A 'Blizzard' Of Emails And Technology Troubles

A week in the life of a local councillor in Chiswick

Cllr Sam Hearn who represents the Riverside ward in Chiswick, is chairman of the Chiswick Area Forum. He has written this account of his week as a busy local councillor

Friday 16th January: My car decides not to recognise its key and the immobiliser kicks in. A potentially busy day is spent dealing with the RAC and finally being towed in rush hour traffic to my garage. Somehow I managed to pick up the latest leaflets for delivery and a parking ticket.

Saturday 17th January: Up early to print out paperwork for meetings. The General Election campaign meeting in Isleworth was Informative and hands-on. Lots of enthusiastic new faces (thank goodness). On to the trustees’ meeting of a small educational charity in deepest Oxfordshire – I have to chair because the Chairman cannot make it. Back to the Waterman’s for a screening of The Theory of Everything. Sadly I missed the pre-film curry with friends.

Sunday 18th January: I should be walking on the South Downs with stalwarts from Chiswick but had to knuckle down to my backlog of council and personal paperwork. Fantastic phone-photos by Sue of the Devil’s Jumps seven bronze-age burial mounds. What am I going to do with all these leaflets – no suggestions please.

Monday 19th January: Into the Civic Centre to have my sick I-Pad fixed. Like my car it does not want to talk to me but I do not take it personally.

Tuesday 20th January: Chaired the CAF. The public forum section was strangely quiet- may be everyone is keeping their powder dry for next week’s single issue meeting? Good to hear that the local Police are nearly back to ‘strength’.

Wednesday 21st January: A small blizzard of emails relating to next week’s Area Forum. I am optimistic that we can make some real progress.

Thursday 22nd January: To the Pilot at lunch time to meet up with a posse of Parliamentarians out on the campaign trail for Mary Macleod. MPs from Bristol to north Yorkshire have descended on Chiswick, plus seven Lords-a-leaping (well not quite seven). Back at 433 in the evening and see that it has been a successful day with a huge pile of marked up canvass sheets.

Friday 23rd January: Catching up on emails. I am looking forward to the St Paul’s Church annual quiz this evening. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Was I supposed to be making a salad?

January 23rd, 2015