I have been honored to represent the people of Welwyn North since May 2004. Most people in the ward are very self-sufficient but I have been able to prove my worth to a number of you since then. Details of my monthly surgery can be accessed elsewhere on this site.
Since joining the Council I have concentrated on monitoring it's financial governance as I believe that sustainable services can only be maintained on the back of sound finances. I am currently the executive member for performance and communications.This role is very important as the Council is subject to review by external auditors to ensure that we are maximising resources and giving best value and giving the electorate what they want. Communication is also very important as this covers how we communicate with the public and how the public communicate with us. I believe that good two way communication is a vital element in nurturing local democracy. Most people contact the Council over the telephone and we have introduced a contact centre to ensure that calls are answered promptly, however at certain times we still have capacity problems so there is more work to do in this area. I would like to encourage more people to contact us via the web site as we have introduced a very efficient system to generate responses and this is much more cost effective than any other means of communication. As ever I am looking to save taxpayer's money whilst attempting to improve the services we offer.
I am a member of the Hospital SOS campaign concentrating on evidence and judicial review . This is because I am committed to having the best possible healthcare provision for the whole of Welwyn Hatfield and believe that this can best be provided by having a new acute bed hospital in Hatfield. I also want the Hatfield hospital to have a teaching facility in conjunction with the university. Taken together I believe that the Hatfield hospital proposal would then be a unique proposition for Hertfordshire and would also benefit the rest of Britain as we could train doctors and nurses outside London at much lower cost.
It is likely that the Primary Care Trust will not opt for Hatfield on the grounds of cost but I will continue to campaign for it as short term cost considerations should not be allowed to drive out a proposal that has a such merit. Please let me have your views on this and join the campaign headed by Grant Shapps if you support this project.
I have a small network of citizens that keep an eye on things for me and welcome more of you if you are able to contribute. I find that if a small problem is addressed early, together we can prevent it from becoming a bigger problem. Please ring me on 01438717377 or 07765365569 if you encounter a problem.
Although the Council has significantly improved the amount of recycling there is still much work to do. Provision to take cardboard and some plastics is now available. I believe that people should be incentivised to be environmentally conscious not punished if they fail to do so. To this end I recognise that it will not be possible to persuade the people of Welyn North to give up their cars, we live in a semi-rural area with limited public transport but have you thought about a hybrid for your next car? Converting to LPG will save you money at the petrol station and will particularly benefit people who have a high annual mileage. Walking to the shops will give you valuable exercise and cut down local traffic.Please let me have your views on this topic.
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