Metaphorically, of course. At the meeting of the Schools and Learning Committee this Thursday, the delayed paper on the future of the Youth Development Service turned out to be a two-page document about setting up a member task group to ‘assist with the review’.

 I can’t complain, because they’re doing pretty much what I called for: stopped the recruitment freeze, found £500,000 for this year to keep staffing levels up, and withdrawn the requirement for 3% ‘efficiency cuts’; while now, I hope, the mechanism is being set up for the County to take a radical look at how the different demands for youth services can be met. 

But there were ‘noises off’ earlier this year showing that some alternative scenarios are currently being developed, even though they were not brought to the Committee this week.

 No time to write more now - meetings and such like end to end this week and weekend - but I will come back asap to report more fully on this meeting.