Fashion

with
Taylor
NATIONAL PET
SHOW NEC P23

September 2015 Issue 45

DELIVERED FREE MONTHLY TO ALL HOMES IN TYBURN

updated daily online at: tyburnmail.com

Trees axed for videos

PAGE 19

Page 6

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, Greenwoods
Head Girl still found time in her GCSE
year to take the lead role in the schools
drama production of Grease. Jamie is
now off to Sutton Girls Grammar School
to study for A-levels.

NAT WEDDING
SHOW NEC P15

GEORGES
MARVELLOUS
MEDICINE
SPELLS FOUR
YEARS OF PAIN
Rent cuts promise
will hit whole estate,
warns housing boss

A generous 1% cut in rents

promised by Chancellor
George Osborne in his autumn 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 its going to hit housing associations hard.
In Castle Vale, the housing association
provides services for the whole estate,
including tenants AND homeowners.
And its not just for this year. Chancellor
Osbornes 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 everyone. The cut will mean that housing associations 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.

Page 9

TOUGH CHOICES
1

JACK OF HEARTS

Jacks the laJJ

Top comic brings cheer on

Greenwood results day

Jack
Whitehall,
star
of comedy sitcom Bad
Education, handed out
this years GCSE results
envelopes to pupils at
Greenwood Academy.
Jacks celebrity status, youthful good looks and friendly charm
made him a hit with the pupils.
There were smiles for the successful, tears from the disappointed,
and comforting support for all.
It was another media success for
Greenwood, as BBC broadcast interviews with pupils and teachers,
and live music from the schools
band Hex, to a breakfast-time audience 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.

Presenter Jayne McCubbin

High-flying pupils at Greenwood Academy 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 Catering upped their
percentage top
grades by 14%.
It wasnt all rosy.
Maths had a
disappointing year,
with 46%A*-C
pass rate. This will
bring the schools 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 Academy 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 schools 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.

Xerxes Petalcurin and Michaela Moclair

FASTEST EVER
HOUSE SALE?

College buys Spitfire House for 1...

sells it for 1.5 million, in superfast time

A free school for difficult teenagers was

planned
for
Pype
Hayes earlier this year.
Local residents objected at a packed public
meeting and launched
a campaign over several 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.
Vales centre-piece community 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
governments Education Funding Agency.
BMET made a profit of 1.5 million on a building they had been
given nine years previously for
just 1, on the promise that
they would keep to certain conditions, 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 advertising 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 assurances 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 Vales organisations 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, particularly those who live close to
the campus, will have reason to
feel that the lack of public consultation was wrong.
EBN, BMET and the government
offices will argue that no planning 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 building 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 projects.
A few days after the Spitfire
House sale, the cash-strapped
BMET opened a 4 million building in Erdington for their students. They have named part
of it The Jack Dromey Suite, in
honour of Erdingtons 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 Erdington, Sutton or city centre site.

BMETs decision a few years ago

to make Spitfire House a specialist centre for cleaning studies
was ill judged and patronising.
Manpowers occupation of the
site for Jaguar was recently successful. But it was short term,
and as many Jaguar workers
found to their cost earlier this
year, short term contracts make
for insecure futures.
BMETs decision to cut and run
last month was, for them, a
good and sensible business option.
But the treatment of the Castle
Vale community by BMET, EBN
and by government organisations, has left a sour taste.
In the rush to open a free
school, the major casualty has
been free speech.

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

COMMENT
Spitifre House has
been Castle Vales
biggest failure.

It has never been fully used.

It was meant to be a college for Castle Vale. Its report 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 relegated Spitifre House to the
bottom league of BMETs
huge empire.
Castle Vale has good housing and health centres,
popular and forward thinking schools, decent sports
facilities and an environment that is the envy of inner cities.
But it has no college.
The free school at Spitfire
House is an honourable and
worthy attempt to provide
good education for teenagers 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 question 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 money 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.

LETTERS
comments
n

Testing toddlers

Parents must speak out

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you and

your readers about the governments plans to test children as soon as they enter
reception class when they
start school in September.
This testing is called baseline assessment.
Teachers have always assessed children.
However, at this stage it is
currently done informally.
This new system has been criticised 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 especially disadvantage children

who have additional needs, are
born later in the school year or
who speak English as a second
language.

Teachers believe this assessment will put more pressure on

children causing them unnecessary 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 assessment does not, and is not designed 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 altogether.
If, as a parent, grandparent
or carer you are concerned
about baseline testing I
would encourage you to
speak to your childs Head
Teacher and write to the
schools Chair of Governors
asking them to opt out of
this system or think again
about this controversial
and damaging measure.
Yours sincerely
Jo Allen
Parent and teacher
Erdington B24

son) has its associations

with Lloyds insurers and
underwriters.

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 MPs and councillors doing about this
illegal school?
(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.

A 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 excellence of an item, or per-

Who if anybody is doing anything

about this farce?
It just seems to rumble on with its
own momentum? Its been a sneaky
back door trick by another Government Department so they dont 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)

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)

KAYS HISTORY

The Meaning of A1

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

Surely with all the CCTV set up

around the Vale, there must be an image of the suspect somewhere..maybe ? (Anon)

Lloyds insurance corporation was founded by Edward Lloyd ( 1688-1726)

in London.
During the insurance assessment, 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 category 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 Lloyds register
for 1775- 1776.
Source: Lloyds register of
shipping, 1760- 1960.
Personal collection
left: Cross section of a ships hull

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 ! Its not that hard is it. Who
wouldnt get in a car like that and be tempted to check out the speed
!!! (facebook- Donna Barron)
Wannabe boy racers, and 20 mph thats another joke, Im glad to get
some motorway driving in, driving on the estate bloody hell you can
walk faster. (facebook Kevin Woolley)
Why dont you check the cctv. Its like Colditz on there theres that
many cameras (facebook David OToole
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 carrying 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 passenger 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 shouldnt be
allowed to smoke when driving full stop.
(Anon)

Fashion fashion Fashion Fashion FASHION Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion Fashion

Trendy Mum
Size doesnt matter for
Midlands Youtubing
fashion sensation

Hospice offers legal

help for local families

Birminghams
John
Taylor Hospice has
teamed up with solicitors to offer discounted
will-writing
services
throughout the month
of September.

Taylor Sheldon
Tyburn Mails
award winning

fashion journalist
YouTubers are at it
again, changing the
world for the better, as
Louise Pentland (a.k.a.
SprinkleOfGlitter)
recently 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 Louises personal style, as she is very
known for her love of bright colours 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 theres something
for every occasion.
The sizes start from a 12 up to
32, with prices ranging from 16
- 60.

CUTPRICE
WILLS

Louise Pentland, founder of

Sprinkle of Glitter, and part of SimplyBe
But, Louise has done a lot more
than just help add another piece
of clothing to buyers wardrobes,
but also threw in heaps of confidence and excitement along the
way.
Young girls all over the country
are expressing their new found
body confidence in Louises 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 dont stock the plus sizes.

Buyers cant help but smile while
flaunting their new dresses, as
some say that theyve 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 thats not a role model using her
fame for good, then I dont know
what it is.

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 Williams, 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 communities.
For more information visit
www.johntaylorhospice.org.
uk or call Kerry on 0121 465
2000.

Got unwanted furniture

and electrical items?
Well collect them for

FREE!
We particularly need:

Lounge furniture and suites

Tables Beds Bedroom furniture

Kingsbury School boss Mark

Rhatigan says he is pleased
with the GCSE results this year.

TVs, DVDs, stereos

Fridges
Small electrical appliances

He was appointed as headteacher at the end

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:
193/197 High Street,
Erdington,
Birmingham B23 6SY
Tel: 0121 386 5055

Kingsbury
boss pleased
with GCSEs

Unit 12 Kings Square,

Sandwell Centre,
West Bromwich B70 7NW
Tel: 0121 553 3242

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

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.

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 improved discipline probably
didnt have enough time this
year to take effect for the
Year 11 pupils.
The percentage of pupils
with five or more A*-C including 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 years
figure, but there are plenty
of signs of progress in the
exam results.
A statement from the school
says: The school is particularly pleased that the percentage 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 subjects, exceeding 2014 national 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)

Above, one of Kingsbury Schools 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

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

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 Richmond
Chief Executive CVCHA

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 people as possible to let us know
which of the services we provide 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 Sanctuary on Wednesday 30th September 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: https://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 Reception at the High Street and The
Sanctuary

Best of British
Asian
music
The best of British Asian music

will be celebrated at the Barclay 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 appearances from A-list artists.

Five more
years, please

Developers 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 developed 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 development, 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 developments.

Driver offensive
to hospital staff

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

PHOTOGRAPH

Why Sheerans fans

snapped up his single
Brookly
Taylor

Tyburn Mails
music journalist

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-

the behaviour of Remmie Hepburn, 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 testing, he behaved offensively to police and to hospital staff.
Magistrates last week jailed him
for 23 weeks at Birmingham Magistrates Court
Hepburn also had his licence endorsed with ten penalty points,

bum; releasing X in June 2014.

Swiftly, his song Photograph became a massive hit.
From being played at weddings to
repeatedly on the radio,
Photograph is still number 21 in

...We see baby Ed slowly

developing into the talented musician he is today. giving the audience
a glimpse into his private
life, whilst showing how
his talent comes naturally.
..

the ITunes charts, higher than the

new dance song Intoxicated by
Martin Solveig.
Photograph is one of five songs released as a single from X, and also
reached the top five in five different countries.
Sheeran won the hearts of people
universally with the video montage 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 today. 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 different genres.
He isnt for everybody; some
would say his music is too slow
for them, but infact it is quite relaxing if you listen to the ins and
outs of the albums.
He has beautiful messages behind all of his songs, and Photograph is one to remember.
Thank you for reading!

One-man Rat
Pack show

The Rotary Club of Wylde

Green will be hosting a
Late Summer Fundraiser
at Curdworth Village Hall
from 1pm-4.30pm on Sunday 20th September.
Chris King the One Man Rat Pack
Show - will be providing the entertainment.
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 available by phoning 0121 378 1099.

Police
Powers
Police
have

promised an
increased
patrol in the
Castle
Vale
area following burglaries
on the estate
in August.
Two of the burglaries occurred
in the Park Temp Sgnt Neil Powers
Lane area. Castle
Vales 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.

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 Birmingham 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.

We need to
pedal faster
on recycling

Birmingham has been

found to be the worst
local authority for reuse and recycling in the
West Midlands, according to figures from Birmingham Friends of the
Earth.

The City Council recycled less than

29% of household waste during 2013-2014, the latest year for
which figures are fully available.
This figure is marginally down on
the previous year, when 30% of
Birminghams waste was recycled.
Birminghams recycling rates appear 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 Council recycling rate was more than
double Birminghams.
Birmingham is also being outshone
by other city councils, with Leicester recycling 53% of household
waste, and Leeds, Newcastle and
Bristol recycling at least 40%.
Birminghams recycling rates are
expected to increase once the introduction of wheelie bins is complete.
The Waste Isnt Rubbish campaign
is calling on Birmingham City Council to implement a zero waste system for the city that makes best
use of the citys 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.

10

UNIVERSAL CREDIT

What does it mean for me?

Universal Credit is a single

monthly payment for people in or out of work, which
merges together some of
the benefits and tax credits
that you might be getting
now.

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 transition period.

Universal Credit will replace:

Income-based
Jobseekers 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

....This is no doubt going to cause

severe financial hardship for many
families and single persons.....
Centre in Erdington.
In light of this the Income Team here at
CVCHA are currently in the process of visiting 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

CVCHA Operational
Board says welcome
to a new member

Fern Watson has been welcomed to the CVCHA Operational 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 housing experience to the Board.
Fern has worked in the social
housing sector for a number of
years.

Simon Wilson, Housing and Customer 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

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 contactus@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

demonstrating the obvious passion she has for tenants and the
Castle Vale community.
I am sure she will serve the interests of the whole community
really well and hold CVCHA to account for our services.
In addition to Fern joining as a
new Operational Board member
CVCHA are pleased to announce
that Judith Izenstain was appointed as a tenant member.
Judith has been a Board Member
since 2009 and as a CVCHA tenant will continue to bring her experience and knowledge to help oversee the activity of CVCHA during a
final three-year term.

11

NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

Young Leaders
Programme

The week commencing 17 August 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 CVCHAs 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 leadership roles in the local community.
The project was delivered over 5
days and 8 young people completed the course which covered
leadership styles, roles and responsibilities of a volunteer, introduction 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 various 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 worlds tallest 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 process to become registered volunteers at
the centre.
Aaron Moroney and
Jason Stanley are
also in the process
of applying for core
cities funding to deliver a weekly sports
session in Centre
Park for local young
people.
The course has
been brilliant, we

have learned so much and I cant

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 Aaron
The groups next project is the redecoration of the chill out room
within the centre and they are currently confirming dates of when
the work will take place.
Due to the success of the project
there is a future course being organised for October half term as
the interest from the young leaders peers has been massive.

Social Value
Activity Grants

We received a number of
applications for our activity grants which are to help
residents from Castle Vale
either set up new projects
or get involved in new activities.
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 example below:

Hi Becki
I 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 photography; 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 enabled me to purchase a SLR camera to further my interest to learn
more about all aspects of photography 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 services for the local community.
Dave Price

Due to limited funding we are unable 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.

12

NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

COMMUNITY WARDEN
SPORTS 2015

The Community Wardens

delivered their annual summer sports project working
in partnership with CVCRS
Youth team, bringing Castle
Vales young people together.
During the six weeks holidays there

were a number of Sport sessions being 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 attending 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 summers
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 Community Wardens upcoming projects
and initiatives. Wardens will be promoting 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.

Your garden is
bloomin marvellous
On a sunny Friday in July 3 keen eyed
judges from CVCHA visited various gardens across the estate admiring the
beautiful displays residents had created
for the summer round of this years infamous 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 Close
Silver award went to Mr Hughes of Watton Green
Gold award went to Mr Wainwright of Sheridan Walk
The best pots & baskets category:
Silver award went to Mrs Fletcher of Northolt Drive
Gold award went to Mrs McNaught of Turnhouse
Road
The best communal garden category:
Silver award went to Ms Simner of Clayton Walk
Gold 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!

13

KNOWLEDGE
IS POWER
Sanctuary Summer Activities 2015

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 Sanctuary 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 explored 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 involved 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 adventure week promoted positive
team work, such as a scavenger hunt that was across the
whole estate, enabling the

young people to work together 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 cultures.
These sessions included a
cultural arts session where
young people researched
icons through time and created 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 Community Wardens and computer
based fun @ Database.
There were also more targeted 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.

SIMPLE AND FUN DANCE WORKOUTS WITH

GLOW STICKS AND DISCO LIGHTS TO CLUB
ANTHEMS FROM THE 90S TO TODAYS 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

14

Tyburn Mail has FIVE pairs of tickets for

the National Wedding Show at the NEC

2nd-4th October 2015. Fancy a pair?

Call us on 0121 749 1343 or email:
meverill@tyburnmail.com to be entered into the free draw

How should
Birmingham
be split up?

Have your say on ward boundaries

There is still time for
local people to tell the
independent Local Government
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 Commission, said: We are asking local
people and organisations to help
us draw up a new pattern of council 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 reflects 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 recommendations for a new pattern
of wards which are due to be published in December. Local residents
and organisations will then get another chance to have their say in a
further round of consultation.
This phase of consultation
closes on 28 September 2015.
Further information about the review and interactive maps of existing wards can be found at www.
consultation.lgbce.org.uk or www.
lgbce.org.uk.

Wish your child

would lose weight?
Heres
the
answer
Provide more sites for gypsies,
government warns councils

The government
has
published
new guidelines
for gypsies and
travellers sites.
Between 2000 and 2009
there was a four-fold increase in the numbers
of caravans on unauthorised sites creating
tensions between travellers and the settled
populations.
The new guidelines insist that councils provide
more sites for travellers.

They must identify and

update annually, a supply of specific locations
sufficient to provide 5
years worth of sites.
The new guidelines outline restrictions on travellers setting up sites on
green belt land.
The travellers site in
Tameside Drive adjacent to Castle Vale became the subject of a
long-running legal battle
because the travelling
family settled there and
ceased to be regarded

as travellers.
When the Council applied to evict them after
almost 20 years of site
occupation, the travellers 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 travellers 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 settled on Minworth Green.
A group of Irish travellers 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 previously settled for a short
time in Sutton Park.

Ninety percent of Birmingham children who

completed a free healthy
eating course last year
either lost weight or
stopped gaining weight.
Thats the claim of the programme
manager for two courses designed
to help parents change their chidlrens lifestyles.
The First Steps and Next Steps
programmes are free sessions designed to help parents and carers
who may be worried about their
childs 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
childs 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 percentile.
Enquiries and referrals are welcomed from any health professional or family member on 0121
446 1021.

15

16

17

New base
for choir

The Castle Vale Community 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 welcome, says organiser Bob Brueton.
We are a fun loving group who enjoy singing a wide range of songs
from Beatles to Bach, Rolling Stones
to Richard and Hammerstein!! You
dont have to be a good singer - enthusiasm 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.

From Campion
to campus for
top students

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 several 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 Geography at Liverpool John Moores.
Eesa Najib attained an A in Chemistry, C in Maths and C in History and
will read Chemistry at the University of Leicester.
The school achieved a 98% pass
rate for its post 16 students this
year.

Two teachers for every

class to boost Topcliffe
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 childrens learning
even further
All 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.
Ians plan is to have a Transforming Tuesday, when extra training
for staff can be given without disrupting the childrens 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 extra 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 childrens 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-

Topcliffe Schools mainstream classroom teachers and management team on their pre-term training day
gress in the seven years since he
first arrived.
The move to replace teaching assistants 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 settlement. There have been problems
with unions, but Ian is hopeful
that this will all be settled by January.
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 teachers. For example, they do not have
to have a maths and English qualification. 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 Topcliffes classrooms.
It is a big step for a school that

is at the forefront of progressive

thinking.
Topcliffe has a national reputation 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 branching out into the world of outdoor
learning. Its new purpose-built
outdoor learning centre could see
Topcliffe becoming a main provider for outdoor learning for schools
across the city.

Advertise in
Tyburn Mail
Call Frank Kennedy

07770 895413

100mm x 50mm, 100

x 100, quarter, half or
full page ads.
We will design if you
request.

Great to be back at school: Topcliffe Year 1 pupils:

Leo Belle, Bethanie Hall, Ronnie Tickner Vickers, Georgia Doyle and William Baird

18

Smoking
ban for
vehicles
carrying
under 18s

Jag chops trees down so

we can all see their videos
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.

Smoking will soon be illegal in a vehicle carrying anyone under 18.

The new law comes into force on

1st October and means that private 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
circumstances
The rules dont apply to e-cigarettes.
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 isnt 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 dont apply when they are being used as living accommodation.
The rules dont apply to:
boats, ships and aircraft, as they
have their own rules
work vehicles and public transport,
as they are already covered by
smokefree legislation.

Birmingham Councils 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 roadworks. 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 application that was agreed by the City
Cabinet.
Trees are protected by planning
law, and special permission is
needed before they can be destroyed.
The destruction of the mature
trees will anger and disappoint
environmentalists, who were reassured by the Councils promise to
replace tees on a two to one basis.

all never see

I think that I sh as a tree.
vely
A billboard lo
rds fall,
ss the billboa
Perhaps, unle
a tree at all.
Ill never see
Ogden Nash

1902-71

Money for
rubbish

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 Business 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 money 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.

19

ADVERTISEMENT

Castle Pool
Users Group

Birminghams 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.

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

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.

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

20

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

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Interested please contact Amanda or Lizzy on 0121 647 1086/1085 or
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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

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This is a modern apprenticeship and candidates
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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 people
call Frank Kennedy on 07770 895413
21

LOCAL
DEMOCRACY
PAGE
Your councillors, campaigners and candidates
No man is good enough to govern another man without that others consent. (Abraham Lincoln)

One councillor
per community
by Clifton Welch

Conservative campaigner

Tyburn 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 commissioner ruling that the current
Labour administration is dysfunctional 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 Councillor who was dedicated to the local 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 Tyburn 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 residents 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 democratic future by getting a ward
that actually represents their community in future.
Back our campaign for Castle Vale
Pype Hayes to get their own voices
by going to http://www.erdingtonconservatives.org.uk/news/castlevale-ward and filling the online
petition.
If we can help you please contact myself and Robert Alden
on
07505745808,
emailing
CWELCH2@sky.com, or writing to
96 Orchard Road, Erdington, B24
9JD

COFFEE WITH A COPPER

Meet the Tyburn Neighbourhood Police Team and enjoy a free cup of
tea or coffee and an informal chat at Erdington Hall Childrens Centre, 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

Councils need a
Living Wage
Councillor Mick Brown
Tyburn Ward Labour

George Osbornes budget proposals to increase the minimum wage over the next five
years to ensure a national living wage and to introduce a 4
year 1 % per annum rent cut
for council properties have
received many positive comments in recent weeks.
Yet it is vital that the implications
of these proposals are fully considered by the government as
part of the wider debate on council funding. For example a recent

report seen by Inside Housing

shows that councils such as Birmingham could lose in total over
2 billion over four years as a
result of this rent cap after taking on control of rental income in
2012. Southwark Councils 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 building 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 local government workforce earns

Chester Rd 24-hour
McDonalds stopped
by Robert Alden

Conservative campaigner and

Erdington Councillor

Over the summer popular local campaigner

Clifton Welch and I have

been helping residents
fight a plan by McDonalds on Chester Road,
just up from the Tyburn
House, to be open 24

Plans for homes

next to ex Saab
Garage site
Councillor Lynda Clinton
Tyburn 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 application 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 residents and their children are as safe
as possible and that crossing facilities are put in place.
The site is derelict and in my opinion, housing will be an asset to the
value of surrounding properties.

As Chair of Plantsbrook Nature Reserve, my preferred option would

be to have the slip road to the
front of our wonderful wild reserve
bringing a much needed improvement 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.uk
Tel: 07727 923 071
Or call the Council House on 0121
303 2039 and leave a message for
me to call you.

already more than 7.20ph, introducing pay at the 2016 rate would
cost councils in total 6 billion
in 2016. While many councils support such proposals, the overall
cost of such changes need to be
taken into account when council
funding levels are set in the future.
Local authorities such as Birmingham have already made 20 billion 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 collections 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 money, but more importantly to inspire
people to believe that regardless
of their current physical capabilities they can become more physically active and reap the health
and emotional benefits that often
go with being physical active.
It was great to see runners talking 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 together.

hours a day.

application was withdrawn by McDonalds.

A planning application had been

submitted to the Council and so
Clifton and I collected a petition
and wrote objecting to the application.
Residents made it clear that being
in a residential area 24 hour use
would have been totally unacceptable causing noise and ASB disturbance to local residents.
Thankfully once the scale of local
opposition had become clear the

If we can help you with anything

else or other planning issues
please contact myself and local campaigner Clifton Welch by
calling 07505745808, emailing
CWELCH2@sky.com, or writing to
96 Orchard Road, Erdington, B24
9JD

22

Tailgating gets up
drivers
backsides
but theres one thing missing from this list..
..

You glance in the

mirror and you
can see every detail of the face of
the driver behind
you. Hes so close,
hes almost in
your back seat.
TAILGATING.

Its the number one annoyance for West Midlands drivers, according
to details published by the
Co-op insurance company.
Perhaps the Co-op researchers
havent travelled around the Birmingham 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 disrupted local traffic and residents ever
since.
Spitfire Island is the largest component 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 completed in October.
Traffic lights for the Bagot Island are
also due by October.

Top Ten motoring annoyances 2015

Rank

Annoyance

% of
drivers
affected

tailgating

66

not indicating

61

cutting up other drivers

59

using mobile phones

55

pulling out into traffic and making 50

others brake as a result

driving too slowly

45

using roundabout incorrectly

45

not giving way

44

late braking

43

10

running red lights

40

WHEAT A WASTE

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:

Summer wasnt 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?

meverill@tyburnmail.com

to be entered into
the free draw

23

The back page

Thanks, Mad Dom
for the magic kit

Saturday
football
looks bleak
in Vale

IN A RICH WORLD
WHERE MONEY
TALKS, VILLA CAN
ONLY WHISPER
The average salary of Aston
Villas 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.

No football teams have

signed up to play their
fixtures at Castle Vale
Stadium on Saturday afternoons 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 pitches 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 giving cause for concern as CVCHAs
budgets get tighter.
The absence of Saturday teams
means a significant amount of potential 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 Farnborough 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 nations
top knock-out competition. Both
were playing their football on alternate Saturdays at Vale Stadium, in
the premier division of the Midland
Combination before financial problems caused them both to fold.

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

Danny Carter scores for Paget in their

3-2 defeat by Studley in the FA Vase
Photo: courtesy of Paget Rangers FC

Four goals
for Paget

Paget Rangers moved

up to mid table in division two of the Midland
League after a 4-1 victory 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.

Next Issue of Tyburn Mail: 21st October 2015

Tyburn Mail is online and updated daily at: tyburnmail.com

Manchester City are the countrys

top payers of players. Their average salary is 5,015,122 per year.
Thats 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 Germain and their oil-rich owners from
Qatar. City, by the way, are owned
by oil-rich Sheikh Mansoor. Chelsea, who are 8th on the world list,
are owned by oil-rich Russian Roman Abramovich. Theres a pattern
here, isnt there.
And Arsenal, 10th on the world list,
are co-owned by Russian billionaire
Alisher Usmanov.
Just two of the worlds top ten
are NOT football. They are American basketball teams, Los Angeles
Dodgers and New York Yankees.
Both pay their players over 4million 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 locals wearing a football shirt of one
of those teams.
They are not newly rich, like Chelsea 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 Premier League are made millionaires
for a seasons work.
Earlier this year, Fabian Delph was
paraded in front of fans at Villa Park
because he had signed a new fouryear 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?

24