An hour with Laurence Reed

Today I spent an hour answering questions on the Laurence Reed phone in show on BBC Radio Cornwall. This is part of a series of weekly interviews with all ten of the new cabinet members.

During the hour, I answered questions on the budget, parking, toilets, the fire service and adult care among others. The listeners came from all across Cornwall, including two from Launceston.

Answering questions in a format like this is something I really enjoy doing. Not only is it a way of helping with individual cases, but it also means explaining the reasons behind our thinking to a wider audience.

In some cases there is little that the council can do. We are not allowed to charge council tax to students - that's a matter for Parliament - and we can't reduce parking charges to £1 for a whole day. But there are other areas where it is good to hear the strength of feeling and to clear up misunderstandings about what the council is doing.

At the end of the day, the more we communicate as a council, the more that residents in Cornwall will understand of our work and be able to give us their views. That is why the cabinet are doing these phone ins and why we are holding lots of public meetings to discuss the new budget.

Next Monday, Julian German takes the hot seat. Please give him a call between 1 and 2 if you have any questions on 01872 222222. In the meantime, if you want to ask me something, email using the address on the right.

PS - This is my 2000th post on this blog. Glad it could be on such a positive subject

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