Council polls

Today we vote for our county councillors. The parties all sent leaflets, but the Conservatives had a leaflet that said that at a council meeting, the Conservatives had voted for lower taxes, and the Lib Dems had walked out in protest. That sounded so weird that I tried to contact them to ask them to explain. But I haven't heard back yet. I also emailed the local Lib Dems, and again, I've not yet heard back, but I did meet a little lib Dem bird in the street who told me that the debate was whether to use the money on hospital services or whether to save the council tax money, that the Chair wouldn't let the Liberals speak so they walked out. That sounds likely, given that I witnessed the Chair not letting Liberals speak at the council meeting in November (recorded here) and blogged it then. The minutes of the meeting when the Lib Dems didn't vote is kept at the County Council site, and the incident reads much less contentiously than the way the Conservatives reported it.

So I went to the polling booth this morning, and asked the lone Conservative. But he didn't know anything about it! Didn't he even read his own party's leaflet? To me, it looks like the local Conservatives are acting underhand, immorally, don't brief each other of the line they are taking so some of them are ignorant of what is going on in their own party.

Council meeting

I've not been to a county council meeting before, but this one was walking distance, so I thought I'd go for an hour or two. It's in the Crown Courts, so I arrive at the front door. Being the courts, there's a guard at the door, ready to scan visitors.

"What can I do for you, Ma'am?"

"There's a public meeting here today" I say, expecting to be scanned and allowed in, but he sends me round the back. I go round with another chap who explains that he's going to present. We find a small man in a security jacket who asks if we are councillors and we explain ourselves. I'm a member of the public so he tells me to go round the front, but I protest that I've been sent round here, so he relents and shows me in with the presenting chap. Half way up the back stairs, we can see the guard at the front so small man in security jacket shouts down to him:

"Bert! Let the public in that way!"
"What?"
"Let the members of the public in!"

Guard protests he doesn't know who's public and who's councillor so SMiSJ promises to come and talk to him in a minute.

The meeting is in court number 2. I'm in a balcony with a lovely wood balustrade (apart from a bit of graffiti carved into it). Below I can see the judge's seat where the chair of the meeting is already sitting. Paper rustles. Members take their places, but I don't know who is sitting where as there's no name plan and the slope on their desks along with the mass of papers they have means there's nowhere to put a name card. I can see the CEO, Chris Williams, sitting at the centre of a green felt covered table and assume the people round him are council officers, not councillors. There are some young men and women on side benches - I can't think they are councillors - perhaps they're journalists. There aren't any other members of the public.

The chap in the central and high up judge's chair calls the meeting to order, but doesn't introduce himself and I don't know his name.

I recognise one of our local councillors, Mary Baldwin. She presents a petition for a 20 mile per hour limit in Aylesbury Old Town. She speaks clearly and to the point. Cheers! The petition is passed to the CEO. Two more bring petitions though they don't speak as clearly as Mary. Mary's was the only petition the Chair was expecting.

Then Mr Macalister-Smith stands up to speak on the Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust's five year strategy. He's stuck with a Powerpoint presentation and no equipment. I hope he's a good speaker, but I'm happy not to see bullet pointed slides. All the councillors have copies of the slides on handouts.

He talks about the context: good health in Bucks but the NHS has a low financial allocation more than 18% below national level funding, so the financial situation here is difficult.
So in order to add life to years and years to life (i.e. add quality) the PCT wants consistent local area agreements investing in clinical leadership. He concludes they need to manage their money, put leadership in place, including supporting emerging clinical leaders, and working with local government is key to their success.

Question time

The councillors argue about who is the first to ask questions. There is such a "forest of hands" that the Chair complains he can't tell who put their hand up first. Questions include

• Mrs Manon on polyclinics and people's fear of them (I can't always hear the name of the speaker nor the question)
• Mr Colesten - cabinet member for adult social care comments that the revolving door of people in the PCT hinders. Mr Macalister-Smith says something about building a sustainable team (first time I've had the term 'sustainable' in that context)
• Mrs Baldwin asks first if the super surgeries are the same as polyclinics and secondly what investment is going to be be made, that is what is the PCT doing to target areas of deprivation.
• someone asks about dental problems
• there's a question on transport and on access from rural areas

Things are degrading; there are discontentful murmurings that people who've been waiting can't ask a question. Chair says he'll take two more questions then takes only one from someone who mumbles something about Chalfont St Peter but it doesn't seem to be a question. The chair then rabbits on.

"It's unfair, so unfair!"

grumbles Mary Baldwin, sotte voce.

Mr Appleyard raises a point of order to request that this one last person be allowed to ask a question and the chamber agrees with sounds of assent. The Chair grumbles:

"Is it a brief one?"
"It's briefer than your preamble, Chairman."

The question is about purchasing block beds but Mr Macalister-Smith can't answer it.

Question time must finish. Mr Macalister-Smith is praised for his presentation, which must be difficult in front of so many knowledgeable people. In turn, he courteously thanks the chair, suggesting that his job is difficult, and mentions that he hadn't realised it was the first time he'd chaired the meeting here.

I stayed only a few more minutes, just enough to hear that the cabinet member for transport supported the petition to lower the limit in the town centre.

I might go again - the PCT information was useful and relevant. The councillors' behaviour was amusing.