The start of my 'Council grass cutting' campaign today
The start of my 'Council grass cutting' campaign today

Catching up on the local papers and dealing with local elector’s grievances, including grass cutting and all else but BT have repaired the Southoe Public Call box, which was a minor triumph. The National Union of Seamen failing in their High Court bid to regain control of their sequestrated union funds but doubts remain about the standards of safety on board the cross channel ferries after yesterday’s fire. The NHS lottery had to be cancelled due to illegality and pregnant mothers will now be tested for the AIDS virus

Straight to bed last night and a deep night’s sleep, before I awoke early and went looking for my morning tea. Drank away and chatted to the girls and glanced through the morning paper before breakfast, leaving my wash and shower until afterwards. I read a bit more of the papers and then dealt with more correspondence this morning, photocopying more replies for local residents. A long list of complaints from one elector, to which I replied with a long list of answers and things for him to do as well as me. People think they can burden their local Councillor, but it is for all of us to act together to improve our community. Then I got a good reply from British Telecom and found the Southoe public call box has been fixed. Off to Southoe to deliver my ‘glory copies’ and I stuck one up in the call box itself, to make sure they all realised who had achieved it! Home to write a letter to the Reliant Club, declining to join a rally in Nottingham next month and also a chat with Charles Mawer, Parish Councillor, who is responsible for the grass cutting etc. The District Council arrived today to start on Little Paxton’s grass and were doing a good job, but far too seldom to be effective.

More correspondence this afternoon and evening, as I try to plan for my forthcoming meetings. I sat down with Diana this evening and compared diaries, as we now need to with all of our commitments. The news this evening is of the National Union of Seamen failing in their High Court bid to regain control of their sequestrated union funds. The doubts go on about the standards of safety on board the cross channel ferries after yesterday’s fire. A scandal today, as the first national lottery to raise funds in the support of the National Health Service had to be cancelled, under threat of prosecution, as it may be illegal. Some 43,000 people had already paid £500,000, which will now have to be returned. The Health Service is now to start testing pregnant mothers for the AIDS virus on a voluntary basis, but it may become standard for anonymous samples if the volunteers do not come forward in sufficient numbers.