The Bradley Stoke Journal

Continuity of youth work in Bradley Stoke looks assured after Town Councillors voted unanimously to fund Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) for six months beyond 31st March, when the organisation’s current contract is due to expire.

A recent meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council’s (BSTC’s) Finance & Leisure (F&L) Committee saw Councillors minded to offer only a two month extension, this being the minimum period necessary before a new provider could be appointed by South Gloucestershire Council, with whom the Town Council has agreed to work “in partnership” on youth matters.

SBCP had indicated that it would not be prepared to accept a two month extension, leaving open the possibility of no youth work being undertaken in the town between 1st April and 31st May [see earlier report in The Journal].

A special meeting of Full Council on Wednesday evening (25th February), attended by SBCP Director Julie Snelling, SBCP youth workers and young people from the local youth clubs, witnessed Councillors’ opinions tortuously migrate from the previously proposed two month extension to the finally agreed six month period.

Ironically, a suggestion made by Cllr Jon Williams (Lib Dem) for the very same sixth month extension had found not a single supporter amongst his Conservative colleagues at last week’s F&L meeting.

Cllr Morgan Baynham (Conservative), who had not been present at the F&L meeting, voiced his support for SBCP and expressed the view that Council should give the organisation “at least six months” notice.

Councillors heard Julie Snelling explain that it would be impossible to fill the currently vacant full-time youth leader position for a period of just two months. They also listened to impassioned pleas from four youth club members, who said they had built up trusting relationships with the current youth workers and feared that these would be destroyed if there were a change of provider.

The Council said it now expects SGC to appoint a new provider by the end of June at the very latest. Should SBCP fail to win the contract, it will handover to the new provider during August and September.

Councillors also agreed to form a new Youth Committee to oversee how their “record funding” for youth work in the town is spent.

Read the rest of this story, including quotes from the people involved …

Planners at South Gloucestershire Council have gven the go ahead for a second temporary classroom block to be erected at Bradley Stoke’s Baileys Court Primary School.

The planning application, lodged in December 2008, is for an Elliot modular building configured to host two classrooms.

The new block will be located on a section of playing field on the Baileys Court Road side of the main school building (extreme left in picture above), alongside an existing block of a similar type.

Planning officials state in their report that the “long term use of modular buildings is generally considered unacceptable” and so have restricted the permission to an initial period of three years.

Related Links: Schools in Bradley Stoke

A special meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) is to take place this Wednesday (25th February) at 8:30pm in the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road.

The meeting has been called to decide how youth work is to be delivered in the town from 1st April, after it was revealed that South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is unlikley to be able to take on responsibility for the service before 1st June.

A closed meeting of the Town Council on 3rd December last year decided to divert youth work funding from Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP, the current provider) to a “partnership” arrangement with SGC, with effect from 1st April 2009.

However, when Bradley Stoke Councillors met with SGC’s Youth Service on 17th February, they were told that the necessity for a fair and transparent tendering process means that a new provider is unlikely to be found before 1st June. That leaves a two month period of uncertainty between the end of the current SBCP contract and the start of the new provider’s contract.

Last Wednesday’s meeting of BSTC’s Finance & Leisure (F&L) Committee saw Councillors unable to agree on how youth work in the town should be delivered in the estimated two month period of uncertainty after 1st April, so a special meeting of Full Council has been called for this week to discuss the matter further.

Relations between BSTC and SBCP have been strained for some time, in the main because of the Council’s view that SBCP has provided an insufficient level of reporting on community work (rather than youth work) funded by the Council.

BSTC’s decision to divert youth work funding from SBCP to SGC (which does not preclude SBCP from continuing to run the service, should it successfully contest SGC’s tendering process) has upset staff and supporters of SBCP, many of whom interpret it as an unjust criticism of the quality and effectiveness of their work over the last eight years.

Rumours circulating after the 17th February meeting between BSTC and SGC suggested that the Town Council might appoint its own youth leader to cover the interim period, but this was denied at last week’s F&L meeting, where maintaining the status quo (i.e. extending the SBCP contract for two months) or having no provision were the only options initially discussed.

The F&L meeting also heard Councillor Brian Hopkinson, architect of the plan to remove control of youth work from SBCP by 1st April, expressing the view that SGC had “failed to deliver” and had “wasted the winter months”. Cllr Hopkinson also said he had some suggestions for personnel to run the new service and the meeting went into closed session to hear these (we understand they involve some of Cllr Hopkinson’s friends at Patchway Baptist Church).

Julie Snelling, Director of SBCP, has told The Journal that the organisation is “unwilling to accept” the Council’s proposal of a two month extension from 1st April, adding that “all youth work in the town is likely to stop from 1st April while a new tendering process is put in place”.

A letter circulated by SBCP to parents and young people in the town on Friday highlights the achievements of the organisation’s youth work in Bradley Stoke and calls on supporters to lobby Councillors and attend Wednesday’s special meeting.

Happier times for SBCP youth work at the 2008 Skate Park Competition

Read more about how the Bradley Stoke youth work crisis unfolded …

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has agreed a 3.9% increase in council tax for 2009/2010, the second lowest in the Council’s short history.

The increase, agreed at yesterday’s Full Council meeting, once again exceeds the government’s favoured CPI (Consumer Prices Index) measure of inflation, which registered 3.0% in January.

By comparison, North Somerset Council looks set to agree an increase of 2.5% and Bristol City Council 3.5%.

Councillor John Calway, leader of SGC, said:

“Our budget is designed to help South Gloucestershire better withstand the tough economic times we are now in and I am delighted that it has got the support of councillors.”

“Local households are expecting their council to tighten its belt, just as they are.”

“This is why we have confirmed ambitious efficiency savings targets and this newly approved budget will increase the amount of investment needed to achieve these future savings.”

“The council has built up reserves in the good times to allow us to protect services during the bad times.”

Locally, the Capital Budget approved by SGC sees the building of an extension at Bradley Stoke Library brought forward to 2009/2010 from later years.

Bradley Stoke Town Council has already decided to levy no increase in its precept for 2009/2010, but the impact of this for local residents will be swamped by above inflation increases from the Avon & Somerset Police Authority (4.5%) and the Avon Fire Authority.

The new police inspector for the Filton Neighbourhood Area, which includes Bradley Stoke, is expected to address a meeting of the Safer and Stronger Community Group on Tuesday evening.

Inspector Bob Evely recently replaced Inspector Simon Ellis, who has taken up a post at police HQ.

Other recent changes on the Bradley Stoke Beat saw PC Steven Palmer taking over the role of Beat Manager.

Inspector Evely says:

“I live nearby and know the area quite well, but now I’ll be working with my team to make sure I understand the issues facing our communities so that we can tackle neighbourhood priorities effectively. There is a great team here and I want to make sure they continue to be accessible to everyone in their neighbourhood.”

“I want to make sure we are doing the right thing by the right people. I consider the community to be part of the team – local people must play their part if we are to find long-term solutions to the problems affecting our neighbourhood and ensure everyone feels and is safe.”

Also due to address the meeting is Willow Brook Centre Manager, Scott Lahive, who may have something to say about issues recently highlighted by the local police.

Bradley Stoke Beat Manager, PC Palmer, is quoted as saying:

“A small number of local youths have been responsible for most of the anti-social behaviour in the town centre and are starting to get involved in crime. I have already caught one youth driving a stolen moped who has been charged to Court, and I am building evidence to seek ASBOs on others in this group.”

Mr Lahive will be able to report that car parking issues at the centre have eased, now that demolition of the old Tesco store is complete. Residents will no doubt be keen to hear news on prospective tenants of phase 2 of the town centre development, which is due to open in the Summer.

Safer and Stronger Group Chairperson, Julie Snelling, told The Journal that she expects plans for the forthcoming celebration of International Women’s Day and local street lighting issues (at Winsbury Way) to also figure in discussions at the meeting.

Neighbours of the Jubilee Green, Savages Wood Road, where a new Beacon play park is to be built, can be expected to once more voice their fears that the park could be plagued by vandalism and anti-social behaviour. A recent “consultation” meeting saw residents demanding that the park be secured by a high fence, so that it could be closed off at night.

The Safer and Stronger Community Group meeting takes place on Tuesday (17th February) at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, starting at 7pm.