The Bradley Stoke Journal

History was made in Bradley Stoke last night (Wednesday 16th May) at the Town Council’s AGM when Cllr Charlotte Walker (Con, Lakeside) was elected as Town Mayor for the coming year and so become the youngest female Mayor in the country.

Cllr Walker, who has lived in Bradley Stoke since she was 11, became the town’s youngest ever Councillor last year and was promptly elected Vice-Chair of the Council by her colleagues.

At 24, Cllr Walker is three years younger than fellow Lakeside Ward representative Cllr Robert Jones  was in 2008 when he took office as Mayor, at that time the youngest in the town’s history.

Cllr Jones, who acts as Press Spokesperson for the Town Council, was full of praise for his colleague saying:

“Charlotte has proven herself a fast learner in the last year and I’m sure she’ll make an excellent Mayor. The other Councillors and I are looking forward to working with her in the year ahead.”

Charlotte however isn’t getting carried away with the accolade of Britain’s youngest female Mayor and insists she just wants to do her best for the town’s 20,000+ residents saying:

“People are making a big deal about my age, but there are younger Mayors than me, it just so happens that they’re all men.”

“I’m just focusing on doing my best for the people of Bradley Stoke.”

More: Outgoing Mayor presents cheques to two local charities »

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A big operation by the Avon and Somerset Police Force in Bradley Stoke this morning has resulted in the arrest of five young men.

The police helicopter was seen hovering over the area behind Bradley Stoke Community School between about 11am and 11:30am.

A covert police car, containing two plain clothes officers, was also involved in the operation – seen at the Leisure Centre before speeding northwards on Bradley Stoke Way.

Witnesses reported seeing Police Community Support Officers running through the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve and a message on Twitter spoke of four police vehicles heading down a road to reach a “wooded area” in the town.

A police statement obtained by The Journal explains:

“Police were called at about 10.20am today, Wednesday 16th May, to reports of young men riding a motorcycle on the footpaths at Savages Wood, Bradley Stoke.”

“Emergency response and neighbourhood officers, supported by the police helicopter, attended the scene.”

“A motorcycle, believed to have been stolen from Filton College on Tuesday 15th May, was found in bushes at about 11:15am and seized by police.”

“Five men aged between 20 and 24 were arrested and remain in police custody.”

More: Men later released on police bail pending further enquiries »

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Local residents are being invited to get involved in the fight against an invasive weed that has become a problem in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, across South Gloucestershire and beyond.

Himalayan balsam is a non-native plant which is found along our rivers and streams and its seeds can quickly spread, smothering other native flowers and vegetation as it goes. The balsam can take over so much that the river banks are left completely bare during the winter months which can lead to increased erosion.

To help stop the spread, South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has launched a conservation campaign called the Big Pull and it is looking for individuals, community groups and businesses to get involved and help pull up the weeds.

It is running free workshops with practical demonstrations where you will learn how to identify, pull and dispose of Himalayan balsam.

In Bradley Stoke, a free workshop is being held in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve on Monday 21st May from 6pm to 8pm – meet at Bradley Stoke Library at 6pm.

The workshop will be followed by a community action day on Saturday 2nd June at the nature reserve between 10am and 1pm. For more details, visit the Events page of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group website.

More: How to book your place on the free workshop »

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Bradley Stoke Mayor Ben Walker has become the target of a smear campaign aimed at stopping him becoming the Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, a position he is due to take on next week after serving for the past year as Vice Chair.

A letter alleging irregularities in the financial management of two construction companies of which Cllr Walker is a director was circulated to the local press early last week and its content appeared on an anonymous blog a few days later.

The author of the letter (since named by the Bristol Post as Julian Williams) says he is one of a number of Conservative supporters in Bradley Stoke who have “concerns about our local Councillor Ben Walker”.

The author points out that Cllr Walker established the second of the two companies in March 2011, shortly before making an application to have the first company dissolved and observes that such a sequence of events is often the hallmark of the establishment of a ‘phoenix company‘, which emerges to trade in the same activities as a failed company but sheds any liability to cover it debts.

He goes on to claim that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has since blocked the winding up of the first company, owing to “a lack of tax returns and submission of accounts”.

The author told The Journal that he is making the information public in order to “avoid future embarrassment for the party”.

His email concludes:

“Failure to submit appropriate tax returns on time and failing in corporate governance may be considered questionable conduct for a senior Conservative Councillor, particularly a Councillor who is shortly to become Chairman of South Gloucestershire Council.”

“These revelations have now rocked the Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council, raising serious concerns for Councillor Walker’s colleagues, who may well under the circumstances now wish to identify another suitable candidate for Chairmanship of South Gloucestershire Council.”

More: Mayor blames problems on client that failed to pay £60,000 bill »

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Police investigating a fatal road traffic collision in Bradley Stoke this morning (Friday 11th May) are appealing for witnesses.

At around 8:20am, a Yamaha FZR 1000 motorcycle was travelling from the direction of the Aztec West Roundabout towards Trench Lane when the rider mounted the pavement in Wooodlands Lane for reasons that are unknown and struck a post.

The 24-year-old died as a result of his injuries.

The exact location of the incident is said to have been between Hawkley Drive and Westfield Way, near the former Yankee Candle warehouse.

Woodlands Lane was closed to traffic until around 10am, with First Bristol diverting its no. 73 buses along Pear Tree Road.

Officers investigating the incident would now like to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision or the bike prior to 8:20am. Anyone with information is asked to call the Collision Investigation Unit on 101.

UPDATE: Friends of the dead motorcyclist have this afternoon placed flowers and a lantern at the scene of the accident, which is at the Westfield Way bus stop on the eastbound side of Woodlands lane. They identified him as a Polish national who had lived in the UK for a number of years. He is said to have lived locally in North Bradley Stoke and worked at the town’s Tesco Extra store. The man’s family in Poland has been informed, they added.

More: Grieving friends pay their respects at the scene »

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