Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe.

1. Waste Recycling Centres
A new scheme aimed at reducing the amount of waste at the county’s recycling centres will help save the County Council £200,000 a year in waste disposal costs. Under the scheme, Nottinghamshire residents, who wish to use one of the Council’s 12 recycling centres will first have to complete a free one-off registration to continue using the sites as they do now. The simple registration process can be completed online from 21 March at the County Council’s website, www.nottscc.gov.uk/registertorecycle or by calling the customer service centre on 0300 500 80 80. The scheme will come into force in the autumn.

2. Combined Authority
I have reported on a number of occasions about the efforts of the Government to force councils in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to come together in a combined authority with a directly elected mayor, even though there is little evidence of any local support for such a move. The plans have now taken a further knock with Bassetlaw council saying that they no longer wish to be a part of the process.

3. West End Surgery
It was disappointing to read this week that the West End Surgery in Beeston has been put into “special measures” by the regulators, the Care Quality Commission. They concluded that patients and staff “were at risk of harm” and that there was poor continuity of care. The surgery have stressed that they are working hard to address the issues that have been identified.

4. Awsworth 5K Fun Run
The fifth annual 5K fun run will take place on April 24th. Money raised from this years event will go to the Ryan Lee Trust. Anyone wishing to take part can register by ringing 0115 932 1926.

5. Moults Yard
Broxtowe Borough Council have announced plans to compulsorily purchase Moults Yard in Stapleford, the land on Nottingham Road which has been derelict for many years. It has planning permission for 19 houses to be built on the site, but despite this being in place for many years it has never happened. When I was on the council I put the process in place to enable the council to obtain compulsory purchase orders, and this site was the one that I always anticipated being the first one where it would be used. I am glad that this is now being done although there seems to have been a considerable delay.

6. Beeston Police Station
The council have given planning permission for the old Beeston Police Station to be converted into 24 flats. The listed part of the building will be retained and converted into 5 flats and the rest of the site will be demolished and 19 new flats built. There was a row about this at the planning committee as developers of sites usually have to contribute to education provision in the area but the develoers of this site are not being asked to.

7. Garden Waste Scheme
The current garden waste collection scheme run by the council is about to expire and residents are being encouraged to renew. (I did mine this afternoon.) To encourage people to sign up the council are running a draw each month for April, May and June of people who renewed that month and the winner will receive £100 of vouchers for Trowell Garden Centre.

8. Best of Broxtowe Awards
May I remind readers that nominations are still open for the Best of Broxtowe awards sponsored by the Nottingham Post. There are twelve categories and nominations can be made at www.nottinghampost.com/bestofbroxtoweborough. The closing date for nominations is Friday 8th April.

9. East Midlands Ambulance Service
I have reported a number of times in this newsletter about the poor performance of the East Midlands Ambulance Service. This is not the fault of the front line staff but a problem of habitually poor management. (Recently I had to call an ambulance for a seriously ill member of my family and we had to wait over an hour on an emergency call, which is nothing like good enough.) Now the Chief Executive, who was only appointed in 2013, has left her post and once again a new leader is being sought.

10. Beeston Youth and Community Centre
Beeston Youth and Community Centre has reopened this week after being closed for the past seven weeks for a refurbishment. The work has cost £70,000 and includes fitting solar panels as well as internal improvements.

11. Register To Vote
There are two elections coming up this spring. In May it will be the Police and Crime Commissioner election. (The Lib Dems will be boycotting this as we did previously. We do not agree with the position or the vast waste of money it involves.) Following this in June it will be the referendum on membership of the European Union. The deadline for registering to vote for either of these is the 18th April. If you’re not registered to vote you can sign up to do so at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

12. Horrible Histories Scarecrows
Horrible histories will come to life in Scarecrow form this Spring as the Friends of Colliers Wood host the third annual scarecrow challenge, as part of the Greasley Gathering. From Henry VIII to William the Conqueror and Queen Elizabeth I, the competition is open to local residents, organisations and community groups and is an imaginative way to bring history to life in a fun way for all the family on Monday 30th May. Last year’s competition attracted entries from schools and uniformed groups, with top prizes awarded to Greasley Beauvale Primary School and 1st Greasley Guides. People wishing to take part should register by 15th April on the website at http://www.friendsofcollierswood.org.uk/.

As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any feedback is gratefully received. There will be no newsletter for the next two weeks because of the Easter Holidays.

Best wishes

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

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