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.