Chewing gum! What a scourge! 
Until recently I was not aware of the major problem in our towns and cities from the discarded gum on the pavements. Following local complaints and the matter being raised in Parliament I asked the local council about the expense of clearing this up. In 2002 it cost us locally £40,000 to clean our three town centres. What a waste when thoughtfulness and tidiness would avoid the whole problem.

Last week at a meeting with members of the Chamber of Commerce, use of the potential industrial sites on Stourport Road, Kidderminster was again raised. 
We are in a chicken and egg situation. No potential users of these sites will consider them until there are better transport links and nobody will consider improving these links until developers and users have been identified. This will require at least county funding and I was pleased to learn that the Chamber is going to try to get an agreed list of priorities for road developments from its members across the county. If business interests across the county would speak with one voice there would be a fairer chance of success for areas like ours with smaller populations than other parts of the county.

I only managed to visit the Art Exhibition in Bewdley Institute as a part of the Rediscover Bewdley weekend. 
The range of work in every imaginable medium was amazing – paintings, photographs, bronzes, life size sculptures, collages and weird and wonderful constructions demonstrated the range of local talent. I was very pleased to hear that the weekend went well despite the weather. It was a tribute to the organisers and raised Bewdley's profile splendidly.

A change that has crept upon us perhaps without sufficient interest is the impending change to our local registration service for births, deaths and marriages. 
With rationalisation from above, which often means the need for economy dictated by Government, our own Register Office in the stately, former Grammar School Hall still adorned with the original honours boards, will be downgraded to a Registration Office. Staff and hours of opening will be reduced and the cost of wedding ceremonies will increase. Local accessibility will be impaired and I cannot see any advantages of the changes but I will try to find out about these.

Although we are all fed up with consultations another vital one is underway. This is the formal consultation on Catchment Areas for the New Schools Opening in September 2007. Responses have to be in by 4 April. Details and documents are available from Mrs. Isobel Gibson at igibson@worcestershire.gov.uk or telephone 01905 766278.