The county council recently launched its Levelling Up Together fund.

It has £1.5 million to allocate across Gloucestershire. The funding is being targeted at ten communities in the county where there are higher levels of financial hardship, and people that need extra support. Podsmead is one of the areas in the list.

Residents and groups are encouraged to put together proposals.

There is no lower limit on applications, so applicants could request small amounts of money, whilst the maximum that any one application can bid for is £150,000.

The deadline for proposals is 27th November. Do get in touch with me – I will be liaising with the county council over this scheme and will be looking to support Podsmead bids via the county council.

More information can be obtained at:

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/your-community/levelling-up-together

Applications must demonstrate how the funding will contribute to Gloucestershire County Council’s ambitions to level up:

• By 2030, the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years.
• By 2030, well-being will have improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
• By 2030, the number of primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths will have significantly increased.  In England, this will mean 90% of children will achieve the expected standard, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by over a third.
• By 2030, the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training will have significantly increased in every area of the UK.  In England, this will lead to 200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas.
• By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing

The Levelling Up Together webpages will also be helpful: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/levelling-up-together particularly the FAQs.

The contractor is on site this week working on the pond at Milton Avenue.

I have been advised that most of the material that is removed will go off site, but some may go on the far bank.

A planting plan is below, with the species to be planted. Please let me know if you can’t see this image and I will email you a higher res version.

Planting is to be done between November and January – we don’t yet know the exact dates.

The pond already looks much better and this work will help to purify the water and attract wildlife.

Fruit trees:

Apple:
1 no. Ashmead Kernel (2 year half standard, M26 rootstock)
1 no. Rhead Reinette (2 year half standard, M26 rootstock)
1 no. Severn Bank (2 year half standard, M26 rootstock)
1 no. Bramley (2 year half standard, M26 rootstock)
Pear:
1 no. Concorde (2 year half standard, Quince C rootstock)
1 no. Doyenne du Comice (2 year half standard, Quince C rootstock)
Plum / Damson:
1 no Victoria plum (2 year half standard, Pixy rootstock)
1 no Merryweather damson (2 year half standard, Pixy rootstock)

Native Shrubs

Planting Mix:

3 no. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

3 no. Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

3 no. Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus)

3 no. Crab apple (Malus sylvestris)

3 no. Elderflower (Sambucus nigra

3 no. Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus)

Mixed Native Hedging:

25% Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

25% Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

10% Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

10% Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

10% Hazel (Corylus avellana)

10% Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

10% Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus)

You can now book to visit your local Gloucestershire Household Recycling Centre on the same day.

In the past residents wishing to bring their household waste needed to book at least a day in advance, but the new system will make visits to any of the county’s five HRCs easier.

Put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirement to book a visit has been retained as it has reduced queuing and congestion around all sites. 

Customers are also making fewer trips but are taking larger volumes of waste with them, which is helping to cut congestion and reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles. Overall trips have reduced by over a third, the equivalent of over 250,000 unnecessary journeys a year.

The booking system has also allowed visits to sites to be spread throughout the day, rather than having large numbers of customers visit at peak times. This has made visiting HRCs easier for our customers and allows the recycling centres to run more efficiently.

All bookings to visit HRCs are subject to availability and can be made by visiting https://www.gloucestershirerecycles.com/.

Recycling will help us all work towards a Greener Gloucestershire. To find out more follow #GreenerGloucestershire on social media, visit Greener Gloucestershire – Gloucestershire County Council and sign up to receive updates via our Greener Gloucestershire newsletter.

Note

• This excludes Swindon Road Recycling Centre. This site is operated by Cheltenham Borough Council.https://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/5/bins_and_recycling/919/recycling_centres_and_bring_banks

The county council have launched a Support Hub – a wealth of information to help everyone find the right support needed during the cost-of-living challenges.

The hub is split into five key areas:

? Money
? Food
? Energy
? Warm spaces
? Protecting health and wellbeing

They’re also launching a warm bank offer called ‘Warm and Welcome’. This will allow residents to access free warm and welcoming spaces within libraries.

Find out more about the hub and the Warm and Welcome offer ? https://orlo.uk/Jk1BK

More than 800 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have been issued on behalf of Gloucester City Council this year, to crack down on environmental crime offences including fly-tipping and littering.

The FPNs were issued by the council’s Enviro-crime Team, launched last year to help combat environmental offences and 3GS, who tackle issues in the city centre on behalf of the council. 

Where fines were not paid, 224 prosecutions were made for various offences such as littering and fly-tipping.

Following new legislation, 3GS are preparing to begin issuing fines against motorists who drop rubbish from moving vehicles.

The council is also looking at options to address street peddlars in the city following complaints from businesses.

Last year the council collected 133 tonnes of fly tipped waste and receives around 350 complaints about waste annually. 

The council’s own Enviro-crime Team responds to any reports of fly tipping. In addition, the team carries out preventative engagement work and has been successfully engaging with residents in Barton and Tredworth to help reduce waste related issues. 

The team has worked with around 2,000 households to let them know more about recycling and how to dispose of their waste correctly as well as issuing FPNs where problems have persisted. 

It has secured six extra CCTV cameras to add to the three already in operation, to be used in hotspot areas around the city to catch fly-tippers.

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Local residents are reporting that they are being targeted with scam messages about the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

The messages state that you can claim a rebate for your energy bills, and instruct you to click a link within the message, to “apply” for the rebate.  This takes you to a phishing website whereby you enter personal details, which are then stolen by the fraudsters.

There is no need to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme and you’ll never be asked for your bank details.

Under the scheme, households will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills via six instalments, starting this month.

Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/government/news

Links to fake websites

Fraudulent emails and texts containing links to fake websites are hard to spot because they look so realistic – the message may be almost the same as you’d receive from the company and may even include the official logos. 

So what can you do to protect yourself? Always take a moment to stop and think before you give out any information. This simple action could save you hundreds – or even thousands – of pounds. Remember, a genuine firm will never pressure you into an immediate decision.Don’t click on any links sent to you out of the blue, even if it looks legitimate. Go to the official website for the information, or for the correct contact details to get in touch yourself.Never agree to work by anyone who knocks on your door uninvited, or rings you out of the blue. If you want work done on your home, go to the relevant trade association website or local good trader scheme – your council’s website is a good place to start. Or get recommendations from friends and family members. Don’t be afraid to be impolite. If you’re at all suspicious about a caller, you are well within your rights to shut the door on them or hang up the phone. 

The Friends Against Scams website can help give you the skills and confidence to spot scams, and to help protect others. Visit www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk for more information.

Above all, it’s important to look after yourself, your loved ones and neighbours. Anyone can be vulnerable due to their situation or circumstances, so we all need to stay alert. Talk about scams and share information. If you think you have been a victim, report it to  Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. 

Please help us raise awareness of this scam by informing your elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours.

Please note, we’re unable to accept reports of crime through Your Neighbourhood Alerts. You can report non-emergency crime online here. Always call 999 in an emergency.

Message Sent By
Fraud Protect Officer

There will be a community daffodil planting day on Saturday 22nd October, in Tuffley Park. The brief from local resident Sarah, who has done brilliant work to organise this event, is below:

Join us for our first community event: Daffodil Planting in Tuffley Park ?. Flowers should appear next Spring.

?‍? All tools and instruction provided
☕️Light refreshments / packed lunch provided
✅️OPEN TO EVERYONE! (Children to be accompanied by an adult)

Meet at the Club @ Tuffley Park at 10:00 for pre-job brief & hot drink and then we can crack on! Wear something you don’t mind getting muddy. .

Please indicate your availability using the invite and share amongst friends. Please also send through any dietary or accessibility requirements.

Thanks ?,

Sarah

You can find the event on Facebook here.

We held a successful bike marking and advice session with the police and myself in Earls Park on Thursday.

We got some good comments, and the police were able to mark some 20+ bikes.

Whilst in the vicinity I checked on the Neven Place play park and was very disappointed to note that the issues still haven’t been resolved.

I have asked Matthew Homes to sort out urgently:

* The fence (dangerous metal exposed)

* The leaning child’s bike toy

* The full waste bin 

Once again I would have urged Matthew Homes to install dedicated dog waste bins at the parks – the bins are being predominantly used for dog waste anyway.

Other issues that are outstanding:

* The storage area in the corner of the park – the council believe this should not be in this location.

* Residents have noticed that the site gate was open on a Friday evening 2/10. This needs to be closed.

There is also a dangerous cable hanging out of a property in the estate, but I am seeking clarification as to who is responsible.

I am seeking a meeting with management in the next month to talk through issues and represent the views of residents. Do email me any issues on seb4podsmead@gmail.com.

Postal voters in the Tuffley by-election are being urged to return their postal votes in good time ahead of strike action by Royal Mail staff.

A postal strike has been announced for Thursday, October 13, the day of the election.

The by-election is taking place following the passing of long serving member for Tuffley, Colin Organ, who also served as Mayor of Gloucester and was the driving force behind the Gloucester Goes Retro festival.

Postal voters are urged to post their votes by Monday, October 10 at the latest to ensure they have the best chance of reaching the council in time.

Anyone who misses this date this is encouraged to contact the Gloucester City Council elections team on 01452 396203.

Postal votes can also be taken to a polling station on the day of the by-election. Polling stations will be open from 7am-10pm.

Residents can check where their nearest one is on https://wheredoivote.co.uk/ or by calling the team.

Voters are reminded that the deadline to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf is 5pm today (Wednesday, October 5).

More information https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/about-the-council/elections-and-voting/upcoming-elections/

Asda are offering customers over 60 a meal deal to help with the cost of living. For £1 you can have soup, a roll and unlimited hot drinks.

Sadly the nearest Asda to Podsmead, the Kingsway branch, does not have a cafe anymore, but the main Asda in the city does. So if you are going to Asda for a shop, this meal deal is a good offer. Well done Asda.