the committees as before but with a couple of newbys, Licensing bring one. This covers moreorless every type of licence you can think of, from food & drink, HMOs, street trading - you name it, we deal with it. So far meetings have been about making decisions on taxi and hackney cab issues, but it's early days as I am sure my remit will broaden in time. In any event it has been quite interesting reviewing a person's entitlement to a licence, when taking into account their circumstances.
As school governor, you may recall in my last blog 
I mentioned going to Dylan Thomas School's BandAlong launch - a music project to get all of year 7 involved in forming a band. Well, last month I went to the Summer Concert to see the outcome. Astounding I think is one word for it, when you realise the fantastic progress they had made in such a short space of time. They made as good a sound as many other amateur orchestras I've ever heard in the past. I'm sure I've said this before but kids & young people never do cease to amaze me!
Les
A double dose of blog today, for various reasons, as I cover both April and May. The end of my first term as councillor and the beginning of my second - in a way it's another first!
Much of April & early May was taken up with door knocking, to encourage people to vote in the local election on 4th May - a lot of hard work but at least I had my reward by being re-elected. Nonetheless I had a smattering of meetings including Governors, and full council. Plus we had our annual photo taken - rather special as some would not be returning after May 4th.
I also went to something very rewarding at Dylan Thomas School, as I attended the launch of BandAlong, an excellent idea of getting all year 7 pupils to take up an instrument with a view to performing sometime in the summer term. I was amazed at how much progress was made in just a short time, and impressed how the teacher seemed to get the best out of everyone. There were lots of giggles initially - only natural when they tried and usually failed first time at getting a note - but all those who took part honestly gave their all. Quite inspiring!
In the first few weeks of a new term a lot of time is spent on induction for new councillors and refresher training for ones carrying on. It's also when all councillors are allocated to various committees, and I have accepted to go on Licensing - again a first. Training this week and a meeting next week, so will let you know how I get on, and whatever else I've been doing, in my next blog.
Les
It's very hard to believe that I have been a councillor for nearly 5 years, and this time next month I will know whether or not my fate is sealed for another 5 - we shall see!
And quite remarkably in March I had another 'first time' experience as convenor/chair on a Scrutiny Working Party which was looking at Digital Inclusion. Quite few issues were raised in asking whether with the increase in use of smart phones, I-pads etc is the council inadvertently leaving some people excluded, and/or doing enough to 'get people online' where possible. In theory these working parties just take up one meeting but it's quite possible that the topic will be revisited later in the year.
For the city as a whole it was really pleasing that the long awaited City Deal, which will benefit 4 local authorities across South to West Wales to the tune of £1.3 billion, was finally signed in Swansea by the PM.
As with any project of this size a lot of hard work has been done behind the scenes to get this off the ground, but many will say that the real work starts now. And of course there will be setbacks along the way but one gets the feeling that a lot of enthusiasm has been created by it, so it looks likely that all those involved will make every effort to ensure it succeeds.
And as well as the usual council meetings, the Friends of Mayhill Washing Lake & Community Food Garden have met quite a few times. It's been a very long time coming, but things are suddenly starting to happen. It's so encouraging how many people of taking an interest, both in looking after the pond area to keep it looking good as a picnic site, and in developing a food garden which will also benefit those in the surrounding community.
Les
Visited Swansea Mosque on its national open day. Fascinating, and as primarily a place of worship certainly not what you might expect. The building is multifunctional, definitely a great example of what a community venue should be all about. But the current building too small so they have been renovating the old church opposite. They held their first event there quite recently, but whilst not yet confirmed I am looking forward to being at the official opening.
As well as the usual meetings, such as my Cabinet Advisory, Audit etc the best thing to happen this month was at last successfully forming our Friends of group, to help look after Mayhill Washing 'Lake' and develop a community food garden. The future for both is really looking good.
But the main council event in the month of February is as ever the Budget Council meeting. In the past these have been a marathon of ridiculous proportions, so 3 and a half hours was nothing!
Les
Unfortunately not a great start to the year as I brought back an unwelcome guest from our lovely New Year mini cruise - a ghastly stomach bug! So I missed a couple of meetings in the first week but did manage to attend a special one. The first of many I am sure, we have started looking into the future for the Townhill Campus of UWTSD (formerly the Swansea Institute) now that they are building a new one on Fabian Way. Strictly speaking it's in Uplands ward but right on the corner with Townhill. The next step will be to get together with those councillors, to take things further.
I got to both of my cabinet advisory committees. In the 
one on Education, we continue to look at ways to help all pupils avoid ending up leaving school with nothing on the horizon, be it a job, further education, or maybe a positive decision to take a year out. I don't think for one moment any of us on that committee believe we are going to completely eradicate this issue which has been around for decades (probably a lot longer!) But we can at least make some contribution to helping those who do not neatly fit in with what the education system currently offers.
Two council meetings, the monthly one but also a 'special'. I feel quite privileged to be around now that Swansea appears to be on the cusp of great things (even better if the Swans manage to stay up!) We were there to vote on the City Deal which if it comes to fruition, will bring £millions, and lots of jobs, into the region. And what a great opportunity for all councillors to agree unanimously.
Interesting end to the month, and another first albeit it in a 'non' sort of way. We should have had another special council, but it was no longer required. However to adhere to the constitution the meeting couldn't be cancelled as such, so we were just told not to go!
Les
The month started with something wonderful - the turf cutting ceremony for the Mayhill Medical Centre. This project has been in the offing since early 2000s so a long time coming, but hopefully the local residents will be pleased that the wait is now over.
Whilst I still had a smattering of the usual meetings such as Audit & Democratic Services, being December it was of course a fairly Christmassy month, Firstly me singing with Voices on the Hill both in St Nicholas church one week, then the church hall a week later. Then following the termly governors meeting I went for the first time to Dylan Thomas School annual concert in St Peters - the talent that kids have never ceases to amaze me, but then us adults always do have a terrible habit of underestimating them. And after council mid month we managed to get to the 'council' concert in St Marys, always worth going to.
And the month even finished with something wonderful when I discovered that the broken railings towards one end of Pantycelyn have finally been replaced with 'tidy' wooden posts, now matching up with the rest of the road. Believe it or not my best Christmas present!
Les
