Bins and snow update

Just a brief update on where we are with bin collections in Acocks Green. The crews have cleared all black sacks due for collection. There may be some dry recyclate (plastics and paper) out there, but that is mostly on rounds further towards Kings Heath. There are some outstanding patches of green waste bags that need to be collected and those should be done on Monday, weather permitting.

I'll post any more information as I get it.

Acocks Green Police News

Latest news from the police in Acocks Green on recent crime.

We had ten thefts from motor vehicles, down nine month on month and down two year on year. Two were thefts from insecure vehicles, one was the theft of a spare wheel from underneath a van parked on Sainsburys' car park, five were thefts of number plates and one was a case of petrol siphoning.

There were two robberies - the same as last month and this time last year. One was the theft of a mobile phone from a teenager on Alexander Road and the other was robbery from a cigarette delivery van outside a shop on Shirley Road. We also had two cases of theft from the person, one of which was a distraction theft in a pub in Acocks Green. Please be aware that there seems to be a small spate of this sort of non-violent theft across the constituency as it has been reported at more than one meeting. There was also the theft of a mobile phone by a cycling thief on Fox Hollies Park. Please be careful - don't have your mobiles on display and be aware of who is around you.

Last month saw eight burglaries - two down on the previous month, but three up on the same month last year. These were across the ward, including Sorrell Drive, Mayfield Road, Broomhall Crescent, Woodberry Road and Victoria Road. A couple of these were down to insecure front doors and two saw cases of 'lock snapping', where a specialist tool is used to allow the lock to be forced open. Three of the burglaries took place at night, but five happened in the daytime - so do remember to keep doors and windows secure.

Planning Applications to 9 March 2013

Normal service resumed with just a single application

2013/00071/PA - Aldi Foodstore, Warwick Road
Installation of new full height shopfront to front elevation and new rendered finish to existing brickwork panels.

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.

Licensing Applications 14 Feb - 7 Mar

Just one of interest to the ward and that's a premises license application from Fox Hollies News 4 U, 305 Fox Hollies Road to allow sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises during normal opening hours 7:30am to 11pm every day.

Planning Applications to 2 March 2013

Bit of a rush this week (sorry for the lack of posting this earlier in the week - been rather hectic)

2013/00643/PA - 61 Kilmorie Road
Erection of two storey side extension and single storey front and rear extensions

2013/00728/PA - 20 Dudley Park Road
Erection of 3 storey detached block utilising roof space to provide 7 assisted living flats (Use Class C3)

2013/01184/PA - 58 Olton Croft
Erection of single storey rear extension and creation of patio area

2013/00474/PA - 132 Yardley Road
Installation of a footway crossing (dropped kerb)

2013/01198/PA - 93 Hazelwood Road
Erection of two storey rear and single storey side and rear extension, forward porch and new double pitch gable ended roof

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.

Changes in station opening hours

Just to let you know that the station opening hours are due to change from Sunday 31 March 2013.

Acocks Green
Mon - Thu:   0700 - 1600
Fri:               0700 - 1800
Sat:              0800 - 1600
Sun:             CLOSED

Spring Road
Mon-Fri:     0700 - 1100
Sat:             0900 - 1400
Sun:            CLOSED

Tyseley
Mon - Fri:   0700 - 0900
Sat/Sun:       CLOSED

Sorry. 

Your Labour team has backed local residents consistently on this issue, but the Liberal Democrat transport minister didn't listen to us. 

Turning Acocks green

Pictured left is one of the new bollards that forms part of the major refresh of the street furniture - benches, bollards and bins - in the Acocks Green Village. This has been delivered by your Labour team, who had to argue hard with the our own Deputy Leader to ensure that we could deliver this investment in our local town centre. Even in these tough times, we've got to ensure that this remains an attractive place for people to open businesses and for us to shop in.

Don't forget, we've got more improvements coming with £1.7 million to be spent on improving the Warwick Road through the Village over the next couple of years.

Add to that the work to be done on Acocks Green Station - thanks to a decade of hard campaigning by local people desperate to see access to the platforms improved and we've got some good news to come for our area.

Watch this space!

Snaglist

Here's a sample of work scheduled and completed across the ward recently thanks to the intervention of the Labour team. 

Faulty street lights

On the Shirley Road/School Lane roundabout, at the junction of Shirley Road and Dolphin Lane, Oakhill Crescent, Yardley Road (including the belisha beacon), Westley Road, Flint Green Road, Shirley Road.

Damaged bollards repaired

Warwick Road/Westley Road junction (at the Green roundabout), Station Road/Oxford Road/Sherbourne Road junction.

Potholes

A couple of impressive examples of this species appeared - one particularly deep one on the Warwick Road lozenge roundabout opposite Lincoln Road North and another on the junction of Stockfield Road and Warwick Road, both of which were genuine hazards to road users. Both have been fixed. 

Other issues

Elsewhere, Amey will also be repairing the damaged trip rails on Warwick Road opposite Stockfield Road. 

A couple of weeks back, I was walking down Dudley Park Road and noticed that a deep hole had suddenly  opened up in the footpath just by the junction with Station Road. This was quite an urgent risk, given that it was potentially a serious trip hazard for any pedestrian, so I had the Amey hit squad out that same morning to perform a fix. The drainage team will need to have a look, as a void appears to have opened up beneath the footpath, so this might not be a permanent repair. 

A defective road sign on Weston Lane is to be realigned and adjusted to protect cyclists. This isn't part of the patch, but has been raised by a constituent, so I've raised it and Amey will be out to fix it. The sign warns drivers turning into Weston Lane from Battery Way to expect cyclists crossing the junction following the cycle route down into the dead end. Sadly, it was installed too low on the pole and has been turned round so that drivers can't see it. 

We've also got a problem with blocked gullies around the Spring Road station. Amey have been to have a look and the problem is actually with a blocked public sewer, which is maintained by Severn Trent. They've flagged it and I'll chase it myself with a contact with Severn Trent. 

Elsewhere, working with the landlords of the flats on Sherbourne Road, we had the access drive extended slightly to allow our bin wagons to be sure of access to the bin stores, as there was a period of several weeks when we weren't able to clear rubbish. An untaxed vehicle was parked on the private drive and prevented our trucks getting close enough to safely manoeuvre the large wheeled bins - the crews were trying daily at one point. 

Planning Applications to the 23 February 2013

Quiet again on the planning front with a single application - although a decent sized one.

2013/01113/PA - 75 Woodford Green Road, Hall Green
Erection of two storey and single storey extension to rear

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.

Wheelie Bin Consultation Starts

You can find the survey here. Fill it in and let us know YOUR views.

If you are so inclined, you can find my views here.

Green Waste Collections Restart

As from this week, the green waste collection across Birmingham restarts. It will happen on the usual cycle, so if you have your recylates collected this week, your first green waste collection will be next week. If you had your recyclates collected last week, then this should be your first green waste collection of the new season. There will be no charge for the service this year.

Police Report

Just some highlights from recent police meetings:

Thirty thefts or attempted thefts from vehicles, lately with nineteen occasions where items were actually taken. Satnavs are particularly popular, so please take care to remove them and their associated cables to avoid tempting thieves - even the circle on the windscreen where the bracket was fitted can be a temptation, so wipe it down! Thirty is eleven up on last month and seventeen up on last year. VWs continue to be a target, as their locks are vulnerable to brute force attacks and there have also been six break ins on vans, including a number of catalytic converters stolen from vehicles parked at a garage. It appears that the actual value of those is quite limited as stolen goods, but the damage caused is expensive to fix.

We had three incidents of damage to vehicles, one which was domestic related and one as a result of a snowball being thrown at a vehicle. Additional officers were on duty in the Green around 3pm on school days during the snow and they spent their time speaking to those involved in throwing snowballs at passing vehicles.  During the cold snap, officers carried out early morning patrols watching out for vehicles left unattended with their engines running to deice. On one occasion, they found 16 of them - all vulnerable to theft and none of them insured if they had been stolen.

There's still a problem with theft of wing mirrors from the BMW Mini - an experienced thief can remove them in about half a minute and as they retail for £300, can be used to turn a quick profit. One of the PCSOs has also reported that there has been a spate of thefts of the old style Mini across the force - so look after those classic cars!

Last month saw ten burglaries, three down on last month, but three up on last year. Most of these involved forced entry through back doors or windows, some of them using the resident's own garden tools to smash through the plastic panel on the door.

There have been a number of drive-offs or 'bilkings' from the Meir Stones petrol station by the bus garage. The retail radio system used in the Green has been extended to the garage and to Lidl and this will hopefully speed up the flow of information to the police.

One concern in December was a small number of robberies around Acocks Green Recreation Ground and along Broad Road. Acting on intelligence received, a suspect has now been arrested, charged with two offences and remanded in custody. The robberies have ceased.

Finally, the police have also executed three drugs warrants on properties in Tean Close, Onslow Road and industrial premises on Reddings Lane. All three came from tips from members of the public and resulted in the confiscation of a number of cannabis plants.

Save money on energy spend - Birmingham and Solihull Together

This new scheme - backed by Birmingham City Council and Solihull Council - will allow residents to share in a bulk buy scheme for domestic energy. Householders have a four week switching window starting last Monday and running through to Sunday 17 March to register. You can find out whether you can save money on their energy bills before deciding to sign up quickly and easily on line or on the phone.

The campaign has negotiated three tariffs – for pre-payment, direct debit and green energy options. As an added bonus the more people who sign up, the greater the cashback style discounts they will receive on their first bill. The national pilot "Together" campaign saw 1,000 people in Cornwall save an average of £133 on their annual bills.

The switching window opens on Monday February 18 and closes on Sunday March 17.

Sign up here.

Unemployed? Need help to get to work or an interview? Help is at hand.

If you live in Acocks Green, South Yardley or Stechford & Yardley North, you may be eligible for help with the costs of public transport to get to interviews or even for up to eight weeks after you've got that job through the WorkWise scheme. This could be a free, unlimited day pass for bus, train and tram across the Midlands to get you to an interview or a pass to help you through the first two months of a new job. 

To be eligible, you must:

• Live within an eligible ward in the West Midlands (all three listed above are part of the scheme and the rest can be found here). You can check your ward here. 
• Be a JobCentrePlus client and not receiving travel assistance from another provider
• Be unemployed before signing up for WorkWise
• Be attending an interview for or starting a new job that takes up at least 16 hours a week
• Provide proof of ID, address and employment or interview
• Have an existing travel card or provide a passport-sized photograph
• Make a complete application within five days of starting work through your JobCentrePlus advisor

To apply, ask your advisor in the JobCentre or call direct on 0121 214 7436.

(A hat tip to fellow Labour Cllr Ian Cruise for bringing this to my attention).

Which report on ticket machines

Not great reading for those of us near stations where the Liberal Democrat transport minister agreed to let London Midland - named as one of the worst operators in the country - cut back on ticket office opening hours.

Buying a ticket for tomorrow was restricted to after 4pm at one station and unavailable at others. Information buttons often failed to provide anything about ticket validity - get this wrong, and you could get a fine or miss your train altogether.... Which? executive director Richard Lloyd told us: 'Ticket office hours are being cut, often leaving people with little choice but to use a machine. It is only fair that machines sell exactly the same tickets as websites or ticket offices. We are calling on the train companies to update their machines and also make it crystal clear how, when and where tickets can be used.'

Remember that ticket office cut - it was a decision taken by a Liberal Democrat minister where he could genuinely have chosen to help the people in Acocks Green. He chose not to. At least he had the good grace not to turn up for a photo opportunity.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Ward Committee

Acocks Green Ward Committee
Wednesday 20 February 2013 - 7pm
Severne Road J&I, Severne Road

Items on the agenda will be

• BSEEN - Promoting and supporting Birmingham Energy Savers
• Planning update - planning officer attending to discuss commercial planning considerations and other issues. 
• Planning matters
• Community Chest
• Local Housing
• Wheeled bins consultation update
• Other issues of local concern

Look forward to seeing you there!

Next meetings: 

17 April 2013 - The Oaklands Primary School

29 May 2013 - Scout Hut, behind Scanlons on Spring Road

Planning Applications to the 16th February 2013

Another single application for this week's crop

2013/00789/PA - 42 Victoria Road
Erection of detached structure to side

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 Library Update (Again)

We now have a revised closure date for the repair works required to the library. It was planned for Saturday 23 Feb, but it now looks as though the library will close on the 28 March.

Works are planned to start on the 2 April and complete on the 21 June.

In the meantime, South Yardley Library will be opening extended hours to support residents of Acocks Green:

• Mon 9am to 7pm
• Tue 9am to 5pm
• Wed 9am to 5pm
• Thu 9am to 7pm
• Fri 9am to 5pm
• Sat 9am to 5pm

Webcasting the change

We've got an excellent new site to stream meetings. It aligns video with the agenda and you can jump from point to point and even from speaker to speaker.

Cabinet on Monday agreed that South Yardley ward committee - comprising three locally elected councillors (two Labour and one LibDem) review the Oaklands Recreation Ground steering group to ensure that it is still fit for purpose to develop the ground for the future. Seems reasonable that we maintain democratic control over a £3 million spend. (This isn't within Acocks Green, but may become an issue within Yardley)

Cabinet has also agreed to preserve the Housing Liaison Board structure to engage with tenants and leaseholders - although they do need to be genuinely representative of the tenants and leaseholders within their area. Acocks Green has a strong HLB and I'm pleased that we'll be continuing it.

Also great to see Cabinet supporting a Birmingham Jobs Fund to support Birmingham's young people into work, following policies suggested by a policy commission comprising the council, local employers, voluntary groups and government. This fund will take money from the ward-committee community chest budget, but this contribution has the potential to make a real difference to the economic clout of Birmingham - with funding starting as soon as April this year. In some wards across Birmingham, a quarter of young people are out of work - totalling 15,000, with 3000 of them out of work for more than a year. Birmingham is lucky to have a young population and we need to ensure that they are placed to drive the city forward economically. What we can't tolerate is a future where we have some wards that are the worst affected in the country and we have to prioritise our spending.

Diary Date - Fox HolliesGreen Neighbourhood Forum - 13 February 2013

Fox Hollies Green Neighbourhood Forum Open Public Meeting
Wednesday 13 February 2013 - 7pm
The Oaklands Primary School, Dolphin Lane

Items on the agenda will be

• Community First Fund
• Police Report
• Issues of local concern

Yes, I know this clashes with the Yarnfield meeting, but Cllr Stacey will attend this one and I'll be along about 8pm! We have yet to master omnipresence, but being in two places at once is manageable.