Michael Edwards for South Derbyshire

Finally went on the Nottingham Eye yesterday, precisely six hours before Britain’s strongest earthquake for 25 years (measured as 5.2 on the Richter Scale).  I’m not the best with heights and I don’t know how I would have felt if the quake had happened when we were the top of the wheel.   

And that’s about as interesting as I can make last night’s earthquake.   Oh sure, it woke me up – the Portillo documentary on Thatcher (BBC4) had not been able to keep me awake (I know, a bit unfair).   

The media generally have struggled to find much of significance, despite camera crews on the ground at the epicentre, Market Rasen.  (25 bricks had fallen off a church tower being repaired?) 

The Nottingham Evening Post tried harder, claiming it was the biggest earthquake to hit Notts for 250 years.  232 people had responded to their web-site by 4p.m., although by that time, correspondents had moved on to inviting each other out for dates.   

In 2005, I visited Pakistan with my co-Councillor and my Mum, amongst others and we visited the east side of the North West Frontiers.  It had been quite a special holiday.  I’d taken 500 photos.  My Mum had taken 250.   

Three months later, the area was flattened by a 7.6 earthquake. 

I looked through the photos to see if any would be of use to the media and found four.  All four had been taken by my Mum.   

My co-Councillor raised around £100,000 as Lord Mayor in response to the tragedy.   

75,000  people died in that earthquake.  Today’s events are a reminder of how lucky we are. 

Finally went on the Nottingham Eye yesterday, precisely six hours before Britain’s strongest earthquake for 25 years (measured as 5.2 on the Richter Scale).  I’m not the best with heights and I don’t know how I would have felt if the quake had happened when we were the top of the wheel.   

And that’s about as interesting as I can make last night’s earthquake.   Oh sure, it woke me up – the Portillo documentary on Thatcher (BBC4) had not been able to keep me awake (I know, a bit unfair).   

The media generally have struggled to find much of significance, despite camera crews on the ground at the epicentre, Market Rasen.  (25 bricks had fallen off a church tower being repaired?) 

The Nottingham Evening Post tried harder, claiming it was the biggest earthquake to hit Notts for 250 years.  232 people had responded to their web-site by 4p.m., although by that time, correspondents had moved on to inviting each other out for dates.   

In 2005, I visited Pakistan with my co-Councillor and my Mum, amongst others and we visited the east side of the North West Frontiers.  It had been quite a special holiday.  I’d taken 500 photos.  My Mum had taken 250.   

Three months later, the area was flattened by a 7.6 earthquake. 

I looked through the photos to see if any would be of use to the media and found four.  All four had been taken by my Mum.   

My co-Councillor raised around £100,000 as Lord Mayor in response to the tragedy.   

75,000  people died in that earthquake.  Today’s events are a reminder of how lucky we are. 

Finally went on the Nottingham Eye yesterday, precisely six hours before Britain’s strongest earthquake for 25 years (measured as 5.2 on the Richter Scale).  I’m not the best with heights and I don’t know how I would have felt if the quake had happened when we were the top of the wheel.   

And that’s about as interesting as I can make last night’s earthquake.   Oh sure, it woke me up – the Portillo documentary on Thatcher (BBC4) had not been able to keep me awake (I know, a bit unfair).   

The media generally have struggled to find much of significance, despite camera crews on the ground at the epicentre, Market Rasen.  (25 bricks had fallen off a church tower being repaired?) 

The Nottingham Evening Post tried harder, claiming it was the biggest earthquake to hit Notts for 250 years.  232 people had responded to their web-site by 4p.m., although by that time, correspondents had moved on to inviting each other out for dates.   

In 2005, I visited Pakistan with my co-Councillor and my Mum, amongst others and we visited the east side of the North West Frontiers.  It had been quite a special holiday.  I’d taken 500 photos.  My Mum had taken 250.   

Three months later, the area was flattened by a 7.6 earthquake. 

I looked through the photos to see if any would be of use to the media and found four.  All four had been taken by my Mum.   

My co-Councillor raised around £100,000 as Lord Mayor in response to the tragedy.   

75,000  people died in that earthquake.  Today’s events are a reminder of how lucky we are. 

“Don't pass judgment on other people, or else you might get judged, too”

The first words I ever heard on Speakers’ Corner.  Yeah, I know, it wasn’t a true Speakers’ Corner – it was “Life of Brian”.  But certainly memorable.  Brian haplessly accuses birds of being scroungers and is then challenged for “making it up as he goes along”. 

Today Nottingham launched a second Speakers’ Corner. 

Driven by Peter Bradley (former Salop Labour MP) & The Speaker’s Corner Trust, it was promoted by a video message from Eddie Izzard and celebrated in a Guardian editorial (“In praise of … Nottingham”) today. 

The editorial celebrates Nottingham’s radical history and it’s true we have that.  The Luddites.  The only city to elect a Chartist MP.  Byron.  And now transport policy (I know, a bit of a leap). 

Nottingham’s previous Speakers’ Corner was also in the Old Market Square.  Party rallies were held there in the Old Market Square too and there are pictures of a Tory Councillor (called Elliott Durham) calling for politicians to have no (or much less) involvement in operational affairs.  Could you imagine the Tories holding mass rallies? 

Nottingham’s Speakers’ Corner petered out in the 1960’s.  We might assume that such that blogs are a much more accessible form of communications for views and opinions – and that notions such as standing on soap boxes is out of date.   (And No - John Major's stunt didn't win votes.) 

Mapperley ward context -

1. The second wave of the Chartists in Nottingham ended after a mass protest & picnic in Mapperley Hills was broken up by cavalry who (in a relatively orderly manner) arrested 400 people (unlike Peterloo).  Subsequently marched down the hills to the bottom of Red Lane (now Redcliffe Road), the followers of those arrested panicked as they got closer to gaol and started a riot. 

2. Elliott Durham started the secondary school that I now chair, in the sixties, much along the same lines as the current Academies, with significant private sector investment.  The school is now set to be replaced by an Academy in 2009. 

“Don't pass judgment on other people, or else you might get judged, too”

The first words I ever heard on Speakers’ Corner.  Yeah, I know, it wasn’t a true Speakers’ Corner – it was “Life of Brian”.  But certainly memorable.  Brian haplessly accuses birds of being scroungers and is then challenged for “making it up as he goes along”. 

Today Nottingham launched a second Speakers’ Corner. 

Driven by Peter Bradley (former Salop Labour MP) & The Speaker’s Corner Trust, it was promoted by a video message from Eddie Izzard and celebrated in a Guardian editorial (“In praise of … Nottingham”) today. 

The editorial celebrates Nottingham’s radical history and it’s true we have that.  The Luddites.  The only city to elect a Chartist MP.  Byron.  And now transport policy (I know, a bit of a leap). 

Nottingham’s previous Speakers’ Corner was also in the Old Market Square.  Party rallies were held there in the Old Market Square too and there are pictures of a Tory Councillor (called Elliott Durham) calling for politicians to have no (or much less) involvement in operational affairs.  Could you imagine the Tories holding mass rallies? 

Nottingham’s Speakers’ Corner petered out in the 1960’s.  We might assume that such that blogs are a much more accessible form of communications for views and opinions – and that notions such as standing on soap boxes is out of date.   (And No - John Major's stunt didn't win votes.) 

Mapperley ward context -

1. The second wave of the Chartists in Nottingham ended after a mass protest & picnic in Mapperley Hills was broken up by cavalry who (in a relatively orderly manner) arrested 400 people (unlike Peterloo).  Subsequently marched down the hills to the bottom of Red Lane (now Redcliffe Road), the followers of those arrested panicked as they got closer to gaol and started a riot. 

2. Elliott Durham started the secondary school that I now chair, in the sixties, much along the same lines as the current Academies, with significant private sector investment.  The school is now set to be replaced by an Academy in 2009. 

“Don't pass judgment on other people, or else you might get judged, too”

The first words I ever heard on Speakers’ Corner.  Yeah, I know, it wasn’t a true Speakers’ Corner – it was “Life of Brian”.  But certainly memorable.  Brian haplessly accuses birds of being scroungers and is then challenged for “making it up as he goes along”. 

Today Nottingham launched a second Speakers’ Corner. 

Driven by Peter Bradley (former Salop Labour MP) & The Speaker’s Corner Trust, it was promoted by a video message from Eddie Izzard and celebrated in a Guardian editorial (“In praise of … Nottingham”) today. 

The editorial celebrates Nottingham’s radical history and it’s true we have that.  The Luddites.  The only city to elect a Chartist MP.  Byron.  And now transport policy (I know, a bit of a leap). 

Nottingham’s previous Speakers’ Corner was also in the Old Market Square.  Party rallies were held there in the Old Market Square too and there are pictures of a Tory Councillor (called Elliott Durham) calling for politicians to have no (or much less) involvement in operational affairs.  Could you imagine the Tories holding mass rallies? 

Nottingham’s Speakers’ Corner petered out in the 1960’s.  We might assume that such that blogs are a much more accessible form of communications for views and opinions – and that notions such as standing on soap boxes is out of date.   (And No - John Major's stunt didn't win votes.) 

Mapperley ward context -

1. The second wave of the Chartists in Nottingham ended after a mass protest & picnic in Mapperley Hills was broken up by cavalry who (in a relatively orderly manner) arrested 400 people (unlike Peterloo).  Subsequently marched down the hills to the bottom of Red Lane (now Redcliffe Road), the followers of those arrested panicked as they got closer to gaol and started a riot. 

2. Elliott Durham started the secondary school that I now chair, in the sixties, much along the same lines as the current Academies, with significant private sector investment.  The school is now set to be replaced by an Academy in 2009. 

Larry Whitty came back to the Council House today to chair a Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales on climate change.

I say came back cos back in November 2000, he was the Minister who launched the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, which is now signed by hundreds of local authorities. 

Alternative comedy hasn't done much for the reputation of Chartered Accountants, but their conferences can often cover interesting subjects and their expertise is often needed to make change happen. 

There was also an interesting contribution from the Woodlands Trust who were disappointed to find that their offset schemes for local woodlands is not to be recognised by the Gov't for carbon offseting (announced yesterday).  They point out that at 12%, Britain has the lowest woodland coverage of any European country.

And James Murdoch of News Corporation was the key speaker.  News Corporation have done quite a bit to reduce the carbon footprint of their HQ, including buying the electricity from windfarms in the Isle of Skye.

In my opening remarks, I teased a little bit about Sky News not being helpful enough to Ken over the recent environmental changes to London's congestion charging scheme.  But in a reply to another question, he asserted that the editorial function is kept separate from the business. 

He said that a recent 2-page spread on climate change in The Sun had seen an increase in sales of 400,000 that day. 

Larry Whitty came back to the Council House today to chair a Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales on climate change.

I say came back cos back in November 2000, he was the Minister who launched the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, which is now signed by hundreds of local authorities. 

Alternative comedy hasn't done much for the reputation of Chartered Accountants, but their conferences can often cover interesting subjects and their expertise is often needed to make change happen. 

There was also an interesting contribution from the Woodlands Trust who were disappointed to find that their offset schemes for local woodlands is not to be recognised by the Gov't for carbon offseting (announced yesterday).  They point out that at 12%, Britain has the lowest woodland coverage of any European country.

And James Murdoch of News Corporation was the key speaker.  News Corporation have done quite a bit to reduce the carbon footprint of their HQ, including buying the electricity from windfarms in the Isle of Skye.

In my opening remarks, I teased a little bit about Sky News not being helpful enough to Ken over the recent environmental changes to London's congestion charging scheme.  But in a reply to another question, he asserted that the editorial function is kept separate from the business. 

He said that a recent 2-page spread on climate change in The Sun had seen an increase in sales of 400,000 that day. 

Larry Whitty came back to the Council House today to chair a Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales on climate change.

I say came back cos back in November 2000, he was the Minister who launched the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, which is now signed by hundreds of local authorities. 

Alternative comedy hasn't done much for the reputation of Chartered Accountants, but their conferences can often cover interesting subjects and their expertise is often needed to make change happen. 

There was also an interesting contribution from the Woodlands Trust who were disappointed to find that their offset schemes for local woodlands is not to be recognised by the Gov't for carbon offseting (announced yesterday).  They point out that at 12%, Britain has the lowest woodland coverage of any European country.

And James Murdoch of News Corporation was the key speaker.  News Corporation have done quite a bit to reduce the carbon footprint of their HQ, including buying the electricity from windfarms in the Isle of Skye.

In my opening remarks, I teased a little bit about Sky News not being helpful enough to Ken over the recent environmental changes to London's congestion charging scheme.  But in a reply to another question, he asserted that the editorial function is kept separate from the business. 

He said that a recent 2-page spread on climate change in The Sun had seen an increase in sales of 400,000 that day. 

Today, a visit by Nottingham City Councillors of the "development control committee" to a site in my ward planned for ecological houses in an overgrown and wild piece of land.

The land (adjacent to and below Springfield House, off The Crescent, itself below Alexandra Park) needs to be put to some good use.  Once part of a grand estate and with huge stone walls holding up embankment (erected I suspect using the labour of patients from large Victorian lunatic asylums), it is now overgrown.  Wildlife there is not particularly varied and the land has hosted some anti-social behaviour. 

But an application sometime back for over 50 flats was not particularly inspiring and nor was it sympathetic with the lie of the land - a steep valley nesting in the Mapperley Hills and overlooking the city centre from afar. 

Many have prevailed for something more suitable & ecological and the latest plan goes a long way towards it (without going as far as the iconic Hockerton Housing Project in Nottinghamshire where the houses are part buried!)

Instead 15 houses are proposed, with ecological features.  The houses are proposed to be built to level 4 (of the code for sustainable homes), use sustainable drainage techniques, have PV cells on the roof, part of which will also serve as "a light chimney" to maximise the daylight in the houses.   The application refers to construction creation of a nature/ecological reserve.   

There are still things to get right as part of the planning process.   The outward appearance is a little featureless.  And in Nottingham, there's still some debate over the use of cedar cladding for houses. 

But the vision for this unique part of Nottingham is far further on and greener than what was once proposed, and represents progress for those who stuck out for development in tune with the landscape.      

Today, a visit by Nottingham City Councillors of the "development control committee" to a site in my ward planned for ecological houses in an overgrown and wild piece of land.

The land (adjacent to and below Springfield House, off The Crescent, itself below Alexandra Park) needs to be put to some good use.  Once part of a grand estate and with huge stone walls holding up embankment (erected I suspect using the labour of patients from large Victorian lunatic asylums), it is now overgrown.  Wildlife there is not particularly varied and the land has hosted some anti-social behaviour. 

But an application sometime back for over 50 flats was not particularly inspiring and nor was it sympathetic with the lie of the land - a steep valley nesting in the Mapperley Hills and overlooking the city centre from afar. 

Many have prevailed for something more suitable & ecological and the latest plan goes a long way towards it (without going as far as the iconic Hockerton Housing Project in Nottinghamshire where the houses are part buried!)

Instead 15 houses are proposed, with ecological features.  The houses are proposed to be built to level 4 (of the code for sustainable homes), use sustainable drainage techniques, have PV cells on the roof, part of which will also serve as "a light chimney" to maximise the daylight in the houses.   The application refers to construction creation of a nature/ecological reserve.   

There are still things to get right as part of the planning process.   The outward appearance is a little featureless.  And in Nottingham, there's still some debate over the use of cedar cladding for houses. 

But the vision for this unique part of Nottingham is far further on and greener than what was once proposed, and represents progress for those who stuck out for development in tune with the landscape.      

Today, a visit by Nottingham City Councillors of the "development control committee" to a site in my ward planned for ecological houses in an overgrown and wild piece of land.

The land (adjacent to and below Springfield House, off The Crescent, itself below Alexandra Park) needs to be put to some good use.  Once part of a grand estate and with huge stone walls holding up embankment (erected I suspect using the labour of patients from large Victorian lunatic asylums), it is now overgrown.  Wildlife there is not particularly varied and the land has hosted some anti-social behaviour. 

But an application sometime back for over 50 flats was not particularly inspiring and nor was it sympathetic with the lie of the land - a steep valley nesting in the Mapperley Hills and overlooking the city centre from afar. 

Many have prevailed for something more suitable & ecological and the latest plan goes a long way towards it (without going as far as the iconic Hockerton Housing Project in Nottinghamshire where the houses are part buried!)

Instead 15 houses are proposed, with ecological features.  The houses are proposed to be built to level 4 (of the code for sustainable homes), use sustainable drainage techniques, have PV cells on the roof, part of which will also serve as "a light chimney" to maximise the daylight in the houses.   The application refers to construction creation of a nature/ecological reserve.   

There are still things to get right as part of the planning process.   The outward appearance is a little featureless.  And in Nottingham, there's still some debate over the use of cedar cladding for houses. 

But the vision for this unique part of Nottingham is far further on and greener than what was once proposed, and represents progress for those who stuck out for development in tune with the landscape.      

A meeting in Nottingham’s Meadows today to explore if new green waste and energy technologies could be used to provide secure & environmentally friendly power, heat & comfort.   

Hosted by the evergreen MP for Nottingham South, Alan Simpson, we heard a presentation from a German firm on how anaerobic digestion has moved on since the technology used in British exemplar plants like the Greenfinch plant in Ludlow, South Shropshire.   

Newer technologies can convert waste to bio-gas more efficiently, and a further process can then convert the bio-gas to a standard of methane that can be pumped into the gas distribution network.   

Fuel cells can then draw equivalent amounts of gas from that network to generate both heat & power (also cooling also) without creating the carbon dioxide emissions associated with burning fuel.   

I visited the Ludlow plant in September 2006 and gate fees for land fill waste appear almost to have doubled since then.  This increase, driven largely by increases in landfill tax, makes new technologies more financially viable and the market and therefore Councils’ ability to get rid of waste in greener ways may be about to turn.  

There was some celebration of the progress made in Northern Europe & Scandinavia in these ideas, and a recognition that Britain is now concerned cos of a potential over-reliance on Russia for the supply of oil & gas.  Interesting that Britain’s approach to fuel has been to get it via trade and political power, whereas historically Northern Europe and Scandinavia generally had to be more self-reliant.   

Alan Simpson is lobbying for change to new legislation under consideration that (more than encourage such solutions) would allow the notion of equivalence, whereby bio-gas generation took place in one location, and the conversion of the gas to energy with fuel-cells took place in another.   

Broadly speaking, a 1MW supply would require 22,000 tonnes of waste per annum, and support 2,000 homes.  As it happens, 22,000 tonnes per annum is probably the amount of waste food generated in the municipality of Nottingham City.   

Meanwhile, on Thursday, I attended a presentation on public authorities’ legal obligations to wildlife and biodiversity.   Nottingham City Council’s Biodiversity Strategy was mentioned.   

The main speaker was from ALGE - Association of Local Government Ecologists.  Much of his presentation featured rural scenes.   

So I asked about solutions in the urban environment and whether green roofs and growing plants in window boxes (as used by the Mayor of Paris) to absorb heat & rain and thus reduce the need for water-cooling and to mitigate capacity to cope with rainwater had become credible.   

Responses cited the work of Dusty Gedge (in London) who runs livingroofs.org.   

And it appears progress is being made on this in Nottingham too.  Nottingham City Council is already negotiating with developers to provide green roofs and some of our planners have attended workshops on this.  As a result the new city academies proposed at Bulwell and Bilborough both have proposed green sedum roofs.  (Also both schemes are looking at the provision of either combined heat and power plants or ground source heat pumps to deliver renewable energy.) There is an opportunity to consider these matters for the new Local Development Framework, which will replace the current Local Plan, when consultation takes place on “Issues and Options” this summer.  

A meeting in Nottingham’s Meadows today to explore if new green waste and energy technologies could be used to provide secure & environmentally friendly power, heat & comfort.   

Hosted by the evergreen MP for Nottingham South, Alan Simpson, we heard a presentation from a German firm on how anaerobic digestion has moved on since the technology used in British exemplar plants like the Greenfinch plant in Ludlow, South Shropshire.   

Newer technologies can convert waste to bio-gas more efficiently, and a further process can then convert the bio-gas to a standard of methane that can be pumped into the gas distribution network.   

Fuel cells can then draw equivalent amounts of gas from that network to generate both heat & power (also cooling also) without creating the carbon dioxide emissions associated with burning fuel.   

I visited the Ludlow plant in September 2006 and gate fees for land fill waste appear almost to have doubled since then.  This increase, driven largely by increases in landfill tax, makes new technologies more financially viable and the market and therefore Councils’ ability to get rid of waste in greener ways may be about to turn.  

There was some celebration of the progress made in Northern Europe & Scandinavia in these ideas, and a recognition that Britain is now concerned cos of a potential over-reliance on Russia for the supply of oil & gas.  Interesting that Britain’s approach to fuel has been to get it via trade and political power, whereas historically Northern Europe and Scandinavia generally had to be more self-reliant.   

Alan Simpson is lobbying for change to new legislation under consideration that (more than encourage such solutions) would allow the notion of equivalence, whereby bio-gas generation took place in one location, and the conversion of the gas to energy with fuel-cells took place in another.   

Broadly speaking, a 1MW supply would require 22,000 tonnes of waste per annum, and support 2,000 homes.  As it happens, 22,000 tonnes per annum is probably the amount of waste food generated in the municipality of Nottingham City.   

Meanwhile, on Thursday, I attended a presentation on public authorities’ legal obligations to wildlife and biodiversity.   Nottingham City Council’s Biodiversity Strategy was mentioned.   

The main speaker was from ALGE - Association of Local Government Ecologists.  Much of his presentation featured rural scenes.   

So I asked about solutions in the urban environment and whether green roofs and growing plants in window boxes (as used by the Mayor of Paris) to absorb heat & rain and thus reduce the need for water-cooling and to mitigate capacity to cope with rainwater had become credible.   

Responses cited the work of Dusty Gedge (in London) who runs livingroofs.org.   

And it appears progress is being made on this in Nottingham too.  Nottingham City Council is already negotiating with developers to provide green roofs and some of our planners have attended workshops on this.  As a result the new city academies proposed at Bulwell and Bilborough both have proposed green sedum roofs.  (Also both schemes are looking at the provision of either combined heat and power plants or ground source heat pumps to deliver renewable energy.) There is an opportunity to consider these matters for the new Local Development Framework, which will replace the current Local Plan, when consultation takes place on “Issues and Options” this summer.  

A meeting in Nottingham’s Meadows today to explore if new green waste and energy technologies could be used to provide secure & environmentally friendly power, heat & comfort.   

Hosted by the evergreen MP for Nottingham South, Alan Simpson, we heard a presentation from a German firm on how anaerobic digestion has moved on since the technology used in British exemplar plants like the Greenfinch plant in Ludlow, South Shropshire.   

Newer technologies can convert waste to bio-gas more efficiently, and a further process can then convert the bio-gas to a standard of methane that can be pumped into the gas distribution network.   

Fuel cells can then draw equivalent amounts of gas from that network to generate both heat & power (also cooling also) without creating the carbon dioxide emissions associated with burning fuel.   

I visited the Ludlow plant in September 2006 and gate fees for land fill waste appear almost to have doubled since then.  This increase, driven largely by increases in landfill tax, makes new technologies more financially viable and the market and therefore Councils’ ability to get rid of waste in greener ways may be about to turn.  

There was some celebration of the progress made in Northern Europe & Scandinavia in these ideas, and a recognition that Britain is now concerned cos of a potential over-reliance on Russia for the supply of oil & gas.  Interesting that Britain’s approach to fuel has been to get it via trade and political power, whereas historically Northern Europe and Scandinavia generally had to be more self-reliant.   

Alan Simpson is lobbying for change to new legislation under consideration that (more than encourage such solutions) would allow the notion of equivalence, whereby bio-gas generation took place in one location, and the conversion of the gas to energy with fuel-cells took place in another.   

Broadly speaking, a 1MW supply would require 22,000 tonnes of waste per annum, and support 2,000 homes.  As it happens, 22,000 tonnes per annum is probably the amount of waste food generated in the municipality of Nottingham City.   

Meanwhile, on Thursday, I attended a presentation on public authorities’ legal obligations to wildlife and biodiversity.   Nottingham City Council’s Biodiversity Strategy was mentioned.   

The main speaker was from ALGE - Association of Local Government Ecologists.  Much of his presentation featured rural scenes.   

So I asked about solutions in the urban environment and whether green roofs and growing plants in window boxes (as used by the Mayor of Paris) to absorb heat & rain and thus reduce the need for water-cooling and to mitigate capacity to cope with rainwater had become credible.   

Responses cited the work of Dusty Gedge (in London) who runs livingroofs.org.   

And it appears progress is being made on this in Nottingham too.  Nottingham City Council is already negotiating with developers to provide green roofs and some of our planners have attended workshops on this.  As a result the new city academies proposed at Bulwell and Bilborough both have proposed green sedum roofs.  (Also both schemes are looking at the provision of either combined heat and power plants or ground source heat pumps to deliver renewable energy.) There is an opportunity to consider these matters for the new Local Development Framework, which will replace the current Local Plan, when consultation takes place on “Issues and Options” this summer.  

Nottingham Evening Post's political columnist had a brilliant story to tell today.  A Tory MEP sees a Labour MP broken down on a road into Nottingham.  He thinks about stopping but decides not to.

Get in.

No, wait, it gets better. 

The Labour MP hadn't broken down, he'd just stopped to allow his wife to drive whilst he took a phone call.

No, no, no.  I'm being unfair.  It was just a filler story for the weekly political page.  The real news, and a genuinely interesting story at that, was front page and incredibly rare, because it was a story celebrating the work of social workers. 

"One of the worst families in Nottingham has been turned around by a pioneering project." 

And an editorial too.  "How common sense can help all of society". 

Well done to the Family Intervention Project at Nottingham City Council. 

Nottingham Evening Post's political columnist had a brilliant story to tell today.  A Tory MEP sees a Labour MP broken down on a road into Nottingham.  He thinks about stopping but decides not to.

Get in.

No, wait, it gets better. 

The Labour MP hadn't broken down, he'd just stopped to allow his wife to drive whilst he took a phone call.

No, no, no.  I'm being unfair.  It was just a filler story for the weekly political page.  The real news, and a genuinely interesting story at that, was front page and incredibly rare, because it was a story celebrating the work of social workers. 

"One of the worst families in Nottingham has been turned around by a pioneering project." 

And an editorial too.  "How common sense can help all of society". 

Well done to the Family Intervention Project at Nottingham City Council. 

Nottingham Evening Post's political columnist had a brilliant story to tell today.  A Tory MEP sees a Labour MP broken down on a road into Nottingham.  He thinks about stopping but decides not to.

Get in.

No, wait, it gets better. 

The Labour MP hadn't broken down, he'd just stopped to allow his wife to drive whilst he took a phone call.

No, no, no.  I'm being unfair.  It was just a filler story for the weekly political page.  The real news, and a genuinely interesting story at that, was front page and incredibly rare, because it was a story celebrating the work of social workers. 

"One of the worst families in Nottingham has been turned around by a pioneering project." 

And an editorial too.  "How common sense can help all of society". 

Well done to the Family Intervention Project at Nottingham City Council. 

The Big Wheel has come to Nottingham City Centre. 

As tall as Nelson's Column and towering over the new Old Market Square, it took its first passengers today. 

And it's been welcomed tonight with a "Light Night" festival, with buildings lit up in new ways.  The Galleries of Justice was bathed in lilac light.  The Robin Hood statue was wrapped in gold coloured foil.  St.Mary's Church was lit from the inside, so that the stained glass windows were seen from the outside.  

Stewards at St.Mary's church, estimated around 1,000 people called by during the evening.  Lots using their digital cameras and probably finding like me that ISO1600 is not that useful after all. 

Elsewhere, the Nottingham School of Samba attracted a crowd.

The evening finished with fireworks launched from the top of the Council House. 

The Big Wheel has come to Nottingham City Centre. 

As tall as Nelson's Column and towering over the new Old Market Square, it took its first passengers today. 

And it's been welcomed tonight with a "Light Night" festival, with buildings lit up in new ways.  The Galleries of Justice was bathed in lilac light.  The Robin Hood statue was wrapped in gold coloured foil.  St.Mary's Church was lit from the inside, so that the stained glass windows were seen from the outside.  

Stewards at St.Mary's church, estimated around 1,000 people called by during the evening.  Lots using their digital cameras and probably finding like me that ISO1600 is not that useful after all. 

Elsewhere, the Nottingham School of Samba attracted a crowd.

The evening finished with fireworks launched from the top of the Council House. 

The Big Wheel has come to Nottingham City Centre. 

As tall as Nelson's Column and towering over the new Old Market Square, it took its first passengers today. 

And it's been welcomed tonight with a "Light Night" festival, with buildings lit up in new ways.  The Galleries of Justice was bathed in lilac light.  The Robin Hood statue was wrapped in gold coloured foil.  St.Mary's Church was lit from the inside, so that the stained glass windows were seen from the outside.  

Stewards at St.Mary's church, estimated around 1,000 people called by during the evening.  Lots using their digital cameras and probably finding like me that ISO1600 is not that useful after all. 

Elsewhere, the Nottingham School of Samba attracted a crowd.

The evening finished with fireworks launched from the top of the Council House. 

Appearing on Radio Nottingham’s Drive programme, I was challenged on the slanted “N” Nottingham logo I was wearing on my lapel.  I’d got it “straight instead of slanted” said the show’s host.  “Does that work on radio?”  “It does here, trust me.”  

Radio Nottingham had done a vox pop exercise to find out what people thought the extra Council tax to be raised should be spent on, and their responses were for extra spend on the priorities highlighted in our budget proposals - cleaner streets, better parks, more help for older people - but said with a level-headedness and exemplification that was so unusual to be featured on a modern media programme.  After all my complaints about the media, a pleasant surprise to hear a considered piece put together.   

Today, the annual survey of Nottingham residents conducted by MORI for the City Council was published.  2,300 people had been surveyed.  The survey is generally good news - the city and the City Council are making progress in the eyes of the public.  Net satisfaction with the City Council has gone from +27% to +39% in 3 years, whilst the average reputation of councils across the country has fallen from around 28% to 21% in the same time.  

But the survey had found increased dissatisfaction with our play parks and open spaces, and so plans to increase maintenance has been ramped up to provide an extra £500,000 next year.   

Wider comment on the survey has picked up on how the public's sense of being informed by the City Council has changed from -20% to +20% in the same period; and concluded that the Council's satisfaction level improvement is down to the publicity effort.  As it happens, such an analysis suits those in communications and polling services.  But can you really just get an improvement through better comms? 

A plot of Councils' net satisfaction with services against net satisfaction with information - whilst showing a trend - shows nothing like a 1:1 ratio.  Instead a 20% swing in information corresponds to a 6% swing in service satisfaction.   

Nottingham's progress mirrors this trend.  But our streets are measurably cleaner, our crime is measurably down, our children are measurably attaining better at school and our adult services are measurably improved. 

Appearing on Radio Nottingham’s Drive programme, I was challenged on the slanted “N” Nottingham logo I was wearing on my lapel.  I’d got it “straight instead of slanted” said the show’s host.  “Does that work on radio?”  “It does here, trust me.”  

Radio Nottingham had done a vox pop exercise to find out what people thought the extra Council tax to be raised should be spent on, and their responses were for extra spend on the priorities highlighted in our budget proposals - cleaner streets, better parks, more help for older people - but said with a level-headedness and exemplification that was so unusual to be featured on a modern media programme.  After all my complaints about the media, a pleasant surprise to hear a considered piece put together.   

Today, the annual survey of Nottingham residents conducted by MORI for the City Council was published.  2,300 people had been surveyed.  The survey is generally good news - the city and the City Council are making progress in the eyes of the public.  Net satisfaction with the City Council has gone from +27% to +39% in 3 years, whilst the average reputation of councils across the country has fallen from around 28% to 21% in the same time.  

But the survey had found increased dissatisfaction with our play parks and open spaces, and so plans to increase maintenance has been ramped up to provide an extra £500,000 next year.   

Wider comment on the survey has picked up on how the public's sense of being informed by the City Council has changed from -20% to +20% in the same period; and concluded that the Council's satisfaction level improvement is down to the publicity effort.  As it happens, such an analysis suits those in communications and polling services.  But can you really just get an improvement through better comms? 

A plot of Councils' net satisfaction with services against net satisfaction with information - whilst showing a trend - shows nothing like a 1:1 ratio.  Instead a 20% swing in information corresponds to a 6% swing in service satisfaction.   

Nottingham's progress mirrors this trend.  But our streets are measurably cleaner, our crime is measurably down, our children are measurably attaining better at school and our adult services are measurably improved. 

Appearing on Radio Nottingham’s Drive programme, I was challenged on the slanted “N” Nottingham logo I was wearing on my lapel.  I’d got it “straight instead of slanted” said the show’s host.  “Does that work on radio?”  “It does here, trust me.”  

Radio Nottingham had done a vox pop exercise to find out what people thought the extra Council tax to be raised should be spent on, and their responses were for extra spend on the priorities highlighted in our budget proposals - cleaner streets, better parks, more help for older people - but said with a level-headedness and exemplification that was so unusual to be featured on a modern media programme.  After all my complaints about the media, a pleasant surprise to hear a considered piece put together.   

Today, the annual survey of Nottingham residents conducted by MORI for the City Council was published.  2,300 people had been surveyed.  The survey is generally good news - the city and the City Council are making progress in the eyes of the public.  Net satisfaction with the City Council has gone from +27% to +39% in 3 years, whilst the average reputation of councils across the country has fallen from around 28% to 21% in the same time.  

But the survey had found increased dissatisfaction with our play parks and open spaces, and so plans to increase maintenance has been ramped up to provide an extra £500,000 next year.   

Wider comment on the survey has picked up on how the public's sense of being informed by the City Council has changed from -20% to +20% in the same period; and concluded that the Council's satisfaction level improvement is down to the publicity effort.  As it happens, such an analysis suits those in communications and polling services.  But can you really just get an improvement through better comms? 

A plot of Councils' net satisfaction with services against net satisfaction with information - whilst showing a trend - shows nothing like a 1:1 ratio.  Instead a 20% swing in information corresponds to a 6% swing in service satisfaction.   

Nottingham's progress mirrors this trend.  But our streets are measurably cleaner, our crime is measurably down, our children are measurably attaining better at school and our adult services are measurably improved. 

In the next year, Nottingham will see

• extra care for the children most in need;
• older people making over 3 million extra journeys on the bus and trams for free; 
• doorstep recycling for 23,000 more properties;
• cleaner neighbourhoods - with expanded programmes by action; teams, and by halving graffiti & fly-tipping;  
• more maintenance of play parks and open spaces;
• more help for adults in need to live more independent lives;

The extra expenditure on public services to be provided by Nottingham City Council in the next year has been announced for consultation.   Schedules of the proposed changes are available from the Council web-site.   

Significant extra grant has been used to match the significant government expectations, made possible only by the largest savings and efficiencies programme for the council that I can remember (see previous blog). 

The expansion in services has been shaped by the views of the Nottingham people taken from Labour Party canvassing & from MORI surveys and shared agreements with the Government, shaped by Labour's values including we can achieve more together than we can alone. 

More detail follows - 

Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in Nottingham, including by the Council

    increase the collection of separated waste from the home, for recycling;   12,000 more homes will have the 2 or 3 bin doorstep system and doorstep recycling will be piloted for 11,000 inner-city households; 

    meet the new tax demands on burying waste in the land, but seek to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill; 

In the next year, Nottingham will see

• extra care for the children most in need;
• older people making over 3 million extra journeys on the bus and trams for free; 
• doorstep recycling for 23,000 more properties;
• cleaner neighbourhoods - with expanded programmes by action; teams, and by halving graffiti & fly-tipping;  
• more maintenance of play parks and open spaces;
• more help for adults in need to live more independent lives;

The extra expenditure on public services to be provided by Nottingham City Council in the next year has been announced for consultation.   Schedules of the proposed changes are available from the Council web-site.   

Significant extra grant has been used to match the significant government expectations, made possible only by the largest savings and efficiencies programme for the council that I can remember (see previous blog). 

The expansion in services has been shaped by the views of the Nottingham people taken from Labour Party canvassing & from MORI surveys and shared agreements with the Government, shaped by Labour's values including we can achieve more together than we can alone. 

More detail follows - 

Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in Nottingham, including by the Council

    increase the collection of separated waste from the home, for recycling;   12,000 more homes will have the 2 or 3 bin doorstep system and doorstep recycling will be piloted for 11,000 inner-city households; 

    meet the new tax demands on burying waste in the land, but seek to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill; 

In the next year, Nottingham will see

• extra care for the children most in need;
• older people making over 3 million extra journeys on the bus and trams for free; 
• doorstep recycling for 23,000 more properties;
• cleaner neighbourhoods - with expanded programmes by action; teams, and by halving graffiti & fly-tipping;  
• more maintenance of play parks and open spaces;
• more help for adults in need to live more independent lives;

The extra expenditure on public services to be provided by Nottingham City Council in the next year has been announced for consultation.   Schedules of the proposed changes are available from the Council web-site.   

Significant extra grant has been used to match the significant government expectations, made possible only by the largest savings and efficiencies programme for the council that I can remember (see previous blog). 

The expansion in services has been shaped by the views of the Nottingham people taken from Labour Party canvassing & from MORI surveys and shared agreements with the Government, shaped by Labour's values including we can achieve more together than we can alone. 

More detail follows - 

Reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in Nottingham, including by the Council

    increase the collection of separated waste from the home, for recycling;   12,000 more homes will have the 2 or 3 bin doorstep system and doorstep recycling will be piloted for 11,000 inner-city households; 

    meet the new tax demands on burying waste in the land, but seek to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill; 

The reward for finishing full Council early on Monday was to get home in time to watch the Local Government Finance Report debate in the House of Commons on the freeview channel.  Oh yes.  (No really, check the schedules, the choice was not that great.) 

Highlight of course was Neil Turner's contribution.  The Wigan MP is chair of SIGOMA, the special interest group for metropolitan authorities outside of London.  He pointed out how the settlements are being shifted to help the municipalities serving the people most in need.  And plenty of Labour MPs reminded complaining Tories of the year on year cuts in grant at the end of the last Tory Gov't. 

John Healey, the local government minister, did pretty well too.  But the notion that local authorities, like other authorities should be able to make efficiency savings of 3% each year is challenging. 

Nottingham City Council has made efficiency savings over a 3 year period of £24 million, or £4 million extra per year.  (I'll check, but I think this is still less than 3% of our mainstream budgets.) 

For the next year, we're proposing savings and alternative income measures of £8 million.  £3.3 million of this comes being able to manage corporate finances more effectively - rescheduling debt, cheaper insurance etc.  Made possible only because of the stable, growing economy. 

The rest comes from our departmental spending.  £2 million comes from doing the same for less resource, sometimes as a result of extra investment.  Nearly £1.5m from finding alternatives funds to support the services we need to provide.  This year only 7% or so of the savings is on front line services. 

[TO BE UPDATED]

The reward for finishing full Council early on Monday was to get home in time to watch the Local Government Finance Report debate in the House of Commons on the freeview channel.  Oh yes.  (No really, check the schedules, the choice was not that great.) 

Highlight of course was Neil Turner's contribution.  The Wigan MP is chair of SIGOMA, the special interest group for metropolitan authorities outside of London.  He pointed out how the settlements are being shifted to help the municipalities serving the people most in need.  And plenty of Labour MPs reminded complaining Tories of the year on year cuts in grant at the end of the last Tory Gov't. 

John Healey, the local government minister, did pretty well too.  But the notion that local authorities, like other authorities should be able to make efficiency savings of 3% each year is challenging. 

Nottingham City Council has made efficiency savings over a 3 year period of £24 million, or £4 million extra per year.  (I'll check, but I think this is still less than 3% of our mainstream budgets.) 

For the next year, we're proposing savings and alternative income measures of £8 million.  £3.3 million of this comes being able to manage corporate finances more effectively - rescheduling debt, cheaper insurance etc.  Made possible only because of the stable, growing economy. 

The rest comes from our departmental spending.  £2 million comes from doing the same for less resource, sometimes as a result of extra investment.  Nearly £1.5m from finding alternatives funds to support the services we need to provide.  This year only 7% or so of the savings is on front line services. 

[TO BE UPDATED]

The reward for finishing full Council early on Monday was to get home in time to watch the Local Government Finance Report debate in the House of Commons on the freeview channel.  Oh yes.  (No really, check the schedules, the choice was not that great.) 

Highlight of course was Neil Turner's contribution.  The Wigan MP is chair of SIGOMA, the special interest group for metropolitan authorities outside of London.  He pointed out how the settlements are being shifted to help the municipalities serving the people most in need.  And plenty of Labour MPs reminded complaining Tories of the year on year cuts in grant at the end of the last Tory Gov't. 

John Healey, the local government minister, did pretty well too.  But the notion that local authorities, like other authorities should be able to make efficiency savings of 3% each year is challenging. 

Nottingham City Council has made efficiency savings over a 3 year period of £24 million, or £4 million extra per year.  (I'll check, but I think this is still less than 3% of our mainstream budgets.) 

For the next year, we're proposing savings and alternative income measures of £8 million.  £3.3 million of this comes being able to manage corporate finances more effectively - rescheduling debt, cheaper insurance etc.  Made possible only because of the stable, growing economy. 

The rest comes from our departmental spending.  £2 million comes from doing the same for less resource, sometimes as a result of extra investment.  Nearly £1.5m from finding alternatives funds to support the services we need to provide.  This year only 7% or so of the savings is on front line services. 

[TO BE UPDATED]

Disappointing to see Sky News whipping up a protest at a new cordon introduced around London to tackle high-polluting vehicles.  As usual when such stories are run, clips from the extensive libraries now built up of climate change (that might give such initiatives a fairer perspective) are not used.  And behold, the opinion poll showed people heavily against. 

On Saturday, the Nottingham Evening Post ran an article complaining about Nottingham's Labour Councillors agreeing a line in private before presenting it publicly at important meetings like the City Council's Executive Board.  Everyone knows that in the world of party politics, what the public expect to hear are united and assured political parties, not indecision. 

I know I often complain about the media on this blog, but often not so much about party political bias as about their anti-political bias.  And actually, readers don't respond to it.  This particular article had no responses. 

Political pieces might actually attract more readers if journalists focussed on highlighting the stance of the parties and their differences, rather than regarding themselves as the opposition. 

As for the Executive Board, Portfolio Holders do make an effort to give a public presentation of the decisions being made.  I even published 3 speeches at an Executive Board in 2006. 

January Executive Board usually carries news on the extra expenditure and the savings planned for the budget, as the start of the consultation exercise.  However, we are late this year cos of the introduction of the Area Based Grants and the Working Neighbourhood Fund.  (We needed more time to work out what response was required.) 

Mindful of the need to make an announcement, the new spend and savings are being announced in a video equivalent of a podcast - nicknamed a "vodcast".  (Is that a common term?) 

The vodcast is now available from the Nottingham City Council web-site and are asking Nottingham residents for their views on the proposals.  

Disappointing to see Sky News whipping up a protest at a new cordon introduced around London to tackle high-polluting vehicles.  As usual when such stories are run, clips from the extensive libraries now built up of climate change (that might give such initiatives a fairer perspective) are not used.  And behold, the opinion poll showed people heavily against. 

On Saturday, the Nottingham Evening Post ran an article complaining about Nottingham's Labour Councillors agreeing a line in private before presenting it publicly at important meetings like the City Council's Executive Board.  Everyone knows that in the world of party politics, what the public expect to hear are united and assured political parties, not indecision. 

I know I often complain about the media on this blog, but often not so much about party political bias as about their anti-political bias.  And actually, readers don't respond to it.  This particular article had no responses. 

Political pieces might actually attract more readers if journalists focussed on highlighting the stance of the parties and their differences, rather than regarding themselves as the opposition. 

As for the Executive Board, Portfolio Holders do make an effort to give a public presentation of the decisions being made.  I even published 3 speeches at an Executive Board in 2006. 

January Executive Board usually carries news on the extra expenditure and the savings planned for the budget, as the start of the consultation exercise.  However, we are late this year cos of the introduction of the Area Based Grants and the Working Neighbourhood Fund.  (We needed more time to work out what response was required.) 

Mindful of the need to make an announcement, the new spend and savings are being announced in a video equivalent of a podcast - nicknamed a "vodcast".  (Is that a common term?) 

The vodcast is now available from the Nottingham City Council web-site and are asking Nottingham residents for their views on the proposals.  

Disappointing to see Sky News whipping up a protest at a new cordon introduced around London to tackle high-polluting vehicles.  As usual when such stories are run, clips from the extensive libraries now built up of climate change (that might give such initiatives a fairer perspective) are not used.  And behold, the opinion poll showed people heavily against. 

On Saturday, the Nottingham Evening Post ran an article complaining about Nottingham's Labour Councillors agreeing a line in private before presenting it publicly at important meetings like the City Council's Executive Board.  Everyone knows that in the world of party politics, what the public expect to hear are united and assured political parties, not indecision. 

I know I often complain about the media on this blog, but often not so much about party political bias as about their anti-political bias.  And actually, readers don't respond to it.  This particular article had no responses. 

Political pieces might actually attract more readers if journalists focussed on highlighting the stance of the parties and their differences, rather than regarding themselves as the opposition. 

As for the Executive Board, Portfolio Holders do make an effort to give a public presentation of the decisions being made.  I even published 3 speeches at an Executive Board in 2006. 

January Executive Board usually carries news on the extra expenditure and the savings planned for the budget, as the start of the consultation exercise.  However, we are late this year cos of the introduction of the Area Based Grants and the Working Neighbourhood Fund.  (We needed more time to work out what response was required.) 

Mindful of the need to make an announcement, the new spend and savings are being announced in a video equivalent of a podcast - nicknamed a "vodcast".  (Is that a common term?) 

The vodcast is now available from the Nottingham City Council web-site and are asking Nottingham residents for their views on the proposals.  

Yesterday's full meeting of Nottingham City Council did not have very much business - the main item was a report on Councillors' allowances. 

So it was a surprise to hear that one of the Tory Councillors had made an effort to turn up for the afternoon meeting even though he'd got married in the morning.  I'm not sure I believe it and I'm going to check. 

Needless to say on the allowances report, one of the Tories decided to throw words like "snouts" and "troughs" around.  Hey ho. 

He was challenged, including by the local Lib Dem leader who - unusually for him - got tongue tied and protested about Councillors being smeared by such words as "snuff" and "trouts". 

Yesterday's full meeting of Nottingham City Council did not have very much business - the main item was a report on Councillors' allowances. 

So it was a surprise to hear that one of the Tory Councillors had made an effort to turn up for the afternoon meeting even though he'd got married in the morning.  I'm not sure I believe it and I'm going to check. 

Needless to say on the allowances report, one of the Tories decided to throw words like "snouts" and "troughs" around.  Hey ho. 

He was challenged, including by the local Lib Dem leader who - unusually for him - got tongue tied and protested about Councillors being smeared by such words as "snuff" and "trouts". 

Yesterday's full meeting of Nottingham City Council did not have very much business - the main item was a report on Councillors' allowances. 

So it was a surprise to hear that one of the Tory Councillors had made an effort to turn up for the afternoon meeting even though he'd got married in the morning.  I'm not sure I believe it and I'm going to check. 

Needless to say on the allowances report, one of the Tories decided to throw words like "snouts" and "troughs" around.  Hey ho. 

He was challenged, including by the local Lib Dem leader who - unusually for him - got tongue tied and protested about Councillors being smeared by such words as "snuff" and "trouts".