Youth Development Grants are awarded to voluntary organisations working with 11-25 year olds, and are managed and awarded at a district level. I have joined a new Panel of three councillors and six young people (from the local Youth Forum) which will meet regularly to agree how the grants should be awarded in future -some £50,000 a year in total for Warwick district.

We held our first meeting at Kenilworth Youth & Community Centre this evening, and will meet again in March. It is quite a responsibility that the young people involved are being asked to take on - it will be interesting to see how well they deal with it.

I attended an Extended Services conference in Warwick today. Extended Services is what used to be called Extended Schools, and is all about providing a range of services to children, young people and familes that “wrap around” the normal school day - using both school and other community facilities.

Schools have been grouped in “clusters” (e.g. a single cluster for Kenilworth), each with a cluster co-ordinator appointed to pull things together. In many cases it’s about better “sign-posting” of activities already in place within the schools or the community, but in some cases may lead to the development of new activities.

Early days, but I shall follow developments with interest.

I was consulted today about local government plans to establish “localities” at a level below current district areas - so that the three Kenilworth county divisions would consist of a single locality, for example. National government has been making a big thing about the localities agenda, but as usual it’s up to local government to try to make sense of the latest Whitehall idea!

The principle of trying to devolve power and decision-making closer to local communities is sound, but there are many pitfalls - in particular the risk of adding to existing structures rather than replacing them.

I’m still listening, but I remain to be convinced!

It was great to see the “Bold on Ice” skating rink in Abbey End, Kenilworth over the weekend. Local children (and some brave parents) seemed to be having a great time on it, plus the nearby trampolines.

Well done to the organisers for having the courage to try something new like this. It reminded me what a valuable public space Abbey End is, and how the town would benefit if better use were made of it.

This afternoon I attended the memorial service at Coventry Cathedral for the four firefighters who died in the warehouse blaze at Atherstone-on-Stour on the 2nd November 2007. It was a deeply impressive and moving occasion, attended by nearly 2,000 people and with representation from Fire & Rescue Services across the UK.

All county councillors are jointly responsible for Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service, although my own focus and responsibilities on the council are in other activities.

The Executive of the local Liberal Democrat party (covering the new constituency of Kenilworth & Southam) held its first meeting of 2008 last night. Our prospective parliamentary candidate Nigel Rock was there.

The new constituency is an amalgam of parts of Warwick district, Stratford district and Rugby borough, and is mostly rural. For Kenilworth voters it will mark a big change from the previous Rugby & Kenilworth constituency. Firstly, Kenilworth is now the largest town by some margin. Secondly, the Liberal Democrats are the clear challengers to the Conservatives across the whole constituency - there is not a single Labour councillor in any ward.

More details of the local party and the new constituency can be found on the constituency party’s web site www.kandslibdems.org.uk.

The Schools Forum is a statutory body to be consulted by the County Council on matters of schools finance and funding, and with specific decision making powers. It is made up of headteachers, governors and other non-school representatives. As the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson I attend in a non-voting capacity.

At yesterday’s meeting we had confirmation from the Conservative cabinet member that the proposals to change the schools funding formula - which caused huge controvery last year but were suddenly withdrawn without reason - were now dead. As schools are now being required to draw up budgets for the next 3 years, the opportunity to change the current formula (which everyone accepts is flawed) has gone - probably for a long time.

What a huge effort for nothing, and what a wasted opportunity!

At yesterday’s Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee we reviewed progress made by Warwickshire County Council against its own Green Transport Plan originally produced in 1999 and updated in 2004.

The report made sorry reading! Lots of good intentions, but no real shift in the travel behaviour of council staff. Much ‘harder’ measures need to be taken, but will the Conservative administration and senior officers be prepared to show the leadership required? Watch this space ………..

I chaired a meeting of the Finance sub-committee of school governors last night. We’ve recently received the “pack” from the local authority for us to produce a 3-year budget for the school.

Uncertainties abound! Just before Christmas there was an almighty row going on about proposed changes in the schools funding formula in Warwickshire, but the Conservative administration suddenly withdrew these so leaving the status quo in place for now - but for how long? Also, as a primary school with a nursery class, we’ve been told that the funding formula for early years provision will change for 2009/10, but no details as to how this might affect us. Yet the school is asked to produce detailed line-by-line budgets covering the next 3 years. Can this really make sense?

A key role for opposition councillors on the County Council is Overview & Scrutiny. A number of Overview & Scrutiny Committees (OSC’s) exist to scrutinise and challenge the Conservative administration’s running of the council’s activities, and these are chaired by opposition councillors.

I am vice-chair of the Children’s, Young People & Families OSC (CYPF OSC), and also a member of the Environment OSC.

Today’s meeting of the CYPF OSC was a very good one. The highlight was a presentation of a review of bullying carried out by members of the County Youth Panel, culminating in a large number of recommendations that were backed by the committee and recommended to Cabinet for approval. We also finalised a review of Child Poverty and passed this on for Cabinet approval and action.

Both of these reports highlighted the fact that the work of OSCs is about policy development as much as scrutiny of others’ activities.

The Warwick Area Committee is made up of all the county councillors whose electoral divisions fall within Warwick district, and its role is to give a more local focus to certain aspects of county council decision-making - including local transport issues, maintenance and safety engineering.

Last night’s meeting was very long (nearly 4 hours), preceded by a seminar, but partly this is a problem of success - public awareness of and attendance at Area Committees is greater than any other aspect of the county council’s activities.

I was pleased to win support for two street lighting improvement projects within Kenilworth Abbey division - in The Blundells and in Henry Street. I also presented a residents’ petition in support of a pelican crossing in Beehive Hill, to support further the St. Augustine’s school parents’ petition presented at the last meeting. Officers are reluctant at the moment to accept the case for this crossing, but I am determined to win this battle on behalf of the school and the local community.

This morning I participated in a strategic conference with a number of primary and secondary headteachers from across Warwickshire, together with senior county officers and county councillors. The focus of the conference was on the changing agenda for schools within the national and local agenda for children’s services, and the development of a shared vision for the future.

Many of the messages coming back from the headteachers were common - a frustration with too much bureaucracy and regulation, a desire for partnership with and involvement with the local authority, and a willingness for strong leadership from the county to address national priorities in a local context. My party is in opposition on the county council, but I shall be looking to see how and if the Conservative administration responds to the very clear messages we heard this morning.

Last night I was at a very well-attended public meeting called by the town mayor, fellow Liberal Democrat Cllr. Pat Ryan, on the subject of Climate Change and what we as a local community could do to address it. The main speaker was George Martin, a local resident, but also an expert on sustainable development in construction.

It was an excellent meeting with good participation from all those attending, and a shared determination that as a local community we could and must take action. I volunteered to join a steering group to carry the ideas forward and develop a local action plan.

Yesterday I attended a briefing about the Joint Area Review for Warwickshire which will take place this summer. The “JAR” (as it is affectionately known!) is a massive central government inspection by Ofsted of local services for children, young people and families, covering not only the county council but also all of its partner agencies.

While recognising that central government has a need and right to monitor the quality of local services, I can’t help wonder whether the huge amount of effort, time and money that goes into these inspection processes is really worth it! Do they really affect positively the outcomes for children, young people and families in Warwickshire? I doubt it.

Yesterday evening I attended a meeting of the Kenilworth Town Centre Partnership, which I have been a member of since its inception in 2006. The Partnership brings together local business and community representatives together with elected county/district/town councillors , and provides a co-ordinated approach to the development and improvement of Kenilworth as a place to work and live.

As the sole county councillor on the Partnership, my role is important because the County Council controls some of the key activities and decisions that the Partnership seeks to influence - for example traffic and transport issues.

A key focus for the Parnership is how to improve the linkages between Kenilworth Castle and the town centre. The castle is a major visitor attraction: we want to encourage those visitors to use the many other facilities the town has to offer.

Yesterday I substituted for Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, Liberal Democrat group leader on the County Council, at a Leaders’ Liaison Group meeting.

Warwickshire County Council is a “hung council”, i.e. no political group has overall control. There is a minority Conservative administration, with a 10-person Cabinet. Labour and Liberal Democrats make up the chairs and vice-chairs of the various Overview & Scrutiny Committees that monitor and review all aspects of the council’s activities.

The Leaders’ Liaison Group comprises the leaders and deputy leaders of the three political groups, and provides a regular opportunity for information sharing between the groups.

I attended a meeting of St. John’s school governors this evening. I’ve been a governor there since 2003, and am currently vice-chair and chair of Finance. I also have a grandson who is at the school, and a second grandson who will start at the nursery this term.

We had big excitement this weekend when the new childrens’ centre building was lifted on to the school site by a giant crane! It’s a prefabricated building, which will be brick-clad to tone in with its surroundings. The new centre will be opening in April, and will offer a wide range of services and activities for children 0-5, their parents and families. 

In my new role as chair of the management committee, I visited Kenilworth Youth & Community Centre today to discuss some ideas and issues with Andy the youth centre manager and Carol the bursar, and also to meet the local newspaper editor who is doing a feature on the Centre.

We are very fortunate in Kenilworth to have such a wonderful new facility, paid for as a direct result of the Waitrose supermarket development. The task for the Management Committee is to help develop further the range of positive activities offered to young people, and to maximise the wider community use of and enjoyment of this excellent resource.

I met with other members of the Kenilworth Safer Neighbourhoods Panel last night, to discuss the public feedback and response we had received at a well-attended public meeting in November and to agree our top three priorities for the coming year.

Although experience elsewhere has been mixed, overall I feel the Safer Neighbourhoods idea is working well in Kenilworth. The local police have been fully engaged, together with local councillors and community representatives.

The three top priorities for the 2008 Action Plan are:

1. Positive activities for young people.
2. Criminal damage and vandalism (incl. graffiti).
3. Speeding traffic.

Yesterday I attended a major conference organised by the County Council at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, attended by about 150 people representing a wide range of organisations involved in the provision of services for children, young people and families in Warwickshire - spanning education, social services, health, police, the voluntary sector etc. The aim of the conference was to develop priorities for the new Children & Young People Plan for Warwickshire.

The day demonstrated both the opportunities and difficulties for partnership working across so many different bodies in trying to deliver “joined-up” services, working together to avoid duplication of effort and resources. This principle is of course right in principle, but making it work in practice is not easy!

This week I attended the North of England Education Conference in my role as Lib Dem county spokeperson for Children Young People & Families. Despite the conference’s name it was held in Cardiff! This is the third year running that I have attended what is the premier Education conference in the UK.

Although overall I felt this year’s conference was less good than the previous two, I nonetheless came away with some good ideas. In Wales they are introducing a completely new 4-7 play-based curriculum, moving away from formal learning in this foundation phase. This is a bold move, based on international best practice, and it will be interesting to see how it develops. I was also impressed with the rigour that the Welsh system demands in transition planning for pupils moving between primary and secondary schools. We could definitely learn from this.