24/11/03 - Councillor goes 'Back to the Floor'

The Cumbria County Councillor responsible for libraries is to try life at the sharp end. County Councillor Tim Heslop, whose portfolio as a Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member includes Cultural Strategy, Libraries and Archives, will be going ‘back to the floor’ from 1pm to 3pm on Thursday November 27. Councillor Heslop will be working as a library assistant at Carlisle Library in the Lanes and meeting the public under the direction of Area Library Manager John Foster.

It will be a completely new work experience for Councillor Heslop, a farmer who runs 200 sheep on 120 acres in the Cockermouth area. He says:

“It will give me a better insight into what I am dealing with and what I am responsible for -- it’s good to see how things work at the sharp end.

“I have never worked in that sort of sphere before. My working life has always been spent outdoors, except for council business, so it will be a new experience.”

Ralph Howard, Corporate Director for Community, Economy and Environment, which includes the Library Service, says:

“The County Council encourages Senior Officers and Councillors to ‘go back to the floor’ from time to time to experience, at the delivery end, the Service for which they are responsible. It helps keep them in touch and their experiences can inform the decisions they make.”