Trees

Autumn. Probably my favourite time of year, weather getting crisper, kids back at school, getting out furry boots and snuggly jumpers, looking forward to the various celebrations of light in our City and trees turning to glorious shades of red and orange.

Many of the terraced streets in Westcotes and throughout the city are tree lined. They make an area feel brighter, more attractive and generally more pleasant to live in.  They also have some fantastic environmental benefits such as providing shade and reducing flooding (see the CABE report).

In 2007 the Leicester Labour Party pledged to plant 10,000 new trees in the City, a lot of people thought this was unrealistic and we would never do it. This commitment has been part of my Cabinet responsibilities for the last 16 months and I am proud to say that we will have exceeded that target, and delivered the promise, by the end of this year.

I've had the opportunity to take part in some of the tree planting sessions with communities from across the City.  Planting historic Elm's in Evington, gorgeous pink blossoming cherry trees at a Youth club in Mowacre, hedging at the Gorse Hill City Farm and countless fruit tree plantings at schools across the City.

Trees are important to me, my family trade is in coppicing (a traditional method of managing woodland and producing wood for business) and I have many happy early memories of watching my Grandad chopping trees and working with the wood afterwards to make benches, besoms (traditional brooms) and swill baskets.

 

Having said all that - the trees in Westcotes drive me mad!

We have lime trees that produce horrible sticky excretions that have to be pollarded about every 2 years leaving them looking like they've been hit by lightening. The photo is one from my street which I took a few years ago in horror the first time I saw the tree specialists leaving the tree looking like this!

We also have Fruit trees planted in bizarre places like Fosse Road South where the fruit cannot be picked but splatters all over the pavements in a thoroughly horrible way and makes walking under them a game of risk, to see if you'll be hit (I've felt them whistling past my ear twice so far this year).

Then we have the leaves.  Remember those gorgeous Autumn hues, the joy of wading through piles of crunchy leaves?

Then it rains and the leaves go from gorgeous to grim before you know it.

I can guarantee (unless it miraculously doesn't rain) that for the next month the majority of calls/comments I receive from people living in Westcotes will be about slippery patches of leaves.  Our cleaning crews switch from their normal routines into fighting the deluge of slimy piles of leaf debris that pile up again as soon as the wind blows. They get tracked into houses and shops and can make some parts of pavements resemble an ice rink.

I have found myself (nearly) wishing we could get rid of  them by Winter! Maybe I'm just following an age old tradition in this country of having a moan about how we seem to struggle to get everyday things right (come back in January for a snow post!) , luckily we also have a reputation for having a good sense of humour and this timetable I spotted at Birmingham New Street Station recently certainly made me smile!

Is Dialogue the best way forward?

During Cabinet questions at Full Council recently I was asked by Cllr Gary Hunt (Lib Dem Cllr for Knighton) if I thought "dialogue was a better way forward for our City than confrontation?".  Turned out to be a question about an element of our Licensing policy regarding Taxi Drivers (you can see my answer in full on the webcast  at question 30 if you're suffering from insomnia) but the question got me thinking about dialogue vs confrontation and talking vs acting.

Our Council meeting lasted for about 4 hours this time, not too bad I suppose, but it didn't feel like the best way for me to serve the people who elected me. We had ten minutes of questions from the public, two hours of questions and answers from other Councillors (this is one of the ways the opposition Councillors are able to hold the administration to account), a nod through of some really important reports from Children's Services (nodded through because everyone agreed with them) and then an hour debating constitutional minutiae such as if questions should come in 48 or 72 hours before Council meetings!

That isn't to say I don't recognise the importance of open questions and debate, just that it can be frustrating (and very dull).

I like getting things done, I like the practical stuff, getting graffiti cleaned, bollards put in, play equipment repaired, these take some talking but mostly you find out they're needed, work out how they're getting paid for and then get them done.

The big things though need a lot more discussion.  They need discussion to try and make sure we get them right. Take the Residents Parking zone that came into force in part of Westcotes recently.  People have been talking about residents parking in my area for about the last five years, some are powerfully in favour, some are adamantly against. We have now got an experimental scheme that allows us to keep listening to local people to make sure it works as well as possible (and if it doesn't work to take it out again).

Unfortunately there are also some groups whose only desire seems to be confrontation and no amount of dialogue can change that. The English Defence League (EDL) are intending to march through our City (despite the Council applying for and getting agreement from the Home Secretary to ban marches in the City that weekend to protect public safety) on October the 9th to try and convince people of their vile anti-Islamic views. I hate the idea of these football hooliganesque people being bussed in to cause trouble and try to spread hatred in Leicester and am very glad that the City Council and Police are working together with faith groups, community organisations and Hope not Hate to ensure these thugs are marginalised and that we have the opportunity to celebrate our diversity.

On Friday there will be a peace vigil at the Clock Tower at half four where people will also be asked to start wearing Green Ribbons to symbolise our City's solidarity in the face of extremism and our pride in our diversity and cohesion.

I'm looking forward to taking my kids to the 'One Leicester Together' celebration event in Humberstone Gate on the Sunday too. My kids attend schools where there are over 20 languages spoken, where they celebrate each others traditions and festivals and are empowered to understand and enjoy them. I am incredibly proud of the breadth of understanding and delight they have for a full range of religious and cultural beliefs  and know they are being given the opportunity to grow up as active and inclusive citizens of Leicester.  This is what we will be celebrating on Sunday. This is why I am confident that the EDL will not divide our City, will not spread their hatred and will not leave a lasting impression.

Of course dialogue is important, whether it be getting to know your next door neighbour, learning about and celebrating new cultures, ensuring everyone has a voice and doesn't feel left out or left behind or listening to what people want and/or need when developing new policies. 

This is the dialogue to take our City forward and our actions in celebrating this together on Sunday and in the future will stop confrontational aggression having any place in Leicester.