Communication with Councillors

[Geoffrey Settle]

Ok guys now that the missing votes has been accounted for - in so much as since the upgrade to this forum all bets are null and void - so says his nibs Gary

 

I did have a survey on your what your preference was for contacting your Borough Councillor.

 

I will use the new format and pose three simple questions - hope it works ok - to see what discussion forum member's preferences are. I ran out of space on the age question and could only have three cohorts but that should do.

 

Feel free to add any comments when you post.

 

Dizzy has just pointed out the multiple choice option - so you can now select your preferred ways of contacting your councillor - it may be different horses for different courses i.e. letter may be best for some things but a quick phone call better for others. Have fun and before you say it's going to skew the results yes it will but lets see what come out on top. You can always comments on your selection of choices if you want.

[Dizzy]

Can you change the first section to a multiple choice (ie we can tick more than one option). There is a little check box where you can do that Geoff

 

Reason : There are a few ways I prefer but can't answer your poll as it will sound like I only want ONE way and I don't

[Geoffrey Settle]

Gosh multiplicity - let's give it a go....

[Eagle]

Can you change the first section to a multiple choice (ie we can tick more than one option). There is a little check box where you can do that Geoff

 

Reason : There are a few ways I prefer but can't answer your poll as it will sound like I only want ONE way and I don't

.

 

Not true, you can only PREFER to have one option otherwise it wouldn't be your preference...........the fact that you woould use other options is irrelevant to the vote.

 

Allowing multiple choices would make the poll meaningless.

[Evil Sid]

Had to put other as there was not an option for beyond the grave :unsure:

[Dizzy]

 

Not true, you can only PREFER to have one option otherwise it wouldn't be your preference...........the fact that you woould use other options is irrelevant to the vote.

 

Allowing multiple choices would make the poll meaningless.

 

Nonsense Eagle..... I'm sure I was right and that I do 'PREFER' to have 'ALL' of the choices I voted on. If I couldn't have voted on more than one then I wouldn't have bothered as I simply could not answer and also there was the fear that I may be stuck with one choice in future. That would be naff !

 

For example.... I like that fact that I can pick up the phone and ring my borough concillor if I need to and he answers or I can leave a message which he then responds to. Just as I like the fact I can email him and he replies but I certainly wouldn't want only one of those ways as what if I couldn't ring or access my pc when I needed too?

 

I definately wouldn't want to 'tweet' or 'facebook' him.

 

It really depends on what I would be contacting my borough councillor about to some extent, ie sometimes a quick phone call could be all that is needed or other times a more formal email etc may required so it can be passed on if necessary.

 

It's hardly rocket science and it's only a forum poll to see how people like to do things

 

You yourself can of course just click one option or choose to ignore it all together I suppose

[Geoffrey Settle]

Ok I hop this compromise will make it a bit easier it will now read

Which of these would you like to use to contact your Borough Councillor you can select one or more?

[Dizzy]

Changing or re-wording the question half way through a poll just confuses things Geoff

 

For all we know you may now change it again to read 'which of the following ways would you NOT want to contact your councillor'... if you don't get the response or votes you hoped for.

 

Sorry I couldn't resist and I know you wouldn't do that but 'some' would

[Geoffrey Settle]

I agree I might but I've taken on board people's comments and tried to come up with a compromise. In the end if as a result of the change you want to redo your choices you simply delete and re-enter.

 

I'm simply doing a straw poll - interesting to see the cohort (only one under 34) and gender (the girls are outnumbered) distribution so far - email is out in front but interestingly at least 4 people would go to a surgery.

[Dizzy]

'sense of humour' Geoff ? I was joking !!! (hence all the ' 's after my comment )

[observer]

Seems Councillors are communicating with each other via e-mail; what's up Geoff, don't you have Group Meetings anymore?!

[Geoffrey Settle]

'sense of humour' Geoff ? I was joking !!! (hence all the ' 's after my comment )

 

I must pay more attention DIZZY you've got me all in a spin

[Geoffrey Settle]

'sense of humour' Geoff ? I was joking !!! (hence all the ' 's after my comment )

 

I must pay more attention DIZZY you've got me all in a spin

[Geoffrey Settle]

Seems Councillors are communicating with each other via e-mail; what's up Geoff, don't you have Group Meetings anymore?!

 

Looks like email is the preference of WWW posters what was it like in your day

[wahl]

Although I prefer email, it really is mostly a waste of time as most councillors I have tried to contact simply ignore the email until I complain to the chief executive.

 

So I now start with the chief exec and tghis seems to work most times. x

[observer]

Probably best, given the CEO runs the show anyway!

[Peter T]

Obs, not wishing to upset you, but I believe that the Chief Exec has discovered Latchford and even had a tour around, finding lots of new built apartments that it would appear that no-one knew existed.

[Bazj]

Geoff.... I look at it like this.....

 

All the councillors I have ever met or spoken to are in it for themselves in one way, shape or form.... be it financially or a power trip or to get names in papers or on websites or whatever....

 

you may be able to pick up a bit of litter here and there and count a few butterflies, but when the big questions are asked (such as why are the councillors not opposing the Chief Executives pay rise etc.) the barriers go up, the lights go out and there is no one at home just like the rest of the councillors....

 

Waste of time because nothing ever seems to get done for the good of the people or the good of the town... if one lot comes up with a good idea; no matter how good, the opposition will always vote against it. We have front page national newspapers slagging our town off for holding 10p piss-ups, but it is you; the councillors who continually vote to give these pubs their licenses because it suits the financial coffers to do so.

 

We get cuts in services, cuts in staff, but do we get a cut in council tax? do we heck as like.... nearly two grand a year to get my bin emptied once a week and have the odd blown street light replaced.... come the winter, no doubt I will be buying my own rock salt to get my car out to keep my income coming in and to take my rubbish to the tip, because the councils gritter lorries and staff won't grit side roads and footpaths because of some misguided health and safety nonsense but they will expect old 80 year old Mrs Smith to carry her rubbish to some pre-arranged collection point 1/2 a mile away so some big strapping binman can put it in a bin lorry..... the whole sorry saga is a complete joke.

 

and you wonder why people don't vote?

[Peter T]

Can't argue with that Baz, but would add that they are supposed to represent the people but if the Whip says, no they represent the party. :roll:

[observer]

Generally speaking, they represent their own wallets; and political longevity is helped by not rocking the boat.

[Bazj]

I see our resident councillors have stopped posting on this thread now that it got a little too hot to comment!!

 

Typical!

[Bill]

Well in a way we only have ourselves to blame because “we” vote the councillors in or at least someone votes for them, probably in the main die hard voters that’d vote for Hitler provided he was standing for “their” party. The problem then is that there are two distinct groups, those that vote and those that don’t. Those that vote call those that don’t apathetic while none voters call the party faithful just pathetic.

 

So where’s this going? Well if I were to take fifty party faithful (one party) and fifty none voting people off the street, which group is going to be the most representative of the general public? Even on this forum there are a disproportionate number of political types so even here there has to be some question about just how representative we are.

 

So what happens is that the local councillors end up surrounding themselves with a narrow group of people that share the same opinion and end up believing that they’re speaking for the majority. Take the Rod King situation for example where virtually everyone here disagreed with him but surrounded by like minded people, Rod saw things very differently. I’ve seen exactly the same from a local councillor who said to me that everyone he spoke to agreed with him about something he was championing but in reality the overwhelming opinion of the silent majority was completely at odds with his views.

 

It'd be nice to think our councillors would listen but don't hold your breath.

 

 

Bill

[Eagle]

The few that do vote for a councillor will do so because they do are constantly reminded of how good he is at litter picking not the fact that he has nowt to say about important matters.

 

My vote was in the "waste of time" box.

[Bazj]

My vote was in the "waste of time" box.

 

Mine too!!

[Geoffrey Settle]

Generally speaking, they represent their own wallets; and political longevity is helped by not rocking the boat.

 

I have met most of you at one time or another and worked with Wahl but never Dizzy

 

From experience I have found (as you would expect) that being a councillor is very challenging, frustrating and rewarding at different times - sometimes all rolled into one. People are supportive, the take the mick, spin you yarns – but almost always the people who do need your help very rarely ask for it until they are desperate.

 

NO TWO people agree on any one issue and why should they just as NO TWO people have the same preference for communicating with councillors - most simply don't? Do we take that to mean they are brassed off or complacent or satisfied.

 

I have just been working on one case that has a massive history of a lack of communication. I have tried to address this lack of community knowledge by issuing a 6-page document that answers 14 questions and organised a meeting with officers. Just as I thought I have got a consensus and a way forward something else crops up or someone pipes up with a related issue or tries to go over old ground that I had got the communities full agreement.

 

What often seems a nightmare to some when it is proposed or delivered is often not the case and quite often after the event people will say 'oh I didn't realise it would be like that' that’s fine equally others will say ‘I hate it….’.

 

I'm sure that at last night's planning decision about a large extension to a prominent retailer’s building it will be discussed on the forum.

 

As a councillor you have to make an informed a decision after site visits, reading reports and listening to the arguments for and against BUT you must decide because that is the roll you agreed to take on.

 

As for some of the questions above often councillor are belong to a party and that is for a reason – you jointly decide (may be in heated debates) on your policy and that becomes the manifesto.

 

As an independent you can do a Fleetwood Mac and ‘go you own way’ just like OBS as a politician (is he making a confession above )- did but for him to say what he does – well do a Buck’s Fizz and I’ll leave you ‘Making your mind up’.

 

Finally it would be best to log each individual question on the soap box like Council Barber from East Dulwich does – will try and answer some where I have the knowledge (and not liable for someone to take me to the standards as has now happened on 6 occasions - and just for my moderate views - fortunately all counts have gone in my favour - as a councillor this is one of the risks you take - when opening typing your thoughts and disclosing your name and after all in the past OBS has threatened to sue me but then he would have to disclsoe his identity wouldn't he?)– I’m sure that council officer will answer some (they are much more save than me) and others may be answered by Gary or another well informed people.

 

Anyway I'm up early to continue writing up my reasearch so thanks for your help. I may have to lock myslf in a dark room to complete it as the deadline is rapidly approaching so I might be gone for some time