CHANGE TO OSCOTT COUNCILLOR'S ADVICE BUREAUX TIMES

Councillor Barbara Dring and I about to attend one of our regular Councillor advice surgeries at the 610 Community Centre






As you may be aware Councillor Barbara Dring and I feel strongly that Oscott residents should have the opportunity to meet with their Councillors on a one to one basis (no hiding place for us) and with this in mind we hold regular Councillor Advice Bureaux's.
Our 2011 schedule has changed slightly form last year.
Our altered arrangement is.
Most Saturdays 10.30am at the 610 Community Centre, Kingstanding Road at 10.30am
The 1st Wednesday in the month at the 610 Community Centre at 7pm
The 1st Thursday in the month at the PERRY COMMON LIBRARY College Road at 3pm.*

We offer home visits by appointment for the elderly or infirm. please ring 360 6486 or 360 7565.

OSCOTT GRIT BINS NEED FILLING NOW

Yet another empty grit bin to report.







Now the weather has eased the Council's Highways department should be getting our grit bins filled as a matter of urgency in case the weather takes another turn for the worse.
I have been out and about checking on grit bins and have found many like the one in Burnham Road to be empty and this is not good enough.
I have asked the highways department to get our grit bins filled and if you know of an empty grit bin let me know and I will inform them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Not only have I been busy in the Oscott ward but also in my capacity as a Planning committee member. Here I am with my "arch rival" Tory Councillor Bob (Biggles) Beauchamp, another busy planning committee member and for all that a great bloke.

It has been another busy year in Oscott (if you look back on this blog you will see just some of the things I have been trying to do in Oscott). I have done my best to try and help as many residents as I can in Oscott. I have not always succeeded but I can at least console myself in the knowledge I have tried.
As usual I met many residents in 2010 and hope to continue to meet many more in the New Year. I am always interested to find out what residents think about what is happening in the area.
There are no doubts things will be hard for many in Oscott with Council and Governments cuts starting to bite in 2011 but I will do what I can to try and help residents where I can.

I would like to remind those living in the Oscott Ward if I you have a concern you think I may be able to assist you with please contact me either by email keith.linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk or by ringing 360 6486. I also still hold surgeries most Saturday Mornings at the 610 Community Centre (10.30am) and you are most welcome if you want to pop in and meet me.

May I wish every one a Happy and prosperous New Year.

BLACK BAGS NEED TO BE COLLECTED

Dormington Road is just one of many roads in Oscott which have had their blag bags uncollected for weeks.




Many residents in Oscott are concerned about their black bags not being collected. The Current Council Administrations chiefs are using the following reasons as the excuses for the bags not being collected.
In summary,
1. Combination of strike / industrial action;
2. The legacy of the bad road and conditions caused by the bad weather last week; and
3. The usual increase in the volume of waste placed out immediately following Christmas (bank holidays).

The Council normally deploys 40 black bag collection crews, 20 multi material crews and 20 paper collection vehicles. These vehicles are staffed by the usual crews.

A casual workforce, operating up to 19 vehicles has been collecting black bags since Monday 27th December 2010 - they will finish Mondays round on Friday. They will then start work on Tuesdays round at the weekend. They intend to complete as much as possible of Tuesdays round by Sunday, and then start again on Monday's round. Tuesdays round should be completed on Tuesday by the Councils permanent workforce. The casual workforce will then collect on a daily basis any uncollected waste from the previous day’s collections.

Basically the collection service is in a mess at the moment and this is why many Councillors like my self are doing what we can to try and get the Salvage department to resolve the situation ASAP.
For example I have been in regular contact with Salvage department chiefs trying to get Oscott residents concerns dealt with. The main message I am receiving is that resident should leave bags on the street to be collected. Many Oscott residents have been very patient up to now but that patience is getting a bit thin.

COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON

Just a few of the Oscott residents I have met at Christmas parties at the run up to Christmas.

I would like to wish everyone Compliments of the season.

I am having a few problems with my computor at the moment (Emails and so) and if I do not get back to you as quickly as usual please be patient.


Regards


Councillor Keith Linnecor

THERE NEEDED TO HAVE BEEN MORE GRITTING DONE EARLIER

Like most Oscott residents I have been very concerned about the way our roads have been (or not been) gritted over the weekend.
While I can accept we have had a lot of snow and the weather is very cold it does seem to me in the north of the city the Council Administration has been slow to react.
Roads like the Aldridge Road and Dyas Road were not gritted early enough in my view. Neither were a number of other roads in Oscott. Bus routes were in many cases left ungritted for some time.
As for refilling grit bins on side roads this is being done very slowly if at all. I have but in dozens of requests for local residents.
This Council does not really seem to have learnt many lesson's from last year. Lets hope they will now get their act together.

ELDERLY RESIDENTS SHOULD ENJOY THIS TIME OF YEAR

One of the nice things I find about this time of year is the welcome I get, when I pop into see elderly residents.
On Wednesday for example I was invited to the Oscott Elderly Residents Group "Xmas bash" and had a great time.
It is wonderful in the Oscott area to see how many of these groups (partly funded by the Oscott Community Chest) there are and how many elderly residents get such a lot out of their activities.

Like many others, I also get pleasure from popping in to see elderly residents in their homes at this time of year. Some of these residents find it difficult to get out and about and like to see a visiter from time to time.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR LIBRARIES?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the closing of local libraries in the area. This has come about because due to severe funding restrictions imposed on Constituencies funding by the current Council administration (more are to follow from the Government) and all local services are under pressure to be reviewed. No decisions have yet been made but in Perry Barr Constituency, both the Liberal and Labour Councillors are determined to try and stop our libraries from shutting if we can.

As one of the few Councillors who regularly use our libraries I am only to aware how residents feel about them and I will try and keep you informed about the subject in the future.

MARY VALE COMMUNITY CENTRE ELDERLY RESIDENTS GROUP HAVE GREAT TIME

I popped in to see the elderly members of the Mary Vale Community Centre club at their Christmas lunch today. They were all enjoying themselves and being well entertained by excellent singers and waited on by local school children. They were having a great time with the party in full swing
It is really pleasing to see the elderly and school children getting on so well. The Maryvale Project staff work really hard for the local community and do a great job.

SNOW GO FOR REFUSE AND RECYLING COLLECTIONS

Over the last couple of weeks I have been inundated with complaints regarding missed rubbish and recycling collections.
I have to say the Councils bad weather excuse is wearing a bit thin. With possible Industrial action and further bad weather in the offing things are looking a bit bleak of the refuge collection front.
I will however continue to forward to the Salvage department management team none collection complaints as the councills own Call Centre, residents are supposed to use seems to have broken down in many instances.

ROAD SAFETY WORK TO START AT LAST IN SANDY LANE

At long last work is to start this week on road safety measures near the Sandy Lane entrance to the Perry Beeches Schools, in Sandy Lane.
I was approached some time ago by residents who told me in the past no one had managed to get any safety measures taken and they needed help. Since then along with residents I have put pressure on the Transportation department to take action.
The Transportation department are now introducing new signs, road marking and bollards in an attempt to stop some parents parking in an inconvenient and dangerous way near the schools.
These measures are a step in the right direction but I still feel more needs to be done.
However I am sure if they do prove a success others with claim the credit next year but I may be wrong.

HAWTHORN ROAD AMUSMENT ARCADE GETS THE GO AHEAD.

Sadly at today Planning Committee meeting the application for an amusement arcade for Hawthorn Road ( The old Johnsons butchers shop) was agreed BY A SLIM 6 TO 5 MAJORITY.
The anti social behavior that has been happening on a regular basis in the vicinity of the proposed planning application was felt by some committee member not enough to warrant the refusal of the application.

However following strong representation from Councillor Dring a number of residents and myself the Committee decided to put in place a 2 year monitoring operation to ensure and problems that may arise will be noted and if necessary the planning permission reviewed.

Needless to say I will do what I can to keep an eye on the situation and if you you have any concerns please contact me on 360 6486

BOOTHS LANE MEETING TO TAKE PLACE TOMORROW

Cameron Homes the potential new developers of part of the land off Booths Lane have, at my suggestion arranged for a meeting for local residents to attend regarding their proposals for a housing development ON LAND NEAR BOOTHS LANE.
Cameron homes have at my request have already circulated notices of this meeting to local resident and hopefully as many residents as possible will attend this meeting and see just what Cameron Homes want to do with the vacant land.
The meeting will be at the Queslett Golf course Booths Lane between midday and 7.30 tomorrow. (8th December.)
I shall be attending the meeting to see the plans along with Councillor Barbara Dring.

TEMPLETON ROAD TO GET- ROAD SURFACE IMPROVED IN THE SPRING

Thanks to the help of local residents I have managed to get High department chiefs to agree to improve the road surface of Templeton Road.
Councillor Huxtable who is the Cabinet Member for Transportation and his senior officials have now agreed what has already been done is not good enough and resurfacing work will take place in the better weather during the spring.

DO NOT RISK WALKING ON THE FROZEN OVER QUESLETT NATURE RESERVE LAKE

Every year despite warnings people foolishly venture out onto open water when it iced over. It is the same with the lake in the Queslett Nature Reserve. Even some grown up adults feel the need to "walk on water" and regardless of the danger step out onto the frozen lake without thinking of the potential danger.
Lakes like the one in the Queslett Nature Reserve are not meant for swimming in at the best of times and given its remoteness from any help, trying to walk on this lake when it is covered in ice is a dangerous thing to do.
Sadly if the worst happened and someone fell through the ice, the cold would probably mean they would not be able to save them selves by swimming and they could get trapped under the ice.
The message is simple please do not risk trying to walk on lakes like the one in the Queslett Nature Reserve when they are frozen over. (and do not let your dog do it either)

Members of the FQNR are not only trying to improve the Queslett Nature Reserve but also to improve our local environment. new members are welcome.

WE NEED MORE GRIT ON OUR ROADS IN OSCOTT

I have been busy this week fielding calls from angry residents about what they see as the poor gritting of our roads in Oscott. Worryingly a number of the complaints I have recieved have about our priority roads (those on bus routes and so on). As a result had to chase up highway chiefs to get them to ensure roads like, Dyas Road, Aldridge Road, Kettlehouse Road, Cooksey Lane for example were gritted adequately.
While I can understand the sudden on come of winter conditions has stretched the Council somewhat! I think more needs to be done in the future. One thing I will be calling for is yet more grit bins to help out those residents living on none priority roads, and who tend to be forgotten when we have wintry conditions.

DON'T FORGET THE ELDERLY IN THIS COLD WEATHER.

As usual! this cold spell with its snow has took many of us by surprise, it happens every year.
The elderly are at great risk when we do face weather, like we are at the moment so please if you have an elderly relative or an elderly neighbour do not forget to check if they are ok.