Week One – 25/2/08
This is just about my first week where I haven’t attended anything in my official capacity as President although it was no less busy.
The start of the week saw me attend a whole series of meetings and 2 days of a 4-day Health and Safety course the Council is putting everything through (to my horror there is even homework!)
The Council Tax is set on the Wednesday night at Full Council which means Thursday is spent overseeing the preparation of the system for closedown on the Friday and interviewing for a management vacancy in our contact centre
I meet up with Barry Powell from Equita at a local Indian restaurant in the evening to discuss some ideas for my charity event which Equita have historically sponsored and been involved with (watch this space for an announcement in May). I still beat J home as Kettering spend a little longer setting their Council Tax than North Warwickshire !
Friday morning sees me pop into work early for an hour before heading the 20 miles up the road to the Belfry to meet up with fellow Council Member and stag for the weekend Dave Chapman. It is a real IRRV affair as along with Messrs Magor, Traynor, Bloodworth, Ferguson, Shang and Watson we head out into the wilds of the North Warwickshire countryside, many finding plenty of the local nature and water hazards as the golf falls along way short of the level of Revenues expertise on show. Interspersed with rain showers and a biting wind, we are happy to find the sanctuary of the club house for some liquid refreshment, prize giving (Fergie and his team take the spoils) before freshening up for a meal and then braving the hotels nightclub. Music from the 70’s and décor to match, we certainly weren’t out of place!
In bed just gone midnight (we are showing our age), wind wakes me up about 4pm (not from my fellow room mate Mr Watson or myself) but what seems a gale force strength outside. It is very sad that we get up early on Saturday to have a quick IRRV meeting over breakfast to discuss the forthcoming Keele programme before the rest of the stags join us prior to braving the elements (some of the strongest winds imaginable). It is a tough day again sweetened by the fact that on a day benefiting the bigger hitters, my team of 4 triumph against all odds. Year Ends gone well so spend a night in (I’m definitely feeling my age !)
Nip into work on Sunday to tidy some things up and bring my technical notes up to date with the latest CLG letters before spending the rest of the day doing basically not a lot
Week Two – 3/3/08
Again a light week as far as official IRRV activity goes as I complete my final 2 days Health and Safety training which involves an exam!, finalise some reports and budgets and the final amendments on enclosures for the bills. The latter end of the week sees the preparation of slides and organising ourselves for a visit by the Professional Planning Forum inspection team who spend 5 hours with us on the Friday judging our contact centre and one stop activity for their innovation awards to be announced in Manchester at the end of April 2008. Even though we have got used to preparing for award visits, it never gets any easier as the other departments in the Council come out in force to support what we are doing. We are pleased with the way it goes but being up against very stiff public and private sector competition we can only keep our fingers crossed.
The weekend flies by as I go into work for half a day on both Saturday and Sunday as I am out and about the following week and attempt to keep on top of everything at what is always a busy time of year for us all
Week Three – 10 March 2008
Catch an early train on Monday to London as I am lecturing NDR on the final week of the Institutes three-week block release course. It has had to be hastily moved from our usual Swindon base following some confusion over bookings involving the Cheltenham Festival. 8 or so hours of lecturing later interspersed by a sleep, I finish just before lunch on Tuesday and am back in the office by 2.30pm.
A number of the executive who are helping organise our Association dinner on 17 May 2008 (see West Midlands Association part of the website for more information) arrive at 6pm for a meeting at my Council offices to discuss arrangements. The dinner has struggled to attract people in recent years so we are going all out to make this abit different and making the price very attractive so hopefully people will support it.
After a full day at work Wednesday I attend a family celebration on the Wednesday night and spend Thursday in London as a guest of the President of the Association of Accounting Technicians at their annual lunch which is very pleasant. Back on the train I manage to get back by late afternoon and pop into work to catch up on some things I cannot resolve via my blackberry.
Spend Friday undertaking appraisals amongst other things and the evening trying to finalise arrangements for my honeymoon in January 2009 (thank goodness for trip advisor and the power of the internet).
Go into work Saturday morning to issue the calling notices for both the dinner and sponsor requests before driving up to Accrington in the afternoon on Saturday for the Lancashire and Cheshire Dinner Dance which as always is a well attended event. Under the Presidency of fellow Council Member, Angela Storey it is organised as always by stalwart Richard Mason from Lancaster who is finally standing down after 20 or so years of organising the event. The dancing stops about 1am meaning not such an early morning rise as normal to spend a lazy Sunday driving back and not much else (other than catching up on the blog!)
This is just about my first week where I haven’t attended anything in my official capacity as President although it was no less busy.
The start of the week saw me attend a whole series of meetings and 2 days of a 4-day Health and Safety course the Council is putting everything through (to my horror there is even homework!)
The Council Tax is set on the Wednesday night at Full Council which means Thursday is spent overseeing the preparation of the system for closedown on the Friday and interviewing for a management vacancy in our contact centre
I meet up with Barry Powell from Equita at a local Indian restaurant in the evening to discuss some ideas for my charity event which Equita have historically sponsored and been involved with (watch this space for an announcement in May). I still beat J home as Kettering spend a little longer setting their Council Tax than North Warwickshire !
Friday morning sees me pop into work early for an hour before heading the 20 miles up the road to the Belfry to meet up with fellow Council Member and stag for the weekend Dave Chapman. It is a real IRRV affair as along with Messrs Magor, Traynor, Bloodworth, Ferguson, Shang and Watson we head out into the wilds of the North Warwickshire countryside, many finding plenty of the local nature and water hazards as the golf falls along way short of the level of Revenues expertise on show. Interspersed with rain showers and a biting wind, we are happy to find the sanctuary of the club house for some liquid refreshment, prize giving (Fergie and his team take the spoils) before freshening up for a meal and then braving the hotels nightclub. Music from the 70’s and décor to match, we certainly weren’t out of place!
In bed just gone midnight (we are showing our age), wind wakes me up about 4pm (not from my fellow room mate Mr Watson or myself) but what seems a gale force strength outside. It is very sad that we get up early on Saturday to have a quick IRRV meeting over breakfast to discuss the forthcoming Keele programme before the rest of the stags join us prior to braving the elements (some of the strongest winds imaginable). It is a tough day again sweetened by the fact that on a day benefiting the bigger hitters, my team of 4 triumph against all odds. Year Ends gone well so spend a night in (I’m definitely feeling my age !)
Nip into work on Sunday to tidy some things up and bring my technical notes up to date with the latest CLG letters before spending the rest of the day doing basically not a lot
Week Two – 3/3/08
Again a light week as far as official IRRV activity goes as I complete my final 2 days Health and Safety training which involves an exam!, finalise some reports and budgets and the final amendments on enclosures for the bills. The latter end of the week sees the preparation of slides and organising ourselves for a visit by the Professional Planning Forum inspection team who spend 5 hours with us on the Friday judging our contact centre and one stop activity for their innovation awards to be announced in Manchester at the end of April 2008. Even though we have got used to preparing for award visits, it never gets any easier as the other departments in the Council come out in force to support what we are doing. We are pleased with the way it goes but being up against very stiff public and private sector competition we can only keep our fingers crossed.
The weekend flies by as I go into work for half a day on both Saturday and Sunday as I am out and about the following week and attempt to keep on top of everything at what is always a busy time of year for us all
Week Three – 10 March 2008
Catch an early train on Monday to London as I am lecturing NDR on the final week of the Institutes three-week block release course. It has had to be hastily moved from our usual Swindon base following some confusion over bookings involving the Cheltenham Festival. 8 or so hours of lecturing later interspersed by a sleep, I finish just before lunch on Tuesday and am back in the office by 2.30pm.
A number of the executive who are helping organise our Association dinner on 17 May 2008 (see West Midlands Association part of the website for more information) arrive at 6pm for a meeting at my Council offices to discuss arrangements. The dinner has struggled to attract people in recent years so we are going all out to make this abit different and making the price very attractive so hopefully people will support it.
After a full day at work Wednesday I attend a family celebration on the Wednesday night and spend Thursday in London as a guest of the President of the Association of Accounting Technicians at their annual lunch which is very pleasant. Back on the train I manage to get back by late afternoon and pop into work to catch up on some things I cannot resolve via my blackberry.
Spend Friday undertaking appraisals amongst other things and the evening trying to finalise arrangements for my honeymoon in January 2009 (thank goodness for trip advisor and the power of the internet).
Go into work Saturday morning to issue the calling notices for both the dinner and sponsor requests before driving up to Accrington in the afternoon on Saturday for the Lancashire and Cheshire Dinner Dance which as always is a well attended event. Under the Presidency of fellow Council Member, Angela Storey it is organised as always by stalwart Richard Mason from Lancaster who is finally standing down after 20 or so years of organising the event. The dancing stops about 1am meaning not such an early morning rise as normal to spend a lazy Sunday driving back and not much else (other than catching up on the blog!)
