let's be social

(Although this post does feature an online element too)

On my way back from a staff Christmas party, I came across one of the the Solihull Partnership Safer Communities projects, where they have an emergency treatment tent set-up in the town centre to treat people injured in town at night. Most of these are from trips, falls, and perhaps the odd scuffle.

It’s also there to educate people about the effects of alcohol, and is manned by Police, Ambulance, and Council staff. There are a couple of oversized games to demonstrate this, Operation, and a follow the wire challenge. They should be easy with their large size, but after a few drinks, they prove how badly your coordination can be affected.

So far it’s saved many trips in ambulances which saves the authorities time and money, and means the festive party people don’t have their evening ruined even more by ending up in hospital.

I met Police Inspector Phil Radbourne who writes his own blog about his day to day work as the South Neighbourhood Manager in Solihull. I also said hi to Charlotte Ford from Solihull Council, who was there representing the Safer Communities side of the Solihull Partnership. Within the Council we’re working on a new website for the Partnership, so I really hope we’ll have a blog available soon to help promote work like this going on in the area.

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I went to full Council last night in Solihull, mainly because we have started promoting meetings via our Twitter feed, and as this was something I have said they should be doing for some time now, I felt I should at least attend one to see what I wanted promoting.

There’s no reason why we can’t stream meetings, but for the costs involved, who would watch it, and what would they get out of it?

I was one of 8 or 9 people in the spectator’s gallery, most of those were students, so for the general public.

In a time when Councils are being told to cut costs, and in some cases services, where does the funding come from to do this, and how would it be justified? I am all for citizen engagement, democracy, and due process, but I am really struggling with justifying the expense of making things like this available online to the directors, and members of the Council.

Any ideas?