Ban The Protests. Keep Our City Safe.
The City Centre Neighbourhood Forum has received a response from West Midlands Police regarding the planned protests from EDL and UAF (English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism) in Birmingham on 5th September.
In the response, the Chief Superintendent says, “The ability to protest is a fundamental democratic right and one we are in no position to make any political or moral judgement about.”
As a Liberal and believer in free speech, I appreciate this statement. But hold on, are we asking the Police to take a political or moral judgement? No! We are asking them to ensure violence does not erupt on our streets for the second time in a month. We are asking them to keep residents of the city centre, shoppers and visitors safe on what will be a busy Saturday afternoon.
What concerns me is these further comments from the Chief Superintendent: “At this stage we believe two groups intend to protest peacefully, and would urge those seeking to use the situation to commit criminal acts to think carefully about their involvement.”
Intend to protest peacefully?
Let's remind ourselves of the events of 8th August. These two so-called peaceful protests in different locations quickly turned sour and led to over 30 arrests in ugly scenes that I never want to see repeated on our city's streets.
A repeat set of protests, held so soon after the last and very deliberately on the day of an England football match, WILL cause further trouble, of that I have no doubt. It is a deliberate call-to-action for all those who are “up for a ruck” and I am disappointed the Police are not taking this viewpoint.
Ban the EDL and UAF protests. Keep our streets safe.
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Going Away This Weekend?
I know many of you are planning trips away for the Bank Holiday weekend. I wish I was!
But if you're planning on travelling by rail from Birmingham - be warned - you may end up on a bus. Liberal Democrat analysis has found that over 1,000 miles of track is out of action.
The West Coast Main Line is one of the worst effected, so if you're travelling from Birmingham New Street to Birmingham International, Coventry, Rugby, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Watford or London, please do check with National Rail Enquiries before you travel. It's also worth checking if you hope to travel to Walsall, Shrewsbury, or from Birmingham Snow Hill / Moor Street out towards Kidderminster.
Cleveland Tower Residents Meeting
This evening I was invited to speak at the Cleveland Tower Residents Meeting. Cleveland Tower is one of a pair of giant 32-storey residential tower blocks on Holloway Head, owned by Optima.
About 20 residents came along to discuss issues largely related to Optima. The atmosphere was quite emotional due to an issue with a popular concierge.
I spoke about the massive response I'd had to my recent residents survey, with issues largely related to anti-social behaviour, both in the block and the surrounding areas. I invited the residents to come and discuss their concerns with me and Cllr Ayoub Khan, Cabinet Member for Local Services and Community Safety. I'm pleased to say a large number agreed to come along so I look forward to making progress on those issues. I also took away some specific issues with nearby buildings and parking.
I had planned on staying for 20 minutes but in the end I was there for an hour. It was a pleasure to meet some really friendly people!
JQ Promotion Opportunity for Social Enterprises
According to a letter posted by Spaghetti Gazetti, the foyer space of the Big Peg in the Jewellery Quarter is to be used to promote local social enterprises - for free.
"Just by way of context, 'exhibitors' so far have included a premium chocolatier and a paint-balling company, both of which were actually selling on the days they were here. The space will accommodate a good sized (6ft-plus) table and exhibition stands. There is a fair amount of through traffic (tenants and visitors)."
For those unaware, the Big Peg is an office block for mainly creative businesses towering over much of the Jewellery Quarter on the corner of Warstone Lane and Vyse Street. It is the sister development of the Custard Factory and also houses a police station and a post office.
Birmingham Says No to Elected Mayor
Birmingham city council has ruled out an elected mayor for its people. The Labour government is forcing cities to choose between three methods of leadership and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat ruling coalition is adamant the existing system of leader and cabinet should remain.
Good call!
An elected mayor will take power further away from the people of the city, into the hands of one man or woman. The danger is an election for mayor could boil down to a popularity contest where personality triumphs over policy.
It's a further blow for the Birmingham Mail's tiresome campaign for an elected mayor.
But there could be a final sting in the tail. If David Cameron's Conservatives come to power at the next General Election, then Birmingham could be forced into accepting an elected mayor, no matter what the city council think. I'll be watching this chasm between national Tories and local Tories with great interest.
West Midlands Bus Services Under Investigation
I welcome the announcement from the Office of Fair Trading that local bus services, including those in the West Midlands, are to be referred to the Competition Commission.
I'm long been appalled at the consistent price rises from Travel West Midlands, now National Express West Midlands. It's now £1.70 for a single bus journey across Birmingham. Bearing this in mind, it's concerning that the West Midlands was excluded from the OFT’s analysis looking at the relationship between price and the level of market concentration, “because National Express did not consent for the Department for Transport to release its data in this area”.
Presumably now the Competition Commission are involved there will be an obligation on National Express to release the data.
In my eyes, the OFT's comments that “healthy competition” exists in the West Midlands is open to debate. On certain services, there is a genuine choice of providers, but other routes are dominated or solely operated by National Express West Midlands.
Many of those routes will be the subsidised Centro services operated by NEWM, but all this does is encourage people to buy the cheaper National Express only bus pass, instead of the general multi-operator bus pass, placing the competitors at a disadvantage.
I'll be watching this one with interest.
Sparkbrook By-Election: Runners and Riders
The list of candidates for the upcoming by-election in Sparkbrook has been released.
Along with the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Respect, the seat will also be contested by the Conservatives, the Greens and one independent candidate. The Liberal Democrat campaign will be led by our candidate Naeem Qureshi and our Parlimentary candidate for the new Birmingham Hall Green seat, Cllr Jerry Evans.
This by-election is due to the controversial financial tale of former Respect councillor Nahim Ullah Khan. That, together with the controversial timing of the by-election which falls around Ramadan, will make this by-election very interesting to watch as it unfolds.
Birmingham Remembers Matthew Boulton
This week Birmingham remembered one of its most famous sons, Matthew Boulton. The manufacturing and business guru and key member of the Lunar Society died 200 years ago.
A short ceremony was held by his statue on Birmingham's Broad Street.
The children from Ladywood's own TNT News were on hand to record the event.
Planning Application for New Library of Birmingham
The detailed planning application for the new Library of Birmingham has been submitted, which kicks off a public consultation period. It would appear the controversial design concept remains, although the height has been slightly reduced after complaints it would dwarf its neighbours.
I am pleased to see the building will be connected to the Broad Street CHP (Combined Heat and Power) network. I am also intrigued by this:
Publicly accessible terraces at the third and seventh floors will provide outdoor green spaces for a range of activities, including quiet areas to read and relax with views over the city – while a ‘brown roof’ will provide a natural habitat for wildlife.
Planning Online is currenlty down, having some much needed improvement work, but the plans will be available to view there in the next few days. Alternatively, you can view the plans at the Planning Office, Alpha Tower.
Lightning Bolt To Strike Birmingham
On the day Usain Bolt obliterated his world record to confirm his status as the fastest man alive, his nation signed a deal to bring their training camp to Birmingham in 2012.
From the Jamaica Observer:
"Birmingham is a city that has always been close to Jamaica. There are many Jamaicans living in Birmingham and they have sold Jamaica well. We'll be working closely with the leaders in Birmingham to build our base there and to improve tourist arrivals from that city. I expect to meet with them soon to explore the possibilities" - Edmund Bartlett, Jamaican Minister of Tourism
"This means so much for the city of Birmingham. Our Jamaican community will be ecstatic because this guarantees them their place in the 2012 Games. While the competition will be based in London, this will definitely bring the Olympic fever to Birmingham - Mike Whitby, Leader, Birmingham City Council
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