New Councillors Info

I just received this from media and communications.  Good to see they are introducing us to council staff.

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I was intrigued to read that the new Green member for St. Mary’s appears to see students as a “danger” to East Oxford.  Personally I see students as a positive benefit that adds greatly to the vibrancy, vitality, and viability of the area.  Sure – there are problems with HMOs and Cars but students themselves are not the problem.  Oxford would be a much poorer place without its two world-class Universities and their students.  In fact without them hardly anybody would have even heard of Oxford!  It certainly would not be the great tourist centre it is.

My thoughts on the threat to Temple Cowley Pools

Another week of lots of emails from residents, this time upset about the proposed closure of Temple Cowley Pools.  And quite rightly so too.   I have been campaigning against its closure since 2006 and got a lot of signatures on my petition on 2009 when I was standing for the East Oxford Division county seat with Ben Armstrong.

The main pool at Temple CowleyTemple Cowley area has had masses of new residential development in the last 10 years and as such a good local facility like Temple Cowley Pools is absolutely vital. Putting it in Blackbird Leys just will not work as many people don’t have access to cars and even if they do we already have a bad traffic problem in Cowley on Oxford Road and Cowley Road. The current site is safe for hundreds of families and children (many of whom are social tenants and living in relative poverty) to get to either on foot or by bike.  I personally have enjoyed being a user of Temple Cowley Pools since 1989 when I first arrived in Oxford.

I don’t object to replacing Temple Cowley Pools with a new facility but am very clear that it MUST be within 1/4 mile of the existing site if it is to continue to provide essential services for the local community.  The site of the current post office sorting office on the corner of Hollow Way and Garsington Road springs to mind.  But I don’t really see what’s wrong with the current site.  Closing yet another local facility off Temple Road and building YET MORE housing surely can’t be a good thing.   Temple Cowley Pools are also extremely close to many bus routes and so easy to get to for thousands of Oxford residents.

The real problem is the council’s continued lack of investment and neglect of Temple Cowley Pools.  The consultation they are doing is also an utter farce.  The questionnaire is extremely loaded and lots of people have complained to me about that too.  The consultation is a farce in my opinion.

I am appalled at what the ruling group of the City Council is doing and even more appalled at the apparent silence from the two ward councillors, both Labour members, in Cowley Marsh.  Neither of them lives near Temple Cowley Pools as their addresses (Malik and Abbasi) on the Council website will show.

Licensing Training

Licensing Training SlideThis was a long but useful session.  It was introduced by Tony Payne, Support Development and Licensing Team manager, and we were given lots of useful information about the structure of the licensing committees and subcommittees in the Council.

There are two main committees:  The Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee deals with alcohol, entertainment and late food licensing as well as gambling establishments.

The General Purposes Licensing Committee deals with street trading; hackney carriage and private hire and sex establishment licensing (table dancing, pole dancing, lap dancing etc.).  There are also several subcommittees.

Julian Allison is the licensing team leader and told us lots about how the 2003 act works and is based around the Council’s licensing policy that it is legally require to have and regularly review.  We learned about personal licences and premises licences.

Finally, two of the City council’s solicitors, Daniel Smith and Jeremy Franklin, explained to us how licensing hearings work.  A very interesting and useful session.  You may be interested to know that you can check current licensing applications online.

Community up in arms about proposed use of Manzil Park as builders yard

Manzil Park in AutumnI’ve had nearly 20 emails from East Oxford residents today voicing great concern about the proposal to hand some of Manzil Park over to builders as a yard for 2 years while doing a building project.  I too am rather concerned about this.  My reply to people is:

“I entirely agree that turning a large part of Manzil Park into a builders yard for such a period would be hugely detrimental to the local community and the amenity of all local residents, particularly younger children. There must be better local sites to use as a builders’ yard. As a resident of East Oxford myself I am extremely concerned about this.

I am unfortunately not part of the City Executive Board or indeed the ruling political group on the City Council so my absolute powers are limited but I will undertake to do all I can to influence those in power to rethink this potentially disastrous proposal.”

Meeting with Oxford Hub folk

oxhub.JPGI met at 9am today with Sara Fernandez and a colleague at G&Ds on Cowley Road.  They explained to me how the Oxford Hub is the focal point for charitable activity at Oxford University. Soon, they’re going to bid for a building, at 16-17 Turl Street, so the can open a multi-purpose venue for community benefit.

This looks like a good use of a building on Turl Street that has had a rather chequered history in the last few years and could do with a more permanent use. I may have to take decisions as a councillor about this so will keep my powder dry on it at the moment other than to say it looks like a good idea and a good use of the building to me.