PACT meeting - Wednesday 5th March 2008

Around 20 local residents and owners of business from Moorland Road attended the recent Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meeting on the 5th March 2008.

These residents and local business leaders spoke about their concerns and issues in Oldfield Park.

The panel members of your local councillors, the local Police team, a representative of Somer Community Housing and an officer from the Council listen to the comments and suggestions for the priorities that should be taken up.

Cllr Shaun McGall had also emailed all Cllr Sandry's and his local residents contacts to ask them for them priorities. Over 20 residents used this opportunity to voice their priorities, which were added to those who were able to attend.

The resulting priorities were:

1) Tackling general misuse of the Shaftesbury Road Memorial Gardens;

2) Reviewing parking and driveways on the Moorfields Estate; and

3) Providing facilities, such as youth clubs for children and teenagers in the area.

The previous public priorities were:

1) Levels of car crime - criminal damage to vehicles in Monksdale Road;

2) Litter - increase road sweeping;

3) Speeding in Third Avenue, Monksdale Road and Hillside Road.

All the partners are now working on how these issues can be tackled and resolved.

Currently no date has been set for the next meeting but it will take place again at 7:00 p.m. at St Alphages Church, Oldfield LaneOldfield Park, Bath.

All members of the public are welcome to attend the next meeting.

PACT meeting - Wednesday 5th March 2008

Partners and Communities Together (PACT) gives you a chance to meet the team and influence priorities in your neighbourhood.

Register your prioritiesCurrent public priorities were established on 17th December 2007.

1. Levels of car crime - criminal damage to vehicles in Monksdale Road.

2. Litter - increase road sweeping.

3. Speeding in Third Avenue, Monksdale Road and Hillside Road.

Next public meeting5th March 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at St Alphages Church, Oldfield Lane, Oldfield Park, Bath.

All members of the public are welcome to attend...

PACT meeting - 5th March 2008

Partners and Communities Together (PACT) gives you a chance to meet the team and influence priorities in your neighbourhood. Register your priorities

Current public priorities were established on 17th December 2007

1. Levels of car crime - criminal damage to vehicles in Monksdale Road.

2. Litter - increase road sweeping.

3. Speeding in Third Avenue, Monksdale Road and Hillside Road.

View previous priorities

Next public meeting

5th March 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at St Alphages Church, Oldfield Lane, Oldfield Park, Bath.

All members of the public are welcome to attend...

Local Policing update - 21st May 2007

The local police Chief Superintendent , Olivia Pinkney, now writes to local Councillors monthly updating us on issues locally. Cllr Sandry and Cllr McGall will now publish a summary of her letter on our blog. For updates on Oldfield Ward issues click here.

Update - 21st May 2007

End of your year crime and disorder statistics which give the context of our local position:-

B&NES Recorded Crime - Apr-Mar 2007
(Type of crime - No. of crimes - % Change on previous year - +/- No.of victims)

Theft of M/V: 587, -1%, - 4.
Theft from M/V: 1234, +13%, + 143.
Robbery: 103, - 10%, - 11.
Violent Crime: 3254, +3%, + 108.
Burglary Dwelling: 561, +32%, + 136.
BCS Comparitor: 9147, +7%, + 586.

All 41 Police Community Support Officers for the B&NES area have been appointed.

The first PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meetings have taken place and priorities agreed. (The one for Oldfield Park is yet to be organised). Local Councillors are crucial to helping shape the success of this new process with the initial PACT meetings being very well attended with meaningful decisions reached.

Over the last few months there has been considerable investment from the Constabulary-wide Operation Atrium team. Nine key individuals from Bath have been charged with supplying class A controlled drugs. Whilst this is good news for our city, it is also good to know that crack cocaine was not readily available in Bath. With our partners, I am determined to work to keep the situation that way.

The City Centre has seen two very violent assaults in recent weeks – with unusual levels of violence for our area. Offenders have been brought to justice for both.

The Strategic Assessment for all Community Safety issues is published via the Community Safety and Drugs Partnership. It can be accessed via the CSDP website and details current and emerging threats for our local area. This Assessment is used to prioritise resources and activity across the entire Community Safety agenda.

Kind regards,

Olivia Pinkney
Chief Superintendent

Students and the local community - Public Meeting

The next public meeting to discuss issues surrounding the growing number of privately rented houses in the city is due to be held on Wednesday 28th March 2007 at 7.00 p.m. at St Luke's Church Hall on Wellsway.

Cllr Shaun McGall who is Chair of the Council’s Student Liaison Committee said, “The Council is committed to working with local residents, the universities and their students’ unions to improve ‘Town and Gown’ relations and these public meetings are one small part of the activities we are funding to try and improve the situation.”

Local residents are encouraged to come along to the meeting to ask questions, make statements or just listen to the debate. More information can be found at: www.townandgown.org.uk

Sign-up and get Bikesafe

Have you been riding a motorcycle for some time? Or maybe you have just returned to motorcycling? Do you have a full licence and a roadworthy motorbike or moped? Would you like to take the opportunity to change your riding forever?

Bath & North East Somerset Council and Avon & Somerset Police are inviting motorcyclists to attend an event where they can pick up some useful riding tips, as well as take part in a practical riding assessment.

The Bikesafe event will take place on Sunday, 25 March at The Somer Centre, Gullock Tyning, Midsomer Norton. The course runs on a booking basis only, and places are filling up fast. For a booking form and more information, please call Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41. The closing date for applications is Monday, 12 March. A £10 deposit is also required to secure a booking.

Bath & North East Somerset Council would also like to hear from employers who have staff who ride motorbikes and who may be interested in working with the Bikesafe team to consider their staff’s training requirements. For more information, please contact Fiona Capener on 01225 395357, or email mailto:Fiona_capanere@bathnes.gov.uk, or Lorry Davies on 01225 394559, or email lorry_davies@bathnes.gov.uk

Landlords recruited in burglary crackdown

Police in Bath are recruiting the help of over 500 landlords to drive home anti-burglary messages to student tenants in 1,500 of the city's accredited properties.

Last week crime reduction officer PC Chas Cannon launched a new campaign designed to get landlords to educate student tenants about the importance of marking their property and securing their homes. Full details of the accreditation schem can be found in the Student Housing Handbook.

The campaign is the latest addition to the Bath & North East Somerset Council-run Property Accreditation Scheme, which ensures all registered properties meet required standards and are awarded one, two or three stars following inspection.

Cllr Shaun McGall, Chair of the Council's Student Liaison Committee, believes that the Property Accreditation Scheme which aims to ensure that rented accommodation meets a number of standards in order to provide suitable living conditions is crucially important to students and young professional alike. The introduction of the property-marking packs is a welcome addition to the scheme, as they will help to raise awareness of the simple steps that can be taken to increase security measures in the home.

Over 1,500 packs will be provided to landlords registered on the scheme, who will be encouraged to present them to new students, emphasising the importance of marking their property. Each landlord will be given a pack containing an ultra-violet marker pen, window stickers, poster, hologram labels and instructions to help prevent student homes becoming a target for burglars.

It is vital that landlords positively engage with their student tentants to encourage them to mark their property like laptops, MP3 players, stereos, cameras, bikes, etc, with their postcodes, and take responsibility for their possessions.

It is a simple, fail-safe way of identifying lost or stolen property and returning it to its owner. Crucially, it also provides the police with the vital evidence we need to prove that it is stolen and convict people who could otherwise get away with it and re-offend.

To check whether your privately rented property is accredited by the Council, please contact Linda Stickings at the Council on 01225 396287 or email her on linda_stickings@bathnes.gov.uk

PCSO funding cuts!?!

Avon and Somerset Police is to lose a third of its Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) according to the Home Office. The number of PCSOs across the Constabulary is to be reduced from 541 to 346.

We are appalled to hear that the funding for a third of the PCSOs has been withdrawn by the Labour government. We have always supported the PCSO scheme as a way of helping the Police engage with the local community.

PCSOs have been at work in Bath for a few months now and the benefits are already being felt. I am afraid that this decision will put our PCSOs at risk in the future. By taking this decision the Labour government is putting pressure on local authorities to come up with extra money to continue the scheme – Labour have gone back on their promises again.

Public Meetings: "Students and the local Community"

The Student Liasion Committee which Cllr Shaun McGall chairs, is holding a series of public meetings in order to give local residents in the City of Bath the opportunity to raise issues concerning students and the local community.

Meeting dates for 2006/07:-

All meetings are scheduled to start at 7.15 p.m. and will end at 9.00 p.m.

Date: 27th November 2006 Venue: Hayesfield Lower School (School Hall), Brougham Hayes
Date: 24th Janaury 2007 Venue: Ascension Church (Chruch Hall), Claude Avenue
Date: 28th March 2007 Venue: St Lukes Church (Lower Hall), Hatfield Road
Date: 30th May 2007 Venue: Green Park Brasserie (Bath Society Meeting Room), Green Park

Please come along and put your questions to the panel comprising local Councillors, represenatives of the two Universities and their Students' Unions, the Police and relevant Council Officers.

There will also be a presentation on the work of the Student Liaison Committee.

If you are unable to attend any of the meetings, but would like to raise an issue or ask a question, please write to Wali Rahman;

Community Liaison Co-ordiantor,
B&NES Council Student Liaison Committee,
c/o University of Bath Students' Union,
Claverton Down, Bath. BA2 7AY