South Glos by-election radio interview - Tory fails to show up

Radio Bristol did a live broadcast from Abbotswood this morning about the by-election for the South Glos by-election for the Dodington seat (Shire Way and Abbotswood areas). 

The Tory candidate was invited but didn't turn up - the interviewer speculated that possibly the Conservative didn't want to answer searching questions.

Liberal Democrat Focus Team candidate Louise Harris came over very well. The Labour candidate took part too. There was a good discussion about what opposition councillors can achieve, and Louise made some very good points.

You can hear these two candidates on BBC Radio Bristol's website - the interview was on the Emma Britton show (31/10/2018) starting at about 2 hours 7 minutes in.

Please support Yate Men's Shed by voting for Aviva funding

Yate Men's Shed has applied to the Aviva Community Fund for a storage container and needs your help! If you haven't already voted please have a go and encourage your colleagues, friends and family.

Anyone can vote, but you'll need to register with Aviva first. You will then get 10 votes in total, and you can cast all ten of them for YMS if you choose to do so. If YMS win this £1,000 Aviva grant, they plan to use it to erect a materials storage shed on their site. Somewhere to store their wood, metal, fixings and other supplies which will be very handy for their projects.

You can vote for the project now here

Reporting graffiti

 South Glos Council has confirmed its policy on removing graffiti:

• All graffiti should be reported to the Council
• Graffiti on public property will be removed in 3 working days
• Offensive/hate crime graffiti is removed within 1 day unless police investigations are ongoing
• Graffiti can be reported online here
• Graffiti on private property is the responsibility of the property owner
• The Council will report graffiti on utility boxes (phone, electricity etc) to the utility provider 

But if they DON'T deal with it in the 3 days / 1 day after you've reported it, please let your nearest Focus Team member know (see list here)

Rail closures 27 October to 18 November

Network Rail will be doubling the tracks between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood over the next few weeks, which will mean that from Saturday 27 October to Sunday 18 November buses will replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, and some services will be diverted.

Please check with National Rail Enquiries www.nationalrail.co.uk before you travel how your journey will be affected.

 

Sundridge Park roadworks mean bus diversions

As we previously told you, the Sundridge Park roadworks are taking place from Monday 29th October until Tuesday 6th November, from 8 am until 5 pm each weekday (except that on the days that clash with school term, the work will take place from 9.30 am until 5.30 pm)

This will affect the Y1, Y2, 967 and 620 bus services.

The Y1 and Y2 buses will travel along St Briavels Drive and then turn right onto Sundridge Park, left onto Rodford Way and left into Scott Way and vice versa.  There will be temporary bus stops in Scott Way for both directions, which will only be in operation during the road closure.

This has a very strange effect at one bus stop on Rodford Way. If you're planning to catch a bus from the stop near Dovecote, please CHECK THAT IT'S GOING TO THE RIGHT DESTINATION. As far as we can see, buses going both ways will be stopping at the same bus stop!

The 967 school bus and the 620 Old Sodbury to Bath bus will also use Scott Way instead of Sundridge Park.

South Glos By-Election - Shire Way, Rodford Way and Abbotswood areas

Louise Harris with Lib Dem Focus Team colleagues

If you live in the Shire Way, Rodford Way or Abbotswood areas, it won't have escaped your notice that there is a by-election for the South Glos Dodington Ward seat following the sad death of Cllr Gloria Stephen. The election will be held on Thursday 1st November, but postal vote forms have already been sent out.

The Lib Dem Focus Team candidate is Louise Harris, who grew up locally after being born in an RAF hospital where her father was serving. She shares our problems, like finding an affordable home, travelling to work and making sure our families get a fair deal.

Louise brings with her a wealth of experience. Professionally she is a front line worker in disability charities, and she is involved in lots of voluntary groups such as Fair Trade and Abbotswood Action Group. She is an unpaid councillor on Dodington Parish Council.

So what are the election issues? The main points seem to be:

• The BIG problems with the bus services, due to the new timetables and lack of drivers, compounded by the rail closures needing replacement buses
• Conservative cuts - both by South Glos and the Government - affecting local services such as police, schools, youth work and sports facilities
• The effect of Conservative austerity on our local community, for example the number of families who have to use the Food Bank and the growing potholes on our roads
• Speeding on many of our local roads
• Conservative-controlled South Glos Council refusing to let developers' money due to the Abbotswood area to be spent on what local residents really need

There are three candidates. Labour have never won a South Glos seat ANYWHERE near here. The realistic choice is between hard-working Lib Dem Louise Harris - backed up by the Focus Team, with a proven track record of getting things done for local people, and a Conservative that almost nobody locally has ever heard of, who would just vote the way he's told, rather than sticking up for what local people want and need.

New dates for Sundridge Park roadworks

The postponed roadworks on Sundridge Park, Yate have been rescheduled for Monday 29th October until Tuesday 6th November 2018, 8 am until 5 pm each day.

On the days that clash with school term, the work will take place from 9.30 am until 5.30 pm.