Wednesday, 19 September 2007

I had tried to arrive early but heavy traffic delayed me. I arrived only just on time and had mixed feelings on discovering that my first meeting of the day (with a local group on charity registration) had been cancelled. Instead, I gratefully busied myself dispatching several overdue e-mails.

Later in the day I had a lengthy discussion with Laura here about voluntary transport in general and the PCT re-organisation in particular. Laura has identified seven voluntary organisations in Watford that use volunteer drivers, and an overall shortfall of 20-30 volunteer drivers. The current health service consultations are exposing major concerns about hospital transport. Yet the PCTs cut funding for our transport scheme a year ago. Laura is attending a health “transport summit” in tomorrow in Welwyn Garden City so maybe there is hope …

I heard from WBC that their preference is to bid to the Community Assets Fund for the Orbital Community Centre. This makes sense, and may leave the way open for continued negotiations / discussions around the scenery store.

The Sunflower Centre dropped by to erect an exhibition on domestic violence.

In the afternoon I left for home (dropping off to get some cheques signed), enjoyed an hour with Jackie and then went to Hertford to chair another PCT consultation meeting. This turned out to be not in St Andrew’s Church Hall as I had been told, but in St Andrew’s Church. This was quite an unexpected and magnificent treat.

I did not feel that the panel’s presentations and responses were quite as persuassive as at the Potters Bar meeting. Some responses to questions were even a little curt: perhaps PCT staff are feeling jaded as they near end of their sixteen week consultation period.