It’s that time again, when we enjoy some good weather, take holidays and try to keep operating as normal.

This is when the dress code is dusted off, for those that have them. A well-known internet agency may find “wear clothes” as a sufficiently detailed policy, but for many businesses, including mine, there is a need to explain that beachwear is not acceptable, however hot it may become.

A recent piece of holiday-related news caused me some concern. It was a proposal that schools might be making their own decisions about time-tabling – and therefore when the school holidays fall. People do not necessarily work in the same local authority area as they live, so school holidays can be a problem.

We’ve seen this when Bradford and Leeds had different holidays and colleagues had children with holiday weeks that didn’t coincide. Taking holiday to look after them, or arranging childcare cover, becomes all the more difficult. Has anyone looked at the implications for the wider community of such a freedom?

Better weather also means finding ways of keeping cool at work. Air conditioning has been introduced in newer buildings, but it doesn’t help the energy bills or the environment. Some are able to cut down personally on car fuel in the summer by cycling. We have only one person who regularly cycles to work. Maybe the hills around Bradford deter people or the lack of a shower at work. I think it’s probably the former.