IS IT TIME WE GAVE UP WATCHING TV?

As a rule I try not to watch too much television but during lockdown, having cleared out my flat (thank you refuse collectors for taking it all away), and now on my 43rd book, I have been exploring other forms of entertainment. Confined to home for 12 weeks, for which I am secretly very grateful, with two others for company who refuse to play board games, TV watching has become the go-to option for at least a part of the day.

The problem is that I am not interested in watching sport, soaps or serials and prefer not to be disgusted or frightened. Notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, I prefer to view something that will provide me with information, education or amusement. I do confess to having a mild obsession with quiz programmes (and wish they would cut out the chit-chat) but it seems that our television, despite there being literally hundreds of channels available, has little to offer apart from reality TV (television on the cheap), re-runs and celebrity watching, none of which I find appealing.

Having furnished several properties over the last 30 years with purchases from auctions, car boot sales and friends’ cast-offs I decided to watch Antiques Road Trip recently but became so cross I had to switch it off.

Those of us who like a good rummage are well used to the high mark-ups of antique dealers and know better than to offer the asking price. However, it would seem that if you are due to appear on television all sensible pricing goes out of the window and the dealers buying trinkets for the televised auction are often able to obtain discounts of over 50%. This is unrealistic and intensely annoying, leading punters like myself to imagine that we may be in a position to bargain to the same degree, which of course is never the case. Infuriating.

On the plus side, I am looking forward to viewing the remaining programmes of ‘Great Paintings of the World’ with Andrew Marr, whose knowledge and enthusiasm is something to aspire to, and late at night for a minute or two I am all agog at Family Guy…. how they manage to get away with it I shall never know.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF

As a Christian, whilst not fully familiar with all 10 commandments, just lately I have been considering the second one; ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself.’

Many of us have been housebound in recent weeks, and it has been tough to keep the peace, both indoors and out, as we have become frustrated at the lack of freedom of movement, especially those used to living life outdoors, in addition to the challenges experienced by not seeing loved ones, ensuring that the children are kept amused, educated and out of mischief.

Worries over finance, job security, and the potential loss of businesses and homes has been hanging over the heads of those affected like the sword of Damocles.

Given the unprecedented circumstances we have found ourselves in, I feel overall that as a nation we have handled things as best we can, by being neighbourly, although in some areas tension has been high. My answer to those intent on finding fault is, ‘Well, what would you do differently?’ So far no-one seems to have an answer.

We speak of an Englishman’s home as being his castle (established in common law in 1628), a place where he may do as he pleases, excluding anyone he chooses. All very well, as long as you love your neighbour, showing consideration towards those you live cheek by jowl with, in terms of social behaviour and any actions that may disturb the peace.

We see this notion being stretched to the limit in some communities, particularly where planning is concerned.

People are naturally suspicious of change, especially in well-established communities, but I believe we have to change if we are to prosper; I also believe that communities should be able to determine their own futures, not have the authority of Westminster bureaucrats imposed upon them.

Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who recently announced plans to ‘get Britain building’, owns two properties in London in addition to a large country estate in Herefordshire (built for the descendant of a slave trader). I do not begrudge him the right to live comfortably, but we must consider the lives of those forced to live on cramped poorly built housing estates, at the mercy of a planning system unfit for purpose.

I have it on good authority that locally we are never likely to achieve the required five-year land supply, although this is often used as a stick to beat us with when determining applications. It seems ironic that those imposing such controls upon us are the least likely to be affected by the impact.

Thankfully, in South Somerset we are attempting to address this, but until we have autonomy there is little hope of serving our communities as we should.

There are few things in life as valuable as a good neighbour but to have one we need to be one.

MODERN SLAVERY

In the wake of the unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, I find it difficult to condone the wanton violence and destruction that has followed.

Whilst it is absolutely right that we must protest against excessive force and victimisation by the authorities and law enforcement agencies against black people we must also recognise, and aim to resolve, peacefully, the wider issues within our society. To a great extent this has become a ‘black or white’ issue but it is not as simple as that.

With the calls for the toppling of statues such as that of Colston in Bristol, there has been a focus on our past abhorrent behaviour. Slavery can never be acceptable, but we must also acknowledge the part that the compatriots of those countries in which we slave-traded played in aiding and abetting our actions.

In moving forward, we must not forget that slavery still exists, with an estimate of over 136k in the UK alone. Because the majority of those in servitude do not have a different colour skin to the white majority, we tend to turn a blind eye to the issue of modern slavery.

It takes many forms, including debt bondage (where a person is forced to work for free to pay off a debt), child slavery, forced marriage, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Much modern slavery isn't visible to the public, taking place in private homes and farms.

It is not until the occasional incident hits the headlines that we take notice, just for a minute or two, until the importance of our own lives once again takes precedence.

Every time we choose to shop for cut priced goods, such as fish flown in from Thailand, use a Vietnamese nail bar, or have our cars cleaned by those obliging Eastern Europeans we are choosing to ignore what may be all the signs of modern slavery.

Yes, we must not allow discrimination of any kind to exist in our society but all the while we choose to focus on past mistakes and the colour of people’s skins we are doing a gross disservice to many, many others who continue to suffer, and who deserve our protection from these gross miscarriages of justice.

LOCKDOWN TV VIEWING

As someone who loves to entertain, and as a professional hotel and restaurant inspector, eating out and staying away from home several nights per week was the norm, until 23rd March.

For the last 10 weeks however, stuck at home, Lockdown TV viewing has been torture; programmes like, ‘Bake Off’, ‘Masterchef’, and even ‘Four in a Bed’ and ‘Come Dine with Me’ just go to reinforce what I am missing.

Then of course, there are the fly on the wall productions. The latest of these, a behind the scenes look at Best Western Hotel group, an organisation that I am very familiar with, having inspected many of their hotels over the years, has been painful to watch.

In the first programme we were shown Marco Pierre White’s quirky hotel, The Rudloe Arms, Corsham, and were led to believe by Terii, Director of Business Development, that he had agreed to join the marketing group.

Further investigation proves this not to be the case, although it is not clear whether it was Best Western or Marco who got cold feet. Given their ethos, ‘we do believe in individuality, creativity, self-expression, quirkiness, difference’, I would have thought the The Rudloe Arms would fit their portfolio perfectly; Marco’s dubious taste in artwork aside.

The stated Best Western aim is for hotels to retain their ‘independence’, but I know from my own experience, and in speaking with hotel owners, that a lot of the inspection regime is down to whether or not their corporate marketing material is given sufficient prominence. Personally, I have a strong aversion to leaflets, brochures, tent cards and the like, and sweep them all into a drawer on arrival. I was also disappointed to observe their inspection approach, with a focus on ‘criticism’, having the right ‘logo’ on display, and carpets that match. Their inspector appeared to relish pointing out minor petty failings. It would be a sad type of guest where the enjoyment of their stay, and intention to return, was based on such trivial matters.

After almost 30 years in the job, despite my reputation for being tough, whilst being aware of a property’s imperfections, I always aim to seek out and highlight the good points about a place, rather than focusing on the negative.

It also seems that in this modern era senior management encouragement to ‘give a shit’ is seen as amusing. I am afraid I found their whole approach thoroughly unprofessional.

In the long run, one wonders if despite the lure of being ‘on the telly’ such programmes do more harm than good.

COMMUNICATION IS A TWO-WAY STREET

Having spent my adult life involved with communication, I am very aware of the pitfalls. In forming meaningful relationships with others we must aim to communicate with those involved in a way that will enable them to understand, and respond appropriately.

With the arrival of the Coronavirus we are all getting used to the ‘new reality’, which could be with us for some time to come. Whilst I share the anguish of those who are suffering, in terms of their health, the welfare of their loved ones, security of employment or financial difficulty, there have been some clear benefits.

When it comes to local government, we have all had to grasp the increased use of technology to enable us to conduct our business, whilst still enabling public participation.

In recent weeks, after the hiatus in our formal meetings, caused by social distancing and lockdown, we have been frantically busy accessing social media, and downloading Skype, Zoom and 365 Teams, to name just a few of the changes taking place. To think that this is a temporary measure would be foolish. There are clearly environmental advantages in not having to travel distances to attend meetings, and cost savings too, but I am concerned that many members of the public, usually older residents, those with low income levels, a lack of technological skills and poor internet access (endemic across our county), are unable to participate freely. For some time now all organisations have been forcing us, and I do not use this term lightly, to go down the ‘digital’ route.

As it is the taxpayer who pays for local government services, I would argue that they should have a greater say in how services are delivered; it seems to me that in many respects it is more a case of the tail wagging the dog.

In the case of planning applications, where local communities have a vested interest in the outcome, it is increasingly difficult to access information to enable them to make informed decisions. Plans were once available in paper form, and online access does not always allow a clear overview. Likewise, when wanting to raise a query or access any number of services, it now almost impossible to speak to someone in person; forms are usually required to be completed, with the response taking days, or weeks.

In the battle against Coronavirus, it has been necessary to provide us with information to keep us safe, and to advise on changes to services we need to access; this applies to all organisations. What I object to in their methodology is that we receive the information they choose to send, when they wish to give it to us; more often than not it comes in the form of a ‘do not reply’ message.

As a customer, I prefer to reserve my right to respond, and feel short-changed when the communication is one way.

SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL COVID-19 UPDATE – FRIDAY 17TH April 2020

· Public Health – In Somerset we now have 147 recorded Covid-19 infections and 49 deaths. There are currently a total of 41 hospitalised Covid-19 cases, 5 of which are receiving mechanical ventilator interventions. All hospitals are coping well, with plenty of capacity. Compared with 2 weeks ago there is beginning to be evidence of an increase in deaths, when compared with the usual number recorded in previous years.

· Care home cases – have increased to 27 (from 17 earlier this week).

· SCC status – Low rates of staff absenteeism at present and everything is up and running as expected.

· Registration service – some people are struggling with online registration of deaths, but support is being provided. There is currently a large backlog of death registrations, largely due to the change in methods of registration. It is intended that this backlog be cleared over this weekend.

· There is an increased focus on domestic violence, based on anecdotal evidence. I have raised concern in relation to whether or not those experiencing violence, particularly in a confined environment, will be able to access help and support easily.

· The peak of the Covid-19 cases in Somerset is later than planned but are so far lower than had been anticipated.

· Planned new school builds – these are continuing but at a slower pace in order to accommodate social distancing.

· JCT 25 and other highways work – continuing but at a slower pace.

· Public transport – demand has dropped but SCC are working with transport providers to provide financial support and to ensure it is available for key workers.

· Patient transport – especially for renal dialysis patients, SCC has taken out a short-term lease of 22 vehicles to enable safer transport, and to avoid use of volunteers.

· 1254 homes are being visited on a weekly basis for school meal provision.

· Waste collection – parked cars have posed a problem for vehicle access, with more people being at home. There has been a huge increase, particularly of cardboard, and extra vehicles have been provided to collect household cardboard waste weekly.

· Green waste – volume of waste is higher than ever and if concern. The fire service has advised that bonfires are not to be encouraged.

· Household waste re-cycling – 90% of centres are closed across the country. Dept. of Health does not consider this essential travel. There has been concern over the increase in fly tipping across the county. Consideration is being given to re-opening as many of these services as possible as soon as possible, using additional contractors if necessary.

· Economic development team – working with districts to ensure gov’t funding is received and to work on a Covid-19 recovery plan for communities and businesses.

· Planning – the highways planning team is still in operation.

· Small Improvement Schemes – the programme has been temporarily paused.

· Contact centres – with multi-agency working and improved IT systems now in place, call volume has increased from 449 calls in March to 4900 in the last week (800+ calls per day). Online security has been improved, and 3k+ staff are now working from home. The IT team are now working 24/7.

· Partnership working with districts – the main focus on is on vulnerable people and carrying out risk assessments, to contact them, and ensure face-to-face calls are made where necessary. At the moment there is no central point for information, which is being worked on. Plans are in place for an accreditation scheme to ensure that only bone fide people are calling on members of the public. SCC have now been given access to NHS volunteer lists in order to be able harness their help.

· PPE – 650 containers of PPE equipment have now been distributed, and the position is improving. 200k face masks were received this week for social care use alone (GPs, care homes etc.), with more on the way, funded by SCC. The NHS have their own source of supply. Gloves and gowns remain in short supply.

· Testing – a site up and running at Bristol airport, with 300 carried out on key workers so far, and further plans being put in place this coming week.

· Concern has been raised about the risk of involvement with those requiring care at home, and the number of carers/visitors they receive. Steps are in place to ensure that appropriate PPE equipment is available and used.

· Hinckley Point C – concern has been raised about safe access arrangements for site workers from other areas of the country living in local villages, and the intention to persuade them to live within the confines of the site to avoid travel.

· Glastonbury has been identified as an area where it is proving difficult to ensure that people are social distancing, and a number of fixed penalty notices have been issued.

CHOCOLATE - ESSENTIAL OR LUXURY?

I fully support the measures in place to help us overcome the Coronavirus and the devastating effects of Covid-19. I do get that in order to protect ourselves and others we must consider the impact of our actions, particularly when it comes to social distancing and self-isolation. On a personal level I have been going to great lengths to protect myself; I am not quite ready to meet my maker just yet (despite having purchased my own coffin some years ago, which now languishes in my garage), at least while I still have money in the bank and plenty of wine to consume. However, enforced time spent at home, for which I will be eternally grateful, has given me pause for thought.

We are told that we should only leave our homes or shop for ‘essential’ items. What though do we mean by ‘essential’? At its most basic level, ‘essential’ means having access to food, water, warmth, shelter and rest. Much depends upon where in the social hierarchy we find ourselves. For those on the breadline the top priority will be keeping a roof over their heads and food in the bellies of their families. I spend a great deal of time supporting some of our most vulnerable people and ‘essential’ may have an altogether different meaning for them. Whatever the rights and wrongs of their situation, a daily fix is absolutely ‘essential’ for alcoholics and drug addicts.

In the last month we have all seen our lives turned upside down, and the physical and mental impact of lockdown on those confined to home, often with reduced levels a of income, cannot be underestimated. Whilst daily basics such as bread and milk (and toilet paper!) are easy to view as ‘essential’, it is often those little luxuries in life, the non-essentials, that can bring some joy into an otherwise nerve-racking situation. For many, time spent in the garden whilst the weather remains relatively dry and sunny, can be really uplifting, as can the opportunity to spend time at home carrying out those chores we are usually too busy to tackle, or the chance to chill out in front of the TV with a glass of wine and a sneaky bar of chocolate.

I would argue that the ability to indulge in these non-essential activities is actually ‘essential’ for our well-being and I worry about some of the enforcement activity that has taken place.

It is understandable that many of our stores, bars, restaurants, hotels and leisure facilities need to be off limits at present but there must be ways in which we can allow people to spend their enforced isolation in a manner that will support their mental and physical well-being, whilst at the same time helping to prop up the economy; be it pot plants, pots of paint, or even that bar of chocolate and a good book.