OSCOTTS HAVE YOUR SAY DAY EVENT

As part of the Oscott Have Your Say Day event on Saturday March 8th members of the Oscott Residents Groups will be on hand to let you know about our organisations and to listen to what you have to say.
The Oscott Residents Association (Chair Nigel Quinn)
The Neighbourhood Police Initiative (Senior Organiser Brian Brookes)
The Oscott Disabilities Group (Chair George Hough)
And
The Oscott Elderly residents Group (Chair Maureen Byrn)
And a number of other community group representatives all hope to be on hand at some point during the day.
There will also be a chance to meet and discuss your views with Oscott Councillors; Council officers such as the Oscott Environmental Warden and Oscott ward Support officer for example.
There will be a number of goodies for youngsters and information packs about a number of issues will be available.

THE HAVE YOUR SAY UNIT WILL BE LOCATED AT THE HAWTHORN ROAD IN THE MORNING AND ON THE KINGSTANDING CIRCLE ON THE AFTERNOON.

Please come along we would like to meet you and it is your opportunity to say what you think about the Oscott area and the services you receive from the Council and other authorities. It is also a good opportunity to find out about what is happening in the Oscott area with information about youth activities, activities for the elderly in the Oscott area and what is happening at the Queslett Nature Reserve.

For further information please ring 464 1869

WE WANT ACTION ON TRAFFIC CALMING

We want to see more traffic calming measures in Oscott. We have no criticism for our local Oscott Councillors who work with us to try and get more traffic calming measures in the Oscott area and are not in power, but we are disgusted with the lack of action by the Council.
Birdbrook Road, Old Oscott Lane, Hawthorn Road, Southgate Road and Dunedin all are constantly over looked when it comes to traffic calming measures. We are not just on about speed humps by the way. There are a number of other ways to slow down traffic. Let’s see something being done.

KEEP OUR OSCOTT WARD SUPPORT OFFICER

The Oscott Residents Groups have recently learned that there may be a threat to the Oscott Ward Support Officer Post.
While we fully understand that the Council may need to cut back and indeed should cut back on a number of bureaucratic posts,but we are completely opposed too the possible loss of a Oscott Ward Support Officer.

This post has been one of the few successes in the new tear of local government (constituency) and the officers who work as ward support officers have a vital role in community capacity building. Ours also works hard helping ensuring the Oscott Ward receives funding for a number of local projects.

There are a large number of Council Post which are less needed then the Ward Support Officer post and of course there are now numerous consultants who are on fat cat wages working for the Council who no one would miss if they went tomorrow.

ORG are calling on the Birmingham City Council to retain the Oscott Ward Support Officer Post.

QUESLLET NATURE RESERVE TREE PLANTING SUCCESS

The Oscott Residents Groups weer delighted to help out the Friends of Queslett Nature Reserve with their recent tree planting project at the reserve. Over 200 shrubs have been planted along the Booths Lane boundary fence. This should go some way to help uplift the reserve and protecting wildlife in the future.

Also helping out on the day were Khalid Mahmood MP and Councillor John Cotton (Oscott), Councillor Kieth Linnecor who chairs the Friends of Queslett Nature Reserve and their committee are to be applauded for the work they have done.

OSCOTT DISABLED RESIDENTS CALL FOR MORE ROAD SAFETY MEASURES

The Oscott Disability Group is continuing to press the Birminghanm City Council to introduce more road and pavement safety measures in the Oscott area. This is not just about introducing the dreaded speed hump but more about sensible measures. For example a traffic lights at the Greenholm Road, Aldridge Road junction. Improvements to the Hawthorn Road pedestrian and traffic light system and erecting bollards near disabled bay drop curbs to ward off parked cars.
The Current Councils attitude to road and pavement safety has in our view been very poor for the last few years.

QUESLETT NATURE RESERVE COMMUNITY WATCH

With the help of the Police the Friends of the Queslett Nature Reserve are setting up a Reserve Community Watch.
After an initial training a group of memmers will from time to time patrol the reserve with Police CSO to act as a deterrent to anti social behavior on it and to help give reassurance to the users of the reserve.
or if you would like to take part in the many other activities of the F.O.Q.N.R please contact the Chair of the Friends of the Q.N.R Councillor Keith Linnecor on 360 6486.

QUESLETT ROAD ACTION IS NEEDED

ORG are appalled at the lack of action regarding much needed road safety measures for the Queslett Road. For most of last year we along with a number of other local resident Betty Whitehouse, Maureen Byre and of cause Councillor Keith Linnecor presented petitions and wrote various letters to authorities asking for action all to know avail.
We will continue to back Councillor Keith Linnecor in any attempts he makes to get the various authorities connected with the Queslett Road to take action and appeal to other polititions to do the same and to stop making childish political points over the matter as one did last year.
Let us all hope 2008 is the year something gets done.