On Monday morning a journey to Worcester took me 55 minutes because of the extensive road works on the A449.
I telephoned the Highways Agency and the Ambulance Trust to find out what arrangements they had made for emergency ambulances. I was relieved to hear that there were contingency plans and later in the morning I was informed that two emergency ambulances had got through the traffic without delay.

I have been to some useful briefing meetings.

• At the first I learnt about future alternative plans for tackling traffic congestion in Stourport. These plans will be available to the public soon. Good news is that the cycle path along the canal bank from Tesco’s to Stourport is already complete.
• At a meeting with County Councillors and the Head of Policy Development for Educational Services I was encouraged to learn that this experienced officer is prepared to listen to all points of view when the Wyre Forest schools review takes place later this year. Consultation meetings will be held at each of our schools. 
  I reminded him of the reputation consultation has in Wyre Forest and challenged him to make this consultation more acceptable.

In London I attended a meeting addressed by the Chief Executive of Equitable Life hoping to learn of any crumbs of comfort for the annuitants of this troubled insurance company.

Sadly I cannot report any good news. At least by selling the company’s holdings in equities several months ago before the latest dramatic falls they preserved more of their capital than if they had sold now. Of course, this removed the chance of a re-increase in value when the market improves but Equitable Life felt there was no time to wait for this.

The company is still solvent.
I asked if it would not be better for annuitants if they went broke so that annuitants could claim compensation, but they felt that compensation would be even less than annuitants can hope for by holding on.

Welcome relief from the worries of Iraq and the country’s problems was the Scottish Society’s Burns Night celebration.

To hear some of Burns’ poems read in accurate dialect was moving and the subsequent dancing delightful and such a welcome contrast to the ear-banging shuffle that passes for dancing today.

The Memorial Ceremony for the Holocaust held on Sunday was moving and made me want to ask after all that the Poles went through what their views are about the potential threat from Saddam Hussein.

R.T.