Saturday 31st January - Visit from Bourg-en-Bresse

Today the Town Twinning Group and Aylesbury Town Council welcomed the Deputy Mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse, Marie Ajouint Guillaume Lacroix, to Aylesbury.

The Bourg party of 4, the Deupty Mayor and two elected members from their International Relations Comission, arrived first thing in the morning at Heathrow. After been brought to Aylesbury for a quick wash and brush up, they were given an escorted tour of the town, including a special site walk on the new ‘Bourg Walk’ bridge across the railway.

I met up with the group at a Town Council Reception in the afternoon, where the formal speeches were made. The Deputy Mayor, Guillaume, or Bill as he asked to be called, made it clear how important the link with Aylesbury is but that Bourg-en-Bresse want to make those links much greater spanning cultural, educational, sporting, political and business. A lot of work there then for the Council and the Twining group! The Twinning committee took them off for the afternoon to RAF Halton.

We met up again at the King’s Head where the Town Council hosted a dinner in honour of our guests. One short speech of thanks at the end! One of the more pleasant days of being a Councillor, but quite a few contacts and work to follow up on if as a town we are to benefit from this inter town relationship.

Accompanied by: Capercaille, Live in Concert

Wednesday 28^th January 2009

 The Town Council Speakers group met tonight. This group consists of Chairs of the various working groups and committees. Other Cllrs can attend. The agenda is usually topical, considering issues arising from the last Council meeting, issues for the next, items the officers want to bring forward and a chance to do some more lateral thinking.

Tonight we mulled over: the town market – the disappointment that the AVDC Cabinet seem totally unable to come to terms with the fact that Aylesbury Town Council exists and could have taken on the Town Market, the alternative being a status quo that has nothing to show for itself, allotments – keeping the good work going, twinning - the weekend visit by a delegation from Bourg-en-Bresse, grass verges - the unyielding battle between cars and a decent environment, events – an update on our effective advertising.

The last item was a look at our Vision. Along with other organisations we are looking at influencing the future Local Development Plan, particularly the way that future growth around Aylesbury will affect the town. The Town desperately needs a vision for the town centre that also has links with the surrounding communities. We have a couple of table papers to look at, think about and bring backto the next meeting. Homework!!

From the Speakers: Jimi Hendrix - Hear my Train Comin’ 

The front of the Upper Hundreds Car Park, one of our important car parks for the town centre, has been an eye-sore for some time. The adjacent County Council areas have been rejuvanated by the Town Council in the first year of working in partnership with BCC. After at least four or five  years of persistent questioning in the  Council chamber, AVDC have at last cleaned up their areas. A belated well done!

The AVDC Council meeting next week (4 Feb) has three items, the budget, staff  pay increase and the capital programme. No doubt Cllr Morgan-Owen will give her third rendition of “the milkmaid of Waddeson” as she explains the increase in council tax by how much milk I will have to stop drinking every week in order to afford the increase. After two years of such twaddle I still don’t like pantomimes, but I suppose I shall have to sit through another one in the Civic Centre before it is pulled down later this year. The Theatre grows in stature, as does the associated capital expenditure. As the Leader of the Council pointed out, we have to expect keep increasing the Capital cost if we want the Theatre. Sounds like open house for the builders. Cllr Cartwright didn’t answer my question in the last Council meeting either, “Why can’t the Council use the new Theatre to hold its six meetings of the year?” instead of building a brand new Council Chamber at a cost of , I’m sorry Cllr, how many millions did you say?

Fleetwood Mac - Shake your Moneymaker!! Classic Driving Rock

Ward meeting this evening with Cllrs Glenda Reynolds and Chloe Willets. Well , that put the Ward to rights!
The local NAG reports that a sum of money allocated to the NAG is to be used to repair, permanently, the chewed up verge opposite the junior school in Broughton Avenue. This is good news! It is more than interesting that two other organisations have been enlisted to try to sort out this problem, the recently created Greater Aylesbury Local Area Forum and the Town Council. Have these three groups communicated with one another? If Councillors have a difficulty understanding the relationship  between these groups no wonder Joe Public is lost most of the times as to who does what!

Listening to Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto

Let’s start this site for the second time!

In the post today a leaflet from the Bierton, Broughton, Hulcott and Watermead Residents Action Group explaining in detail why the Southern Arc should be chosen from the three options proposed for the 10,000 homes expansion around Aylesbury. The anti-East supporters and pro-Southern Arc supporters do seem to be more organised and have made a good presentation. I must put together all the material I have received for comparison, a project for another evening!

A phone call, one letter and email came today about three different planning issues in the ward. I am not a member of the planning committee which sits during the day when I have to be at work! The big advantage this gives me though is that I do not have to be absolutely neutral in this area to avoid compromising my position. The three applications of concern are for a new dwelling to be built up against 125 Narbeth Drive, a proposed new dwelling at the back of 263 Tring road, which would in effect be a new house in Ludlow Place, and the conversion of an empty industrial premise in Evett Close into a martial arts centre. There is also the ongoing case of the back garden building at 281 Tring Road, for which an enforcement order to have it pulled down has been served. More details on each of these four to follow, another evenings project!

The Mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse is visiting Aylesbury on Saturday the 31^st January. Details of the visit arrived today by email. The Town Council will be giving a lunch time reception to our esteemed visitors and later in the evening hosting a dinner with the Aylesbury Twinning Society. It is really encouraging for the town that a group of people have come together to promote the twinning link, a bridge between people that can be celebrated with the naming of the new Aylesbury Bridge, the Bourg Walk. Eight days to brush up on my French, which to be frank, is dreadful!

Other news that arrived was not so welcome! The economic scrutiny group backed the cabinets decision to reward five years of a pretty nondescript service by giving Town & Country another five year contract to run the Town Market. In the two debates no one has explained exactly what Town & Country have done, except collect the rents and allow a gradual deterioration to set in. More on this in due course.

Music to accompany tonight’s entry – Robin Trower – Dreaming the Blues