onionbagblog

To Herne Hill Velodrome! …on Good Friday for the annual Easter race meet in SE24. They’ve been riding bicycles around the banking at Herne Hill on Good Friday for 110 years now. The outdoor track can fall victim to the weather, but it’s an extreme rarity that the Weather Gods get a little rattled over the Easter Week.

Dry but bloody cold was the official forecast for Easter 2013 in South London. This was a day for Lycra long socks - both riders and spectators. There’s no hiding place for male modesty when you are kitted out in an all in one Lycra clad suit. You’ve either got it, or you haven’t.

Nice headset, Sir.

The first problem to overcome at the old track was parking provision. Cars came second best when compared to the hundreds of bicycles looking for a lock up. Cycling folk… cycle. Perimeter trees were improvised to become Sheffield stands. No worries - you’d have to be a particularly scummy Bike Thief Scum to consider doing a job at a Herne Hill Good Friday meet.

If anyone were in search of the definition of cycling love, then SE24 would have been a good starting point over the weekend. It took London over a decade of well-intentioned campaigns to fall in love with the bicycle. The tipping point is when the family four-wheel drive is left back at base in favour of four bicycles.

The old Velo girl has seen it all before. From Penny Farthing races back at the turn of the Century to staging cycling for two Olympic Games. After almost fifteen years of limping along with uncertainty hanging over the old track, Herne Hill Velo was celebrating on Good Friday the completion of the first stages of redevelopment.

The future is safe, but it is far from secure. The new track surface itself looked immaculate. Work has started on the mini-track for kids in the centre of the circuit. With the diggers still doing the business, it looked more like Muddy Hell than the traditional Easter season opener.

Floodlights are next, and then finally the renovation of the grand old pavilion. Progress is slow, but ten years ago it was not impossible to predict housing development on the Herne Hill site in 2013.

As for the racing itself?

Endurance, determination and big balls were all called for. Any semi-pro who trains in a custom wind tunnel could have replicated the experience down at Herne Hill on Good Friday.

We arrived trackside just in time for the start of the prelims. The spectator seating was full by mid-morning, keen to cheer on local heroes, old and new. The proud colours of Velo Club Londres, Brixton Cycles and Dulwich Paragon all competed against some of the more seasoned teams from the Continent. This was a truly international field, but always leaving a special place for the South London riders.

The early handicap races threw up a few surprises. Boys mixed it with the girls, each with a different starting point depending on their ability. Cycling may not be a meritocracy, but some riders were certainly more equal than others when the staggered start came together on the finish line.

A brief break ahead of the afternoon final sessions, and the BONKERS bicycling jumble sale beckoned. Birthday dosh all spent, and a bicycle bag of goodies to be carried back to the garden shed for some Sunday afternoon tinkering.

Hot drinks were out-selling beers - something of a first for Herne Hill. The Rollapalooza racing machine looked more appealing as a secondary heat source, rather than a sporting contest.

And then the sun came out for the afternoon session.

Sort of.

No shortage of heat on the track however. Calculators came out for the Points race, shortly followed by the Triumph 650 Thunderbirds for the quite surreal Stayer’s race.

This is the ultimate in endurance, not to mention a transport culture clash. The Big Boys in their black leather and filthy Thunderbirds pace an individual rider around the track. The rear of the motorbike is fitted with a rotating rail so that the bicycle rider can make contact.

It is completely BONKERS, but also compelling to watch - especially so when the race subplot also included punctures and Triumph 650′s failing to keep up with the pace of one particularly fast cyclist.

Chapeau!

Forty laps of fantastic racing later, and the Triumphs gave way to the little electric brother in the form of the Derny bike. Everyone loves the Keirin. There’s another cultural message hidden away somewhere about the comparability of bicycles and other forms of transport. We use them, they use us. But we all get along, really…

World Champion a Becky James then cycled around the historic Herne Hill track to show that the South London landmark still has a role to play in the future of the sport.

Were they racing up at Stratford on Good Friday?

Were they chuffers.

They continued racing in SE24 until around 5pm, but the biting cold led to a tactical decision to head to the boozer. They probably did the same thing 110 years ago, and probably without Lycra long socks to keep them company as well.

Chapeau!

Full flickr feed.

To the Town Council Office! …on Monday evening for the March meeting of Wivenhoe Town Council. Have we done the Beware the Ides lame gag yet? January wasn’t exactly a trouble free ride, Comrades.

And neither is the navigation around the roads of Wivenhoe, given the Report from Cllr Julie Young of Essex County Council:

“There are ongoing issues with pothole repairs. Those that were repaired towards the tail end of 2012 have now re-opened. I fail to see what the standards are. If it is not two inches deep then it is not seen as a priority.”

No worries.

Any bicyclist around Wivenhoe can bypass the POTHOLE woes and take a detour along the University bicycle path now that the Boundary Road car park has opened.

Oh. Wait.

“We have got the money and I am cranking the wheels of development. I am putting pressure on Rosemary Wilkins [Cycling Officer at ECC.]“

You may remember how the Planning Committee of Colchester Borough Council passed the application for the multi-storey car park back in May 2012. A condition of this was that the University coughs up £250k in S106 back scratching cash for a bicycle path.

This has now been paid; the University has opened a car park, yet still there is no bicycle link between Town and Gown.

Cllr Young raised further concern when she said:

“I have been asking if £250,000 is sufficient money to build the cycle path.”

Cllr Bob Needham of WTC asked for a monthly report from ECC so residents can see how the project is progressing.

Best keep on cranking those development wheels, Comrade.

Can we have some GOOD NEWS on the Health Centre front, please?

Cllr Young said:

“I have contacted Bernard Jenkin about the reimbursement scheme. There is some uncertainty for the future.”

Oh.

As for the Fire Station site and the *possibility* of 6-8 houses ‘financing’ the site?

Cllr Young added:

“At the end of the day it is up to the community. If the community said no then we will have to think again. It is up to the people to make their voices heard.”

Or perhaps even the people with some knowledge, but aren’t quite communicating it very effectively.

Madam Mayor observed:

“I don’t think that people understand why there has to be houses. This hasn’t been explained very well to the public.”

Cllr David Henley of WTC then enquired about the shortfall in funds following the decision of Boots not to sign up to the project. This was confirmed as £30,000 by Cllr Neil Lodge.

But it’s not all about scraping around try to find some loose change down the back of the civic settee. It’s how you spend the wonga that really matters. Madam Mayor arranged to meet Cllr Young about the Wivenhoe Library refurbishment, observing:

“It looks worse now than before.”

What about On the Buses?

There’s no side stepping the issue that a well-prepared report from the esteemed Wivenhoe Public Transport Correspondent is not always SEXY. You try making the back end of a Brightlingsea bound No 78 sound seductive.

Can I park in your garage, etc?

But woh! The esteemed Wivenhoe Public Transport Correspondent was on rare form: Anarchic (ish) tales of bus stop signs subversion, and fingering Borough Cllrs for their back tracking over the new Bus Station (that isn’t really a bus station…)

There was even the grand launch of a brand new bus service, with the 61C rolling out from Colchester to the University later on in the year. Any Town folk with no Gown connections are best to avoid it though: All terminate here at Boundary Road.

And when will this new University Fun Bus be unveiled to transport lovers in the town?

June - just before the University term comes to a close.

Whoops.

Far more positive developments when it comes to Planning. Cllr Kevin Read came to the top table with three quotes for the Cook’s Canoe Rack, as well as details for the Dinghy Park and pubic Car Park charges down at the water.

The canoe rack will be built locally and have a budget of £800. It will be able to store sixteen canoes. The proposed rental charge is £75 per year - a scheme that as per the Cook’s lease, is open to Shipyard residents for the first three years.

The dingy park meanwhile will have an annual rental charge of £140 per space.

Cllr Read explained how North East Essex Parking Partnerships are in negotiations with WTC to run the car park. Suggested parking prices are 30p for up to one hour, £2 for four hours and £4 for over four hours.

WTC agreed unanimously on all these proposals.

Cllr Read also alerted any boat / photo loving locals of the arrival of a 60 foot barge in the Wivenhoe Wet Dock on Easter Sunday.

Floating health centre, anyone?

Cllr Needham then updated over the Neighbourhood Plan:

“A meeting was held on 14th March. There has since been some conjecture on how the group is to be formed. One option was for 21 local members. Colchester Borough Council has now said that this shouldn’t be the case. WTC will need to be the organising body, with inclusive public involvement.”

Dontcha just LOVE Localism, Comrades?

Cllr Needham added:

“The next meeting is on 10th April. We need more members of the public to attend and help turn it into a community plan. When this is done, it will have to go to a public referendum. This is a long haul, but we have made the first step.”

Just look at the next agenda item to see how long hauls have a tendency to play for extra time:

Health Centre Updates.

Whoops.

Cllr Lodge said:

“A member of the public asked us at the previous WTC meeting about the Millfields land. I have met with an Elmstead Market resident and put it to them. They will now go back to their Council and ask if the land is available.”

The Finance and Administration Committee reported on the passing of the precept level by Colchester Borough Council last month.

Cllr Lodge said:

“Every household in Wivenhoe has received details of this. We have had no complaints.”

Madam Mayor added:

“We are not the highest in the country.”

…but with a 25% increase, Wivenhoe is the highest in the Borough.

With one eye on balancing the books in the future, Cllr Lodge said:

“The only way to raise funds in the future is through the precept.”

Disappointing news from Cllr Fran Richards who reported:

“There was some vandalism over the weekend. A window was broken on the Pavilion. Broken glass was also laid out along the children’s slide.”

Better news from the Diamond Jubilee Gardens Working Group. The pond liner is in place and should hopefully catch the spring rain. An £850 grant has been secured, with the aim of encouraging young and more mature folk to work together on green activities.

A procedural point: do we have a Deputy Mayor for next year?

Um…

Some slight calendar contradictions have led to a NO answer. With the current Deputy, Cllr Andrea Vaughan, due to get chained down this May, an able Deputy is now called for. Madam Mayor asked for nominations.

Cllr Vaughan nominated Cllr Read, Cllr Richards seconded.

Job’s a good ‘un.

Confirmation then came that the Community Safety and Neighbourhood Watch is to be merged with the Neighbourhood Action Panel. Nick Alston, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, had been invited to the next meeting.

Cllr Needham updated with news of the Wivenhoe Community Assets Forum:

“The St John Ambulance Building was originally nominated by WTC. CBC said that this needs to be submitted by a Trust. This has now been done via the Forum.”

And so a kinda reverse ferret of the Neighbourhood Plan approach, as favoured by CBC.

Um, Dontcha just LOVE Localism, Comrades?

And then finally on to Finance and FOI’s.

Madam Mayor wanted it to be known that £418.75 has been spent on servicing these.

“We are not use to this.”

Given the Department of Justice guidance of £25 per hour to service an FOI, that seems like a lot of time spent on four requests in the past year. Madam Mayor has asked the Town Clerk to record the amount of time she is spending on the legal requirement of answering FOI’s.

The reluctance of localgov to share data and work with residents on FOI’s was one of the themes at the recent #ukgc13 unconference.

@jason_cobb yup - hence, we published locality.org.uk/news/improve-l… #transparency

— Asset Transfer Unit (@asset_transfer) March 9, 2013

Of course you could always FOI WTC to find out how this figure was achieved.

Next month, Comrades.

New season [sort of] - new boiler as well for Wivenhoe Moving Image, the independent group that aims to bring community cinema to Wivenhoe and the surrounds. Some heating hiccups came the way of the Philip Road Centre base in January. As Moira from the group explains in the soundcloud below, although this was frustrating, there is some optimism looking ahead.

The very future of the Philip Road Centre as a community facility is well known. Owned by Essex County Council, the current daytime education facilities will come to a close in the summer. The What Next question has been lingering over Wivenhoe locals that use the space in the evenings.

Fixing the roof - or boiler - whilst it isn’t raining in cash rich reserves, probably isn’t a priority for a penny pinching local authority. But the ECC bods over in Chelmsford proved to be rather helpful to the Philip Road users, showing some willingness to keep the facility in community use.

Moira also updates in the podcast with the progress in listing the Philip Road Centre as an Asset of Community Value with Colchester Borough Council. The Localism Act allows any community group to have a six months heads up to buy any building, prior to it becoming available on the free market.

Working with the Wivenhoe Community Assets Forum, a formal application for CBC to consider listing the space should be rubber-stamped by Wivenhoe Town Council on 18th March. Which all means that Moving Image can then hopefully go about the business of putting on films, something that the volunteer led group is proving to be half-decent at.

Recent success stories coming out of the town include a sold out screening of Searching for Sugar Man, a documentary that tries to find the mysterious 1970′s musician Rodriguez. Executive Producer Sheryl Crown kindly took part in a Q and A session, showing that there is an appetite for film discussion within Wivenhoe.

Other big name producers have recently been scouting the hyperlocal patch as possible future filming locations. Moira explains a little more about the recent visit of Mike Leigh to the town and his interest in Wivenhoe as a location for his soon to be filmed Turner biopic. Yer man Mike just happens to also be the Patron of Moving Image. He took a great interest in the group in-between eyeing up the William Loveless Hall (*possibly*) for the Turner pic.

And then there is the Moving Image schedule itself. Moira launches a new season of films during our chat. It’s as diverse as the Moving Image audience itself, covering comedy English Heritage sites, Iranian hostage dramas and Hitchcock masterpieces.

It’s a clever and tricky move for Moving Image to re-schedule the missed films during the boiler woes. There is also talk of *shhh* some cinematic action as an additional strand to the Not the May Fair Bank Holiday weekend of musical and cultural celebrations in Wivenhoe.

It takes much more than a buggered boiler to mess with Wivenhoe Moving Image.

Full schedule: (all films are screened at the Philip Road Centre with an 8pm start time, unless stated.)

23rd March, Rust and Bone - NOTE 8:15 start time

6th April, The Master

13th April, Sightseers

20th April, Amour

27th April, Argo

4th May, Silver Linings Playbook

11th May, McCullin

28th April, Vertigo - NOTE 2:30pm start time

To the Salt Marshes of the Muddy Banks of the Colne! …on Sunday morning. Talk about living life in the fast lane, etc. Or even the sewage recycling shoreline. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it, blah, blah, blah.

Not strictly true, but ACE work as ever from the good folk of the Wivenhoe Society who were able to mobilise a mini-army of litter pickers as part of the bi-annual Colne Bank Clean Up.

Time and tide wait for no mudlarker. Which helps to explain the seasonably early mid-March scheduling for the spring clean up. A cursory glance through the tidal chart - an early morning ritual around here - and you can soon see how low water on a Sunday morning is something of a rarity over the coming weeks.

The tidal chart may have been timed to perfection, but it’s best to always be fashionably late for these occasions. Especially so when fashion dictates a pair of wellies and waterproofs, and there is the ritual of the group hug photo beforehand.

Whoops.

It wasn’t just the good folk of Wiv Soc doing the Big Society bin bag thing either. Down at the other end of the Trail and Sustrans were making a start from the Quayside Accommodation towards Wivenhoe.

The idea was that Never the Twain Shall Meet, but if so, it would hopefully be midway between Wivenhoe and the Hythe, and bin bag sizes could be compared.

I personally went for the salt marshes along Ferry Marsh.

MUCKY PUP etc.

Forget yer bulging bin bag, anyone want a whiff of my stinking shuttlecock?

Steady the buffers.

It was the BEST find for the morning, a feathered old school style badminton implement, slightly soiled and in need of a good polish. Best put it down your trousers and save it for a treat back at base.

Not so with the UNUSED condom.

Relax - it was all packaged up and sealed. The morning took a slightly fruity twist for all of five seconds. But the back and forth motion of the Wivenhoe Town Council workmen in their buggies sort of spoilt the moment. Plus the Best Before date expired back in 2008.

And so an hour and half or so later of bending down, and then bending back up again (LITTER PICKING) and the Trail was as clean as a fireman’s helmet. The very visible presence of people picking up litter attracts interest. The most effective form of gathering support in Wivenhoe is to simple DO SOMETHING and see who follows.

The threatened rain stayed away, but the number of volunteers didn’t. Don’t forget the thank you to the LOVELY EWD of Brightlingsea for very kindly supplying a skip for all the crap.

Same again in six months time.

Splendid.

To the William Loveless Hall! …on Wednesday evening for SHOWTIME with the Wivenhoe Gilbert and Sullivan Society and Anything Goes.

Hurrah!

But how the chuffers do you transport a turn of the 20th Century American ocean liner into the *ahem* compact space of the good ‘ol Willie Loveless?

Man the lifeboats, etc.

The Loveless Hall is many things to many men and women. But for one week in the Wivenhoe calendar it has been transformed into a setting that resembles the opulence of High Society ocean life.

Not so much P & O, but a backdrop and positioning of the audience that gives you a top deck vantage point for the following two and a half hours of song, sauciness and mistaken identities.

But first, what of the confusion of the good folk of G & S staging a show that is actually by Cole Porter?

SPLITTERS!

Not so.

Every other year and Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan get to take a sabbatical in Wivenhoe. Anything Goes fits the theme, as well as the incredible range of vocal talent and different generations that make up Wivenhoe G & S.

This is a grand production in every sense. Setting aside, the story and songbook requires immense concentration and physical skills from all involved. With over 50% of the show immersed in lusty songs, you need lungs the size of Billy Crocker’s, um, ego to get you through the five night run.

Anything Goes shows sophistication from start to finish. The optimism of the opening scenes ahead of the SS Americana departing dock is carried all the way through until the rousing closing chorus number.

I’ve been backstage at Le Grande Willie H. Wardrobe space doubles up during the daytime as a Mothers and Toddlers group. To enable a cast of forty plus men and women to undergo frequent and ever elaborate costume changes in such a small space requires precision planning.

All the while the audience remains starboard (or is it port side?) peering down the deck and oblivious to the behind the scenes military manoeuvres that it must take to simply stage the show.

And WOH! What a show.

Mid-West comes to Wivenhoe - that’s the American Mid-West, and not Alresford. The accents appear so natural that you lose the default setting to analyse the authenticity after the first couple of minutes.

And that’s just the spoken word. Song and dance is an international language, but it’s still bloody hard to pull off an American nightclub singer solo performance when you are a resident of a North Essex estuary town.

Amazing work, Madam.

The old style flea pit musician’s area genuinely gives you the impression that you are watching a show from a different age. Mr Piano Man (HUGE apologies - arrived too late to buy a programme) is almost an actor himself up on the stage. The relationship and timing between the pinky plonky and the actors is seamless.

Jazz Hands Drummer (again, sorry) is perhaps the only person in the whole of Wivenhoe that actually understands the delicate acoustics of the William Loveless Hall. Take a drum roll, Sir. But not too loudly…

Sure there are going to be lead roles and stand out characters. But this is an inclusive show that manages to incorporate - and find a role - for all forty plus folk that put themselves forward.

No live horse as was the case for Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare back in the ’90s, but a charming pooch carried out the stage instructions to perfection. A comedy Blue Peter style whoopsie would perhaps be asking for too much.

The first Act is lengthy, but you’re never really wanting the action to end. The SEXINESS factor is ramped up for the second half of the show. Never smutty, but it leaves you with HOT PANTS and a probing imagination, so to speak.

Mentions must also go to the Colne Bank School of Dancing for reducing the average age of the cast by about three decades, plus the brilliantly technically proficient tech crew. Attention to detail is impressive, both in sound and vision.

And so Anything Goes in Wivenhoe up until 16th March.

Anyone fancy Open Air Shakespeare after this?

Full flickr feed.

listen to ‘#Wivenhoe G & S Society Rehearsals 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘#Wivenhoe G & S Society Rehearsals 3’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘#Wivenhoe G & S Society Rehearsals 4’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘#Wivenhoe G & S Society Rehearsals 5’ on Audioboo

To the William Loveless Hall! …on Sunday afternoon for the Technical Rehearsal of Anything Goes. Different date, different location, same charming tech crew. If it’s not Open Air Shakespeare or Pantomime, then it must mean that it’s the perfectly palatable sandwich filling of the Wivenhoe Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

The young chaps pressing the buttons behind the tech desk are serving out their informal Wivenhoe arty farty apprenticeships with distinction. No time to come a cropper - it’s an on the job style of learning that money couldn’t buy up the road at the University of Essex.

No tuition fees or student loans required here - just plenty of time and enthusiasm, and knowing just when to press the right buttons when one of the stars of the show carries out the stage direction of: chunder into the piano.

BLEURGHHHHH.

Even the highly theatrical act of a technicolour yawn was transformed in the Willie Loveless Hall. If the Congregational Hall was the off repertory space for the good folk G & S, then the Big W next door has got be Wivenhoe’s answer to Broadway.

The set at the William Loveless Hall is simply stunning. Who needs the restraints of a traditional top end stage when you can create your own setting with a little theatrical imagination?

The main action for Anything Goes is played out ninety degrees left to the main stage. It is the same place where the good Cllrs of Wivenhoe Town Council take up the top table during the annual Town Meeting. Greasepaint, smoldering sexual passions and a gangster character in disguise as an upstanding member of the community - ahh, but which is which, etc…

Whilst the set takes you away aboard an old cruise liner, the costumes are the period piece to complete the storytelling. Attention to detail is immense; style is everything. There is officially no dress code when Anything Goes opens on 12th March, but you’d probably do well to at least put on a clean pair of Y-fronts.

And so shortly after 2pm on Sunday afternoon, there was a blowing of the BIG horn. It set the scene for much of the campness that follows. The cast and crew carried the first half of the show with enough energy to power the BIG horn without any plugs. It’s all about peaking at the right time, especially so when you are blowing your BIG horn.

A seamless scene change even drew applause from the small audience of family and friends. I actually felt like clapping after the piano sickness showstopper.

Not so nauseous was the arrival of the four young ladies from the Colne Bank School of Dancing. The average age of the cast may have been lowered by about twenty years, but the more mature high kicking ladies can still keep up with the young pups.

I stayed around for the first half of the Technical Rehearsal, not wanting to spoil the complete surprise for when I return as a punter later in the week. Speaking of which… tickets are still on sale for the world premier opening run which opens in… Wivenhoe on 12th March.

Performances continue through until Saturday 16th March, with tickets available from both Post Offices and the Crossways store up at the top of the town.

An overboard dog, two China men and an English aristocrat with a very big sword thrust inside his trousers: Anything Goes in Wivenhoe.

To IBM’s HQ! …on Saturday morning for ukgovcamp13, the sixth annual gathering of localgov and tech geek types.

Wanna know about Publishing Open Data in localgov? Digital Channels for Local Councils? Um, Hacking localgov Websites?

No worries - there was a session for you at @ukgovamp.

Brilliantly organised around the unconferernce principle, @LloydDavis introduced the event by pleading:

“Meet people and build conversations that will change the way you work.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Some seven hours later and my iPad was stuffed with ideas, much like my goody bag was stuffed with freebie mugs and USB sticks. There’s a localgov pitch somewhere in there about the procurement of tech that will remotely make cups of tea for back end office staff.

The awkward introduction session was anything but. 300 or so geeks to get around the room with the mic - the best solution is simply to tag yourself.

#hyperlocal and #connections.

Job’s a good ‘un, but for the record I wasn’t entirely sure what work hat was being worn for the day.

In place #ukgc13. Accreditation said @emoderation. Not officially true. Bit of @theplacestation hat, with @colchchronic interest as well.

— Jason_Cobb (@Jason_Cobb) March 9, 2013

It didn’t really mater - work representations were lost for the day. This was more about asking how others go about their way of working, and then to offer ideas and take away something for yourself.

The fear is that you depart an unconference finding that like-minded folk work in a way completely different to the processes that you put in place. The challenge is to then turn around your way of working, and take on board the ideas. Plus don’t forget that a little bit of disruption is always good.

And so seven rooms and 35 sessions soon appeared as the schedule for ukgovcamp was published. I could have happily attended around two thirds of these, knowing that I would hopefully be able to contribute, and also come away with some knowledge.

It was a little like choosing your options at school. A language or no language? What science subject for the unscientific mind? And does anyone really want to do drama?

Digital Channels for Local Councils with @TiffanyStJames stood out for the first session of the day. There is crossover here with the informal discussions currently taking place in Colchester between Cllrs and local geeks about how CBC can provide a better online voice.

The conversation covered the concept of what happens when localgov neglects any digital communication strategy. It was suggested that *ahem* hyperlocals steps in and provides an alternative.

We struggled slightly with the delivery method. If a tablet-based solution is seen as an alternative form of channel, then you are going to alienate the majority of your residents.

“Not for now, but evolving”

…was a half-decent way of thinking how the digital landscape might be in three years time.

The folly of free WIFI hotspots in town centres was discussed. Why would you want to roll this out in a location where customer-facing point of contact services already exist? If the budget is there, then it is far better to take these networks out into rural areas.

With the unconference clock counting down (you do need some structure) we turned towards what a localgov magic wand could offer when it comes to getting content out there.

It will come as no surprise to anyone working in localgov that getting rid of ancient browsers for back office staff has to be the first starting point. Allowing officers and Cllrs to communicate with the outside world through social channels would be another obvious solution, although strangely resistance is still out there.

For every @LBLDemocracy or @sophialooney there is a Colchester Borough Council antisocial media policy.

Many in the room touched upon the complete lack of tech understanding from senior management in Town Halls. If they don’t understand how the modern interweb has transformed their organisation - and their residents - then everyone below is then fighting against a cultural barrier.

The most powerful message that I took from this session was to allow citizens to build their own networks - then respond to them and not alienate them. The DIY ethos of the fringes of tech and localgov is a space [URGH] that can been filled independently as Council cuts kick in.

Failing that, then the following session could be of use:

Hacking Government Websites - No Tech Skills Required.

It’s certainly pushed my buttons, so to speak.

This session with @GlynWintle was more of a cautionary tale than a call to arms. There’s good hacking, and there’s bad hacking. Glyn’s background with the Open Rights Group gave some brilliant examples of how sensitive localgov data can often be compromised.

A brief stop for bangers and mash in the IBM canteen, and then the afternoon sessions were underway. Real Grass Roots Collaboration with @shortblue was the digital digestif, posing the question: Is collaborating the new C word?

Cripes.

Anti-social networking - the antithesis of the CBC antisocial media policy - was on the agenda. The argument was that the social web slows down collaboration, rather than enables it. Back in Colchester and the proposed banning of tweeting Cllrs is a complete channel blackout, rather than a policy to enable better collaboration.

If technology drives collaboration, is this necessarily the best route? We explored how collaboration is an inherent part of human nature, with or without the modern interweb. Back in localgov land and there is the danger that collaboration is simply a response for cuts.

FOI’s were offered up as a form of collaboration. Essentially localgov is sharing data requested by residents. Examples were given of how often the will to free this data simply doesn’t exist. The culture of localgov is sometimes resistant to this change.

My own course plotted around the sessions had now developed a pattern - the social through to the structure, and then back again. Which must mean that it was now time for:

Any WordPress Questions Answered with @HarryM, @Lily_Dart and @dgmStuart - the team behind dxw.com.

What is so special about WordPress? Pretty much everything to be honest (apart from outdated plugins…) The session explained how the tool has shifted from the personal through to the public with many localgov bodies now using WordPress as their default back end system.

Other software was explored. Time for a plug for the Open Councils and Drupal session with @marcde_ath and @lambeth_council coming up later in the week.

But yeah - WP is bloody brilliant.

And then just as the IBM bangers and mash were about to boot up my own mainframe mechanism, the final session concluded once again with collaboration:

Cross-sector Collaborative Innovation with @Jagusti.

We wanted to find examples of collaboration between localgov and third sector orgs, and then see if these have been successful or not. What are the time demands? The expectations? The outcomes?

The message that it isn’t always about the platform came over once again. Many examples were given where a step away from the online world has often led to the most effective collaborations at this level.

But sometimes it all comes back to the dosh - now is the best time for collaboration as we are all financially buggered.

And so that way my experience of ukgovcamp13. A read through of the twitter stream shows many different experiences. It’s impossible to collect and document all the conversations that took place. You walk away feeling slightly in awe of some of the work of others, but equally inspired to take these ideas into your own hyperlocal patch.

Publishing Open Data in Local Gov and Digital Channels for Local Councils are very much on the radar.

Hacking localgov Websites can wait, Comrades.

Sponsors, blah blah blah - all brilliant.