With winter approaching, it is worth taking a few minutes to make sure you, your home, and your car are ready for winter.

There is lots of information available online to help you get ready for winter.

10 things you can do now

Here are 10 things you can do now to prepare for winter. There is also some useful information on the Age UK website.

Your home

There is some useful information about dealing with extreme weather on the Met Office’s advice webpages. You can also find advice on how to deal with frozen pipes on Severn Trent’s website.

Using the roads

The AA’s guide for winter motoring can be found here. Advice from Cycling UK and the AA about cycling in the winter can be viewed here.

Gritting and snow clearing

Information about the council’s road and pavement gritting service, and community grit bins, is available here.

Remember, the grit bins around our area are there for residents to use.
If you know of one in our area that needs refilling then please do let me have the details.

Advice on obtaining pension credit

There are as many as 880,000 pensioners who are eligible for pension credit but don’t claim it. You can read about how to claim it here.

I missed my update last week so here is two weeks’ worth of news.

Cabinet news:

📆 I attended Overview and Scrutiny to answer questions about the council’s Air Quality Action Plan. Air quality in the city is improving but there is more we can do, hence a new set of measures for the next four years. I also attended cabinet.

🏚️I had a tour of the Fleece Hotel site with cabinet colleagues and council officers to hear about our ideas for the buildings and surrounding land.

Podsmead news:

🎽 I met with members of the committee of Gloucester Athletics Club and a council officer to see what could be done about the old athletics building at Blackbridge

💡 I reported a faulty streetlight and was told this would be fixed soon

🛣️ I liaised with Blackbridge over the issues with contractors affecting residents

🗑️ I reminded the council about my request for a bin or two for the Memorial Ground

📧 I wrote to Matthew Homes, the county council and the section 106 officer about the adoption of Earls Park open spaces, and the cut-through to Newark Road.

An inspection for adoption can likely take place in November or after, once the final pieces of street furniture are in. I have also passed on resident concerns about surface water and the poor drainage, which will need to be rectified to meet adoptable standard.

🔈 I helped residents with various issues like noise, housing problems and vegetation

🌁 It’s good to see the bridge from Podsmead Road to Tuffley has been cleaned and repaired.

I had a walk through Earls Park the other day.

The construction on the estate is nearing completion and we should then be able to proceed to adoption of the roads once done.

The process of adopting the parks is underway.

Some new street signs have been installed which is good to see, and the flattened one has been righted, albeit with a few scratches!

Good luck to the newly-formed u14s girls team in their first matches.

They currently train Sundays at the Memorial Ground and anyone in years 7/8/9 is welcome to join in.

I regularly walk around my ward. It’s a good way to check on things like the state of footpaths and roads, and any issues like weeds or litter.

It’s also good for my health and my step-count.

I always find something to report, or see something that has been fixed at my request.

I nearly always end up seeing residents who want to have a chat.

I can’t solve every problem but I always listen.

This was taken walking over the bridge on Bristol Road.

It’s good to see the Not So Secret Book Club, run by Read With Me, returning to Gloucester next month.

Head to Robinswood Hill on Tuesday 29th October between 11am and 2pm for loads of literary fun and games.

I have been pleased to support this event from my Podsmead ward fund.

I had a walkabout of the memorial ground this week, having been contacted by members of Widden Old Boys and Old Cryptians.

There is an issue currently with dog walkers leaving poo bags in the hedges round the ground.

The ground is private land, but there is a public right of way through the ground, from the stile at Laburnum Road, past the pitches and through the ash path to Stroud Road.

I met with Rob Panou of Old Cryptians and we discussed what we could do about this problem.

I had initially thought there might be an unused bin on Blackbridge field but that is not the case, as Cllr Caroline Courtney had already got it moved.

The council are not usually keen to add more bins to the total number, as we have 1100 bins in the city which all have to be emptied regularly. Hopefully though as Old Cryptians have said they could contribute financially to the costs of a new bin, this might sway the council.

I will report back on progress soon.

I often get asked where we are with the reopening of the Club at Tuffley Park.

Everyone in the community was disappointed when this venue closed, and I have been adamant as the local city councillor for Podsmead that we must get it reopened as soon as possible, with tenants and activities that are community-based.

City council cabinet of which I’m a member unanimously approved One Church as the new tenant in July, and we are excited for their plans for the building.

City council officers are currently finalising the terms of the lease, and the repairs to the roof and internal fittings that have become necessary while the building was empty.

Whilst we want to reopen as quickly as possible, it is absolutely vital we get these things right to avoid any more costly problems down the line.

I will update residents as soon as I know more, and crucially when we have an opening date.

After contact from residents I’ve again asked the council to remove the old bit of carpet and the dog mess from the alleyway through from Milton Avenue green space, to Empire Way.

Unfortunately someone has damaged the information board by the park, so I’ve made the parks manager, Podsmead Big Local chair and the Friends of Milton Avenue aware.

Other things I’ve asked for are for the drains to be cleared and the sign for the green space area to be cleaned.

Finally, I’m approving a funding request for improvements to the steps at the other end of the green space.

As always any issues in our area, let me know: https://sebastianfield.mycouncillor.org.uk/how-to-contact-me/

There will be a welcome back barbecue for young rugby players, boys and girls, in years 7-9, at Old Cryptians, at the Memorial Ground off Tuffley Avenue, on Tuesday 13th September at 7pm.

It’s a great opportunity to find out more about playing rugby at Old Cryptians.

You can email Robert.Panou@gmail.com for more information.