Weeds make an area look uncared for, and so they need dealing with.

When I started campaigning in Podsmead there were weeds all across the ward. I reported them to the council as often as I came across them and they were sprayed over the summer.

Unfortunately the treatment did not take so well due to the intermittent wet weather we had over the summer.

The council have now realised that this issue needs to be dealt with properly and have contracted a machine called Weedo to do this.

I reported a long list of areas where I knew there were still weeds and I am pleased to see that they have been done.

If you know of any weeds in your street please let me know by commenting below or send me an email to Sebastian.field@gloucester.gov.uk.

Access is an important issue in our communities.

This hedge in the alleyway between Tennyson Avenue and Podsmead Road was overgrown and making it difficult for people in wheelchairs to get through.

I asked for it to be cut back and this has now been done.

I am taking action all across the ward.

The two alleyways between Shelley Avenue and Tennyson Avenue, and Tennyson Avenue through to Podsmead Road, were full of litter but I asked for a litter pick to be done. This has now been added to the schedule to be done regularly.

I’ve also asked about getting a bin installed, in the hope that this might deter people from littering. The only problem with this approach is that every bin in Gloucester costs money, not just to make and install the bin, but the ongoing cost of staff servicing and emptying an extra bin. There is only budget for so many litter bins in the city.

The better solution lies in all of us taking more responsibility for our community and not throwing litter. There are plenty of bins already in Podsmead and in the city, and more and more recycling points. Podsmead has some good recycling bins at Scott Avenue for example.

In the past we used to have a Keep Britain Tidy campaign and this was very successful. Unfortunately that is a memory for some, and others have never even heard of it. We need to bring back that spirit of tidiness to reduce litter and increase our recycling rates.

I have also asked for this hedge to be cut back after requests from residents. It makes it really hard to get through, especially for any wheelchairs. I will be following up this and the litter issue in future.