A hard day of difficult but productive meetings, succeeding in laying the groundwork for arranging our LibDem representation on the District Council, supporting and advising our LibDem team in tricky negotiations for the St Neots Town Council Mayor making and then trying to save On-Site Training with its franchisees. All this whilst also designing invites for "Debbie's Swimming and Roller-Skating Birthday Party"
I had a very hard day of difficult meetings today and coped with then all rather well in the end. The day started with a fairly early start as I was going to do some work before breakfast. Then Diana gave me the instructions for sending out the invitations for "Debbie's Swimming and Roller-Skating Birthday Party" which were a bit worrying in view of the need to book days in peoples' diaries. I therefore decided to set out some small slips and ran off around fifty of them so that Debbie could take them into school and hand them round to her friends in advance of us sending out the formal invitations. All this finished with, Diana reminded me that we were going into Cambridge together but first I had another couple of problems to deal with. The gardener was having difficulty back-flushing the sand filter for the pond and then I had to discuss various things with him and also Larkin, the marine engineer, who was making a sump cover and some new flood moorings.
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I eventually got off with Diana in the Range Rover and arrived in Cambridge in time to meet her parents for morning coffee in Eadon Lilley. I had got her to drive as I used the entire journey to make calls on my mobile telephone which was useful. I could talk to the District Council about the implications of the election result on the party representations on committees of council. I made another call to my mother who had not heard from me since the election campaign started and that was well worthwhile. It was a bit early for her to be up and about, but she seemed to be all right. Diana's parents were very pleased to see us, and we chatted for quite a while, particularly about Norma's trip down to Cornwall with Sue which was quite a journey down memory lane. I bought them two cups of coffee each to keep them going. Sue had found the house of the late Poet Laureate Sir Thomas Betjeman for sale and had been full of schemes to buy it and make it a tourist attraction.
There was not much else that Diana and I wanted to do in the town centre and so we picked up the car from the Round Church Car park and headed out to Little Shelford. The first chore was to drop off John Matthewman’s computer printer and box of paper at his home. Typically, he was not there (even though he had said he would be) but we found a neighbour who took it in for us. Then onto the nearby garden centre for a quick salad-roll lunch and just time to buy the six rose bushes and single standard rose that I needed before we had to shoot off back to Little Paxton.
I was due to chair a potentially very difficult meeting of OnSite Training Ltd franchises who were meeting the management of the company for a show-down. The meeting had been re-scheduled and moved from London in order that I could attend as a slightly neutral shareholder and I had agreed to chair it to give Ian and Margaret James a chance. I met Ian on his own for a little while to start with and then, once joined by John Cresswell, we walked into the Grove House conservatory and the meeting began. Ian James performed some introductions, reviewed the history of the problems, and then handed over to me. The underlying problem was that the franchise business had turned out to be a much more complex and difficult business than envisaged and in need of much higher levels of finance and management expertise. Then the recession and business pressure led to a vicious circle of reduced franchise support and they were unhappy. I let them all have their say, allowed Ian to reply and then made sure that he updated them with the news that negotiations were being held with two possible new business partners who could inject money and management to make the business formula work better. After pointing out that they were all in the same boat together, I got them to agree that they should agree in principle to the implementation of the new franchise agreement and then sign a mutual declaration of support for the negotiations that would provide comfort to the bank and be reassuring for the new company owners who would need the support of the franchises for any takeover.
Back a little late home, but not too late for me to join Debbie and the family for her birthday tea. She lit and blew out a dozen candles and we all enjoyed a piece of Diana's cake - Della most of all. No rest for me as I had to play back the answering machine tape and then return all sorts of calls. I have been advising and encouraging Sally Guinee in her St Neots Town Council negotiations with Graham Hunt and the Tories and this goes on. We have now relented on getting both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor and will propose Michael Pope but also Graham Hunt to be his deputy.
Quickly away from the telephone and off to the Priory Centre to a meeting of St Neots Museum Management Committee where there was just me and George Seager as local councillors. Their meetings are still so long and drawn out with little purpose and much argument. I acted from the well of the committee and tried to help the chairman keep things on the subject and make sure progress was made but it was difficult. That committee has been struggling so long with lack of progress in getting a town museum that there is a lot of frustration.
I spoke no word to George Seager about the Mayor-making, and it remained the "Great Unsaid" as I feel he is the main problem to Labour/Liberal Democrat co-operation. Home via Sally who I exchanged information and views with on the Mayor-making. We have had confirmed the fact that the retiring Mayor, Ruth Clapham, has the casting vote in the event of a hung decision on the new Mayor and this meant that, with Daisy being difficult, an accommodation with the Tories was the most attractive proposition. Home late and to bed later.