Tragedy and controversy have dominated the last two weeks. In “Making Windsor Better”, Wisdom talks about how, working together, we can help turn things around to help make Windsor better for all. PLUS SHOCK NEWSFLASH CONSERVATIVE RESIGNATION – details below

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Two issues that dominated the last two weeks

The last two weeks were dominated by the tragic events in Manchester and then London and, also, the ongoing dispute about the Council’s Borough Local Plan, some 10 years in the making, which is regarded as deficient by many people locally including many planning experts.

in the opinion of many…the Local Plan…is fundamentally flawed and damaging for our environment

The controversial Borough Local Plan

The controversy over the Council’s Borough Local Plan is real because it will affect our area for the next 15 years and, constrain the possibilities for our children’s future AND, in the opinion of many people in the Borough, from Ascot to Windsor, the Local Plan, proposed and to be voted on next week in Council, is fundamentally flawed and damaging for our environment.

The great many people opposing the plan include most of the Neighbourhood Plan Groups and also Parish Councils AND, now Conservative Councillors are breaking ranks to oppose it as well.

 

“There is something rotten in the State of Denmark”

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NEWSFLASH:

I understand that Conservative Councillor, Charles Hollingsworth has resigned from the Conservative Party over this issue!

Charles has been long standing representative of residents from the Pinkneys Green Ward in Maidenhead.

Quoting from Hamlet, Charles had this to say about the current Conservative administration at RBWM, “There is something rotten in the State of Denmark.”

I wonder if more Councillors will jump ship and become Independents?

You can find more information in this article by Maidenhead Advertiser’s Grace Witherden – click the photo to read Grace’s article

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“You Decide” with a vote.

I will write again on this issue by 16 June 2017, summarising the key issues and implications of the vote on the Borough Local Plan, letting “You Decide” with a vote.

 

Protecting Windsor together

For now, let’s go back to the tragic injury and needless loss of life that occoured in London last week and Manchester the week before.

What will you do if such a crisis hit our town, after all, Windsor receives a lot of tourists and, we are a garrison town and, are also home to Her Majesty the Queen?

What do the Police say?

The National Police Chiefs’ Council NPCC recently issues a helpful video called “Stay Safe: Firearms and Weapons Attack” with their advice on what to do.

Click on the video below to watch it.

Share this article with other Windsorians to help create a caring and able community.

What do you say?

Local resident, and Windsor girl, Mandy Driver initiated an excellent discussion on the Windsor Parents’ Page on Facebook which effectively asked, “what should we do as a community?”

The summary of the discussion was that people would like to organize to do the following, with a view to helping themselves and their fellow man (gender neutral term);

1. Reassurance: Schools visits – police & community wardens
2. Information: What to do during an incident (Police, Council); Adults; Children; Businesses
3. Training:First aid – subsidised or free; Basic for residents; Basic for children; Advanced courses
4. Training:Self defence basic courses – subsidised; Adults; Children
5. Equipment: Availability of first aid equipment (sponsored by…) around town
6. Partnering with Police: Increased residents involvement in Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
7. Pedestrianise key areas in town centres Look at attractions that are softer targets like Legoland and ensure they have made provisions for any incidents.
8. Police presence to be increased in Windsor
9. Encourage giving blood
10. Support schools in Windsor and surrounding towns at risk of radicalisation promote the phone numbers we should call if we have concerns about a potential radicalised person.
11. Facilitate community collaboration: neighbours coming together as closer knit communities to also help the Police

I will report back to you and take action

So what next?

I will discuss the issue with the Police, local emergency planners, the WWRA and, the Borough Council to see where the authorities can help facilitate events then, that will leave items that we as a community will have to self organize to help ourselves – the community spirit lives on.

I will report back to you and take action; I will look to facilitate working with Mandy Driver and you to help move things along and, empower you to make Windsor better for all.

 

On a lighter note

I am thrilled to be involved in RBWM’s Gardens in Bloom scheme.

I love drinking in the beauty being cultivated in your gardens and, it is great that the Council have teamed up with Farnham Common Nurseries Ltd to operate the scheme again this year so, I will be out and about awarding certificates and rosettes for nominated gardens (find out how to nominate a garden below).

Gardens will be assessed on the basis of;

• Impact
• Overall Design (use of space & colour)
• Originality
• Variety of plants
• Upkeep (Maintenance)
• Special Features (e.g. bird boxes, bird tables, ponds, other)

HELP ME PRAISE YOU (How to nominate a garden near you); Check your street and by email me nominations for a Gardens in Bloom Award to Cllr.DaCosta@RBWM.Gov.Uk : you should soon get a knock on the door from either myself or one of your other ward councillors.

Good luck and, email me soon

 

If life is good or, if life isn’t quite so good

Meeting you where you are

If life is good or, if life isn’t quite so good, you have a chance to meet me in person at one of my quarterly surgeries; let me know where I can help you with Council related issues and, I will do my best, working with the Council and also others, to help things improve for you.

I can’t promise a “happy ever after” but, I can guarantee that I will listen and try and get the right people to help you.

I will hold surgeries at a number of locations around our very long ward over my tenure as your Independent Ward Councillor.

Here are the dates for 2017/18; I will release more dates for 2018/19 by the end of the year;

NB The WWRA are kindly sponsoring and helping me run these surgeries. For more information about the WWRA, and to join them, browse around at the following website email Sara about becoming a member at travellingsar@hotmail.com

Website at https://www.westwindsorresidentsassociation.org.uk/join-wwra

 

What else have I been up to

I’ll keep it short but, just to let you know that;

1. Increasing allowances for Councillors
   • I stand against the Council’s proposals to increase allowances for existing responsibilities though, it would be appropriate if they are taking on extra responsibilities e.g. as directors of Optalis
   • Though this raises issues of whether appointed directors have the appropriate experience, ability and qualifications – more on this in another article
2. Penny pinching IT
   • The Council want to force all Councillors to receive all Council information using a computer or other such device in order to save money.
   • As a former teacher who understand that people absorb information and learn best in a range of styles so, in my opinion the key objective should be to help Councillors make the best decisions for their residents rather than save a few bob here and there to cut Council Tax
   • So, if paper reports help certain councillors better understand issues and so make better decisions, paper reports they should have (obviously on recycled and carbon neutral paper if possible)/
3. Adult Services & Health
   • As part of my research and learning to ensure I make the best possible decisions on behalf of our residents and, to help me more effectively scrutinise Council reports, I met with the Council commissioner of Adult and Health Services (Hilary Hall), and the director of the Council’s Joint Venture (JV) Company Optalis Ltd (Angela Morris) and, RBWM’s Chief Exec (Alison Alexander)
   • My next step is to start to familiarise myself with
     • A long list of laws including 10 Acts of Parliament (Laws) including the Care Act, Mental Health Act, and the Children and Families Act 2014
     • Dig deeper into the operation, structure, funding, profit flows and control of the Council’s Local Authority Trading Company, Optalis Ltd (a JV with Wokingham Borough Council)

No doubt, this will take me a few months to get through.

4. Helping residents
   • Messages requesting help continue to come in thick and fast and I should be fulling up and running by 18 June 2017
   • I am pleased to say that, working with Craig Miller from RBWM and our Control Centre, we were able to respond to an urgent post on Facebook to fix the tunnels at the Pirate Park to prevent further injury to children playing there. Facebook – it’s the future 😉 Big thanks to Craig Miller and our RBWM Control Centre for acting so quickly to prevent further injury to other children (y).

 

You Decide

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Next blog – You decide.

I will write again on 16 June 2017 to summarise and explain some of key issues behind the discussion and vote at the Extraordinary Council Meeting on the proposal to adopt the controversial version of the Borough Local Plan.

Then I will ask for your opinion i.e how would You Decide?

This is a really important decision.

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Accountably yours,

 

Wisdom

Wisdom Da Costa

Independent Councillor, Clewer North, Windsor

 

Caveat

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the West Windsor Residents Association (WWRA)