Babs, Gary, and the Age of Stupid

Barbara Janke was an onlooker at Wednesday's scrutiny commissions meeting where her councillor underlings spent over five hours going over the plans to sell off green spaces, all across the city.

Who knows whether she'd managed to read the 400-page plus documentation, let alone the public statements, but she did hear very clear reports of a flawed consultation, mislaid papers and petitions, expert advice disregarded, Freedom of Information requests unfulfilled, all of it showing that the 'consultation report' is founded on unreliable envidence. Probably the inevitable result of asking a heavily cut-back department to deliver and assess a huge consultation and review of the city's open spaces, way beyond its own resources.

The five hour session was enough to persuade the councillors that a hasty decision to sell the land on such dodgy grounds would be unwise; far better to give it just a bit more time to make sure we get it right. After all, these are final decisions, there's no going back, and there's no rush. So that's what they recommended to the LibDem Cabinet.

The Scrutiny Commissions' appeal was echoed by many others, including even the independent Parks Forum which had until now been 100% behind the sell-off plan (and is being vilified by the Evening Post for it). Add to that the pleas of more councillors, groups like our own Friends of Stockwood Open Spaces and the Neighbourhood Partnership, residents groups and individuals.

To defer a decision on the sales seemed obvious..... Everything to gain, to make sure the eventual decisions are well founded, sustainable, and in keeping with sensible city planning. Anything else would be stupid.

A pity the Cabinet was unanimous in rejecting their advice, and chose the stupid option instead.

Something to do with false pride, the pleasure of exercising power........ or even, possibly, just being stupid?

Good news for the Open Space

Looks like the Stockwood Open Space has won some friends. There were plenty of Stockwood people went to the 'Parks Stakeholders' meeting last night to discuss how the Open Space might be better cared for and used.

It's clear that lots of people do care about the Open Space and some take an active part in looking after it. But now there's to be a meeting (provisionally 3rd February)* to form a 'Friends of Stockwood Open Space' - or maybe even 'Open Spaces'.

The great thing about 'Friends' groups is that they can do loads of things that individuals can't. They can raise funds for improvements, provide help with maintenance and litter-picking, liaise with the managers (the Council and the Wildlife Trust), and generally keep a protective eye on the place and its wildlife. They can have a say on the city's 'Parks Forum', alongside reps of many other Bristol parks and open spaces.

If you'd like to be involved, contact me (stockwoodpete (at) googlemail.com) or Jay Jethwa for more details.

* added Thursday 29th:

Now confirmed as 7pm on 3rd February at Stockwood Free Church (Baptist), Ladman Road, Stockwood, BS14 8QH, with a follow-up meeting on 16th February at 7pm at Stockwood Free Church (Baptist).