Post Election Election Planning For The Future
A week in the life of a local councillor in Chiswick
Cllr Sam Hearn who represents the Riverside ward in Chiswick, is chairman of the Chiswick Area Forum. He has written this account of his week as a busy local councillor
Friday 22th May: Into Strand-on-the Green Party School for an early morning meeting of the Governors’ Finance and Staffing sub-committee. Lots happening and the new SEN Unit is well on the way to completion. At a Chiswick home with local Patrons who helped fund Mary Macleod’s Campaign. It is a sweet and sour event for most of us. The overriding impression is of an organisation in good heart that is looking to the future with cautious optimism.
Saturday 23th May: My turn to run the Councillors’ surgery. No residents materialise so I spent my time catching up on my emails. Visited an old friend in the part-completed shell of the dream home that he is building close to my old primary school. It is a very “green” project but with large parts of the exterior wall faced with traditional knapped flints in the local Bucks style. I am intrigued that his plans do not include a photo-voltaic array.
Sunday 24th May: Another rehearsal for the Rock and a Hard Place Musical. The world premiere is at St Paul’s Grove Park is on the 7th June. All the tickets are now sold out. A couple of issues raised by local residents are proving intractable and I seek advice from colleagues. I try hard to focus on the issues that will come to the next meeting of the Area Forum. It is election time again so I might not be chairing the meeting.
Tuesday 26th May: A set piece Borough Council meeting to elect the new Mayor, Nisar Malik. I hope that as many Chiswick residents as possible will have a chance to meet him over the next year. He is supporting two excellent charities in his year in office. I made a short speech congratulating the retiring Mayor, Cllr Smart. I must be going soft in my old age. Congratulations were offered to our new MP, Cllr Cadbury and thanks offered to Mary Macleod for all her hard work.
Wednesday 27th May: Several people that I need to contact on LBH matters are on holiday. More time to polish up my draft emails – and make them shorter.
Thursday 28th May: Accompanied Cllr McGregor to an interesting meeting with representatives of a large London based Housing Association. A slow drive into the Civic Centre to collect my papers for next week’s area forum meeting. The agenda needs to be tinkered with. On to a “thank you” party at a Gallery on Chiswick High Road for volunteer election helpers. Amazing to see so many new faces but a little sad that so few of the Riverside-Posse had made it across the A4.
May 29, 2015