Posts Tagged ‘ council ’

This shit just got local

Birmingham City Council (one third of seats, remember, very unlikely to see any change of control) count starts at 3pm today. There’s an ‘information pack’ here with some the previous data, results will appear here and there’s meant to be a live broadcast too… will link that up as soon as it surfaces. Local bloggers are being invited to the count (at the NIA) — contact head of comms Debra Davis for details. Bounville‘s Dave Harte is going to be there, follow his Twitter stream for the quick updates. He was very good at the General stuff overnight:

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch! The Mayor has a blog after all, it seems. Cllr Michael Wilkes has been blogging sporadically for almost a year. He’s posted a few bits since he became mayor, and let this little tit-bit slip: “I also propose to continue the use of my personal blog to highlight aspects of my civic role for the City of Birmingham. Clearly, once the Lord Mayor’s official blog is up and running on the City Council’s website, I will maintain that, and not this personal blog.” I wonder when that blog will be. Cllr, we’re here to offer you advice should you need it — see you at a Brum Bloggers meet soon? Hat tip, unbelivably, to Forward.

Police verses cyclepaths

Whilst going through the park behind the Ackers in Small Heath this week a cyclist was punched in the face by one of a gang. He suspected he was about to be mugged, but fortunately two other cyclists turned up and they ran away. He reported the incident to the police, who advised: “always cycle on the roads, and not along paths in parks”. Those paths are part of the official cycle routes promoted by the council in this excellent map (order at the bottom of the page), but according to the police these places are no-go areas?

Council to 'broadcast' meetings on the web

"Birmingham City Council is to allow cameras to routinely broadcast its meetings for the first time. Political debate will soon be broadcast on the internet, opening Birmingham City’s Council’s monthly showpiece meeting to a whole new audience." I'm sad enough to envisage watching tons of this.

No it’s not a Hale and Pace revival. Der management here arms folded in traditional local paper ‘disgust’ stance (in our traditional local paper the Birmingham Mail Extra) are Cllr Linnecor and everyone’s favourite renta-quote MP Kahlid Mahmood. They’re upset that despite one of their constituents (the guy crouching front) has paid for his kerb to be dropped, but is having to wait. “It’s a scandal” all are agreed, not only is it expensive, but there isn’t the option of paying anyone else to do it. This is because, first the council have to give permission and they naturally like control over who makes alterations to their roads and pavements. £500 is quite expensive, and three months is quite a long time to wait, but not the Cllr, nor the MP nor the Local Government Correspondent has noticed that the guy has driven his monster truck up over the kerb, grass verge and pavement and parked it on his new drive anyway. That’s not allowed is it? That’s why you have to pay to have the kerb dropped and the pavement re-enforced to prevent damage to gas/water mains and the like.

Post Blog Post creates Post mini Post storm Post

Paul Dale in his Birmingham Post blog reports that Lib Dem Counicllor/MP John Hemming is “accusing the council elections office of presiding over “pro-Labour bias” in polling stations and doing everything possible to help Labour at the expense of the other political parties.” Pretty serious accusations, but John hasn’t backed off – he’s been commenting on the Post blog post… One to watch

Felix the cat food are staging a marketing campaign at the moment, not only were they projecting paw prints in the middle of the night onto Brum landmarks and buying a wrap-around in the Birmingham News free paper they were dressed up as cats with placards outside the Council House today. Unusualy the placards weren’t decrying Single Status, but proclaiming Felix’s candidacy for Birmingham mayor. Now, despite the best efforts of the Mail, Brum doesn’t directly elect its mayor. So: Do Felix’s advertising agency not know that, unlike London, most cities have an honourary mayor voted for by the council? Do they know, but don’t think we know? Mind you, with the media coverage, a lot of people round here probably think they’ve got to vote for Ken or yellow slapheadman. Are they petitioning the council to recognise Felix for his long service in Brum’s council chambers? Or had they just got a big campaign worked out for London and couldn’t be arsed to even slightly ammend for Brum? I think I know the answer, and I’m not being catty ;)

This month’s Birmingham Bulletin. Second time lucky this month.

In a missed opportunity to rank with no-one casting Ian McShane as Fred West in anything yet , the council didn’t get Tony Butler to reprise his eighties catchphrase of “gerron yer bike” to promote Bike Birmingham – the Cycling Strategy for Birmingham. In fact I don’t think they’ve done much to promote it at all. My cycling is limited by me only being able to ride a bike with fixed wheel (pedal back to brake, it makes more logical sense) and everywhere I want to go is up-hill, but like many people I’m sure I’d make more effort if biking it was made easier. So, gerron, your bike and take part in the consultation deadline is 30th April .

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Posts Tagged ‘ council ’

This shit just got local

Mayor Blog

Police verses cyclepaths

Council to 'broadcast' meetings on the web

Kerb your enthusiasm

Post Blog Post creates Post mini Post storm Post

Cats like Felix like local politics

One day they’ll get this right…

Gerron yer bike

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