Stephanie Al-Wahid

• Comment on: Neighbourhood planning pilots announced

  Stephanie Al-Wahid's comment | 05/04/2011 10:31 am

  Interesting to see the outcome of these pilots. Much will depend upon communities being able to put aside personal issues and focusing on the general good. This will be a tall order in some areas where the populations are diverse and needs and aspirations vary. There is also the opposite challenge of areas that wish to preserve themselves in aspic and resist change and growth.
  £20,000 is a small budget to deliver effective consultation and engagement.
  Dangerous to compare ourselves to Holland, very different populations and culture.

• Comment on: Council to expel homeless benefit claimants

  Stephanie Al-Wahid's comment | 15/12/2010 11:25 am

  PSR is right. There is also another spin off from moving people on low wages out of cities, it is unlikely that any city will have a Labour council as traditionally the lower paid gravitate to Labour. On their performance in government some might say this is no bad thing but nevertheless there will be an imbalance in inner city populations. There is also another factor to take into account, landlords in suburbs will find that their properties are in much greater demand thus encouraging them to increase rents. Public transport is certainly not cheap and therefore many low paid workers will not be able to commute to the centre of cities to work, they may well find they can no longer work. In the meantime, those in inner cities will find it difficult to recruit workers at minimum wages or less. It is really hard to see any practical or sensible answers to this conundrum, the only advantages are short term political gains which will not last.

• Comment on: Abuse of the elderly

  Stephanie Al-Wahid's comment | 22/11/2010 11:31 am

  We have recently been engaged on a long term project for a local care home. Our work necessitates visiting the home on an ad hoc basis several times a week. Not once have we seen anything but kindness, patience and committment to improve the life of service users. Carers have a tough job both physically and mentally and I cannot imagine having the stregnth to do it myself. The secret of our clients home seems to be their close and supportive management of their staff, their availability and presence and their willingness to go the extra mile.
  We have learnt so much from everyone in the home about what it means to be old, frail and confused and how important it is to create a caring environment.
  Maybe the secret of success lies in the fact that they own the home and are not part of a much larger organisation where corporate requirements and rules operate from arms legnth.

Stephanie Al-Wahid has not added any discussions yet.

Stephanie Al-Wahid has not added any posts yet.