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. May I start this week by apologising to anyone who is waiting for an
email or letter from me. I have been engaged in a project at work which has
taken up all my time, so that most nights I have been finishing until about
midnight. As a result I have over 100 emails awaiting a response. I will start
doing them this evening and hopefully catch up over the next couple of days.
1.
Unemployment Figures
the latest unemployment figures for Nottinghamshire show
that the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance is now at its lowest
since April 2001, and by December 2013 was 22% lower than it was in December
2012. In December 2013 there were 12,439 people in Nottinghamshire claiming
jobseekers allowance.
2.
Eastwood Town Football Club
Unfortunately Eastwood Town Football Club have run up very
significant debts over the last few years. Amongst these is a debt of
approximately £50,000 that they owe to the council for rental on their ground.
This is not been paid for several years, and all attempts to reach an agreement
with the football club have failed. The council have bent over backwards to
assist them but the club have just not come up with the money. Eventually this
week our patience was exhausted and the ground has been repossessed by the
council. We are now working with the FA to help create a successor club on a
more stable financial basis. My heart goes out to the fans of Eastwood Town,
and I hope the new club will be up and running as soon as possible.
3.
Conversion of Eastwood Infant and Junior school
The Borough Council this week gave planning permission for
the conversion of the former Eastwood Infant and Junior school into 20
residential apartments specifically for those aged 55 or above. This brings a
disused building back into use, provides new accommodation and respects the
conservation area that the school is within. I hope the development will begin
as soon as possible.
4.
New Electricity Substation
Also this week the council gave planning permission for a
new electricity sub station to be built in Watnall. This will provide a far
better service to residents in the Kimberley and Awsworth area especially, who
have suffered from power cuts in the past. However this was a controversial
scheme because the development is within the green belt. I voted against it,
not because I don’t believe a substation is necessary but rather because there
were alternatives that did not involve building in the green belt, but enough Conservative
members supported the Labour Party in respect of this matter to enable it to be
passed.
5.
New Stapleford Flats
The third matter where planning permission was granted this
week by the council was for the development of new flats in Stapleford on
Midland Avenue. This is one of a number of schemes being built by the council,
in conjunction with housing associations, to increase the amount of affordable
housing within the borough. The flats consistently have been built on the sites
of garages, and all of this again helps to take pressure off the need to
develop on the green belt.
6.
Stapleford Library
Stapleford library will be staging an event to celebrate the
work of children’s author Roald Dahl on Saturday, 8 February between 10 AM and
noon. It is aimed at children between the age of four and 11 and is free to
attend. No booking is required.
7.
Beeston Trade
The Beeston Business Improvement District this week released
figures showing that in the week beginning 15 December more than 110,000 people
shopped in Beeston. This is the highest number of shoppers in one week since
the council began taking records in 2008. The Business Improvement District was
set up a couple of years ago to help develop business in the town and is paid
for by all the local businesses. They have clearly been very successful and
announced this week that they will be taking on a new member of staff to expand
the work that they do.
8.
Bramcote Hills Nursing Home
Local residents in Bramcote will be disappointed to learn
that the appeal by the new owners of the nursing home to extend their premises
over the two neighbouring houses has been allowed. The council opposed this,
and had refused permission originally because of the impact that this would
have on the street scene and on the amenity of those who live close by.
Unfortunately the inspector who dealt with the matter disagreed and granted planning
permission.
9.
Queens Road/University Boulevard
I reported in the newsletter a couple of weeks ago that a
new T-junction was being installed at the Queens Road and University Boulevard
junction in Beeston, in place of the roundabout there. To say that the first
few days of this have been an unmitigated disaster would not be an
overstatement. The traffic congestion that this caused, especially on day one
when the lights didn’t seem to be properly working, has been massive. I have
written to NET and said that this cannot be tolerated and that residents
deserve a better service from them, and I’m sure that I’m by no means the only
person to have done this. I do think that the tram will be a very useful asset
when it is built, but I despair of the way that the construction process seems
to be doing its absolute best to inconvenience people and stir up ill feelings
towards the system.
10.
Wilkinson’s Store
One of the major impacts that NET had in 2012 in Beeston was
in compulsory purchasing the Wilkinson’s store. Unfortunately once they closed
it down they then allowed the building to stand empty for a year before doing
anything with it. I know that this annoyed a lot of people who would have far
rather have the store therefore longer. Wilkinson’s have now lost a
compensation claim with the city council over the loss of the store, and the
Nottingham Post report that this is for a figure in the region of £6 million.
11.
Chilwell Road
Unfortunately NET have also been given more bad news to
traders on Chilwell Road in Beeston. The works there, which were due to finish
shortly, are overrunning because of difficulties installing new utilities. As a
result Chilwell Road is now likely to be closed until the end of April or May.
This will cause disruption not only for businesses, who can claim compensation
from the city council, but also to local residents, who cannot. It does seem
extremely unfair to local residents that this is the case.
12.
Charity Grants
The charity Sport Relief, together with the Nottingham Post,
have £50,000 worth of funds available for community groups in Nottinghamshire.
They are making grants of between £501,000 available, and anything from parent
and toddler groups to local festivals can apply. Details of the application
process are on the Sport Relief website at www.sportrelief.com.
13.
Parking in Beeston
A neighbourhood survey carried out by Nottinghamshire police
in Beeston has identified that bad parking, especially where residents drives
are being blocked, is one of the major concerns of local residents. The police
have therefore agreed to target this over the next few months.
14.
The Bean, Beeston
One of Beeston’s most popular copy shops, The Bean on Stoney
Street, has closed for refurbishment. It will reopen on 31 January. In the
meantime there will be a Coffey cart outside the store between 8 AM and 4 PM
each day.
15.
Beeston Square Clock
My colleague Steve Carr, who represents Beeston North, is
handed a petition containing nearly 300 signatures into Notts County Council
calling for the replacement of the clock in Beeston square. Shoppers in Beeston
will know that the clock hasn’t worked for some time and both hands now appear
to have fallen off it. I totally agree with Steve and his residents that a
replacement or repaired clock is essential.
16.
Council Ward Boundaries
At the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday the council will be considering
our submission to the Boundary Commission about changes to Ward boundaries
within Broxtowe. The Boundary Commission have already agreed that the current
44 councillors is the right number, but are looking at what alterations need to
be made to ensure that each councillor represents roughly the same number of
people. I’m pleased that some of the fairly horrific suggestions that were
circulated as part of the discussion process early on, including splitting my
own Bramcote ward into two and completely redrawing the electoral maps in
Beeston, Stapleford and Eastwood, seem to have been abandoned. It seems to me
that the basic approach should be to make the minimum level of alterations
necessary to get approximate equality between the councillors. Once the Cabinet
have come up with a decision the whole matter will then be looked at by the
full council.
17.
A52 Landscaping
The Highways Agency, who are responsible for the A52, have
decided that motorists within South Broxtowe aren’t having enough disruption at
the moment and so they decided that they will be carrying out landscaping work on
the Bramcote Island starting on Tuesday, 4 February. This will be carried out
both daytime and night time until the work is finished.
18.
Stapleford By Election
Congratulations to Richard Macrae and John Longdon who won
the two vacant seats on Stapleford Town Council in the by-election on Thursday.
This means that the Stapleford North Ward on the Town Council is now
represented by the Liberal Democrats, Labour, the Conservatives and an
independent. I don’t think it’s possible to get a far more balanced ward than
that. Thank you also to the 800 or so people who made the effort to vote in
some fairly atrocious weather.
19.
Toton Post Office
The owner of the Post Office on Stapleford Lane in Toton has
applied for planning permission to extend the shop, and also to put an
additional first-floor flat above it. A decision on this will be made by the
borough council in due course.
20.
HS2 Support
Derbyshire County Council have now officially given their
support to having the East Midlands station for the HS2 railway in Toton. This
is in sharp contrast to Derby City Council who want the station built there.
21.
Beeston Civic Society
Beeston Civic Society will be holding a public meeting at
John Clifford School in Beeston on Friday, 14 February at 7:30 PM to discuss
the future of the town. The guest speaker will be BBC political correspondent
John Hess. All are welcome to attend.
22.
Charity Auction
The Treetops Hospice furniture store in Derby Road,
Stapleford, will be holding a charity auction on Saturday, 1 February starting
at midday. There are more than 100 items in the auction and all are welcome to
attend.
As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any
feedback is gratefully received.
Best wishes
David
Follow me on Twitter @davidwatts12.
