Acocks Green Railway Station

A very interesting meeting yesterday afternoon with representatives from CENTRO and Mott Macdonald, who have been retained as consultants on the project to improve the accessibility at Acocks Green Station under the long running Access for All programme, which was an initiative of the last Labour government. Since the original proposals back in 2007, the scheme has undergone some delays and they now at the stage where they are ready to put a preferred option to Network Rail for approval. I'm grateful to Julia at the Acocks Green Focus Group for arranging this meeting and there were a number of interested participants there, including members of the Arden Road residents' group and the Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum.

Sadly, I can't bring you pictures of the designs, but I'll try to summarise them.

Acocks Green station - street frontage

Option 1 proposed putting a lift into the main station building, just behind the street door that leads down to the platform (on the left of the picture), with the shaft dropping down to a platform extended under the station building and the lift requiring users to turn right in the lift to exit to platform level. There would be a new lift tower dropping straight down beside the stairs to the car park and the existing roof line would be disrupted over the platform lift as well, to house the machinery. The left hand entrance would be bricked up and there would be a 'pinch point' for users of the stair case.

This option would require closure of the station for some weeks and would also have to be done at times when the contractors could take 'possession' of the line to allow them to work safely when no trains were running, which would mean a good deal of expensive overnight working.

Although superficially attractive, this wouldn't be in keeping with attempts to preserve the street scene with a conservation area. Further, the risks involved with the construction - Victorian buildings like this were not built to modern structural standards and the work involved underneath the station building would entail quite high risks.The 'pinch point' at the top of the stairs was also a problem, as it would funnel users through a narrowed entrance and would be a hefty change for existing users of the station.

Acocks Green station - view of platform & car park

Option 2 would install a new crossing, with a lift tower rising from the car park just beyond the end of the existing stairs (shown to the right) and a footbridge across to a new tower on the platform, again just at the end of the existing stairs. There would also be a new walkway running out from the station building to join the car park tower allowing access from the road level.

The advantages of this is that it would not require closure of the station and the least possible disruption to passenger use. Effectively, much of the tower work is pre-fabricated and installed to the site as an item. There would be no effect on the street scene, as the only changes to the existing building would be to build a new exit out of the rear of the building to the lift tower. It would preserve the most attractive part of the station - the ticket office building and the platform level has already been updated with modern furniture, so the new additions would not be out of keeping with that part of the station.

Lift and footbridge at Canterbury West

These two pictures to the left show similar constructions already in use - but I would stress that this is for illustration only. No final design has been prepared.

Lifts and footbridge at Selly Oak station

Option 3 was actually the original proposal submitted back in 2007 and would require some fairly hefty reconstruction, with passengers entering the station as now through the street exits and all being directed to a new bridge walkway constructed on the rear of the building with a lift down to the platform at the end or a right turn down onto a new flight of uncovered stairs. Similarly, there would be new stairs built on the car park side, wrapped around a new lift tower. This would also require a long term closure of the station - for up to 14 weeks and would be dependent on line access as well. There would also be the same concerns about integrating with the existing Victorian build as with Option 1. Also, this option does not now have support from either Network Rail or London Midland.

The preferred option is the second one, with the new build directly onto the platforms. While the meeting was in agreement that this was the best of the three, there were a number of issues raised about the finish of the towers - should they be distinctive and modern, to demonstrate the best of how the Victorians built for rail and how we do it in 2012 or should an attempt be made to keep them in the same style as the current building? Should the bridges be open, enclosed or glazed, with the implications for cost and user safety? The current plans envisage either open or enclosed walkways, although we are assured that these will be 'winterised' to cope with bad weather.

The final design is yet to be prepared and I intend to ask the contractors to return to talk to us - probably at a Ward Committee meeting - prior to submitting a planning application. I've stressed that getting public support would be beneficial, as we are lucky enough to have a number of local groups that take a real interest in the development of our area.

The next steps is for CENTRO/Mott McDonald to submit this outline to Network Rail for approval, which should be completed by August 2012. The proposals will then be put out to competitive tender and the project should have a contractor and detailed plans prepared for submission to Birmingham City Council by around Spring 2013, with construction likely in late 2013 or early 2014. Work has to be completed by May 2014.

Whatever happens, I'll keep you up to speed on how things progress.

House of Play and Education celebration.

At the House of Play & Education award ceremony last week with Michael Sharman (HoPE), Saine Grandison - one of the successful course participants, Emma Payne from the Birmingham Play Care Network and myself. Really good to applaud a successful local project and look forward to working with them in the future

Policing Update

Just a quick update on the policing front in Acocks Green, following the latest round of resident's meetings. Incidentally, you can keep up to date on the local neighbourhood team's public engagements here.These meetings are your chance to sit down with the local officers in your immediate area and talk about the issues that affect you. Do try to get along to the next meeting near you.

The police report that while crime is generally down in Acocks Green, there have been a few issues. Car crime - mostly theft from motor vehicles - has spiked lately, but much of this relates to theft of numberplates and a spate of thefts of wing mirrors from the new Mini. The plates are used to clone cars for use in crime or for use in petrol station forecourt drive-offs.

The Mini mirror thefts are simply because the mirrors are relatively easy to remove and fetch a good price - the BMW original part apparently retails for £300 a time, so a few thefts can prove very profitable for the offenders. There was a burst of these thefts, but they seem to have stopped lately.

The police also advise of a problem affecting thefts of BMWs, where the thieves lie in wait and when the driver leaves the vehicle and locks it using the remote fob, they use specialist equipment to capture the signal and either jam it to prevent the vehicle locking or alternatively to clone it to allow the car to be unlocked later.

The village has also seen a number of attempted purse dippings, particularly affecting our older residents, with at least one attempt stopped because of the sharp eyes of a shop assistant. We've got a good shop radio network and they do pass information between stores and to the police, so the message is that if you come to Acocks Green, we've got our eyes on you.

In other good news, eleven drug warrants have been executed in recent weeks in Acocks Green, shutting down four cannabis factories and removing over 100 fully-grown plants. Two people have been arrested in relation to offences relating to the supply of cannabis. In one, they found some outbuildings converted to a factory. The police say that where the producers used to use large properties or even factory units to produce cannabis on an industrial scale, they are now using multiple smaller locations to protect their crop against police activity.

The police need your help - these warrants all arose out of community information and they ask that you keep your eyes and nose open. Signs include permanently closed upstairs curtains, a strong smell of cannabis, excessive condensation, strange patterns of activity or people moving unusual equipment in, often at odd hours. If you see anything suspicious, you can either let the police know directly or call - anonymously - Crimestoppers on 0800 555 1111.

More generally, the police have offered some general crime prevention advice - make sure that you keep windows closed and back doors locked. The most recent burglary in this area was through an open window. In this current hot weather, if you must keep a window open, make sure that it is a high one and well away from a flat roof or drainpipes. As always, don't leave items on display - make sure that you even remove the satnav holder from the car, as thieves will break into vehicles assuming that the satnav itself is hidden in the glove compartment.

Protect your local police

This year, you will get the chance to vote for a police and crime commissioner. Perhaps the key question to ask the candidates is their attitude to this vital issue - will they privatise great chunks of our police service?

Planning Applications - to 19 May 2012

2012/03379/PA - 22 Bretton Road
Erection of single storey side and rear extension

2012/02070/PA - Rear of 100 Westley Road, Acocks Green Christian Centre
Continuation of use of 2 no. temporary portacabins for multi purpose use in reference to previous planning application 2008/01543/PA

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

What have I been up to?

Just to let you know what I've been doing over the past couple of weeks.

There's been a fair bit of councillor induction. The Tuesday morning after the election saw most of the councillors turning up to accept their office and 'swear in' before the Chief Executive, plus complete some of the basic administration - security passes, photographs for the website, etc. There's also been an induction programme for new councillors, covering council finance (an interesting session, but not because of the information passed to us, more about what wasn't said), the structure of council meetings, childrens' services, the constitution and codes of conduct.

Last Thursday saw me at part of this induction, then straight back to a police tasking meeting, with Friday bringing a brief lunchtime event at the launch of the new Solihull Heights apartment complex on the Coventry Road and then councillors' surgery in the evening at Archbishop Ilsley school. Saturday brought the first part of the Labour Group AGM and Sunday morning saw me on Noor TV, debating the Queen's Speech with John Hemming.

Monday was busy - Yardley Labour Group pre-meeting in advance of the constituency/district committee meeting planned for the 24 May (but now cancelled), then a return to the council house to sort out my CRB form, more induction training and then part two of the Labour Group AGM.

Tuesday saw some IT setup being done. While councillors are entitled to a laptop, printer and wireless card, I've chosen to cut costs by using my own laptop and I have only taken the printer and the council Blackberry mobile phone.

Tuesday evening I was down at St Mary's for the Housing Liaison Board meeting and Wednesday had the final part of the induction training and then back to Acocks Green for Ward Advisory Board, where we considered a tranche of applications for the Community Chest funding. All around this, I've been picking up casework by phone and email, working on fixing problems and getting back to constituents.

Next week sees the City Council AGM on Tuesday, a couple of community events on Wednesday and a meeting as a school governor on Thursday, but that diary is subject to change...

Planning Applications - to 12 May 2012

Just the one:

2012/03214/PA - 51 Hazelwood Road
Erection of two storey side and rear extension

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

Planning applications - to 5 May 2012

2012/03014/PA - 60 Tynedale Road, Tyseley
Erection of first floor rear extension and front porch

2012/02780/PA - 27 Westfield Road, Acocks Green

Erection of first floor rear extension and single storey rear extension


2012/02298/PA - 49-51 Shirley Road (Knightsbridge Care Home)

Variation of Condition C7 attached to PA No 2008/02086/PA to allow for an increase in occupancy from 50 to 85 persons at any one time

2012/02651/PA - 240 School Road, Hall Green
Erection of conservatory

2012/02653/PA - 1160 Warwick Road, Acocks Green
Display of 1 non-illuminated fascia and 1 non-illuminated projecting signage

2012/02055/PA - 112 Yardley Road, Acocks Green

Change of use from previous care service unit (use class A2) to one bedroom dwelling (use class C3).

2012/01813/PA - 10 Easton Grove

Erection of single storey detached bungalow in rear/side garden

2012/02525/PA - 164 Shirley Road

Erection of two storey side and first floor rear extension.

2012/02222/PA - 176 School Road, Hall Green (SCHOOL RD CONSERVATION AREA)
Erection of rear first and second floor extension

A bit of catching up on this regular post. I'll keep this up to date now.

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Neighbourhood Police Residents' Meeting

Thursday 10 May
7pm - 8pm

Baptist Church, corner of Yardley Road / Alexander Road

A chance to meet the local policing team, talk through any issues or concerns and feed your views into the tasking process.

Across the finishing line.

Last night (or strictly speaking, this morning) was a great victory for Labour in Acocks Green and a personal triumph for me, after many years of trying to win the seat. I'm proud, honoured and genuinely humbled to have won the trust of the people of Acocks Green - on the night that Labour won the trust of the people of Birmingham and gained 20 seats in one night, as well as winning all those that we were defending.

However, these things are not the work of a single person - every candidate has a whole load of people working with him or her, without which the work would simply not be possible. Leading the way was Cllr Stewart Stacey, an experienced councillor who won the seat back last year and has led the campaign over the past few years, organising and planning. With him, I had Chris Dalton, my agent, and a small core of dedicated and hardworking campaigners who have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver the result. We've had local members, supporters, friends, family and anybody else we could drag in to lend a hand.

Yesterday was a bit worrying - the rain failed to clear as forecast and stuck around throughout the afternoon and became very heavy in the evening. We were forced off the doorsteps and onto an assortment of hastily assembled landline and mobile phones to call supporters and voters to remind them that they only had a few hours to get out and vote. Historically, rain is supposed to affect the Labour vote more than any other party and  I suspect that this was the case in Acocks Green this year. Certainly, over the course of the late afternoon, I was not a good person to be around - we had done so much work that I knew that we were in contention, despite a very strong and well-funded Liberal Democrat fightback, and I feared that the rain might scupper my chances.

Even at the count, I don't think either us or the Liberal Democrats knew which way it was going to be resolved - our calculations veered between a 250 Labour majority and one of 50 for the Liberal Democrats. As each box was opened and we carried out our sampling, it was clear that it was very close and the outcome really wasn't clear until the last part of the process.

Spare a thought for the counting and polling staff, who do a vital job for all of us - it is an essential part of the democratic process and the deputy returning officer and his team did their usual, professional job last night.

I also want to spare a word for Roger Harmer and his team. Contrary to popular opinion, political opponents don't have to have personal emnity - it has always been one of the pleasures of Acocks Green that things aren't personal. I respect Roger for his skill and experience and I know that his departure leaves some big shoes to fill.

Thanks to the voters of Acocks Green for putting their trust in me. We will face some difficult times in Birmingham over the coming years, but we will tackle them with Labour principles guiding us. .

Here's the result in full:

John O'Shea (Labour) 2170
Roger Harmer (Liberal Democrat) 1993
Chris Whitehouse (UKIP) 269
Joe Edginton (Conservative) 247
Amanda Baker (Green Party) 168
Stella Taylor (BNP) 166
Ben Rubery (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 58
Alan Ware (SDP) 15

Turnout was low - around the 25% mark, doubtless depressed by the weather.

The overall result for the City Council is

Labour - 77 seats (+20)
Conservative - 28 seats (-11)
Liberal Democrat - 15 seats (-9)

That puts Labour firmly in majority control of the council for the first time in eight years.

Bringing out the big guns in support

Sion SImon, John O'Shea, Waseem Zaffar and the team

Liam Byrne, John O'Shea, Lu O'Shea and Chris Dalton

I've been really lucky to have the support of a number of high profile campaigners and MPs over the course of this campaign. Today, we were out on the Gospel estate with Liam Byrne, MP for Hodge Hill, member of the shadow cabinet and potential candidate for Birmingham mayor (if the voters support the idea tomorrow. Last week, Sion Simon, who has run a fine campaign over the past couple of years to push the idea of an elected mayor for Birmingham, joined the fray on a very wet evening. And before that, Shabana Mahmood, MP for Ladywood, came down to help find more Labour voters.

John O'Shea and Shabana Mahmood

Thanks to all of them - and to those who have been on the campaign trail with me. I'll write up a fuller list of thanks later on (Cllr Stacey and Chris Dalton, my agent, are at the top of the list). Whatever happens tomorrow, it has been great working with all of you.

We've had a great time out on the doorstep and the phones, talking to voters - talking to real people about their problems and their worries and explaining what Labour want to do to make Birmingham better. Tomorrow, it will be over to those people to decide who represents Acocks Green - will it be the Liberal Democrat who has voted with the Tories since he was elected in 2008 or the local candidate who promises that Birmingham will be better with Labour?

Clegg's man or YOUR man - that's the choice.

What's happening at Acocks Green Station? We aren't allowed to know.

There's a nice picture of the Lib Dem candidate on his leaflet, standing outside Acocks Green Station with Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He must be being shown the station that is at risk of having the ticket office opening hours cut. Apparently the Secretary of State for Transport - sits with Vince at the cabinet table - has agreed some changes requested by London Midland. While we know that the original plan cut the opening hours - and thus the staff - at our popular station, we aren't allowed to know the decision that has been pending for months, even though it has apparently been taken.

You may also have seen the headline in the Birmingham Post that Acocks Green booking office is at risk from complete closure as a result of government plans to 'rationalise' the rail network ticketing process. This will also result in staff cuts and could make our station less safe for travellers. This is a separate threat to the station service and we won't know if the office is to be closed for a while yet.

Given how well-used the station is, I find it hard to understand why the excellent staff who look after it and keep an eye on what happens there are being threatened with redundancy. Shouldn't we be keeping them on to encourage use of the station?

Not on my turf

Just a couple of examples of graffiti that has sprung up in Acocks Green recently - I can only guess at the words behind APL, but the swastika makes the meaning clear.

I reported it last week and it was cleared well within 24 hours. Top marks to the graffiti clearance team. Just another benefit of me living on the patch....

Also on the radar was a fallen branch from a street tree on Dolphin Lane, a result of Sunday's high winds. Cllr Stacey had that cleared quickly, allowing the homeowner to get out of their drive again. It looks like some work will be required to the tree to make it safe, but the immediate problem has been solved.

Never forget you have a choice.

Remember this from 2010? It proved sadly prescient. 

In the last 13 weeks of the Labour government, we added £15 billion to the economy, driving it to recovery. Since then, the recovery has flatlined. 

In the last 637 days of the Tory government, they have struggled to add £5 billion. 

In the seven quarters since Osborne took the helm of the economy, aided by the useful idiot Danny Alexander, the economy has gone backwards in four. The fantasy of an export-led recovery, as seen in Canada in the 1990s has been exposed as the pipe-dream it always was.

However, the problem isn't the technical recession - I can assure you that out there in the real world, it has felt like a recession for a long time. Perhaps even recession isn't the right word - we're just bouncing along the bottom. I'd expect a pickup over the summer, but not by much and ongoing sluggish growth and contraction.

As I noted here, the recovery - such as it is - has taken longer than in any recession on record, including that in the 1930s. A far better qualified economist than me, the Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, makes exactly this point - that this was a choice not enforced upon us by the bond markets or the European Central Bank and adds a warning:

The defense I hear from Cameron apologists is that the austerity mostly hasn’t even hit yet. But that’s really not much of a defense. Remember, the austerity was supposed to work by inspiring confidence; where’s the confidence? Basically, the expansionary aspect should already have kicked in; it’s all contraction from here. 

The private sector has not stepped up to the plate to replace the contracted state - and there are lots more cuts to come. 

The fact is, this is a depression manufactured in Downing Street by an utterly incompetent government. They try to shift the blame onto the Eurozone, ignoring the fact that up to 2010, the Eurozone and UK recoveries were tracking nicely together. After the May election, they diverged as the UK recovery stalled. 

The figures hide the fact that it is ordinary people and families that are suffering in this depression. I'm certainly not celebrating this awful news. 

However, we need to remember that in 2010, people had a choice about which road we would follow. 

You have a choice again on May 3. 


Time to change direction.

Where Labour leads...

Just a reminder that it isn't only on the campaign to save the police station in Yardley where Labour leads the way. You may recall that when the station was threatened, the Liberal Democrats ran a survey, but Labour took action and brought the key police authority finance chair down to the site to discuss it with him directly.

The same applies to the funding for Acocks Green station announced last year to improve access to the platforms for those relying on wheels. It was back in 2007 in an earlier campaign that I raised this with Roger Horton, then the vice chair of CENTRO and after that, Acocks Green was added to the list for work to be done under the scheme launched by Labour.

We may not see the fruits until 2014, but sometimes these things do take time.

Women and families hit hardest by Lib Dem/Tory cuts

Women are the heart of our family and society, but they have been hit hardest by savage cuts imposed by this Tory/Lib Dem government. And the Lib Dem MP for Yardley has supported the cuts all the way, calling them ‘necessary.’

Labour supported women and families – we doubled child care places, we doubled maternity pay, we toughened laws on domestic violence and removed discrimination from the pensions system. Labour showed that there is a different way – a better way.


With 96,000 more women out of work than in May 2010 - over 3000 of them in Birmingham, the figure is the highest in decades. Two thirds of public sector workers are women. They are the hardest hit by the 400,000 jobs cut from public services - jobs that often fitted in with families, school runs and term-time. 32,000 women have given up work as they can't afford childcare. The changes to tax credits have made over 1000 families poorer in Yardley alone - affecting over 2000 children, while the Liberal Democrats give £14,000 tax cuts to millionaires.

Labour thinks this is wrong. 

Estelle Morris back in Yardley

We had a really good day with a series of doorstep sessions across Yardley on Saturday and were delighted to have Estelle Morris join us. She's still held in very high esteem in the constituency, despite having stood down as the MP in 2005 - she is much missed by many and is always a popular figure on the doorsteps.

We're even picking up new members and helpers as a result of our campaigning in Acocks Green.

2300 West Midlands Police jobs face the axe

Under Labour, crime fell every year.

The Liberal Democrats promised 3000 new police officers. 

Instead, they are cutting 16,000 nationwide. 

West Midlands Police are being forced to make deep cuts by this government. A thousand jobs have already gone and more are at risk. These cuts cost us experienced officers with decades of vital crime-fighting knowledge.

Speaking for ordinary officers, the Police Federation said, 

“We have no doubt that cuts to police budgets will lead to more crime.”

In 2011, over a thousand years of police experience was forcibly retired. 


At the time, DC Tony Fisher said,

"I use the analogy, West Midlands Police are being a bit like the Villa, going down and very quickly... You can even see now the front-line policing is affected, burglary detection rates, robbery detection rates are down, robberies and burglaries are going up and to be honest it's been quite soul destroying to see these changes."

Does it seem fair that officers in the West Midlands are being forced out of work - and then asked to come back as volunteer Special Constables?

The Liberal Democrats and the Tories on the West Midlands Police Authority supported the moves towards privatising parts of the service - moves opposed by the Labour Group.

Some great photos of Acocks Green...

Can be found here.Some parts haven't changed in layout much in over half a century - others, more so!

Welcome to Acocks Green

This poster has appeared on the Yardley Road, just by the border into the ward.

There's only one party that cares. 

Campaigning Against the Granny Tax

Good to be out there, defending our pensioners against paying extra tax to allow the government to cut tax for millionaires.

Sadly, the elected member of parliament doesn't seem to mind hitting the pensioners in the pocket.

Runners and Riders

So we now know who will be the candidates on May 3....

Eight to watch:

Amanda Baker - Green
Joe Edginton - Conservative
Roger Harmer - Liberal Democrat
John O'Shea - Labour
Ben Rubery - Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts
Stella Taylor - British Nationalist Party
Alan Ware - Social Democratic Party
Chris Whitehouse - UKIP

I think that makes us the ward with the widest choice - although this really is down to a two horse race. If you want to see who else is nominated, there's the full 40 ward listing here.

Cameron's NHS Betrayal

An excellent party election broadcast from Robert Winston. Quietly devastating.

Planning Applications to 24 March 2012

2012/01418/PA - 28 Augusta Road
Change of use from a single dwelling to 2 no. self contained flats

2012/01950/PA - 13 Westfield Road
Retention of boundary wall and 2 no. pillars to front

2012/01942/PA - 8 Netley Grove
Erection of two storey side and rear and single storey rear extension

You can find out more details of each application on the council website here.

On the campaign trail

Last week, we took advantage of the good weather to get out and about and knock on some doors on the Stockfield estate. It was particularly good to have the excellent Steve Bassam (@stevethequip on Twitter), leader of the Labour Lords, along to lend a hand and he was certainly quick to dash up and down the paths, shaking hands and digging out the potential voters.

As is common, we found voters furious at the Lib Dems for their post-election behaviour - 'Never again' is a very common refrain.

We'll be out and about across the ward in the run up to election day, so do stop and say hello, even if we aren't knocking on your door.

Acocks Green Library

Let's be clear about the situation with Acocks Green Library. It is a key community facility and all those of us who live here are lucky to have such a well-used building - my family have always used it.

The Liberal Democrat/Conservative council in Birmingham have developed a 'revised operating model' for libraries in Birmingham that would see key sites like Acocks Green and South Yardley allocated enough money to open for 40 hours a week (usually 4 weekdays and a Saturday, with one late night). That would be reduction from the current 5 weekdays and Saturday model in Acocks Green, which requires 50 hours to service.

At last week's Constituency Committee, the Liberal Democrats forced through a decision to use Community Chest funding to pay for the additional ten hours required to make up the difference - but only for six months. Labour wanted this decision taken locally at the next ward committee meeting in May - just as the Liberal Democrats did in Sheldon this month, with a chance to consult with you, the electorate.

FACT: As things stand at the moment, in autumn 2012, Acocks Green library will face a cut of ten hours. 

This coming year, Yardley constituency faces other cuts of roughly £1 million, plus £312,000 of cuts that the Liberal Democrats failed to make this year, plus repaying an end of year overspend - currently forecast to be £454,000 - and also overspend from 2010-11, also under Liberal Democrat control.

They failed to identify any areas of spending that will face the axe after the elections, despite repeated attempts by me to get them to tell the electorate in advance where the cuts would be made. They don't want us to know - they just want to kick the can down the road past the elections.

All this comes against the background of unfair cuts imposed upon Birmingham by the Tories and their Liberal Democrat cronies - each of us faces cuts of £164 per person. Wokingham faces cuts of just £20 per person. The West Midlands are cutting police officers - Surrey are hiring more. Is that fair?

Why won't the Liberal Democrats stand up for Birmingham?

Labour promise to do so. Within days of winning power in Birmingham, Labour will ask all the political parties to support a demand for Birmingham's fair share.

You decide - Mayoral Referendum Booklet

With a hat tip to Neil Elkes, here's a link to the booklet shortly to be landing on doorsteps across Birmingham.

Diary Date - Yardley Constituency Committee

Tonight, we've got the final Constituency Committee before the elections and money figures large on the agenda. The main items are:

• 2011-12 Q3 Budget monitoring report (Oct-Dec 2011)
• 2012-13 Revenue Budget
• Surplus properties in Yardley and how they are to be disposed of
• Community Chest Applications - S Yardley; Stechford & Yardley North; All ward applications

At the end of December, the constituency was expecting to overspend by a whopping £454,000 this year and the only steps suggested to minimise that are that the officers and chair will stringently control budget expenditure and carefully manage vacancies, temporary staff and redeployment. Which you would rather think would be standard practice, rather than a last minute panic measure. Added to that is the constituency's failure to achieve £312,000 in savings, with no measures in place to achieve those figures. Part of the £1 million savings has already been achieved through a series of one-off measures - using up unspent Working Neighbourhoods Fund and deferring payments of deficits built up in earlier years are one-off methods that were tried at city level as well.

Should be an interesting meeting.

Acocks Green Police Station Open Day

As always, good to see around our local police station. The Fire Service from Hay Mills were there, along with the traffic bikes, a van from the Operational Support Unit and a dog handler. You could even have a go on the laser speed gun, tracking the cars moving along Yardley Road - fortunately, all within the limit.

The cuts continue to bite, however, as the dog section will lose 14% of its manpower and the traffic department has already lost 35% of the assigned officers.

Planning Applications to 17 March 2012

2012/01811/PA - Land rear of Nos 419-423 Shirley Road
Erection of 3 no. dwellings

These would be three new houses forming a small terrace that would actually front onto Marie Drive, as they would be built on the end of the gardens of the above three properties. Each house is three bedroomed, with an en-suite bedroom and a study in the roofspace. Although these are being built on the gardens of the Shirley Road houses, they will have independent access to Marie Drive.

2012/01709/PA - 93 Hazelwood Road, Acocks Green
Erection of two storey front and single storey rear extension.

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

Planning applications to 10 March 2012

2012/01611/PA - 247 Douglas Road
Erection of single storey rear extension. Erection of single storey rear extension

2012/01528/PA - 136 Yardley Road
Change of use of part of ground floor from retail (Use Class A1) to a 1 bedroom flat (Use Class C3)

2012/00843/PA - 30 Station Road
Change of use from retail shop (Class A1) to childrens day nursery (Class D1)

2012/01595/PA - 904-906 Warwick Road
Conversion of 1st and 2nd floors to 4 self-contained 1-bed flats, installation of dormer to rear of No. 904,
erection of single storey extension to rear of No. 906 and installation of new shop fronts and roller shutters.
This relates to a shop building on the slip road between Stockfield Road and Warwick Road.

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here and details on planning usage classes here.

For information:
A1 - Shops - Shops, retail warehouses, hairdressers, undertakers, travel and ticket agencies, post offices (but not sorting offices), pet shops, sandwich bars, showrooms, domestic hire shops, dry cleaners, funeral directors and internet cafes.

C3 - Dwellinghouses

D1 - Non-residential institutions - Clinics, health centres, crèches, day nurseries, day centres, schools, art galleries (other than for sale or hire), museums, libraries, halls, places of worship, church halls, law court. Non residential education and training centres.

Latest unemployment figures - hurting, but not working

270,000 public sector jobs were lost in 2011 - a huge number of people affected across the country. Independent observers of employment trends seem to think that unemployment will continue to rise this year, with no likelihood of it starting to fall back until the start of 2013. In Yardley, unemployment has risen slightly year on year, up 0.3% to 7.3% or 4820 people. That breaks down to 10.3% of men and 4.4% of women claiming JSA - not a full count of unemployment, but the most accurate figures available. These are the worst national figures in 17 years.

As Liam Byrne pointed out this week, we've also seen a return to the 1980s as one in ten young people in this city - over 16,000 of those aged 18-24 are currently claiming JSA. As a city blessed with a good supply of young people, not having work for them is a prime concern for Labour, which is why we've got a plan for jobs that would fund 100,000 jobs for young people across the country and provide 25,000 affordable homes.

Sadly, this government continues to fetishise austerity and cuts, risking a downward spiral. Even within the government, they admit that 'there is still something important missing; a compelling vision of where the country is heading' (Vince Cable, 8 Feb 2012).

Labour has been clear from the start - the deficit will be closed by a mixture of spending cuts and growth. That's why we planned slower reductions in public spending. That's why we created an agenda for growth.

The Liberal Democrat/Conservative government have got it horrendously wrong for the past two years and we're all paying the price.

Tory/Lib Dem government make it tougher for working families in Yardley

Thanks to the Tory/Liberal Democrat government, 850 low income families in this constituency would actually be better off if they left their jobs and went onto benefits.

Working Tax Credit is currently paid to those who work at least 16 hours a week, but from April that will be raised to 24 hours, with one member having to work at least 16 hours. This means that a two child family with one member working for 16 hours a week on the minimum wage - hardly a life of luxury - will face a whopping cut in income of £73 a week, £14 less than they would get on benefits.

The Liberal Democrats are feeling satisfied with themselves because they plan to raise the income tax threshold - but not yet - and put £60 a month back into your pocket. That's a drop in the ocean compared to the £292 a month some families will lose within a few days.

We should be encouraging people into work - even for a few hours a week - not punishing them.

At the other end of the scale, we have them restricting aspiration by taking away child benefit for those who have a single earner on 40% tax, so families with a single earner on £44,000 annual income lose out, but families with two earners on £41,000 each can bring in £82,000 and keep the child benefit. That is simply unfair.

Thanks

Despite the rain last week, we had a good turnout for the next big leaflet delivery - a thumping A3 size double issue. Thanks to all those who came over to this outpost of Labour in Birmingham. If anyone else fancies helping out with the remaining delivery rounds - you will typically need about an hour to an hour and a half to complete a round - please get in touch. We do have a handful left to distribute. Even if you can just do your road, that would be appreciated.

May 3 is now only a few weeks away and we're pushing hard to repeat last year's success. It won't be easy and it shouldn't be, but following on from Stewart's great win last year, we've got a chance of repeating it this year and sending a real message to the Liberal Democrats in local and national government.

Let's keep Sell Out Clegg looking sad.

Acocks Green Ward Committee - 7 March 2012

This week’s ward committee was a relatively quiet affair and also the last one before the elections in May.

On the agenda was a briefing from the Education team about plans to expand The Oaklands school to provide an additional primary class to cope with expected increase in demand from September 2013. They are working to a tight timetable, as construction work will be required to make the school fit for a modern, two form entry and this will need local consultation and planning permission. Cllr Stacey pointed out that the school governing body have yet to agree to this expansion and have only approved that the City Council study the feasibility at their own risk.

On planning, there was little of controversy. The original application to change the use of the former pub on the

Warwick Road

(just by the rail bridge) to a car dealership was turned down because the applicants failed to provide some additional technical details. These have now been provided in the form of another application. There was some discussion about the property to be constructed at the rear of 122 Westley Road and while there was some concern about this setting a precedent for other back gardens along the same strip, it was also pointed out that this might not be sufficient reason to block it in planning law terms.

The Community Chest spending was approved, as well as some continuation funds for the John Gayle football project, which has been a long term success in the ward and is currently looking for grant aid to provide ongoing support for a great scheme.

The only other thing was a note for future agenda to discuss access to the Leisure Centre from the public footpath between Fox Hollies Road and

Shirley Road

, which has been closed for some time now. This has been raised on Restirred and I will keep an eye on it. I can see no reason why access should not be restored – but this won’t come up until after the election in May.

As ever, watch this space.

Love maps? You want this link.

I love old maps and this site is a mine of information of maps of all kinds and ages. Even just looking at Birmingham, you can trace the expansion of the city and see as it draws in bits of the surrounding counties. A truly brilliant use of the web. (HT to @mrrobinmorley)

Library cuts bite

Changes are afoot in Birmingham's library system. The news for Acocks Green is that because our library is so popular in the community, it is secured as one of the primary libraries around the city and will be assured of funding for 40 hours opening time each week. The actual breakdown of those hours is a matter for the constituency to decide, but it is likely to be five days including Saturday and one late night, which is a disappointing reduction on the current six-day opening.

It is possible that further funding may be found from the Community Chest to restore the lost day, but that's still to be decided. Perhaps this is a question worth asking - should £10,000 of the ward's allocation be spent here on or on other projects? Which has the most value to you as a resident? Let me know.

Across the city, library hours have been cut by 13.7%, but worryingly, the library staff in the constituency libraries (excluding Central) have been cut back by 27% since 2010.

Planning Applications to 5 March 2012

2012/01135/PA - Ground Floor, 1119A Warwick Road
Change of use of ground floor from amusement centre to retail shop.

2012/00932/PA - 77 Oxford Road
Erection of two storey side extension and single storey rear extension

2012/01197/PA - 71 Woodford Green
Erection of single storey rear extension

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

Planning Applications to 18 February 2012

2012/00020/PA - 122 Westley Road
Erection of 1no. 3 bedroom detached dwelling house

2012/00979/PA - 96 Olton Boulevard East
Erection of single storey side and rear extensions

2012/01059/PA - 30 Summer Road

Erection of single storey rear extension and conservatory

Unemployment in Yardley & the economy

Despite a poor outlook across the rest of the city, Yardley constituency saw a welcome slight month on month drop in unemployment - 113 people have stopped claiming Job Seekers Allowance, a percentage drop of 0.6%. I wonder whether this has anything to do with the imminent opening of the Tesco store at the Swan (Monday 20th)? Year on year, the figures continue to rise - up 2.4% on January 2011.

Women are being particularly badly hit, as claimant numbers have climbed by 7.1% since January 2011, while men have remained broadly static with a 0.1% increase - although that means that 10% of the men in Yardley are claiming JSA.

Yesterday we saw the government's hike in VAT work itself out of the inflation figures, but that still remains high and is outstripping wage increases, meaning that your wages are worth less than they were. One of the credit agencies has put the UK government on notice that our treasured AAA rating is now at risk and George Osborne claims - with a straight face - that this is a vindication of his economic policies. Just as he claimed that when the agencies took the UK off-risk, it was a vindication of his policies. This is, of course, a political issue rather than a practical fiscal one - neither the US nor France have seen rises in the cost of borrowing as a result of losing their AAA ratings and there is no reason to think that the UK would be any different.

Even if we can't find the money for tax cuts from public spending savings, we could add it to the deficit and it is not going to send the markets into a tizzy, I don't think anyone really believes that. The markets will not go haywire if there was a modest loosening in borrowing in the short run if it was for the right reason.

It is becoming increasingly clear that we have been on the wrong track for two years with this government. Growth is the single most important element of reducing the deficit and closing the gap between government income and spending. Osborne's blind faith in austerity will lead us into the same spiral that has afflicted Ireland. It doesn't work and ordinary people end up as the collateral damage in a policy that has failed and was always likely to fail. That's a Tory MP, by the way, David Ruffley.

Planning Applications to 11 February 2012

2012/00822/PA - 909-911 Warwick Road, Acocks Green
Change of use from public house (Use Class A4) to car sales business (Use Class Sui Generis)
A4 is "drinking establishments". "Sui Generis" are uses that fall outside any other class of usage and stand on their own. This again relates to the old 'Britannia' pub opposite Stockfield Road.

2012/00667/PA - National Express West Midlands bus garage, Fox Hollies Road
Installation of solar panels to bus depot roof
Solar panel installations don't usually require planning permission for domestic properties, but they always do for commercial buildings. This is quite a hefty installation - 200 panels totalling 49 kW and taking full advantage of the Feed in tariff scheme.

Gritting Map

Mappa Mercia Gritting Map

A useful reference - this Mappa Mercia map shows the routes that are gritted and their priority level. I've taken a snap showing the ward, but it is best seen on the full site above.

• Red - High priority
• Dark blue - Medium priority
• Pale blue - Low priority

There's a handy fact sheet here on the whys, wherefores and limitations of grit.

The gritters will be out again tonight, covering 700 miles of roads across the city, which takes the fleet of trucks about 3-4 hours to complete. City Centre pavements - and some in Sutton Coldfield - are also gritted around 4am. If you are on Twitter, #wmgrit will keep you up to speed with progress and there's some good advice here on driving in winter weather. Be careful!

Planning Applications to 4 February 2012

Just a single application this week.

2012/00444/PA - 38 Flint Green Road
Erection of single storey rear extension

Full Council - 7 Feb 2012

You can find a video record of this week's matinee performance here.

Of particular interest is the Liberal Democrat motion on the promised increase in tax thresholds. In the original form, the wording actually supported a tax increase by reducing these thresholds - something I wrote about here. Cllr Eustace's speech is particularly interesting, as it rambles over a range of issues and only occasionally makes passing contact with tax. While I agree with increasing the take home pay of some of the lowest paid in the economy, I hold that there are better and more efficient ways of doing it, as increasing the tax threshold actually benefits the wealthier more than it does the lower paid. It also has no effect on many pensioners, those working part-time or the very poorest, as they are already beneath the tax threshold and don't pay a penny. I wrote in greater depth on it on the other place.

During that, Cllr Reg Corns (Con) makes sound points - about job insecurity and that payday loan firms like Wonga.com are "the biggest enemy of the ordinary working man." These firms do charge terrifyingly high rates of interest - well over 1000% APR is common. Curiously, one of the investors in Wonga.com is not only a major donor to the Conservative Party (£500,000 in the past five years), but also came up with a plan to allow employers to sack workers without any fear of unfair dismissal action, despite a complete lack of evidence that this would make any difference to firms.

Cold weather payments triggered for Acocks Green

The first cold weather payment of this winter should be in the accounts of eligible claimants within 14 days. There's no need to claim it - if you are eligible, you should receive the extra £25 regardless.

Those eligible are those on the following benefits:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support*
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance*
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)**

*Income Support and income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

If you receive Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you will get Cold Weather Payments if you also have any of the following:

• a disability or pensioner premium included in your benefit
• a child who is disabled
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• a child under five living with you 

**Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If you get Income-related ESA, you will usually receive Cold Weather Payments if you also have any of the following:

• the support or work-related component of ESA
• a severe or enhanced disability premium included in your benefit
• a pensioner premium included in your benefit
• a child who is disabled
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• a child under five living with you

You can find more information here.

Planning Applications to 28 January 2012

Two weeks to work through - the Birmingham City Council website was very flaky last week. 


2012/00230/PA - 33 Fox Green Crescent
Erection of replacement single storey rear extension


2012/00241/PA - 1 Sherbourne Drive

Erection of new sun-room replacing existing rear conservatory


2012/00120/PA - Yarnfield Primary School, Yarnfield Road
Erection of 4 no. additional playing apparatus - low level adventure playground and fitness equipment. 


2012/00411/PA - 120 Tavistock Road
Erection of single storey rear extension


You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

Diary - Yardley Constituency Committee

Thursday 26th January
6.30pm at South Yardley Library - Yardley Constituency Committee

Agenda items other than the usual include

• Verbal presentation on the debt advice team
• Integrated community safety tasking framework
• Amey consultation on their five year programme for the roads
• Report on s106 agreements across the constituency (s106 is a legal agreement between the local authority and a developer which requires the developer to do something. There is a large s106 planning obligation which attaches to the Tesco Swan development, which allocates a pot of money to enhance the playing fields adjacent to it, although thanks to the Liberal Democrats and the Tories, there's less than was originally agreed)
• Community Chest applications for South Yardley and allocations for all 4 wards

Diary - Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum - 7.30pm tonight

Tuesday 24th January
7.30pm at the Baptist Community Hall, Yardley Road (corner of Alexander Road) - Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum public meeting with the tempting offer of refreshments.

A representative from Birmingham City Council's Waste Management team will be present to talk about the changes in bin collections over recent weeks. I know this has caused some confusion around the ward, so come along and find out what's happened.

The local police will also be present to listen to any concerns.

Acocks Green Police Station Update

Talking to Cllr Jones about the police station

I'm delighted that we have an ongoing commitment from the Police Authority to a policing presence in Acocks Green. This morning, I had a brief street meeting with members of the local community, Cllr Stewart Stacey and Cllr Bob Jones, the chair of the West Midlands Police Authority Finance and Resources Committee to discuss the future of the Edwardian police station in Acocks Green. A report in the Birmingham Mail this week said that Acocks Green police station - along with Steelhouse Lane and Erdington - could be under threat of closure. Despite the dramatic headline, that isn't quite the story.

Cllr Jones, me (windswept) and Cllr Stacey

 Unsurprisingly, this has caused some considerable concern in the community and Cllr Stacey and I thought it was right to arrange a quick, informal meeting of interested parties to understand what lies ahead and how we can influence the decisions.

The Finance and Resources Committee has submitted a report to the full Police Authority for approval. At this stage, it only authorises further work to examine options. Cllr Jones was quite clear that no decision has been taken at this stage and in any case, the spending isn't planned in until 2014-15.

It is possible that the station will move to a different, central, high profile location within the ward - possibly co-located with another public service - and the site opened up for development as housing. There is no site proposed for relocation and it is hard to see where one could be found that would meet the demands of being central.

That is an option where we would need to be alert to the preservation of a striking building that exemplifies the Victorian/Edwardian attitude to the importance of public services. It sits in the middle of a proposed conservation area, which illustrates the growth of suburban Birmingham around the rail network. In fact, if you look at the coat of arms just below the roofline, you can see a badge emblazoned with the Worcestershire pears. The station was built as part of an unsuccessful campaign by Worcestershire council to win hearts and minds and keep the Yardley area within their county - there's a similar former police station on the Coventry Road that has now been converted to a pub and also bears a similar shield.

Around the corner on Alexander Road is a fine example of how these buildings can be preserved. The tiny fire station was surplus to requirements in the 1980s and was initially scheduled for demolition to provide additional space in the police yard. Cllr Stacey was just on the planning committee at that point and recalls that they rejected that plan, so the building is now converted for use as an architect's practice - preserving the street scene and an historic building.

 It is also open to the service to refurbish the existing site, which is too large for their planned requirements, and seek additional tenants for the unused space - perhaps an NHS commissioning group or other suitable tenant could take up part of the site.

This is an issue that will remain on the political radar for some time to come and I was really pleased to get assurances from Cllr Jones that the future of the police in Acocks Green is specifically assured - we just now need to secure the future of this building.

Planning Applications to 14 Jan 2012

Late getting to this - hectic week.

2012/00295/PA - 24 Westfield Road, Acocks Green

Removal of existing side extension and erection of single storey rear and side extension

2011/08659/PA - 136 Yardley Road, Acocks Green

Change of use from retail shop (A1) to 2 no self contained flats (C3)

Acocks Green Ward Committee - 11 January 2012

Just a brief meeting last night and only a few members of the public present. Planning proved interesting, with much discussion of the Asda proposal for the Eaton site at the top of the ward - there will be a substantial objection as this will break up a large chunk of industrial land and the transport connections are grossly inadequate for a development of that size in that location. It was also suggested that Asda be extended the courtesy of an invitation to the next Ward Committee on the 7 March at Oaklands School to present on their proposals, assuming that it hasn't come to Planning Committee before then.

A couple of other applications were discussed in some detail - the proposal for the car sales lot on the Warwick Road on the pub site and a change of use for a shop on Yardley Road beside the Baptist Church. These were chiefly on design issues, not wholehearted opposition. Cllr Stacey suggested that the shop change of use might be an ideal time to have the frontage restored to fit in with the proposed conservation area and also to request that the car lot is landscaped and has removed trees restored.

Other than that, positions on the Business Improvement District board, the board of a local housing trust and the community funding board were allocated to the councillors, with the Liberal Democrat majority ensuring that they hold the important BID seat.

Racist graffiti reported

While out and about on Sunday, I spotted some offensive racist graffiti in Botteville Road. It has been reported to the council for removal and should be gone within a day or so. I will check that it has been cleaned off.

If you need to report something like this, you can do it online through this page of the council website.

Planning Applications to 7 Jan 2012

2012/00020/PA - 122 Westley Road
Erection of 1no. 3 bedroom detached dwelling house
This is proposed to replace an existing garage and garden store backing onto Ilsley Drive.

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here.

At last - the smart card comes to the local buses

It may only be small steps at the moment and only available on a handful of services in Solihull, but the Midlansd equivalent of the London Oyster travel card looks to be on its way. The Rotala Signature card will be road tested on the S2, S2A, S3, S4, 30 and 82 services in Solihull and will allow a cash-free payment method for bus fares, bringing an end to that desperate search for change that characterises bus usage for those who haven't invested in a pass. It will even be slightly cheaper than paying in cash.

A tip of the hat to The Birmingham Press, who have the full story here. We just need to see this rolled out across the CENTRO area as soon as possible.

Planning Applications - 3 January

Happy New Year to everyone - an interesting year ahead. Just three applications to kick off with.


2011/08546/PA - 42 Flint Green Road, Acocks Green

Change of use from dwelling house (Use Class C3) to offices (Use Class B1).

Information on the planning classes can be found here.


2011/08168/PA - 10 Stonehaven Grove, Hall Green
Erection of two storey side extension


2011/08614/PA - 23 Studland Road, Hall Green

Erection of single storey rear extension.

Planning Applications - 19 December

Just one now until the New Year.

2011/08254/PA - 87 Hollyhock Road, Acocks Green, B27 7SU
Erection of two storey side and single storey rear extensions and forward porch extension.

Planning Applications Received

2011/06519/PA - 904-906 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6QG

Conversion of 1st and 2nd floors to 4 self-contained flats, installation of dormer to rear of No. 904, erection of single storey extension to rear of No. 906 and installation of new shop fronts and roller shutters. This relates to shops on the slip road between Stockfield Road and the Warwick Road. 


2011/08182/PA - MEM Site Reddings Lane / Olton Boulevard West / Formans Road / Battery Way, Tyseley, B11 3EZ
This is the Asda application mentioned a little while back.


2011/07747/PA - 909-911 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B11 2ER

Change of use from public house - formerly the Britannia - (Use Class A4) to car sales business (Use Class Sui Generis).

Unemployment update

The most recent figures for Acocks Green have showed a worsening against last month and the year on year figures. 1215 people are now claiming unemployment benefit in the ward - 10.8% of the economically active population. That's up 33 on this time last year and 15 on last month's figures. It sits below the Birmingham figure, but well above the national average.

Birmingham continues to have the worst record of the other core cities, with a claimant rate of 12.5%, which compares poorly to 6.7% across the Midlands and 5.4% across the UK.

This doesn't show the full picture, as it relates only to those claiming unemployment benefit, but the outlook is very worrying given the continued problems with the economy.

A million to lift you up (and down) in Acocks Green

I'm delighted to see that CENTRO have finally secured funding to improve access to Acocks Green - the busiest station on the local network without disabled/pushchair access to the platforms. It may take until 2014 to complete the work, but at least it means that those disabled spaces on one side of the station, separated by a few yards and stairs or a very long push from the actual platform, will be accessible. There's £1 million of funding coming to fit lifts to the station as part of the Department for Transport's Railways for All scheme, which was launched under the last Labour government and is planned to run until 2015. This was something that I discussed with the then CENTRO lead member back in 2008, so it is great that things have finally moved forward.

The station is great for access to the City - you can be in the heart of Birmingham in a little over five minutes - so I hope that these changes will mean that even more people will use the station to travel.