Parliamentary Candidate for Newark
Liberal Democrat Councillor For Bramcote, Parliamentary Spokesperson for Newark, Editor of Challenge Magazine for the Green Liberal Democrats and Crime and Policing Spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Learn more
by David Watts on 16 June, 2013
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. May I give a special welcome to the new readers that we have this week. We have a record number of readers now and the feedback that I’ve been receiving recently suggests that people are finding it very useful as a service.
I’m going to start this week with a couple of items that should have been in last week’s newsletter but were omitted by mistake.
Beeston police station has now closed and the police are now based on the ground floor of the civic centre, alongside the Citizens Advice Bureaux. This will save the taxpayer a significant amount of money as we had spare space in the civic centre and the police station was old and costing a fortune to run.
Congratulations to the boys and girls of the Beeston Girls and Boys Brigade Marching band who last week won the national Brigade’s Marching Bands Championship at the first attempt, beating Hull and West Bromwich into second and third places. This is a fantastic performance and I really should have mentioned it last week as my daughter is part of the band.
It is no exaggeration to say that the state of the grass verges in Broxtowe is an absolute disgrace. Many of them have not been cut all year and where they have been cut the work has been extremely shoddy. Until last year verge cutting was done by the borough council but last year the County Council announced that they would be taking over the work. This is the result. I don’t know if this is the fault of the previous Tory administration or the new Labour one but something has gone badly wrong. We have organised a petition to call for the Council to take urgent action to put things right, and I hope that we will get a huge number of signatures on it. You can sign the petition on our website at www.broxtoweliberaldemocrats.org.uk, and it’s also possible to download hard copies of the petition there to get signatures from your neighbours as well. If you could sign it and ask the rest of your street to do so as well then we will soon have enough signatures to force the County to act.
The programme for Beeston Carnival has been announced. The carnival takes place on Saturday 13th July and will begin at 10am in the town square. There will be attractions in Broadgate Park from 12.00 and the parade will start at 1pm. The parade starts at Foster Avenue, goes through the Square and across Station Road and then along the High Road and into Broadgate Park. The carnival has been a huge success over the past few years and I’m sure that this years will be equally as good.
I wrote an article for the Beestonia Blog this week about the Governments proposed reforms of legal aid and criminal justice. I’ve also posted that article on my web site at www.davidwatts.org.uk and I’d urge as many people as possible to read it. There is a petition to oppose the proposed changes and the link for that is http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/48628.
On Friday June 28th at 7.30pm Paradiso Cinema presents “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis. As the American Civil War continues to rage, President Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to free the slaves. This is at Chilwell Arts Theatre, Chilwell School, NG9 5AL. Tickets on the door are£5, (£4 conc). Come at 7pm for refreshments.
Beeston Citizens Advice Bureaux have 6 office desks to give away due to an office refurbishment. The desks measure 1200 x 800 and are all in good condition. They are a light oak colour with grey legs. Any organisation wanting them will need to arrange collection. Enquiries can be made to Sally Bestwick direct. Her email is manager@beeston.cabnet.org.uk.
The Liberal Democrats are this weekend launching our Million Jobs Campaign. Since the coalition came into existence we have created a million new jobs but now the Liberal Democrats are targeting creating a million more. Over the next few weeks we will be having a number of events and activities to promote this campaign, and in particular to encourage local firms to create new apprenticeships. Over the past three years we’ve had a huge number of apprenticeships created where young people can learn proper skills, and the borough council have been at the forefront of creating these.
This week the council’s Development Control Committee granted planning permission for a new heritage centre at the Beeston weir Cottages. This will lead to the cottages being restored. These 18th century cottages are currently derelict. I’ve looked at the plans and they seem a really exciting scheme. I wish it every success.
Congratulations to the 2nd Toton Beaver Scout group who teamed up with the borough council this week to carry out a litter pick behind the Greenwood Community Centre. They will earn their Beaver Scout Global Challenge badge for this.
Nottingham Building Society have submitted a planning application to the borough council to demolish their offices at the Roach in Stapleford and rebuild it as a flagship office with affordable flats above it. This looks like a very exciting scheme but there will be significant public consultation before a decision is taken. I’ll post a link to the plans next week when they are on the borough web site.
The council are installing dual bins on streets across the borough to make it easier for people to recycle. The new bins have both a general waste area and a recyclable area, so when people are placing rubbish in them recyclable material can be separated. This is part of our commitment to recycle as much material as possible.
Bramcote Liberal Democrats are holding a Friends and Supporters Garden Party on Friday 19th July at 8 Cranston Road, Bramcote, starting at 7.00pm. If you view yourself as being generally a Lib-Dem supporter then you are warmly invited to attend. There is no charge but there will be a plate for donations. The Liberal Democrats are the only party whose funding comes purely from its members. We don’t receive any money from unions or big business, and so the money for our work in Bramcote has to be raised locally. Events such as the garden party are a key way of doing this. They are also a great time for us to discuss local issues with our supporters and to find out what people think.
Stapleford Liberal Democrats are holding their annual strawberry cream tea at 39 Toton lane Stapleford on Saturday 29th June 2013, starting at 2.15pm. Tickets cost £5 each. All are welcome including friends and guests. Tickets can be obtained from godfrey.walt@ntlworld.com or by ringing 01159398993
A photographic exhibition by local photographic group The Print Project will be on show at Eastwood’s DH Lawrence Heritage Centre next month. The group of independent photographers, dedicated to the monochrome image, will be exhibiting their latest work in the Rainbow Gallery at the Heritage Centre, on Mansfield Road, during July and August. The exhibition will open from 10am until 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. It will cost £5 to get in, which will include a tour of the site.
A £1million JD Wetherspoon pub has been given the go-ahead in Eastwood and will provide 40 jobs for local people. The chain will convert a former car dealership on Nottingham Road into a family-friendly pub and restaurant. With many pubs shutting down it’s nice to see a new one opening.
Police want to start a community speedwatch scheme in Brinsley to cut down on the number of drivers speeding through the village. Officers are looking for a minimum of six volunteers, willing to clock drivers with speed guns along Mansfield Road, Church Lane and Cordy Lane. The police say speeding has been an ‘on-going problem’ in the village. Volunteers will need to be over 18 and willing to put in one hour per week. They will be fully trained by the police. If you are interested in being a volunteer call Pc Richard Reynolds on 07525 989426.
A community celebration will take place at Round Hill school in Beeston on Saturday 6th July 2013 from 11am to 4pm. The celebration offers a world of music, dance, sport competitions, arts, and food organised by the Broxtowe Community Celebration Group. Everyone is welcome and admission is free. Details are available from Andrea on 07952 701 399.
Free paint can be obtained at Beeston Household Waste Recycling site this Wednesday from 5.00 – 7.30pm. This is organised by the County Council who say:
“Free reusable paint is on offer at special monthly open evenings at Beeston, Calverton, Newark and Warsop Household Waste Recycling Centres (rubbish tips). To take advantage of this offer, please call the Customer Service Centre on tel: 0300 500 8080 to reserve a time slot. Booking is essential.
This offer is available to Nottinghamshire residents only and normal permitting requirements still apply if you use a van, pick-up or car-towed trailer to visit the Household Waste Recycling Centres. The paint has been donated to the Community RePaint Nottinghamshire Scheme and has all been checked by the site staff. Paint tins offered at these events are at least half full of good reusable paint and whilst we might not be able to guarantee the colours and types available, there is usually plenty of choice and it’s all free of charge. There isn’t a specific limit to the number of tins that you can take away but we may need to use a fair share policy when events are fully booked.”
I hope that all the Fathers in the readership have had a good Fathers Day. My children treated me to breakfast in bed but when I tried to have a nap this afternoon they decided that I ought to take them to the park instead!
As ever thank you for your support for this newsletter. Any feedback is gratefully received.
Best wishes
David
www.broxtoweliberaldemocrats.org.uk
Follow me on Twitter @davidwatts12.
Leave a comment
Leave a Reply