Contacting Councillors - your preference

[Geoffrey Settle]

Hi I'm a Councillor up North in Warrington and I'm just wondering - what methods do people in East Dulwich prefer to use to contact their Councillor.

Do you prefer this discussion forums like this, telephone, email, facebook, twitter, letter, blogg, web sites, surgery, home visits, Skype or others.

I am currently running a survey on Warrington Worldwide online magazine which you can vote on Comms Survey if you join the forum from the main page Warrington Worldwide the forum tab is down on the left.

Or you can just leave your comments on this thread.

Thanks Cllr Geoff Settle

[Alan Medic]

I doubt I'd bother contacting a councillor if it weren't for being able to on this Forum.

[PeckhamRose]

Once I have met the councillor in person, at a community council meeting for example, I then email them any queries, concerns or information I have, and I also hope to meet them at Police Ward Panels. So email is preferable if I learn from having met them that they are the sort of councillor who does respond to email. In desperation I sometimes write an actual letter on paper and stick it in one of those old fashioned envelope contraptions and drop it in to the Members Room at the council offices. That hasn't happened for a while. Email is preferable.

[peterstorm1985]

Agree with Alan Medic.

Also, for those who are more motivated to contact the councillor more often, this forum must save a lot of time as questions asked and answered publicly, are less likely to be duplicated.

I also much prefer the accountability of open discussion.

Email/letters for matters of a more individual nature. Never telephones - always best to have a record of what was said.

[RosieH]

Kind of agree with all of the above.

One thing I would say, is that if you go for forum contact, please try to make it apolitical. A lot of goodwill is generated by going online and making yourself available, and helps people who probably wouldn't get round to asking otherwise. Don't squander the goodwill by also using the forum to slag off your political opponents the whole time (use a different log in for that if you like).

Warrington eh? I believe

owns the whole town these days...

[Annette Curtain]

I agree with RosieH

Look at our own James Barber he's gone from good-guy to Guy Fawkes in a few slimy moves.

Good luck though & chuck us a horseshoe-shaped black pudding sometime.

Nette(tu)

[Alan Medic]

Perhaps ED could be twinned with Warrington?

[maxxi]

Only if Cllr. Roy Smith is included...

WARRINGTON Borough Council has been criticised by a woman who wants a ban on the sale of foie gras the food delicacy produced by force feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their liver.

Ms Janet Thornton asked the council what it was doing to discourage or prohibit the sale of foie gras in the borough under the provision which enables members of the public to ask questions at council meetings.

She asked what the council was doing to discourage the sale of foie gras in the borough or to ban the serving of the product at any council event, or event over which the council had control.

Ms Thornton pointed out that some other councils, including York and Bolton, had already taken action to ban foie gras at council functions.

She asked if the chief executive could write to Ben Bradshaw, Minister of State responsible for animal welfare, asking him to ban the sale of foie gras in the UK and asking him to lobby for the production and sale of foie gras to be banned throughout the European Union.

Coun Roy Smith executive member for Community Services, said it was a difficult ethical issue as foie gras was a legal product, provided it met food safety standards. He could not see how the council could ban it.

It would be Quixotic to ban it at the Town Hall because it was never served at the Town Hall anyway.

Foie Gras and a Cervantes ref. - sounds like ED needs him.

ETA: - source - Warrington-Worldwide Online Daily Newspaper 21/12/2007

[Geoffrey Settle]

Thanks for your comments. Alas poor Roy lost his seat in May of this year. But Warrington World Wide still has a discussion forum.:))

Why not take a look :)-D http://forum.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/and it has political threads.

[Pugwash]

I am lucky as I know all my ward councillors - I have emailed them, spoken to them in their surgeries/community council meetings/in the local streets, generally would not telephone them. I get very surprised when local people have no idea who their councillors are!

James is an exception to the norm by building up an 'on line surgery' I do not know how he makes time for it all with his council duties, full time work and a young family.