Litter pick

This morning I joined with a few neighbours to do a local litter pick. We managed to tidy up Glencoe Road, Stafford Road, Stafford Street (where there was unfortunately some fly tipping that I am reporting to the Council to sort out) and Fitzwalter Road. This happens at 10am on the first Saturday of every month, and we then join the coffee morning at Victoria Methodist. It would be great to see more people next month! The major culprits it has to be said, are the cigarette smokers! Why can't they take their rubbish home?

Another major problem is dog mess. I have recently followed 2 unaccompanied dogs home and talked to the owners about the mess they make. If I see the same dogs out unaccompanied again I will be informing the authorities.

If you know of areas where there has been fly tipping please report it.

If the land belongs to the Council or if you do not know who owns the land, phone Environmental Services on telephone number (0114) 203 7410 or (0114) 203 7411. If the land is privately owned Environmental Services will contact the owner and take legal steps to get the rubbish removed, this can take longer to arrange than removal from Council owned land.

Some of the litter pickers are interested in the idea of forming a local group to improve our environment. If you are interested in this idea, please get in touch with me.

Who owns this triangle of wooded land?

The small triangle of land surrounded by Granville Road, Fitzwalter Road and Claywood Road has recently suffered from fly tipping. Some concerned residents have also noticed used syringes amongst the litter, police no parking signs and bags full of rubbish. I wrote to Nick Robinson, who looks after the Duke of Norfolk's estate, to ask if it would be possible for him to organise a clean up. He tells me the land was sold to the Council. So I wrote to Green Estates and they tell me that the land does still belong to the Duke of Norfolk's estate! Apparently Sheffield City Council are regularly sending him enforcement notices. I will write back to Mr Robinson again and see if he has changed his mind!

Well, the election's now all over, but it's going to be a very interesting year for Sheffield Green Party. The Council now consists of 41 Labour, 39 Lib Dems, 2 Greens, 1 Conservative and 1 Independent, so no one has overall control. Labour will need support from the small parties to be able to get things done. Jillian was on the Politics Show this lunchtime explaining that the Greens will work with anyone who is willing to adopt our policies! For the full results, see the Sheffield Green Party website.

In Manor Castle I was disappointed to see my share of the vote go down slightly, and the LibDems overtake me, pushing me back down to third place. This would not have been so bad if it had been done by positive campaigning, but (see previous article) much of their leaflet was very misleading. It's a shame that some people believed what they said.

The last few days of canvassing threw up some interesting issues- I met someone who is keen to start a Friends of City Road Cemetery group, so if you would like to get involved in this please let me know and I'll pass on your details. People were concerned about fly tipping around the allotments near Skye Edge, so I have asked the Council to clear this up. Apparently there are some allotment holders who are not very considerate about when they have bonfires, so if this is you, please think about the neighbours washing and other people who are out to enjoy the fresh air! Problems at a local school need following up, and one resident was very cross with me for supporting the redevelopment of Park Hill. It's all very well for the Lib Dems to say knock the whole building down, but it is a listed building, so it's not that easy. I have just heard that the latest consultation about the flats and Sheaf Valley Park is to be this Tuesday at Park Hill Community Centre. It is from 12.30 to 7.30pm with presentations at 1pm and 6pm. Very little notice has been given by Urban Splash, so please try to get along if you can.

Residents on City Road are fed up of it being a clearway, so they can't park cars outside the house.

By far the biggest talking point on the doorstep continues to be the 5 way junction between Stafford Road, Fitzwalter Road and Glencoe Road. I gather there was an accident there recently- if anyone saw what happened please tell me about it. Residents have been cross about this junction for many years now, yet the Council still says it can't afford to do anything about it unless someone is killed. I don't think alterations need to be very expensive- there is enough room to paint a mini roundabout on the road. One resident even suggested making our own!