Welcome to

 Birchfield Residents Action Group 

drop by our Community room at 311a Wellington Road

 

click on the coloured areas to find out more

 

We cover the following neighbourhoods of the Birchfield district of the East Handsworth and Lozells ward.

Wellington Road,Birchfield Road,Westminster Road, Stamford Road, The roads and towers on the Birchfield Estate. Calthorpe, Turville, Haughton, Havelock, Livingstone,Leslie,Willmore Roads, Apollo Way,Parts of Churchill, Hutton, Grosvenor and Putney Roads. Old Mill Close, Westminster Cresent. 

If you feel you want to be included then please feel free to make contact.There are around 2000 households in these streets.


 

 

fficial  11th June 2009

we are now included in the New Neighbourhood Management Area.

LATEST on  THREE TOWER BLOCKS

Yvonne Wager, our new Neighbourhood Manager announced at the Neighbourhood Police meeting that these towers will be demolished. We hope that the developers will consider the issues of adequate PARKING and PLAY PROVISION when they draw up their plans for Family Housing.

Your are invited to a walk about with her Thursday 18th June at 7.15pm. Meet at Holy Trinity School entrance, Haverlock Road. This will be to look at Problems that need sorting in the area, like PLAY PROVISION, PARKING, DUMPING, etc.


 

The Stirrer - news that matters, campaigns that count - News that matters, campaigns that count for Birmingham, the Black country and beyond.

OurOurO Our Local ward has just lost another  Labour councillor,Kim Bron,

who should be next ? 

 Hussain ex-Lord Mayor Mahmood Hussain,or absent councillor Don Brown ?

 

Now the "Family" has a new member, Hendrica Quinnen,let's hope she will deliver in place of absent councillor Brown.

We note the pathetic turnout 34% turnout from our 18K potential electors. Seems like we dont care for democracy here and are just content to let the same old stooges back into power. The conservative vote went up from 284 to 1622, signs of a protest vote here? with the labour group going up by 329 as they scrabble to hang on to power,and the lib-dems up by 275.  


Next Neighbourhood Police  meeting at Holy Trinity School,Haverlock Road, 7pm Thursday July 2nd,

We wonder why there has been little action in response to our email to the Police sent on the 9th April 2009

Dear Inspector,
                       Is it possible for one of your PCSOs to visit the Cul de sac at Calthorpe road, and take a look at the on going street football against the wooden fencing of the vacant site. Number 2 have had their fence damaged by children recovering balls that land on the dangerous building site.
At one time last year we were hoping that the council would bring into use a piece of land on Wellington Road as a play facility. However, this has not happened and Annie Stevens is not able to give Birchfield Residents Action Group a reason. Neither are the councillors, so could you make enquires in this respect as chair of Tasking as we are now in a new financial year,
                    hoping a for a positive outcome for all concerned,
 
0n 12th May the new Sargeant for the Lozells area promised to get councillors,officials and themselves working towards a solution for a community play area.

13 CRICKET SQUARES-UNLUCKY FOR SOME 

see how the Authorities are causing community discontent 

at PERRY HALL Park

a 1000+ signature petition was presented to the Perry Barr ward committee meeting on the 11th May with the promise of a further meeting with park officials.


MAY 2009

 

Still no news from council about Birchfield Estate or the proposed Play area on Wellington Road

Ward Committee meeting

 16th July 2008 7.30pm, where one agenda item should be about Community Facilities ( eg promised play areas in Westminster Road area), at St Silas Church Centre, Lozells Road. This has been an outstanding item since 2006, we need to bring our young people to lobby councillors and get the promised play site on Wellington Road ready for the summer break. GOOD NEWS a site meeting was held with the Ward Support officer on the 18th July. This is the start of "community involvement to get the site cleared for temporary community use" ! Its now September and there has been no further news on the proposal.! But wait its October now and a meeting is being held on the 3rd.........................

14th July at Holy Trinity School, 6-8pm meet with Council officials to hear about plans for the Birchfield Road Towers and Houses regeneration. This is long overdue as we first heard about this 2 years ago.There seems to a decision to demolish the towers after all and build more houses for families.


Community Dialogue ROADSHOW 2009

 Community Dialogue is all about capturing

YOUR voices, YOUR views and YOUR vision.                       

This is an  excellent opportunity to make your views about our area known to the Planners and Council Officers, click to view the dates of meetings- next  6th April   

THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED AS FAR AS WE KNOW it is now 12th May....................................                 


 NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM MONTHLY MEETING

Thursday 7th May 2009

Holy Trinity School,Haverlock Road,full community meeting    7pm to 8pm.


 NEIGHBOURHHOOD FORUM PUBLIC MEETING 14th January 2009  7pm

at Mayfield School, Heathfield Road entrance



THORNHILL ROAD POLICE STATION OPEN DAY "we want more Special Constables"- see video file

 

Neighbourhhod Police Team promise New Bin   we are still waiting,........... can we have a communtiy meeting more regularly please?

The last bi-monthly Neighbourhood policing meeting that we were made aware of was back in July. However, the police tell us that there was a meeting in September which Birchfield Residents did not know about.  According to the Home Office Policing Pledge,Neighbourhood Policing teams should hold " meetings at least monthly". No wonder people people make this sort of comment in the Inspection report for Neighbourhood Policing, in the west Midlands, page 19...

Examples of comments made by members of the public during the survey include:  

o "This incident has been going on for a few months now and I feel the police are doing nothing about it at all…and someone is going to get hurt if the police keep ignoring this problem"; and  "Waste of time and money making the phone call, and all of my neighbours feel the same, because the police don’t do anything"


 POST OFFICE CLOSURES OFFICIAL- CHURCH VALE POST OFFICE WILL CLOSE DESPITE GOVERNMENTS CRITERIA:-  "99% of the total population in deprived urban[1]areas across the UK to be within 1 mile of their nearest Post Office® branch."


   SEPTEMBER 2008 report Season of Leaf and Litter Fall and the Overflowing Skip

Casual passers by still continue to drop their unwanted BIG JOHN and PIZZA food packaging as they pass the fence by the bus stop.Perhaps we could have a visit one evening from the City Centre Litter Wardens who claim to have issued hundreds of FIXED PENALTY NOTICES, they would be able to give out many tickets. The fence by the bus stop has been made into a comfortable seat for the bus stop regulars, and needs refixing, there are seats in the bus shelter. Last night, 19th September a large part of the bus shelter was ripped off and left laying on the ground.


.

YESOUR LATEST CAMPAIGN is it success at last ?NO

The  untidy Verge opposite St Teresa's Church on Wellington Road

see details on Campaign Page   


PLAYSCHEMES in our areaJULY/ AUGUST EVENTS

AGM of Handsworth Central Neighbourhood Forum

 22 July 7pm at Mayfield School,Heathfield Road.Click her to see results of election

"just a wee bit like the local elections"


MOBILE PHONE MAST ISSUES

 Jasper Carrot joins protesters at a local multimast site-

    http://videos.next-up.org/ItvLocal/ProtestsAgainstPhoneMastsAndCancersUk/13082008.html

 

 Please watch the enclosed powerful short film made by ordinary citizens in New Zealand. The citizens are pleading to the Government to listen and stop gambling with our health with regards to phone masts and stop putting profit and big business over people’s health.  They are calling for the Government to change the laws to protect our children at the very least.                         

Click the link here  http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Gw6av2W60KA


Ward Committee meeting

 16th July 7.30pm, where one agenda item should be about Community Facilities ( eg promised play areas in Westminster Road area), at St Silas Church Centre, Lozells Road. This has been an outstanding item since 2006, we need to bring our young people to lobby councillors and get the promised play site on Wellington Road ready for the summer break. GOOD NEWS a site meeting was held with the Ward Support officer on the 18th July. This is the start of "community involvement to get the site cleared for temporary community use" ! Its now September and there has been no further news on the proposal.! But wait its October now and a meeting is being held on the 3rd.........................

 

14th July at Holy Trinity School, 6-8pm meet with Council officials to hear about plans for the Birchfield Road Towers and Houses regeneration. This is long overdue as we first heard about this 2 years ago.There seems to a decision to demolish the towers after all and build more houses for families.


Thursday 10th July Birchfield Neighbourhood Police Team meet with us at Holy Trinity School, Haverlock Road, 7pm 


What a racket-Perry Barr Speedway spoils the Sunday evening Peace

Club announces NOISE TRIALS for Wednesdays 

PERRY BARR COUNCILLORS ARE ON THE BALL CHECKING UP


Mobile Phone Masts Problems- special issue of Birchfield Bugle 


Local Election results 2008      


                          New Year's Day Clearance

We will continue to monitor any reoccurrence.


Perry BARR Councillors Blog, can we have one too !

They are telling us news of how our bins should be emptied!

and there is a link to the Video of the first televised Council debate on a Scrutiny Committee report, did not see our councillors make a comment

 

 LATEST FLY TIP

 

  2007 FORUM ELECTION RESULTS

 

Neighbourhood Conference or not ?

 

LOZELLS 05 Disturbances Report

 

       

 

updated  June  2009

 

 

 

 

 

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