Broxtowe Enews 24th September 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dem group on Broxtowe Borough Council. A special welcome to the new readers that we have this week.

There is quite a lot to cover in this edition as there was no news last week as I was at the Lib-Dem conference in Birmingham. It was an excellent conference, which seemed to confound the national media. They were there in droves, expecting us to engage in a civil war over the poor election results in May, but instead it was an extremely upbeat and entirely united conference by a party finally adjusting to being in Government. Enough of that though, lets turn to the news.

1. Boundary Change

The biggest story of the week was the Boundary Commissions proposed new boundaries for the Broxtowe parliamentary constituency. They are suggesting that the village of Gotham should be added to Broxtowe, despite the fact that it is the other side of the Trent with no direct connections to the rest of the constituency. I know that this will make the figures work for the commission, but frankly it seems a very odd idea to me.

2. Future Development

The consultation on housing in Broxtowe for the next 20 years closes in just over a week, so if you haven’t had your say yet please do. You can submit responses at www.broxtowe.gov.uk or by post to the borough council. I attended a meeting at Toton today organised by Anna Soubry, where some strong views were expressed. I contacted Anna some weeks ago suggesting that she and I should meet to discuss what might be proposed, and I’m pleased to say that we have been able to schedule the meeting for this coming week.

3. Greening Beeston

The Greening Beeston campaign, which promotes a greener lifestyle in practical ways, is to hold a meeting on Tuesday at the Baptist Church on Dovecote Lane starting at 7.30pm. The aim is to kick start the next phase of the campaigns work, and it would be great to have a large turnout of local residents.

4. Bramwell Care Home

Bramwell Care Home in Bramcotee is one of six care homes (valued at something like £19 million on the open market) which are being sold by the County Council for £2.5 million. There is a covenant that they are to be maintained as care homes for a specified period of time and they have been sold to a company which runs care homes, so that will provide some reassurance to residents. However not selling them at all would be a far better idea. My colleague Stan Heptinstall has been an active member of the Friends of Bramwell campaign which has opposed this sale, and all the Liberal Democrat county councillors voted against the proposals.

5. Chief Constable to Retire

The Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Julia Hodgson, has announced that she is to retire next spring. The process of appointing her successor will be commenced later this year by the Police Authority.

6. Changes to County Council Procedures

The County Council are consulting local residents about whether they should change their method of operating to return to a system of committees that existed until about ten years ago. All councils used to work through a series of committees, but the last Labour Government forced them to abandon this and move to a portfolio based system. The coalition government have decided to allow councils to decide how they want to operate, and this is why the county council are now consulting about reverting to the previous system.

7. House Building

One way that central government provide funding to local authorities is through a scheme called the “New Homes Bonus,” which provides cash grants to local authorities based on the number of new houses built in the borough the previous year. The government have now announced that this year Broxtowe Borough Council is to receive £190,873. This is the lowest of any authority in Nottinghamshire, and a key factor is that Broxtowe just does not have spare available land. This is a flaw in the scheme which I have drawn to the attention of ministers until I’m blue in the face but I’ve got nowhere.

8. Lawrence Novels 100^th Birthday

The DH Lawrence Heritage Centre at Durban House in Eastwood (which will shortly start opening on Sunday’s, something that we have not been able to do for the past couple of years, are holding a special exhibition to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the publication of The White Peacock, Lawrence’s first novel. The exhibition is on now and will run until 30^th October.

9. Police Station Closures

The consultation being run by the police about their proposals to close a number of police stations, including Stapleford and Kimberley, is now half way through and they have published their initial findings. So far more than half of respondents have said that they are opposed to the scheme. If you haven’t responded yet may I encourage you to do so at http://www.nottspa.org/Welcome.html.

10. Green Guardians

Are you a green guardian, or do you know someone who is? Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is still looking for nominations for their green guardians awards, which have a closing date of October 3^rd. Nominations can be made on www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/green-guardians.

11. Tesco Toton

Tesco’s at Toton have been ordered by the council to remove a new storage pod which they erected without permission. Tesco’s say that they will be appealing this decision.

12. Over 40’s Football

A new scheme has been launched by the borough council in Eastwood to encourage the over 40’s to get involved in football. This is being run with the Mars Just Play initiative. This is being held at the Eastwood Community Sports Centre, and sessions will cost £2 per person. Details are available on 0115 917 3572.

13. Redevelopment at Boots

Boots have set out their ideas for how parts of their site might be redeveloped. Although most of this is in the city some of it is in Broxtowe, and the proposals for us could include 500 houses being built. This is a long term aspiration, as far as I can tell, but if it comes to be it would ease the pressure on sites elsewhere.

14. The Crown Inn

Congratulations to the Crown Inn in Beeston, who have been named the East Midlands pub of the year by CAMRA, the real ale society. This is the second time that it has won the award in the past couple of years.

15. Pet Microchips

The Brinsley Animal Rescue Centre is offering cut price micro-chipping for pets to raise money for charity. This will be on 2^nd October and costs £10, with £9 of the fee going to Brinsley Animal Rescue. Details are available on 01773 712999.

16. City Council Proposals

The city council has unveiled it’s plans for new development within its boundaries. Significantly for the borough they are proposing new development around the Nottingham Business Park, to the west of the A6002 just north of Strelley Village. Due to a quirk of the boundaries there is a bulge of land to the west of the road leading to Nuthall Island which is part of the city rather than in Broxtowe, and the city council seem very happy to build on it. Effectively they seem to feel that if they build here it will be Broxtowe’s problem and not theirs.

17. Winter Gritting

Notts County Council have announced that this year they are ready for the forthcoming winter. The authority have stockpiled 9,000 tonnes of road salt, which should be enough to cope with a winter of the severity of the last couple of years.

As ever thanks for your support for this newsletter, and any feedback will be gratefuly received.

David

Broxtowe Enews 11th September 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. A special welcome to the new readers that we have this week.

1. Public Transport Money.

Thank you for all the suggestions for how the borough council can spend the money it has available for public transport schemes. I’ve had more responses to this than to any other request I’ve ever included, which is why I just haven’t had time to send personal replies to everyone. I have read them all though. I will pass them all on to the borough council and will try and get as many of them implemented as possible.

2. Walking Round Sherwood Forest.

I’ve mentioned before that Stapleford poet Dave Wood is walking around the ancient boundaries of Sherwood Forest. He has now published his latest set of dates and anyone who wishes is welcome to join him. Phone Dave on O77 O99 77684 or email him on davewrite2002 @ yahoo.com for details.

3. Mayors Fashion Show

Broxtowe mayor, Lib-Dem councillor Jacky Williams, will be hosting a fashion show in aid of two young peoples charities later on this year. Tickets are on sale now and they are going fast. The show will be held on 15^th November at the Pearson Centre in Beeston. Tickets cost £7.50 and are available by ringing 917 3210 or by emailing civic@broxtowe.gov.uk.

4. Council Meeting

We had a very interesting full council meeting last week. The first main motion for us to discuss was one that I put forward about the riots last month, pledging the support of the council to the police in apprehending those involved in criminality and thanking the council staff for their contingency planning about this. I spoke about the need to avoid knee-jerk reactions but both the extreme left and the extreme right promptly demonstrated this. A tory member called for all people involved in criminality to be evicted from their homes (ignoring the fact that the council would then have a legal responsibility to rehouse them and we would be hot with the costs for this) and a number of Labour members tried to blame everything on the coalition, (even the fact that there is a 15 year difference in life expectancy between different pasts of Nottingham, which I really don’t think we can have created in the last 12 months). One of the most sensible contributions in the debate came from Tilly Stone, the youth mayor, who spoke about the need not to demonise young people.

The second motion that we had was another one I put forward calling for the Government to provide more support to local authorities about steps they can take to combat global warming. The coalitions new energy bill is extremely good in many ways, but a small injection of extra money could unlock a lock of new support for authorities, and whilst Broxtowe has an excellent record in tackling climate change more support is always welcomed. I thought that this would receive unanimous support but we had members from both Labour and the Tories speaking to deny that global warming was even happening! (To be fair to the Tories, the best contribution to the whole debate was from Conservative Councillor Graham Harvey, who clearly outlined the overwhelming evidence to show that global warming does exist.) The motion was passed but five Tories and one Labour member voted against.

The third motion was one from the Tories calling for protection for the green belt in Broxtowe and a reduction in housing numbers being proposed for the borough. Much of the motion is very good (they appear in fact to have used my words from the cabinet meeting in July when we looked at this) but the motion was premature as the time to discuss this is after the consultation has closed at the start of last month. Whilst I agree fully with the sentiment expressed by the motion the actual result had it been passed would have been the very opposite of what the Tories were asking for, due to the poor timing on their behalf. I therefore proposed that this motion be adjourned until the next meeting, after the consultation had closed, and this was carried (even though two Labour councillors got confused and voted the opposite way to which they wanted!)

5. Road Improvements

I was able to report at the council meeting that a programme of road repairs was being implemented by the council. I asked earlier on this year for suggestions from people as to roads in urgent need of improvement and the new list comes from that. We haven’t been able to do all the roads that we wanted to as their simply wasn’t enough money to do them, but I’ll press for further repairs to take place next year.

6. Katelyn Severn

Congratulations to Bramcote dancer Katelyn Severn, aged 18, who has been selected to represent the UK in an international ballet competition in South Africa next month. Katelyn, who trains at the Redhead Scott School of Dancing in Beeston, will be representing the UK at the Genee International Ballet Competition in Cape Town. This is yet another young person from the borough achieving great things.

7. Support for Abuse Victims

Broxtowe Womens Project is offering a 12 week course called the Freedom Project, aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence. The course runs in Eastwood on a Thursday and details are available on 01773 718555.

8. Stapleford Walk In Centre

I was delighted to learn that the county council refused to support the closure of the Walk In Centre in Stapleford. Lib-Dem councillors led the argument and were supported by the Labour party. The Conservatives voted in favour but the overall result was that the council refused to support the closure. Unfortunately this will not stop it happening, so it’s only a pyrrhic victory.

9. Beeston Wildlife Group

The Beeston Wildlife Group will be having a talk about safari’s in Botswana at their meeting on 19^th September. They meet at Trent Vale School and it costs £2. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and details are available from Bill Wheatley on 0115 925 0208.

10. Attenborough Health Walk

There will be a health walk around Attenborough Nature Reserve on Tuesday 20^th September at 10.30am. The walk will last 90 minutes and is free to talk part in. Further details are available from the visitors centre on 0115 972 1777.

11. Next Newsletter

There will be no newsletter next weekend as I will be at the Lib-Dem conference in Birmingham, so the next edition will be in two weeks time.

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter and any feedback is gratefully received.

David

Broxtowe Enews 4th September 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dem group on Broxtowe Borough Council.

1. Money for Public Transport

I’m starting this week with a question. Can you help the council spend a million pounds? I’m not kidding. Whenever significant new housing is built in the borough the council takes some money off the developers to pay towards improvements in public transport. At the current time we have a £1 million in the fund for this but the schemes currently proposed will only come to about £500,000. I’m therefore looking for (sensible) suggestions for schemes that we can use the rest of the money for. It is crazy that we can only use the money for transport schemes, as there are lots of other projects crying out for the cash, but I’m afraid that this is how the system works. Please let me have any ideas and I will pass them on.

2. Bramcote CAT meeting

Bramcote CAT meeting will take place tomorrow (Monday) at the Memorial Hall. All local residents are welcome to attend. Amongst the items being discussed are the councils plans for where new housing should take place in the borough.

3. Stapleford Walk In Centre

A County Council meeting will take place tomorrow to make the final decision on the closure of the Stapleford Walk in Centre. The Lib-Dems have fought an extensive campaign to block this, but to no avail. If, as expected, the County Council approve the closure tomorrow then the centre is likely to close on 30^th September.

4. Awsworth Composting Plant

I’m delighted to learn that the plans to build a composting plant in Awsworth have been withdrawn. The Parish Council has fought hard against these proposals and they and local residents are to be congratulated on their success.

5. Leisure Centre Offer

The borough council has launched a new scheme for full time students wishing to use our leisure centres. A new 9 month membership scheme has been introduced aimed solely at students, and will entitle them to use the facilities at Bramcote, Chilwell and Kimberley leisure centres. Details are available from any of the leisure centres.

6. Kimberley Institute Cricket Club

Congratulations to the Kimberley Institute Cricket Club, who have won a grant from the Cricket Foundation to invest in a non-turf wicket. This scheme has also been supported by my colleague Ken Rigby, who has donated £500 from his County Council funds to this project.

7. Walking For Health

Another good news story is that Broxtowe’s Walk and Talk Walking for Health Group received an award at the Greenwood Community Awards ceremony in Mansfield for their work in promoting a healthier lifestyle.

8. Attenborough Flood Defences

Work has commenced this week on the latest stage of the Trent Flood Defences through the village of Attenborough. Long time readers may recall that this was the most controversial part of the scheme until a compromise was reached last year, and I have been delighted to have played a part in finding a solution which offers the best for everyone. The work should be completed by next summer and once done the village should be protected from any further flooding for years to come.

9. Beestonia in Print

My favourite local blog, Beestonia, has now gone into print. Matt Goode who writes Beestonia, has now produced The Beestonian, a print version. Issue Minus One is now available and further information can be obtained from matt at info@beestonia.org.

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter and any feedback is gratefully received.

David

Broxtowe Enews 30th August 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Broxtowe Borough Council.

1. Stapleford Walk In Centre

I’m afraid that the NHS has confirmed that Stapleford Walk In Centre will close at the end of September. This is a dreadful decision and totally ignores the very strong views expressed by people locally. The argument that Stapleford shouldn’t have a facility like this as other places didn’t have anything as good is one of the most ridiculous I’ve ever heard, Rather than get rid of such a good facility they should be raising standards elsewhere to match. We have fought this decision every step of the way but sadly to no avail.

2. Stapleford Carnival

Stapleford Carnival is next Saturday, 3^rd September. It takes place at the Washington Drive playing field and everyone is welcome. The Lib-Dems will have a stand there, so do come over and say hello.

3. Free Swimming

I’m delighted to report on a real success for the borough council. As readers may be aware, for the last two years we have offered free swimming for children up to 16 and pensioners during the month of August. I’ve just seen the figures for the first three weeks of the month and we have already had an increase in patronage of 15% compared to last year, and nearly four times the numbers that we had in July. Not only are a huge number of people using the free offer but we are also having record numbers of paying customers. Broxtowe’s leisure centres are a real credit to the borough and very popular. We are one of the few councils that does not need to subsidise the leisure centres, they are so popular that they pay for themselves.

4. Events at Chilwell School

There are two forthcoming events at Chilwell School which I have been asked to advertise. First there is an Outdoor car boot sale on Sunday 11th September 2011 at Chilwell School, Queens Road West, Chilwell (Will not go ahead if it rains) from 9am to 1pm. Car booters may set up from 7.30am and there’s no need to book. Cars cost £5, vans £7.50 and the fee for visitors is a donation to school funds. If the weather is uncertain see www.chilwell.notts.sch.uk

Also on Friday 9^th September 2011 at 7.30pm Paradiso Cinema presents Oranges and Sunshine, the story of Nottinghamshire social worker, Margaret Humphrys, and the Child Migrants Trust - http://www.childmigrantstrust.com/. This is at Chilwell Arts Theatre, Chilwell School, Queens Road West, NG9 5AL. Tickets on the door - £5, £4 (conc). Come at 7pm for refreshments. Further details are at www.chilwellartstheatre.co.uk

5. DH Lawrence Play

The Phoenix Rising, a play about DH Lawrence, will be performed at Durban House in Eastwood on September 18^th. Tickets cost £12 (£10 concessions) and are available from 01773 717353.

6. Unemployment Figures

It was very disappointing to read this week that Nottingham now has the worst unemployment rate in the country. Thankfully matters are not as bad in Broxtowe as they are in the city, but the rate is rising and the council does commit a lot of resources to encouraging new businesses and support for firms in the borough.

7. Wildlife Photography

Attenborough Nature Reserve are running a session for budding wildlife photographers this coming Saturday from 8.00am to 10.30am. It costs £32 and pre-booking is essential. Places can be booked on 0115 972 1777, and if you’re going I will see you there. I’ve been taking photo’s for years but rarely of birds, and so I’ve signed up. (Some of my photo’s can be seen at www.david-watts-photography.org.uk if you will forgive the shameless plug.)

8. Brinsley graveyard vandalism

About 30 headstones have been overturned this week at St James the Great Church in Brinsley. This is despicable behaviour, and if anyone has any information to assist in apprehending those involved please contact the police. If you don’t want to talk to the police directly talk to me and I will pass information on.

9. Charity Website

A charity set up to help a Beeston resident has a new website for donations. The Sherwood Foundation are trying to raise £100,000 to send Andy Sherwood of Beeston to America for specialist treatment. The web site is at www.thesherwoodfoundation.org.uk).

10. Jessie Carter-Kay

Congratulations to Bramcote resident Jessie Carter-Kay who has won through to the finals of the Notts Outstanding Achievement Awards 4uth. Jessie set up her business Pulp Friction Smoothie Bar Project in 2008 and has turned it into a successful venture, bringing her bikes to various events where people can use pedal power to create their own smoothies. Both of my girls have had goes on them and think that they are great fun.

11. Register to Vote

Just a quick reminder that if you haven’t registered to vote yet you need to do so quickly. Forms were sent out earlier this month and people can register by post, phone or internet.

12. County Council Grants

The County Council are considering changes to the system that they use to administer grants to voluntary groups. The idea is to make the process easier and to provide more certainty for groups, and the County Council are currently consulting on their plans. Comments can be sent to county-grantaid@nottscc.gov.uk or by phoning 0115 977 3304.

13. Green Flag Parks

People now have the opportunity to vote for their favourite green flag parks. Bramcote Park, the flagship park in the borough, has held a green flag for years and I‘d encourage people to vote for it (or if not for one of the other green flag parks in the borough). Votes can be cast at http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/GreenFlag/GreenFlagAwardSites/EastMidlands/Default.aspx.

14. County Council investing locally

I’ve been critical of many things that the County Council have done recently, but I’m delighted to see that they have been able to increase the amount of goods that they buy from local supplies from 41% to 50%. This is very good news and the County reckon that every pound that they spend locally ends up being worth £1.97 to the local economy.

15. Foresters Arms, Newthorpe

I mentioned last week that local residents were collecting signatures on a petition in an attempt to stop Greene King building houses on the site where the Foresters Arms currently stands. That petition has now collected 732 signatures and has been passed to Anna Soubry MP.

16. Kimberley Police Station

Kimberley Parish Council have organised a public meeting to discuss plans to close Kimberley Police Station. This will be held at the Parish Hall on Newdigate Street on September 5^th at 7.00pm.

17. Safer Community Volunteers

The Notts Police Authority are seeking nominations from Notts residents who have been helped by volunteers giving up their time to make local communities safer for an award. The Jean Varnam award recognises outstanding achievements and initiatives in community safety, and nominations can be made by emailing Jackie.nash@nottinghamshire.pnn.police.uk

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. We haven’t had any new subscribers for the past three weeks so if you know of anyone who would benefit from reading it please mention it to them.

Many thanks

David

Broxtowe Enews 21st August 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council.

1. Planning Consultation

As we’re in the middle of August the news is fairly light this week, but can I start with something I raised last week, which is the consultation on where future building should take place in the borough. A number of people have commented that the consultation page on the borough council web site is not very clear or easy to use, and so to assist people I have put together a short summary of the key proposals, which is attached to this newsletter. Can I stress that this is not an official part of the consultation but simply me trying to help people. I hope this is helpful to people but feel free to get in touch if you need any further detail.

2. Footsteps Festival

The council have launched the 2011 Foosteps Festival, which began with the Mayor of Broxtowe, Cllr Jacky Williams, leading a group on the first walk. The majority of the walks will occur between 3^rd and 11^th September and there will be numerous events around the borough. The details are available on the councils website at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9337.

3. What’s On Where Website

The council has launched a new events website for events happening in Broxtowe. The site is a calendar for local events and is available at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=8971. Items it highlights coming up this week are the Beeston West Cat Meeting (Community Action Team) on Tuesday evening, the Awsworth Cat on Wednesday and the Tesco Football Skills Festival for boys and girls aged 8 to 11 on 31^st August.

4. Sponsored Walk

Stapleford Lib-Dem activist Tammy Booth is taking part in a 90 mile sponsored walk to raise money for the Anthony Booth Fund, walking from Skegness to Stapleford. If you’d like to sponsor her you can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/Tammy-Booth0.

5. Foresters Arms, Newthorpe

Greene King, who own Foresters Arms in Newthorpe, the last pub in the village, have applied for planning permission to demolish it and build seven houses on the site. Local residents have launched a campaign to save it and have formed an organisation called Save Our Foresters Arms. They are currently collecting signatures on a petition.

6. Hanna Bricklebank

Hanna is a 10 year old girl living in Attenborough who suffers from a rare medical condition called VACTERI. Despite this she manages to live a very full and active life, and her efforts have been recognised this week when she was named Bravest Child in the 7 – 11 age group at the national well Child awards. I’d like to add my congratulations to the many others that she has received.

7. Police station closures

Notts police are continuing to consult on proposed closures of police stations. Two are proposed in Broxtowe, in Kimberley and in Stapleford. A suggestion has now been put forward in Kimberley that the police might move into the Parish Hall and use this as their base.

8. Durban House Display

A new display of photographs of “ancient tombs and historical treasures” is on at Durban House from now until 28^th August. All were taken by local photographer Alan Clayden.

9. Moorgreen Show

The Moorgreen show is on next Sunday and Monday. This is an excellent and large scale event and the borough council remain the major sponsors. We’re delighted to be associated with it.

10. A Level Results

Can I give my congratulations to those students who have received good A level results this week. My nephew got 3 A*’s, so we’re all very pleased about that.

It’s a very short newsletter this week as is often the case in August. Any feedback is gratefully received.

David

Broxtowe Enews 13th August 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council.

First, many apologies that there hasn’t been a newsletter for the past couple of weeks. I’ve actually been away on holiday and didn’t want to broadcast that fact beforehand. Second can I apologise to Beeston Hockey Club. I meant to mention their great success this season a few weeks ago but forgot to do so. Sorry folks and well done.

1. Riots

The events of the past week or so have been truly shocking. I was horrified to hear that they spread to Nottingham and the police did receive intelligence that Beeston was to be targeted for an attack one night. Extensive police activity including targeting those known to be involved in the planning meant that the threat failed to materialise. I have tabled a motion to be debated at the next council expressing criticism of the rioters and support for the police. I know that some people say that there were complex reasons for the riots but frankly, crime is crime and the sort of behaviour that has been demonstrated over the past few days is inexcusable. That doesn’t mean however that I would support a knee jerk reaction with new laws or restrictions, but hopefully there will be a frank and dispassionate look at the situation afterwards.

2. Future Broxtowe Development

The consultation period on where new housing in Broxtowe will be built over the next 20 years is now underway and I would encourage as many people as possible to respond. The consultation information is all available on the councils website at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9265. I have insisted that the council looks at the best ways to ensure that all local communities are consulted as well and we will be taking various options forward over the next few weeks.

I have been very disappointed by some blatant political gamesmanship from the Conservatives over this. A Conservative Secretary of State insists that every council must look to allow new building and yet the local Conservatives have refused to say where they would support this happening in Broxtowe. I’m afraid that they can’t have it both ways, the Tories either support building or they don’t.

3. Walking in Broxtowe

A walking festival is being held in the borough at the beginning of next month to explore some of its delights. More than 35 different walks have been organised to suit all ages in the “Broxtowe Footsteps Festival.” The first walk is on 3^rd September starting at 11.30 at Bramcote Hills Park and walking to Stapleford Carnival.

4. Stapleford Carnival

As mentioned above, the next Stapleford Carnival will be on 3^rd September. There will be a parade through the town before the rest of the festivities at the Washington Drive field. The Lib-Dems will have a stall so please do drop in and say hello.

5. Community Action Meetings

The borough council currently holds Community Action Team meetings acros the borough. However attendance varies tremendously between different areas. In Bramcotee we will regularly get close to 100 people attending but in some other areas they have single figure attendances. As a result the council has agreed to switch from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to giving each local councillor discretion as to what happens in their own areas. At the same time the council will be exploring other ways of keeping in touch with people.

6. Sainsburys in Wollaton

Although this is outside of the borough the plans by Sainsbury’s to open a new store in Wollaton will affect many of our residents, especially those in Bramcote. The plans were rejected a couple of years ago but now they are back. Any comments on these should be sent to the city council.

7. Creative writing for teachers

A creative writing course aimed at teachers is being held at Durban House in Eastwood on 22^nd April from 10.30pm. It is organised by the British Library and the National Association of Writers in Education. The course is free and places are allocated on a first come first served basis. Details are available on 0115 917 3824.

8. Worlds Longest Names

I like to draw attention to the achievements of local residents, but the latest entry into the Guinness Book of Records by local residents is simply bizarre. Two Beeston residents have changed their names by deed poll to reflect their love of comic book super heroes, and are now apparently known as ‘Emperor Spiderman Gandalf Wolverine Skywalker Optimus Prime Goku Sonic Xavier Ryu Cloud Superman HeMan Batman Thrash’ and ‘Baron Venom Bairog Sabretooth Vader Megatron Vegeta Robotnik Magneto Bison Sephiroth Lex Luthor Skeletor Joker Grind.’ It will be interesting canvassing them in the next elections!

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter and any feedback will be gratefully received.

David

Broxtowe Enews 16th July 2011

Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Broxtowe Borough Council.

There hasn’t been a huge degree of news this week, partly because things are winding down for the summer break, but three of the stories are particularly important.

1. Housing in Broxtowe

The council’s cabinet on Tuesday looked at proposals for where new homes might be built over the next 20 years. Four separate models have been prepared which all show that Greater Nottingham will need about 50,000 new houses over that period, and obviously some of them will need to be in Broxtowe. However the exact numbers are still up for debate. The Joint Planning Advisory Board, a working party from all the councils in the area, suggested that up to 5,700 houses might need to be in Broxtowe, but I think that this figure is too high. I’m pleased that the cabinet agreed with me that we should challenge that figure, and will work out how many houses we have space for and our infrastructure can support. The council also agreed with me that the way to go forward was by working with each parish and town, with every local community, to discuss how many new houses should be built in each place and where they should go.

One thing that the Government have made clear to all councils is that not building is not an option, given the need for new houses. I have therefore been very disappointed at the total failure of the local Conservatives to engage in the process. I have invited all councillors to make comments about the proposals but not a single Tory councillor has sent me anything! (It’s my portfolio on the council so it is me that they should be talking to.)

Part of the requirement of the Government is that each council must identify sites where new development can take place. We have identified two possible sites, one to the North of Toton and the other between Stapleford and Trowell, on Field Farm. With the Toton site I stressed that it should not be allowed to be developed right up to the roads, either Stapleford lane or the A52, and with the Field Farm site I stressed that the gap between Stapleford and Trowell must be maintained and the cabinet therefore agreed with my suggestion that the site should be limited to the Stapleford side of the brook, so there will be no proposals for the site to be developed on the Toton side. This is particular is a great victory for my colleague Ken Rigby, the councillor for Trowell, who has campaigned very hard for this gap to be preserved.

The plans will now go out to public consultation. The final point I stressed at the cabinet was that the proposed consultation, which was during the summer holiday period, was unacceptable and as a result the consultations have been extended until the end of September. People should receive information from the council but if you want to know anything in advance please don’t hesitate to contact me. (By the way, the reference in the local paper to us consulting on other sites on Coventry Lane and Bilborough Road is misleading. The council has made it clear that we would not support development on those sites.)

2. Stapleford Walk In Centre

I was deeply disappointed to learn earlier this week that the Secret ary of State for Health has refused to intervene in the decision to close Stapleford’s Walk in Centre. This provides an excellent place for people to have minor injuries and ailments treated, and the result of it’s closure will be to send more patients to the QMC, even though the managers at casualty there say that they struggle with the numbers already attending. Local residents have fought an excellent campaign to keep the centre open and it is a real shame that the decision of the unelected quango who decided to close it, despite the universal local opposition to their proposals, has not been overturned.

3. Trees in Toton

There’s better news for residents in Toton. The landowner who illegally felled all the trees on the sidings has lost his appeal against the order that the trees need to be replanted. However the appeal panel have varied the timetable to see if natural growth will replenish them. As a result the site does not need to be restocked for five years, which I feel is a very long time for local residents to wait. Steve Blackwell and all those involved in the Toton Environmental Protection Society deserve immense credit for winning this, although I know that they are equally concerned about this five year period that has been allowed.

4. Greener Beeston

Greening Beeston, the council supported group aiming to improve the environment in Beeston, has challenged all residents in the town to cut their carbon emissions. Volunteers are being sought to publicise the initiative and they want people to cut their energy use and install things like photo-voltaic cells to cut electricity consumption. For further details ring 0115 925 6368.

5. Bramcote Church Tower

Anyone driving through Bramcote or down the A52 in recent weeks will have noticed that the church tower is surrounded by scaffolding after loose brickwork was discovered during an inspection. The church need to raise £95,000 to get the work done and they have raised half of this during the first month. If anyone else wishes to help the contact number is 0115 922 1443.

6. Police and Councillors Meeting

A series of meetings have been arranged for local people to discuss issues with the police and local councillors. These are at Attenborough village hall on 3^rd August, Awsworth parish hall on August 24^th, Queens Road Methodist Church in Beeston on 27^th July, Beeston Rylands Community Centre on 19^th July, Beeston Town Hall on August 23^rd (for Beeston west residents),and Inham Nook Methodist Church on July 28^th. All meetings start at 7pm apart from the Beeston rylands one which is a 7.30 start.

7. Road Resurfacing

I was pleased to announce to the council last week that a series of repairs are scheduled to tackle the worst of the pot holes in Broxtowe. Eastwood in particular has benefited from the work that my colleague Keith Longdon has done, and elsewhere in the borough many people responded to a request I sent out on this newsletter early on this year asking for their views ofn the worst roads. All of this has fed into the discussions to ensure that the money is being spent where the need is greatest.

8. Get Fit in the Summer

The council are offering discount rates to local residents who sign up to get fit at the various leisure centres in the borough. Joining fees have been dropped and free induction sessions are being offered. The number of people using the leisure centres has increased dramatically over the last few years so why not take this opportunity to join a growing trend?

9. Nottingham Credit Union

Further to my mention of the credit union last week they have asked me to mention that NCU has Money Surgeries in the area - 1-3pm on Mondays at the Council Offices in Foster Avenue, Beeston, and 10-12 noon on Thursdays in the Carnegie Centre, Stapleford, as well as a Collection Point at the Methodist Church, Inham Nook, 10-12 noon on Tuesdays.

There is also a Money Surgery at the Council's Office in Eastwood, 1.30 to3.30 on Mondays, and we are desperate to find new volunteers to help staff that (training provided).

Enquiries are welcome at all the Money Surgeries and Collection Point, where people may apply for NCU membership or loans. Anyone interested may like to go to the NCU website www.nottinghamcu.co.uk.

I’m very happy to pass this on.

10. Police Stations

I have heard a rumour this week that Stapleford Police Station is to close altogether in the near future. The public counter is already shut and I understand that the officers will be working out of an office at the Co-Op rather than having their own building. I’m quite comfortable with this provided that the level of policing is maintained, I’m not really that worries where their offices are. However if the levels of policing drop I will be at the front of any campaign to get them restored.

11. High Speed Rail

Following the decision of the council last week to call for HS2 to be developed with a station in or close to Broxtowe I’ve been pleased to see that the call has been supported this week by local businesses and by the local economic partnership, the collaboration of businesses and local councils.

12. Fake Air Ambulance Leaflets

I received a leaflet this week asking for donations to an organisation calling itself Air Ambulance Services. This leaflet is wholly misleading and is, frankly, a fake. Please don’t be taken in by it and if you have already given anything to them please let trading standards know.

13. Crime Levels

Crime in Nottinghamshire dropped 14% last year, the second year running that Nottinghamshire has had the largest fall of any county in the country. There are lots of reasons for this but well done to everyone who has helped to make this happen.

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any feedback is, as ever, very gratefully received.

David