Council Meeting - 12 June 2012

For the record, here's the text of my maiden speech (unchecked against delivery):

"I shall be brief, although I may take more than my usual 140 characters today.
It appears that the coalition that we endured for eight years has staggered on into opposition and despite two electoral thumpings, it just won’t die – it has become something of a zombie coalition, stumbling around searching for brains.

However, Lord Mayor, the serious issue is whether this Labour council should continue these policies and some figures were cited to advance that argument.

Certainly, the past few months have shown some improvement, but let us consider the record of the previous administration and their partners, the government.

Lord Mayor, the members opposite criticised the former Labour government for their handling of the economy through a global crisis.

I will remind you that when the Labour government left office in 2010, the national economy was growing and unemployment was falling again, as it was in Birmingham, where in May 2010, we had 47,950 people claiming JobSeekers Allowance.

Too many, Lord Mayor, far too many.

But now, we are being asked to celebrate the fact that thanks to two years of economic incompetence by the Tories and Liberal Democrats at national level and lack of response at local level, May 2012 saw 50,239 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance. And when we look at the detail, we find that Birmingham has the highest percentage of young people out of work of any of the core cities and that women have been disproportionately affected by the policies of this government. 

The people of Birmingham know this, Lord Mayor, which is why they have rejected the coalition opposite in their thousands. They have voted for change and I am proud to be one of Labour’s 20 new councillors elected as a result this year.

We must make Birmingham the Enterprise Capital of this country. We must build upon the diversity of economic and cultural life in this city – our manufacturers, our retail, financial and professional services and we must work to encourage the new drivers in the economy, the life sciences, green technology and the digital creative industries.

Lord Mayor, it falls to Labour to work through the wreckage left behind by the previous failed administration and without a supportive government, to try to deliver the jobs and prosperity that the people of this City have a right to expect. 

Lord Mayor, I urge the council to support the amendment to this motion."

Aside from me, three other new councillors made their maiden speeches - Lisa Trickett, Phil Davis and an excellent opening speech from Cllr Mariam Khan, who at the tender age of 21 skilfully put the long-serving Peter Douglas Osborne properly back in his box, after he condemned the Connexions service because after they closed, they had a misspelled sign on the front door. 

Electric vehicle charging post for Station Road car park?

Charging point in Margaret Street

Hopefully we'll soon see a couple of these charging points installed in the Station Road car park (behind Argos and Wilkinsons) to support the growth of electric vehicles in the city.

While take up hasn't been exactly dramatic so far, there is certainly a place for electric cars in our future - they are ideal for so many routine journeys, but range remains a problem.

If you'd like an overview of models currently available, then this site is well worth a look. Some models attract up to £5000 in grant support from the government under a scheme set out by Labour and fortunately continued by this coalition, but that still makes them rather expensive.

As always, if you have views, let me know.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Farmers' Market & Fun Day Sat 16 June

It used to be all fields round here and while we can't bring that back, we can at least bring you the taste of the country.

This coming weekend will see the inaugural Acocks Green Farmers Market & Summer Fun Day. Lots of hard work has gone into delivering this from Sandy and the Acocks Green Village BID team, so do try to get along.

It is being staged on the slip road on the Warwick Road opposite Holy Souls Church.

Further markets are planned for every third Saturday of the month. These have been a great success when held elsewhere across the city, so please do support your local village!

And if the prospect of mouthwatering food isn't quite enough - how about entertainment from King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys? 
Events kick off from 9am and the market will be there until 4pm.

This promises to be unmissable....

Streetworks Update - Greswolde Park Road Footpaths

As part of Amey's ongoing refurbishment of the City's road network, the pavements in Greswolde Park Road are to be resurfaced. This work is due to take place in the week starting the 22 June and planned to take about two weeks, with work scheduled during normal daylight hours 7:30-17:00, with Saturday working a possibility. 


Access to properties may be restricted from time to time while the work is being carried out, but residents should be able to get to and from their properties. The contractors do ask that when they are working on your section of footpath that you don't park on the road outside your home.


If this is going to cause any resident problems, they need to get in touch with the contractors on 0121 303 6644. 


If there are any houses in the road without a dropped kerb to allow access to off street parking, there is a special deal whereby this can be installed for just £150 - a significant saving over the normal cost. This applies for a crossing covering up to 3m of footpath from the kerb line to your property. If you wish to have this done, you need to contact the City Council helpline on 0121 303 6644 before the resurfacing work starts - so don't delay. 


Dropped kerbs can only be installed where there is a hardstanding area to the garden or where planning permission has already been obtained. Planning permission must be obtained for all hardstanding areas and you need to contact the planning office on 0121 303 1115 to discuss this. 


There are reasons why kerbs cannot be dropped:

• If there are trees/utility boxes or manhole covers/street lights/cables in the way
• If the depth of the garden from the rear of the public footpath to the building is less than 4.75m
• Crossings cannot be installed on a bend, at traffic lights or on a road junction.

Also worth pointing out that the current planned highways works programme is being reviewed at the moment - I should have the new version within a few weeks. 

Diary Date - Full Council - 2pm Tuesday 12 June

Off to the Council House again this Tuesday for the first full council meeting under the new administration.

The agenda has been published and aside from the usual matters, we can look forward to a revamped Question Time, including the first session where members of the public can put forward their own questions to the Leader and the Cabinet, providing they are submitted in writing either by email or post before noon on the 11 June. There are a few rules about the questions - they can't be vexatious or libellous, they must relate to matters that fall within the business of the City Council, they can't be repeated within six months and they mustn't relate to personal planning or licensing cases. If you fancy putting a question to the new leaders of Birmingham, you can send it by email to council.team@birmingham.gov.uk and you could be asking the questions on Tuesday. By the way - you have to be available at 2pm on Tuesday to ask your question as well!

I like this - it is demonstrating a real willingness to open the council up to public scrutiny. A number of other authorities do this around the country and I'm pleased that Labour are leading the way in Birmingham. Question time as a whole has been increased in length, to allow for questions to the executive members and to ensure that they are held to account properly and not relying on the stage managed annual report, which never offered an opportunity to seriously challenge the cabinet members.

We've also saved money by cutting out the meal break from the meeting and it should all be done and dusted in four hours rather than the usual six.

Other agenda items include a report on customer services, the future of the Civic function (relating to the functions of the Lord Mayor) and a couple of motions for debate.

You can find the details here.

Acocks Green in Bloom - in the rain

Not even driving rain stops the workers

Last Sunday, a small group of die hards assembled, despite the celebratory Jubilee Bank Holiday pouring rain, to make a start on the Warwick Road central reservation in advance of the entry for Britain in Bloom and the Farmers' Market next week.

Fancy joining us again at 10am this Sunday? Watch out for the reflective jackets around the Green.

Planning Applications to 2 June 2012

Just the one again (none last week)

2012/03596/PA - Archibishop Ilsley Technology College & Sixth Form Centre, Victoria Road

Erection of single storey office extension and external covered walkway


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.

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.