The school crossing light by the Crypt School is flashing on and off continuously, according to residents.
I have reported this to the county council streetlight team.
If you know of any damaged or faulty lights in our area do let me know:
Update 11.3.24 – this is now being fixed after my report
There will be elections to the city council and for Police and Crime Commissioner, on May 2nd 2024.
I am standing for reelection to the city council. You can register to vote here.
This will be the first election in Gloucester since the new rules came in, so you now need some form of ID to vote. You can apply for a free ID by following this link. Gloucester Liberal Democrats have produced a handy advice page on their website, explaining the new rules.
I am currently knocking on doors in Podsmead, as I do all year round. The other parties only appear at election time when they want your vote. It’s been great to hear residents’ views on what matters to them in Podsmead. I hope to see many more people during the course of the campaign.
I am currently delivering letters in Podsmead asking for views and examples of poor roads and pavements in our area.
Whilst we’ve had some successes due to persistent requests for action, such as Scott Avenue and Podsmead Road, many more roads remain in a poor state due to Conservative inaction and underinvestment at the county council.
It occurred to me that I have been pressing for Laburnum Road to be repaired since 2019, when I was first elected to Podsmead. The road surface is still bad.
I have reported the potholes once again, and have asked for it to be added to the resurfacing schedule. The highways manager hopes this will be done in 2025/6. In the meantime we will keep vigilant and report the potholes for patching as and when we see them.
I’m delighted to see that graffiti has been removed from the post box on Tuffley Avenue, at my urging.
Royal Mail obviously saw my report and have actioned this.
Elsewhere in the Podsmead ward I have reported graffiti and am campaigning for its removal. It doesn’t help that the council will only remove it from council land or buildings.
So if, for example there is an electricity box or a phone box, the council will reply to say I need to contact the owner. On some of the boxes there is no information about who owns them, only a warning about voltages.
Needless to say, I will not be opening these up or looking too closely. I will leave it to the professionals.
I have reported graffiti in Tuffley Avenue, Podsmead Place and at Blackbridge. If you know of other instances in our area, please let me know.
Gas Projects have been working with communities and organisations to commission ten unique artworks that tell the stories of local people past and present. The artworks have been inspired by a combination of conversations and workshops with local people, as well as archive research about specific locations.
The trail also showcases the work of some of Gloucester’s most valuable and well-loved community organisations including the Podsmead Hub, The Venture, the Friendship Café and the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub.
Starting at Podsmead Hub at 10am, we will walk to visit the ten artworks that loosely follow the trainline into Gloucester.
We will be stopping for a free lunch at The Venture, White City at 12:15pm, and finish at the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub at 3pm for refreshments and a chance to speak to the artists and take part in a creative workshop.
You need not embark upon the whole walk – feel free to join us along the way.
Many of the artworks have an accompanying audio element, so bring a smart device and headphones to enjoy the full experience!
Book your space here, or just turn up on the day.
Here are all the locations you can find Word Walk art …
Podsmead Hub – Luke Smile – 15a Scott Ave, Podsmead, Gloucester GL2 5BD
Tuffley Park playground – Ery Burns – Find artwork at the Laburnum Road entrance
Blackbridge – Eleanor Harper – Back entrance to Crypt School, next to the Blackbridge
Near Robinswood Hill – Daisy May Chapman – On the footpath opposite The Hill Stores
The Venture, White City – Daisy May Chapman – Northfield Rd, Gloucester GL4 6TX
Friendship Café @ Chequers – Daisy May Chapman – Barton St, Gloucester GL4 6PR
Ayland Gardens – Daisy May Chapman – Bishopstone Rd, Gloucester GL1 4BZ
Gloucester Train Station – Trix
Kings Square – Jussara Nazaré
Gloucestershire Heritage Hub – Hope Hanni Eva – Clarence Row, Alvin St, Gloucester GL1 3DW
The Word Walk has been generously funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Blackbridge CCBS and Voices, and is part of the wider Gloucester Art Weekend & Platform (GAWP!) which was funded by Arts Council England, Gloucester City Council, Gloucester City Homes and Create Gloucestershire
More information at https://www.gasprojects.org.uk
The wall that runs along the bridge at the back of Crypt School, off Cole Avenue, has been damaged and graffitied.
I’ve reported it to both councils and also made the school and Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society aware.
This area falls outside the land that Blackbridge will manage but I am hopeful that local partners can still meet up to do something with this land, as it has been unloved and subject to ASB for some time.
There could be a good opportunity for more planting and encouraging wildlife.
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.
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.