Karl Wilding

St Albans District Council’s consultation on the future of the City.

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Karl

I don’t know. I don’t blog for months, then I read the local paper and feel compelled to write twice in one day. I’ve just completed the consultation document published by SADC on plans for what the City should look like in the future: where/where not we should build; transport needs; and so on.

I’d encourage you to do the same: the plan is here (PDF), and the consultation document is here. I felt like writing the blog because the consultation errs on the side of being brief, but wrongly so in my opinion. Too few questions (at least one of which is bordering on incomprehensible*), and a maximum of 50 words are allowed for AOB. Yes, 50 words. I’ve spent much of the last 6 months talking about the Big Society, localism, community engagement and so on. Much is about how we involve communities in decision making, a good thing. The length of this consultation, together with a very short deadline (too short, according to one councillor) suggests to me that SADC dont really want to know what I think. And knowing a few officers and members, I don’t think that’s true.

I’ll blog again on what I think should be in the strategy, but in the meantime this touched a nerve: I’m prepared to get engaged in my community, as are others. You need people like us. So please try a bit harder to involve us in a way that doesnt discourage us.

*PS: this was the question I found incomprehensible: To what extent do you support the concept ‘Where educational establishments in the Green Belt can demonstrate a real need to provide improved facilities and to expand, should future housing growth at these locations be considered, as enabling development to provide the educational improvements’?

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

St Albans City Hospital, WRVS and Costa

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Karl

I’ve read in the paper this morning that the lovely little tea bar at St Albans city hospital is going to be replaced by a Costa coffee chain. The story is here.

Its a good chance that many of my friends dont really know what my job is, but basically its about understanding how voluntary organisations and volunteers can make our lives better. So for me, this is where my personal and work lives collide.

I liked that tea bar. A cup of tea didn’t cost £2. I didn’t need £10 to get drinks and sweets if all the family happened to have made one of our occasional trips to minor injuries. The volunteers – organised by the WRVS, an outstanding voluntary organisation – were friendly. And I can’t measure this or demonstrate causality, but they made me feel better. (I accept by the way if you think this is nonsense; nevertheless, researchers argue that ‘subjective wellbeing’ is important). In my day job, I come across research that suggests the volunteers feel better too: people get a sense of purpose, they meet people when they might otherwise be isolated. I hope those WRVS volunteers’ wellbeing isnt depleted by these changes, as they’ll likely rely more on the NHS in the future. (I should add that WRVS will still have a presence in the hospital, but for me the issue is they can’t continue to provide a friendly service that I and others value).

So, as you can probably tell, I think this is a bad idea. I’ve got nothing against Costa per se, though in general I think the whole coffee shop thing is a bit pretentious. I personally don’t want a retail experience when I am going to the hospital. I dont want some 18yr old barista asking me if I want brie and avocado posh toastie with a half gallon ‘cup’ of coffee. Being in hospital is not a pleasant experience; its likely I’m there because I’ve just had some sort of traumatic experience. So NHS bosses, if you are reading this, I can assure you that these plans will do nothing to make my next visit happier and that ultimately this will not contribute to my health outcomes.

Posted in St Albans, Uncategorized, voluntary sector | 6 Comments