Not like national politics.

Conyers School was the starting point, where I was giving a presentation on Fairtrade to Year 8 pupils on behalf of the Stockton Fairtrade partnership.  I really welomed the chance to talk about this with the young people, and although it meant doing it 4 times over it meant a lot of pupils !  I was impressed that they all listened, asked some good questions - and nobody said they weren't going to ask parents when home if they were using Fairtrade goods.  I was encouraging them to use pester power for that, and asking for Fairtrade chocolate and other goods when shopping themselves.
Here is a picture of the Fairtrade shop the pupils were running themselves for the day.
Then for 2 site visits in the ward with representatives from the Police and Care For Your Area.  Both were problems where people were parking very inconsiderately, where there was other parking very nearby indeed.  It causes a traffic danger, blocks pavements for people walking, blocks driveways, and damages the pavement.  Yes you have guessed - one is near an ATM where we were told parking could not be a cosnideration when planning permission was sought!  The enforcement officers will be out enforcing first - so beware ! if that does not work it will have to be bollards, which of course are costly.
I try to sort out a problem arising from the "dogs breakfast" of splitting the Council estate into areas and garages owned by the Council and by Tristar.  I was not pleased to have made 4 abortive phone calls and then 25 minutes to the 0844 number on my mobile, and still not sorted.  The sooner there is something like an 03 number for such calls the better.
Lots of politics this week, bot written about here, so it was good to go to the Panto at Egglescliffe Community Centre and have a good shout - "Oh no it isn't, Oh yes it is", "Boooo"  "Hisss".  But unlike national politics we have a really good laught too.