Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr. Jeremy Hilton has responded to the decision of the Conservative controlled Gloucester City Council to close its customer advice reception and contact centre to the public on the last Wednesday of every month. The first closure will be on the 30th of May. Cllr. Hilton has described the decision made by Cllr. David Norman as another example of the 'vanishing council'.
There are calls for a new civil justice centre to be built in Gloucester city centre rather than in Quedgeley.
Liberal Democrat councillors for Kingsholm & Wotton, Jeremy Hilton & Isabel Brazil have issued a challenge to the Tory run city council to acquire 67/69 London Road for a housing development.
Liberal Democrats have called for an early end of the council's streetcare contract with Amey PLC. The 15-year contract is due to end on 31st March 2022 and is valued at £5.7m per year.
The city council is being flooded with objections from local residents to Redrow's plan to build 89 houses on the former Civil Service Club ground.
In the Summer we told you about the improvements being planned for Abbeymead Avenue with the aim of reducing queues and delays on the Abbeymead Avenue - Metz Way "route corridor". Although the project will bring safety improvements for pedestrians crossing to and from The Oaks this work is not scheduled to be completed until Summer of 2017 and we need action now! County Councillor David Brown said, "in addition to arranging for the phasing of the traffic lights to be re-checked at this junction I have continued to demand safety improvements are brought by Gloucestershire Highways as soon as possible. The Highways Manager has now put together plans to install a yellow box to bring about improvements."
As more and more people have access to a mobile phone it is not surprising that BT are finding that the public "payphone kiosks" are being used less and less. In a review of these kiosks across Gloucester BT have identified one in Hucclecote that has had very little use, with just 43 calls in a 12 month period. Anyone using the kiosk at the junction of Churchdown Lane and Hucclecote Road may have noticed the sign asking for views on what should be done with it. Some may want the kiosk to stay, others may suggest it should be taken away but there is another option. Cllr David Brown told Spotlight, "in some areas the local community has put forward innovative suggestions for these kiosks, adopting them to be used as cafes, mini-shops, and shoe-shine stands! Not necessarily suitable here but it shows the range of possibilities. "I am currently investigating the suitability of this kiosk to house a defibrillator if there is local support and the funding is available. If you have alternative suggestions, or perhap
As part of the Community Grant Budget a "Members' Community Fund" has been provided by the city council.
Following an initial idea from Emma Jones, Practice Manager at Hucclecote Surgery, residents and visitors to the area now have round-the-clock access to a community defibrillator, intended for emergency use in treating a victim of cardiac arrest. Emma's suggestion was taken up with great enthusiasm by the Patient's Participation Group (PPG) at Hucclecote Surgery and earlier this year it was agreed to start fundraising. Thanks to a very generous donation from a local resident and patient, together with donations from Hucclecote Community Association and support from David Brown, County Councillor for Barnwood & Hucclecote, plans quickly progressed. David told Spotlight, "I think it is so important that these devices are more widely available for emergency use and when, as a member of the PPG, I heard about Emma's idea I was happy to support an application for funding via the Members' Community Fund. Over recent months members of the PPG have put in a tremendous effort to find a quality defibrillator that i
There is a new roundabout at the end of Lansdown Road. It has a smaller diameter and higher kerbing than the previous one. The funding for the work came from the Highways Local Scheme administered by the local county councillor Jeremy Hilton. He said: "Large vehicles often drove over the old roundabout and churned up the grass as they tried to circumnavigate the roundabout.The reduction in the diameter of around two metres should stop this. The higher kerbing will also prevent vehicles riding over the roundabout."
The pressure finally paid off as crews moved in toward the end of October to resurface Green Lane together with the section of Kingscroft Road between Green Lane and Porchester Road. County Councillor David Brown said, "this has been a long campaign to bring improvements to the shocking road surface at many points along Green Lane, together with several appalling patches on Kingscroft Road, and then several delays to the work commencing increased the frustration for residents.
As you may already be aware, both David Brown and Declan Wilson were elected to represent Hucclecote at the recent elections in May.
The Liberal Democrats have today published a comprehensive blueprint for replacing the broken business rates system.
