Tuesday 2^nd September  

In the afternoon I travelled to the offices of West Sussex County Council in Chichester for the final meeting of the Presidential Conference organising committee, prior to the event itself. There was a good turnout and a huge amount of work has gone in to try and ensure it’s enjoyable and successful. We spent a fair time gong through all the detailed arrangements and trying to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. With just over a week to go there is still much to do, but the whole Committee are now looking forward to the event and welcoming Council and Board members, dinner guests, conference attendees and their partners to Portsmouth.

Monday 1st September

A morning spent in Endsleigh Street, signing a large number of invitation letters to the Annual Lunch to be held at the Grosvenor House on 12th December and to a major Diversity event to be held at the House of Lords on October 23rd at which The Princess Royal would be attending. I think I got the better end of the job than Nicki who had to put them all into envelopes! I also spent some time with Claire going through the latest Portsmouth conference arrangements and with Brian Murrell discussing some of the new building issues.

I then met up with Peter Dickinson who chairs the IHT’s Urban Design Panel and we went to meet Sir Robert Kerslake who is Chief Executive Designate of the new Homes and Communities Agency, also known as Communities England. HCA’s key role will be in delivering regeneration and sustainable communities with the major growth areas being of special significance. We had an excellent wide ranging discussion about the importance of transport to the HCA’s agenda and it was clear that Sir Robert was very interested in what IHT could add to the debate, not only on policy formulation, but also on design and research. I hope that this is another area of Government where we can work to the benefit of the wider public and also members of the profession.

Tuesday 19th August 2008

In the morning I met up with Mary Lewis and Past President Mike Slinn to review the previous years objectives and feed any lessons/issues through into the work for the coming year. The discussion was very wide ranging but it was clear that significant progress had been made in areas such as the Royal Charter application, producing a framework for a 5 year Plan, embarking on the move to new premises, launching the Transport Planning Qualification etc Some of the issues for further consideration is how we respond to the wealth of good ideas and demand for more services from the Institution, how we ensure the Technical work of the Institution is even more influential and how members and staff work together using each others expertise and knowledge to best effect. It’s good to see how far we have moved over the years and there is certainly the will to see how we can make the Institution even more effective.

I then travelled to Chichester with Claire Edmunds and Daniel Isichei, for a meeting with the Southern Branch Conference Organising Committee. It was great to hear that there are now over 300 people booked to attend the Dinner. It is hoped that more attend the conference and the Committee would be embarking on the usual round of telephone calls! The theme itself is a fascinating one and the Committee heard about the significant document that is nearing finalisation for publication at the Conference. Lots yet to do but an enthusiastic and committed team are working on it!

Thursday 14th August

A morning of really good meetings at Endsleigh Street. Firstly I met with Claire Edmunds to review progress on arrangements for the Presidential Conference in Portsmouth on 11th/12th September. The Southern Branch organising Committee and IHT staff are working as a team on the conference and there are so many things to sort out related to the dinner, conference, tour of the Victory, partners tour, accommodation, speakers etc etc. It really is a huge undertaking and with a month to go the dinner and tours are almost at capacity while, as ever, we need to encourage more people to come to the conference! Claire and the team have everything in hand and are looking forward to the event itself.

I then had a meeting with Richard Turner, Council member and former Chief Executive of the Freight Transport Association, along with Mary Lewis and Daniel Isichei, IHT’s Head of Public Affairs. We were discussing a key role for Richard, given his previous experience in working with Government Ministers etc in seeing how we could increase the level of our working relationships at Ministerial level in Westminster and Devolved Governments etc. It is clear that the IHT has a great deal to say and having a membership which covers such a wide range of employers and disciplines in the Highways and Transportation area, gives us a huge advantage. Richard and Dan would work together on bringing forward some thoughts to the Executive Board and Council so that we can move this important topic forward.

Wednesday 6th August

The first Executive Board of the new session and the last to be held at Endsleigh Street before the move to the new building made this an auspicious occasion. The Board was joined by Vice Chairs for this meeting and we had some major items on the agenda, including an update on the 2008 management accounts which showed the Institution in a good financial position, recommendations for the 2009 subscriptions and an outline financial plan for the next 5 years. Other topics included some draft standing orders that are required for us to be shown to be operating in the correct way, a proposal to prouduce a Manual for High Streets, a whole series of recommendations from the Knowledge Management Panel and some early thoughts on how we might set up a separate forum for younger members. There were also further updates on a whole range of issues emphasising how busy the Institution is the moment. A good business like meeting concluding with Mary Lewis and Brian Murrell heading off to yet another but important meeting about the new buillding....

Tuesday 5th August

Now back from a really enjoyable family holiday where we motored through France and Spain followed by a bit of sailing in Poole Harbour and returned feeling refreshed and looking forward to the months ahead. Having caught up with 3 weeks worth of e mails etc, today was a day of meetings at Endssleigh Street. Firstly I kicked off meeting with Mary Lewis and Brian Murrell catching up with latest developments and planning activities for the next few Executuve Boards/Council and other diary matters. It was also good to hear that things are progessing well, albeit with the usual snags, regarding the new building which is a major undertaking for the Insititution and it's staff.
I then met with the Presidential team of Chris Jackson and David Gillham (Geoff Allister was still flying back from holidays in the USA). We talked through a range of isues facing the Institution and how we could effectively work together to ensure consistency and support to each other during what will be a busy time.
We then moved into a meeting of the new Executive Board,where we were also joined by the Vice Chairs of Boards and senior staff. The purpose of the session was to have an induction for new Trustees of the Institution so that they understood their roles and responsibilities and also to talk through the key issues facing the Institution and it's members over the coming year. It was an excellent session and we then retired to Prezzos Italian restaurant for dinner to carry on the discussions. A busy but productive day.

Tuesday 8Th July

An early start for a breakfast meeting in the House of Lords where Lord Dubs, Chairman of the Road Safety Foundation was hosting a gathering to promote the Campaign for Safe Road Designs. Contributions from John Dawson, Chairman of the Campaign and Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DfT prompted a lively discussion session. IHT is supportive of the campaign and will be working with the other supporters to achieve its aims.

Summer holidays now beckon and my next IHT engagement to look forward to is the Executive Board on 5th August, which will appear all too rapidly. In the meantime lots of hard work is going on regarding the Presidential Conference on 11th/12th September 2008 in Portsmouth and we hope to see as many people as possible join us for what should be an enjoyable and informative event.

Friday 4th July

The South Western Branch have a tradition of holding a Committee meeting first thing on the morning of the night before and I was asked, along with John Smart, to highlight some key issues for the Institution as we move forward. A lively debate then followed on both Education/Training issues, including the new TPP qualification and what was meant by raising our profile.

We then attended a Keynote Address by Peter Lipman from Sustrans who talked about what we will be building in 5 years time. The lecture presented some very stark issues about the rising price of energy and gave everybody plenty of food for thought.
This was followed by the Branches Annual Lunch, with an excellent meal, in very nice surroundings overlooking the sea. During the speeches I had the pleasure of presenting the Courteney Hatcher Cup to Peter Ezzard, winner of the golf competition.

The event finished at about 4pm and Chris and I reflected on what a great tradition the Torquay event is, with the whole Branch to be thanked for their work and Peter Trennaman and David Ward in particular. We then decided to stop on for a further night to enjoy the delights of Torquay before heading back further up the coast on Saturday morning.

Thursday 3rd July 2008

The South Western Branch Conference this year was titled “Intelligent Infrastructure” and an excellent array of speakers gave presentations on transport technology, systems,applications and services. The morning conference sessions were chaired by John D’Arcy and immediate Past President Mike Slinn with me chairing the afternoon. An audience of nearly 150 were given some excellent presentations and the debate brought out some of the key issues affecting both current implementation and future development
In the evening we were hosted to a civic reception by the Chairman of Torbay Council followed by dinner and a Casino evening. Most people seemed to lose the $20,000 we had been handed pretty quickly but there were clearly some keen gamblers present! Revellers kept going until well into the early hours.

WEDNESDAY 2ND JULY 2008

The conference had attracted nearly 200 delegates, testimony to the subject and also to the work of East Midlands Branch. This really is being seen as a national conference these days.

My role was to give the Presidential address and I spoke on the key issues around at the moment for the country, the role of the Institution and the background (and shameless plug!) to the Presidential Conference to be held in September.

I would like to have stayed to listen to the papers but I needed to board a train straight away to reach Torquay where the South West Branch annual event was starting.

So, a train ride back to Winchester, back home to pack and pick up my wife Chris and then a drive in torrential thunderstorms down to Torquay where the sun came out and we booked into the Grand Hotel, venue for the conference.

John Darcy, Chairman of the South West Branch hosted a super dinner for the speakers and their partners setting the scene for the conference and associated activities the following day.

For Cambridge booking form click here

TUESDAY 1ST JULY 2008

A glorious day and one of the hottest of the year so far, saw me travelling to Cambridge to attend the East Midlands Branch Conference which this year was on the topic of “Growth: Consequences and Procurement”. Tim Bowes, Chairman of the Branch hosted a delightful dinner in Churchill College where we were joined by all the conference speakers. Also there, were Kate Carpenter, Vice Chair of NIMB and Libby Sands, Chair of SORSA. Discussion went on well into the evening and we all retired to our student rooms in good heart.

Wednesday June 25th, AGM - Presidents Weblog1

The 25th June 2008 will always be a very special day for me, as following a day of Board Meetings and Council, Mike Slinn handed over the chains of office to me at the AGM. It really is a great honour to be President of IHT and to be asked by your peers and colleagues to carry out the role makes it even more special. On behalf of the Institution I thanked Mike for leading us this last year and for his passion in trying to raise the profile of IHT and to deliver the new TPP qualification. His choice of gift (a bed) brought some merriment and comments to the AGM.

Following the AGM we enjoyed drinks in the garden which was a very happy occasion, perhaps tinged with sadness since it would be the last such occasion to be held there before the move to new premises.
So my journey begins, supported by the Presidential team, Executive Board, Council and the team at Endsleigh Street. It’s one I’m looking forward to, with the opportunity of meeting so many people around the Branches in the coming year.