May we direct the Council's attention to this page on the Hands off Haywood High website, specifically to Appendix 1 and the following:

Basic principles of a local democratic participation policy

1. Guarantee the right of citizens to have access to clear, comprehensive information about the various matters of concern to their local community and to have a say in major decisions affecting its future.
...

4. Accord major importance to communication between public authorities and citizens and encourage local leaders to give emphasis to citizens' participation and careful consideration to their demands and expectations, so as to provide an appropriate response to the needs which they express.

5. Adopt a comprehensive approach to the issue of citizens' participation, having regard both to the machinery of representative democracy and to the forms of direct participation in the decision-making process and the management of local affairs.

We have to say that our City Council has failed miserably on all three counts.

The Department of Communities and Local Government has just published a document, Unlocking the talent of our communities, which is the prelude to the Empowerment White Paper, due to be published in the summer of 2008. The following points arise in this document:

1. "A key element of this is to forge more influence, control and ownership by local people of local services ..."
2. "But no government can do it alone".
3. "British society has a rich tradition of self-organisation and bottom-up campaigning, ..."
4. "In today's world it is clear that people want a clear voice in how services are provided".
5. "... we need to involve people actively in:

• encouraging active citizenship, and reviving civic society and local democracy
• improving local public services by involving local users and consumers
• strengthening local accountability".

Stoke-on-Trent City Council, as it has so admirably demonstrated over the last eight months, has a great deal to learn before this particular White Paper becomes law. We hope, probably against all hope, that they might begin to implement some of the above points before they are legally required to do so. Precedent, however, suggests that any legal requirements will be enforced at the very last minute, and not a second before!