Tuesday 27 January 2009

DEC Gaza Appeal - BBC & Sky won't show it but we will


The BBC and Sky refused to show the DEC Gaza appeal, Nick Clegg today made the decision to show the video on www.NickClegg.com, his Facebook profile and the Liberal Democrats are also showing the video on the party site www.LibDems.org.uk.
We are showing it here too - just click on the video above.

Please help.

Link to DEC website
Appeal phoneline 0370 60 60 900

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Traffic fatality in Yate - bus, cars collide in Station Road

A man has died after a collision between two cars and a bus in Station Road, Yate today. The accident happened between Longs Drive and North Road.

The Evening Post website has a report and photographs of the collision.

Monday 19 January 2009

Ridings-King Edmund Academy proposals

The Lib Dems have called for land at the two schools to be safeguarded if the Academy proposals go ahead. Cllr Ian Blair said: "Should the schools decide to go ahead with the merger, then it is important that none of the land value is lost to the rest of the community."

"If the Council itself had closed one of the schools then it would keep the land and keep the money received from any sale of that land. But if the land is transferred to the Academy then they could choose to sell off the land to the highest bidder and use the money purely for their own purposes and that might not be in the best interests of the Yate and Winterbourne communities."

South Glos Council's Cabinet decided to publish closure notices for The Ridings and King Edmund Community School to allow them to re-open as Academies in September. There were 203 responses to the Council's consultation, with 55.7% against. More responses were received from Winterbourne parents and pupils, where a majority opposed the proposal, then from King Edmund Community School, where a majority supported the plans. The Ridings' own consultation ends on February 9th.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Street light switch-off?

Street lighting costs South Glos £1.1 million a year, and that is predicted to rise to £1.6m by Oct 2009. South Glos is now thinking of switching off some of the lights. for a number of hours
at night, possibly between midnight and 5.30am, to achieve a 40 per cent cut in energy costs and carbon emissions.

The Council has promised that areas such as sheltered housing and accommodation for vulnerable people, hospitals, areas with CCTV surveillance equipment, pedestrian crossings, subways, enclosed footpaths and alleyways, roundabouts, approaches to major junctions and speed humps will still be lit.

This is good for the environment, and our pockets, but what do you think about the idea in safety terms? Please tell us, so we can make sure YOUR views are heard before a decision is taken.

Tuesday 6 January 2009

More art please!


You have probably noticed the excellent children's art on the hoardings around the new Yate Health Centre building. We featured some here the other week.
These murals by Broadway Infant School are next to the toilets that are about to be demolished, so we thought we would show them here in case they disappear (hopefully not)
Wouldn't it be good to good to have some public art - by children, local artists etc - prominently on show on a regular basis?

Monday 5 January 2009

West Walk public toilets to be demolished

The public toilets at West Walk, opposite The Works in Yate Shopping Centre, will close and be demolished shortly as part of the Health Centre redevelopment.

The East Walk toilet, next to Superdrug, will remain open as usual.

Sunday 4 January 2009

Trouble brewing at Abbotswood


Police have arrested two teenagers after a woman narrowly escaped serious injury when a bucket of set cement was dropped from a balcony over Abbotswood shops.

In an earlier incident teenagers smashed a window of one of the shops.

Police patrols have been increased in the area.

Anyone with information about the latest incident, which happened on December 16, should contact police in Chipping Sodbury or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The Gazette has more details of the Abbotswood incidents.

Saturday 3 January 2009

Christmas tree recycling - Sorted!


Wondering what to do with your real Christmas tree once you take the decorations down? Here's the advice from South Glos:

Providing they are not too large, then Christmas trees may be chopped up and put into your green bin. Branches or the trunk should not be more than 4 inches in diameter. Please make sure that you remove all decorations and that the bin lid closes. If your tree is too big for your green bin then it can be taken to your nearest SORT IT!* Centre where it will be separated out for composting.

Dicing with death

This week's Gazette reports that children have been playing chicken on the Rodford Way dual carriageway even though a 13 year old girl was killed in an accident nearby only two months ago.

Local schools have been offered extra road safety training sessions and parents are being asked to warn their children of the dangers.


Rodford Way - despite an underpass and a safe crossing point, children still play chicken

Friday 2 January 2009

A safer Station Road


Station Road, Yate, should be safer soon because of two recent decisions. South Glos Council has agreed to a weight limit of 7.5 tonnes except for vehicles delivering to businesses. The limit will cover Station Rd, Church Road and Cranleigh Court Road.

Yate town councillor Sue Evan-Jones commented "We get really heavy lorries along Station Road and they are not all deliveries, some are using the route as a cut through.

"A lot of lorry drivers also come down Longs Drive thinking it is an entrance to the Merloni Elettrodomestici factory. They cause quite a nuisance so we are trying to get a sign put up clarifying where the factory entrance is."

Meanwhile the Frome Vale Area Forum has decided to extend the traffic island at the junction of Eggshill Lane and Station Rd to reduce the number of accidents.

Cllr Ruth Davis said: "I am so relieved that the entrance to Eggshill will be altered to make it safer.

"There have been so many near misses as well as the reported accidents. This should make things safer all round."

The Gazette has more on the weight limit and the traffic island.

Thursday 1 January 2009

A New Year's thought


New Year used to be celebrated by banging dustbin lids. It's not the same now we have wheely bins.

And we didn't hear anyone banging saucepans either. Something to do with ready meals?