New residents’ parking permit scheme in Kingsholm to go live on 10th July

Gloucestershire County Council has said that the new residents’ parking permit scheme for Kingsholm should be active and go live on the 10^th of July.

Lib Dem councillor for Kingsholm, Cllr. Jeremy Hilton has said that the process to get here has been long and drawn out, but there has been rigorous consultation with residents.

Cllr. Hilton said: “The traffic regulation order is due to be made on the 18^th of May and it will be advertised in the local paper. Everyone who responded to the consultation will be notified.

“The purpose of the new parking regulations is to give priority to residents and to relieve the area of parking congestion. Over the years I have had many requests to do something about the parking congestion problems in Kingsholm. Hopefully the new scheme, which has been subject to thorough design and consultation processes will improve the situation.”

Letters are then due to be sent to residents just before 5^th June 2023 outlining the start of the installation works. This will also contain details directing residents on how to purchase parking permits.

Residents will be entitled to two permits per household. The cost of the first permit is £63.65 and the second car £127.60. There is a reduced charge for Eco cars (vehicle excise duty band A). Residents can also purchase 50 visitor vouchers a year.

Getting the Wellington Parade Garden fully established

The Conservative controlled city council hasn’t covered itself in glory over the creation of the Wellington Parade Garden, which was finally reopened at the end of October.

A new footpath has been laid out through it and the old brick wall taken down. Unfortunately, the newly planted shrubs and plants died during the summer and new ones had to be planted.

At the 7^th December cabinet I challenged the cabinet members to sort out the snags and ensure that the new garden gets regular maintenance. It must become an attractive focal point at this location on London Road.

This is my question

“There have been some teething problems in creating the Wellington Parade Garden on London Road.

“It’s been redesigned after comprehensive public consultation into a form that should encourage pedestrian movements though it and discourage street drinkers congregating there day after day.

“Could the cabinet member please give me an assurance that the snagging problems will be resolved, with extra care being given to allowing the shrubs, trees and other plants to become well established in the garden?”

Here is Cllr. Raymond Padilla’s answer

“The redevelopment of the site has been completed. The garden was officially opened and available to the public on the 28th October 2022.”

“Assurances can be given that the snagging problems are being resolved, the shrubs, trees and other plants are being cared for allowing them to become well established in the garden.

“We are working with Emerging Futures who are currently litter picking as and when required. They are also going to be painting the fence and repairing the fire damaged area.

“Volunteers will also be planting bulbs to bring some colour to the area for Spring 2023 as well as ongoing upkeep of existing planting.

Here are some other agreed actions

Strong guards are to be put around the two trees.
Street name plates will be installed for both Great Western Road and Wellington Parade.
Work will be carried out to ensure the small brick wall cannot be sat on.
Both myself and Cllr. Angela Conder will keep a watching brief on the new garden as it beds in

Levelling Up Kingsholm & Wotton

Funding bids oversubscribed as application deadline closes

Clapham Court is at the heart of the area eligible for the Levelling Up Together funding

The county council launched a £1.5 million Levelling Up Together community grant scheme, the allocation to Kingsholm and Wotton is £150,000.

The funding which will be targeted at ten communities in the county where there are higher levels of financial hardship and people that need extra support.

Kingsholm and Wotton is one of the ten wards that will benefit. This all follows on from motion 881 put to the county council in September 2021 by the Liberal Democrat group.

Jeremy Hilton who seconded the motion said: “The deadline for submissions was the 27^th of November and it has been oversubscribed.

“There has been no shortage of applications for a grant from the Levelling Up Together fund related to proposed projects in Kingsholm & Wotton. Much more than the £150,000 allocated to my division.

“I have had my first meeting with officers and Cllr. Hawthorne to look at the proposals. Some are specific to my division and some are multi area applications. My priority is to support those projects that especially help Kingsholm residents who are most in need of additional support, by providing better life opportunities.”

A decision on which projects will be funded is expected in the New Year.

New Levelling Up Together grant should benefit Kingsholm & Wotton – bid deadline 27th Nov

On the 18^th of October the county council launched its £1.5 million Levelling Up Together community grant scheme.

The funding which will be targeted at ten communities in the county where there are higher levels of financial hardship and people that need extra support.

Kingsholm and Wotton is one of the ten wards that could benefit. This follows on from motion 881 put to the county council in September 2021 by the Liberal Democrat group, which led to a levelling up conference.

Jeremy Hilton who seconded the motion said: “The upper limit for each application is £150,000, but there is no lower limit. The deadline for submissions is the 27^th of November.

“I do encourage community groups and others to put in bids for community projects that will help improve the life opportunities of people who live in Kingsholm & Wotton.

“Each application requires the support of the local county councillor, which is me in the case of projects proposed for Kingsholm & Wotton. Do get in touch.”

More information can be obtained at:

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/your-community/levelling-up-together

Applications must demonstrate how the funding will contribute to Gloucestershire County Council’s ambitions to level up:

By 2030, the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years.
By 2030, well-being will have improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
By 2030, the number of primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths will have significantly increased. In England, this will mean 90% of children will achieve the expected standard, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by over a third.
By 2030, the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training will have significantly increased in every area of the UK. In England, this will lead to 200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas.
By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing

Gloucester Lib Dems announce shadow cabinet

Sarah Sawyer, Anne Radley, Declan Wilson, Sebastian Field, Jeremy Hilton, Ashley Bowkett and Angela Conder

The Liberal Democrat group on Gloucester City Council form the opposition to the Conservative administration. Their leader is Cllr. Jeremy Hilton who has recently announced his shadow cabinet.

The seven member team will shadow the Conservative cabinet until the elections in May 2024 when they hope to take control of the city council. Until then they will provide constructive opposition.

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton said:

“We are currently stuck with a poorly performing Conservative administration that has already had three resignations from the cabinet in recent months. They are struggling to cope and it’s our job to provide constructive challenges to their policies or lack of them. We want the best for Gloucester.

“There are seven of us in our shadow cabinet. I call them ‘The Magnificent Seven’. Besides challenging uninspiring plans being proposed by the cabinet we shall also be working up our policies to form our 2024 manifesto to rebuild council services on taking control.”

Deputy leader, Cllr,. Declan Wilson said:

“As the second largest group, with eleven members on the council, it is down to the Liberal Democrats to challenge bad decisions and provide realistic alternatives. That is what we have been doing since May 2021.

“Our shadow cabinet is brimming with good ideas. We will do our best to make sure that from now until May 2024, the ‘Vanishing Council’ doesn’t sink any further.”

The Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet:

Leader and Regeneration: Cllr. Jeremy Hilton

Deputy Leader and Performance & Resources: Cllr. Declan Wilson

Culture & Leisure: Cllr: Sebastian Field

Communities & Neighbourhoods Cllr: Anne Radley

Environment: Cllr. Ashley Bowkett

Planning: Cllr. Sarah Sawyer

Housing: Cllr. Angela Conder

The long-awaited Kingsholm parking review has been launched

Residents in Kingsholm are being asked for their views on new proposals to free up parking spaces for households, with an informal consultation now open until 15^th October for people to provide their feedback.

Residents have eight weeks to have their say on a potential new and improved permit scheme aiming to make it easier for them to park closer to home.

Over the years many parking issues have been raised by Kingsholm residents and the county council wants to make sure on-street parking provision in the area is still fit for purpose.

Potentially introducing a permit scheme is one way which could prioritise residents’ vehicles over other users. Already some roads in Kingsholm have a residents’ parking permit scheme.

The county council is also keen to find out what people think of on street electric vehicle charging points in the area. As part of the consultation, possible locations will be included for new on street EV charging points in these review zones for residents to consider. These charging points will be the first of 500 double charging points (1000 charging points in total) around the county, allowing those without a driveway to consider moving to an electric vehicle to reduce their carbon footprint.

Jeremy Hilton at Oxford Road – one of the roads that is at its capacity in Kingsholm

County Cllr Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem) for Kingsholm, said: “The parking survey carried out in 2020 showed that a number of streets in Kingsholm were severely congested with parked cars and some roads were near to their capacity. Many residents do not have off street parking and find it very difficult at times to park their cars near to their homes. I’m therefore pleased that the county council is now carrying out a public consultation on parking in my division. I encourage everyone to have their say.”

Kingsholm City Councillor Angela Conder (Lib Dem) said: “There is no easy solution to managing on-street parking in Kingsholm, but we believe that the county council can do better. We are also interested in what people think about the location of the proposed electric vehicle charging points. Are they in the right place?”

View the plans and give feedback online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/parkingreviews

These are the options being proposed, it is colour coded. Use to cross reference with the map

Parking Review Process

Each parking review follows a similar process as outlined below:

Scheme inception – initial data gathering and discussions with local stakeholders;
Informal consultation – consultation with local residents and businesses to find out if local people find parking a problem, if they would like to see changes considered, and if so, what changes.
Statutory consultation – a formal consultation process where we present a detailed proposed scheme. Feedback to this stage will be used to decide if any changes are made.
Implementation (if appropriate) – launch of new scheme.

The consultation questionnaire will be open for comments until the 15^th October 2021.

Debenhams building – future still uncertain

Debenhams set to close – building for sale

There has been speculation over the weekend (27 & 28 Feb) that the Debenhams building has been sold. This may or may not be the case. We know that Aviva has been talking to a number of buyers.

But a sale isn’t a sale until it’s been signed on the dotted line.

Secondly any purchaser, would want to talk to the city council ahead of the deal being completed. A sale therefore, may be subject to planning permission.

This morning, I have asked officers at the city council for an update. This is what I was told:

“We have not had any confirmation from the owners or any prospective purchasers that the building has been sold and therefore it would be wrong to speculate on what the terms of any hypothetical disposal may be.”

As I have said before, my preference is to see the building restored to its former glory and repurposed if necessary.

As a regular shopper at this store I am also disappointed to see Debenhams go into liquidation.

Debenhams building is not listed, though it sits in a conservation area so cannot be demolished without the council’s permission.

What I do not want to see is this landmark building demolished to make way for a new build.

The Lib Dem group are determined to work with the new owners to see this handsome building fully restored and fully occupied. It’s a focal point in our city centre. An important anchor for our new Kings Square.

GLEVUM GREEN (REDROW) – STREET CLEANING – LORRIES

I have been in contact with the site manager of Glevum Green housing development. In particular, I have expressed concern about the cleaning of neighbouring streets to clear the mud from the roads and the use of the Wotton Pitch route along Denmark by lorries visiting the construction site.

Redrow contractor cleaning Kingsholm Road

STREET CLEANING

Road sweeping Schedule has been increased due to the wet weather. The road sweeper is now in use during working hours every day Monday to Friday. Redrow tell me they have introduced extra measures to reduce mud reaching the road. A bowser has been introduced to wash the wheels of vehicles leaving the site.

Approved route for lorries visiting development site

TRANSPORT ROUTE

Lorries should NOT be travelling to and from the site via the London Road direction. All vehicles should arrive and leave by accessing Kingsholm Road. See the approved route map. Redrow have told me they have reminded their groundworks contractors of the approved route to the site and the banksman team at the dispatch end have been told to remind drivers of the approved exit route.

If you do see lorries travelling down Denmark Road from Wotton Pitch/London Road try and capture a photo or record their number plate and email me at Jeremy.hilton@gloucestershire.gov.uk with time and date and I will report the matter to the site manager for you.

Kingsholm Flooding Update

In August parts of Kingsholm were hit by flash flooding. I followed up by asking the county council flood risk team to work with Severn Trent Water to investigate the state of drainage system.

I’m pleased to report progress.

A meeting took place on the 26th November between Severn Trent Water (STW), Gloucestershire County Council (Flood Risk Management team and Highways) and Gloucester City Council.

They agreed that initial investigation by STW of the drainage / sewerage network in the Kingsholm area would commence in early December and last around a fortnight.

It is expected further work will be planned to improve the capacity of the network in the area. The timescale for this work has not been set. It will depend on the extent of the work and the resources available.

In the meantime, property flood risk measures can be investigated for ‘at risk’ properties.

Liberal Democrats Condemn Boundary Review Plans

New boundary map showing the loss of Elmbridge to the Gloucester Parliamentary Constituency.

The Liberal Democrats have branded proposals to move Elmbridge out of Gloucester and into Tewkesbury as “daft”.

The Boundary Commission for England has suggested in its latest review of parliamentary boundaries that the Elmbridge area of Gloucester be represented by an MP from a town 12 miles away.

It would see Elmbridge joining the neighbouring Longlevens in Tewkesbury, so that Quedgeley can be retained in Gloucester, rather than moving to Stroud.

The Liberal Democrats have long argued for Longlevens to return to Gloucester and have criticised the Boundary Commission for England for ignoring community and identity and concentrating on the numbers.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of Gloucester Liberal Democrats, said: “These new proposals are just daft – the heart is being ripped out of Gloucester. The proposal to move Elmbridge comes as a complete shock as the previous plan gave no indication to the loss of Elmbridge.

“I’m pleased Quedgeley has been retained within the Gloucester parliamentary constituency as residents identify far more with Gloucester than Stroud.

“The key to this review is identity and community and identity and community have been ignored.

“We campaigned for Longlevens to be moved into Gloucester from Tewkesbury because the people of Longlevens identify far more with Gloucester than Tewkesbury.

“We thought the Boundary Commission had agreed to returning Longlevens to Gloucester.

“The furthermost boundary of Longlevens is just a mile from the city centre. You can hear the roar from Kingsholm on match days – yet Longlevens is represented by an MP from a town 12 miles away.

“The same applies to Elmbridge, which under these proposals will be joining Longlevens in Tewkesbury.

“The Boundary Commission says the City of Gloucester is too large to be a single constituency. The reduction in the number of MPs and the 5% variation in constituency sizes is hurting Gloucester.”

Councillor Hilton added: “It is very unlikely these proposals will be implemented as the DUP and many Conservative backbenchers will not support them.

“I would urge Gloucester MP Richard Graham to vote against these proposals.

“The Government should stop wasting tax-payers’ money and pull the plug on this review. Legislation to review parliamentary boundaries also needs amending.”