Car PHF, where are you?

[Julie noted]

I know HTH isn't a vehicle for 'Putting Hartlepool First' but the guru's behind HTH have stated it is available for ALL parties to avail themselves of its hallowed pages.   
That being the case, why isn't PHF telling us what it is doing;
what its aims are;
how they feel they are doing;
how is it going for them in 'the chamber'? etc. etc.
I'm sure lots of readers would like to read how their first few months have gone and if they feel confident for the future.   
C'mon PHF, I'm sure if you go too far, i.e blatant electioneering...HTH staff will sharp let you know! 

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Keith Fisher appears to have gone very quiet since he won his seat too.

The only comment I've seen from him has been about not forgetting we have a free bus to Stockton if you are a patient.

Has Save Our Hospital given up ?

[fred c]

A really good way of seeing how things are moving within all groups of the council, PHF, Independent Councillors, the ruling labour group etc.......... is to attend a Full Council Meeting...

Whoopssss missed off the Tories, nahhhh on second thoughts, lump them in with the labour group.

Seriously, a few hours once a month isn`t to high a price to pay to see how local government works, you will see at first hand just how difficult it is to make any headway against the labour groups modus operandi.

[Julie noted]

Thanks Fred. However, I have been to a number of council meetings and I'm afraid all they do is raise my blood pressure. Especially when certain members are so damned ignorant to members of the public.
I am hoping for bigger things with Putting Hartlepool First, and the eventual deposing of the nasty, scheming elements in there.
When members of the public are greeted with a smile and not derision.
When members of the public are offered a cup of tea on arrival...cutting back on members free alcohol could pay for that.
When members of the public can ask a question and receive an adequate response.
Then I might start attending again.

[Donkey Kong]

Seriously, a few hours once a month isn`t to high a price to pay to see how local government works...

It might be if you've got a life.

[fred c]

Seriously, a few hours once a month isn`t to high a price to pay to see how local government works...

It might be if you've got a life.

Nice to know someone in Hartlepool is "Living The Dream"... D K

[christine blakey]

Julie, you are right, the conduct of Councillors at Full Council meetings alone is absolutely disgraceful.

I delivered a paper on Social Inclusion to Stephen Akers-Belcher last week.  It highlights my concerns regarding the social exclusion within the Council, where that standard is set by the Councillors themselves.  This is not Politics, it is individual people forgetting what it is like to be on your own.

So when members of the public go along to these meetings, they should be met with gratitude as that is what the meetings are supposed to be for. 

I will be following up the paper, as I believe that the comments on here about why people do not go, are so valid and so serious, they should not be white flagged as quite frankly, they have won!

I will keep people updated as I believe that the points about non-attendance are so vital in explaining why Hartlepool is so run down, missing potential and costing a fortune for very little result.

Fred is right that it is worth clawing your way to the pleb, sorry public seats, as I have noticed that when there is an audience of any size, Members are wary and so we may get closer to the truth or receive a little more respect.  When they can discard the residents of Hartlepool because the residents are not there, that is exactly what they do.  We do need to be visible and I thank every member of the public who gets there, especially when I have been too ill to go there in the last few months.

As far as newspapers and newsletters are concerned, it is again in all of our interests to know the views and updates from all parties.

So I wondered if HTH in their newspaper section can add the newsletters of Hartlepool Families First, Conservative (The Monkey Hanger) and any other newsletter that is out which may enlighten us into agendas and news from within and outside of Hartlepool?

It can then be up to individual viewers if they want to read them (all) or not but at least we will have an informed choice to do so.

I personally would like to know how all parties are doing these days, and a newsletter is a good starting point.  I think it is excellent effort from members within those particular parties that they develop a newsletter to let members, potential members and hopefully, without prejudice, ordinary residents know what is going on. 

A good topic Julie; thanks for the thread!

[admin]

If someone sends us a copy of any newsletter we'll happily put a link to it on the site but I'd prefer it if we had one from at least two different parties just to balance things a little.

[rabbit]

Well if we wait for more than one newsletter to show up, we will be still waiting this time next year.

Mind you, there`s a public vote coming up soon, isn`t there? So that ought to produce some views from the parties concerned (or will it?)

[The Great Dictator]

Yeah, what are PHFs views on an elected mayor and will each member have a free vote ?

[christine blakey]

I will send HTH the links I have and I am delighted that we may have such newsletters available to the 40,000 + per month unique hits.  It is a way of gaining access to information appropriate to Hartlepool and the variety of political persuasions. 

HTH is like a newsletter in itself, an analogy could be defined as an immediate Hartlepool Mail letters page, where you are able to reply to letters straight away.  It is useful to get the opportunity to respond promptly though I think there just needs to be a little more vetting and also zero tolerance when abuse or bullying is involved. 

I would love the HTH pseudo-names to be considered so that they are not rude, I get embarrassed reading them though things have cooled down a lot over the past few months thank goodness!

Newsletters to follow and I hope that no matter what denomination in terms of party, we need to celebrate the efforts of all contributors, as we should all posters on here (as long as the contributions are not abusive and so destructive of the site or newsletter alike).