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.