Consulting the independent district councillor, Bertie James, prior to my first Huntingdonshire District Council meeting where the committee selections were being made and was quite relieved to get places on the environmental services and economic development committees during a very ceremonial and choreographed annual meeting. Home to mow the lawn and then off to a St Neots Museum committee meeting who had yet to secure a building for their project. 20 new Cambridgeshire police are approved arousing some hope for my village policeman bid. The US claim the Russians have had a missile factory explosion and three more people at BBC broadcasting House catch Legionnaires’ disease.
Another slow start to the day, as these evening and other meetings are quite tiring. I paced about for a while after breakfast, trying to decide how to exert influence on the HDC committee selection meeting and finally decided to telephone the St Ives Independent, Bertie James. I’m glad I did, because he was very pleased at my election, particularly as I had displaced Jeanette Green, who had been as unpopular on the St Ivo Recreation Committee as she had been in Little Paxton and Southoe! He suggested that I sat next to him at the meeting. I went early to Pathfinder House, got my photograph taken for the Councillors leaflet and had a look around the printing department. Then I hung around in the Council Chamber, grabbing a convenient seat and introducing myself to as many people as possible (virtually all Tories of course). They were all quite friendly and I think, in truth, they welcome somebody else who might put some zest into the thing. All of the business is rehearsed in the Tory Group pre-meeting and they just say their lines in the real thing.
In fact, today, somebody proposed the wrong thing and had to be corrected! I was a little put out at the suggestion of one Tory Councillor, who said I should get my news of Committee seats from his leader before the Selection Committee sat! I insisted on waiting and was ready to object, but did not have to as I did get a seat on Environmental Services, a major committee, and the other on Economic Development, which is a minor one, but not as bad as Personnel. Not as good as I had hoped, but I cannot really say that I was hard done by as a new Councillor. The charade of Committee/Officer appointments and then all off home at the end of a lonely ceremonial day. Home to tea, but I had an hour first and I decided to mow the games lawn, which needed it. This evening, I went to the St Neots Museum Committee, which was a bit of a homely affair. A bunch of optimists and idealists, hoping to go about the task of creating a new museum, but with no site, no money and (as yet) no constituted organisation to do it with (!). They were hoping that the District Council might give them a site, but we persuaded them that they should think in terms of a long term lease. A chat with Mike and then home to write up my journal and get some rest. News today on policing. The good news is that additional policemen are approved for the provinces and that means 20 for Cambridgeshire. Just when we are due to meet the local Superintendent to ask for a village bobby! On the debit side, eight Chelsea football ‘hooligans’ were acquitted today, after it was said by the prosecution that police logs had been tampered with and that the policemen’s integrity could not be relied on! All this came as the result of forensic tests. The Americans are claiming that the Russians have had an explosion at a rocket factory, but the USSR are denying the interpretation of satellite evidence. Another three victims have been reported at the BBC Broadcasting House outbreak of Legionnaires disease.