Successful meeting this morning at Pathfinder House with the director of planning and chairman of the leisure and amenities committee which I had called about the future of Little Paxton pits and nature reserve. I persuaded them that, as well as conservation, this should be promoted as a Country Park with areas designed for watersports interest groups with a refreshment kiosk near the picnic area. This afternoon, in my office without making much progress on my burgeoning in tray and then this evening to attend a party county council election meeting where I emphasised importance of campaigning rather than policy formation
A bit groggy after my late night and slow to get ready for breakfast. Had to come to the table in my dressing gown to eat my scrambled egg, before showering after. Dressed in a suit for a formal meeting at Pathfinder House this morning, between myself, David Potter – Director of Planning and Mrs Day – Chairman of the Leisure and Amenities Committee. The meeting, called at my instigation, was about the future of Little Paxton Pits. As well as the nature reserve, the larger area could be promoted as a Country Park with the other pits already being designated for water skiing, sailing etc. My input was to ensure that all informal leisure groups are catered for (not just conservation interests to the exclusion of all else) and to put up the suggestion of public toilets, a bridleway and also a refreshment kiosk near to the picnic area. These views carried the day, partially for the longer term, and the question of the central government threat to the Community Task Force also arose, with the idea that the HDC (assisted by a 50% grant from the Countryside Commission) might continue the post of the full-time coordinator of voluntary effort. The meeting ran on until lunchtime and I drove home to take my lunch late at 1.15pm. I had used the Rolls Royce this morning, as the Range Rover was being used by Di.
This afternoon I did some reading, filing and other odd jobs and didn’t really make much progress on my work backlog. I also watched a bit of Wimbledon tennis on the TV and saw the top seeds in some trouble before eventually coming good. It is a pity that players get so nasty these days if the decisions do not go their way, or the crowd/conditions are less than perfect for them. After tea, I shaved again and went to Cambridge with Michael Pope to take part in the County Council election policy discussions. My input was to ensure that they were attaching more priority to campaigning than policy formation, as this was what made for a successful outcome. Home late again and no time to write my journal for the second day running. The main news today is of the government outlining its plans in a White Paper for the reform of the Official Secrets Act. It classes certain categories of Official Information as to be covered and the effect will undoubtedly be more, rather than less restriction, because of the current discrediting of Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act. Neil Kinnock, the Labour Party leader, has reasserted his authority in the NUM Conference with a hard-hitting speech directed at his critics. Sterling is bouncing about a lot and the results of the poor trade figures and only a ½ % base rate increase on Tuesday has unsettled the stock market again. This afternoon, I made up and copied the family party invitations and they came out very well. A rather muggy end to the day, with the pollen count still high and heavy showers this morning that made my Rolls Royce dirty!