Red faces at Guildhall late show (From Worcester News)

Red faces at Guildhall late show

10:20am Friday 6th February 2009

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BIT of a ruckus at the Guildhall for the first of the city council's budget scrutiny meetings.

Members of the public affected by the council's planned cut-backs have been invited along to voice their concerns.

So up strode Ray Morris, chairman of the Lyppard Grange Community Centre, which is due to lose £20,000 a year in funding.

The councillors listened solemnly while Mr Lewis explained the devastation the cut would cause.

“We could not sustain it,” he told them. “If that’s the way you’re going, then you’re looking at shutting the doors in my opinion.”

Serious stuff.

Unfortunately, the one man who could change the situation was not there to hear it – Conservative cabinet member in charge of the community centres, Francis Lankester, who had not actually turned up yet.

This became a cause of great concern to committee members, who described his non-appearance as “shabby” and “just not good enough”.

Eventually, Coun Lankester appeared, 25 minutes late and blissfully unaware of the discussion that had been taking place.

Immediately asked why Lyppard Grange was being targeted, Coun Lankester reassured members that he understood “there have been positive discussions” with the centre's management over the proposed cut.

Whoops.

Mr Lewis sat behind, shaking his head and glowering, and as Coun Marc Baylis pointed out, “If you had been here at 6.30pm, you would have heard the chairman of Lyppard Grange say exactly the opposite!”

A chastened Coun Lankester said he would take the “new information” away to reconsider the decision....

WE all know politicians are pretty good at the art of spin – but it's not often one actually picks up an award for their talents.

So congratulations to Mr Peter Luff, who was this week given an Honorary Fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the PR industry”.

Now, the cynics among you might say that there are a fair few candidates for such an award down at Westminster - but the reality is that this is a rare honour indeed. There are apparently only 20-or-so other fellows throughout the country.

The institute's chairman described Mr Luff - who worked in the PR industry for many years - as a “robust defender of PR and public affairs, and a seasoned practitioner of both disciplines”.

And as someone who has the pleasure of talking politics with him regularly on the phone, I certainly couldn't argue with that...