THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue 570 3rd April 2019 Read by over 40,000 people each week Crackdown on ‘cuckooing’ drug dealers in Staple Hill A court has granted a partial closure order for a premises as a base to supply drugs from – known as past six months. Officers executed a warrant at the property in Staple Hill to help protect a vulnerable cuckooing. property in January and found large amounts of class A man from ‘cuckooing’. Residents have made multiple reports of offences drugs and weapons, including machetes. The man, who lives in a property in the Phoenix Grove including drug-dealing and misuse, anti-social behaviour Paul Crouch, Anti-Social Behaviour Officer at Avon & area, was at risk from dealers who wanted to exploit his and cuckooing to Sovereign Housing Association over the Somerset Police, said: “We’ve been working with the housing association and South Gloucestershire Council to safeguard the victim and prevent further offences from taking place. “We took the unusual step of applying for a partial closure order, which was granted at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, which allows the victim to stay at the property but means no one else is permitted to be inside the premises, apart from council and housing association staff and emergency services personnel. “Drug dealers use cuckooing as a method of exploiting vulnerable people. They effectively take over their home and use it as a base to supply class A drugs from. “It’s a destructive practice which has a corrosive influence on our local communities and we’ll do everything we can to prevent it from happening. Continued on page 3 Also in this Planners respond to Setback over Bitton Bus franchising ‘waste Keynsham brothers concerns over Science Park lanes traffic survey of time’ claim help for cancer charity week’s issue . page 6 . page 7 . page 17 . page 20 2 The Week in • Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Crackdown on Skateboarders’ campaign ‘cuckooing’ drug finally gets the green light In 2012, two teenage boys, Callum Lee and Jordan Veale, approached dealers in Staple Hill Keynsham Town Council soon after the skateboard park in Continued from page 1 a seriously damaging impact, both on the Memorial Park was built, asking “I hope this partial closure order will lead to person whose home has been effectively for lights so they could skateboard a decrease in ASB and drug-related taken over and on the wider community. on winter evenings. They were met criminality in this Staple Hill community and “Working with police and with local with a positive response, but no I’d like to thank residents for working with residents, this partial closure order is a way lights. us.” of protecting the tenant as well as cracking The newly formed youth group Stuart Davies, Sovereign’s divisional down on any drug-related, anti-social KeynshamNow took up the director, said: “Cases of cuckooing can have behaviour in the area.” challenge in 2013 and after many planning difficulties, concerns about hibernating bats and difficulties with power and costs, they have finally succeeded. There are now three lights at the skateboard park and the group thanks the town council. Andy Wait, lead member of KeynshamNow, said. “KeynshamNow have managed a lasting improvement for the young people of Keynsham. They have battled against a stubborn bureaucracy, some power political adversaries and lots of adult apathy to finally triumph after seven years. My congratulations go to all the young people who have fought for these lights. They have learned that with determination things can change for the better.” The lights which are solar powered will go off at 9pm every evening. Have your say on the future use of Stockwood Library Bristol City Council is looking for ideas The meeting at Stockwood Library starts from the local community over the future at 11.30am with a brief presentation after use of libraries and on Saturday 13th April which the floor will be open for discussion there will be the chance for Stockwood about possible plans and ideas. There’s no residents to have their say. need to book, simply turn up. Funding boost for community transport South Gloucestershire Council has received £740,000 in funding for community transport operators across the area. The money was secured earlier this year and can now be used to fund improvements to a range of services provided by Kingswood Community Transport, Green Community Travel in Yate and Four Towns and Vale Link Transport in Thornbury. These improvements will include buying new Euro 6 engine vehicles to replace some of the oldest vehicles in the operator’s existing fleets, and will help to reduce harmful emissions, as well as lowering fuel consumption and also helping to reduce ongoing maintenance costs. The funding has come from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority. West of England Mayor Tim Bowles said: “It’s great to see our Local Growth Fund being used for this project which supports our ambitions for clean and inclusive economic growth in the West of England.” The Week in • Wednesday 3rd April 2019 3 Team win national award Bristol City Council’s work to identify vulnerable people through the innovative use of analytics has been recognised with a national award. The Think Family Database developed by Insight Bristol, which includes both Bristol City Council and Avon & Somerset Constabulary staff, has been declared the best in the country at the iESE 10th anniversary Public Sector Transformation Awards for work that included helping police to identify more than 300 young people at heightened risk of sexual exploitation. The database joins up information from multiple public sector sources including the police, council, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and social care systems, to identify risk and vulnerability using indicators from the national Troubled Families programme and improve outcomes for families across the city. THE WEEK IN Charity thanks Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, its dedicated Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, volunteers Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge. An incredible 6,221 hours have been given keep the centre running, such as cleaning and by volunteers at the Community at 67 the work required to ensure we operate an 16,000 copies are distributed through charity in Keynsham in the last 12 effective and efficient charity. retail outlets, libraries, pubs, months. “We are always looking for more volunteers community centres each week. Verified pick-up rate of 97%. It would have cost £138,758 to deliver the to help run the centre. We are a friendly same services by paid staff. Based in Queens organisation who want to make our area a Publisher Road, the centre provides a range of great place in which to live.” Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA activities all delivered through volunteers. One of the volunteers is Ron Sheppard, who 0117 986 0381 These include an IT club supporting people runs the IT and code clubs, as well as www.theweekin.co.uk get online, a very popular weekly lunch club, chairing the management committee. He ISSN: 2052-9767 code and maths clubs for young people and said: “Being a volunteer at Community at 67 Managing Editor Stephen Rodgers [email protected] groups where people can share craft skills. is a very rewarding experience, it helps you News Editor Becky Feather 07403 273967 On 20th March Community at 67 held an feel part of the community as you meet Contributors Christine Rogers event to thank the volunteers for all the work different kinds of people and you feel you are they do. 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A copy of this procedure can be found on our website or can be sent upon written request to the address above. www.facebook.com/theweekin 4 The Week in • Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Signs of progress at Graffiti and fly- tipping among historic Tabernacle issues raised New display boards have been erected to tell people what is happening with the historic at walkabout Whitfield Tabernacle in The Friends of Kingswood Park have led another Kingswood. walkabout around Kingswood town centre to highlight The Grade I listed building in Park problems and possible improvements. Road, which dates from 1741, is The walk highlighted several issues including that widely regarded as the birthplace of although rubbish had been cleared from Boultons Lane, the Methodist movement. Currently a it has been the target for renewed fly-tipping. It is hoped ruin, and after years of neglect, there that CCTV will be installed to identify those tipping.