Report to Meadows Labour Party members, 8 Nov., 2011

Sent by e-mail: 08 November 2011 18:11 Nearly 3 weeks on and I still haven’t been to a council meeting of any kind! My first meeting will be the Area 8 Cttee., that reviews matters in Bridge ward as well as Dunkirk & Lenton. Main business was to be the allocation of Nottingham City Homes’ budget for improving aspect of the neighbourhood it manages. Nicola and I are to see NCH tomorrow with counter proposals reflecting some of the concerns picked up whilst canvassing. Something like 5,000 conversations between residents and Labour party supporters have resulted in some kind of outcome to be recorded– mostly about which political party people support, but perhaps a further 100 conversations have prompted some kind of call for action. So a major focus of the current work is making sure these are properly recorded and some progress made. A “ward walk” with local council and NCH officers visited a crime scene off Osier Road, paths and fence damaged by off-road driving on Oxbow Close, the site of an arson featured in the Sunday Mirror (Blair Court), overhanging trees making passageways in Hope Close very dark, and Saffron Gardens where a sign needs to be replaced. Other events attended include - a celebration of Meadows in Bloom where £800 of flowers was paid for by the Royal Horticultural Society and a celebrated at Eckington Terrace; and Anne Sills’ funeral – Anne was a long standing community activist and member of the Board of MPT and MOzES. The Meadows Partnership Trust board met last night. Generally strong news of progress reported, including on winning contracts to provide employment services (£480k for 3 years) and other community development work. MOzES has been hit by a very disappointing Gov’t decision to bring forward an anticipated cut-off for the scale of feed-in tariffs that were generating a lot of interest in installing domestic solar panels. Whilst Germany is investing 2,000 million Euros in a solar farm to be located in the deserts of Morocco, Britain is pulling the plug on possibly the only sector in the economy where jobs were growing (estimated at 25,000). The Govt’s claim to be the greenest ever is in tatters. Nottingham Energy Partnership presented good advice on energy saving and switching energy suppliers and their second briefing takes place on the 24th at the Embankment Club (7pm); all invited. I have met the tram team to discuss concerns raised about the tram and the construction. A separate meeting for MPT has been determined, as well as a meeting with the church. A request by one resident for wood from trees felled to be held locally is likely to be granted, subject to ability to use the wood, and to store it. Construction work now looks set to start in January.