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 give a special welcome to the new readers that we have
this week.
1.
Tram Works
It appears that the seemingly never ending tram works in
Beeston are getting to an end. The plan now is that Chilwell Road up to the bed
shop will open on May 26, from the bed shop to the Hop Pole will open by June
30 and the whole of Chilwell Road should be open by August 4th. The County
Council have now also agreed that all businesses who have been affected
financially by the scheme in Beeston should be eligible for compensation,
following a campaign run by both Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors.
This is good news, but there is still no compensation for residents who have
been affected.
2.
Eastwood Dogs Fun Day
The DH Lawrence Heritage Centre on Mansfield Road will be
holding a fun day for dog owners on 29th June. There will be dog
training classes and dog showing. Entry is free but there is a charge of £1.50
for every class attended.
3.
Cabinet Reshuffle
Broxtowe’s cabinet has been reshuffled and new portfolio’s
allocated. I have accepted a request to take over responsibility for the
council’s finance portfolio, and so for the first time in nearly a dozen years
I will not be carrying responsibility for planning in one form or another.
4.
Euro Elections
This Thursday is election day for the European Parliament.
The polls are open from 7am to 10pm. One of our candidates, Issan Ghazni,
managed to break his leg in two places today whilst out canvassing, so I’d like
to wish him a very speedy recovery. Despite the proximity of the date I am
still to hear anything from either the Labour or Conservative Parties about how
they really stand on Europe. The Liberal Democrats are unashamedly the party of
in. If you believe that Britain is better off in Europe then I would ask you to
use your vote on Thursday and vote Liberal Democrat. If you believe that we
should withdraw from Europe, despite the loss of jobs and opportunity that
would follow from such an approach, then please vote UKIP. A vote for us or for
UKIP makes it clear where people stand. Anything else is an ambiguous vote.
5.
Unemployment Down
Unemployment in Nottinghamshire is continuing to fall. The
latest figures show that 600 fewer people were claiming out of work benefits in
April than they were in March. In total 2.5% of those ages between 16 and 65
are out of work compared to 3.3% this time last year. This has been a really
difficult recession but all the figures now show that we are through the worst
and things will continue to get better. However part of what the Government
must do is ensure that this time our economic performance is based on a wider
platform of the economy as a whole and not solely on financial services, which
is what caused such a deep recession in the first place.
6.
Mondays at Pastures
On Monday 19 May there will be an After School Club for
children aged 4-11 years old from 3:30 till 5pm at The Pastures Community
Centre, Stapleford, NG9 8GQ.
7.
Attenborough Friendship Group - Coach Trip
Attenborough Friendship Group are planning a coach trip to
Finden Garden Centre, from 1pm till 6pm on Wednesday 21 May. The cost is
£5. Please call Shirley Porter on 0115
922 1183 to book a place.
8.
Beauvale Priory - Beer Festival
The 3rd Annual Beauvale Priory Beer Festival will
take place from Friday 23 May - Monday 26 May between 12pm and 1am. At the
festival there will be a range of real ales, ciders, larger and wine for
sale. The festival is free to enter (the
beer isn’t) and there is free car parking on site, but please do not drink and
drive.
9.
Beeston Shopmobility - Open day
Just a quick reminder that the Beeston Shopmobility open day
takes place next Saturday, 24th May, at 10 Devonshire Avenue,
Beeston, NG9 1BS. Everyone is welcome to attend.
10.
Greasley Gathering
The Greasley Gathering 2014 takes place on Bank Holiday
Monday 26th May between 10am and 3pm. The centre of activities will
be at Greasley Community and Sports Centre with other fun filled activities
throughout the parish. The theme of this years event is transport and there
will be an opportunity to tour the whole area in a Red London Bus; see birds of
prey, music bands, have a bite to eat or even have a go on a zip wire.
11.
Labour Leaflet
I had to had a bit of a smile about a leaflet Labour have
been putting out in Broxtowe over the last few days proclaiming the successes
of Labour run Broxtowe Borough Council. The only problem is that Broxtowe
Borough Council hasn’t been Labour run for eleven years! Talk about behind the
times!
12.
County Council to Privatise Activities?
This isn’t definite yet but in an interview this week the
leader of the Labour run County Council, Alan Rhodes, seemed to hint that a
number of council services including highways, children and adults social care,
could all be privatised. I am not opposed to work being done by private firms
if it can be shown that they can provide the same level of service more
efficiently, but I strongly feel that recent experiences across the country
show who social care should not be left to the private sector and I feel that
this would be a very short sighted move if Labour push ahead with it.
13.
New Football Pitch
The derelict skate park at Chilwell Olympia Sports Centre is
to be redeveloped as an extra all weather football pitch. The park has not been
used for a number of years yet there is a strong demand for football pitches,
so hopefully a number of teams will benefit from this.
As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any
feedback is gratefully received.
Best wishes
David
Follow me on Twitter @davidwatts12.
