Interested in a local apprenticeship in construction? On 12 March from 4.30-6.30pm you can drop in to The Podsmead Hub to find out more about the roles in construction, visiting the build site of our Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub, and get support to apply for an apprenticeship with our building partner EG Carter. Apprenticeships are open to all ages, from those age 16 and considering an apprentice as an alternative to college, to adults looking to start a career in construction and learn a trade.

contact info@blackbridge.org.uk for more information

I am pleased to report that the long-awaited bollards between Manu Marble Way and Millstone Way are installed and working.

These have been installed after discussions between Highways, Matthew Homes and myself over how to improve recycling and refuse collection for residents.

Previously, because of the narrow turning circle, council refuse vehicles could not access Millstone Way all the way to the top, so residents were having to cart their bins and recycling boxes to the end of the street for collection.
The properties being constructed here are nearly complete so this is good news for these properties too.

The bollards will be on a key access for recycling crews and emergency services, and will allow access from Manu Marble Way to Millstone Way and for vehicles to reach all properties.

Matthew Homes are just awaiting a site visit from the city council to assess what their needs are. In the meantime Matthew Homes will continue to collect refuse. I am pressing the council to get this site visit asap.

Residents are advised still to take their refuse to the end of the road but hopefully this will not be for very much longer.

Please get in touch with me if you have any questions.

How to contact me

Graffiti is a problem across our communities in Gloucester and it needs to stop.

I’ve recently reported several instances of graffiti in Podsmead.

The Liberal Democrat group on the city council also led on a successful notice of motion, calling on the council to get tougher with graffiti and react to it more quickly.

There is a place for graffiti art, and often, local authorities will provide walls for this use. We also have some excellent graffiti-style art on the street furniture in the gate streets. However, most graffiti that we see in our wards is just pointless tagging or mindless vandalism.

If you know of any graffiti hotspots in our area, please let me know and I will report them for cleanup.

How to contact me

Back in 2020 I was contacted about the possible removal of some phone boxes in Podsmead.

Several were removed but this one on Podsmead Road was given a stay, due to the pandemic.

I was told that it would be being removed in 2021/22, then that it would be kept after all, but repaired.

It has been vandalised a couple of times and I’ve had to get BT to fix it each time.

I recently contacted BT for another update, and I have now heard back from them that the phone box is being kept. They also told me that their engineer has attended and repaired the phone and phone box.

I hope very much that it continues to be in working order.

Seymour Road will be closed as per the attached map from 4th – 22nd March 2024 to allow for carriageway works by Gloucestershire Highways.

If you should require further information please contact highways@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Although not in Podsmead ward, this will affect Podsmead residents as the number 10 bus runs along this road, and goes to and from Podsmead.

I have previously advertised Severn Trent water works taking place from the 26th to 29th March on this road.

I will try to ascertain if these two sets of works are being carried out separately or are now being combined.

You can now watch meetings of Gloucester city council, including its committees, live-streamed on the council’s YouTube channel. The meetings are also recorded and uploaded to the site.

Liberal Democrat councillors have been pressing for this for several years, as a move towards greater transparency and engagement with the public.

You can find the meetings on the council YouTube channel here.

I chatted to the team in Tuffley Park out removing the dead trees, reported in recent months, and the tree that was downed by the recent storms.

I understand from the city council tree officer that the damaged and dead trees will be replaced, but I am not sure if they will be in the same location or elsewhere in the park.

I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues would like to see many more trees planted across the city. The Blackbridge project will see a net increase of over 100 trees.

Two pieces of good news for the residents of Millstone Way, Earls Park.

Firstly, work has started on the link to provide access for the refuse collectors, from Manu Marble Way.

This will enable the trucks to go directly to Millstone Way and not require residents to place their refuse and recycling at the far end of the street, as up to now the refuse collectors have not been able to go as far as the top end of Millstone Way due to the narrow road and nowhere to turn.

I have confirmed with Matthew Homes that access will be via two lockable bollards which the refuse collectors will have access to, but there will not be a general cut-through.

This is great news as it comes after months of campaigning from me, and lots of wrangling between Matthew Homes, city council as the collecting authority, and county council Highways.

The second piece of good news is that I secured a proper sign on the front of 33 Millstone Way, after residents raised it with me. I wrote to the housing association that owns the block and it was installed recently.

I hope to have more news soon on other matters around Earls Park, and the Podsmead ward.

If I can help with anything, do let me know:

How to contact me

Seymour Road will be closed as per the attached map, from 26th – 29th March 2024, to allow for works by Severn Trent Water.

Although not in Podsmead, it does affect residents because the number 10 bus runs to and from Podsmead along Seymour Road.

If you should require further information please let me know, or contact streetworks@gloucestershire.gov.uk