MERRY CHRISTMAS

May I wish every one a very Merry Christmas

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE QUESLETT NATURE RESERVE VOLUNTEERS

As the Chair and Founder of the Friends of the Queslett Nature Reserve Environmental Group I would like to say a big thank you to all of those members who have supported us.

To the Committee Brenda, Bob, Brian, John, James and Linda also to Lee.

To all those who have worked in the reserve on the Aldridge Road Recreation Ground or like our little star Brenda carried out litter picking of Oscotts grot spots through out the year.

You have all done a great Job.

May I also wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE BIRMINGHAM C.A.B

 

Sadly there is no longer a C.A.B call drop in Centre in Birmingham.

However they can still be contacted see below

 

In your local community  C.A.B

Please note that from 2 October 2017, we no longer offer a drop in advice service at our city centre office in Corporation Street.  
If you need advice after 2nd October, you may contact us in one of the following ways:
• By telephone on 03444 77 10 10
    (9.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday – Friday)

• For debt enquiries only on 0121 214 8367
   (9.00 am - 1.00 pm Monday – Friday)
   or Email: debthelp@bcabs.cabnet.org.uk

• Webchat via www.adviceguide.org.uk
We also provide advice at some GP surgeries.
Please ask staff at your surgery to refer you, or call 0121 214 8354

WELL DONE MAUREEN BYRNE FOR ORGANISING THE OERG XMAS DINNER SO WELL.

I would just like to thank Maureen Byrne for organizing the Oscott Elderly Residents Group Xmas Dinner.
Sadly a few members could not attend due to accidents or ill health but those who did including myself and Councillor Tristan Chatfield really enjoyed our selves.
It was good to see Tristan despite his hectic round of work as a Cabitnet member and his campaign work in Weoley Castle could make it.
Sadly due to the Government Gerry maundering of the Birmingham City Councils Ward Boundaries Tristan has now taken up the mantle of candidate for Weoley Castle. Their gain is our loss.

You can be assured however Councillor Brabara Dring and I will carry on doing what we can to help our fellow Oscott Residents come what may.

THE OSCOTT ELDERLY RESIDENTS GROUP PRE XMAS MEETING WENT WELL

I was pleased to be asked to attend the Oscott Elderly Residents Group Pre Xmas dinner meeting.
I can expect to really held to account at these meetings where tough questions are not held back
They can range from bins collections to benefits and all sorts.
It is always good to meet up with fellow Oscott residents to answer their questions.

NPI BRIAN HAS TAKEN A NASTY FALL ON THE ICE

I was sorry to learn Brian Brooks who works so hard as part of the Oscott Neighbourhood Police initiative (N.P.I.) and the Friends of the Queslett Nature Reserve Environmental Group has had a nasty fall on the ice.
It would a appear someone shoveled snow onto a pavement where it froze, unlike most of the street which had began to thaw, the pavement near this residents home remained as black ice.

Residents should never shovel snow into piles on the pavement or shovel it into onto the carriage way. Leave in your garden.

Brian is still very shaky and it will take time for him to recover but friends and relatives are rallying round and he is on the mend.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH OSCOTT RESIDENTS ALL THE YEAR AROUND

Councillor Barbara Dring and I as local residents as well as local councilors are always more than happy to listen to the concerns of our neighbours and constituents who live in Oscott.

Like you we know how tough things are now due to the unfair cuts in the Councils funding by the Government and also the cuts in Police and other agencies funding if it comes to that.!

We are not offering quick promises to solve everything we hear about but will continue to do what we can to try and help those who contact us.

We would like to thank those resident who contact us with their issues and all those we meet on our all year around walk about's and visits to elderly complexes and so on. (We do put out occasional leaflets but are aware a constant stream of leaflets can be annoying.)

Living in Oscott and knowing the area well, does help us understand residents concerns but there are always some that we hear about that still surprise us so please keep letting is know your concerns.

You can contact via the many cards we put out, leaving a message on 303 2029 or emailing me on Keith.Linnecor@Birmingham.gov.uk.  Please remember to leave you full contact details

OSCOTT RESIDENTS DON'T BE CONNED

WEELY WHEELIE BIN COLLECTIONS TO BE CONTINUED

Sadly there are some trying to con Oscott residents into thinking Wheelie bin collections are to stop and fortnightly collections will start next year.

Clearly election the election time is upon us and there are some rumours doing the rounds.

It is not the first time the Conservatives have tried putting out scare stories. Remember last year being told out Oscott Libraries were to close.

Most of the residents of Oscott have far to much common sense to be taken in by this type of false propaganda. This is just an attempt by the Conservatives to direct the residents of Oscott attention away from seeing how much damage the current Government is doing to Birmingham.

WHEELIE BINS (except for Christmas day and Boxing day or very bad weather) will continue to be collected weekly in Oscott.

TREE PUNING FOR THE OSCOTT WARD

At the last Oscott Ward Committee meeting Chaired by Councillor Barbara Dring Amey Highways confirmed a number of roads in the Oscott ward will have their trees as a result of the Labour Teams campaign foe more tree pruning and replacement in Oscott.

Sadly the recent bad weather has meant a delay to this work being done in some cases. I have asked that the work is carried out as soon as possible following the bad weather.

However this work is to be carried out. If you would like to know if your roads trees are to be pruned please email me Keith.Linnecor@Birmingham.gov.uk.

1700 HUNDRED TREES IN OSCCOTT ARE DUE TO BE PRUNED AND 200 DAMAGED OR DECEASED TREES WILL BE REPLACED as a result of the campaign by the Oscott Labour Team which is made up of your local Councillors ( we are both LOCAL RESIDENTS)

WE NEED OUR GRIT BINS TOPPED UP

As local Oscott residents our selves both Councillor Dring and I are only to aware of the icy state of some of our roads following the recent bad weather.
Knowing the area so well I was on grit bin patrol just before the bad weather set in to try ensure they had been topped up.
Now following the bad they are nearly empty and I would ask residents to not be tempted to use the grit in them for garden paths and so on.
I have been calling Amey Highways to top up our grit bins ASAP.

KINGSTANDING POST OFFICE CONSULTATION TO TAKE PLACE JAN 3RD

further to earlier communications from the Post Office Management regarding the proposal to move the Kingstanding Post Office from its current location to 7 Kettlehouse Road, Birmingham, B44 9JJ,  to create a modern branch for customers, they have informed me Customer Communication Forum will be held on Wednesday 03 January 2018 at 610 Youth & Community Centre, 610 Kingstanding Road, Birmingham,  B44 9SH.  The session will run from 3.30pm to 7..00pm.

There is no formal presentation and interested parties are welcome to drop in at a time convenient to them to discuss the proposal with representatives of the Post Office.  

If you would like to let either my self or Councillor Barbara Dring  have your views please us leave a message on 303 2039.

OSCOTT SCHOOLS OPENING LATEST

Due to clearing weather it is best to listen to the local radio look on social media or contact your children's school to find out whether they will be open tomorrow.

The following local schools are now likely to be  reopening tomorrow: Streetly Academy, Arena Academy, North Birmingham Academy, Great Barr Primary, Glenmead Primary, Kings Rise Academy, Kingsland Primary... Have yet to find a local school which is closed tomorrow.

REMINDER TO OSCOTT RESIDENTS WHO DID NOT HAVE THEIR WHEELIE BINS COLLECTED THIS WEEK

PLEASE SEE THE REMINDER BELOW

The recovery plan to deal with missed bin collections during the recent adverse weather on December 11-12 has been announced.

Jacqui Kennedy, Corporate Director for Place, at Birmingham City Council, said:
“Following the recent adverse weather, we have assessed the impact on recent bin collections and are now in a position to confirm our recovery plan for those who have had missed collections.
“Refuse missed on Monday or Tuesday (December 11-12) will be collected on the next scheduled collection together with any reasonable amounts of suitably bagged waste at the side of the bin.  If it is safe to do so, I would encourage affected residents to take uncollected waste back onto their property until this collection.
“In terms of recycled waste, we are fully aware that those missed on Monday and Tuesday will also be missed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Therefore, we are prioritising those missed this week and now plan to collect by next Monday (December 18).  Residents are encouraged to leave this waste out and we will collect it as soon as possible, which may include it being collected this Saturday or Sunday (December 16-17).
“I again apologise for the inconvenience and thank everyone affected for their patience.”

OSCOTT SCHOOLS CLOSED TOMORROW DUE TO BAD WEATHER.

Council run Oscott Schools will be closed tomorrow due to weather conditions.
If your child attends an academy contact them for details to confirm whether they are to open or not.
More information can be found by using social media or contacting your school

KEEP PETS WARM IN COLD WEATHER

In cold weather like this please make sure your pets have somewhere warm to be and have a dry warm bed.
Put extra hay/ strew/ saw dust as applicable  in cages and hutches.
 Make sure dogs and cats have a warm dry bed out of drafts.

OSCOTT CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BIN COLLECTION ARANGEMENTS

PLEASE NOT THE INFORMATION BELOW

As has been the case for many years going back decades, the council’s crews, who work on all other Bank Holidays (including New Year’s Day), will not operate on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 

This year that means there will be no collections of refuse or recycling on Monday 25 December and Tuesday 26 December.  Attached, you’ll find a simple graphic illustrating the non-collection dates. Please feel free to share and use this from today.  

Anyone due collections on these days will have their household bins picked up one week later and their recycling bins will be collected two weeks later.

All other collections remain unchanged, including those on Bank Holiday Monday (1 January 2018). 

During the festive period, it’s recognised that many households produce more waste. So, for those with wheelie bins, reasonable amounts of household waste will be collected if presented in bags at the side of the bins. 

Excess paper and card recycling will be collected if bundled securely with string and presented alongside the recycling bin. 

As well as general PR and press, we will specifically target wards affected by non-collections with printed adverts in local papers, online, and with electronic advertising which can be pin-pointed to postcodes.   

The city’s five Household Recycling Centres will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Monday 25 December and Tuesday 26 December) – but will be open on all other days. And for residents thinking of making a trip to the tip, they can also ‘view the queue’  through webcams set up to monitor the entrances to each site. 

Other Christmas activity

And from 1 December we started issuing our Christmas waste tips Advent Calendar across BCCs social media channels.  Each day reveals a different tip to help people reduce, reuse and recycle over the festive period.  As in previous years we will also be telling people where they can recycle their Christmas trees. 

OSCOTT WHEELIE BINS WILL NOT BE COLLECTED TOMORROW

Please note

 

The following is a statement about the safety-related suspension of bin collections in Birmingham tomorrow (Monday 11 December 2017).

Jacqui Kennedy, Corporate Director for Place at Birmingham City Council, said:
“Due to the poor weather conditions and the forecast suggesting there will be no improvement by the morning, we are regretfully having to suspend all refuse collection operations for tomorrow (Monday 11 December).
“The current conditions mean it is extremely difficult for citizens to handle their bins and put them out for collection. It would also mean asking our crews to operate large collection vehicles in treacherous conditions. Due to these factors, our decision is clearly one taken in the interests of public and staff safety.
“Plans to catch up this missed work are currently being developed and will be communicated via the council’s usual channels as soon as possible. We appreciate the inconvenience this will cause and would ask for your patience during this challenging time.”

ELDERLY RESIDENTS SHOULD STAY IN AND STAY WARM

With all this snow around I have been ringing some elderly Oscott residents to see if they are ok and to remind them to keep warm and stay in.
No buses are running at the moment.

OUT ON OSCOTT GRIT BIN PATROL AGAIN

I have been out and about again checking that the grit bins in Oscott have grit in them and that they have not been overturned.

I cannot be everywhere and so if the grit bin by you has been over turned or has no grit in it let me know. Please leave a message on 303 2039.

HELP JOIN THE BATTLE FOR A SAFER ALDRIDGE ROAD THORNBRIDGE AVENUE JUNCTION

I am requesting anyone who may have been injured at the above site to contact me or Councillor Barbara Dring with details as I am trying to collate evidence of such injuries. The Police usually have report such injuries but their current information does not seem to match up with reports from residents over the last few years. The Birmingham City Council needs this information.
 

With the Governments Austerity  funding cuts to both the Police and Councils it is more important then ever to battle to get things done with the assistance of evidence. 

I have been campaigning for road improvements to be made at this junction for some time  and some measures like speed indicators have been put in place but hard evidence is needed to have more done.
Can anyone with evidence please email me or Barbara and join the battle.