Sheepcote Valley issues
Several issues around Sheepcote Valley at present, firstly there is a group of travellers with welfare issues who have been allowed to stay on the former BMX track site for a number of weeks. Arrangements are in hand to move them to the permanent site at Horsdean which has ameneties, though this has been dealyed whilst some repairs are undertaken at Horsdean.
The fine weather has meant the return of people on trail bikes and other motorcycles to the Valley. I have spoken to our local police inspector who says that: "Clearly we need to really target the area as the fine weather approaches and catch some of those individuals who are riding illegally and then publicise it to deter others."
There is also a considerable amount of fly tipping on the road from Wilson Avenue down to the BMX track. Some residents and builders think they can exploit the presence of travellers in an area to dump waste in the belief that it will not be investigated. I can assure them it will be and have been liaising with staff in Cityclean, Cityparks and Community Safety this week to ensure that flytipping is investigated, cleared and offenders prosecuted where possible.
If you are interested in Sheepcote Valley and helping out with local volunteer conservation projects, please get in touch with me and I will forward your details on to the Friends of Sheepcote Valley.
Advice surgery and council
Just a reminder that I will end my council week with an advice surgery at the Kemp Town Community Centre, St George's Church Crypt, on Friday at 6pm.
As well as resident & tenant meetings in North Whitehawk and Craven Vale this week, I have been meeting with colleagues ahed of tomorrow's Annual Council meeting, where the new mayor and council leader will be formally elected.
My group have nominated me to be the Chair of the new Environment and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee, if successful in being elected to that position I will post more about that on my web pages in due course.
My new job, Co-operative education, IDAHO and the week ahead
On Thursday at Annual Council (our AGM) I was appointed as the Chair of the new Environment and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which for the purposes of this blog I will refer to as E&CS from now on. It's going to be a challenge as the committee covers an enormous amount of the council's activities, including planning, highways and parking, refuse and recycling, community safety and a whole lot more.
We will have to be selective in the work we undertake, but in general the role of the committee will be to look at decisions made by the cabinet member for Environment, liaise with the citywide Community Safety Forum which I am also a member of, and to operate as a "think tank" to examine possible solutions to some of the pressing environmental (in the broadest sense) issues the city faces.
Spent this morning at another AGM where the guest speaker was from the Co-operative College, talking about co-operative school trusts and academies.
The rainbow flags on council HQ and along the seafront today mark IDAHO, the international day against homophobia. As I said on this blog last year, it falls to allof us, not just members of the LGB&T communities to tackle discrimination and hate crime.
Two events in my diary this week are a meeting of the Southawk Tenants Association on Tuesday night (new members very welcome) and a meeting of the trustees of the Crew Club on Thursday where we will be taking an in-depth look at the continuing development of the Club which offers a wide range of activities, training and education to young people in Whitehawk.
Whitehawk Library open again
Took advantage of a free afternoon to pop into Whitehawk Library, which reopened at the weekend following a flood caused by a leaking pipe.
The new carpet looks great, and while I was there people were coming in with toys for the extensive toy library. There are plenty of computers with internet access to use, a local information point and friendly staff to help with any query. It's a great resource for information on local groups and activities, and well worth a visit.
Whitehawk Road (next to community centre), Brighton BN2 5GD
Tel: (01273) 296924
Street Map: Whitehawk Library
Opening times
Tues, Thurs: 9.30am-1pm, 2-6pm
Fri: 9.30am-1pm, 2-5pm
Sat: 9.30am-1pm, 2-4pm
Closed Mon, Wed
Don't be a drip!
It was a pleasure, as always, to visit Whitehawk Primary School this morning to join pupils watching Southern Water's "Don't Be A Drip" presentation. The show, staged by the Facepack theatre group, features the Drip family and their strange encounters with various household appliances and taps which come to life in order to teach the Drips - and the audience - about the ways we can all stop wasting water.
It was a really fun show with an important message, one which I am sure the children will have taken home with them.
Meet your local police
Police and police community support officers in my ward are holding two drop-in sessions where residents can meet with them and discuss local issues or problems they might have.
The sessions take place on Saturday 19th July between 10am and 12 noon at The Manor (Manor Road Gym) in Manor Road, and on Saturday 26th July between 10am and 12 noon in Whitehawk Library (see earlier blog entry for location and map).
The East Brighton Neighbourhood Policing Team can be contacted by calling 0845 6070999, texting 07786 208090 or by visiting their page on the Sussex Police website www.sussex.police.uk. Minicom users can dial 01273 483435.
In an emergency call 999 (or text 65999 or typetalk 18000 if you are hearing or speech impaired).