Wc 5th January 2009

Parents demand –
We want our School Crossing Warden
Watch Steve McCabe MP and me swap our offices in favour of becoming lollypop men for the day. We have stepped in after Birmingham City Council have refused to provide a much needed safe crossing for children at Bells Farm School and Children's centre, in Birmingham.

The parents of children who attend Bells Farm Primary School & Children's Centre, Bells Lane, enrolled the help of Labour’s Steve McCabe and myself, after they had been trying for more than two years to get a school crossing warden in post along this very busy road.
There have been a number of fatal accidents accidents, the most recent just before Christmas and near misses involving school children. The road is recognised by city engineers as dangerous and has had some safety improvements over a 15 year period.
The Council argue that there is no funding and insufficient demand to justify a safe crossing. Apparently, more accidents or fatalities would be needed before a crossing warden would be employed.
My response has been, “I can't believe parents have been treated with such contempt over this issue. The council can find plenty of money for foreign trips and Christmas parties but they can't deal with a basic bread and butter issue like this



SERIOUS Water Leak Lakedown Close cont.


FIRE HYDRANT LEAK CAUSES MAYHEM
A lot of my time in December and very early January, had been taken up trying to get either Severn Trent or The Council to mend a serious water leak in Lakedown Close which resulted in several inches of ice building up on pavements and now along 500 meters of Druids Lane, which is totally unacceptable.
The ice was so treacherous, that The Council eventually closed off the road for several days, while they eventually sorted out the burst mains.
What annoyed me most has been the attitude of Severn-Trent. At a site meeting with them on New Years Day, they agreed that because the leak was from a fire hydrant network, that several hundred households would have their supply cut, they would do the job. Later that same day, without telling anyone, this decision was reversed.
Eventually Council contractors did the job, but not until Tuesday 6th January.

Check out this, Birmingham Mail

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2009/01/07/dispute-of-ownership-causes-a-delay-in-fixing-a-leak-in-druids-heath-97319-22620443/