Rock Lobster

The B-52s Classic gives us the perfect combination of fish and music to seamlessly introduce my weekend activity at the Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival where I attend the jazz breakfast to see one of Hastings best musicians Lianne Caroll. All the tickets were sold out but they told us that some tables were available outside where we could hear the music. Actually this proved to be a better deal as it was a lovely ,morning and we rustled up some coffee and toast from the angling club which meant seeing it all for free instead of the £8.50 ticket. Anyway the event itself was terrifically relaxed with a lot of wandering around tasting food and generally meeting the people you run into when there is an event on. It was one of those days where Hastings looks and feels like a really nice place to live. The B-52s perform their classic here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM if you are interested.

WITH EVERY MISTAKE WE MUST BE LEARNING

This morning a mandatory Action Learning Set meeting for those projects - of whch we have one - which are funded through the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. I say mandatory but attendance is poor with the committed and interested always there but with some notable absentees. We run through 2 case studies and a general catch up of the LEGI process. Would be nice to get more input as those who are engaged are those who already liaise well. But at least I was able to commit some funding to resource some training which another project was finding it difficilt to fund. Back to a pile of paperwork as usual pre weekend. The annual audit is also in full swing so we have to remember not to lock the auditors in when we leave for the night. Unfortunately the work will probably stretch into the weekend as I have a presentation to prepare which is not even conceived let alone prepared. But there you go.

Anyway todays lyric reference is a classic http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T7qpfGVUd8c&mode=related&search=While%20my%20Guitar%20Gently%20Weeps%20-Eric%20Clapton-%20George%20Harrison

Time to plant seeds of reconstruction

A meeting of the Board of Hastings and Bexhill Rennaisance Limited which is the delivery arm of a body called SEASPACE - the Regeneration Company for Hastings - which is building a range of regeneration projects accross the Town. Ironically, I find myself on the board of the very company which will, in time, be knocking down our premises, which is a little like a turkey signing up for a Christmas Club I guess. Anyway we review the range of activities some of which are clearly on track like the creative media centre which is now fully let. The refurbishment of the Marina Pavilian continues to cause concern and is locked into an unfortunate vortex of delay and dispute. The end is in sight but not before time as SEASPACE are taking a big hit in the press over delays to its completion. To be fair some of the problems were unforeseen at the start of the project but that doesn't affect the public view that they have seen a building site for too long.

At the meetings conclusion I raise the issue of the Construction Charter. This is a Local Enterprise Growth Initiative project run by the Borough Council which, along with all the other LEGI projects we are helping to peer review as part of an Action Learning Set. I had assumed that as the company doing most building work in Hastings and as a major agent for the regeneration process SEASPACE/HBRL would be partners to the Charter - which aims to maximise the training of local people amoungst other laudable things. Unbelievably I was wrong and will be advocating for this to change. It seems unbelievably contradictoryif the very body seeking to regenerate Hastings isn't leading the way on this. I have asked for a detailed explanation and we shall see where it takes us. Surely it is the process of regeneration asd well as the final results that should benefit the local community!

Our lyric today comes from Pearl Jam. Architects - together with Nirvana and Soundgarden - whatever hapened to them - of the 1990's Seattle "grunge" sound. Here they are in full flight http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=t1CgfTOZpzU

I Still Remember

A very pleasant task opened my day to give an introductory talk at the Ore Valley Forum away day. They are planning their future activity and role over the next stage of their development. Unbelievably, the forum is now 14 years old and I was asked to speak as I am the only person still around who was at its inaugeral meeting when I was a young(ish) Labour Councillor. The OVF came out of a period when the Ore Valley had its fair share of issues - indeed a mini riot hit the headlines in the early 1990's which made service providers sit up and try and build a better dialogue with local people. That led to some real Action Planning an Estate Action programme. It was ice to share memories with people who were involved in those early years. Some really interesting work going on and some real grassroots activism which is getting results. It all looks a bit uncertain because of the debate over Neighbourhood Renewal Funding etc. I hope I was able t get the message accross that it is the people and not the programmes which will ensure that a strong community voice that shapes the future of the Ore Valley. As ever I had to leave to make another commitment but hope to join them later in the day.

The lyric today comes from Bloc Party - I bought the album yesterday and here they are but be warned they are LOUD... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M0wcnKOfsu0

If you build it...they will come

With apologies to Field of Dreams I am amazed at how having a blog brings together people with similar interests. Welcome Laura Whitehead a freelance web designer and fellow CVS Director from Devon who has her own blog - heaps more impressive than mine by the way. Like me Laura has 2 cats and a dog which means that she is kind to both people and animals (a big plus point in my opinion). Today I attended a meeting of the East Sussex Assembly to facilitate two workshops with the East Sussex Strategic Partnership. A full day but met two people who regularly read the blog. For ages you feel that you are prattling away to yourself and then you find that you have an audience!!! A few more like minded people and we will start planning the revolution.

If you didn't get the Field of Dreams reference see the great James Earl Jones give "that speech" by clicking on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDyM4CfExXU

I briefed the Sherrif (but I did not brief the Deputy)

Today we welcomed the Queens representative in East Sussex in the form of the High Sherrif who had been told about some of the work we have been doing with the asylum seeker/refugee communities and our broader community cohesion actiuvity. A visit and briefing was arranged and HVAs Community Cohesion worker Habibah, myself and Angela who has responsibility within Hastings Borough Council for cohesion work spoke at length about the issues raised. There are some pretty big questions here. What is the best way of making new communities feel welcomed? How should public services respond to specific needs which do not attract additional funding? and how can this all work in a context of high deprivation. An interesting discussion and I found the high sherrif to be well informed and had prepared extensively for the visit. Tomorrow looks like a day from hell as I found that I have four commitments all in different parts of East Sussex some of which will have to go by the wayside. A problem of high demand combined with limited capacity but we shall see.

And in case you need reminding just how good our lyric reference was just watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WO2T42clWs

let's get together and feel all right

Well that was the NACVA conference then. An interesting couple of days catching up with the more national picture. Interesting contribution from Iain Duncan Smith - former Tory leader - who has been spending his time looking at issues of social exclusion and ways of tackling it. Having spent most of his political career either creating or supporting the conditions that made for so much social exclusion and community alienation it is, at least pleasing to see that he has a commitment to clearing up some of the mess he had such a hand in creating during the 1980's/1990's. Anyway the "quiet man" seems to have had a bit of a road to Damascus revelation and feels that small community groups, civic activism and reaching out the excluded is now the way ahead. IDS put his case well but missed a huge point which I raised at the end of the session. The whole existence of an underclass won't be sorted out by a little more reaching out and much of the writing in the US has examined the way in which the inner city underclass have effectively abandoned the idea of being embraced by the mainstream - given that it shafted them in the first place. There was no mention of the informal economy or the way in which many communities in poverty are topping up their income and finding their own way of surviving. It was also really nice to see people at the conference who - wait for it - had actually read this blog. Paul from the ICT Hub was met face to face which was good and others were very encouraging.

Anyway here is the thrust of what IDS is saying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmp5VN9kulg