Who said politicians go on holiday in August? I’ve been pretty busy this last week. It is also a reminder that a Councillors job does not revolve simply around committee meetings.

There was the obligatory Planning Committee last Wednesday. The Committee gave the green light to another major development in Colindale; this time on the Colindale Hospital Site.

I am not a great fan of some of these re generation schemes but as they go this one appeared one of the better ones. As usual the architects and designers had a field day with digitally enhanced graphics of what the finished development would look like. Marvellous that there are perpetual blue skies in their picture presentations and the people in the photographs seem to have nothing better to do than sit around talking and drinking coffees, and certainly no where near the ethnic mix of the area.

Whilst waiting for the meeting to start I glanced at the agenda papers for a forthcoming meeting of the General Functions Committee. This is a special meeting called to agree proposal by the new Chief Executive which will see a reorganisation of the top jobs in Barnet. The papers argue that the reorganisation is necessary for Barnet to compete as a top class Borough (or words to that effect.). Have I been around too long? As some one once said “Constant Change is here to stay”.

As usual the Chairman of the Planning Committee was in a hurry to close the meeting and had to be reminded of a further item. This was a revision to the members Code of Conduct as it relates to planning. I do worry about these codes of conduct. Of course Councillors should conduct themselves with integrity. This is especially important in dealing with planning applications. But sometimes I wonder if they are sometimes used as a stick to beat ourselves with. One Councillor said it was basically common sense. Perhaps he has not been around as long as I have.

Last Thursday my ward colleague Cllr Monroe Palmer led a posse of interested people including the Cabinet Member for Community Engagement on a tour of Cricklewood. (See my previous Blog.) This visit looked at the problem of street drinkers in Cricklewood.The neighbouring Boroughs of Brent and Camden have imposed street drinking bans so there has been displacement to the Barnet bit of Cricklewood.

The feedback from the visit has been positive; a good example of Politicians working to gather with the community to try to find a solution to a difficult .problem. I know local residents were pleased. They told me so at our regular Ward Surgery held at the Railway Terraces in Cricklewood last Sunday morning. This ward surgery is always busy we meet at the allotments and many residents pop in to chat and report things that need doing. They are the eyes and ears of the local community.

On issue that comes us time and again is policing and crime. In addition to meeting residents on Sunday earlier in the week we had been talking to residents in another part of the Ward. They have now engaged a private security company to patrol their roads; their confidence in the Police is very low So it was timely that this morning along with other Councillors I went to Colindale Police Station to meet with the new Borough Commander. These meeting are always worthwhile. It is an opportunity to reiterate that the Council and the Police must work together. I think we all had a frank exchange of views. I do hope this Commander stays around longer than some of his predecessors.

Finally back to the Ward Surgery at the Allotments. As I was leaving someone thrust a bag of newly picked runner beans in my hand. With out thinking I took them and said thank you; Members Code of Conduct? As someone else said it’s all a matter of common sense!