1

Sept

embe

r 201

5 I

ssue

45

A generous 1% cut in rents promised by Chancellor George Osborne in his au-tumn budget could be BAD news.It may spell the end for some services across the whole of Castle Vale.The government gift is good news for hard-pressed families in rented homes.But it’s going to hit housing associa-tions hard. In Castle Vale, the housing association provides services for the whole estate, including tenants AND homeowners.And it’s not just for this year. Chancellor Osborne’s generosity extends until the year 2020.He is insisting that housing associations across the country cut their rents every year for the next FOUR YEARS.Tenants will be delighted with the Chancellors generous offer. But it may not be good news for every-one. The cut will mean that housing as-sociations will receive less money from tenants, and from housing benefits. CVCHA boss Peter Richmond has warned his staff that they will have to re-think their budget, and may have to cut back on some local services.Because CVCHA provides services across the whole estate, cutbacks will hit all residents of Castle Vale, not just the tenants who will benefit from the rent cut.So its good news for tenants, and bad news for everyone.

TOP GIRL

Jamie Huggins has been a model pupil at Greenwood Academy. The talented teenager picked up a string of top GCSE passes last month. She scooped 3A* grades and 5A grades.And despite her studying, Greenwood’s Head Girl still found time in her GCSE year to take the lead role in the school’s drama production of Grease. Jamie is now off to Sutton Girls Grammar School to study for A-levels.

GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS

MEDICINE SPELLS FOUR YEARS OF PAINRent cuts’ promise will hit whole estate, warns housing boss

NATIONAL PET SHOW NEC P23

NAT WEDDING SHOW NEC P15

DELIVERED FREE MONTHLY TO ALL HOMES IN TYBURNupdated daily online at: tyburnmail.com

Page 9 TOUGH CHOICES

Fashion with TaylorPage 6

Trees axed for videosPAGE 19

2

Jack’s the laJJ

JACK OF HEARTSTop comic brings cheer on

Greenwood results day

High-flying pupils at Greenwood Acad-emy achieved some outstanding GCSE results this year. Several subject departments, including English (83%

A*-C), Spanish (83%), Drama (81%). Science improved their top grade results by 17%, and Cater-ing upped their percentage top grades by 14%.It wasn’t all rosy. Maths had a disappointing year, with 46%A*-C pass rate. This will

bring the school’s headline figure of pupils with 5A*-C passes in subjects including English and Maths down to 35%. This is a drop of 17% compared with last year.Greenwood Principal Harry French says that the Acad-emy will be providing A level and BTEC courses for pupils who stay on in their sixth form, along with GCSE courses for pupils who wish to improve their grades.

The school’s sixth form is now entering its second year. Next August, the senior pupils will be opening their full A-level results. University places will be at stake. Now that will be a nerve-wracking day.

Jack Whitehall, star of comedy sitcom Bad Education, handed out this year’s GCSE results’ envelopes to pupils at Greenwood Academy. Jack’s celebrity status, youth-ful good looks and friendly charm made him a hit with the pupils. There were smiles for the success-ful, tears from the disappointed, and comforting support for all.It was another media success for Greenwood, as BBC broadcast in-terviews with pupils and teachers, and live music from the school’s band Hex, to a breakfast-time audi-ence across the nation.Next term will see Greenwood youngsters in a CBBC documentary series, Our School. More national publicity for a school growing in confidence.

Xerxes Petalcurin and Michaela Moclair

Presenter Jayne McCubbin

3

2006: MP Sion Simon, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale, and JMC Prinipal Chris Grayson, at the naming ceremony for Spitfire House. At the time, there was much optimism and goodwill, as the £4 million building was handed over for the paltry sum of £1

FASTEST EVER HOUSE SALE? College buys Spitfire House for £1...

sells it for £1.5 million, in superfast time

A free school for dif-ficult teenagers was planned for Pype Hayes earlier this year. Local residents object-ed at a packed public meeting and launched a campaign over sev-eral months. The plans were scrapped.A free school was planned for Castle Vale. Residents had no chance to object. They were not even consulted. The deal was rushed through.Vale’s centre-piece commu-nity campus which cost around £4million to build at the start of this century, last month became the property of an independent organisation called EBN (East Birmingham Network).They got their money from the government’s Education Fund-ing Agency.BMET made a profit of £1.5 mil-lion on a building they had been given nine years previously for just £1, on the promise that they would keep to certain con-ditions, including consulting the community before any major change happened.Community organisations claim that the college bosses ignored that poundshop promise, sold the building, and left. College bosses feel that they did consult.The sale of this major building took place without any advertis-ing or public discussion. The deal was done at the height of the summer holiday period - normally a slow time for major transactions.

In the days following the sale, Castle Vale TRA managed to get some assurances that they would be allowed to keep their offices and the library in the building. Government funding for EBN might mean that the TRA will get a new suite of offices.The Castle Vale Neighbourhood Partnership Board got some as-surances that EBN would honour the promises to keep part of the building for community use, and would consult for any future changes.So two of Castle Vale’s organi-sations are happier after the sale than they were in the days when the transaction was being rushed through, and out of their control.But Castle Vale residents, par-ticularly those who live close to the campus, will have reason to feel that the lack of public con-sultation was wrong.EBN, BMET and the government offices will argue that no plan-ning permission was required. The building was previously used for education, and would continue to be used for the same purpose.BMET will argue that the build-ing was theirs to sell. They owned it, and they claim that it cost £190k per year to maintain. So they had every right to sell it.They will also argue that it is better that the deal was done quickly. Why drag it on for months?EBN will say they are doing a good service for local secondary schools, providing an option for teenagers who are rejected. But the urgency with which this deal went through, and the lack

of planning, are surprising.EBN had given no information to local residents about their plans. As ‘house’ sales go, this was one of the quickest deals in history. It demonstrates just how fast the wheels of government can turn when they want to push through one of their pet pro-jects. A few days after the Spitfire House sale, the cash-strapped BMET opened a £4 million build-ing in Erdington for their stu-dents. They have named part of it The Jack Dromey Suite, in honour of Erdington’s Labour MP.BMET have always struggled to make full use of Spitfire House. Castle Vale is an enclosed and small catchment area. It is not likely to attract the same numbers of students as an Erd-ington, Sutton or city centre site.

BMET’s decision a few years ago to make Spitfire House a spe-cialist centre for cleaning studies was ill judged and patronising. Manpower’s occupation of the site for Jaguar was recently suc-cessful. But it was short term, and as many Jaguar workers found to their cost earlier this year, short term contracts make for insecure futures.BMET’s decision to cut and run last month was, for them, a good and sensible business op-tion.But the treatment of the Castle Vale community by BMET, EBN and by government organisa-tions, has left a sour taste.In the rush to open a free school, the major casualty has been free speech.

Spitifre House has been Castle Vale’s biggest failure. It has never been fully used.It was meant to be a col-lege for Castle Vale. Its re-port after ten years should read: Could do better.Nine years ago, Castle Vale handed the college over to Josiah Mason College for a pound. Those days were full of optimism. The building had a large library on the ground floor, with a decent cafe, and rooms for local enterprises.All it needed was good courses for eager students.Since 2006, a succession of college mergers have rele-gated Spitifre House to the bottom league of BMET’s huge empire. Castle Vale has good hous-ing and health centres, popular and forward think-ing schools, decent sports facilities and an environ-ment that is the envy of in-ner cities. But it has no college.

The free school at Spitfire House is an honourable and worthy attempt to provide good education for teenag-ers who have been rejected by mainstream schools. Its aims and intentions are noble. But the manner in which it was established in Castle Vale is unacceptable. Local people in a decent democracy have the right to object to major changes in their community.They have a right to ques-tion organisations about their plans.Castle Vale residents have a right - or SHOULD HAVE had a right - to know how the new school will operate. How much taxpayers’ mon-ey will it cost? Where will the playground be? What about car parking? What about health and safety?Will the new school have an effect on local life, and on local families, and property prices? In the future, when EBN, or BMET, or government talk about community values and respecting local wishes, Castle Vale residents could be forgiven for not believing them.

COMMENT

4

LETTERS ‘n’ comments

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you and your readers about the gov-ernment’s plans to test chil-dren as soon as they enter reception class when they start school in September. This testing is called ‘base-line assessment.’ Teachers have always as-sessed children. However, at this stage it is currently done informally.

This new system has been criti-cised by many early education experts and teachers. Some children will receive a score of 0 for the knowledge skills and understanding that they display within the narrow

scale of the test; this will es-pecially disadvantage children who have additional needs, are born later in the school year or who speak English as a second language.

Teachers believe this assess-ment will put more pressure on children causing them unneces-sary stress. We are in danger of labelling children as successes or failures at a very early age. The results could also lead to a narrowing of the early years curriculum. Baseline assess-ment does not, and is not de-signed to benefit either the child or the teacher. It is also going to cost schools money and I believe this is money wasted.

Some schools have decided to opt out of baseline testing al-together.

If, as a parent, grandparent or carer you are concerned about baseline testing I would encourage you to speak to your child’s Head Teacher and write to the school’s Chair of Governors asking them to opt out of this system or think again about this controversial and damaging measure.

Yours sincerelyJo AllenParent and teacherErdington B24

Testing toddlersParents must speak out

KAY’S HISTORYA monthly series of ancient facts by local history enthusiast Kay Hunter who lectures on his subject in Birmingham and West Bromwich. Kay also broadcasts on 107.5 Switch Radio

The familiar expression A.1.(referring to the excel-lence of an item, or per-

son) has its associations with Lloyd’s insurers and underwriters.

Lloyd’s insurance corpo-ration was founded by Ed-ward Lloyd ( 1688-1726) in London. During the insurance assess-ment, the hulls of ships were classified by the letters: A, B, C, or D. ( originally vowels A, E, I, O, or U.) according to the quality and durability of their construction, followed by the numerals: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Therefore, the highest cate-gory was A, 1, and premiums were charged at the lowest rate, followed by A, 2, and B1. Equipment was classified: G, M, B – good, middling or bad. The first recorded reference to A, 1. was in Lloyd’s register for 1775- 1776. Source: Lloyd’s register of shipping, 1760- 1960. Personal collection

The Meaning of A1

left: Cross section of a ship’s hull

Spitfire House in Castle Vale has become a school for disaf-fected pupils, following its sudden sale by BMET

Who if anybody is doing anything about this farce?It just seems to rumble on with its own momentum? It’s been a sneaky back door trick by another Govern-ment Department so they don’t have to consult the People of Castle Vale. They could not get past the Residents at Eachelhurst so they used stealth to gain Spitfire House before Castle Vale residents were made aware!(John Cooper)

This School does not exist in any Dfe documents, there has been NO application for a free school on this site nor has EBN used ANY evidence to back up the use of this building as a free school. The only evidence they have is for the failed Eachelhurst Road bid which failed. To use Spitfire House as a free school EBN MUST ascertain with NEW evidence based upon local community and need whether or not this is a suitable site. This has not been done If this School opens it will open illegally with no agreement from the Department for Education.What are our locally elected MP’s and councillors doing about this illegal school?(Anon)

The problem is that the people of Castle Vale are powerless, this is just the latest in a long line of events going way back. What is required is legal representation in order to challenge those at the highest level.(Anon)

A Porsche set alight after crashing into three cars in Farnborough Road. The driver of a Porsche left the scene before emergency services arrived.

Surely with all the CCTV set up around the Vale, there must be an image of the ‘suspect’ some-where…..maybe ? (Anon)

I think we all know what happened looking at the type of car that crashed emm let me think oh yeah they thought they was a bad ass put their foot down and lost control ! It’s not that hard is it. Who wouldn’t get in a car like that and be tempted to check out the speed !!! (facebook- Donna Barron)

Wannabe boy racers, and 20 mph that’s another joke, I’m glad to get some motorway driving in, driving on the estate bloody hell you can walk faster. (facebook Kevin Woolley)

Why don’t you check the cctv. Its like Colditz on there there’s that many cameras (facebook David O’Toole

I bet he was a drug dealer off to his next drop(facebook Lorraine Hadley)

A new law from October will ban smoking in vehicles carry-ing anyone under 18yrs of age

The new law is flawed, a 17 year old who drives and smokes will be fined for damaging their own health, how stupid is that?Also if you drive and your passen-ger smokes who is 17 why should you be fined for that.It is NOT illegal to smoke under 18, it is only illegal to SELL cigarettes to people under 18.Anon

Surely you can go without a fag on a car journey. You shouldn’t be allowed to smoke when driving full stop.(Anon)

6

Taylor SheldonTyburn Mail’s award winning

fashion journalist

Fashion fashion Fashion Fashion FASHION Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion

YouTuber’s are at it again, changing the world for the better, as Louise Pentland (a.k.a. SprinkleOfGlitter) re-cently partnered up with SimplyBe to launch her very own clothing line. The 30 year old internet sensation and mother from Northampton has been flooded with messages over the past few weeks, as young girls have been exclaiming their excitement over her collection.

The designs are very true to Lou-ise’s personal style, as she is very known for her love of bright col-ours and floral patterns. Her collection consists of an array of sophisticated dresses, which tend to tie in at the waist and vary in necklines, with a few glam knee length skirts and casual tops. The nine piece collection features a mix of casual and dress up pieces, meaning that there’s something for every occasion. The sizes start from a 12 up to 32, with prices ranging from £16 - £60.

But, Louise has done a lot more than just help add another piece of clothing to buyers’ wardrobes, but also threw in heaps of confi-dence and excitement along the way. Young girls all over the country are expressing their new found body confidence in Louise’s figure flattering dresses, while thanking her for bringing out such beautiful designs, without making them feel excluded because of their size, like some high street stores do when

they don’t stock the plus sizes. Buyers can’t help but smile while flaunting their new dresses, as some say that they’ve never felt so pretty before.Along with the collection, the website has featured four videos of Louise: two of her showing off SimplyBe products, one full of handy shopping tips and another dedicated to body confidence.If that’s not a role model using her fame for good, then I don’t know what it is.

Trendy MumSize doesn’t matter for Midlands Youtubing fashion sensation Birmingham’s John

Taylor Hospice has teamed up with solici-tors to offer discounted will-writing services throughout the month of September.The offer is part of an annual campaign to raise awareness about the importance of wills and encourage people to prepare for the future.To help Birmingham families, four firms of solicitors – Benson Wil-liams, DBS Law Ltd, Woolastons Solicitors and Robert Shaw & Co – are offering standard wills for £60.“A will drafted by a solicitor can cost £150 or more,” continued Kerry. “Half of the £60 fee charged by the solicitors will then be gifted to the hospice to help provide care to more than 600 families at the hospice and out in local commu-nities.”For more information visit www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk or call Kerry on 0121 465 2000.

CUT-PRICE WILLSHospice offers legal help for local families

Louise Pentland, founder of Sprinkle of Glitter, and part of SimplyBe

7

8

shelter.org.ukRegistered charity in England and Wales (263710) and in Scotland (SC002327). RH6980

Got unwanted furniture and electrical items?We’ll collect them for

FREE!

We can sell your furniture and electrical items to help people struggling with homelessness and bad housing.

To arrange a free collection or ask about our house clearance service, call one of our stores below:

We particularly need:• Lounge furniture and suites

• Tables • Beds • Bedroom furniture • TVs, DVDs, stereos

• Fridges • Small electrical appliances

193/197 High Street, Erdington,

Birmingham B23 6SYTel: 0121 386 5055

Unit 1–2 Kings Square, Sandwell Centre,

West Bromwich B70 7NWTel: 0121 553 3242

Castlee Home-Start Castle Vale and Pype Hayes Family Support Groups

We have two exciting new Family Support Groups open for families with pre-school children who are being supported by Home-Start.

The groups are FREE of charge and are held at the following venues

St Cuthbert’s Church Centre, Castle Vale Monday afternoons from 1 pm until 3 pm The United Reform Church, Hodge Hill

Wednesday mornings from 10 am until 12 noon

Home-Start are also looking for potential Home Visiting Volunteers to support families residing in the following areas:-

Castle Vale, Pype Hayes, Birches Green, Hodge Hill, Bromford

No qualifications required. All we ask is that you are a parent yourself ‘Parents supporting Parents’

If you would like to find out more about our groups or volunteering for Home-Start please call us on 0121 7474631 or e-mail homestartcastlevale@yahoo.co.uk

5534514747463WITH PRE SC HOOL CHILDREN

Kingsbury School boss Mark Rhatigan says he is pleased with the GCSE results this year.He was appointed as headteacher at the end

of February, just weeks before pupils sat their GCSE exams this year. Swift changes to the school culture have been praised by Ofsted and supported by staff and pupils.

But the new regime of higher learning standards and im-proved discipline probably didn’t have enough time this year to take effect for the Year 11 pupils. The percentage of pupils with five or more A*-C in-cluding maths and English is not yet confirmed, though it is likely to be about the same as last year, at 36%.This is similar to last year’s figure, but there are plenty of signs of progress in the exam results. A statement from the school says: “The school is particu-larly pleased that the per-centage of students making expected progress and more than expected progress in English and a number of other subjects has improved from the 2014 figures and is moving towards national averages and, in some sub-jects, exceeding 2014 na-tional averages.”Outstanding individual performances include:Faariya Baane (5 As, 3 A*s)Precious Iriabe (6 As, 1 A*)Henna Wasim (5 As + 2 A*s)Amal Sheikh Hassan (4 A*s, 4 As)Ayesha Mulla (6As, 1 A*)Mani Chandrasehar (2 A*s, 2 As and 4 Bs)

Kingsbury boss pleased with GCSE’s

Above, one of Kingsbury School’s star pupils, Ayesha Mulla, pictured at her Prom, after the GCSE exams. Ayesha earned 6 grade As and an A star. Below, Headteacher Mark Rhatigan with top pupils on results’ day

9

As you may have heard, CVCHA has created The Pioneer Group to secure our work on Castle Vale for the future. We took this action because we knew that the world was changing for organisations like ours. But the Emergency Budget in July

introduced further changes which we now need to talk to you about.

We are asking as many peo-ple as possible to let us know which of the services we pro-vide are most important to them. Your views will help us to make the tough choices.How can you get involved?•COME AND SEE US: We will be holding an event at The Sanctu-ary on Wednesday 30th Sep-tember 2015. You can drop in from 5.30pm to 8.00pm to ask questions and let us know your views.

•GO ONLINE: You can fill in the survey online by following this link to our Surveymonkey site: htt-ps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHJNV9S

•REPLY TO OUR LETTER OR EMAIL: We are writing to and emailing a sample of our tenants to ask their views. You can send back the paper or follow the link on the email to give your views

COLLECT A FORM: Survey •sheets will be available from Re-ception at the High Street and The Sanctuary

AS BUDGET CUTS BITE, A HOUSING ASSOCIATION ASKS ALL CASTLE VALE RESIDENTS: WHICH SERVICES DO YOU VALUE MOST, WHICH CAN YOU DO WITHOUT?

TOUGH CHOICES Consultation on your Services

by Peter RichmondChief Executive CVCHA

10

After the success of his album in 2011, Ed Sheeran has done it again. In 2012, Ed won Brit Awards for two popular songs from ‘The A Team’ and ‘Lego House’. After a while, he quickly came through with another brilliant al-

bum; releasing X in June 2014. Swiftly, his song Photograph be-came a massive hit. From being played at weddings to repeatedly on the radio, Photograph is still number 21 in

the ITunes charts, higher than the new dance song Intoxicated by Martin Solveig. Photograph is one of five songs re-leased as a single from X, and also reached the top five in five differ-ent countries. Sheeran won the hearts of people universally with the video mon-tage music video for Photograph (Released in May 2015), using real home videos from his childhood. We see baby Ed slowly developing into the talented musician he is to-day. giving the audience a glimpse into his private life, whilst showing

how his talent comes naturally. Ed Sheeran is a very talented 24 year old, and I give him credit for being able to perform all differ-ent genres. He isn’t for everybody; some would say his music is too slow for them, but infact it is quite re-laxing if you listen to the ins and outs of the albums. He has beautiful messages be-hind all of his songs, and Photo-graph is one to remember.

Thank you for reading!

Brookly TaylorTyburn Mail’s music journalist

PHOTOGRAPHWhy Sheeran’s fans

snapped up his single

...We see baby Ed slowly developing into the tal-ented musician he is to-day. giving the audience a glimpse into his private life, whilst showing how his talent comes naturally. ..

Best of British Asian musicThe best of British Asian music will be celebrated at the Bar-clay Card Arena in Birmingham next month.The BritAsia TV World Music Awards 2015 takes place on Saturday 3rd October.Organisers say the show, in its sixth year, is the biggest event in the Asian calendar.It will feature a variety of unseen performances along with appear-ances from ‘A-list’ artists.

Five more years, pleaseDevelopers have asked for a five-year extension to the planning permission for the former GKN works opposite the Tyburn pub and McDonalds restaurant.Two sites are still unused, and the planning permission expires later this month, five years after it was initially granted.Since 2010, the site has been de-veloped for a Volvo showroom, an ambulance depot and a retail outlet for Selco builders merchants.A warehouse for Complete Imaging Ltd is currently being built on the site.The landowners owners, Homer Pensions and Investments, want to ensure that the land continues to be set aside for industrial develop-ment, despite the failure to fill the spaces in the five-year timespan.Current housing shortages mean that a lot of unused brownfield sites could be used for housing develop-ments.

One-man Rat Pack showThe Rotary Club of Wylde Green will be hosting a Late Summer Fundraiser at Curdworth Village Hall from 1pm-4.30pm on Sun-day 20th September.Chris King – the One Man Rat Pack Show - will be providing the enter-tainment.The event will be to support The Holly Trust, a charity that supports research into bowel cancer. Jacket potatoes with fillings and desserts will be served. Bring your own alcohol. Tea and coffee will be available.Tickets at £10 per person are avail-able by ‘phoning 0121 378 1099.

Police PowersPolice have promised an i n c r e a s e d patrol in the Castle Vale area follow-ing burglaries on the estate in August. Two of the bur-glaries occurred in the Park Lane area. Castle Vale’s new temporary sergeant Neil Powers said that the public should see an increase in the number of officers on patrol in the area.Sergeant Powers said that the rise in burglaries was very unusual for the area.No burglaries were reported to the police in the Castle Vale area during the month of July.

Temp Sgnt Neil Powers

A Castle Vale driver with a history of drugs and violence offences has been jailed after he refused to give a blood sample to police.Birmingham magistrates said that

the behaviour of Remmie Hep-burn, aged 24, of Innsworth Drive in Castle Vale last December, made his offence more serious. After his deliberate refusal to give a blood sample for laboratory test-ing, he behaved offensively to po-lice and to hospital staff.Magistrates last week jailed him for 23 weeks at Birmingham Mag-istrates Court Hepburn also had his licence en-dorsed with ten penalty points,

and was ordered to pay £280 in costs and victim surcharge.He had originally pleaded not guilty to the offence, but changed his plea this week.Hepburn had been sentenced to 23 months in prison at Birming-ham Crown Court in March 2015 for Class A drugs offences.He was sentenced to four and a half months in prison in May 2015, to run consecutively, for assault causing actual bodily harm.

Driver offensive to hospital staff

Birmingham has been found to be the worst local authority for re-use and recycling in the West Midlands, accord-ing to figures from Bir-mingham Friends of the Earth. The City Council recycled less than 29% of household waste dur-ing 2013-2014, the latest year for which figures are fully available.This figure is marginally down on the previous year, when 30% of Birmingham’s waste was recycled. Birmingham’s recycling rates ap-pear to be fairly static, with recent reports showing that Birmingham City Council has again missed its 35% recycling target in 2014-2015.This compares unfavourably with

other councils in the Midlands, with Stratford Upon Avon District Coun-cil recycling rate was more than double Birmingham’s. Birmingham is also being outshone by other city councils, with Leices-ter recycling 53% of household waste, and Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol recycling at least 40%.Birmingham’s recycling rates are expected to increase once the in-troduction of wheelie bins is com-plete. The Waste Isn’t Rubbish campaign is calling on Birmingham City Coun-cil to implement a zero waste sys-tem for the city that makes best use of the city’s resources locally including:*Making it easier for people to recycle food waste by providing a food waste collection and more support for home and community composting.*Making it easier for people to recycle more types of waste from home. Using local companies to process the waste.

We need to pedal faster on recycling

11

Universal Credit is a single monthly payment for peo-ple in or out of work, which merges together some of the benefits and tax credits that you might be getting now.Universal Credit will replace:•Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance•Income-related Employment and Support Allowance•Income Support•Child Tax Credit•Working Tax Credit•Housing Benefit

Now ‘Universal Credit’ is available in 45% of Job Centres and this includes our local Job

Centre in Erdington.In light of this the Income Team here at CVCHA are currently in the process of visit-ing every CVCHA customer whom we have

identified as potentially needing to claim Universal Credit.CVCHA understand that it can take up to 7 weeks for you to get your first payment from

the date you make your UC claim.

This is no doubt going to cause severe financial hardship for many families and single persons.

So our aim is to ensure that you have all the advice and support you need to keep your head above water during this transi-tion period.

So if you are•A CVCHA tenant and•You have recently claimed Universal Credit•You are due to claim Universal Credit

Please get in touch with us by calling 0121 748 8100, dropping into the High Street office or emailing us at contac-tus@cvcha.org.uk.

We will do our best to make life that little bit easier for you by providing you with help, advice and support.You can also find information online at www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

UNIVERSAL CREDIT What does it mean for me?

Fern Watson has been wel-comed to the CVCHA Opera-tional Board. Fern is a tenant on Castle Vale and alongside the experience of being a CVCHA tenant and

member of the community Fern will bring a wealth of hous-ing experience to the Board. Fern has worked in the social housing sector for a number of years.

Simon Wilson, Housing and Cus-tomer Services Director said: “We are really pleased to have been able to nominate Fern to the position on the Operational Board following her interview and look forward to Fern

demonstrating the obvious pas-sion she has for tenants and the Castle Vale community. “I am sure she will serve the in-terests of the whole community really well and hold CVCHA to ac-count for our services.”

In addition to Fern joining as a new Operational Board member CVCHA are pleased to announce that Judith Izenstain was appoint-ed as a tenant member. Judith has been a Board Member since 2009 and as a CVCHA ten-

ant will continue to bring her expe-rience and knowledge to help over-see the activity of CVCHA during a final three-year term.”

CVCHA Operational Board says welcome to a new member

....This is no doubt going to cause severe financial hardship for many families and single persons.....

12

NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

The week commencing 17 Au-gust 2015 saw the delivery of the young leaders training programme at the Sanctuary. This project took place due to the successful application by the group to CVCHA’s Social Activity Grant fund.The aim of the project was to equip a group of local young people with

the tools for them to take leader-ship roles in the local community.The project was delivered over 5 days and 8 young people com-pleted the course which covered leadership styles, roles and re-sponsibilities of a volunteer, in-troduction to safeguarding, team building, problem solving and a project planning and evaluation session which saw the group plan and deliver youth club sessions at the centre that had to meet vari-ous learning objectives taken from the Every Child Matters Guidelines. These sessions included an alcohol awareness session, a cooking class and a world records session where the group attempted various world records including the world’s tall-est shaving foam wig., although

no records were broken this sort of activity will become a regular on the youth club programme.

All 8 young people completed this course and are now going through the application pro-cess to become reg-istered volunteers at the centre. Aaron Moroney and Jason Stanley are also in the process of applying for core cities funding to de-liver a weekly sports session in Centre Park for local young people.‘The course has been brilliant, we

have learned so much and I can’t wait to become a volunteer’ said Courtney ‘The project was both interesting and fun to do, I really enjoyed planning and leading in a youth session’ said AaronThe groups next project is the re-decoration of the chill out room within the centre and they are cur-rently confirming dates of when the work will take place.Due to the success of the project there is a future course being or-ganised for October half term as the interest from the young lead-ers peers has been massive.

We received a number of applications for our activ-ity grants which are to help residents from Castle Vale either set up new projects or get involved in new ac-tivities. The aim of the grant is to provide opportunities for one off activities to take place that are organised by residents, for residents of Castle Vale. One of the conditions of the grant is to provide a photograph or ‘selfie’ and we have a great exam-ple below:

Hi BeckiI have always held an interest in photography from my first Kodak 126 Instamatic camera.Last year I had the opportunity to attend a photographic section

of the well-being course, at the Sanctuary.This reignited my passion for pho-tography; and by using a small loan digital camera I photographed items around Castle Vale, which resulted in an exhibition of the groups work, and later became the start of our Happy Snappers Photography Group.With this activity grant it has ena-bled me to purchase a SLR cam-era to further my interest to learn more about all aspects of photog-raphy at a higher level.I would like to thank CVCHA for the grant plus a large thank you to Becki and Tracey for all their help and support in arranging courses and service’s for the local commu-nity.

Dave Price

Due to limited funding we are un-able to accept applications if you have already been successful in securing one previously.

If you would like to find out more, please email rebeccabe@cvcha.org.uk or call Becki on 0121 748 8134.

Social Value Activity Grants

Young Leaders Programme

13

NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

On a sunny Friday in July 3 keen eyed judges from CVCHA visited various gar-dens across the estate admiring the beautiful displays residents had created for the summer round of this year’s in-famous gardening competition.

WE CAN NOW REVEAL THE WINNERS……DRUM ROLL PLEASE……

The best front/back garden category:Bronze award went to Mrs Simner and Mr Taylor of Padgate CloseSilver award went to Mr Hughes of Watton GreenGold award went to Mr Wainwright of Sheridan Walk

The best pots & baskets category:Silver award went to Mrs Fletcher of Northolt DriveGold award went to Mrs McNaught of Turnhouse Road

The best communal garden category:Silver award went to Ms Simner of Clayton WalkGold award went to Mr Pugh of Locking Croft

The most creative garden category:Gold award went to Mrs Turner of Turnhouse Road

The best local business garden category:Gold award went to Eden Court Medical Practice

The best newcomer category:Gold award went to Mr Sharpe of Neville Walk

The Judges Choice award went to Mr Wainwright of Sheridan Walk

A huge thank you to everyone that entered and congratulations to all of our award winners!

The Community Wardens delivered their annual sum-mer sports project working in partnership with CVCRS Youth team, bringing Castle Vale’s young people together.During the six weeks holidays there were a number of Sport sessions be-ing held in Centre Park where young people were encouraged to come and join in the fun, with the sessions being provided for free! During the summer break there were over 150 young people who joined in the fun.The great British weather this year was in true form; however this did not deter the young people in at-tending and joining in the fun. Even though two sessions were held at the

Sanctuary due to weather conditions, the participation of young people was not affected and nobody missed out on all the fun!Youth worker Jane Smith said “this was by far one of the best summer’s activities to have taken place, the weather was hot and the atmosphere was great with everyone staying safe and having fun”Keep your eyes peeled for the Com-munity Wardens upcoming projects and initiatives. Wardens will be pro-moting safety around Halloween and Bonfire night during the autumn. As winter arrives Wardens will focus initiatives on the ‘darker nights’ and crime prevention over the Christmas Period.

COMMUNITY WARDEN SPORTS 2015

Your garden is bloomin’ marvellous

14

Encouraging young people to learn can sometimes be an uphill struggle, a task made even harder by the length of the summer holidays. However this is exactly what the Youth Team at The Sanc-tuary have managed to do! The team delivered a hugely popular 4 week programme; each week having its own educational theme.

We kicked off the six week holidays with ‘Science Week.’ Setting the summer holidays off with a bang, we exploded volcanoes, made

parachutes for eggs and ex-plored Think Tank museum at Millennium Point all within the first five days, this prepared us for the upcoming themed weeks: Adventure, History and Culture.

Adventure week allowed the young people to be in-volved in risky play, allowing them to make decisions in a constructive way, enabling them to develop socially in a way that is open, fun and to an extent in their control. All of the activities in adven-ture week promoted positive team work, such as a scaven-ger hunt that was across the whole estate, enabling the

young people to work togeth-er and overcome challenges in a safe and fun way.

The third week of the scheme was culture week. Young people engaged in a number of activities looking at different countries and cul-tures. These sessions included a cultural arts session where young people researched icons through time and cre-ated art pieces of these icons, including Nelson Mandela and megastar singer Beyonce. The group hosted a Brazil day which included making samba masks, Brazilian football and Caribbean cooking.The well attended activities also included sports at Centre Park with the Estate Commu-nity Wardens and computer based fun @ Database. There were also more target-ed activities during the last two weeks of the holidays, including a Young Leaders programme aimed at older children, and a Headstart residential trip at the start of September.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Sanctuary Summer Activities 2015

SIMPLE AND FUN DANCE WORKOUTS WITH GLOW STICKS AND DISCO LIGHTS TO CLUB ANTHEMS FROM THE 90S TO TODAY’S HITS

Clubbercise with Leah Friday 6pm-7pm The Sanctuary, Castle Vale £5 entry *re-usabe glow sticks £3

Mobile with Leah 07914927458 Facebook: CLUBBERCISE WITH LEAH

15

Tyburn Mail has FIVE pairs of tickets for the National Wedding Show at the NEC2nd-4th October 2015. Fancy a pair? Call us on 0121 749 1343 or email: meverill@tyburnmail.com to be entered into the free draw

The government has published new guidelines for gypsies’ and travellers’ sites.Between 2000 and 2009 there was a four-fold in-crease in the numbers of caravans on unau-thorised sites – creating tensions between trav-ellers and the settled populations.The new guidelines in-sist that councils provide more sites for travellers.

They must identify and update annually, a sup-ply of specific locations sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of sites. The new guidelines out-line restrictions on trav-ellers setting up sites on green belt land.The travellers’ site in Tameside Drive adja-cent to Castle Vale be-came the subject of a long-running legal battle because the ‘travelling’ family settled there and ceased to be regarded

as travellers. When the Council ap-plied to evict them after almost 20 years of site occupation, the travel-lers won a case under the Human Rights Act protecting their right to continue to live in their homes.Last August (2014) a group of European trav-ellers occupied a car park next to the Drome cafe on Kingsbury Road for eight days. The travellers left piles

of human faeces on the tarmac and bin bags with maggots when they departed.They had previously set-tled on Minworth Green. A group of Irish travel-lers set up their homes on Farnborough Fields, also during August 2014. They threatened one member of the public, and moved on after a few days, having previ-ously settled for a short time in Sutton Park.

Provide more sites for gypsies, government warns councils

There is still time for local people to tell the independent Local Gov-ernment Boundary Commission for England where they think new council ward boundaries should be drawn across Birmingham. The Commission is asking people and organisations for their help to produce a new pattern of wards for 100 city councillors: twenty fewer than the current arrangements. Max Caller, Chair of the Commis-sion, said: “We are asking local people and organisations to help us draw up a new pattern of coun-cil wards for the whole city. “We want to hear local views on where people think the focal point of their community is and where the natural boundaries between communities might lie. “As we draw new boundaries, we will try to ensure that each coun-

cillor represents roughly the same number of voters. We also aim to produce a pattern of wards that re-flects the interests and identities of local communities. “The Commission will carefully consider all evidence presented to it during this phase of the review whoever it is from and whether it applies to the whole city or just a small part of it.” The Commission is gathering local views before it draws up draft rec-ommendations for a new pattern of wards which are due to be pub-lished in December. Local residents and organisations will then get an-other chance to have their say in a further round of consultation. This phase of consultation closes on 28 September 2015. Further information about the re-view and interactive maps of exist-ing wards can be found at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk or www.lgbce.org.uk.

How should Birmingham be split up?

Have your say on ward boundaries

Ninety percent of Bir-mingham children who completed a free healthy eating course last year either lost weight or stopped gaining weight. That’s the claim of the programme manager for two courses designed to help parents change their chidl-ren’s lifestyles.The First Steps and Next Steps programmes are free sessions de-signed to help parents and carers who may be worried about their child’s weight make healthier food choices and be more active.

The programmes are open to children across the city and may be of particular interest to parents who:

*have received a letter saying that their child is overweight after they have been weighed and measured by the school nurse.*may have noticed their child has put on a bit of weight*are worried about their child’s weight and would like new ideas to help your family make healthier choices.The courses are free and open to any children whose parents are registered with a Birmingham GP, and whose child has a body mass index (BMI) above the 91st per-centile.Enquiries and referrals are wel-comed from any health profes-sional or family member on 0121 446 1021.

Wish your child would lose weight? Here’s the answer

16

17

18

Pupils at Topcliffe School now have two teachers for every class. Headteacher Ian Lowe feels that the double dose of teacher power will boost the children’s learning even furtherAll seven mainstream classes in the school will have two qualified teachers, both equal in status, to lead the learning.The number of teaching assistants is being cut down to pave the way for the increase in fully qualified teachers.The teacher boost will help the children, and it will allow the school to provide extra training for individual teachers. Ian’s plan is to have a Transform-ing Tuesday, when extra training for staff can be given without dis-rupting the children’s education.Five learning mentors will also be on hand to help with behaviour, emotional and social issues, and consulting with parents.The school will keep two of its teaching assistants to help with classroom and school duties, but the number of TAs has been cut to help finance the influx of qualified teachers. Topcliffe will also be using the ex-tra cash from the Pupil Premium to help fund the cost of boosting the teacher numbers.Ian is convinced that the move to boost the number of qualified teachers in the classroom will boost the children’s learning. He has the statistics to back up his plan, and has spent long hours studying how children at the school have made the best pro-

gress in the seven years since he first arrived.The move to replace teaching as-sistants with more teachers has been controversial, and has not been a smooth ride. Several of the teaching assistants have taken voluntary redundancy; others are still waiting for a settle-ment. There have been problems with unions, but Ian is hopeful that this will all be settled by Janu-ary.Ian describes the new system as radical. It increases the number of qualified specialist teachers in the classroom, and cuts down the number of teaching assistants at

the school from seventeen down to two.Ian felt that the children at his school would benefit from having more qualified staff. Teaching assistants are not as specialised and qualified as teach-ers. For example, they do not have to have a maths and English quali-fication. Teachers do. The new group of four Teach First teachers at Topcliffe all have good honours degrees and will have completed an intensive training course before embarking on the first year of their PGCE in Top-cliffe’s classrooms.It is a big step for a school that

is at the forefront of progressive thinking. Topcliffe has a national reputa-tion for its work with autistic students. In addition to its seven mainstream classes, Topcliffe has the largest centre for pupils with autism and speech difficulties in the country, and has partnered several universities in developing new learning resources.This year, Topcliffe is branch-ing out into the world of outdoor learning. Its new purpose-built outdoor learning centre could see Topcliffe becoming a main provid-er for outdoor learning for schools across the city.

Two teachers for every class to boost Topcliffe

The Castle Vale Commu-nity Choir have moved. Their new base is at Greenwood Academy, where they meet every Thursday for practice from 5.30pm til 7.30pm.“New members of all ages are wel-come,” says organiser Bob Brueton.“We are a fun loving group who en-joy singing a wide range of songs from Beatles to Bach, Rolling Stones to Richard and Hammerstein!! You dont have to be a good singer - en-thusiasm is important and we have a good musical director to help you out. Weekly cost is only £1.50 and we go out to perform at a range of venues.”

New base for choir

High-flying students at St Edmund Campion School will be packing their bags and preparing for university courses.

A level successes at the Erdington catholic school have enabled sev-eral of the pupils to progress into higher education.Head Boy Albin Shaji will soon be on his way to York University to read biomedicine after achieving A grades in Biology and Maths and a B in Chemistry.Jordan Theresa Deakin will be staying closer to home. Her grade A and two Bs mean that she can study psychology at the University of Birmingham.Jessica Grady achieved three grade Bs and a Distinction Star in Health and Social Care and will read Ge-ography at Liverpool John Moore’s. Eesa Najib attained an A in Chemis-try, C in Maths and C in History and will read Chemistry at the Univer-sity of Leicester.The school achieved a 98% pass rate for its post 16 students this year.

From Campion to campus for top students

Great to be back at school: Topcliffe Year 1 pupils: Leo Belle, Bethanie Hall, Ronnie Tickner Vickers, Georgia Doyle and William Baird

Advertise in Tyburn MailCall Frank Kennedy 07770 895413

100mm x 50mm, 100 x 100, quarter, half or

full page ads.We will design if you

request.

Topcliffe School’s mainstream classroom teachers and management team on their pre-term training day

19

Mature trees have been chopped down on the Chester Road to give motorists a clear view of the promotional videos on the Jaguar factory wall. Birmingham Council’s engineers department have confirmed that Jaguar paid them to cut down the trees while they were working on the road improvements. The line of trees on the Jaguar side of the Chester Road now has a long gap which will give a clear view to passing motorists of any promotional advertising that they will present on the giant factory wall in the future.The Council had agreed that they would replace every one tree cut down with two younger trees, to minimise the environmental dam-

age caused by the major road-works. But they assured local residents at a meeting before the work started that they would only remove trees if it were necessary.They had said that they would need to chop down trees from the central reservation to enable the road widening, but the cutting down of trees for Jaguar was not on the original planning applica-tion that was agreed by the City Cabinet.Trees are protected by planning law, and special permission is needed before they can be de-stroyed. The destruction of the mature trees will anger and disappoint environmentalists, who were reas-sured by the Council’s promise to replace tees on a two to one basis.

Jag chops trees down so we can all see their videos

I think that I shall never see

A billboard lovely as a tree.

Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,

I’ll never see a tree at all.

Ogden Nash 1902-71

Smoking will soon be il-legal in a vehicle carry-ing anyone under 18.The new law comes into force on 1st October and means that pri-vate vehicles must be smoke free if they are enclosed, if there is more than one person present and one of them is under 18.It will be an offence for a person of any age to smoke in a private vehicle that is carrying someone who is under 18, and for a driver (including a provisional driver) not to stop someone smoking in these circumstancesThe rules don’t apply to e-ciga-rettes.The legislation covers any private vehicle that is enclosed wholly or partly by a roof. A convertible car, or coupe, with the roof completely down and stowed is not enclosed and so isn’t covered by the legislation.But a vehicle with a sunroof open is still enclosed and so is covered by the legislation.Sitting in the open doorway of an enclosed vehicle is covered by the legislation.The rules apply to motorhomes, campervans and caravans when they are being used as a vehicle but don’t apply when they are be-ing used as living accommodation.The rules don’t apply to:boats, ships and aircraft, as they have their own ruleswork vehicles and public transport, as they are already covered by smokefree legislation.

Smoking ban for vehicles carrying under 18s

A new anti-litter project has been launched in Birmingham city.The city council has joined forces with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, The Wrigley Company and the Retail Birmingham Busi-ness Improvement District in the three-month project. Litter bins will be transformed into charity collection pots, with charity LoveBrum set to benefit from the scheme.The more litter that goes into 48 bins across the city centre and the less on the ground, the more mon-ey the charity will receive.In total, £1,300 will be up for grabs to LoveBrum.The final amount to be awarded on a sliding scale basis depending on the percentage increase in rubbish collected from the Bin it for Good branded bins.A three-month pilot took place last year in Rayleigh, Essex, which saw a reduction in litter of over 42 per cent.

Money for rubbish

20

Castle Pool Users Group

Fire Commander Steve Vincent swam 40 lengths for his special charity. Steve says: “I was honoured to be allowed to raise the money at Castle Pool - so was my colleague Arron Lennon, who swam for charity, too.”

Birmingham’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Ray Hassall, congratulates Steve and praised the work of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service. Councillor Hassall has a history of being a keen sportsman and is himself famous for his long runs for charity.

The Lord Mayor took time to thank Ray Goodwin and Lynda Clinton for the dedicated team of volunteers behind the scene

The slide is ready for all our youngsters to enjoy

Our locally trained lifeguards

PROUD TO BE PART OF CASTLE POOL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

Amanda Cutler is chair of Castle Pool User Group“Welcome to Castle Pool - you are all welcome, “ says Amanda.“You know where we are so come along or call

0121 464 0881”

ADVERTISEMENT

21

JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS

CARPENTERS AND KITCHEN FITTERS required for ongoing work with local company

Cscs card , own tools, vehicle needed

Contact Karl on 07999 381978

www.dkcarpentryuk.co.uk

HR Employment Bureau Ltd Urgently Require:

White Goods Engineers (Appliances) £21K Midlands Based.

Must have previous industry experience.

Sales Order Processor (Inputting) £15K 4-6 Month Contract – NEC

Auto Electrical Tech Engineers (Automotive) £21K with Vehicle

Must have Automotive Electrical experience for this role.

Customer Service Agents Temp to Perm £16,500K Marston Green

Must have 2 years Customer Service Experience.

Interested please contact Amanda or Lizzy on 0121 647 1086/1085 or Email your CV to Amanda@hrgrp.co.uk /Lizzy@hrgrp.co.uk

Tyburn Mail requires

NEWSPAPER DELIVERERS

Good rates of pay; must be aged 13+Phone 0121 749 1343 or email

meverill@tyburnmail.com Seesaws Day Nurseries

are looking to recruit

TRAINEES to train to level 2 in ‘Children and Young Peoples Workforce’ and level 3 in ‘Early Years Educator’.

This is a modern apprenticeship and candidates must be aged 17 to 21 years and hold grade A - C in English and Maths and a level 2 Childcare qualifica-tion to apply for the level 3 apprenticeship.

Call Chester Road on 0121 384 5494, Avenue Road on 0121 350 6521 and Walmley on 0121 351 7000.

IF YOU OR YOUR ORGANISATION WISHES TO ADVERTISE A PAID JOB, FULL-TIME OR PART TIME, TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT, YOU CAN DO IT FOR FREE ON THIS PAGE. Your ad will reach 24,000 peoplecall Frank Kennedy on 07770 895413

22

LOCAL DEMOCRACY PAGEYour councillors, campaigners and candidates

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent. (Abraham Lincoln)

George Osborne’s budget pro-posals to increase the mini-mum wage over the next five years to ensure a national liv-ing wage and to introduce a 4 year 1 % per annum rent cut for council properties have received many positive com-ments in recent weeks.Yet it is vital that the implications of these proposals are fully con-sidered by the government as part of the wider debate on coun-cil funding. For example a recent

report seen by “Inside Housing” shows that council’s such as Bir-mingham could lose in total over £2 ½ billion over four years as a result of this rent cap after tak-ing on control of rental income in 2012. Southwark Council’s Rachel Livingstone has already said her council will have to “look carefully at its investment plans”, and many more councils may well be forced to reduce both their house build-ing and maintenance programmes as a result of this change.As Emma Reynolds MP rightly said “It is worrying, given the terrible legacy of poor standards left by

the last Tory government, that the proposal could undermine the improvement of existing council homes”.Likewise with minimum wage rates while over 95% of the lo-cal government workforce earns

already more than £7.20ph, intro-ducing pay at the 2016 rate would cost councils in total £6 ½ billion in 2016. While many councils sup-port such proposals, the overall cost of such changes need to be taken into account when council funding levels are set in the fu-ture.Local authorities such as Birming-ham have already made £20 bil-lion in savings since the Tories and their coalition partners returned to power in 2010. We are likely to face further reductions in grants as well as increased spending pressures in the years up to 2020, as we continue to try to provide the core services such as caring for the elderly, weekly refuse col-lections etc., that are both key to a civilised society as well as being services the people of Birmingham deserve. As readers of my last article will

know I committed to support the “Vale Challenge” last month and take part in the 5km run, and just to make sure that I actually did it my grandson Jamie volunteered to run with me!It was a sunny afternoon down on Farnborough Fields and over forty people of all ages and abilities took part in an event to raise mon-ey, but more importantly to inspire people to believe that regardless of their current physical capabili-ties they can become more physi-cally active and reap the health and emotional benefits that often go with being physical active. It was great to see runners talk-ing and supporting each other as they went round, and in the spirit of friendship and fun which was reflective of the whole afternoon Jamie and I finished the race to-gether.

Councils need a Living Wage

Councillor Mick BrownTyburn Ward Labour

Following the recent rejection of a school on the old Saab Site due to concerns over road safety, congestion and parking, a fresh applica-tion is imminent on the piece of adjacent land.There will probably be two options for access to the new homes; one from the slip road to Plantsbrook Nature Reserve which falls in the Newhall Ward or from the slip road to the front of Hansons Bridge Road.Although the proposals fall within Sutton Coldfield, I will be calling for the same road safety concerns to be taken into account by the Planning Committee.We must make sure that new resi-dents and their children are as safe as possible and that crossing facili-ties are put in place.The site is derelict and in my opin-ion, housing will be an asset to the value of surrounding properties.

As Chair of Plantsbrook Nature Re-serve, my preferred option would be to have the slip road to the front of our wonderful wild reserve bringing a much needed improve-ment to the road and hopefully some money to fund urgent work to support our volunteers and the Environmental Trust.If you have any thoughts on this matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me at any time:Lynda.clinton@birmingham.gov.ukTel: 07727 923 071Or call the Council House on 0121 303 2039 and leave a message for me to call you.

Plans for homes next to ex Saab

Garage site

COFFEE WITH A COPPERMeet the Tyburn Neighbourhood Police Team and enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee and an informal chat at Erdington Hall Children’s Cen-tre, Ryland Rd B24 8JJ from1pm-3pm on Monday 29th September.

Sergeant Neil Powers and his team will be pleased to talk to you about any local concerns

Councillor Lynda ClintonTyburn Ward LabourTyburn ward is currently

made up of four clearly separate communities. Erdington Hall, which is also partly in the current Stockland Green Ward, Castle Vale which is a very clear community, Pype Hayes and Birches Green, which have some shared connections and a shared shopping centre on Tyburn Road.Due to an independent commis-sioner ruling that the current Labour administration is dysfunc-tional Birmingham City Council is currently undergoing boundary changes and as part of this the

Council no longer has to have wards of electorate around 18,000 people. This means that Castle Vale is now big enough to have its own dedicated ward and City Councillor and the same applies to the Pype Hayes and Birches Green community. These would be single member wards, as opposed to the current 3 member Tyburn Ward.This would give Castle Vale and Pype Hayes/Birches Green a Coun-cillor who was dedicated to the lo-cal area in a way the current three Labour Councillors are not. It would allow for the proper raising of local issues and concerns with the City Council, thereby giving residents of each community like Castle Vale a better voice within Birmingham.

This would make a huge difference to the current situation where Ty-burn ward stretches from Castle Vale as far as Erdington Hall by Spaghetti Junction.Other areas get their own City Councillor. It is unfair on the resi-dents of areas like Castle Vale have not got that while places like Perry Barr have had a dedicated Councillor.The Boundary Commission are giving local communities a real chance to have a say in their dem-ocratic future by getting a ward that actually represents their com-munity in future.Back our campaign for Castle Vale Pype Hayes to get their own voices by going to http://www.erdington-conservatives.org.uk/news/castle-vale-ward and filling the online petition.If we can help you please con-tact myself and Robert Alden on 07505745808, emailing CWELCH2@sky.com, or writing to 96 Orchard Road, Erdington, B24 9JD

One councillor per community

by Clifton WelchConservative campaigner

Over the summer pop-ular local campaigner

Clifton Welch and I have been helping residents fight a plan by McDon-alds on Chester Road, just up from the Tyburn House, to be open 24

hours a day. A planning application had been submitted to the Council and so Clifton and I collected a petition and wrote objecting to the appli-cation. Residents made it clear that being in a residential area 24 hour use would have been totally unaccep-table causing noise and ASB dis-turbance to local residents.

Thankfully once the scale of local opposition had become clear the

application was withdrawn by Mc-Donalds.

If we can help you with anything else or other planning issues please contact myself and lo-cal campaigner Clifton Welch by calling 07505745808, emailing CWELCH2@sky.com, or writing to 96 Orchard Road, Erdington, B24 9JD

Chester Rd 24-hour McDonalds stopped

by Robert AldenConservative campaigner and

Erdington Councillor

23

Tyburn Mail has FIVE pairs of tickets to give away to the National Pet Show at the NEC. Want a pair?Call us on 0121 749 1343 or email: meverill@tyburnmail.com to be entered into the free draw

You glance in the mirror and you can see every de-tail of the face of the driver behind you. He’s so close, he’s almost in your back seat.TAILGATING. It’s the number one an-noyance for West Mid-lands drivers, according to details published by the Co-op insurance company.Perhaps the Co-op researchers haven’t travelled around the Birming-ham area in the past 18 months. If they had, they would realise that there is one annoyance missing from the list: Being stuck in a traffic jam.Birmingham has made an art form of creating roadworks that clog up traffic on major routes. The disruption on the Chester Road is now 15 months old.

It started in June 2014, and has dis-rupted local traffic and residents ever since.Spitfire Island is the largest compo-nent of the works, with a scheduled completion date of December 2015, says the latest monthly newsletter from the City Council and Dawnus.The Tyburn Island should be complet-ed in October. Traffic lights for the Bagot Island are also due by October.

Top Ten motoring annoyances 2015Rank Annoyance % of

drivers affected

1 tailgating 662 not indicating 613 cutting up other drivers 594 using mobile phones 555 pulling out into traffic and making

others brake as a result50

6 driving too slowly 457 using roundabout incorrectly 458 not giving way 449 late braking 4310 running red lights 40

Tailgating gets up drivers’ backsides..but there’s one thing missing from this list..

Summer wasn’t very hot or long in Tyburn. But the harvest ripened well. Lines of wheat along Manby Road and Kingsbury Road flourished and faded. Could they have been put to use, and harvested?

WHEAT A WASTE

24

Next Issue of Tyburn Mail: 21st October 2015Tyburn Mail is online and updated daily at: tyburnmail.com

The back page

A local entertainer, busker and magician is sponsoring a young football team this season. Mad Dominic is well known to hundreds of youngsters in the area for his crazy kids’ party performances. Now the former busker is sponsoring the Castle Vale Stars Under 11 team. Dominic has helped buy an away kit for the youngsters.The young team are managed by Colin Stokes and coached by Will Criddle also have a sponsor for their home kit:: CD Heating. Photo: Laura Stokes

Thanks, Mad Dom for the magic kit The average salary of Aston

Villa’s Premier League players is £1,810,385 per year. That works out at £34,815 per week. Villa are 80th in the league of top paying sports teams.

Manchester City are the country’s top payers of players. Their aver-age salary is £5,015,122 per year. That’s £96,445 per week. Manchester City have, for the past two seasons, been Number One in that league table, but they have been overtaken by Paris Saint Ger-main and their oil-rich owners from Qatar. City, by the way, are owned by oil-rich Sheikh Mansoor. Chel-sea, who are 8th on the world list, are owned by oil-rich Russian Ro-man Abramovich. There’s a pattern here, isn’t there.And Arsenal, 10th on the world list, are co-owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.Just two of the world’s top ten are NOT football. They are Ameri-can basketball teams, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.Both pay their players over £4mil-lion per year. Three other teams in the top ten are Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United. They market themselves brilliantly all round the world. Travel to any country in the world and you are likely to see lo-cals wearing a football shirt of one of those teams.They are not newly rich, like Chel-sea or PSG. They have built up their massive global reputation over years, with success on the field and masterful strategic marketing off the field.Sport is big business.The best players in the world are paid Hollywood superstar salaries. Even ordinary players in the Pre-mier League are made millionaires for a season’s work.Earlier this year, Fabian Delph was paraded in front of fans at Villa Park because he had signed a new four-year contract. In media interviews after the game, he pledged loyalty to Villa.With Manchester City, he will earn over £3million more per season than he would with Aston Villa.Can you blame him for leaving?

IN A RICH WORLD WHERE MONEY TALKS, VILLA CAN ONLY WHISPER

Danny Carter scores for Paget in their 3-2 defeat by Studley in the FA VasePhoto: courtesy of Paget Rangers FC

Paget Rangers moved up to mid table in divi-sion two of the Midland League after a 4-1 vic-tory over Feckenham last weekend. The win was consolation after being knocked out of the FA Vase by Studley in a narrow defeat the previous weekend.

Four goals for Paget

No football teams have signed up to play their fixtures at Castle Vale Stadium on Saturday af-ternoons for the coming season.The decline in local Saturday football will be of concern to CVCHA who took on the management of the stadium and the football pitch-es from Birmingham City Council.CVCHA signed the 25-year lease in January 2014. But there was an opt-out clause, allowing CVCHA to pull out of the deal after a two year period. No decision has been made, but the decline in local football must be giv-ing cause for concern as CVCHA’s budgets get tighter.The absence of Saturday teams means a significant amount of po-tential pitch-hire money is being missed. The Saturday football shrinkage is in sharp contrast to the Sunday schedule, where there is a queue of teams waiting to use the Farnbor-ough Road pitches.Four seasons ago, Castle Vale had two Saturday teams competing in the preliminary rounds of the world famous FA Cup.Castle Vale FC and Castle Vale JKS had both qualified for the nation’s top knock-out competition. Both were playing their football on alter-nate Saturdays at Vale Stadium, in the premier division of the Midland Combination before financial prob-lems caused them both to fold.

Saturday football looks bleak in Vale