Substituted for Ewan this morning at a meeting of the Neighbourhood Partnership 'review group' ... there was a good, cross-Party debate about progress-to-date and some degree of acceptance that there is a slight feeling of NPs 'treading water' at the moment ...
... but, it has to be said, there appeared to be a genuine willingness to address that challenge over the coming few months. It appears the actual 'NP Review' will be completed by the end of June and thereafter make its way through the formal decision-making processes of the Council by August at the very latest.
Okay - its still a few months away: but if that timetable is now actually adhered to, and new powers (and money!) are eventually added as a result of the Review ... then I'll be the first to applaud progress at last!
We'll see?
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... just by way of note: why-on-earth the current Coalition won't use cross-party working groups (like today's) more frequently is simply beyond me? Such arrangements always end up in a much better shot at some sort of consensus, and even if differences are irresolvable then the subsequent debates at Full Council are always more 'civilised' as everyone knows they have at least been listened to. But, in true 'old politics' fashion, current Opposition Groups are frozen out of as much as possible - c'est la vie, but its not conducive to good, long-term decision-making.
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