ANOTHER ACCIDENT ON THE ALDRIDGE ROAD

Sadly my warning to the Transportation department (see my post Sat 22nd Oct) has not been answered and I have been informed there has been another serious accident on the Aldridge Road between Perry Locks and the Boars Head today.
As you can see I have been working with local resident groups to keep this issue to the front with the Transportation department and the Police and I intend handing in a petition shortly on behalf of local residents to the Council again about this problem.
I have also requested that the Perry Locks Bridge is repaired as soon as possible and British Water ways ensure any damaged car parts or bridge sections are cleared from the canal under the bridge.

OSCOTT RESIDENT HAVE YOUR SAY ON COUNCIL BUDGET CUTS

HAVE YOUR SAY

Birmingham City Council needs to find new ways of saving
£65m next year.from its budget
This means that how we deliver our services to you may have to
change.
We want YOU to help us decide the best way of doing this
You are invited to joins us at one of our
meetings on
Birmingham’s Budget
2012+
The nearest one for Oscott residents is
Thursday 27th October
Alexander Stadium
Walsall Rd, Perry Barr
6pm to 8pm
For more details please ring 303 9789


It will be interesting to see if the Progressive? Lib/ Tory Council will listen to residents

I suspect you could substitute the word Cutting for the word saving and don't really expect your views to be taken into consideration. However I could be wrong and if you have the time to spare why not go along.

OSCOTTS FORGOTTEN CONCRETE ROADS

Unlike many it would appear I have not forgotten that many of the roads in Oscott with Concrete carriage ways are in urgent need of being resufacing or major repair.

While thanks to pressure from local Councillors and Local residents, the Council have been using funding given to them by the last government, to repair and upgrade many of our roads.

However with the exceptions of Templeton Road which I had to fight tooth and nail for and Dunedin Road, many concrete roads in Oscott have just had minor repairs done on their carriage ways.

Along with Councillor Barbara Dring I will attempting to get these roads looked at again in the future and can assure you I will not just be trying to get things done before an election.
As far as I am concerned this is a year around on going problem and I will continue try to get the Higways department and the Contractor to take action.

You may not see the following in every leaflet put out with my name on it, but the following roads are some I am asking senior Councillor officers to take action on.


For example Meadthorpe Road, Glenmead Road, Eliston and Regina Avenues, Felstone Road, Southgate Road, Ammblecote Avennue, Fairborne Avenue and Thornclife Road amongst others.

Election time or not I will keep the flag flying for residents in these and other roads.

THE OSCOTT NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE INITIATIVE NEEDS YOUR SUPORT

The Oscott Neighbourhood Police Initiative are looking for new members.
The NPI operate on a rota basis from the Kingstanding Police Station every Wednesday, passing on local Policing news to their street coordinators and in return passing on information about anti socail behavior or crime picked up from Street Coordinators to the Police.

This localised personal system of operation has worked well for a number of years and has helped keep the Oscott Ward as one of the lowest in Birmingham when it comes to crime.
The NPI works in cooperation with Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the area.

If you would like to be considered as a Sector Coordinator and work from the Kingstanding Police Station on a Wednesday (a CRB check is required) or would like to be a NPI Street Coordinator receiving information at home from the NPI please ring 303 5502 for details.
Some NPI members also put out crime prevention leaflets and attend Police meetings to help the Police liaise better with the Local community.

With reductions expected in the numberS of Police, working together to prevent crime, as a community is even more important than ever

RESIDENT STILL WANT ROAD SAFETY MEASURES ON THE ALDRIDGE ROAD

The Oscott Residents Association have collected yet another petition to be handed into the Birmingham City Council House. Their Chairman Nigel Quinn told me " how can we given in ?resident who live in this area know it is only a matter of time until a serious accidnt happens.
We are determined not to give in despite being rejected by the Transportation department over and over again."

Resident rightly want improved road safety measures on the Aldridge Road between the Boars Head and the Metropolitan College.
Over the years residents and I have called for better signage, a traffic light at the Greenholm Road, Thornbridge Avenue, Aldridge Road junction and vehicle activated signs.
There are 2 elderly residents complexes on the Aldridge road near the Perry Locks bridge and these resident should be able to, with the help of their careers to go out and cross the Aldridge Road safely.
A pelican crossing placed in the vicinity of the elderly residents complexes would help them do that, and also slow the traffic down generally?.
I am no engineer but there has to be ways of improving road safety along this stretch of the Aldridge road. I admire the residents tenacity in this matter and I will continue to help them all I can.

KETTLEHOUSE ROAD SITE VISIT WITH ENGINEERS

I attended a meeting with Transportation engineers yesterday to look at the issues raised by speeding traffic in Kettlehouse Road / Bandywood Road. I also spoke to a number of residents again regarding the matter.
Despite a number of accidents in the road over the years the Transportation Engineers are still resistant to having major changes introduced, but have agreed with Councillor Dring and my self that the vehicle Speed indicator sign should be relocated to a better position.
They have also agreed with me after looking at the site that there is a need for better signage and road markings. I have also asked them to consult with the other Oscott Councillors in order to get a consensus in order to get this work done.

NATURE RESERVE LOOKING TIDY

Following another litter pick session at the reserve on Saturday where over 20 black bags were filled with rubbish, I have to say the Queslett Nature Reserve is looking cleaner than ever.

It is however a great shame that because of the recent drought the lake has receded that much that you can see all sorts of rubbish in it. This sadly can not be dealt with due to the mud around the lake at the moment.
I would like to request that those who use the reserve please take your rubbish home and I would like to than all those who work so hard to keep the reserve tidy.

99 YEARS YOUNG

I was delighted to be asked by the Oscott Elderly Residents Group to present a bunch of flowers and a Birthday card to Doris Bellworth who is 99 yearS young.
Doris is a lovely lady who can keep you amused for hours with her memories especially about when she was a Clippie on the buses meeting many Americans based near the Pheasy Estate during the war.
The OERG meet Every month on a Wednesday at the 610 Community Centre where they have a Tea and coffee morning. They also have light keep fit sessions and a raffle.
For more details please ring 303 5502

FLY TIPPING ON THE INCREASE IN OSCOTT

Fly tipped rubbish blocking a foot path off Booths Lane







Fly tipping as I predicted earlier this year is on the increase in the Oscott Ward. For example Booths Lane has bee extensively dumped on recently and I have a number of complaints from residents about there rear access ways being fly tipped on.
This is only to be expected although it is totally unacceptable, given the Councils decisions recently.
They have got rid of Environmental Wardens and reduced the number of free Home Bulky waste removals to 3 a year and so have helped cause the problem.

In regards to Booths lane I have asked for more patrols to take place and new warning signs reminding Fly Tippers they can be prosecuted to be put up and the old ones have gone past their sell by dates.
IF YOU WISH TO REPORT FLY TIPPING PLEASE RING 303 1112

COMPLAINTS ABOUT FIREWORKS

I have had a number of complaints again this year about fire works being let off at all hours of the day in the Oscott area.

One of the things I am being asked is what are the rules in regards to Fireworks.
I hope this helps.

The law which was put in place by the last government
How the Laws effect You
It is an offence for anyone under 18 to possess fireworks in a public place.
It is an offence to use fireworks between 11.00pm and 7.00am.
There are, however, extensions for the following celebrations:
5th November - to 12.00 midnight
Diwali - to 1.00am
New Year - to 1.00am on 1st January
Chinese New Year - to 1.00am on the following day
This curfew applies to all places, including gardens and private land.
These requirements arise from the Firework Regulations 2004 and are enforced by the Police.
There is a penalty of up to £5000 or 6 months in prison. On the spot fines can also be issued for breach of the regulations.
It remains an offence for anyone under 18 to purchase fireworks.

Apart from the normal Sunday Trading laws, there are no restrictions on the hours during which fireworks may be sold.

Retailers with a licence, may sell fireworks throughout the year.
The periods where selling without a licence is permitted are:
(a) November 5th (15th October to 10th November)
(b) New Year (26th December to 31st December)
(c) Chinese New Year (on the first day of the Chinese New Year and the three days
immediately preceding it)
(d) Diwali (on the day of Diwali (28/10/08) and the three days immediately preceding)

Retailers selling during these periods without a licence MUST have a registration to store fireworks. The licensing and registration of fireworks and explosives is a function of the West Midlands Fire Service, through Hay Mills Fire Safety Centre. (0121 7531313). Any breaches of these laws will also be dealt with by the Fire Service.
-----------------------
If you see anyone using fire works in a dangerous way, throwing them at other people or at animals please contact the Police.
If you ate buying and using Fireworks pl;ease take care and also ensure there are no animals about when you let them off.
If you are going to have a bonfire make sure there are no hedgehogs underneath your bonfire.

OSCOTT HOUSING LIAISON BOARD UPDATE

Sadly due to Council duties I had to miss the last Oscott Housing Liaison Board AGM meeting, which is something I very rarely do. (Note HLB :this is where tenants and other sections of the community get together to discuss issues in order to help the local area improve).

The latest situation regarding the HLB is as far as I can understand it, is that Housing officers decided to close down the HLB, despite the meeting was quorate.
All sorts of figures regarding the attendance of the meeting are being thrown about but it is clear that there were enough tenants and so on for the HLB to be formed.

What is to happen is that the Council officers are going to work with what appears to be their own choice of small groups of tenants and through them decide how to spend any funding which the HLB may have received to distribute in the community.?

What comes across time and time again is the Housing departments dislike of HLB members who have independent thoughts and idea's which do not match up with the Housing departments. It appears in the face of it to be a case of if your face does not fit?
Councillor Barbara Dring and I are looking into this issue which does seem very strange on the face of it.

PLANNING APPLICATION FOR CAFE 16 KINGSTANDING ROAD

There is a new planning application for a change of use of 16 Kingstanding Road which is going to the Planning committee on Thursday 9 Application No 2011/02815/PA.

This application unlike a recent previous application which was for a Take Away (Class A5), is for a Class A3 which is an eat in cafe. The current location is a vacant shop on the Corning of Kingstanding Road and Elmbridge Road.

Any one wishing to comment, still can by contacting the Planning department. You can see more about this on the Birmingham City Council Webb site, Planning.

Any wishing to go along to the meeting on Thursday which starts at 11am and who wants to speak on this application should contact the Planning department for details.

RESIDENTS URGE RE THINK ON 28 BUS ROUTE

I will be handing in a petition from local bus users, too the Birmingham City Council on their behalf.

As one of a comparatively few in number of Councillors who regularly use a bus and as a member of the ITA I am only too happy to present this petition, as it calls on the Birmingham City Council to "use its influence to urge the privatised bus companies who operate the 28 bus service, to get this service to go to the One Stop Shopping Centre".

Since this this route was changed, many bus users have had to use 2 buses to get to the one stop Shopping Centre and for elderly bus users or young mother in particular, when they are loaded up with shopping this is a real nuisance.

NEW ROAD SAFETY SIGNS FOR KETTLEHOUSE ROAD.

After many months it would appear the Birmingham City Council's Highways department have moved a step further in moving the Visibility Activated Speed sign located on the Kettlehouse Road to a better location on the same stretch of road.
The department have also finally agreed to find funding to put more road safety signs on the road. This is a small step but at least it is the right direction.
I would hope all the Oscott Councillors will be pressing the Highways department to get on with this action as soon as possible.

SPEED INDICATOR SIGN PROPOSED FOR KINGSTANDING ROAD

The Birmingham City Council has now agreed to install a speed activated speed indicator sign on the Kingstanding Road between the Hawthorn Road and College Road (City bound carriageway).

This follows many months of campaigning by Oscott Councillors with the help of local residents.

I have also in the past requested a number of Oscott Community Sped Watch operations on this stretch of road. The last such event found that approximately 10% of driver were speeding when driving along this stretch off road. There have been a number of accidnts there over the years.

The Oscott Community Speed watch is where volunteer residents work with the Police using a speed indicator device to check the speed of vehicles. Drivers spotted speeding in the first instance are sent a warning letting but if spotted again the Police are liable to take action against the motorist.
If you would like to volunteer or to know more about the Oscott Community speed watch please contact the Kingstanding Police Station.

BT STILL HAVE NOT REPAIRED MY ANSWER PHONE FALTY LINE

I am afraid due to BT not being able to repair my Answer phone line (despite Tx messages saying other wise,) I still have no working Answer machine. This has followed a number of calls made to them to get something done.

See below

Due to a fault on my answer phone (line 360 6486) I am unable to access messages. If you wish to contact me and leave a message (Council business) please ring 303 2039 or Email me Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk.I have been told by B.T the problem may take some days to resolve.
Posted by Keith Linnecor at 20:55 0 comments

COUNCILLOR'S AUTUMN SURGERY TIMES

Councillor Barbara Dring and I will always endeavour to attend our Advice Bureaux,
however there may be occasions, due to unforeseen circumstances, when an Advice Bureau has to be cancelled at short notice or another Councillor is sent to cover the Advice Bureaux.

If you wish to ensure a councillor is attending a surgery please contact us either on 360 6486 or 360 7565


THESE ARE OUR CURRENT COUNCILLOR SURGERY DETAILS.
Every Saturday of the month, 10.30am
610 Community Centre, Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, B44 (Induction Loop Available)
1st Thursday of the month, 3.00pm
Perry Common Library, College Road, Birmingham, B44 OHH.
1st Wednesday of the month, 7.00pm
610 Community Centre, Kngstanding Road, Birmingham, B44 (Induction Loop Available)

*We also offer home visits for those with genuine mobilty difficulties.

RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT A SPLASHING TIME ON HAWTHORN ROAD

Ever since Amey the private contractor hired by the Birmingham City Council and paid from funding aranged by the prvevious government, re surfaced the carrige way in hawthrorn road there has been a flooding problem.

Many may know that following rain, crossing over the hawthorn Road via the pelican crossing which is situated near the Heron Supermarket can be a dodgy experience at the best of times. I have called on the City engineers to look at the lighting sequences for the junctions traffic lights and crossing.

Now however there is a good chance you can recieve a good soaking due to car, buses and so on driving past through large stretches of standing water laying accross the carriage way.

This is a real nuisance at times for those shopping and using the Hawthorn Road and I have asked Amey to look again at this part of the carriage way.

Amey have done some good work in the area such as Templeton Road but there is a number of other areas where they need to do better.

TO CLOSE OR NOT TO CLOSE THE TEMPLETON ROAD TO OLD OSCOTT HILL RIGHT OF WAY

A few years ago along with Councillor Barbara Dring on behalf of concerned local residents requested the Council's Safer Communities Team and the Police to consider on option for closing the Templeton Road to Old Oscott Hill Right of way.
This was either, on a permanent basis or on a dawn to dusk basis.
This is now possible following the previous Governments changing the complex right of way regarding right of way closures in cities legislation.
However we were not successful on that occasion following a lot of hard work by the Council residents the Police.

There have been numberous complaints recently from residents suffering from burglaries and anti social behaviour in this right of way. With this in mind and given the Police have a new senior local officer and the Council has a new Safer Community Team leader, I again asked the Council and the Police to look again at the issue during the summer.
They have as a result put together a letter to residents including a survey. This is being put out at the moment.
This letter will go to residents in the surrounding area as the Council are obliged legally to consult widely with local residents regarding the closure of a right of way.

There are now 3 options with regards to the gating off the route:
Permanently gate the route (24 hours a day 365 days per year).
Gate the route for certain times of the day (i.e. dusk till dawn)
Do not gate the route (leave the route as it is)

This issue is a difficult one to resolve as parents taking young children to the Mary vale School for example use this right of way.
I have insisted all views be considered before any decision is made.
The Police and the Safer Community team will be looking very closely at the results of the survey.

If you have a view on the issue please send me an Email at Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk

YET ANOTHER ACCIDENT IN KETTLEHOUSE ROAD THE COUNCIL MUST TAKE ACTION

Sadly there has been yet another traffic accident in Kettlehouse Road where the emergency services have had to be called out.

This has happened despite the location of a vehicle speed indicator in the road. This followed an active campaign by local residents, Councilor Barbara During and myself which included a petition which I handed in to the Council on behalf of residents.
The request was also supported by the Oscott Ward Committee following a meeting regarding the issue of road safety in Kettlehouse Road.

I have throughout the summer, following my election been actively working to get the sign relocated slightly to a better petition in the road.
For example I have been requesting Councillor Timothy Huxtable who is the councillor with Cabinet member for Street services on a number of ocasions to do what he can get the Speed idicator sign relocated and to improve road safety in the area. In fairness to him as I know from recent conversations with him, he has been trying to get his officers to resolve the problem

However something further must be done to improve road safety in Kettlehouse Road and Banywood Road and I will continue to press the Transportation department to take action as I understand the residents frustion.

I do not pretend like some! To be a Traffic engineer, but some measures they could consider and which I have suggested in the past are, things like, better street markings,warning signs, improvements to the junction at Norbury Road, Kettlehouse Road, either changing traffic priorities or possibly even introducing a small traffic island.
I have also recently asked the Transportation department to introduce a 20mph zone on the Bandywood Road near the Kingsland School.
There must be some form of improved road safety measures that the Councils Transportation department can carry out and they need to come up with some of action.

At my request the Police and their Speed Community Safety volunteers have been in action in Kettlehouse Road which may have helped but they can not be there all the time.
By coincidence as recently as the day before the accident I brought up the subject of road safety, including Kettlehouse Road at the Oscott Police Neighbourhood Tasking Meeting and I will also continue to ask the Police to keep Kettlehouse Road as on of their priorities.

ANSWER PHONE MESSAGE PROBLEMS

Due to a fault on my answer phone (line 360 6486) I am unable to access messages. If you wish to contact me and leave a message (Council business) please ring 303 2039 or Email me Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk.
I have been told by B.T the problem may take some days to resolve.

MORE DISABLED DROP CURBS ARE NEEDED IN OSCOTT

With the help of George Hough the Chair of the Oscott Disabilities Group and Councillor Barbara Dring, I have identified a number of roads in the Oscott area which are difficult for residents with mobile scooters / wheel chairs (and mother with push chairs) to navigate to to their having no disabled drop curbs. This makes it difficult to cross these roads safely in many cases.

Some of the road I have identified are.
Cooksey Lane and road off
Dormington Road and groves off.
Cooksey Lane and groves and roads off
Wandsworth Road and groves off
Amblecote Avenue/ Southgate Road.
Greenholm Road and Roads off
Elmbridge / Blakeland junction.
Birdbrook Road/ Aldridge Road slip road.
I have passed these details to the Transportation department who have agreed to look into the details.

MUD IN QUESLETT NATURE RESERVE COULD BE DANGEROUS?

As many of those who use the Queslett Nature Reserve may know, the water lake in the reserve is very low. This has meant there is now mud bans surrounding the lake. On Saturday a member of the public while trying to retrieve something from the lake sank past he's knees in the lake and only managed to get out with the help of people passing by.

Much of the land where the Queslett Nature Reserve now is was a sand quarry and has been refilled with all sorts of soil and ruble. Following the recent drought conditions land which was below the water line is now exposed but is saturated.

I have called on the Parks department to have signs warning people about the mud put up, but in the mean time children and owners with pets should ensure they are not tempted onto the mud near the lake as it may not be safe.