In last weeks Barnet Times there was an article on Coucillors pay. In the comments section on the Times website some of the posters wanted councillors to share their diaries. Well here is mine for last week.
Monday evening – attended the Hadley Residents AGM
Tuesday evening – Read through the paperwork for Corporate JNCC Committee the following evening.
Wednesday evening – Corporate JNCC. I also should have been at a school governors meeting but it clashed with the JNCC. I also wanted to attend Barnet FC’s launch of the Kickz programme but that clashed as well.
Thursday evening. Group meeting to discuss who will be speaking on the various debates at the following weeks council meeting.
Friday evening - Met with resident who had asked me to deal with a housing issue.
Saturday Afternoon - My surgery. A number of items of casework to follow up including a council tax arrears issue and some work on future plans for the Countryside centre in my ward.
Sunday afternoon. - catching up with emails and other correspondence.
In all I probably spent about 15 hours on Council related work. I agree that the cabinet system is awful and that SRA’s should not be stacked up. However I do think that Councillors can be advocates for their residents and can make a difference. It’s the kind of job that is what you make of it. You can do the absolute minimum and coast along and in many parts of the borough if you are in the right party you will get re-elected regardless.
