I Really Love Christmas

I really do love Christmas and all that it means, giving, sharing and enjoying. I will admit to not being a practicing Christian, but almost my entire family are and do, nonetheless I haven’t forgotten what it means either as a Christian or as a decent member of society.

During this month, I have involved myself in as many local activities as I can possibly do in Brandwood.
Earlier in the month at The Brandwood Centre, I waited on tables for their Christmas Dinner and it was fantastic, everyone I spoke to enjoyed their meal and entertainment, congratulations to the team at the centre for all of their hard work, not just for the meal, but for the hard work they put in, week in week out.
Just over a week ago, I was with a large group of youngsters from The Den Youth Centre, who along with Santa’s sleigh went door to door collecting for the wounded solders at Selly Oak Hospital. I think almost every youngster who uses The Den turned out, what we had planned to take two and a half hours was done in an hour and a half.
The behaviour of the youngsters was admirable; they were a credit to Liz Wood The centre manager and to all of their parents. If anyone says to me that youngsters are just noisy and anti-social then they had better watch out, some youngsters are, but they are a small minority, most youngsters are decent and above all else caring.
Then it was off to the Bells Farm centre, where Syd and Dot along with a number of volunteers had built a Father Christmas grotto and on the Friday invited pre-school and reception class children to see Father Christmas. The hours spent decorating the outside of the farm house was nothing compared to Santa’s grotto, getting a present from him and being able to watch some cartoons.
Later on Friday evening Father Christmas was around Druids Heath again on his sleigh, meeting up with children, making sure that they had written letters to him and handing out sweets to those children who had been good or promised to be good up to Christmas Day.

Can I wish you all a Happy, Joyous and Peaceful Christmas.

Lindsworth Post Office Wrangle

Here is really a tale to tell, which will, if something isn't sorted out soon, close a Post Office, all because Birmingham Council can't get its act in to order.

Over the past few years, Lindsworth Post Office has been subjected to robberies, so much so that Post Office Security have forbidden it’s staff to walk no more than a few yards to gain access to Post Office buildings.
Well that’s all well and good, but when Birmingham Council, then arrive one Sunday morning, without any bye or leave to local shop owners and erect metal railings, preventing vehicle access on to the frontage of the shops in Lindsworth Approach, what happens? Post Office security vehicles are unable to park close enough on most occasions and end up driving away, leaving the Post Office without any money, stamps or postal orders.
If there is no money to serve customers, what happens? Customers go elsewhere.
Now I’ve been working with Mandy, the post mistress for some months now to try to resolve matters, without much success and Birmingham Councils attitude hasn’t been at all helpful. I’ve had to call upon help from Steve McCabe MP to see if he can exert some pressure and as a last resort I’ve written to Birmingham’s Chief Executive, who in a recent meeting I had with him over post office closure agreed that they are a vital community resource that everything should be done to support them.
I now await a response to my letter from The Chief Executive.
Read more about it through the link.
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2009/12/29/brandwood-end-traders-begin-to-feel-parking-pinch-97319-25485657/

Jasmin Fields Access Fight

Imagine, if you will, getting up one morning to go for a stroll, in a very local landmark, only to find that signs, four of them, have been mounted at the key entrances to the nature site, which state very clearly that you are prohibited to walk through this nature reserve. A nature reserve, which you and many other local residents have been working hard to restore and spent many hours working alongside the local park ranger.

Well this is what happened recently.

After I initially made contact with the local Parks Manager, who knew nothing about signs going up and after further investigations, found out that the signs were put up and paid for by the councils Regeneration Department and who is The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, none other than our local Councillor Neville Summerfield.

After a few days of wrangling, it was agreed to remove the signs. It seemed that people within The Regeneration Department, were concerned that they couldn't sell the site, if there were public access rights. Who wants to sell the site anyway, it's a nature reserve?

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2009/11/28/brandwood-end-people-told-to-keep-out-of-local-beauty-spot-in-council-error-97319-25273103/

NOW WE CAN SEE WHERE WE SHOULD WALK

Over the past week, local contractors Quadron have been working on tidying up pathways around the ward, removing detritus (that's the dust and debris which builds up over YEARS) and the overgrown grass.

I have made a number of requests to get other pavements and pathways done throughout the ward.

But What A Difference This Work Makes!!

FREE GYM FOR ALL

Were you aware that you can have FREE access to the gym and equipment at Cocks Moor Woods Leisure Centre, after Government Funding (through the local Primary Care Trust, who run our local NHS), regardless of your age? You will have to register at the leisure centre and speak with a fitness trainer before being able to start a new fitness regime. So why not go along with a friend and get started

REMOVAL OF A GROT SPOT

I have managed to persuade Council Officers to demolish the old garages in Shelfield Road, this site, along with the former Social Services building next door, another old garage site in Brandwood Park Road and a small plot of land at the top of Shalnecote Grove is being sold to Waterloo Housing, for them to build homes for renting. I will ensure that local residents have a say on these plans.

HOMES FOR SALE?

Many of us, when purchasing our home, rarely consider the consequences of what we’ve taken on, until the time comes to sell. For some time now I have been working with residents in the neighbourhood who have had their homes blighted, by the fact that they’ve been told their home is on or near a former land-fill site. Many of these home owners have since been unable to sell the home. It seems that the council have blighted a large numbers of properties, after drilling just three small holes writing a report and when enquiries are made by prospective buyers, informing them the land is blighted!!!!!!!!!

VICTORY FOR RESIDENTS AND COMMON SENSE

Residents off Monyhull Grange were celebrating in November, when the Governments Planning Inspector rejected a planning application from Bellway Homes to build eight homes on ‘The Village Green’, next to the old St Francis Church.

Now I was the ONLY Councillor to write an objection and to turn up to the enquiry and speak on behalf of residents, which annoyed me, given the hue and cry, we heard against the plans from Councillors of another party, who it seemed, just jumped on the band wagon, but from the outset intended to do very little else.

Nevertheless the refusal to build was really good news for all residents and I’m very please with the final outcome.

NURSERY PLACES CUT

Massive cuts in council nursery provision are on their way after The Progressive Partnership (Tories & Lib-Dems) announced that they won’t be providing ANY full-time places starting in the next academic year.
Now The Labour Party who once ran Birmingham Council, introduced part-time nursery places for EVERY child, prior to them going to school and funded all of the places. Children with Special Education Needs and those living in questionable home circumstances were generally offered full time places.
Since 1997 when Labour took over running the Government, started to fund from Government 12.5 hours of nursery hours for each child, each week, (this is now rising to 15 hours per week).
This over time has allowed heads and Nursery Managers, where possible to provide full time places to children other than those with specific needs.

Now this past week I handed in a petition to The Full Council, from concerned parents, to try to prevent the council from cutting their portion of funding for full-time places and only relying on The Governments grant for nursery provision.

THE REALLY BIG QUESTION NOT YET ANSWERED BY THE TORIES & LIB-DEM'S IS, WHERE WILL THE COUNCILS NURSERY MONEY BE GOING IF NOT ON EDUCATING THESE YOUNG CHILDREN?

SCHOOL SAFETY ZONES

While elsewhere, authorities have introduced 20MPH zones around primary schools,  I have asked why we haven’t done the same in Brandwood.
I've requested that Allens Croft School, Woodthorpe School, Broadmeadow Schools and Colmore Junior &  Infants are immediately designate 20MPH zones, when children are on their way to and from the school.

The number of children killed or seriously injured on their way to and from schools in this city is unacceptable.
Injuries caused by cars at 30MPH can be fatal, while those at 20MPH are generally slight.

DRUIDS HEATH GETS £1/2 Million GRANT

The Government announced last week that they will be giving Birmingham City Council nearly £1/2million to spend on sorting out some of the serious problems in the area.

I’m very pleased at this move by The Government, but I have real concerns that some senior council officers will squander this money on wages and consultants, without anyone who lives locally seeing any REAL improvements..

I believe that residents should have a MAJOR say in how this money is spent. 

What I will say is that this grant shows a commitment to making sure, that OUR community and its people know, Labour are on their side. No favours. No privileges. No special interest groups. Just fairness.

CHINN BROOK CLEAN-UP

On a damp Sunday morning recently, an intrepid group of residents, council officers and myself tackled some of the rubbish and junk dumped in to the Chinn Brook over the summer months.
Whilst we don’t claim to have cleared away all of the rubbish, we did for the time being, allow the brook to flow freely. The continual dumping in the area of the Chinn Brook, is not only unsightly, but in a real good downpour of rain, it could lead to flooded gardens and possibly houses of residents nearby.

LOCAL COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to Michael Finnemore, who recently won outright the community leader’s award at the United Streets of Birmingham. Michael is a glowing example of someone who regularly goes out of his way to help others living in our community.

South Birmingham Community Radio, whose producer is Penny Whelan and operates from The Maypole Centre were also an award winner at the same event.

NEW SCHOOL CROSSING

Bells Farm School Crossing

At long last a new school crossing is going into place shortly, after me and Steve McCabe MP highlighted the need for one, with the support of concerned parents earlier this year.
Work on the new crossing should start early December and will making crossing the road for the many children who attend this popular school much safer.

NEIGHBOURHOOD OFFICE TO CLOSE

Birmingham Council is now threatening to close Druids Heath Neighbourhood Office and the one at Yardley Wood and replace it with a new office for you to go to in Selly Oak!!!!!!! This programme is all part of "Customer First" a project originally thought up by some of the business consultants engaged by the council to spend your taxes. So far they have cost over £500 million in the last four years.

I will be the first to say It’s bad enough having to queue for an appointment at our local office, but closing this and our other local office is the last straw.

WHERE IS THE HELP ?

Over £220 million Borrowed For Council Houses – But Yet Nothing for Owner Occupiers

The Council has spent more than £220 million on repairs to 65,000 council houses, which fail minimum housing standards. I will be the first to admit that previous Labour administrations didn't help to improve things for many tenants.
Yet the current administration will not give any support to the 153,000 privately owned home owners whose homes also fail new minimum standards.
What annoys me most is that owner occupiers are generally first to pay council tax, first to pay all bills, but for this council, owner occupiers are always last in the queue for grants or support, which I find totally unacceptable. What do you think?

LEANDER GARDEN SUCCESS

NEW FENCE ERECTED
New metal fencing has been installed in Leander Gardens alongside Cocks Moor Woods golf course, after I was  approached by local residents to help them. Youngsters, using the golf course as a short cut, had been tramping down plants in residents gardens, while bursting through the dilapidated fencing put up many years ago.
The new fencing will give some added security to a number of older residents, who were concerned about tackling the youngsters about their behaviour.

NEW FACILITIES FOR YOUNGSTERS

JASMIN PLAYING FIELDS










New Goal posts are going in to place on the playing fields at the back of Jasmin Croft, to provide somewhere for the many youngsters who live locally to let off steam.
The actual positioning of the posts has yet to be decided and I will be writing to local residents for their view on this matter quite soon.

Cocks Moors Woods Play Area

NEW CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA

The new children’s play area, opened at the beginning of the school holidays at Cocks Moor Woods Leisure Centre has been welcomed by children and parents alike.
The money to build the play area came from Waterloo Housing who paid the full £150,000 cost of installing it, after obtaining permission to build houses in Sunderton Road.

Brandwood Road Traffic Speeds

ROAD SPEED SIGNS

New automatic speed notice signs, in Brandwood Road, which I had installed, following a residents petition I handed in to the Council in July. On enquiring why they weren’t working properly I was told “we are waiting for batteries to be fitted”!!!!!!
That’s typical of the council’s attitude to residents’ deep concerns about speeding vehicles.

HOME AT LAST

CONGRATULATIONS AND A BIG THANK YOU

A great BIG thank you to all of the members of our local TA, B Squadron 202 Field Hospital unit, based in Dawberry Fields Road who recently returned home from a long tour of duty in Afghanistan.
These part-time army volunteers have been playing a very big and essential part in not only saving the lives of OUR service men and women in Afghanistan, but also that of civilians injured on a daily basis.
ONCE AGAIN - THANK YOU

New Brandwood Schools Road Safety Schemes

New road signs and markings will be going in to place in the near future, along with safer pedestrian crossing points around the Brandwood Road and Woodthorpe Road junction. Similar work is happening on Monyhull Hall Road.

This is after both Woodthorpe Junior and Infant School and Lindsworth School applied for funding to carry out the work.

NEGLECT IN BRANDWOOD

Residents have been going “wild” over the neglect they have been seeing in the area over the summer months. Trees have become overgrown, litter not being swept up. During the summer, weeds were growing to nearly two foot high in places. Now that autumn is upon us, things aren’t getting any better.

Now I have called on The Council

 To do regular litter picking in EVERY road, with mechanical sweeping of pavements and gutters more regularly.

 To make improvements to the tree maintenance services immediately.

 To introduce a better method of weed spraying and control, starting early next spring.

I know the council is making efficiency savings, but they need to realise, local residents will not tolerate untidy streets, which is why I am demanding improvements NOW!!!.

Lindsworth Approach Post Offices and Shops

At a recent public meeting, residents living in Kings Norton pleaded with Councillor Mike Leddy to save the shops on Lindsworth approach.
The council installed railings without talking to the shop owners. Now a number of shops and in particular The Post Office have difficulties with deliveries.
The Post Office has on several occasions run out of money, as armoured delivery vehicles can’t park close enough to the post office.
Other shops too have run out of goods, meaning lost sales and jeopardising their businesses in difficult times.

Lindsworth Approach

The bench at this location is looking “a little tired”, so residents have asked if I could get it spruced up a bit.

Shelfield Road Garages

I have been given assurances from The Housing Department that the derelict garages in Shelfield Road will soon be demolished and the area fenced off. The garages have been a serious nuisance to local residents because of the many youngsters visiting and then setting them alight.

GREEN or GREED?

Bellway Homes have submitted plans to build flats on the Green in front of residents homes.

A number of residents have contacted me about these proposals to see if anything could be done to prevent this development.

In the original master plan for the whole site, regardless, of whatever sales may have told purchasers, half of this Green was to be used to provide an under five’s nursery building.

However, we hear that Bellway Homes have been providing resources to allow Monyhull Church to have a nursery on the other side of the Church building.

I have asked The Planning Committee to stipulate that until the Councils Children and Young People Dept, have carried out a full assessment, approved the newly built nursery with the requisite number of places at Monyhull Church, that no building on the Green should take place.

Once C&YP Dept reports back that the nursery is a success then, and only then, The Planning Committee should make its decision on any development on the Green”.

Both Wimpey and Bellway have got away with building more homes than originally intended, so why should more green open space, used by all in the community be lost forever.

Scrambler & Mini-Moto Bikes

We all recognise that Brandwood has much green open space, one of the reasons many have made this area our home, however there are some residents, who believe that this open space is just to allow them to use their scrambler motor-bikes or mini moto’s on.

Well they will have to watch out as the local police are planning operations to catch them, once caught, their bikes are then confiscated and crushed, watch this space for further news.

NOISEY NEIGHBOUR “SHUSHED”

The Mountaineer on the corner of Ashburton Road and Listowel Road has continued to be of concern to me and many local residents. The recent tenant and his manager have given up the premises, following complaints logged by residents to the Police and after I involved the Councils Licensing Enforcement Officers.

Drinking till the early hours at weekends, meant it was more a nightclub than a local. Loud music, shouting and fighting were regular occurrences. Now we are told the owners, Enterprise Inns want to revert back to normal pub hours, which almost all the residents applaud, so will be supporting improvements in the licensing hours.

MAYPOLE REVAMP

Finally, the long awaited revamp around the shopping areas at the Maypole is underway.

First off has been the removal of the shrubbery after it was found that large numbers of rats had been nesting there. Starting this month will be the big scheme itself which will make the area more attractive to shoppers and visitors to the area.

The total cost of the project, originally funded out of money the council was given by Sainsbury’s, will be around £250,000.

HOUSING MADDNESS

With more than 30,000 families on the Council Housing waiting list, why are there boarded up homes?

For more than three years, a large number of homes here in Brandwood have been boarded up and targeted by vandals.

I have been calling on the Housing Department to upgrade, repair or demolish these properties.

At a recent public meeting, I said “I’m appalled, with more than 450 families here in Brandwood wanting a home we haven’t done something with these properties already”.

WHERE IS THE WEEDOL ?

What has gone wrong with the council and its control of weeds in recent years?

With weeds as high as two foot in places it seems that they have forgotten this part of Birmingham. In days gone by, the little wagon which swept our pavements, kept weeds at bay, after they had been sprayed in the Spring, and the larger wagon kept weeds out of the gutter, but all of this has gone by the bye.

I have had to write to the council to ask what they intend to do, to clear weeds in Brandwood, otherwise I'll will embarrass them by using my own strimmer.

Monyhull Refuse Collection

Now when you pay FULL Council Tax you expect to have a reasonable service from the council, refuse collected, road swept, roads repaired, light repaired and so on.

Most residents living within the new(ish) Monyhull Development all pay their FULL Council Tax, yet the only service which Birmingham council provides them is the removal of their household refuse, all because Birmingham Council hasn't as yet adopted the roads on this development, other than the first road in to the development and then only part of the way in.

So when the ONLY service which Birmingham Council provides, falls well short of what any resident in the City expects, no wonder they get annoyed, I would if this happened to me.

From the photograph you can clearly see that no care and attention has been paid to loading the black bags on to the back of the refuse lorry, leaving household rubbish strewn all over the road.

This I have taken up with Lifford Lane and I am presently waiting for a site visit to be arranged immediately after the crews have done their task.

Whilst we all from time to time complain about "dustmen", in general most of them do an exceptional job in often difficult conditions, however in this particular case they need calling to task, which I hope will happen sooner rather than later.

If you have a similar experience I would be most grateful if you would email me using this link, giving me as much detail as you can and I will see what I can do.

mike.leddy@birmingham.gov.uk

Self Setting Trees Nuisance

Residents living in Dawberry Road and Frome Way asked for help with the nuisance of self setting trees in what was once a public footpath, running from Dawberry Road through to Harton Way. This footpath I was informed was blocked off a number of years ago, although boundaries to it from gardens fences remain.

Clearly to have such large trees in such a confined space is not only dangerous, but prevents natural light getting too a number of homes in Frome Way and residents in both Frome Way and Dawberry Road are unable to regularly put out washing.

The matter of who owns the pathway is currently being investigated along with what the council intends to do with these trees.

GRIT BINS IN SUMMER????????

Well it seems that while most of us think that summer is almost upon us or at the very least late spring, even if sometimes the weather isn't what we would wish for, it seems that Birmingham Council are still waiting for snow.

Throughout the whole of Brandwood few if any of the Councils grit bins have been moved back to the depot, which I find extraordinary, I can't remember the last time we had a good snow fall in May.

What is most annoying is that some youngsters find that these grit bins can be fun, spewing out the contents, no matter the weather, but for the many residents living close by the bins, other than in bad weather some become a real a nuisance.

Monyhull Hall Road Recycling Bins

After being contacted by residents, who live in Broadmeadow Close, about the poor upkeep of the recycling bins in Monyhull Hall Road and the need, today for them, now every house in the area has recycling collections on a fortnightly basis, I contacted Council Officers.

The Officers response has been quite positive to the residents request to have them moved.

We must now wait and see what happens.

Shelfield Road Garages

Residents living on Monyhull Hall Road contacted me this week about the deplorable state of council owned garages in Shelfield Road, which have been giving them concerns about security to their own property.
I established that over the past twelve months West Midlands Fire Service have been called out no less than SIX times to put out fires, all of them maliciously started, including one vehicle set on fire.
Most, although not all of the garages have been vandalised, but I'm led to believe that two garages do have tenants, mores the pity. Nevertheless some action is called for, asbestos roofing sheets, broken up and left around the site are to be bagged up and removed before anything else can be started, including the removal of burnt tyres and other debris all dumped at this site.

As you can see in the video something needs drastically doing and am to make sure that it's done.

The Mountaineer P.H.

Well this well known local landmark re-opened towards the end of April and don't the local residents know about it.

For two of the last three weekends, there has been the playing of very loud music with a deep base, all windows and doors open, at "closing time", the customers have been coming out of the premises on to the car park, with pint glasses of booze in hand and making such noise it has been enough to wake the dead all in the early hours.

A large number of residents in Ashburton Road and Listowel Road phoned me about the problems and I started to get the ball rolling. The first thing was to establish what types of licenses the premises had, imagine my surprise when I found out that in 2006 (well before I was elected the local councillor), that a music license which allows the playing of music till half past MIDNIGHT and drinking till 1:00 in the morning, was approved and for a pub in a residential area, turning it in to a virtual nightclub..

Well no wonder The Mountaineer has these licenses, I was told by resident after resident that when it went to the sub-committee Neville Summerfield represented them and they said he also spoke for the applicant!!!!!!!!

After my intervention, with License Enforcement Officers and a talk with our local Police last weekend was a little quieter, but I can't and won't take all of the credit, as Sgt Knowles had arranged for members of her team to make two strategic visits on Friday evening and the same on Saturday night.

Lets hope that this coming weekend is also quiet, I say this as both the "gaffer" and the premises owners Enterprise Inns had a very uncomfortable meeting with Police and Enforcement Officers on Wednesday afternoon.

National Express Annoyance

Once again we have a situation, whereby National Express, think they know better than many local residents and Councillors.

For the past few weeks, instead of terminating the 76 bus service at the top of Allens Croft Road, as they should, they have been turning into Colmore Road, Kings Heath, to the annoyance of most residents. One of the organisers contacted me after this unsavoury practice started to happen, I suggested that she and others came along to a Neighbourhood Tasking meeting and aired their views. Well a good number did come along and voiced their opinion and if a senior manager of National Express had been there, then they wouldn't have got out alive.

To simply rail-road through a new route, without consulting residents or elected Councillors is asking for trouble. The number of emails going back and forward to the Acocks Green garage on this matter is incredible and time after time promises have been broken. I accept that if there is an emergency, a traffic accident in kings Heath, or a road closure nearby, then buses can and should use whatever roads are open to them to provide a good public service. However what they have been doing is unacceptable, so over the past few days residents have been strategically parking cars again, as a means to stopping buses using this very residential road. This gorilla action has been so successful that National Express have started using Grove Road & Tenbury Road as a short-cut and again some residents in Tenbury Road are up in arms and who can blame them.

SOONER or LATER National Express will get the message that they can't bully their way in to route changes like they are trying to do with residents in Kings Heath. Until that day comes, I will continue to support residents actions, so long as no lives are put at risk by stupidly parking cars

Birmingham Council Annual Opinion Survey

It seems that once again The Tory / Lib-Dem Council is either being VERY selective about the recently published report on residents views of how they are managing our City, or are they being economical with the truth?

Listed here are just SOME key measures, you won't be told about, by them, which affect many resident at one time or another in Birmingham.

Satisfaction with opportunities to participate in local decision making provided by local public services has dropped from 39% to now 35%. DOWN 4%

The perception that anti-social behaviour is a problem, has risen, with particular increases in concern over lack of parental responsibility for children, lack of respect and consideration, and drug use and dealing (all up 10% since 2007).

Rubbish and litter lying around remains the biggest issue with 43% seeing it as a very or fairly big problem.

Overall satisfaction with Sport & Leisure facilities and events was 52% now 50%. DOWN 2%
User satisfaction is now only 64%, it was at 85%. DOWN A MASSIVE 21%

Overall satisfaction with libraries was 59% now it is only 55%. DOWN 4%
User satisfaction is at 70% (from 88%). DOWN 18%

Overall satisfaction with parks and open space, was at 64% dropped to 59%. DOWN 5%
User satisfaction is at 71% from 79%. DOWN 8%

Top Tory brands NHS a 60 year mistake

Now see what the Top Tories are REALLY all about.

In a recent Fox Television News interview, Dan Hannan MEP and former Special Advisor to the former Tory leader said that the NHS had been a big mistake for the past 60 years and that he didn't want the US to repeat it.

Don't take my word for it, watch it for yourself here.

www.youtube.co.uk/watch?v=k16uyhRcZLY

Is that the cat out of the bag or not, on their views about OUR National Health Service?

Can anyone really trust the Tory Party, if this is what they will say to a foreign television audience about the NHS, but then tell us something totally different.

Speed Camera Stupidity

Now I for one, am not against speed cameras, particularly when they have been introduced they reduce traffic speeds and cut traffic accidents.

I was recently asked my opinions on the possible introduction of a speed camera on Alcester Road South, initially I was surprised, however given the number of complaints I've had from residents about speeding motorists on the dual carriageway just off the Maypole Island, I thought one here would be just right, as motorists coming off the Hollywood By-pass, they do tend to speed somewhat.

Imagine my amazement when I'm told that a report would be going to The Tory led Cabinet, outlining that a camera should be positioned outside Houses 852/854 Alcester Road South, this just where all the trees are in the picture below. One thing for certain is that each time the camera flashes, there will be a good close-up of some nice green leaves in the summer.

Needless to say, I've given my views and opinions, to which the officer I've sent them to was somewhat surprised of the evidence I sent, we now await the decision.

Dissent In Tory Rank & File

Well it seems "what you shall sow, so shall you reap", is now coming true for Tory leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Whitby.



This past week has seen story after story in local papers about significant numbers of Tory Councillors, having a go at the leadership and cabinet over numerous matters which they disagreed strongly over.

First off is BoB, their plans to reintroduce a Municipal Bank in Birmingham, well with a start up cost of £300million, being paid for out of council tax, just isn't on.

Second base is the amount of "Prudential Borrowing", this is where Council's are able to borrow money from banks and institutions, which is now over £2.5 BILLION, since 2004, when they first took over control of the Council.

Thirdly, there is the £30million Council Tax payers loan to Warwickshire Cricket Club, to be paid back over the next 25 years at preferential rates.

And finally, the fact that the Cabinet are withdrawing "meals on wheels" for the elderly and vulnerable, completely disregarding views of the Scrutiny Committee.

But there is very little mention of them closing down without replacing, older peoples homes "because land prices have fallen" and wanting to do away with Day Care Centres for people with learning difficulties, with no rhyme or reason, these actions are an absolute disgrace.

Brandwood End Cemetry

What in heavens sake is going on?

We were told on Monday that there was to have been a public meeting arranged by Birmingham City Council, at Kings Heath Cricket Club, on Wednesday, where we would hear more from architects, about the Council's plans to sell off parts of the cemetery, to a housing developer, Mercian Housing, then later in the same day these plans are put on hold.
Now why would this Tory & Lib Dem Council be even thinking about selling off cemetery land in the first place?
Do they not understand the upset the thought of such plans cause? Particularly since what was to have been discussed is land right next to The Children's Graves.
Loosing a relative at the best of time is distressing, too loose your child is heartbreaking, which not many parents I've met, manage to get over. One lady I spoke too, who lost her son more than fifty years ago, told me, she thinks about her son, every single day and what may have been. When she heard of these plans she was heartbroken and said, what these Tory's are doing is terrible, they are only in it for the money and to hell with the rest of us and our feelings.
To be perfectly honest if all that they are after is to get their hands on the money, shame on them all.
The plans had been to build 32 homes on whatever land they could sell and spend the money on maintenance costs, so I've heard.
So what about the £1.5million they make each year, as "profit" out of peoples misfortune?