Beware the FOG...

Some conversations, emails and social shares from the past week or two have featured some almost Hollywood-worthy references. Testimony to how diverse the work of community Links can be, I've uttered the words 'Fatberg', 'Nexus Inception', 'Using Mosaic', 'The Business Association' and 'The Vacancy Panel'.

Despite sounding like a collection of things that would go comfortably alongside names like Steven Spielberg, John Grisham and Keanu Reaves this bewildering assortment of utterances have all very much been part of Community Linking in some small or major way. Here's how:

Fatberg. Despite sounding a little like an apocalyptic sci-fi terror, a very real 'fatberg' lurks beneath

Fatberg lurks below...

the streets and homes of Richmond Upon Thames. Like it's forbearer in Kingston, the Richmond 'berg is a large wad of wet wipes and FOG (Fats, Oil, Grease apparently...), that has congealed into a pretty disgusting blockage in the sewers under the borough. Thames Water have asked Richmond to help us spread the news, and how home owners and businesses can help resolve the issue. For some, it’s quite an exciting ‘thing’, however the several hundred residents that have experienced a back-flow of sewerage in to their homes will be very grateful to their neighbours for taking responsibility for what they put down the drain. Moving on...

Keanu : Not in Twickenham

Alas, there is no Keanu somersaulting through Twickenham in 'Nexus Inception', rather this was a meeting I attended to welcome planning consultants Nexus back to the borough as part of our next phase of Village Planning. Shortly we will be launching the 'Supplementary Planning Documents' for Whitton and Heathfield, and Kew, as well as starting work on the public consultation on new 'SPDs' for Barnes, East Sheen and Mortlake. Keep up to date here: https://consultation.richmond.gov.uk/

'Using Mosaic' was a briefing I attended to learn about how our community engagement team could be better at targeting our efforts more effectively.  Mosaic is a collection of information made available to Richmond Council (and other local authorities) that gives us a better idea about ‘who lives where’. Not quite the Orwellian nightmare that some might imagine, it is more a useful indicator to us for how we should tweak our communication with people across the borough. For example, in some areas we know that the local population may not be so tech savy, or indeed using the internet at all – so we would need to consider using traditional approaches like door-knocking or leafleting. In other areas we know there are many young professionals living who don’t read the local paper, and do most of the communicating on-line, through social media. This video gives an example...

De Niro : not in Strawberry Hill

The Business Association. Sounds a bit like something Robert DeNiro would have played a key part in, with dodgy deals, intimidation tactics and a few (?) illegal activities. I’m pleased to clarify however that there is no Mafiosi sentiment here, and I am really excited to announce that Strawberry Hill now has its’ own Business Association. Over the past 8 months or so I have worked with local businesses to gauge interest, create a constitution and (as of this week) hold an election and first meeting. Strawberry Hill will be an interesting place for a business association to function, as it has two quite diverse groups to represent – there are the 15 or so ‘high street’ traders, with shops, hairdressers, cafes and restaurants, and then there are the estimate 100+ work from home freelancers who may be looking for opportunities to network locally.

Finally, The Vacancy Panel could (in my mind at least) carry a menacing undertone, lifted from a John Grisham legal thriller. Nothing of the sort however. All vacancies at Richmond Council must be considered by this panel of councillors and a member of the HR team. Why has this come up…? Due to the continuing work on village plans, and our commitment to engaging more people in this important process, Community Links is recruiting a specialist officer to help with the consultation process. More news on this anon!