Posts from — May 2010

An extraordinary example of individuals who care, doing something that really matters…

The first Monthly Alzheimers Support Evening was established near Stafford last year by Daphne Sharpe and Elaine Dunlop.

I visited them shortly after taking over political responsibility for Social Care and Health and was stunned by the amazing atmosphere and shear number of carers and those they care for there.

It truly was motivational and I joked to Daphne whilst I was there that it was so good they should get on and do more ’MASEs’ across Staffordshire. Little did I think they would take that quite so seriously.

Clearly they did because the picture was taken at the opening of MASE number two in Rugeley near Cannock. Again absolutely packed to the rafters and again a huge buzz creating a wonderful and chilled out and friendly atmosphere.

MASE is all about offering a little light relief for those suffering from Dementia related illness and the people who care for them. Socialising and sharing experiences with like-minded people means a break away from the pressures.

And the fundamentals from Social Care and Health’s point of view is the principle of providing a little funding to support the community in supporting themselves.

Better still, and almost unbelievably, Daphne and Elaine are in the final stages of kicking off MASE number three in the Great Wyrley area. That will start up in the coming months meaning another major step forward in taking their winning formula right across Staffordshire. More details can be found here.

I recently set aside a million pounds for a new funding scheme to encourage local groups, parish councils and other community based organisations in Staffordshire to establish new initiatives which help older or vulnerable adults to stay more independent in their community amongst friends and family.

The Community Wellbeing Fund is really easy to apply for and individual projects can secure start up money of up to £10,000. Befriending services, local transport schemes, lunch clubs, computer clubs, in fact anything which could help older people or those with disabilities in your area of Staffordshire. More details on how to apply here.

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Fazeley’s Mayor delighted with improvements…

I met Cllr Andrew James last week to see the work that’s been done under his leadership to modernise and improve the town hall at Fazeley.

The main public space has been redecorated, extra rooms upstairs brought into use for internal and external meetings, the main council chamber spruced up and some interesting photos of old Fazeley and its people taking pride of place on the walls.

It looks excellent and, frankly, is well overdue. Something that Fazeley, Mile Oak and Bonehill people can be proud of. It’s good to see and the Mayor has got more plans for the area including with work planned to the grounds around the hall, new town council information boards for Mile Oak and Bonehill and, hopefully, a festive market in the run up to Christmas.

And I’m really pleased to see that the council have installed a brand new flagpole near to the war memorial which is flying the Staffordshire Flag I presented to Fazeley last year.

Tremendous to see the area looking so good with yet more in the pipeline for the future.

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Now the big challenge to genuinely carry that through…

A new coalition Government where a key political crossover between the Lib Dems and Conservatives is the devolution of power to local areas.

Since winning Staffordshire ten months ago and experiencing for myself what responsibity for the huge agenda Social Care and Health means, the importance of more local decision making and flexibility has become very clear.

Partly because at County level the ‘edicts’ from central government tend to focus more on desired outcomes rather than a prescriptive means of getting there, the latter prescription from my experience at Lichfield being more normal at district councils.

Clearly, national things such as fiscal policy, foreign policy and national benefits have relatively little to do with local delivery but national policy relating to the day to day stuff and local delivery is a very different matter.

In a nutshell, well thought through national policy which is delivered poorly usually fails to achieve decent outcomes but poor national policy, if tweaked locally and delivered well, often achieves good outcomes despite its dodgy start in life.

My point is that local delivery is the factor which often determines the quality of outcomes.

If successful in Staffordshire, and I’m confident with the way its going we will be despite the ongoing financial crisis, I think the importance of delivery versus national policy will be proven.

Keep an eye out for the new approach to tackling alcohol abuse and the consequences of binge drinking as a good example of what I’m saying.

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Well, thanks to whoever or wherever the pretty complex attack on my website came from…

It was, apparently, a nasty one and ended up wrecking my site fairly comprehensively. But, quite a few quid and six weeks later it’s now akin to a fortress and I’m assured that defences are also now pretty complex.