Council colleagues retiring in 2014

On Wednesday 16 April in the last Council meeting before the local elections in May Cllr Nick Paget-Brown took the opportunity to pay tribute to those Councillors who will not be standing for re-election.  His speech can be read here.

Mr Mayor

Tonight marks the last Council meeting for a number of colleagues across the Chamber. It is a mark of how fortunate we are as a Council that every one of them – whatever their length of service – is going to be missed enormously. We have been fortunate to have had people with a huge range of experience and knowledge which they have put to work on behalf of the Council and residents.

Could I comment on members of my party and one of our opposition colleagues who have served this borough so well?

It’s a dog’s life

Some years ago I spearheaded a bold initiative to tackle professional dog walkers who were leading half a dozen or more disorderly hounds around our streets, causing mayhem in the process.

Don’t ask me how, but we ended up ticketing elderly ladies taking their beloved pooches out for a gentle stroll.

Remember the Big Society?

That many more people are living out their full span of years is a wonderful thing but it also brings with it a greater risk of loneliness and isolation.

In Campden ward Open Age and Kensington and Chelsea Forum for Older Residents have been keenly aware of that risk and have been running regular lunches, events and day trips for the local elderly.  And it’s not just Campden that has such active citizens and such energetic voluntary organisations.