Clothing collections - UPDATE - don't donate to EC Export

In the past we've warned about commercial door-to-door clothing collections that pretend to be charities. Our advice is usually that unless you recognise a collection by a "big name" charity, you should take usable items to your local charity shop.

We previously said that this organisation appeared OK, but we've discovered from one of our readers that there is no longer a link with the Children's Heart Surgery Fund - in fact in Cardiff EC Export has been prosecuted for making illegal charity collections


Our previous advice was written when the Children's Heart Surgery Fund listed them as a corporate sponsor.

Many thanks to reader "Wales" for bringing this to our attention.

School murals at Yate Health Centre site

There are some fascinating and imaginative murals by various local schools on the hoardings around the Health Centre building site at Yate Shopping Centre. They're well worth looking at - this photo shows just some of them.

Maybe we need more local spaces for art - for older people as well as children? What do you think?

Thanks to our "Blogsitter"

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that some recent blog entries have been written by Claire Young, while regular editor Paul Hulbert was away on holiday.

Claire is the editor of our sister blog Focus on the Ladden-Frome Area, which covers the Charfield, Frampton Cotterell, Ladden Brook and Westerleigh wards of South Gloucestershire.

Thanks for keeping things going, Claire, especially with major issues like the housing strategy around.

Lib Dems call for legal challenge to housing numbers

At Wednesday's Council meeting, the Lib Dems tabled an amendment to a Council motion on housing numbers, demanding that the Council investigate taking legal action if the Secretary of State doesn’t reduce the housing numbers destined for South Gloucestershire.

The number of homes that would have to be built each year is highly unrealistic but if the targets are not met there is a real danger that developers will be able to win appeals to build on land not earmarked by the Council for development.

Another concern is that the minister's recommendations would not ensure that the infrastructure needed to support the new homes would be built first. The Lib Dems succeed in gaining three party support for their motion demanding funding from Government to give first class transport for South Gloucestershire residents.

Wind turbine plans for new Council offices

South Gloucestershire Council has agreed to look into erecting a wind turbine on land adjacent to the new Council offices on Badminton Road. If installed, it would provide part of the power needed for the offices.

Fewer new homes for Yate and Sodbury but 2000 more for South Glos as a whole

The Secretary of State has recommended reducing the number of new homes to be built to the north of Yate and Chipping Sodbury from 5000 to 3000 but has increased the number of new homes proposed for South Glos as a whole by 2000 to 32,800.

Lib Dem Leader and councillor for Yate Central Ruth Davis explains, “I am horrified that the Minister has ignored the huge outcry from the public against the proposed housing within South Gloucestershire. We have already said that an increase of 23,500homes would be difficult to deal with properly if not impossible. In reply the Government panel suggested 30,800. Now instead of reducing that number to a manageable and sustainable level of growth the Secretary of State Hazel Blears MP has put it up further. As far as we’re concerned she’s living in the house of commons fantasy land.”

“Our worst fears have been founded with the figure going up even further. As there will now be a 12 week public consultation period on these proposals I urge the public to put their views forward in writing as it appears the Minister is just not listening.”

“We need time now to analyse these new figures in detail as whilst it appears the number for Yate are reduced to 3000 additional houses, this means 4000 more houses for the rest of South Gloucestershire. Being swamped with a flood of new properties was not what Yate residents wanted but they certainly wouldn’t have wished 4000 upon their neighbours in the rest of South Gloucestershire.”

The Lib Dem planning spokesman Cllr Pat Hockey said, "The Government needs to think again about the totally unrealistic number of new homes being proposed for South Gloucestershire. It is ridiculous that the Minister has not taken into account that development appears to have ceased on a number of major sites in South Gloucestershire due to the downturn in the housing market. This makes these housing targets unrealistic, unachievable and pure fantasy figures."

A novel European road sign - seen in Cyprus :-)