July was another busy month with work on the council for Podsmead and Gloucester.

Amongst my work this month as cabinet member I:

📅 Attended the first cabinet meeting of the new Lib Dem administration – approved an ambitious business plan for the Guildhall and the new tenant for The Club at Tuffley Park amongst other reports

🙋‍♂️ 🙋‍♀️ Attended full council and answered questions within my portfolio

🖥️ Had meetings online and in person to learn more about developments in the environment and climate change portfolio 💼

🌎 Moved forward with work on our climate change agenda

🍃 🚛 Saw Hako the weedripper machine in action

♻️ Visited the Eastern Avenue depot

🌳 Visited Robinswood Hill Country Park and heard about Gloucester Nature Park plans

In Podsmead I:

🚗 ⚠️ Reported for clear up the burnt out car

🌳 Had a walkabout with the city council tree officer

👮 Had a meeting with the PCSO

🪧 Met residents in Earls Park and made myself available for a follow up

🧍‍♂️ 🧍‍♀️ Helped residents with casework

🏠 Popped into the hub

🥕 Arranged another donation from Tesco for the Poets Pantry

🐕 Reported overflowing dog waste bins for emptying

📞 📧 Held Blackbridge and their contractors to account on their planning conditions

🍃 Requested that Podsmead be cleared of weeds soon (it is being done within days)

As always if I can help with a local issue or something within the environment department do let me know:

How to contact me

The city council have recently purchased a new machine, Hako, at a cost of £75K, but neutral to budget.

Its mechanical ripping method is helping to get on top of the weeds in the city, which have grown extra-fast this year due to the heavy rain and warm weather we’ve been experiencing.

Hako clears the weeds very throughly and prevents their regrowth more effectively next time round, as it rips the plant from the root.

It also helps us reduce our use of chemical sprays to kill the weeds, so saving us money and helping us reach our biodiversity and climate commitments.

The only real downside is that it is a small machine and has to be emptied frequently at the depot in Eastern Avenue.

As part of my budget proposals for next year’s budget I will be aiming to purchase a second machine so that we can divide the city into north and south and speed up the weed removal process even more.

Last month marked five years since I was first elected to the city council for Podsmead, in a by-election.

That vote was a close-run thing, as I only won by 3.

I’ve increased my majority in each subsequent election.

It’s a pleasure to serve Podsmead and I really enjoy helping people with problems, and making a difference for our area.

There are a lot of people who support me by working with me on projects, and helping to deliver leaflets. My family and most of all my wife are hugely supportive to me (some might say long-suffering!)

I won’t please everyone in my ward, but I promise to keep working hard and doing my best, as I always have done.

If I can help with a problem or question, please get in touch:

How to contact me

During Love Parks Week I had a walkabout with our parks and open spaces manager, looking at some of our wonderful parks and open spaces. We discussed many aspects of the council’s management of its open spaces, and the challenges we face.

We toured:

Milton Avenue – casework here reported to the council

Tuffley Park – looking at the trees, 🌳 wildflower spaces, 🌸 waste bins and the trajectory for the new path (nice to see the Section 106 officer and path contractors on site scoping the path)

Gloucester Park – our newest 🟩 green flag park – the Covid memorial and the recent additions to the park

Barnwood Arboretum – 🟩 a wonderful nature reserve and another green flag park

Saintbridge Pond – 🟩 with its extensive bird 🦆 and insect 🐜 life

Robinswood Hill park – 🟩 our final walk and lunch in the cafe ☕️

Many of our parks rely on Friends groups and volunteers to carry out all that we need to get done.

The council simply doesn’t have the resources anymore to do everything that we get asked to do, so my thanks to all who help out.

I’d like to thank Theresa Fisher and Tesco Quedgeley for another kind donation of food items to the Poets Pantry.

The Pantry is a great local resource, helping residents in Podsmead with a low-cost food club every week, and food parcels in emergencies. They give out both tinned and dried food and fresh items.

They work with local businesses to distribute surplus food or food that is nearing its date but still good.

They are always on the lookout for donations as their stock is in demand.

If you would like to donate food or money to the Pantry, do let me know and I can put you in touch.

It was a pleasure to attend a residents’ meeting with the residents of Earls Park, at The Avenue on Bristol Road. There was an excellent turnout of some 35-40 residents joining me, the PCSO for Podsmead Suzanne Sexton and the new city MP Alex McIntyre.

The questions were constructive and respectful and a good range of issues was discussed. They ranged from ASB, adoption of the parks and roads in the estate, streetlights and the future works.

The panel tried to help each query as it related to their job, and residents were encouraged to keep in touch with their representatives and the police.

My thanks to the residents for an excellent evening, to all those who organised the event and to The Avenue for hosting.

Photo shows Alex McIntyre MP, Podsmead Councillor Sebastian Field, and PCSO Suzanne Sexton.

Ubico attended the Rose Garden in Stroud Road this week, after there was graffiti and vandalism carried out recently. I reported these issues to the council and police as did others.

The Rose Garden is a great community resource and it is disappointing when vandals target areas like this.

Ubico have now cleared the graffiti from the path and are working on the bin. It will need repainting or perhaps replacing, after a member of the public tried to tackle the graffiti themselves.

Whilst I understand the desire of the public to help out, we should leave graffiti removal to the professionals who are paid to do it and who have the expertise.

🚧 In response to a resident query I have been in touch with Matthew Homes over the fencing at the work site, which has fallen down a couple of times in the week.

🪧 Whilst out I reported two street signs to MH, one of which is wonky and one of which has fallen down again.

On the other issues recently raised with me:

📋Plans have been reworked and technical drawings submitted to the county council for the cut through to Newark Road – I’ll update residents on this

🍃 The parks/open spaces will be adopted by the city council. More street furniture 🪵 and bins 🗑️ are being installed in early September and then the process can be started.

👮 ASB – Blackbridge’s youth team work with local young people, are in the Earls Park group and post regularly. Get in touch with them or me if you are not sure who to speak to. I’ll also be asking Matthew Homes to work with me and the police to do more to make the site secure.

Gloucestershire Constabulary Crime Reduction team will be holding bike security marking sessions in Gloucester on Tuesday 6th August 2024 09:00 – 11:00 Co-op Stroud Road, Tuffley 11:30 – 14:00 Earls Park, Podsmead  15:00 – 17:00 Hucclecote Police Station   Please bring all your family bikes along to this FREE event.  All you need to do is come along with your bikes, complete a registration form, with a valid email address and a contact telephone number.  This free service will add your bike details and description to the National Cycle Database helping prevent theft of bikes and aiding the return of stolen or lost bikes to the rightful owner.

It has been another busy and interesting week as your city councillor for Podsmead.

Amongst other things I have:

🗑️ had an update from the site team at Blackbridge that access has been arranged for the city council crew to empty the overflowing litter bin

🪧welcomed news that proper signage will be installed at 12 Millstone Way and 14 Emery Avenue, Earls Park, and reminded Matthew Homes about promised street signs for other roads in EP

⚽️ attended with my wife, and Cllr Caroline Courtney, the Tuffley Rovers Football Club memorial match for Jamie Hyett, raising money for Cheltenham Oncology Unit

📅 met with the Managing Director of Matthew Homes on site at Earls Park for an update meeting – report to follow

📧 📞 responded to many resident queries

💴 🍱 spoke with a past supporter of Poets Pantry about another collection/donation event

🪵 welcomed the new fence at Earls Park, was disappointed to note damage so soon after installation, reported this to 👮 and Matthew Homes

If I can ever help with an issue, please let me know:

How to contact me