Tuesday, apart from a very brief Best Value Review Sub-Committee, was really spent on day job things, but did raise a number of constituent concerns on grit bins, dodgy cobbles and damaged drains.
The Tele called me about student exemptions from Council Tax. Apparently some English authorities are claiming that they are not fully reimbursed from central government for the cost of these. Let's just say this is not exactly the main concern I'd have about revenue support grant as all exemptions are largely met through Aggregate External Finance (in other words the national taxpayer not the Council Taxpayer) and the main issues for us in Dundee is really the cut in the floor mechanism in the calculation of AEF/RSG (which protects authorities like ours with declining populations) and the deprivation issue, which clearly impacts on the City Council in terms of high demand for a number of services. Anyway, story on our website (click on headling above) and the Tele covered it (see http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2006/03/21/story8146307t0.shtm).
Today, had interviews at the City Chambers with a number of constituents with varying issues I am trying to assist them with - also had a useful meeting about progressing one of the parking problems in the West End.
Spent today with a timing device! One of my constituents who's a Dundee Uni student is undertaking a project about slowing down lives and reducing consumption by making people think about how they spend their time. So he's asked a number of people to carry a timing device which randomly from time to time emits a signal. Idea is you write down what you were doing when the signal goes & if you took a short break & relaxed when it happened. All appears to be going well with this apart from earlier this evening when the thing went off as I was watching "V for Vendetta" at the cinema! Good film though!