It’s severe weather as polar conditions batter Dinnington, but nothing will keep me in tonight because it’s Dinnington St John’s Town Council Meeting! Hoorah!

A good attendance at this little get together, very friendly and not a single police officer in sight. Even the (in)famous Mr Lewis manages to get in the door without a blue light escort.

It marks the return of Simon Tweed from a bout of poorly-ness and with his fellow Borough Councillors in tow as well.

We kick off with a presentation by the “Groundwork Creswell, Ashfield and Mansfield” group, an environmental charity with quite a wide range of work to their name. More about them here

They are questioned quite thoroughly by a member of Save our Greenbelt (who I am not associated with in any way in case people don’t know) about their work, their funding and how they tackle various problems.

And so starts the meeting proper…

First question is on certain expenditure in the last budget and the chair answers explaining and giving details.

A question from the public on the shop frontages on Dinnington main street and who is responsible for their upkeep and preventing them from encroaching on the pavement. RMBC Highway and Env Health says Simon, but Cllr Wardle points out that if the blockage is on private land little can be done.

Litter is also on the agenda, RMBC accused of paying little attention to Dinnington, but borough is defended by Cllr Havenhand who says their guy does his best but it is a losing battle. Someone comments that people ought to stop dropping the flipping stuff and it’s hard to argue with that! The chair promises to raise with borough and see if more can be done.

Save Our Greenbelt ask about the total number of houses RMBC are now going to build in Dinno, is it 1100, is it 1300, does it include this or that? Borough Councillors say it is 1300 and Simon promises to get written clarification. I point out that the borough tend to lie a lot and any written reply is fit only for arse wiping. The chair shoots me down for calling people liars and I scurry away before her wrath.

It gets a bit shouty and then we come to my question, how about a field trip onto Dinnington East to find out some facts on the ground. This is greeted with enthusiasm by many and I am told to arrange a date and call the press, job done!

I also sort of hint that only one of the three Borough Councillors have been helping so far and get a right earful back. I invite them to prove me wrong and then duck as verbal Tomahawk missiles are aimed in my direction.

Save Our Greenbelt make one last point (which I don’t fully understand) about the objections made to RMBC by the Town Council, the clerk answers and the public session is closed! I make a hasty retreat to my car outside which has been left with the engine running the whole time!

A nice bit of good honest debate after the snakish nastiness of Anston and I live to complain another day!

Job done, cushty, off we trot!