Road safety wins at Area Forum

A number of local road safety schemes got the go ahead at last night's Frome Vale Area Forum. After listening to the concerns of residents, councillors chose schemes including:

• Introducing a crossing point on Wotton Road, Iron Acton, outside the primary school
• A red surface treatment to highlight the existing crossing points in Rangeworthy
• Processing a Traffic Regulation Order to reinforce the existing `No Stopping’ marking outside Frampton Cotterell C of E Primary School

Local people also came along to talk about the schemes they would like the council to investigate in preparation for carrying them out in the future. The Forum could choose three from a long list. Two of the chosen ones were in our area - investigating a 20mph limit on Ram Hill and a 7.5T weight limit on Dodington Road. Thank you to those who came along to speak in support.

Earlier in the meeting we had heard about the work Network Rail plan to do on the bridge, which local people are concerned will reduce visibility. The forum members also asked for their concerns on this and the need for the completion of the pavement to be raised with the Chair of the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee.

Area Forums abolished - last chance to have your say next week

Next week could be your last chance ever to have your say at an Area Forum, after the ruling Conservatives scrapped them.

Not that anyone reading the council press release would have any idea they are being abolished. They talk about everything the public can do there and all the reasons to come along but don't let on what's planned. There is one innocuous looking line: "There will be an update on the future of the Area Forums." That future is gone, because the Tories and Labour voted to get rid of them last week.

Why not come along and make your views known, not only on local highway schemes and community grants, but also on the decision to scrap the forums themselves? You will also be able to hear from Sirona Care and Health about community health care services. The Frome Vale Area Forum will have an update from Network Rail on their forthcoming work on the Dodington Road railway bridge and the Severn Vale Forum will have a bus service update after concerns were raised at previous meetings.

In future, instead of decisions about things like highway safety schemes and community grants being made by the councillors who live in and know the area, they will be made by council committees that have themselves been merged. One committee will now cover everything from waste to strategic planning, libraries to traffic schemes - and make decisions on community grants. The Conservatives have suggested that some of the community grant money could be given to individual councillors but couldn't explain how this would be administered efficiently and transparently.

Frome Vale Area Forum (which includes Frampton Cotterell, Ladden Brook and Westerleigh wards) meets at 7pm on Thursday 3rd March in Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church. Severn Vale Area Forum (which includes Charfield ward) meets at 7pm on Wednesday 2nd March in Turnberries Community Centre, Thornbury.

Local forums to go

For many years, decisions that affect our local communities on things like smaller highway safety schemes and community grants have been taken by local councillors at Area Forums. This gave local people a chance to go along and have their say and meant the decisions were made by the councillors who knew the area and understood the issues.

Now the Conservatives are proposing to take away those decision making powers and merge the Forums with the Safer and Stronger Community Groups. The decisions would instead be made by central committees, which themselves are being merged, reducing the opportunities for people to have their say. More decisions will be taken by officers behind closed doors, rather than by elected councillors out in the open where they can be held to account by the public.

Have you say at Severn Vale Area Forum

The next Severn Vale Area Forum is on Wednesday 2nd December at 7pm at Turnberries Community Centre, Bath Road, Thornbury.

The agenda includes the council's annual budget consultation, a presentation on the draft waste strategy, community grant allocations, highways maintenance priorities and a progress update on local highways schemes.

Have your say at Frome Vale Area Forum

The next Frome Vale Area Forum is at 7pm on Thursday 26 November in Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury.

The agenda includes the council's annual budget consultation, a presentation on the draft waste strategy, community grant allocations, highways maintenance priorities and a progress update on local highways schemes.

Network Rail will also be attending to provide an update on electrification works in the area.

Grants for community groups

There is still time to apply to South Glos for the next round of grants for community groups. The closing date is 17th November and decisions will be made at the Area Forum next March.

You can find out more information about how to apply here. The amounts left to allocate for each forum are for the decisions the Area Forum will be making this year about the previous round of grant applications. When they make decisions on this round of applications in March the Area Forum will be allocating money from next year's budget. The amount will be set as part of the budget setting process in February.

Have your say at Severn Vale Area Forum

The next Severn Vale Area Forum (which covers Charfield ward) is at 7pm on Wednesday 16 September at Turnberries Community Centre, Bath Road, Thornbury. On the agenda will be the allocation of grants and a progress update on the highway schemes for which we have previously allocated funding. There will also be the usual open session where you can put questions to councillors and officers.

Have your say at Frome Vale Area Forum

The next Frome Vale Area Forum is at 7pm on Thursday 17th September at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury. On the agenda will be the allocation of grants and a progress update on the highway schemes for which we have previously allocated funding. There will also be the usual open session where you can put questions to councillors and officers.

Crossbow Pre-School win funding for shelter

At last night's Area Forum, Crossbow Pre-School was awarded £1000 towards building a canopy over the main entrance to St Peter's Hall. This will protect the children and their parents or carers when they are waiting to go in or collect the children and will also be used by other users of the hall.

Frome Vale Area Forum next week

The Frome Vale Area Forum (which covers Frampton Cotterell, Ladden Brook and Westerleigh wards) takes place on Thursday 9th July at 7pm at Shireway Community Association, Yate.

As well as the usual open session where you can have your say on local issues, the agenda includes the allocation of community grants, presentations about food/waste recycling plus a presentation from BT about broadband.

Severn Vale Area Forum tomorrow

The Severn Vale Area Forum (which covers Charfield ward) takes place on Wednesday 1st July at 7pm at Turnberries Community Centre, Thornbury.

As well as the usual open session, the agenda includes the allocation of community grants, presentations about food/waste recycling plus a presentation from BT about broadband.

Action on road safety

Last week's Frome Vale Area Forum saw local councillors winning support for a number of highway safety schemes in our area:

• In Tytherington, an existing school bus stop point will be moved, dropped kerbs south of the lay-by improved and a coloured road surface introduced to highlight the crossing point. The scheme will also provide a new crossing point at the Stowell Hill/New Rd junction and a small area of coloured
  road surfacing and the existing pavement will be extended from its current end in New Rd to Stowell Hill. Contact Howard Gawler if you have any questions.
• The first phase of the Church Road proposals will be implemented. There will first be further consultation, taking into account suggestions from residents during the previous informal consultation period. Contact Pat and Dave Hockey for more information.
• The second phase of traffic calming proposals for the rural part of Henfield Road, around the sharp bend at the junction with Ram Hill, will go ahead. Monitoring last year showed a significant number of vehicles were travelling well in excess of the 30mph speed limit, despite it being a blind bend with a junction on it. There will be further consultation on the proposals before implementation. Contact Claire Young to find out more.
• Further traffic calming measures will be investigated on Westerleigh Road between the railway bridge and Broad Lane and on Shorthill Road after complaints from residents about some of the measures implemented so far. The outcome of the investigation will be a set of proposals for consideration for funding next year. Again, contact Claire Young for more info.

Claire also highlighted the results of her survey on a 20mph limit around the Manor School, in an effort to get it prioritised in the roll-out of 20mph limits to schools that don’t currently have them.

Severn Vale Area Forum next week

The next Severn Vale Area Forum meeting, which covers Charfield ward, is on Wednesday 4th March at 7pm in Turnberries Community Centre, Thornbury .

Items on the agenda include a presentation from Avon Fire and Rescue raising awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning, decisions on community and New Homes Bonus (NHB) grants and consideration of youth funding. Members will also be deciding which highway schemes are a priority and considering objections received following the public advertisement of local transport schemes.

The next round of meetings will take place in July. If you would like to receive details of meetings in your area contact Democratic Services on 01454 864425 or visit www.southglos.gov.uk/areaforum

Further information regarding grant funding is available on 01454 865865 or www.southglos.gov.uk/grants

Next chance to have your say at Frome Vale Area Forum

The next Frome Vale Area Forum meeting is on Thursday 5th March at 7pm in Shireway Community Centre, Yate.

Items on the agenda include a presentation from Avon Fire and Rescue raising awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning, decisions on community and New Homes Bonus (NHB) grants and consideration of youth funding.

We will also be deciding which highway schemes are a priority. So if you'd like to see the Henfield or Church Road traffic calming proposals implemented or further measures for Westerleigh investigated, come along and have your say.

The next round of meetings will take place in July. If you would like to receive details of meetings in your area contact Democratic Services on 01454 864425 or visit www.southglos.gov.uk/areaforum

Further information regarding grant funding is available on 01454 865865 or www.southglos.gov.uk/grants

Next Severn Vale Area Forum on 3rd December

The next Severn Vale Area Forum (covering wards including Charfield) is at 7pm on Wednesday 3 December in Turnberries Community Centre, Thornbury.. Why not come along and have your say?

On the agenda will be information about the council’s budget consultation, applications for the Positive Activities Subsidy (PAS) grants programme and New Homes Bonus (NHB) grant allocations. The Forum will also be asked to identify local roads and/or pavements for resurfacing.

You can view the papers here.

Next Frome Vale Area Forum on 27th November

The next Frome Vale Area Forum (covering wards including Frampton Cotterell, Ladden Brook and Westerleigh) is at 7pm on Thursday 27th November in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. Why not come along and have your say?

On the agenda will be information about the council’s budget consultation, applications for the Positive Activities Subsidy (PAS) grants programme and New Homes Bonus (NHB) grant allocations.

The Forum will also be making decisions on proposals for a 40mph speed limit on most of the Iron Acton Bypass into Frampton Cotterell and a 20mph limit along Nibley Lane and Hope Road and through Iron Acton village.

Funding has been allocated to introduce both of these schemes in the current financial year. Before they go ahead, however, the Councillors representing the Frome Vale wards have to consider the objections that were made during the formal consultation period. They have the option of going ahead with the advertised proposals, modifying them to take on board objections or abandoning them and leaving things as they are.

The proposals for the Bypass are that the existing 40mph limit on Yate Road should be extended beyond the Esso Garage and the existing 40mph from Frampton Cotterell should be extended to the junction with Bristol Road, Iron Acton.

If you go to the Forum you will be able to let the Councillors know your views before they make their decisions.

You can view the papers here.

Grants for community groups

Local voluntary organisations, community groups and Parish Councils have until Wednesday 26th November to apply for a range of grant funding from South Gloucestershire Council - Community Grants, New Homes Bonus (NHB) and Positive Activities Subsidy (PAS) grants.  The final decisions on all three will be made by councillors at the area forum meeting in March.

Community Groups are aimed at projects that benefit local people. Generally the grants are less than £3,000 but more can be awarded if the Forum thinks it is justified.

New Homes Bonus funding is a grant which the council receives annually from central government, based on the number of homes built or brought back into use. This money would typically be used for larger projects. It's worth contacting your ward councillor to find out more, as the number of new homes built has varied greatly between the wards.

The Positive Activities Subsidy grant funding is to help local young people aged 13 to 19 (up to 25 for disabled people) to take part in, or initiate, activities.  Applications should be for projects which are accessible, affordable, wanted and valued by young people. Frome Vale has very little of this funding left to allocate.

To apply visit www.southglos.gov.uk/grants (free internet access is available at all South Gloucestershire libraries). For more information call the grants helpline on 01454 865865 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk

Latest Frome Vale Area Forum next Thursday

It's time once again to have your say at the local Area Forum meeting. The Frome Vale Area Forum is at 7pm Thursday 18th September in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. There will be presentations by BT on broadband in the area and Network Rail on the Great Western Electrification Programme and bridge works. There will also be decisions on community grant applications and Positive Activities Subsidy grant applications. All meetings include an open session for members of the public to put questions to councillors and officers on any matter in their area.

Latest Severn Vale Area Forum next Wednesday

It's time once again to have your say at the local Area Forum meeting. The Severn Vale Area Forum (covering Charfield ward) is at 7pm on Wednesday 10th September in Turnberries Community Centre, Thornbury. There will be a presentation by BT who will be updating residents on broadband in the area, plus decisions on community grant applications and Positive Activities Subsidy grant applications. All meetings include an open session for members of the public to put questions to councillors and officers on any matter in their area.

Frome Vale Area Forum next week

For those living in Frampton Cotterell, Ladden Brook and Westerleigh wards, the next Frome Vale Area Forum is at 7pm on Thursday 10th July in Shireway Community Association, Yate. This is your chance to go along and influence local decision making.

As well as the usual open session where you can put your questions on local issues to councillors and officers, there will be a presentation about the current consultation on community composting sites, applications for community grants and Positive Activities funding for your people, updates on the New Homes Bonus scheme and progress reports on local transport schemes.