For those of you who were worried about my hedgehog, the good news is that he’s still here. I’ve seen him again since I last wrote. It’s just that he comes out later and I usually I don’t go out that late. In the garden I also have three yellow rattle plants, which I’m really proud of. I sowed them as seed and then nurtured them. Unfortunately, they flowered mainly in my week away, although I managed to see the earliest one before I went, and the later ones were still out when I came back.
As well as all the usual council meetings, I’ve been dealing with bin issues, as you can no doubt imagine. If you live in a town, it’s difficult but not so difficult to get to a recycling point somewhere. But my ward is very rural and people are really struggling. I’ve asked for temporary bring sites, I’ve asked for an emergency one-off collection, I’ve asked for collections for commercial waste in areas where the roads are too narrow for big vehicles and commercial and domestic waste and recycling are collected together. None of this seems to have come to anything (lack of capacity apparently). There’s no end in sight to the dispute either. The sooner all sides get round the table again, the better for everyone.
I’ve also been supporting the residents of Plumbland Parish who are facing a revitalised application for a quarry very close to the village, with all that that implies for disruption to village life – noise, dust, heavy vehicles on the road, which is completely unsuitable. It takes the form of letter writing and following up things with the council, but sometimes it just means going and eating cake! This is my preferred sort of campaigning. Seriously, though, the village has a huge task to raise funds for a legal challenge to prospective approval, and needs all the help it can get.
Then I was invited to speak at the Speakers Corner event against the coalmine. It was a super day with rousing, empowering speeches to remind us all that it’s not over yet. We had two special and unexpected visits. The first was from the wonderful Nanas Against Fracking to offer their support and encouragement after their victory at Preston New Road. The second was from Chris Packham who was in the area with a Channel 4 team, making a documentary. He exhorted us all to get out of our comfort zones, and take one step further, to push ourselves to do more. Friends of the Earth (FoE) and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) have got three days in court with their legal challenge 24th – 26th October, and after that if they lose, we’ll all be out of our comfort zones, taking direct action training and planning peaceful ways to disrupt activity at the site. Hopefully that won’t be necessary.
On the 24th May, just before my holiday, I went to a very exciting meeting with HyperfastUK in Maryport and learnt that within 12 months I might have a really fast broadband connection, instead of one that feels more like pigeon post.
And today I heard that Caroline Lucas, our groundbreaking Green MP, is to stand down at the next election. They are big shoes to fill, but hopefully someone can do it. We’re in a good place after the local elections and with a proper electoral system we’d be in an even better one.
I’m up to more things that are at a very early stage, so watch this space in case any of them come to fruition!
Cllr. Jill Perry
