Those of you who have been getting withdrawal systems over the ‘Cutting Comments’ columns in the Berkhamsted Review will be pleased to hear that as well as reading my words of wisdom on the Internet, I have started to edit the Berkhamsted Citizens Association Newsletter ‘The Citizen’. However the Chairman has requested that I keep my views to myself but, with luck, we may actually raise the profile of this organisation. You could make a start by joining, as just by reading this article you have indicated you care about the town - you may not agree, but you care and that coupled with getting involved, is what it's all about.

Let's start by looking at Cllr Sharpes’ article in the December issue of the Berkhamsted Review where he suggested that the town should be given more responsibility for items such as repairing lighting, potholes or just general cleansing. One of the things I found out whilst a Borough Councillor was the existence of a fund for Town and Parish Councils to carry out ‘Concurrent Services’. On asking for some money as I feel the same as Stanley, it turned out that the Town Council had washed it's hands of  taking part in the scheme. This, of course was the Conservative controlled Town Council of which Cllr Sharpe was a member and must have known about. The largely Independent Council of 1995/99 subscribed to a ‘Parish Partnership’ agreement in which Towns and Parish Councils could choose which functions they would like to have devolved to them. Naturally this opportunity was also turned down by the, by now, Conservative/Lib-Dem controlled Town Council (in practice, if not in fact). Then we had an election in which the Lib-Dems were suddenly in the position of overall majority. Did they rush out demanding that they are allowed to carry out as many as possible of the functions in either the Concurrent Services or Parish Partnership schemes. Not likely, but you wonder why the issue has suddenly been raised, don't you.

Whilst on that subject, but slightly different, I was on a course at Birmingham University during my stint on the Council. One of the things that came up was a ‘local committee’ scheme in existence in Dorset and parts   of East Anglia. The idea is that once a month, a Borough/District Council committee meets in a locality to address issues that are the responsibility of the higher authority. The difference is that local councillors of whatever political views sit on the committee. They discuss and decide on local planning applications, environmental issues and indeed are, in practice, the Borough Council complete with responsible officers but  locally based. OK, so it costs money and officers hate leaving their cosy HQ in the evening, but it works and public attendance and participation is excellent. The concerns that having ‘opposition’ councillors making decisions proved unfounded and the rate of acceptance of decisions made by these ‘local committees’ is no different than the ‘in house’ committees. Mind you with the new super efficient and streamlined Borough Council soon to be finalised, democracy is on the bottom of the pile.

As you are all aware, most of the country celebrated  the millennium last year. I can recall the Council discussing a festival on the canal way back in 1998/9 and to be held in July 2000. In best Town Council fashion, it might happen in early September this year. I know this because their web- site says so. On the other hand, it doesn't actually mention (as at early February) anything apart from the dates, the location and it is expected to incorporate lots of music. I do know that the annual festival is being held the weekend before up in Northamptonshire, so I expect the boats that come from the south will chug down to the area, screech to a halt and park up. I wonder if the band stand will be ready on time although, providing the weather holds, it could be quite an enjoyable weekend and the imaginary band stand will not be required.

A event which will definitely go ahead in July is the Ashlyns School 50th centenary. As far as I am concerned, the family picnic being held on Sunday 8th July will be worth attending. It is hoped that ‘year’ tents will set up in the grounds where past pupils will be able to go and met some of their contemporaries. The trouble is that as with the collegiate school, pupils are spread all over the world. For example, one of my contemporaries, went out the Bahamas, and is still there so I don't expect him back, but many of us still live locally and have no excuse not to be there on the day.

And finally, as they used to say on ITV, have you noticed how the adverts keep getting interrupted by programs now. This has come about because the ITC has allowed more advertising minutes per hour. In a recent ‘The Bill’ apart from the whole program being sponsored, there were breaks every 15 minutes (it used to be 20 minutes) lasting an average of 4 minutes. The one hour long program now actually has about 45 minutes of program. To think it used to be only 30 minutes!