I’m finally back to my blog after a few weeks during which the residents of the Whelan household went down like skittles with bug after bug. We didn’t quite have to resort to painting a white cross on the front door but it felt like it at times!
The first two months of being a Councillor have flown by and I still pinch myself for what a fantastic opportunity I have been given. My enthusiasm for the job grows day by day. The most often asked question is “what do you do?” and I recently spent a morning with Year 7s at Comberton Village College telling them all about Councillor’s work during their PD day when they set up a fictional Parish Council. Quite a few were interested in the job but once they found out how much we earn that number quickly dropped!
What I “do” is just about anything I get a phone call or email about. Sunday saw me out in raincoat and wellies looking at the poor access to a field in Comberton where new houses are being proposed. Saturday saw me hosting a thank you party for all those who helped during my election campaign (my mother’s recipe for Irish Soda bread is on it’s way to all those who asked for it). Amongst other things (and trust me this is not an exhaustive list) I’ve been to 8 Parish Council Meetings, a meeting about the new Comberton Education Trust, 2 meetings in relation to the proposed closure of Wessex Place and a Scrutiny committee (all Councillors sit on at least one committee and I sit on the Health, Community and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee). I’ve been looking at broadband access in Coton, recycling of plastic wrappings (more of that to come), and on the border of Haslingfield and Barton I’m involved in proposed changes to the Railway Bridge. I've helped a Barton resident get benefits and access to household support and in Caldecote I'm working hard to get an additional daily bus through the village at a time when residents can use it. In Hardwick I'm plugging away with the Parish Council, District Councillor Jim Stewart and Andrew Lansley MP to get an improvement to the traffic chaos in Cambridge Road. And that’s just this month - which isn’t yet over. Oh and the small matter of being in the paper and on the radio over gritting of roads and cycle paths locally.
The first two months of being a Councillor have flown by and I still pinch myself for what a fantastic opportunity I have been given. My enthusiasm for the job grows day by day. The most often asked question is “what do you do?” and I recently spent a morning with Year 7s at Comberton Village College telling them all about Councillor’s work during their PD day when they set up a fictional Parish Council. Quite a few were interested in the job but once they found out how much we earn that number quickly dropped!
What I “do” is just about anything I get a phone call or email about. Sunday saw me out in raincoat and wellies looking at the poor access to a field in Comberton where new houses are being proposed. Saturday saw me hosting a thank you party for all those who helped during my election campaign (my mother’s recipe for Irish Soda bread is on it’s way to all those who asked for it). Amongst other things (and trust me this is not an exhaustive list) I’ve been to 8 Parish Council Meetings, a meeting about the new Comberton Education Trust, 2 meetings in relation to the proposed closure of Wessex Place and a Scrutiny committee (all Councillors sit on at least one committee and I sit on the Health, Community and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee). I’ve been looking at broadband access in Coton, recycling of plastic wrappings (more of that to come), and on the border of Haslingfield and Barton I’m involved in proposed changes to the Railway Bridge. I've helped a Barton resident get benefits and access to household support and in Caldecote I'm working hard to get an additional daily bus through the village at a time when residents can use it. In Hardwick I'm plugging away with the Parish Council, District Councillor Jim Stewart and Andrew Lansley MP to get an improvement to the traffic chaos in Cambridge Road. And that’s just this month - which isn’t yet over. Oh and the small matter of being in the paper and on the radio over gritting of roads and cycle paths locally.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been contacted by lots of local residents throughout the 10 villages, and all I can say is please keep those calls coming. I need you to tell me about issues you so that I can help.
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