Monday, October 09, 2006
01/01/2004 Doing casework well is what really counts for me
1st January 2004
I have always ended election campaigns with hundreds of samples of casework. This is a big part of being a councillor, so it is important to keep it organised. Some of us prefer doing a good job for our local residents through casework and community leadership, rather than getting into the rough and tumble of committee politics. It takes all sorts!
The first time I had to deal with a lot of casework, I used my word processor to fire off hundreds of letters, each on a separate topic, to each of the various officers. Some of them, the highways department for example, received dozens of letters from me. It took me days to write all of the letters, and weeks for the officers to respond. A phone wouldhave saved a lot of hard work.
The next time I stood for election, one of the departmental secretaries rang me to arrange a meeting for the day after the election. "Just bring round all of the casework and we willl go through it together," she said. What a star!
Today, Wiltshire County Council is still in the dark ages when it comes to support for members. We do not even have PCs for members – let alone secretaries or political assistants. My business has grown, and I now have my own secretary and support staff to help. The kindly advice provided by that secretary has saved me, and her, a lot of work in the long term.
So, before you sit down to write a mountain of letters, ring the council and find out if they provide secretarial support to members, email facilities, PCs etc. If they do not, ask for a personal meeting with the relevant department, to discuss your casework, and how to get through it together. They may be able to help more than you think.
And never, ever, think casework does not matter. You can make a huge difference to the quality of life for local people by doing it well. It would be one of the few things I would miss if I was not a councillor.
I have always ended election campaigns with hundreds of samples of casework. This is a big part of being a councillor, so it is important to keep it organised. Some of us prefer doing a good job for our local residents through casework and community leadership, rather than getting into the rough and tumble of committee politics. It takes all sorts!
The first time I had to deal with a lot of casework, I used my word processor to fire off hundreds of letters, each on a separate topic, to each of the various officers. Some of them, the highways department for example, received dozens of letters from me. It took me days to write all of the letters, and weeks for the officers to respond. A phone wouldhave saved a lot of hard work.
The next time I stood for election, one of the departmental secretaries rang me to arrange a meeting for the day after the election. "Just bring round all of the casework and we willl go through it together," she said. What a star!
Today, Wiltshire County Council is still in the dark ages when it comes to support for members. We do not even have PCs for members – let alone secretaries or political assistants. My business has grown, and I now have my own secretary and support staff to help. The kindly advice provided by that secretary has saved me, and her, a lot of work in the long term.
So, before you sit down to write a mountain of letters, ring the council and find out if they provide secretarial support to members, email facilities, PCs etc. If they do not, ask for a personal meeting with the relevant department, to discuss your casework, and how to get through it together. They may be able to help more than you think.
And never, ever, think casework does not matter. You can make a huge difference to the quality of life for local people by doing it well. It would be one of the few things I would miss if I was not a councillor.
