OUT AND ABOUT IN OSCOTT AGAIN

While out and about today I checked out the Tempton Road to Maryvale school right of way and was please to see that it has kept free of fly tipping.
I also checked out the Aldridge Road Recreation Ground childs play area and was please to see reported litter has been moved.
I also managed amongst a number of other things to get my hair cut not that it takes long these days.

DELHURST 6TH FORM BUILDING TO BE REPLACED

I went along to the Great Barr Academy consultation even this evening to look at their plans to know down the old Dellhurst School Building ( now the 6th form centre) and re build it further back on the same site.

The new building will be far more environmentally friendly and parking will be a the rear of the site.

The residents I met at the event seemed happy enough.

CHECKING OUT LITTERHOT SPOTS IN OSCOTT

I am pleased to report when doing one of my checks on Beckford Grove  it was free of fly tipped rubbish and that the near by Desford Avenue was following my request a few weeks ago cleared of the hundreds of empty beer cans. It may seem a small thing but trying to keep our parks and streets clear of rubbish does help our environment and prevents if only a little to keep our climate under control

ANOTHER VISIT TO THE ELIM FOOD BANK

I visited the Elim Church Oscott Food bank again today to offer my services to anyone needing Council advice.
I was pleased to be able to help.
Once again a great job was being done by the volunteers but what a great shame that this governments polices have brought residents from Oscott through no fault of their own to need a food bank.

MORE BUS ROUTES ARE NEEDED

If they really want more people to use the bus they need to have better interconnecting buses.

I have been calling for more routes which take in estates ( estate hoppers) for many years it various committee meetings.

Buses need to connect with each other and those buses running to town centres need to be connected to smaller routes which run through "more of the out of the way places" Bowman and Caddick Road in Oscott are an example.
.
 There should be nowhere that is not accessible to a bus by more than a few hundred yards. These connecting buses should also run at realist and regular intervals.
This could  help end the parking on main roads near bus stops by car drivers which often adds to the congestion on main routes which can slow buses down.
It may even help reduce the need for parent to take their children to school by car but that may be a bit too much to hope for?

NATURE NEEDS GARDENS

There is no easy way of telling some residents this but completely slabbing, tar mac'ing, concreting or covering your garden with artificial lawn is not helping the environment or wild life. In fact it can help increase flooding, soil erosion and lose of wildlife.
Its far better to have a untidy looking garden with shrubs, trees,grass and a few weeds. It may take a few hours each year to keep it in shape but those who care out our climate, environment and wild life need to do just that.
Perhaps awards should be given for environmental and wild life friendly gardens? Its is something I will be suggesting to the powers that be.

WELL DONE ASDA QUESLETT FOR CONTINUEING TO HAVE PAPER BANKS

Given the problems Oscott residents are still having with their recycling collections ( I am reporting any missed collections I am informed about) I thought I would check out the Paper Banks at ASDA Queslett.

Most were empty so if residents get stuck they could always pop some paper in the banks when doing there shopping.
 Well done to ASDA for keeping this service going.
In the mean time I will keep reporting missed collections.

THE FQNR ENVIRONMENAL VOLUNTEERS DEFY THE WEATHER

Many thanks to all those who genuinely care about our local environment and turned out today in the rain to litter pick and prune in and near the Queslett nature Reserve.

It takes dedication and effort to help clean up the mess left by others and to try and help the environment and wild life and the FQNR volunteers certainly have that.

We do not just " Spring Clean" we work when ever we can all year around.
Please look out via Social media for our next event.

These no frills role up their sleeves and get on with it voluCris nteers are what its all about.
Well done one and all. ( Including Dave the Ranger and from TFN for their help and advice)

STILL WORKING ON RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR OSCOTT 5 YEARS ON

It is nearly 5 years since I put forward the idea's expressed below. I am still trying o get them considered and implemented.

WHY NOT USE THE ALDRIDGE ROAD LANDFILL SITE TO SAVE SOME MONEY FOR THE COUNCIL TAX PAYER

The Aldridge Road Land fill site in Oscott has been for many years been fenced off from public use.

The reasons for this are that this site was an unusually deep one and the nature of the terrain means the volatile gases in it will take many years to dissipate.

Having said that its location next to the Queslett Nature Reserve makes it an ideal if secluded location to the benefit of the local wild life.

However the land is expensive to maintain for example currently fire breaks have to be made (hence the cutting back of some vegetation on the site) and to protect the public from itself the land has to have a security presence on it to keep intruders out in case they harm themselves.

In this day and age when the Birmingham City Council has to deal with horrendous cuts in its budget from the central government, money needs to be found to cover costs like the manning this site which is why I am keen to promote the idea of using the site for locating some solar panels on it.

The panels would need to be unobtrusive and not affect other neighbouring residents or any wildlife and they would have to be placed where they would be safe ( naturally a risk assessment would need to be undertaken). This should not be a problem. They are I am also told fairly low maintenance free which would mean little or no extra transport issues for the area.
The current security measures on the site would also help protect any new solar panels from potential vandalism at no extra cost.

The energy obtained from these panels could either be sold into the electric grid or used to help the council’s energy bills thus helping to save the Tax payer money.

Solar panels would help generate income for the Council and be ecologically friendly. I hope this idea will be given serious consideration and I will be supporting any investigation into the possibilities of this idea.

If you have a view on this please email me on Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk

BEST WISHES FOR SAINT GEORGE'S DAY

Best wishes for Saint George's day

MISSED COLLECTIONS IN OSCOTT IS STILL A PROBLEM

Sadly there are still a number of Oscott residents who are having problems with waste and recycling collections.

 If you are one of them please drop me an E- Mail with your full details and I will try and help if I can.

Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk

Clearly I cannot promise to resolve all the issues I hear about but I am always willing to try and help if I can.

CEDAR CHURCHE'S SPRING EGGTRAVAGAZA PICKED JUST THE RIGHT WEATHER TODAY

It was really nice to be able to pop into the Cedar Church Spring Eggtravagaza today.
It has been a lovely day and residents were enjoying the various activities which were on offer.
These included Skittle, bouncy castles and fun for younger children. It was nice to be able to catch up and chat with local residents.
Well-done to all the volunteers who helped out.

OSCOTT RESIDENTS YOUNG OR OLD ARE WELCOME TO DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WITH ME.

Councillor Barbara Dring and I will be holding our next Councillors Surgery on Wednesday 1st May.
The time will be 7pm and the venue is the 610 Community Centre.

I am aware Environmental issues are very important to some young residents in Oscott and with that in mind if any of you would like to pop into the surgery I would be glad to discuss your concerns with you. ( if you cannot make it why not send me your concern via Email Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk.)

I do not have all the answers but I am more than willing to listen to your concerns.

Also on Wednesday 24th April the Friends of the Queslett Nature Reserve Environmental group are holding an activity day where we will be trying to clean up and improve the reserve, your help would be appreciated. 1pm at the Old Horns entrance

THE WALSALL ROAD ALLOTMENTS ARE DOING WELL

I was pleased to be able to pop into the Walsall Road allotments today and meet  plot holders and the now famous Robert the Allotment cat and his friend Barbara and Dorathy.
I was pleased to be able to support the Allotment holders and their campaign to stave of becoming a car park for the Commonwealth games.
The allotments seem well run and a variety of fruit, vegetables and plants are being grown there and plot holder recycle all sorts of objects to help them look after there plants.

Now the fuss has died down I hope to keep in touch especially as some of the plot holders are from Oscott.

Well done to all those who campaigned for the allotments.

CLLR BARBARA DRING AND MYSELF ARE WORKING WITH RESIDENTS TO GET VILLAGE GREEN STATUS FOR THE GLENMEAD FIELD

Councillor Barbara Dring and I are still looking for evidence regarding the historical use of the Glenmead Playing Field site. If you have any memories, please drop us a line by post C/o the Birmingham City Council House B441BB (it may be used in evidence to support the project.

Barbara and I are determined to do our best along with local residents to turn this field into an official Village green to help safe Gard it from developers forever.

 

This is a complicated difficult process and we need residents support.

 

BIN CREWS WORKING OVER THE WEEK END TO CATCH UP.

The BCC have announced Bin Crews will be working over the weekend to try and catch up with missed collections so if you have been missed leave your bins out and make sure you have reported it.

THE OSCOTT ELDERLY RESIDENTS GROUP AND POLICE NEIGHBOURHOOD TASKING MEETING

I was pleased to pop in to see the Oscott Elderly residents Group yesterday.
AS ever there was a lively Question and answer session as well as their normal chat and other activities.
I even managed to win a raffle prize.

I was also able to attend the Oscott Police Neighbour hood Tasking meeting where I informed the Police about a number of issues including problem speeding in a number of Roads.

BOWMAN ROAD REAR ACCESS WAY IS SECURE AGAIN.

I was pleased to be able to get the Council to repair the pad lock to the Council owned rear access way ( odd side Bowman Road) I hope the residents there now feel more secure.

Thanks to the Chair Oscott Residents Association Bob Wild for keeping me informed.

Glad to be of help.

I HAVE DONE ANOTHER WALK ABOUT ON THE BANYWOOD ESTATE

AS part of one of my walk abouts on the Bandywood Estate today I was able to take a look at the yellow lines which have been placed at the junction of Kettle House Lane, Kilburn Road and Dormington Road. Residents seem to think they are working.

I also met with some residents in Keston Road who are pleased there is a buffer of long grass near the entrance to the King George Playing fields to prevent ball games up against the fence.

 

 

I HAVE VISITED THE OSCOTT FOOD BANK AGAIN KETTLE HOUSE ROAD

I was both pleased but also saddened to pop into the Oscott Food bank today to offer my assistance to any Oscott residents their who needed it.

I was please to be able to get their but sadden and yes discussed that in 2019 there is due to austerity the need for a food bank in Oscott.

Once again a big thank you to those volunteers who help run the food bank.

OSCOTT RESIDENTS WISHING TO LET ME KNOW YOUR CONCERNS

Just another reminder to Oscott residents wishing to contact me with an issue or concern, please remember to email me Keith.Linnecor@birmingham.gov.uk, Phone me ( messages) 303 2039 or write to me C/o The Birmingham City Council House Birminghm B1 1BB.

Please do not leave your concerns for me via social media as I may miss them and always leave your full contact details.

SAVE THE GLENMEAD FIELD PETITION HAS BEEN PRESENTED.

At todays meeting of the Birmingham Planning Committee I submitted a petition on behalf of residents living in Glenmead Road and Meadthorpe Road calling on the council to save the Glenmead Field from the developers and turn it into a village Green.

 Councillor Barbara Dring and I will do what we can to help our residents achieve this.

YOUNGSTERS AT THE 610 COMMUNITY CENTRE HAVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION BOARD.

 I was able recently to pop into the 610 Community Centre and re fill TFWM and NX leaflets on the TFWM info board I have set up for youngsters who go to the Centre.

Hopefully some of these leaflets will remind youngsters to use pubic transport.

We need to do something to help promote more public transport.

I WAS PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO DO MY FIRST STREET WATCH PATROL IN THE BOWMAN ROAD AND BOOTHS LANE AREA TODAY

Managed to get my first walk about a a member of Street Watch under my belt today.
It was good to be part of a team and the Police team who were on hand  on this occasion were very helpful. It was also nice to be able to show a new officer around the area.
We had a look at the Queslett Nature Reserve part of Booths Lane and Bowman Road.
met some nice residents who seemed pleased to see us.

POPPED IN TO MEET THE MARYVALE ELDERLY RESIDENTS GROUP

Had to do some quick thinking today as I found  expected plans were changed at

the last minute.

As  a result I had time to have a walk around Oscott and pop into see the Maryvale Elderly residents group to wish them an advance Happy Easter and to listen to any concerns they had.

THE NEXT FQNR ACTIVITY DAY WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE 24 TH APRIL

The next Friends of the Queslett Nature Reserve environmental group activity session will be on the Wednesday 24th April. We will be meeting at 1pm at the Old Horns entrance to the reserve.

We will be carrying out light pruning, removing fly tipped rubbish and litter picking. Anyone interested in rolling up their sleaves and helping out is welcome.

There should be a Ranger there to give us tips on natures and we will be doing what we can to improve the environment in the reserve for the wild life and those who use the reserve.

The FQNR work in the reserve all year around and not just in the spring. We would like to remind all those who use the reserve to PLEASE TAKE YOUR LITTER HOME.

BARBARA DRING AND I HAVE BEEN TO THE 610 COMMUNITY CENTRE AGAIN

My fellow Oscott Ward Councillor and O visited the 610 Community Centre Kingstanding Road and have been inpressed with the work being done there.

For more information on what is available give them a ring on 464 2268

REPORT A.S.B SEEN ON BUSES.

I would encourage all bus users in the Westmidlands to
Report anti-social behaviour you see on a bus or near a bus stop.
If you see any nuisance behaviour during your journey, text ‘bus’ followed by a space and then details of the incident including time, date, location and route number to 83010.
...

Alternatively, visit www.safertravel.info website
Its at least worth a try.
In the case of an urgent crime or an emergency, always dial 999.

See more

safertravel.info

Home - Safer Travel Partnership

Transport for the West Midlands, West Midlands Police, British Transport…

I AM HAPPY TO TRY AND HELP OSCOTT RESIDENTS BUT NEED THEIR DETAILS.

Oscott residents please remember if you would like me to try and help you with any concern you have  DONT FORGET to leave your FULL CONTACT DETAILS when contacting me.

CEDAR CHURCH ARE HOLDING A EASTER EGG-TRAVAGAZA APRIL 20TH

One for your diary

Pleased to support the Cedar Church Easter Eggs-Travaganza 20th April.

Bouncy Castle, Chocolate  Tombola, Fun Zone, Skittle Bowling,Songs, refreshments and more

2pm to 5pm Lambeth Road Kingstanding.

A good afternoon for all the family

WALSALL ROAD ALLOTMENTS

I have asked question at the full BCC meeting today about the Walsall Road allotments and reminding the of the Cabinet member of the genuine concerns there are over the matter.
Many residents from across the area including from Oscott are very interested in this issue.
 I was told Consultations with all involved are still taking place this moment.

OSCOTT COUNCILLORS SURGERY 3RD APRIL AT THE 610 COMMUNITY CENTRE

Councillor Barbara Dring and I will be holding a Councillors Surgery foe Oscott Residents on Wednesday 3rd April.
WE will be holding the surgery at the 610 Community Centre ( the building is disabled friendly and has car parking at the rear.) The time of the meeting will be 7pm.