Last week the new ward boundaries for Leeds were announced. I suspect we now enter a period of sustained campaigning by all the political parties. The new boundaries for my area are what  I expected with two new wards:

Middleton Park - covering Middleton and Belle Isle (which used to be in Hunslet ward)

Ardsley and Robin Hood - the villages of Robin Hood, Lofthouse, Thorpe and Ardsley (which used to be in Morley South ward).

Friday was also the last day of the housing inspectors at Leeds South Homes - we now just have to wait for their verdict to see if we get the coveted two stars and the extra investment that will bring.

Last week I and other south Leeds councillors also met with Phil Cook, the deputy chief executive, to talk about the proposed new road linking Belle Isle to the South Leeds Sports Stadium (and eventually the new international swimming pool and new high school).

Finally on Sunday I called into the Winthorpe gala, held on the playing fields at Thorpe Primary School. It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves on such a sunny day. It was impressive to see the children who have trained so hard to form a majorette troop.

A couple of trade unions are currently running some really decent campaigns about issues that effect not just their members but everyone. Check out these sites:

Communications Workers Union - 'Stop the UK job stampede' - keep call centre jobs in the UK

Amicus - play the 'Great Pensions Robbery' game

I think both of these are great examples of modern trade unions. Campaigning about big issues that effect thier members and society at large. I think more unions should run campaigns like this to help inform and change public opinion. Contrast this modern approach to the blinkered self-interest declared by the Fire Brigade's Union.

Today is National Play Day and the Children's Society has released a report that details how difficult it is for children to play outside. This is an issue that crops up constantly for councillors and I regularly get complaints from often elderly people complaining about kids playing outside their house.

Now IMHO (in my humble opinion - politicians should always remember to be humble!) this is a complex issue. There is a major difference between anti-social behaviour (young people causing trouble for others) and kids simply wanting to have a good time with their mates.

Children should have a right to play in the street and on the grass right outside their house, but all too often you see no ball signs and other residents complain about them.

As a councillor one of my main priorities is providing more facilities for young people. But this doesn't mean us telling them what they are getting but actually providing a mix of things that suit what the young people want. This might mean a goal post near their homes where they can hang out. It might also mean more expensive faciltiies such as a skate park a bit further away.

The media has a lot to answer for by scaring parents into thinking their children are in grave danger on the streets from strangers when in fact the dangers are not that different now to when they were children. The media also scares elderly people into thinking all young people are a threar, when in fact it is a small minority.

As a Labour council Leeds is tackling all these issues - we are providing more facilities for young people (and establishing a city wide and local youth councils so they have a real say in running things), we are cracking down on the minority who cause anti-social behaviour, we are implementing local traffic calming on estates.

In Middleton over the summer we've got a whole range of activities for young people including a mobile skateboard park and a mobile climbing wall both visiting the ward.

I could go on. It isn't going to work a miracle and change things overnight but by working together we can crack it.

Got this email from a friend at Oxfam. If you can help then please contact me and I will pass on your details.