However what has happened leads me to consider further and wider issues.
My purpose is to reflect on the attitudes within our present local government and hope that we can move to a new way of operating for the future.
In my view the Ulverston Town Council could be a lot more effective and promoted the wrong decision in this case. I shall explain why separately. (I shall be most interested in the views of the anonymous commenter - probably Cllr Phil Lister - who has been defending the decision if he/she has the courage to come out in the open and promote a healthy discussion.)
True, the Ulverston Town Council has limited powers. It's members could however act as a focus for the abilities and thinking within our town.
Very few councillors have been doing this.
But to her credit, Judy Pickthall has.
When an issue is raised it would be good to have a small group of say three who are well informed on the topic and have all their facts, information and contacts at the ready. They could then guide the rest of the councillors and thus the SLDC councillors - not only within Ulverston but those sympathetic outside to work together.
These groups could propose initiatives and be proactive in the way that Judy tries to do .
In my view there is a need for a planning group (say three) that takes care of the future planning in Ulverston - they would be very familiar with the latest publications like the Core Strategy Document - (7 MB before you click here) A document I took a lot of time to contribute to - unlike the other councillors. Sadly I've had to take my eye off the ball with everything else I try to do.
Councillors could work in threes on topics like the following :
- the needs of the young people in Ulverston - Colin Williams
- car parking in the town - Norman Bishop-Rowe would be good at this
- close contact with the police - possibly Janet Jenkinson
- the future needs of the town - roads, TIC, Toilets - how about Colin Hodgson
- preserving the appearance of the town and promoting it - Judy Pickthall already does some of this (I've also been trying to persuade James Airey to get involved)
- looding in South Ulverston - Phil Lister working with District Cllr Mark Wilson
- planning - Cllr Jack Rice perhaps
My hope would be that councillors wouldn't feel that they had to know it all as I find happens now with their leave it to me - you can't help attitude. Instead they would be in close contact with others in the town who had expertise in these various fields. They would then be the focus for others rather than authorities themselves.
A good example of this going wrong is the Tourist Web Site for the Town over the last four years which could have been far better if the UTC had encouraged the web site designers already active in the town rather leaving things to the overstretched Jayne Kendal with no background in this field. Even now leaving it to SLDC is a poor choice for the future (with cut backs in the offing). Visit Ulverston has far more potential.
At the present there seems little coordinated working. Every one tries to handle everything in reactive way. The result is that Ulverston is getting stuck in the bay mud while other towns like Kendal and Grange are battling ahead.
There's a attitude of defeatism among councillors that they can't do anything that is so entrenched that one feels they have stopped trying. "SLDC will never do that " they respond when you put a new idea to them. Why not try at least I think.
The behavior of Janet Jenkinson, James Airey and Colin Hodgson at Wednesday's cabinet meeting made me squirm - it was so subservient. Points they could have made forcibly on the Ulverston TIC and Car Parking in the town came across as damp squibs. Cllr Tom Harvey for Grange showed them how it should be done - he comes across as a fighter.
Getting involved with our politicians at the moment is so depressing and frustrating that one feels that one is better to focus on doing things oneself and concentrating on the others in the town who roll there sleeves up and get stuck in. It is with great reluctance that I have spent the last 90 minutes writing the above when I could be doing other things I enjoy. Why am I such a fighter?
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