Another day, another dollar. As I am a member of the West Yorkshire Pensions committee, I had to get over to Bradford for the January meeting.  Pensions can be a really dry topic, but having had a career for 25 years in financial planning, being on this committee is actually very interesting.  At least I […]

Actually it’s already the 28th.  More midnight oil being burned! Corporate Affairs Scrutiny this morning.  We were considering all the millions of lost revenue in unpaid council tax etc.  It is pleasing to note that Kirklees actually collects the vast majority of its revenue.  Of course, it would be silly to think that we collect […]

It can be quite revealing what meetings you are asked to attend simply because you have “become” something.  As the Chair of the Fire Authority, I have become the WYFRA’s spokesman on the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber’s employers committee.  We met this morning in Wakefield to discuss Local Authority pensions, appreticeships and so on.  […]

Burns Night.  No relevance for me!!  Long day.  Constituency meeting at 9.30.  All seems to be going to plan.  Leaflets are being printed and delivered as expected. Spent rest of the day in Holmfirth.  I reckon this town has the steepest hillsides in Kirklees.  Anyway, got all my leaflets delievred, so that’s one in the […]

Early start today with a budget briefing at the Fire Authority.  What with the recession and all, the budget rounds and the setting of the council tax is going to be a long drawn-out process. I really do not understand why the decent, hard-working tax-payer is being put into the frame for all the iniquities […]

All the excitement of the council meeting has now receded into the memory and it’s back to normal.  Lovely day, but cold.  9.00 am meeting with ward colleagues Nicola Turner and Margaret Fearnley at Linthwaite Methodist Church.  Reassessing a potential footpath with Highways officers.  Stones Lane remains a very dangerous road for children walking down […]

Weds 20 Jan 2010 Must start this new facility by being good – so….  Happy New year to anyone interested in reading this!  And what a start to the year.  Snow, ice, freezing rain and then a thaw, but it’s all promised to come back again today.  Hopefully not here.  So how have Kirklees managed.  […]