BELLE VUE & C O L E H A M COMMUNITY NEWS Spring 2021 Dear Resident As leafletting is not an ‘essential’ activity during lockdown I have been unable to get my newsletter out to residents as usual and so I have decided to produce a digital leaflet to keep in touch during this unusual time. Covid-19 volunteer support still available in Belle Vue & Coleham There is hope on the horizon with the role-out of the Covid-19 vaccine but we are not through the pandemic yet. The Belle Vue & Coleham Community Action Group are still running a volunteering phone line, supported by myself, from Monday- Friday 11am-2pm with volunteers continuing to provide services including shopping for those who need to stay at home. Please call 01743 562646 if you need any support. Flooding hits Coleham again Floods hit Coleham again in January, for the third time in less than a year. It is devastating to see the effects on our local shops, businesses and charities in Coleham, and many residents were again trapped in their homes. Coleham is such a vibrant and important part of our community and I am pushing hard for flood prevention measures to be introduced. In January I put in an emergency resolution to Shrewsbury Town Council to ask Shropshire Council to work with the relevant agencies to identify short, medium and long-term plans for flood prevention in Coleham, and the rest of Shrewsbury. This was accepted unanimously, and Shrewsbury Town Council are in discussions with Shropshire Council about how we can prevent flooding in the future. I will continue to ask questions, work with Shropshire Council and the Environment Agency and with the businesses of Coleham to limit the damage that flooding is having on our neighbourhood. COLEHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL launches the first school street in Shropshire In November I worked with Coleham Primary School and Shropshire Council Highways to launch the first ‘school street’ in Shropshire. There had been concerns expressed about the safety of children and families at pick-up and drop-off times with the additional pressures that social distancing has brought. As a result, Greyfriars Road was closed between Longden Coleham and Slaters Lane on 30th November until the Christmas holidays, with volunteers from Belle Vue & Coleham Community Action Group helping with advice regarding new road layout. The initiative has proved a success, with traffic reducing on Greyfriars Road and the street becoming a much safer place for children and families. Due to the most recent lockdown the school street has been suspended, but it will be re-introduced once the school fully re-opens. Shrewsbury Town Council news Labour-led Shrewsbury Town Council have decided not to increase their element of council tax as they agreed a budget for 2021/22. In proposing the resolution on setting the budget Council leader, Alan Mosley said: “Given the increasing financial hardship faced by so many families and individuals due to the pandemic and as we face an ongoing economic downturn, this is not the time to add to their burden. However, we have an exciting package for progress and expansion in the services we provide for Shrewsbury residents. We are able to do so thanks to good housekeeping, raising efficiency and sound planning and control by our excellent officers. We have strong capital reserves which we want to apply for long-term benefit. Climate change, the Big Town Plan, health & well-being are at the forefront of our plans and some of the highlights are: • We are talking to Shrewsbury College about purchasing the former Wakeman playing fields as open space for the public based on a countryside theme with significant planted woodlands. • Continuing improvement and expansion of our footpath and cycle track Network. • Extending Britain in Bloom themes out to community hubs, precincts and main roads into Town. • Work with schools, Young Shrewsbury and residents to create a nature trail from Abbey Gardens, through Castle Walk, to Underdale. • Revamping the top of the Quarry to create the added attraction of a stand out new contemporary garden with interpretation of the history. • Designating a further £75K for climate emergency initiatives to build on the excellent progress so far. • Extension of the highly acclaimed solar lighting scheme in the Quarry to the Porthill Bridge. • Major works on BMX tracks, ramps, courts and play areas throughout the town - Upton Lane, Kynaston Road, Mary Webb Rd, Greenacres, Moston Road, Radbrook and Stanley Lane. It is a budget bringing improvements to all areas and one that we can be proud of.” Cleaning up Belle Vue and Coleham I am working with Belle Vue & Coleham Community Action Group and the council to try and improve the situation with dog mess and general rubbish in our neighbourhood. If you are interested in volunteering to help with this, email: [email protected] or contact me. Just to remind you of a couple of ways you can help with dog fouling: . Bagged dog waste can be disposed of in any public litter bin. Residents can report dog fouling, and the council will come and remove the waste within 24 hours (Monday – Friday). It helps to speed up the cleaning process if residents give an accurate location, for example house number the waste is near to, shop, or lamp post number. Report dog fouling by calling 03456789006 or by using the link: www.shropshire.gov.uk › environmental-maintenance › dog-fouling Contact Kate Halliday Councillor for Shropshire Unitary and Shrewsbury Town Council, Belle Vue Ward [email protected] Twitter @kate4bellevue M: 07458117536 Promoted by and on behalf of the Shrewsbury and Atcham CLP at Labour Party Oce, Morris Hall, Bellstone, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JB.