Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
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by Ian Shires on 14 March, 2012
Spent some quality time yesterday at a couple of residents meetings.
The first was with a relatively new group who have come together with a view to improving the local environment on and around the Allens Rough Estate in New Invention.
This group has already achieved real successes in getting some long standing problems sorted. The treatment of empty properties has been changed so that they don’t stay boarded up any longer than is necessary. Tidy ups have taken place across the area and Walsall Housing Group (WHG) has begun the new grounds maintenance programme. The council through its area management team along with the safer borough partnership has ordered “P” gates which will improve safety for pedestrians on a number of walkways following consultation. Hopefully this means that they will be installed within weeks rather than months.
There remain other issues which the group want to see resolved. These include getting WHG to tackle the problem of parking across the estate. There are numerous empty garages which have become an eyesore and magnet for anti social behaviour. The group want consultation to take place on the future plans WHG might have on these garage areas with a view to helping solve the parking problems on the estate.
The condition of footpaths has been raised with WHG. Many have had no attention since the estate was built in the early 80s and have been affected by tree roots and general neglect.
A small working group has been formed to look at what can be done with “The Clay Hill” in Hilton Road, next to “The Allens Centre”. If you live on Allens Rough and would like to help with this project or you have some ideas as to what can be done to improve it, the group would really like to hear from you
The next main meeting of ARRA will be in June. Further details will be posted nearer to the date.
4 Comments
Is it true they have cancelled the rememberance parade in Bloxwich if it is they should hang their heads in shame
It looks very much that that is the case I’m afraid. Two things appears to have combined this year which in spite of efforts have led to the cancellation. The British Legion usually organise and provide the public liability insurance. There is no British Legion Branch in Bloxwich. To compound the problem cut backs in budgets to the Police by the Tory Government at Westminster has resulted in the Police recommending changes to traditional routes for the 11 parades across Walsall. It’s very disappointing for those who have flocked to the Bloxwich parade where numbers have gone up in recent years.
Mentioning Allens Rough the walkway between Sherringham Drive and the area where there was once a school, then became used for handicapped persons, and was eventually demolished some years ago, the grass area has not been maintained for months, there is household rubbish and what’s left of burned debris. The fence which was erected to keep people off has been pulled over onto the walking area.
It would be nice to see this area cleaned up, even if its only kept tidy for the residents of Allens Rough and Sherringham Drive, Thank you in anticipation.
I will ask for it to be tidied up, however as I was not re-elected and am no longer a Councillor this may take a while but will do what I can.
This piece of land was designated surplus to requirements by the then Conservative administration (same Leader as the current Conservative administration) and has been left to become the eyesore it is now.
For a brief spell between 2016 and 2018 we were in a joint administration with Labour and I was a member of the Cabinet. During that time we began putting together a plan to remove the mound know locally as the Clay Hill, increase the size of the open in consultation with local residents as to how it should look and build a mix of sustainable affordable homes to rent/buy.
We had just got to the stage where Accord Housing Association were coming on board and were working on proposals when we lost control of the Council once again to the Conservatives and the plans were shelved.