I have contacted Gloucester City Homes to report several issues in the area of grass between Byron Avenue and Keats Avenue.
The wooden fence is still down – the broken parts will be taken away and then the fence will be replaced.
I reported the fly-tipping and graffiti and these issues have been dealt with today (Friday 29th April). I have also asked for the grass to be cut.
If you spot any problems in our area please do let me know.
In the last few days in both Gloucester and Cheltenham, Police have received reports of offenders attempting to distract people withdrawing money from ATM Cash Machines.
This could be an attempt to see the PIN number that is used and then to steal the card by distracting the person using the machine when the card is returned.
On several occasions offender advised the user that the machine was causing problems and a specific key had to be held down whilst putting in the PIN number, it was subsequently established that money had been withdrawn on the account and not by the user.
Always be aware of who is around you when withdrawing cash from a machine. Make sure that no one else can see you when you are putting in your PIN number by standing too close behind you or off to one side.
Do not let anyone standing nearby influence you on how you use the machine, or try to speak to you and distract you when using the machine. Do not forget to take the cash as well as your card as both will be returned into the machine if left too long.
If you believe that someone else has managed to obtain your PIN number or the machine does not return your card, inform your bank immediately and have your card cancelled.
If you suspect that something has been added to the cash machine please contact the Police on 101 and report the problem.
This is the end of the message, Thank You and Please Stay Safe.
The council have planted some whips on Tuffley Park. This is part of a council initiative to plant more trees in Gloucester.
After residents raised concerns about the location of the trees, I have written to the council’s climate change officer to find out if these were planted in the right place. There is a concern that they are too close to the play park and also vulnerable to being dug up. I will feed back the response.
Council officers were due to be inspecting the Earls Park site as part of the adoption process on Wednesday 13th April. Until the site is adopted by the Council, the land is owned and maintained by Matthew Homes. It is private land in which the Council cannot operate.
The council are aware of the issues with bins so they are looking to:
I will be following up with the council for feedback and will relay any further developments or actions. Residents can let me know any concerns by contacting me.
At the full council meeting last month I asked a question about the defunct ‘2Rs Community‘ clothes banks in Gloucester. The charity closed down in 2021.
If clothes banks are on private land then it is up to the landowners to remove them. I have provided a list of the banks I am aware of to the council and they are writing to the landowners and the administrator of the charity, if they can locate the information. We cannot just remove the bins as they may be a business asset.
In respect of the Podsmead bin in Burns Avenue, we have suggested in the meantime hanging a sign on the bin to say this clothes bank is no longer in use. There are other options in Podsmead and the local area to recycle clothes, such as the bank at The Club at Tuffley Park, or Kingsway Asda and Quedgeley Tesco clothes banks.
After I urged the council to replace the faded 7.5 tonne limit sign on Cole Avenue leading to Podsmead Road, it has been replaced by Highways. Now it’s more legible, it should help to deter heavy lorries driving along Podsmead Road, which is both a noise nuisance, and illegal if they weigh above 7.5 tonnes.
All waste and recycling collections will take place as normal on Friday 15th April (Good Friday) & Monday 18th April (Easter Monday)
More information about waste and recycling is on the city council website here.
Welcome to the April edition of Neighbourhood Watch OUR NEWS.
As we draw nearer to Neighbourhood Watch Week (30th May – 5th June), the Month of Community (June), and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (also in June), this edition focuses on ways we can improve our community’s health and wellbeing. It also features articles on:
https://assets.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/images/site_images/88409_April_2022_OUR_NEWS.pdf
A briefing was held for Gloucester City Councillors with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire, Chris Nelson. This came about after a successful Liberal Democrat motion to council calling for a briefing to be held with the PCC, to look at policing issues in our communities.
There was a good turnout from councillors including the whole Lib Dem group. Many councillors asked questions of Mr Nelson, including myself.
I asked about the recent TV programme featuring Gloucestershire officers, and particularly about the problem of alcohol-related crime mentioned on there. The PCC replied that alcohol crime was a major resource drain on the force, and that he was personally trying to do things on this issue.
I also referred to the problem of speeding, for example in Tuffley Avenue and Podsmead Road in my patch, and would the PCC come and meet me to see for himself. He acknowledged that this is one of the things that residents often bring up and want action on. He said it is one of his passions and he wants to get something done on this issue.
He said we was willing to meet me in Podsmead to look at any issues, but also the senior officers who were in attendance that evening said they would be in touch, as they knew already that I was very proactive in my ward, for example with regular walkabouts with PCSO Sexton.
The clothes banks for ‘2Rs community’ have been a magnet for fly-tipping, including in Podsmead at Burns Avenue.
Some research I did led me to find out that 2Rs was based in Wolverhampton, and that it no longer exists.
I asked the Leader of the Council a question about this issue and whether we could get the banks removed. He said in response that the clothes banks were usually sited on private land and in these instances it is up to the landowner to get them removed or to make sure they are serviced. Given the charity no longer exists, I would hope that landowners would prefer the banks to be removed, especially as they are a magnet for fly-tipping.
The first part of my question has the list of 2Rs banks that I am aware of in this part of the city:
‘There are several clothes banks for the ‘2Rs Community Resource Centre’ around the city, including in my ward of Podsmead on Burns Avenue, in Tuffley by the Seventh Avenue shops and in Chatsworth Avenue, and in Grange by Homleigh shops. An internet search shows that 2Rs was a Wolverhampton-based charity and that is was dissolved on 31st March 2021.‘
I understand from the Leader that he has been in touch with the city centre manager who is going to contact owners to request removal.
Clothes banks can be very good for charities who can make money for their causes from reselling good quality discarded garments or selling textiles to the rag trade, but only if they are maintained and regularly emptied.
There is a clothes bank in Podsmead at The Club at Tuffley Park that is available to residents. There are also often clothes banks in supermarket car parks such as Asda or Tesco.
If you know of any more disused clothing banks, or any other instances of fly-tipping in our area, do let me know.