Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe. May I give a special welcome to the new readers that we have this week. I’m sorry that there was no newsletter last week but I was in Bournemouth for the Liberal Democrat conference. Whilst there I heard one of the best expositions of what it means to be a liberal ever made, during the speech by Tim Farron. I have put a copy of his speech on my website at www.davidwatts.org.uk and would encourage everyone to take a few minutes to watch it.

1. Closure of Durban House
The Conservative administration on Broxtowe Borough Council have decided to close the Durban House Museum in Eastwood. This decision comes as no surprise as they have been calling for its closure for a number of years. It was a difficult dilemma for councillors over many years about whether to invest money in the building or to call time on it. When I was the leader of the council I signed an agreement with Nottingham University where they agreed to use the building but unfortunately they did not renew that contract after the first term expired. The centre will therefore close on 31st March 2016.

2. New 3G Pitch
The borough council have agreed to give a grant of £110,000 to Eastwood Community Football Club to enable them to install a 3G artificial football pitch in their stadium. Eastwood Community Football Club are the team that took over from Eastwood Town Football Club when it collapsed, and as they are a ‘community interest company’ any profits they make can be ploughed back into the community rather than be paid out to shareholders.

3. Council Cash Offices
It was disappointing to hear this week that the council have decided to close their offices in Eastwood and Stapleford. They have also decided to stop taking cash payments at the office in Beeston. Of course it is possible to pay bills online but there are still some people who do not use the internet and they have been left high and dry by this decision.

4. Leisure Centres
At the borough council’s cabinet meeting last Tuesday the administration agreed to spend £100,000 to create a new company to run the leisure centres in the borough. The existing council staff will be transferred to this new firm. The leader of the council has assured people that this is not a prelude to selling off the leisure centres in the borough.

5. Contact Your Councillor
I have had a couple of people ask me recently where they can find out details of who their new councillors are. All their details can be found at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=703.

6. Website
After a lot of head scratching by the tech guys they have eventually sorted out the problem with my personal website when viewed on a tablet PC or a smart phone. Previously the cover photo for the site was getting extremely distorted but this is now solved. This means that the site is now usable from mobile devices for the first time. There is a lot of extra material on there that doesn’t appear in this newsletter and I am always grateful for any feedback from the site. You can view this at www.davidwatts.org.uk.

7. Beeston Civic Centre
Over a number of years the council have pursued a policy of providing accommodation in their buildings for other services as well, so that visitors can deal with as many matters as possible in one trip. The civic centre on Foster Avenue also hosts the Citizens Advice Bureau and the police, and the council have now agreed to let space to the DWP as well. I welcome this as having as many services as possible in one place must make it easier for local residents.

8. Beeston Town Centre
The borough council have agreed to appoint consultants to try and take phase 2 of the development of Beeston Town Centre forward. We did the same when the first phase of development was being discussed, and this is a big step forward in the process. The council are hoping to attract a cinema to the town and to create an economy around it. A project board will be created to take this forward. I understand that the costs for this are anticipated as being in the region of £200,000.

9. Eastwood Autumn Festival
On Sunday 4th October the free Eastwood Autumn Festival will take place at Eastwood Hall, Mansfield Rd, Eastwood between 10am and 4pm. There will be over 70 tables showcasing the local talent of Eastwood and the surrounding area, assorted home-made crafts, alternative therapies and Advisory and Information Displays from local groups. There will be entertainment throughout the event with a Cilla Black Tribute, 50’s/60’s Vocalist and an organist, together with a children’s entertainer. Refreshments will be available throughout.

10. Kimberley Neighbourhood Plan
Kimberley Town Council have applied to the borough council to designate the parish of Kimberley as a “neighbourhood area.” This is the first step in then being able to develop a neighbourhood plan for the parish, which will give local people a greater say over where development takes place in the area. The borough council are now running a consultation on this and you can have your say at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=13989.

11. Hemlock Stone 3D Scans
The first ever 3D scans of the area around the Hemlock Stone have now been published. You can find the results at http://bramcotetoday.org.uk/2015/09/22/hemlock-stone-3d-scans-unveiled%e2%80%8f/#comment-32342.

12. Car Park Charges
The borough council have decided that as of 1st October car parks in Broxtowe will be free after 4pm, rather than at 6pm as they presently are. They hope that this will attract more users back in to the town centres after mid-afternoon. At the moment there is a significant drop off in the number of users after this time.

13. Broxtowe Older People’s Week
Broxtowe Borough Council’s Retirement Living Schemes are holding a wide range of events between Monday 28th September and Saturday 3 October to celebrate National Older Peoples week. This include a music hall, 1950s and 1960s dance, game shows, Spanish and French celebrations, magic shows, Chinese culture, Last of the Proms and a day at the races. A full programme of events can be found at http://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=12622.

14. M1 Closures
The M1 will be shut northbound between 8pm and 6am Monday to Wednesday to allow roadworks to take place between junctions 24 and 25. Following this the northbound exit slip road will be shut at junction 25 on Thursday and Friday.

15. New Coffee shop
I understand that national coffee chain Costa Coffee will be opening a new branch on Derby Road in Stapleford shortly. This will be the 7th café or restaurant along the road, which does seem a fairly high concentration.

16. Smoking Ban
Finally just a quick reminder that from Wednesday it becomes an offence to smoke in a car carrying children. E-cigarettes are excluded from this as are convertible cars with the roof fully down. The penalty is a £50 fine.

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any feedback is gratefully received.

Best wishes

David
www.davidwatts.org.uk
www.broxtoweliberaldemocrats.org.uk
Follow me on Twitter @davidwatts12.

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