Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg revealed research showing a significant increase in the number of council tenants who are in rent arrears.

Ahead of the Government’s inflation-busting 6% rise in council housing rent in England due in April, Nick Clegg has been meeting families who are already struggling to pay their social housing rent.

Research obtained through freedom of information requests by the Liberal Democrats to local authorities in England shows:

• More than one third of tenants are in arrears, a larger proportion than any of the previous five years
• The number of council tenants who have fallen behind in their rent has risen to over 330,000, representing a rise of 7% compared to this time last year for the average local authority
• Over 37,000 tenants have been threatened with eviction since October last year.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

“The recession is hitting family finances hard, leading to more and more households falling behind on their rent.

“As the financial crisis worsens thousands of families could face homelessness as they struggle to pay the bills.

“Families across the country are struggling to pay their bills. The Government needs to take action now to help low paid working families by introducing big, permanent and fair tax cuts.”

Just when you think it’s safe to say you’ve got a problem sorted, something comes out of the woodwork to spoil it, or in this case something came out of the ground!

A couple of days ago we reported that the problem of bins not being emptied in the Highmore Close area off Coppice Farm Way had been resolved.

Not only that, but that whilst the ongoing roadworks would still be an issue, council officers had had got an assurance off the contractors that they would  ensure there was room for the refuse vehicle to gain access to empty all the bins.

Well that was how it was supposed to work! However, late this afternoon (Friday) the phones started ringing in the Lib Dem office. Residents were coming home from work to the site of unemptied bins in-spite of what we’d said in letters we’d put round to the residents a few days earlier.

It would appear that when the refuse vehicle turned up to empty the bins today (Friday), the crew found it impossible to gain access.

Quick action by Lib Dem councillor Ian Shires has ensured that the bins will be emptied tomorrow (Saturday), and an enquiry has started to ensure (keep your fingers crossed), that come next Friday, the bins will be emptied and that there will be no access problems.

We wait with bated breath!!

Much interest has been shown in and around Short Heath about a recent planning application received by Walsall Council’s Development Control for a medical centre.

It has to be said that at this stage it is purely speculative. For it to become a reality two things need to happen.

1. The application has to be granted by the council’s Development Control Committee.Currently council officers are considering the application and have yet to make a recommendation. The Willenhall Partnership chaired by Lib Dem councillor Ian Shires Has identified the need for a medical centre in Short Heath Ward as one of its major priorities.
2. Walsall’s Primary Care Trust needs to accept the need for a medical centre in Short Heath Ward and take the necessary action to allow it to happen. To date they have failed to do this.

Speaking in support of a medical centre in Short Heath Ward Lib  Dem councillor Ian Shires said “We know from the correspondence we have received that Short Heath Ward desperately needs such a facility.

“Short Heath Focus Team councillors have gained the support of the Willenhall Partnership in their fight for a medical centre within the ward.

“We  also know that there are doctors and pharmacists who would  jump at the chance of setting up practice in Short Heath and Walsall’s NHS statistics also show a need in the area.”

Ian has asked for  talks  with the Primary Care Trust to press  the case for improved access to medical care in Short Heath. 

The working party looking into options for the future of Sneyd Community School meets again today. We will report any progress made as and when we get it.

It does look increasingly likely that the option of the school becoming an academy will be the one which will be recommended to the next meeting of the Children and Young Peoples Scrutiny Panel.

They in turn will make a recommendation to the cabinet at its meeting in March. The final decision rests with the all Tory cabinet.

Hillbury Drive got included in the refuse bin story the other day. This turned out not to be the case so I’ve corrected it so it refers to the Highmore area only.

Had lots of phone calls on that day complaining about bins not being emptied, must have misheard some of them. However, this slip up led to a flurry of other issues from the area so some good has come from it.

A number of the access footpaths onto and across the neighbourhood park off Coppice Farm Way are in poor condition and litter and fly tipping appears to be a problem.

Initial responses are giving cause for concern as the current unacceptable standards of grounds maintenance look set to get worse if the Tories in Walsall have their way with their proposed cuts in the service for next years budget.

“The Lib Dem Focus Teams across Willenhall are opposed to cuts in front line services so we will be doing whatever we can to make the Tories see sense” said Lib Dem Group Leader Ian Shires

Monday’s Walsall Partnership meeting had its fair share of “routine” business on its agenda. However there was some good debate on the following.

• The Nottingham Declaration.

Walsall Partnership signed up to this back in December 2007. The Declaration recognises the central role of local authorities in leading society’s response to the challenge of climate change.

By signing the Declaration councils pledge to systematically address the causes of climate change and to prepare their community for its impact. 

Progress seems to be painfully slow, and more to the point, low key. In the field of development control in particular the council appears to have missed the message of the Nottingham Declaration all together.

The Tory leadership in this area clings on to the  past and acts like a dinosaur, frustrating the aims and objectives of local regeneration projects such as the one in Willenhall, which is keen on promoting zero carbon standards on new build in the face of  development control’s anything goes attitude.

Residents living in and around the Highmoor Close area off Coppice Farm Way in New Invention had their refuse bins emptied Saturday for the first time in 3 weeks.

The reason for their plight was barriers around on-going roadworks blocking access to the refuse vehicle. Residents asked for help off the Lib Dem Focus Team in Willenhall North after promisses they had been given by “street-pride” failed to materialise.

The result was the bins got emptied. The contractors, who are expected to be in the area for a further 12 weeks, were asked to move their barriers just enough to allow the the bin waggon to get into the roads affected. 

“Why this couldn’t have been done in the first place is beyond me” said Lib Dem councillor Ian Shires, “It’s to be hoped that there won’t be repeat of this situation” he said. 

“It’s not beyond the whit of man to make sure that when major works are planned by a statutory authority that issues like this can’t be resolved before they happen.”

Ian has contacted Highways Chiefs demanding that systems are put in place to prevent a recurrence.” 

The closure of Pubs in the Willenhall area continues to cause concern. As well as the loss of a great British tradition at the heart of our diverse communities there is the look of desolation as many stand empty, boarded up and increasingly a magnet for fly tipping and vandalism.

Lib Dem councillor Ian Shires, along with colleagues in the Lib Dem Focus Teams across the area, are conducting an audit of pubs in and around Willenhall in order to get the pub companies to accept their responsibilities to the local environment.

Members of the Lib Dem Focus Teams in Willenhall North, Short Heath and Willenhall South also want to discuss with Landlords of those pubs managing to ride out the effects of the “credit crunch”, what can be done to help them through these tough times.

So if you are a Publican or connected to the Pub Trade, why not start here? Let us know your ideas via the “Comments” button.

Meetings happening this week:-

Monday 26th January Walsall Partnership, Board Meeting which has on its agenda the Local Area Agreement, Next Generation Broadband, Multi Area Agreements as well as a discussion on the Partnerships response to the “Credit Crunch”.

Tuesday 27th January Walsall Housing Group, Board Meeting, its agenda includes a report on the Collaboration Agreement with Walsall Council and the Annual Diversity Report amongst other issues.

Wednesday 28th January Walsall Regeneration Company is holding a Regeneration Framework Event

Thursday 29th January Willenhall Community Forum which will be discussing progress on the many projects they are involved in around Willenhall. Also on Thursday their is a meeting of Governors of Beacon Primary School.

Friday 30th January. As this is a 5 week month Ian does not have a surgery. The next one is Friday 6th February between 7pm and 8pm at the Lighthouse Children’s Centre, Beacon Primary School, Davis Road, New Invention. You don’t have to wait till then to contact Ian. He is available through this website as well as shiresi@walsall.gov.uk and on 01922 404970 or 01922 653217.

The Willenhall North Lib Dem Focus Team, accompanied by council officers and officers from Walsall Housing Group, recently went on a “walk about” on the Forest Gate Estate in New Invention reports Lib Dem councillor Ian Shires.

The object of the “walk about” was to get the officers to see first hand some of the issues which the Focus Team, working with local residents, have been trying to resolve.  Some of these issues are long standing and finding a solution  is proving difficult.

The “walk about” began at the large paved area alongside the flats in Brereton Road.  The main pathway leading from Brereton Road to Rugeley Avenue is uneven and pedestrians have to wade through the numerous pools which form each time it rains.

Many older people have contacted the Focus Team pointing  out that the unevenness of the paving slabs combined with the flooding make negotiating this well used route dangerous.  Last year, to add to these difficulties, problems with the grounds maintenance contract meant that the area was covered with weeds.

Officers have said that the problems with the weeds should now be resolved and are looking at what can be done to remove the unevenness of paving to improve safety.

Other issues which were highlighted included problems caused by some of the large trees on the estate along with long standing issues surrounding the Nissen hut which doubles up as changing rooms for footballers and storage space for the litter picking equipement.

The Focus Team will feed back on progress in resolving problems on the estate.  It’s fair to say that it wasn’t all “gloom and doom”.  There were many positive comments about the “Community Green” which makes for a very pleasant approach to the estate.