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Weekend almost here! We are really looking forward to it as the past few days have been meetings, and more meetings. There are times when we think that there is so much of this "tenant participation" that those involved get "meeting burn-out"! It is not just us, but other tenant groups across Gloucester are thinking along the same lines!

The coming tenant participation compacts will, no doubt, mean more involvement, more meetings and more time! We were talking about this during our afternoon "surgery". It appears that the civil servants in Whitehall (well, Bressenden Place, Victoria) have little conception of the amount of "work" that involved tenants actuall do!

They sit in their swank new office block (virtually on the site of Watney's old brewery, according to one of our members) and dream up the detail of the basic thoughts of Ministers.

We drew up a sort of profile of the ideal council house tenant who is involved in "tenant participation" within their estate tenant group and beyond.

1. Tenants should not have a job! Far too many meetings/training courses they are expected to attend by their council are held in the day.

2. Tenants should have attended an independently-organised (PEP are probably the best) short training course title: "How Not To Let Council Officers Pull The Wool Over Your Eyes - Councillors are also welcome.

3. Tenants should ideally not have young children as things like school holidays and half term get in the way of meetings. The alternative is to have schools operating 51 weeks a year (with the Christmas week off). Children would get the same holiday entitlement as their parents. We also think that if this were to happen, fewer people would take "sickies".

There is, of course, the question of some form of renumeration for all the hours that are put in. This is a difficult one! We know of so-called "professionals" who "lecture" for vast amounts of cash at seminars. We also know of highly involved tenants who do the same thing for "the love"! While we do not think that tenants should get a lot of money, perhaps it is the so-called "committed professionals" who should do some of this type of work for "love".

Something for Her Majesty's Government to consider. Do we feel a "Dear Mr. Prestcott" letter coming on?

Well, the dustbin problem that caused the furore yesterday was rectified this morning. But in all honesty, we would not say the the cleaning up operation was a good job! But we cannot expect miracles from Gloucester City Services!

And the lorry that was parking on the paving slabs (while workmen repaired paving slabs) appears to have found a proper parking space!

The Chief Executive's Department telephoned regarding the problems we have had with Gloucester City Services. He will be investigating and promised to report back to us during next week.

We took some photos of the accumulated rubbish in the area of the recycling bins. The recycling centres are, according to what we are told the "contract" say, supposed to be checked and cleaned daily. While we think that daily is probably a little OTT, the "contractor" (yes, You Know Who) miserably fails yet again. We are luck to get a monthly visit! But they never seem to get any "demerit" points.

The can bank and one of the glass banks have still not been emptied, despite the best efforts of the Environmental Coördinator at the Council who is responsible for the re-cycling projects. Photographs can be presented to the Environmental and Ecology Forum meeting on Monday.

And now that we can scan photos, we will try an put up a print on Monday when the film is processed.

We picked up an electronic copy of the minutes of yesterday's TCC meeting from Westgate Housing Office. So these can now be read online - click here to view.