Saving our post offices

There are several kinds of council meeting, there is:

- The dramatic high tension set piece, frayed tempers and confrontations a plenty- not always resulting in the best policy, but certainly fun to watch.
- The unpleasant setpiece, when all the key decisions seem to have been taken in advance and all discussions seem to mean something more than what meets the eye
- The sleepy consensus, when no one is able or willing to grasp the key issue or to challenge the asumptions

But in the case of today's Post Office Task and Finish Group meeting it was a clear and decisive policy making forum in which plenty of ideas where kicked around and in which politicians of all parties worked together to the same goal.

We have yet to report back so I cannot reveal the details at this stage but I was very impressed to see the consensus that is developing around my idea of expanding their role in providing council services. This is an area where we can achieve savings and efficiencies for the council and ensure the continued running of sub-post offices where they are needed most.

This is exactly how government should seek to operate more often- enabling and encouraging, divesting power and providing choice and moving away from the old centralising, bureaucratic imposition politics of the 20th Century.

More to follow...