Posts Tagged ‘bigcitybus’:
Written by Nicky Getgood on Thursday, April 16th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcentral, birminghamcitycouncil, Digbethisgood, links, simonfelton, toblog
Birmingham Central: Big City Plan consultation – a success? – Simon Felton reflects on the Big City Plan Consultation’s effectiveness at engaging the public. The verdict is it could have done better:
There were some community consultation events however, with one held on the 10th February at the Paragon Hotel for those with an interest in the Highgate, Digbeth, Eastside and Southside areas. This attracted 60 people. It’s worth pondering how many more would have attended if the event was more focussed on translating the aims and ambitions of the plan to the average Brummie and taking their thoughts on the areas into ideas which will influence the development of planning documents and the ‘core strategy’. With the areas this particular event focussed on experiencing upheaval 60 people attending is worryingly small. The gay village and issues of residential developments overshadowing the LGBT community, Digbeth and the continuing tussle between music venues and residents who want their ‘peace and quiet’ and Eastside’s development of wasteland into a new eastern centre of the city centre surely merit the need to actively seek out more than 60 attendees views and much more than the 283 contributors who contributed comments to the consultation.
Simon then goes on to mention something about a consultation ‘Beyond Midnight Bus’, which gathered just 88 responses out of its 386 visitors. It was meant to have visited Highgate, apparently. Funny – I don’t remember seeing it round these parts.
Written by Nicky Getgood on Friday, March 27th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcitycouncil, eastsideblog, mikewhitby, simonhowes
Where is the Whitby Bus? A game for Brum Twitter crowd – In his response to the Big City Plan bus-thieving debacle, Clive Dutton said, ‘I really do hope we can move forward beyond this unfortunate experience’. Can we heck, where’s the fun in that? So if you’re on Twitter hop aboard and play Simon Howes’ ‘Where is Whitby’s bus?’ game. If you can make it stop in Highgate you’re already doing better than the council.
Written by Nicky Getgood on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcitycouncil, freedomofinformation, mikewhitby, peteashton
Birmingham City Council’s response to my Freedom Of Information request came through. It again states the break in the consultation exercise was an ‘error of judgement’ and apologises for any inconvenience caused. It also says:
I very much wish to ensure that the Highgate Community’s views are comprehensively understood. I would expect that dialogue to be ongoing and comprehensive and so in that regard I really do hope we can move forward beyond this unfortunate experience towards an ongoing fruitful and very beneficial relationship with the people of Highgate.
Which is good. It would be great if a similar event could be arranged for those that missed the bus. I have childish hopes for an ice cream van. But as Pete Ashton says, it ‘Doesn’t confirm or deny Paul Dale’s original report that Whitby took bus for photo shoot. Answer still needed I think!’
No, it’s not an answer. To be honest, I doubt I’ll ever get one to that particular question. I was hoping one would emerge from my request for an audit trail behind the redirection decision, but apparently this doesn’t exist because ‘The change to the arrangements was organised verbally at very short notice that afternoon and therefore there were no emails, letters, memos and records relating to the change of the bus’ schedule.’ I’ve asked for a review of the FOI response, just to be sure this is the case.
Written by Nicky Getgood on Friday, January 30th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, freedomofinformat, lolitics, mikewhitby
IN UR CONSOLTAISHIUN STEELIN UR BUSSIS – Well I just had to link to this one, didn’t I? If you don’t follow LOLitics, do so, it’s hilarious.
Just to update you on my progress with finding out what happened to the missed Highgate bus stops – I received a confirmation to my Freedom of Information request today. On Pete Ashton’s advice, I also emailed Birmingham City Council’s press office on Tuesday night asking for a response. I called early yesterday afternoon, and the person I spoke to confirmed it had been received and told me he’d get the guy dealing with it to call me back. As yet he’s not called. Story of my life, that.
Written by Nicky Getgood on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 ( Start discussion )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcitycouncil, dracos, freedomofinformation, matthewsomerville, mikewhitby, peteashton
Well, it seems I’m on a steep learning curve today with my Freedom of Information request for the reasons behind changing the schedule of the Big City Plan’s consultation bus on Weds 14th Jan, which was reportedly diverted from Highgate to Aston for a photoshoot with Council Leader Mike Whitby.
You see, I’ve never done an FOI request before so really wasn’t sure how it worked. Luckilly, I know some people that do, who’ve been a great help. It seems that asking fror a statement/answer to a question rather than documents/facts held isn’t quite the right way to go about it. Had I left my original request as it was it could have well have been rejected. But after seeking out some great advice from the likes of Matthew Somerville, I’ve sent a follow-up to the original FOI request clarifying exactly what it is that I’m after – the audit trail (emails, letters, memos, etc.) behind the decision to change the route of the bus. Hopefully this means the request will be accepted and the response to it will shed some light on the reasons for the change that day.
On the advice of Pete Ashton, I’ve also emailed the original post to Birmingham City Council’s press office asking for a response. As yet I’ve not received a reply.
I will of course, keep you posted on my progress and let you know the outcome.
Written by Nicky Getgood on Monday, January 26th, 2009 ( 8 responses )
Tags: bigcitybus, bigcityplan, birminghamcitycouncil, mikewhitby
A little while a go I wrote a post encouraging all Digbeth/Highgate locals to join the Big City Plan bus at its scheduled Highgate stops on Weds 14 Jan. I also emailed the entire Digbeth Residents’ Association urging them to go. I thought it was important that residents made their voices heard in a consultation which I feel has so far done a pretty poor job of engaging and gathering public opinion.
The following day I was dismayed to receive a couple of emails from members of the Residents’ Association wondering where the bus was – they had gone to meet it and it was not there.
It took several emails and chasing-type messages to get a response from Birmingham City Council which stated:
The schedule was updated on the website at noon on Tuesday 13th to the venues listed below, following advice from the Beyond Midnight bus team, whose guidance we relied upon as to the venues and sites to use in each area. The reason for using the bus was that it had the flexibility to move to an area where there would be more people if the bus arrived at a venue and found there were no people there, or if there was intelligence to suggest that a venue would prove to be too quiet. I asked for the website to be updated as soon as I found out that a change was planned.
Okay, so my bad that I didn’t double check the website the day before the scheduled arrangement. Once they had announced they would be in a certain place at a certain time, I assumed they would stick to that.
So was it cancelled because ‘there was intelligence to suggest a venue would prove to be too quiet?’ Or was it because, as Paul Dale of the Birmingham Post announced, Council Leader Mike Whitby commandeered it for a photoshoot in Aston?
If it’s the latter I’ll be extremely disappointed. To feel a photoshoot is more important than engaging local people in a consultation would suggest you’re perhaps not that bothered about gathering the public opinion you profess to care about. Or, as Michael Grimes more eloquently put it:
…the clearest signal yet that those at the top of Birmingham City Council have no interest in what their citizens have to say about this Big City Plan.
I’m sorry if I sound a little angry, but I am. I felt pretty bad that people went to something after I encouraged them to go and ended up having a wasted journey. If this is the reason why I’ll be pretty upset. Not because the people concerned were very seriously put out but because of the lack of care, respect or interest in them that that would infer. I can only hope there is another explanation, fingers crossed my Freedom of Information request will shed some light on it.
