We have a plan!

 

There are 68 days to go until The Hills Shire Council elections.  And we have a plan!  We intend to provide a range of posts on our Facebook page ranging from the boring (but necessary) through to moving and inspiring.

“The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”

Naturally we will need to adapt and change as we go along - as circumstances and events require but also in response to your feedback.  But here are some of the things we hope to deliver:

• Posts that will be a little dry, possibly boring, but necessary

We will offer a couple of series of posts in this category.

One will focus on the essential information you need to know about voting in the Hills Shire elections - the wards, enrollment, the voting system - stuff like that.  Sorry!

Another will consider the role of local government in all our lives and especially in combatting and adapting to climate change.

• Posts that show the way for the new Hills Shire Council after September 4

We will showcase a series of fine examples of good climate governance from local governments in and around the vicinity of the Hills.  We think you will be surprised at what is being done in other local government areas - and keen to see our Shire joining the party!

We will also highlight the campaign for climate emergency declarations here and around the world - and why the Hills Shire Council might join this growing wave.  And we will also cover other things we would like to see our council doing such as joining the Cities Power Partnership - as so many of our peer councils have already done.

• Posts that will move and inspire

We hope to offer a series of personal climate stories - of people whose lives have been affected by climate-related events, or who are taking inspiring actions in defence of the climate and our future.

We need your help with this series in particular.  If you have a story you are willing to contribute or you think you know someone who may, please get in touch as soon as possible.

But we will also be asking for you to participate and contribute:

• Firstly we want your feedback - what you like and what you don’t like - and any ideas you have for content for the page.

• Secondly please help to build the momentum of the page by engaging - likings, sharing and commenting.

• And finally, we will be sharing some stuff that we hope you will use to help build a following for this page - stuff like pro-forma emails for you to personalise and send to your circle of friends and neighbours.  We had plans for posters and flyers and letterbox drops too - current lockdown restrictions rule those things out for now but maybe later.

And, finally, one of our most important tasks will be to try to gather information on the positions of candidates on climate matters.  We are preparing a questionnaire for this purpose.  We will ask candidates to complete it in another month or so, when nominations are closed.

Much of this work will, necessarily, go on in the background - but we will keep you informed. In the last week or two of the campaign we hope to present the results - a single document for each ward and for the mayoral election that presents the stated positions of the candidates - for each of us to use to guide our votes.

Please stay safe and well during this lockdown period.  Oh, and if you have any spare toilet paper, please send it our way - we are running a little short!

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This blog and our Facebook page and our administrators are not associated or affiliated with any party or candidate standing in The Hills Shire Council elections in 2021.  Nor do we receive funding from any individual, party, institution or corporation.  Our very constrained expenditures are financed by the page administrators themselves acting in a personal capacity.  Our only interest is in a safe climate for current and  future residents of the Hills Shire.

Email: climate.matters.hills.2021@gmail.com

Message: m.me/ClimateMattersHills2021

Facebook: facebook.com/ClimateMattersHills2021.