For those of you who live in tower blocks, money has been found to carry out another ‘deep clean’ programme, for three more blocks. This coming spring, all being well, will make it six tower blocks in the past nine months which have had this treatment. Funding avenues are being looked for to get the remaining tower blocks cleared early in the next financial year, starting in April
A deep clean is where all of the public areas, from lobby to stairwells, have a real good clean, carried out by a specialist team, over and above that already done by the local caretaker.
One resident told me that this is the first time such work has been done in their block and she moved to her present home in 1969.
Another matter that most people haven’t been made aware of, are the Council cuts being made with Park Rangers and their teams. The council want to move them all to Cannon Hill Park and cut more than half the numbers. But who will provide us with support for the numerous ‘Friends of’ groups in our area, who volunteer and work in the Cemetery, at Brandwood Pool and Jasmin Field. Who will now be around to teach and advise us and our children about local wildlife, plants and the archaeological history in our area?
Parents of children who attend Millpool Day Nursery have asked me and Steve McCabe MP to help them, to stop Tory led Birmingham Council, from closing this very popular nursery. This community nursery isn't the only one under threat of closure, almost EVERY member of staff at community nurseries throughout Birmingham have been given notice of threatened redundancy.
What is wrong with their thinking? This popular nursery has a waiting list of over 60 children, plus there are over 45 places already filled up. It comes to something when health professionals and parents have to take on the might of Birmingham Council.
What will parents do if and when they close this popular nursery down?
At long last there is a new safer school crossing at Bells Farm School, after Steve McCabe MP and me highlighted the need for one, with the support of many concerned parents last year.
The new crossing will make getting across the road for the many children who attend the school and community centre much safer; not to mention the residents of Druids Heath.
One parent told me that her mother campaigned for one at this location more than thirty five years ago, when she was at school.
A public meeting organised by me and Steve McCabe, where we invited Alan Johnson MP, The Home Secretary, to give local residents an opportunity to tell him at first hand about the anti-social behaviour problems they had to put up with before a Labour Government brought in tougher laws.
What really annoys me most is that many local residents just want to get on with their life, without having to worry about noisy neighbours or unruly youngsters, who have been know to terrorise area. yet there are in my opinion too many incidents that are being ingored by officials of Birmingham Council, for one reason or another.
This was to good an opportunity to not give Alan Johnson a petition from local residents, complaining about the time taken and the way Birmingham Council deals with residents’ problems, in the first place.
It really pays to kick up a storm sometimes. Late last year, Birmingham’s Leisure Services Department sent out letters to the secretaries of all the local allotments, telling them that the annual ‘Gardeners Weekend’ event at Kings Heath Park, each September, won’t be happening this year. This well established NATIONAL show has had difficulties, which no one will deny, but it is, and remains popular. What annoyed many of us is the way the news got out. However, because of the adverse publicity, some of which I claim credit for, there has now been a change of heart and it will go ahead on 4th & 5th September, although, I have it from good sources, that next years show could still be under threat.
