The Red Hawthorne tree on Kitchen Lane has been growing at an oblique angle for years, and years. It is quite the ‘celebrity’ of trees. Acting as a street reference point for many.

But the roots have weakened , or through a collission, and it is now dropped afew feet causing pedestrians to duck or weave under it. High winds or ground pressure could make it even more dangerous than it currently is.

The City tree team have now agreed that the tree must be made safe, and so it will be removed soon. I thought local people and residents should know of this decision. Sad, but a must for safety. I will see if we can get the same species to replace it at the right time.

My briefing today from the LGIU spotlights again how some Conservative MPs prepare to rebel over planning reform.

Almost 100 Conservative MPs are understood to be prepared to rebel over the Government’s proposed overhaul of planning legislation – with a source telling the Times that rebels are rejecting potential concessions raised by ministers as “window dressing”.

The Labour Party has already set out its opposition to what it calls a “developers’ charter”, which will remove the right for residents to object to individual planning applications, and will require councils to nominate “growth sites” on which development will be automatically approved.

Damian Green, de facto deputy prime minister under Theresa May, says a “centrally imposed zonal system would be a really unconservative policy in this hugely sensitive area”, while Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen says that it “seems the system means the more you have built, the more you have got to build in the future”. “I’m quite happy to see more houses built”, he said, “we are the party of homeowners, but every area has to do its fair share.”

Councillor Phil Bateman said ” The more you see and read, the clearer it is that it is Conservative Government Housing Policy, that is the threat to the development of the Green Belt. A huge threat is that local democracy is under attack as local peoples right to object are under consideration to be wiped away. Even Conservative Tory MP’s are beginning to rebel over the Governments Housing Policy.”

Analysis shows how high streets will become place for housing

Councillor Phil Bateman said today ” One of the hottest topics in and around our City at the moment is Government Planning Policy. We have seen disagreement, and bad tempered discussion already in the City Council Chambers. Following the Government targets for Local Authorities to deliver housing.

The Gov are placing pressures on the Green Belt . That isnt popular with our localities. Now hot on the heals of those Tory Policy objectives, and starting from tomorrow we have this Government Policy. The Times reports that High streets shops,cafes and Restaurants can be converted to houses, without planning permission! “

Analysis conducted for the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) indicates that four out of five high street premises face being converted into housing following the Government’s overhaul of the planning system. From tomorrow, developers in England will be allowed to turn a range of high street businesses into flats without planning permission.

The TCPA study looked at representative high streets in Leicester, Huntingdonshire, Barnet in north London and Crawley, West Sussex. It found an average of 80% of shops and other commercial buildings could be lost.

Councillor Bateman added ” The Conservative Government are really ensuring that the shake up they have promised to take place around planning, look more like a developers charter, and the checks and balances that Local Communities carry out are being truncated.”

The full article was published The Times today Saturday 31 July 2021.

Monday Morning -Good Morning Wednesfield – Start of a new week. Over the week-end I still carried out some volunteering and some public duties. These duties included an issue around tall trees in a private Garden. Help and advice had been requested.

Saturday ensured the WIB plants got watered. Mary helped me in that process. Also, we visited a resident whose home is being blighted by a neighbouring back garden that has been allowed to run wild. There are alleged issues of vermin as well as the problems of weeds and briars invading surrounding gardens. We will be contacting Wolverhampton Homes about this later today.

I was shocked that so many people think that the cctv in the bottom shops is not working. In fact the cctv did pick up 4 males causing damage to the flower’s outside the Butchers Shop on the Ashmore Park Parade. They left the scene in a car. The footage has been saved. Plus, the incident has been reported to West Midlands Police by the Local Authority. I would be very pleased if this item could be shared widely.

I hope you all have a great Monday.

I deal with vandalism issues almost every week. But it is sad to see this message, that has been daubed on Kitchen Lane . I will report this to the Authorities this morning.

Most people I know fully understand that this anti vax stuff is a nonsense. Let me say from the outset I condemn it totally, and the comment is a nonsense.

Please no more, there is better ways we can spend our tax pounds than cleaning up vandalism like this.

Last night I was lucky enough to be lending support to The Canal and River Trust, (as I am a Director of their West Midlands Advisory Board) at an event in Coventry.

Coventry is the UKs City of Culture 2021.
Tonight we have heard from the Lord Mayor of Coventry and the Leader of the Council about the partnership between CRT and the City in what is a huge year for this City and the West Midlands.
All of this here in Coventry has helped me get an idea of the benefits of the recent Wolverhampton decision to join the City of Culture race for 2025.
City of Wolverhampton Council leader Cllr Ian Brookfield has confirmed that the city is to bid for the title of UK City of Culture 2025.
Cllr Brookfield said Wolverhampton is “a fantastic, culturally rich, diverse and dynamic city that’s going places. We have worked hard to create momentum on this.”

Wolverhampton joins Bradford, Durham, Southampton, Wakefield and other cities and areas in submitting bids. So watch out for further information. Exciting times ahead!

With Wednesfield Police Station hitting the news as it
is once again facing a review. I thought it was a good time to remind our local neighbourhoods, of the work that took place to keep it open.
Looking back with this article Wednesfield Labour Councillors were successful when the closure was first announced. Back in 2018 – Then we took to the streets with our community, to delay and then to halt its original closure programme.

Todays news is good – as the new Police Commissioner Simon Foster, has asked West Midlands Police Chief Constable to review the forces estate provisions.

Which he is going to do.

This article was originally posted in April 2018….As you can see Wednesfield Labour Councillors have been in this for the long game. We remain hopeful that we can pull off what the Public wants.

Wednesfield Police Station Closure- The Public Say No!

Wednesfield North Labour Party and Wednesfield South Labour Party have come together to fight the announced closure of the Wednesfield Police Station in Alfred Squire Road.

The two local parties have held three (2 hour) petition signing sessions in Wednesfield High Street

The first of these was on Good Friday 30th March. followed by Saturday the 31st March and finally on Friday 6th April.

Both Local Labour Parties have taken the campaign out on the doorsteps as well. With really strong support, and reaction from residents.

Councillor Greg Brackenridge (Labour ) Wednesfield South said “After working closely with our local police neighbourhood team over the years, I have the deepest respect for the work that they do and the value they bring to our communities. The West Midlands Police have received the largest cuts in government grant in the whole of the UK.

After losing 2000 officers in 7 years we are now losing local police stations to balance the books.

This is at a time of rising crime levels which is placing our local communities at greater risk. The people of Wednesfield have spoken clearly. They want to keep our police local and I support this wholeheartedly.

Wednesfield calls on the government to fund the police and public services properly and end the austerity we have all suffered.”

Councillor Mary Bateman (Labour) Wednesfield North added “This issue is a bit of a battle, we are not attacking the police, we know that the government are the real reason that the funds are so hard to come by. But our residents do not want this to happen and the Tory Government, need to know as the Chief Constable needs to know, Wednesfield Police Station needs to remain open.”

There has also been a campaign taking place in social media here In Wednesfield, making people aware of what is taking place and also canvassing opinion.

One social media survey taking place in Wednesfield North informs that 75% of local residents who have taken part want the police station to remain open.100% of all those that have responded also say that police response times will lengthen if it closes.

The petitions canvassed over the three days in Wednesfield High Street, by the Joint Wednesfield Labour Party is nearly 1200 strong now. That means over the six hours of collecting signatures against the Police Closure Wednesfield residents queued up and signed at more than 3 person a minute! Now that shows the strength of feeling that local residents who pay for these services think!

The plan is to present this petition and the evidence we are collecting, from our community to keep the Police Station Open in the next few weeks.



For further information – contact either Councillor Greg Brackenridge or Councillor Mary Bateman …..






Phil Bateman
Phil Bateman is Married to Mary and lives in Wednesfield North. He was a long serving local politician having served previously on the now defunct West Midlands County Council… read more

It doesn’t surprise me that West Midlands Police, is being reported as missing crime calls. The fact is that this Government has been warned for years that the cuts that they have inflicted on the force, was causing huge damage.

It is now being reported that ” The force answered just two in five calls to its 101 service within the target time of three minutes in June, according to a report to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s strategic board.”

It means the force was given a poor grading for service standards in its citizen charter, although its response to 999 emergency calls over the same period was rated “good”.

Anyone of our residents here in Wednesfield North who tried to contact the Police using that number will have a very live memory of that very same action, that the report criticises.

We need more Government money for our Police. The legacy of the years of former Tory Prime Minister May, first as Home Secretary and her ‘war; with the Police, and latterly with this Government started this. Wednesfield residents need more Police not less.

The fact is that without the current PCSO’s and the several Student Police, we would be down to just two or three full time Neighbourhood constables to protect and secure the Laws here in this part of the City of Wolverhampton, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is nothing short of a disgrace.

Covid’s not over – stay alert as 1,100 test positive in week
Released: Monday 19 July, 2021

Residents are being urged to be on their guard as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted today, after more than 1,100 people in Wolverhampton tested positive for the virus in the last week.

Latest figures show there were 426.4 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the last seven days, meaning 1,121 people in the city tested positive for the virus in that same period – though the true number of new cases will likely be higher.

And with case numbers nationally at their highest point in six months and hospitalisations increasing, the City of Wolverhampton Council is strongly advising people to continue to act with extreme caution.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Our message is clear: Covid’s not over.

“Well over 1,100 people in Wolverhampton tested positive for this potentially deadly virus in the last week alone, and all the indications are that, nationally, we are heading for the biggest wave of infections so far.

“The life-saving vaccine is helping to keep hospitalisations down and preventing many more people from becoming seriously ill, but sadly the growth of infections means that more people will die with Covid-19 in the days, weeks and months ahead.

“These are worrying times, so we need to stay alert, be cautious, act carefully and use common sense to protect ourselves and others.

“That means staying safe when we meet others, getting vaccinated when we have the chance, keeping our distance from each other, wearing a face covering in enclosed public places like in shops and on buses, trains and trams, and getting tested regularly.

“If you are meeting up with others, please try to spend as much time outside as possible, and minimise social contacts as much as you can.

“As a council, we are taking this approach, and we are strongly urging all residents, city businesses and other organisations to do the same to help keep infection rates as low as possible.”

For full details of the current measures, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/covid-alert.

People are reminded they must still book a PCR test if they have symptoms of Covid-19 via www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

People must also isolate when positive or when contacted by NHS Test and Trace while everyone arriving from red list countries must quarantine – as must those people not fully vaccinated arriving from amber list countries.

People without symptoms of Covid-19 are encouraged to get a regular rapid – details at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/get-tested – in order to reassure themselves and others that they don’t have the virus.

ENDS

This is the story of the excess run off and the actions taken to find – why the drainage of the Lichfield Road had become so problematic! In early July we had some considerable flooding taking place, when the clouds burst and a lot of rainwater came down.
It caused flooding in many parts of Wednesfield including the Lichfield Road between Peacock Ave and the Lichfield Road Canal Bridge. It had been a flooding problem for some years!
What exacerbated the water and the floods that effected the homes on Lichfield Road, was also a water leak, that was reported in February to Severn Trent Water Company and regularly by a lot of other people – including me, but the company failed to act. The water created a marsh for months in the verge, and was a real hazard, for pedestrians, plus the run off started to continually run into the properties which are built at a lower height than the footpath.
Finally in the last week or so. Severn Trent agreed it was their leak and treated it. I had written about it here on all my Social Media sites.
So, we were still left with the drainage system operated by Highways. You can see the sort of problem that was happening if you look and see the example I placed with the photo of the blocked drain.
Trevor Fletcher from City Highways and his team were determined to find out what was happening in this area, they then assured me they would mount a full investigation.
Today I went down and spoke with residents, and the team, who had indeed worked out what was happening.
They traced the fault to a culvert that emptied from the highway into the canal. Except the culvert wasn’t there!
A landslip a very long-time ago apparently occurred – causing the culvert top to collapse, and the water then had nowhere to flow. The team located the culvert – dug it out and are to insert a pipe to ensure it now does the job properly. The landslip narrowed the canal, and the vegetation with shrub’s quickly taking over.
You can see this clearly on the photos showing how the team cut away the bank to locate the problem. I hope that this will now reduce the flooding on the Lichfield Road, during periods of heavy rain. Allow the highway drainage to be better distributed run off into the canal in which it was originally designed to do. Plus, with the work done by Severn Trent, turn the grass verge back to a better piece of the street highway scene. One that will not ever become a marsh again. I hope the residents are happy with the work undertaken.