Planning Applications to 1 Dec 2012

And a bit more calm this week with just two. 

2012/07652/PA - 71 Arden Road
Erection of single storey rear extension

2012/07868/PA - 19 Fox Green Crescent
Erection of two storey side and rear extension and single storey rear and forward extensions. 

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 24 November 2012

A Christmas planning rush!

2012/07043/PA - 1073 Warwick Road
Change of use of first and second floor from dwelling use (C3) to beauty salon (Sui Generis).
'Sui generis' classes are those that don't fit into the usual range of classes listed here.

2012/07688/PA - The Oaklands Primary School, Dolphin Lane
Erection of two storey extension to accommodate 6 no. classrooms and associated external works (this is to allow the expansion of the school to cope with the increase in school age children. 

2012/07821/PA - 1091 Warwick Road
Erection of conservatory to front & single storey rear extension, installation of staircase to rear

2012/07754/PA - 122 Westley Road (land at rear)
Erection of 1 no. 3 bedroom detached dwelling house

2012/07692/PA - 56 Mayfield Road, Tyseley
Erection of 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.

Snaglist

Odds and ends to be fixed:

Overton Road, Warwick Road, Severne Road, Francis Road
Failed or faulty lighting columns to be fixed

Acocks Green
Two Christmas lighting panels to be repaired.

Oxford Road
Damaged illuminated bollard to be refixed.

Warwick Road/Tyseley Lane
Severn Trent access cover clanking whenever drivers pass over. Sounds like nothing, but this is a busy road and the closest neighbours are being kept awake with the noise. I'm on the case with Amey who recently resurfaced the road.

Olton Boulevard East
Tree pruning ongoing here - this is completing work that should have been done in the Spring. It has largely been done, but will be finished soon. I'm keeping an eye on this one.

Warwick Road, Shirley Road bus shelter, Acocks Green School - Westley Road
Offensive graffiti and it all looks to have been done by the same aerosol warrior who has done it elsewhere. Now removed.

On with the lights

And a week after the city centre lights went on - complete with camels and the Lord Mayor in a sleigh - Acocks Green switched on its lights, with Black Country comic Lizzie Wiggins doing the honours.

Christmas really does seem to get earlier every year.

There are some more pictures over at the Acocks Green Focus Group.

The Farmers' Market seemed to be back up close to strength this month after a quiet October.

Diary Date - Yardley District Committee - 22 Nov

Yardley District Committee
Thursday 22 November 2012
2pm - Committee Room 1, Council House

Key items of interest (check the agenda below for full list):

• Adult education service
• Housing repairs performance report
• Revenue budget monitoring (April to October)
• Birmingham Development Plan - consultation on growth options
• Update from Amey

This is a public meeting and the chair has the option to allow members of the public to speak. Sadly, this meeting isn't going to be streamed on the web as we've yet to get the committee rooms set up to do that. Hopefully that will not be the case in the near future. 

Planning Applications to 17 November 2012

Another week with just a single application - possibly more controversial

2012/07602/PA - 17 Shirley Road

Change of use from vacant unit to amusement arcade (use class sui generis)

'Sui generis' classes are those that don't fit into the usual range of classes listed here.


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.

Police & Crime Commissioner results - Yardley

For those interested, here are the figures for Birmingham Yardley's four wards. Labour won all four, with the LibDems pushed back into fourth place in both Acocks Green and - shockingly - their fortress of Sheldon. This can't be good news for either their councillors or the current MP, John Hemming.

Acocks Green
Bennett (Con)         222      10.9%
Etheridge (UKIP)   112       5.5%
Hannon (Ind)          314      15.4%
Jones (Lab)            936       46.0%
Khan (LD)             206       10.2%
Rumble (Ind)          90         4.4%
Webley (Ind)          152       7.5%

Spoilt                      57         2.7% of all votes cast (incl invalid)
Turnout                               10.2%

South Yardley
Bennett (Con)         257     10.7%
Etheridge (UKIP)   137      5.7%
Hannon (Ind)          261      10.9%
Jones (Lab)            1009     42.2%
Khan (LD)             503       21.0%
Rumble (Ind)          89         3.7%
Webley (Ind)          136       5.7%


Spoilt                      77         3.1% of all votes cast (incl invalid)
Turnout                               11.6%

Stechford and Yardley North
Bennett (Con)         209      11.1%      
Etheridge (UKIP)   193       10.3%
Hannon (Ind)          261       12.3%
Jones (Lab)            667       35.5%
Khan (LD)             332       17.7%
Rumble (Ind)          89         4.7%
Webley (Ind)          157       8.4%


Spoilt                      48         2.5% of all votes cast (incl invalid)
Turnout                               10.4%

Sheldon
Bennett (Con)        254      15.8%
Etheridge (UKIP)   150      9.3%
Hannon (Ind)          326      20.3%
Jones (Lab)            427      26.6%
Khan (LD)             234      14.6%
Rumble (Ind)          98        6.1%
Webley (Ind)         119       7.4%


Spoilt                      41        2.5% of all votes cast (incl invalid)
Turnout                               10.0%

Yardley Constituency
Bennett (Con)         942     11.9%
Etheridge (UKIP)   592      7.5%
Hannon (Ind)          1133    14.3%
Jones (Lab)            3039     38.4%
Khan (LD)             1277     16.1%
Rumble (Ind)          90         4.6%
Webley (Ind)          152       7.1%

Spoilt                      223       2.7% of all votes cast (incl invalid)
Turnout                               10.6%

And so the white smoke did rise from the ICC...

The West Midlands elected its first Police and Crime Commissioner and it has got a good one. Bob's got a great deal of experience dealing with the police, but he's also a decent, down to earth person and there was nobody else on the list who - despite my party allegiance - came anywhere close to being up to his standards.

He's got a tough job ahead of him, though - he's now the Head of Blame for crime in the West Midlands. Never mind that the biggest chunk of his budget comes from the Home Office - the police precept that we pay with our council tax only makes up 14% of the total spent on policing in the West Midlands and would have had to rise in total by over 40% last year to cover the cuts imposed by central government. From now on, though, the government will have a defence to criticism - they will point to your Police & Crime Commissioner as the person to hold to account.

The election itself saw a record low turnout, which the Prime Minister blamed on the public 

the turnout was always going to be low, when you're electing a new post for the first time

Oddly, the people of London weren't used to voting for a mayor in 2000, but 34% of them turned out. In Stoke in 2002, 24% of the electorate made it to the polls for their inaugural mayoral election and  28% of the people of Bristol turned out this Thursday to vote for their first mayor. A national turnout of 15% indicates something is seriously wrong with the policy that has led us to this. Even Conor Burns, Conservative MP in Bournemouth, was moved to tweet that he now regrets voting for the bill - although this may not be unrelated to the fact that a Bournemouth Tory councillor failed to win the post there in what seems to have been a particularly ill-tempered campaign with mudslinging aplenty. (FullFact have a series of graphs detailing turnouts here)

Every election brings a handful of ballot papers spoilt with insults to the candidates or the process, but only a handful (the candidates and the agents get to see all of them). I've never seen so many ballot papers spoilt with such clear opposition to this policy - people brought pre-prepared stickers detailing their objections or just scrawled across the paper comments opposing the politicisation of the police, the cost or even just noting that they couldn't decide because they didn't have enough information about the candidates.

This election has been an unmitigated policy disaster - a normal day at the office for this government. From the timing of the election - the cold, dark days of November do not encourage voters to trudge up dark alleyways to find polling stations, to the decision not to fund the same mailout to electors provided for all parliamentary and European elections, to the expensive error that meant emergency legislation had to be pushed through parliament to allow ballot papers in Wales to be printed in both English and Welsh, to a complete failure to explain why these posts were even necessary and even to the point that they were not made to fit in with the normal election timetable in May, just speaks of the appalling mismanagement of the implementation of a policy that the public showed absolutely no appetite for. £125 million has been poured down this drain.

I'm not sure we can draw an awful lot of firm conclusions from such a low turnout and so many additional parties in the form of independents. Indeed, in the Midlands, Cath Hannon fought an excellent campaign, even running neck and neck in Sutton Coldfield with the Tory candidate, Matt Bennett, a great achievement given the challenge of running any sort of campaign across 28 parliamentary constituencies, something that stretched even the organised parties. The Liberal Democrats, with just two candidates in the region (the other being in Gloucestershire) did see their vote slump - putting Ayoub Khan down in sixth place out of seven. Until the Birmingham vote came in, he was in serious danger of losing his deposit and he lost the Yardley vote by a crushing margin, took a beating in Solihull (both currently Liberal Democrat parliamentary seats with a solid base of Liberal Democrat councillors) and in Coventry, more people actually preferred to spoil their ballot papers than vote Liberal Democrats. The uncharitable would suggest that voting Lib Dem is actually a waste of a ballot paper in any case.

It is always possible that these posts may prove to be rampantly successful. I doubt it very much. I hope that Labour will commit to scrapping them at the first opportunity and replacing them with an effective system of local governance of the police. Ironically, the model of governance deemed unsuitable for policing has been accepted as perfectly adequate for the regional bodies designed to drive economic development and growth - the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

I wish Bob every success - he'll be a fine PCC for the West Midlands. I also hope he will be the last.

Planning Applications to 10th Nov 2012

Just a single item this week - probably uncontroversial enough.

2012/06607/PA - NatWest, 1160 Warwick Road
Display of 1 no. internally illuminated ATM surround

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.

Today is PCC Election Day - Vote for Bob Jones #bob4pcc

I'm not a fan of the Police and Crime Commissioner as a concept, but I do know that after today we will have one for the West Midlands, so I want the best person for that job.

Bob Jones is unquestionably the one with the most experience in holding the Chief Constable to account - he knows how the system works and appreciates the importance of the role. He's up to the job and he'll be my choice when I vote today.

The ballot paper may be new to you - don't forget that you need to make a mark next to Bob's name in the FIRST column. Only marking the second column will invalidate the vote. If you happen to make a mistake, do ask the polling station clerks for a replacement paper and return your original one to them.

Central Birmingham Carers' Event

For all carers living in Central Birmingham

Meet your local social work team

Tuesday 27th November 2012

Norman Power Centre

Skipton Road

Ladywood B16 8JJ

10:30am until 2.00pm

Birmingham Carer’s Association, in partnership with Birmingham City Council, are hosting a new type of carers event where you will be able to

Talk to council staff about some of the services they provide.
Get feedback on the ‘Commissioning Strategy for Carers to 2026’ consultation that took place between March and June 2012.
Meet members of your social work team, including senior managers.

You are welcome to drop-in at a time that suits you or stay for the
whole event.

Stalls  include:

• Birmingham Telecare Service, a service that enables people to live independently through the use of technology

• Customer Care and Citizen Involvement Team - how the complaints process works

• Commissioning Strategy for Carers to 2026

• Fairer Charging

• The Enablement service

• Demonstration of our new website: www.mycareinbirmingham.org.uk

Refreshments

Tea and coffee will be provided.

For more information please call the Birmingham Carer’s Association on 0121 675 8176

Lest we forget

Just two pictures from today's Remembrance Day ceremony in Birmingham, coinciding with the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

As always, it is touching to see the young and the old, the still serving and the retired, all gathered together to remember the sacrifices that are still being made today. For me, this isn't about approving of war, but about honouring those who have served this country - conscripts and volunteers alike - and have suffered for that service.

Even after decades away from a parade ground, the old soldiers still slip easily back into the rhythm - their backs stiffening as the parade NCO starts to issue a command and their shoes still hitting the paving in time. Amongst them, there are those currently in service and the young cadets who may yet join the armed forces.

It was also well attended by the public, with Broad Street blocked by the crowd, watching the ceremony. This year, we were blessed with a fine, crystal clear day with not a cloud in the sky.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. 

20s Plenty

This week, the Labour-run Birmingham City Council took a decision to develop a policy on creating 20mph zones in residential areas and around schools - building on the work being done by the Parliamentary Cycling Group and the Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability Overview & Scrutiny Committee. I spoke in favour of the Labour amendment to the motion and here's the original speech. 

Lord Mayor, I surprise myself today by speaking largely in support of a motion from the Liberal Democrats. Still, I suppose even a stopped clock is right twice a day – it is just a shame that they didn’t push this policy forward during the eight years that they were almost in power in Birmingham. This is actually a cross-party issue – 20mph zones were first introduced under a Conservative government no less, simplified by Labour in 1999 and have been expanded by councils of all political colours since.  This was discussed at a recent meeting of the Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Committee and I would urge that the cabinet wait to take that final report into consideration.

The arguments in favour of 20mph zones in residential areas are clear. Slower speeds mean more time to spot hazards and more time to stop safely. At 20mph, the risk of a fatal injury is just 2.5%, compared to 20% at 30mph. And we know that these zones work – the 1996 Transport Research Laboratory report saw a reduction of 60% in injury accidents and child injury accidents were cut by two thirds. Hull introduced these zones widely in the mid 1990s and saw fatal and serious injuries fall by 90%, with pedestrian casualties halving and child pedestrian injuries dropping by three quarters. The BMJ conducted a review over twenty years and showed a 40% cut in casualties and a halving of serious or fatal injuries to children – outstripping the reductions shown on other roads. This isn’t just about the emotional cost to the victims and families. Bear in mind that fatal accidents have a financial cost too  - a fatal accident is assessed at £1.7 million and even a minor crash is costed at £21,000. Warrington saw an 800% return on the investment in 20mph zones based on casualties avoided.

Again and again, the evidence shows that 20mph zones and limits work to reduce injuries and costs.

There are other powerful arguments in their favour too.

Reducing the dominance of the car in our neighbourhoods makes them better places to live – quieter and more attractive to cyclists and pedestrians. In Bristol, they found in these zones, walking increased by almost a quarter and cycling by a fifth. Again, this brings broader, measurable health benefits – every pound spent on these zones brought a return of £24 for walking and £7 for cycling. Road danger actually increases the number of car journeys and by making our roads safer, more people are prepared to walk, cycle and use public transport. By further reducing car journeys like this, our roads become safer still – creating a virtuous spiral.  This evidence has seen Liverpool PCT invest £665,000 in establishing 20 mph limits and Bristol PCT was also supportive in that city.

Some claim that these zones increase fuel consumption and while it is true that car engines are not as efficient at 20mph as they are at 30mph, I don’t see much enthusiasm for increasing the speed limit to 60mph to achieve maximum efficiency. In fact, the German experience is that 20mph zones – or their equivalent – are more efficient because they cut out hard acceleration that uses fuel and hard braking that wastes that energy. Indeed, they lead to a 12% fuel saving, which means a saving in carbon and particulate emissions.

However, Lord Mayor, my experience in trying to change behaviour in the field of energy efficiency and transport has shown that we need to carry the people with us. People have to want to change. We cannot just impose these measures across the city, but we need to consult fully with other stakeholders and – most importantly – with our residents, perhaps even united across party divide. I feel confident that if we put the hard evidence before the people of Birmingham, they will support these measures that will improve their neighbourhoods and protect lives. I urge the Council to support the Labour amendment to this motion.

.  

Thank you, Lord Mayor. 

Sources: 20s Plenty - Public Health Briefing; ROSPA

EDIT 14/11/12: Elsewhere on the net, somebody suggested out that I didn't understand the difference between 20mph zones and 20mph limits. I do - my phrasing may have been wrong (shoot me for trying to avoid being too technical - this isn't a legally binding document and zone is a convenient word). There is a clear difference. 20 mph zones have additional measures to calm traffic - speed humps and the like, while limits are just that. When the policy is finally formulated, both may be on offer, but funding is likely to preclude 20mph zones except in very rare cases. In any case, consultation will take place and residents' support will be vital to establishing the limit area/zone. 

This is also not "anti-car" as some would have it - I'm a car driver, as well as a pedestrian, a cyclist and a user of public transport. I probably use the car too much and I'm trying to use it less. People will always have to call on a mix of transport modes - we need to accept that, but that doesn't stop us trying to create a permissive environment that encourages them to use less carbon-intensive transport.

This isn't about being anti-car, but pro-people.

Mini motos

One of the banes of many residents' lives in Acocks Green are a number of mini motorbikes unfortunately in the possession of a few riders without consideration for other road users and neighbours. I'm delighted to report that two have been taken away by the police in recent days - one on the Stockfield Estate and another from Gospel Farm Road. A fifteen-year old male will face driving offences in court.

Planning Applications to 3 Nov 2012

Things just ticking over - another couple this week.

2012/07416/PA - 93 Hazelwood Road
Installation of dropped kerb

2012/07271/PA - Land outside 5 Olton Boulevard East

Replacement and upgrade of existing public telephone kiosk combining public telephone and cash machine service


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.

Cottesbrook Junior School

You may have seen this story on the front page of the Birmingham Mail today - on BBC WM's Adrian Goldberg show this morning, the Drivetime show this afternoon and BBC Midlands Today this evening.

The school have refused to comment to the media and this has meant that there's a lot of disinformation flying around. I'll try to clear that up with some facts, but I should be clear that I'm supporting the majority view of the parents at this stage, but I will try to put the school's case as I remember it. 

The school is proposing to change their opening hours every Friday to close at 1pm, rather than the usual 3:20pm, starting as usual at 8:50. This is being consulted upon by the governing body with a view to the new hours starting in January. The school proposes to run a number of free after school clubs on the Friday afternoon to help those parents who are unable to collect their children at this time and they have suggested criteria for accessing this facility. 

The reason is that the school believe that this will make it easier to deliver PPA time for their staff. This is a legal requirement to allow teachers to carry out planning, preparation and assessment work and has been part of the education landscape for a few years now. It isn't, despite the shorthand used by some parts of the media, a chance for teachers to "catch up on paperwork" as if they are lazing around in the staff room. It is vital to the provision of good education. Schools provide that time away from the classroom through a number of methods - some employ a floating teacher to cover classes in turn, others use supply staff and some bring in external companies to deliver PE or other activities. 

Last night, there was a very well-attended meeting of parents, with about 100 people present. I attended, after a number of constituents had approached me with their concerns about it and I was struck by the dedication of those parents to the education of their children - their knowledge and their passion was impressive. There was only one parent there who spoke up in favour of the proposal - the vast majority of them were utterly opposed to the idea. 

A minor issue raised was the inconvenience of picking up their children at 1pm and working that time around jobs and collecting children from other schools, including Cottesbrook Infants across the road. For most parents, the main concern was that their pupils would be losing teaching hours. Over the course of a month, this comes close to a whole school day lost.When schools are focussed on attendance, this seems to send the wrong message to pupils and parents about the value of school time. 

The school claim that other schools adjudged excellent by OFSTED operate similar hours. One example cited was Ninestiles Academy, which does close at 2:15 on alternate Fridays, but the lost hours are made up across the remainder of the week - not something part of this proposal. In any case, merely saying that other excellent schools do this does not establish that this change actually brings excellence - I'd like some evidence to support this. 

Additionally, the school says that this means that the classes will have their usual class teacher with them for all the teaching week, rather than only part of it, citing the variable quality and sheer cost (over £60k) of supply teachers as an issue. The cost is a fair comment, but other schools do manage to deliver PPA time without this change. Further, they will still not have their class teacher - or any teacher - with them on Friday afternoons, whether they are at home or in school. 

I also have concerns about the after school clubs on Friday afternoons. They will be prioritised for those pupils whose parents are either in work or education, alongside pupils with special educational needs. What worries me is that pupils with unemployed parents could be excluded from these clubs and that also sends the wrong message about the value of people. 

This is all possible because last year, Michael Gove, in his infinite wisdom, gave schools the power to change the length of the school day, removed legal minima on the number of hours to be taught each week and also removed the regulations about consultation. The school governing body can take the decision and do not need to even consult the local authority. Gove did not remove the statutory requirement for schools top open for 380 half day sessions per year - usually delivered across the 190 days that most schools are open and at first sight, this scheme appears to reduce that number of sessions down to 357 this year and 342 in subsequent years. Some parents are certainly concerned that this may actually be unlawful as proposed - that's a key question that the school need to answer.

I can't stress enough - I absolutely support the aim of this school to deliver first-class education to their pupils, but I do not believe that this is the right route and nor do the parents to whom I have spoken, people who just want the best for their children. 

What do you think? Are the parents wrong? Does this work elsewhere?

Cottesbrook Infants (where I am a governor) has no plans to consider changing their hours to match. 

Green Waste Collections end for winter on Dec 7

Just a reminder to all those keen garden waste recyclers - the last green waste collections of the season will be made on your usual fortnightly cycle between the 26th November and 7 December.

They will restart on the cycle beginning the 25th February 2013.

Planning Applications to 27 October 2012

Just a couple of applications this week:

2012/07029/PA - Christadelphian Care Homes, 17 Sherbourne Road

Installation of 3 dormer windows and 4 velux roof lights to allow internal alterations to provide staff room, male/female changing/ and creation of a 2 bed flat

2012/07180/PA - 221 Dolphin Lane
Erection of 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.

Report - Yardley District Committee

A belated report back, I'm afraid. Our first meeting in the Council House, in the Chamber - moved at quite short notice in time and space. This perhaps didn't help with the number of members of the public attending - which I think amounted to four (although from memory, I'm not sure they could be called civilians). From next time, we should also have live web streaming available to spread visibility (perhaps we should allow interaction by Twitter....)

The minutes are now available on the Council website. To be honest, this meeting was still about setting up the parameters for the operation of the new district structure. In particular, the performance monitoring framework is still being established and we'll start to see that bear fruit over the coming months, along with an increased district focus on housing. It was noted that we don't need a complex report - essentially we should move to a system of reporting by exception, so we should expect detail on areas that are not achieving against agreed targets. We've also got the ongoing consultation into the future model for tenant involvement in neighbourhood management.

We're now also getting much more up to date financial data - no longer will it be three months behind reality, the aim is to provide it up to the end of the last month (not even quarter). Also, we've now got the financial 'savings' allocated out to each service area, rather than being grouped under a single, rather incomprehensible heading. We're still facing significant 'pressures' in this year, largely down to delays in introducing new operating models for various services, which have been the subject of 'Rapid Service Reviews' that have thus far proved to be as rapid as a dead snail nailed to the floor.

The other key issue raised was the District Convention, to which key stakeholders across Yardley will be invited, on the 10 November 2012 at South Yardley Library. This will review performance and then help create a direction for the future of the district.

The end of local government as we know it. And I don't feel fine.

"I'm the first to say we should have lower taxes and smaller government. And I'm the Chancellor who is cutting the size of Government faster than anyone in modern times. We're reducing the size of government, from almost 50% of our national income to 40%, in just five years"

George Osborne, 8 October 2012

Sir Albert Bore dominated the local and regional news headlines yesterday with a blunt and sobering message - thanks to decisions taken by the current national government and inaction by the previous council administration, the Labour council in Birmingham will be forced to cut back on services. Not slicing off bits and pieces here and there, but making fundamental decisions about which services we do - or do not - provide to our citizens. This is the reality of Osborne's ideological plans to cut the size of the state - it comes at a cost of services that we provide to you. 

Cllr Tim Cheetham (Lab, Barnsley MBC) wrote about this situation in an excellent article here, where he reminded us of the Barnet 'Graph of Doom' - a chastening piece of work which was done for that London borough, but seems to apply to virtually every council across the country. What it effectively means is that, given the path that this government has set, by around 2020/23, local governments will be funded to cover the costs only of adult and child social care. Nothing else will be affordable. As Tim writes,

The plain fact is that we have no fewer roads to mend, no fewer bins to empty, no fewer vulnerable adults to care for and no fewer children to safeguard. We have no less responsibility for any of the things the public have come to rely on the council to provide. In most cases we have more of these things

This massive shift will also mean that local authorities will be providing services for a minority of their residents and their voters. While just under half of the country uses a library and over a quarter use leisure services,only just over 10% of us use adult or children's services. This can't help but marginalise further these service users and reduce the value that others attach to the provision of that service. The government is, intentionally, trying to make local government less relevant to those that we represent. 

It has become apparent that this government will be imposing further cuts on Birmingham - more even than were known about by the last admininstration and some that are still to be confirmed, but are at the whim of Eric Pickles, the secretary of state at the Department of Communities and Local Government. There may be a further £50m of cuts to come - we don't know. We won't even be clear on the final settlement for 2013/14 until December or January.

Even the plan set out by the last administration, which assumed a 1.9% council tax rise in 2013, has been blown out of the water by their own Coalition government. Eric has effectively capped council tax rises at 1.66% next year, requiring a referendum for any increase greater than that. That move alone leaves a shortfall of £600,000 in next year's budget. The government are likely to fund an amount equivalent to 1% in council tax next year - as they did this year - but unlike 2011/12, the government 1% will be a one-off payment, with no lasting increase in the grant. 

Mike Whitby popped up on BBC Midlands Today to make his point that Albert was scaremongering and that this 'displays political cowardice and weak leadership.' Albert and the Cabinet, along with other Labour colleagues will be at the public consultations, unlike the previous administration, who shoved council officers out to defend their political decisions. 

Whatever people say about Sir Albert - and people say plenty of things - he knows how local government works more than perhaps anyone else I have ever met. He's been a councillor in Birmingham for 30 years, through the hard years when the chill winds of Thatcherism blew through council corridors. So, when he says that this is the worst he has ever known, you sit up and you listen. 

We have choices to make over the coming weeks and months and many of them will be unpleasant. I can promise you that Labour in Birmingham will work to protect the most vulnerable - we will throw our increasingly dented shield over them, as one of my colleagues put it. 

Planning Applications to 20 October 2012

Again, no planning applications to note last week, but one this week.

2012/07043/PA - Karen's Estate Agents, 1073 Warwick Road

Change of use of first and second floor from dwelling use (C3) to beauty salon (B1).


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.

Streetworks - Elton Grove - footway repairs

The length of Elton Grove from Fox Green Crescent to the end. Patch repairs will be carried out using asphalt as part of the 5 year upgrade of Birmingham's highways. This is expected to start during the week commencing 12 November and is expected to last for up to two weeks, being carried out between 7:30am and 5pm weekdays, with the possibility of Saturday work as well.

Access will be maintained to homes, but there may be times when it is temporarily restricted. When they are working on your stretch of footpath, please make sure that cars aren't parked alongside.

If you have any further queries, you can let me know or contact Amey directly on 0121 303 6644.

Halloween

If you - or a vulnerable neighbour - doesn't want to take part in Trick or Treating, why not put this in the window? Thanks to West Midlands Police for the image.

Action....

Work underway at the moment from my desk:

Knights Road
Street light column 1 damaged
This was hit by a vehicle on the 1 October and was cut down and replaced by the 3 October. It still needs to be connected up underground and this is scheduled to be done in the fortnight from the 29 October.

Briarfield Road
Street light column 1 failed
This repair should be completed within the next 8 days.

Shirley Road
Street light columns 40 and 40A failed
These are both near the junction with Oakhurst Road and opposite the shops beside the leisure centre. Again, this should be completed within the next 8 days.

Diary Date - Full Council

Full Council
Tuesday 16 October 2012 2pm
Chamber, Council House and live streamed here (with a link to the full agenda).

Key items from the agenda:

• Question time from the public & councillors
• Review of City Council constitution 
• Statement of Licensing Committee
• New ways of working within Overview & Scrutiny
• Motions for debate - one on Council Tax Benefit and one on proposals for tenant consultation

Planning Applications to 12 October 2012

No new applications, but this might be worth a look. 

2012/06960/PA - 8 Botteville Road (and rear of 4-6 and 8-12 Botteville Road)
This is a proposal to vary an application that has already been approved (2010/06541/PA), but the developer wants to build larger properties on this site 

Thoughts?

Report - Acocks Green Ward Committee

A slightly chilly meeting on Wednesday evening...

We had an officer from Trading Standards attend to talk about No Cold Calling Zones. We've had three areas designated across the city - in Sheldon, Sparkhill/Hall Green and Stechford. The law doesn't allow the City Council to actually ban traders from calling door to door, but this is aimed at tackling rogue traders and reducing distraction burglary. Typically, this is where a caller at the door keeps the homeowner occupied while an accomplice steals from elsewhere in the property and the typical victim profile is an 82 year old woman living on her own. Far too often, rogue doorstep tradespeople are checking out the house for a later visit. Even buying something with cash at the door can reveal that you keep cash in the house, roughly where you keep it and - something I didn't know - that you have a large quantity of cash in one place. Apparently, the notes take on a particular smell if kept together. These zones are targetted on areas where a high number of distraction burglaries are reported and they act as a deterrent. Initially, Trading Standards officers provide a response to individual incidents and ask doorstep callers to stay away - and most comply - but after a while, experience shows that the zones become self-enforcing as residents themselves get the confidence to turn callers away and 95% feel safer with a zone in place. With budget cuts, there are no plans at this stage to bring a zone to Acocks Green, but we'll keep an eye on the situation.

The meetings were agreed for the remainder of the coming year:

• 5 December 2012 - 7:30pm - Lakey Lane Primary School (time accommodates police meeting at 7pm)
• 20 Feb 2013 - 7pm - Severne JI School
• 17 Apr 2013 - 7pm - The Oaklands Primary School
• 29 May 2013 - 7pm - Venue TBC

Community Chest spending continues. We agreed funding for:

Acocks Green Means Business - £4500

This is a project to help 250 local people to develop self-employment opportunities and, hopefully, deliver about 20 business starts with 2-3 months of workshops and one-to-one advice. This has been an effective scheme in the past and has actually been able to draw down further funding from elsewhere, reducing the commitment from the ward.

Acocks Green Library temporary provision - £26,000

We've used some unspent money allocated to the library earlier in the year, a little new revenue spending and a chunk of capital spending to deliver on this - Labour weren't prepared to see the library close temporarily without alternative provision. 

Project Worker, Gospel Oak Community Centre - £3408

Youth Group - Gospel Oak Community Centre - £2817.50

We're supporting this scheme jointly with Hall Green. Although the centre is just outside our boundary, it serves a large community within the Gospel estate and I've been down to visit the team there and meet some of the young people in the youth group and I was impressed by what the team are trying to do. 

We do still have some funding remaining for the year, but there is an alternative source of support through the Acocks Green Community First funding stream, which provides match funding for sums between £250 and £2500. Have a look at the website here. 

We've also agreed to continue funding for the Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum.

Most of the planning applications mentioned in the agenda had already been decided, but we have an application for the land adjacent to the end of Grattidge Road at the Solihull side of the ward. This waste land is between the end of Grattidge Road and the back of what used to be a furniture store, but is now an indoor play area. There is already an existing planning approval on that entire site for redevelopment, but with the play area now in use, that looks unlikely to move to fruition, so the developer wants to build five detached houses on it. The councillors have heard different views on the matter - some residents are in favour, others opposed - if you have views, let me know. We also briefly discussed the flurry of applications for solid wall insulation on council property on the Yarnfield estate.

That largely wrapped up the meeting, although I will be writing a letter to express the community's concern about the ticket office closures that the government have now approved for many stations within London Midland's area, including all the stations that serve Acocks Green. The decision has been made, despite widespread opposition locally, but I will still express our dismay at this. I was also asked about progress on the Yardley Road issue.

With that all done and dusted, the meeting was closed and we'll reconvene in December. 

Street trees on Olton Boulevard East

Following complaints from residents about the tree growth in Olton Boulevard East, I arranged a site meeting  this week with Amey's trees officer and the local highway steward to discuss what has been done and what needs to be done. They have confirmed that pruning is urgently required to the street trees along the length from Victoria Road down to the junction with the Warwick Road/Gospel Lane. This should have been done, but was reported as complete thanks to an administrative error. It should be completed over the next four weeks or so - weather permitting. We also checked on a bush on the corner of Anson Grove, which has been reported as obstructing the view of drivers - this bush was actually the remains of a tree which should have been properly removed some time ago. It has now been hacked back and the stump will be removed in due course.

The trees along here will be pruned up to a height of about 6m and will have basal growth removed.

It was a particularly interesting meeting from the point of view of somebody whose gardening knowledge is limited, to say the least. The old policy of pollarding trees of a certain age has now been replaced by one where the overall tree shape will be maintained, but this is only carried out as required - probably every 15 years or so. Pollarding actually leads to more aggressive growth and leaf fall and attracts more aphids. More regular maintenance involves controlling the basal growth - the sprouting around the base of the trunk - and lifting the crown (which will be done to the trees on Olton Boulevard). This removes the lower levels of branches and twigs to give improved ground clearance. Trees will also be dealt with where they are threatening to damage property, but they are not pruned for light reasons or to improve television reception for properties behind the trees.

The Amey contract has also led to considerably greater clarity about what species of trees can be used on the highway and where they can be planted. Large central reservations will be planted with a range of trees, but traditional street trees will be restricted to a small number of species that are suitable. As it is contractual, it is also binding on developers, so trees that exhibit 'antisocial behaviour' in terms of other residents or road users can be properly controlled.

Yardley Road Repairs Update

Following complaints from residents about the condition of the road, I arranged a site meeting with a team from Amey on Yardley Road. This has been partly resurfaced, but the central section of the road (roughly from the rail bridge down to Cottesbrook Junior School entrance) has not yet been done. I walked the road length with the design and plans officer, the highway steward and an inspector to discuss what needs to be done. Again, the condition of the road has been raised by residents (and I'm only too well aware of it myself).

It was originally scheduled for repair under the rolling five year plan, but when I checked the new edition of this constantly updating document, Yardley Road had fallen out of the plan. This wasn't satisfactory, so I arranged to meet the team on-site.

The inspector has logged a number of urgent faults that will be rectified rapidly - they now do this with a handheld GPS device that instantly records what and where the fault is so that it can be scheduled with the repairs team. I did point out that some of the surface damage is actually quite a hazard to cyclists.

There is also a need to carry out more in-depth repairs to the road surface, to match the other two sections which have already been dealt with. Roads are prioritised for repair and surfacing works to ensure that the worst sections of carriageway are dealt with first and damage may not always be apparent to the naked eye. The photos indicate some obvious problems, but detailed inspection, including specialist testing equipment can reveal deeper problems. Fortunately, most of the problems with Yardley Road are actually surface-related.

This section was inspected during the summer and the planner will be checking that this inspection actually corresponds with the damage that he has seen, as that will affect the priority of the road. If that doesn't help, it will be put forward as part of the 'change programme' for addition to a future work plan. I'm hopeful that this will be dealt with by early 2013 at the latest, but I will keep pushing on this.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Ward Committee

Acocks Green Ward Committee
Wednesday 10 October 2012 7pm
Acocks Green Baptist Church, Alexander Road/Yardley Road

Items for the agenda:

• Trading Standards to attend to discuss no cold calling zones
• Community Chest applications
• Report back on Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum
• Planning Applications

You can find the full details here. 

Planning Applications to 6 October 2012

Again, no planning applications to note last week, but an interesting crop this week.. 

2012/06209/PA - 37 The Avenue
Erection of single storey rear extension

2012/06727/PA - 2, 4, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 34, 41, 49, 52, 61, 72, 88, 97, 99 and 101 Holcombe Road
2012/06726/PA - 320, 352 and 360 Olton Boulevard West
2012/06725/PA - 52, 54, 56, 60, 68, 70, 80, 82, 108, 114, 120, 122, 123, 124, 133, 134, 135, 144, 145, 147, 156, 161, 167 and 169 Sunningdale Road,
2012/06721/PA - 21, 22 and 28 Briarfield Road
2012/06720/PA - 29, 31, 35, 37, 39, 41, 57, 59, 63 and 67 Wetherfield Road,
2012/06724/PA - 24, 26 and 46 Onslow Road
2012/06722/PA - 16-18 Ferndene Road
2012/06723/PA - 8, 23 and 25 Fieldhead Road
Installation of external wall insulation on behalf of Birmingham City Council. 

This is excellent news for these residents. These properties don't have a cavity to be filled with insulation, so they leak heat, wasting their money. With this external wall insulation properly installed, they can expect to save £400 - £500 a year on their heating bills - an investment well worth making. Externally, the houses will look as though they have been covered with a sandy coloured render - it will just be deeper than you would normally expect. The residents will notice the difference rapidly - keeping the houses warmer in winter and cooler in summer. You can find out more information here.  

With the announcement of Carillion as our preferred provider for the Birmingham Energy Savers scheme, I hope we'll see more of this being done to insulate the older properties (typically pre-30s homes) around the ward. For those worried about the change in the street scene, it is also possible to internally insulate street-facing walls and externally insulate the remainder of the property. 

I'll be sure to invite them to a future ward committee meeting to discuss what they plan to offer, so watch this space. 

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.

Avoiding another Library LibDemLetDown

When I was elected in May and Stewart and I became the Labour majority on the Ward Committee, we were delighted to see that repairs were planned to the leaky roof of our library, long neglected. What shocked us was that no plans had been put in place for alternative facilities while the library was closed - a period of some twelve weeks.

Given that this is one of the most popular libraries in the city and at the heart of our community, we didn't think that this was satisfactory. It doesn't just offer books, it provides a home for the neighbourhood office and crucial access to IT. Yardley has a real problem with a growing digital divide - the uptake of internet access is behind the curve here, so we need the facilities that the library can offer. Under the Lib Dems, Sutton Coldfield and South Yardley library were left closed for months with no alternative facilities other than the nearest library. Stewart and I didn't think that was good enough, so over the past few months, we've been working hard on a temporary alternative site and working through a number of options, negotiating with suppliers and potential landlords to drive a hard bargain with our limited funds.

Once we've finalised the details, we'll be able to announce more, but it is planned to be very close to the library. It won't offer the full range of services that the current building does, but it will offer a limited book borrowing service and also access to IT. The rooms used are accessible for all and should allow a good service to be maintained.

Just another example of how Labour are determined to be different and determined to deliver.

2 wheels good...

Last Friday, a group of councillors joined a team of committed cyclists to have a ride around Birmingham (about 4 miles in total) to see how difficult it is to get around the city by bike. We only rode around the City Centre, but it was genuinely instructive. You can see more pictures here and here on Brownhills Bob's page, who ran across us by chance on Moor Street - a particular disaster area. I can't claim to be anything other than a leisure cyclist and occasional commuter.

While it was an all-party ride, the only non-Labour councillor was Dave Radcliffe, a Lib Dem. We were joined by cabinet members Steve Bedser and James McKay, scrutiny chairs Victoria Quinn and Lisa Trickett and fellow backbencher, Peter Griffiths. Very disappointing not to see any Tories there, but given the state of the roads, that's probably more out of embarrassment than anything else (although a couple did give their apologies...)

We saw some areas where cycling has been thought about, with on-street cycle lanes and reverse flow lanes against one-way traffic, but too many where it has been forgotten - or might yet be forgotten. The Hill Street/Hurst Street cycle lane is very heavily used, but we aren't clear what the future is when the New Street main entrance is relocated. Moor Street is a nightmare for two-wheeled travellers - millions have been spent on the highway, with no consideration at all for cyclists. I found that out when I came to cross it later that afternoon on the way home - navigating the traffic was a nightmare.

Acocks Green isn't well served in terms of great cycling routes to the City - we don't have the Rea Valley route that runs in from the south of the city and the canals aren't suitable for any serious numbers of cyclists. We have an opportunity with the Smarter Route scheme which will be coming to the Warwick Road over the next few years and I'll be making it my mission to get a good deal for all road users - pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and drivers.

Cycling is coming up at a forthcoming scrutiny committee meeting. So, I'd welcome your thoughts on it. :Looking to the future, how can we make Birmingham a cycling city? Do we surrender to the car or push on with making our roads safer? (I think we should encourage cycling for the health and environmental benefits, but I'd be happy to hear alternative arguments too) What would make you want to cycle or cycle more? Do we need more cycle routes? Better signage? Driver & cyclist education?

This link was sent to me and it does seem a pretty sound starting point.

Here are the core questions that we are considering

1. How can we encourage cycling in the city that is efficient and safe, getting people from A to B desirably and sustainably linking urban areas?

2. How can natural green corridors and walkways alongside road networks be best used to create a city cycle and/or pedestrian network? How has this been developed in other cities?

3. What are the resource implications of adapting current cycle routes and joining them up?

4. Which partners can help us to do this and what resources do we need?

5. Who is currently cycling? Who could be most easily encouraged into cycling? What are the barriers and opportunities to uptake by more people and between more places?

If you would like to comment directly, you can send your views to Baseema Begum in the Scrutiny Office at Birmingham City Council by phone on 0121 303 1668 or by email to baseema.begum@birmingham.gov.uk by the 5th October (or to me, if you want). There will be a public evidence gathering session 1300-1500 Friday 19th October in the Council House. 

Woodcock Lane and Yarnfield Road improvements well under way

Both of these important projects are now well under way. The Woodcock Lane improvements are designed to help slow traffic heading towards the bridge and to improve crossing facilities for residents in the flats, so that they can have easier and level access across the road using the new build-outs.

Yarnfield Road is now one-way from Walden Road to the junction with Briarfield and works are well under way to calm that short stretch of road and make it safer for children attending Yarnfield School.

Diary Date - Yardley District Committee

Yardley District Committee
Thursday 27 September 2012
2:30pm - Council Chamber, Council House

Key items of interest (check the agenda below for full list):

• Revenue budget monitoring to August 2012
• Report on devolution of housing services
• District committee performance framework
• District convention

This is a public meeting and the chair has the option to allow members of the public to speak. 

Full agenda and paperwork here.