The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) has been stung by a massive hike in the business rates it has to pay for the Jubilee Centre following the discovery of a clerical error made by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in 2005.

This week’s meeting of the Council’s Finance Committee was told that a “manual error” within the records held by HMRC’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA) resulted in  the rateable value of the main building being recorded as £1,071.60 instead of £10,713.60.

The under valuation has been in place since 2005 and BSTC has therefore benefited from a substantially reduced rate level for almost five years.

Councillors were told that the VOA has waived its right to retrospectively claim the underpayment but were disappointed to hear that the new rate is to be applied from January rather than from the start of the new tax year in April.

Had the increase been applied from April, it would have coincided with a five-yearly rate review and under ‘transitional relief’ rules the new rate would have been phased in over a four to five year period. As the April increase is now unlikely to trigger ‘transitional relief’, the new rate will have to be paid in full with immediate effect.

The additional rates arising from the corrected rateable value are believed to be between £4,000 and £5,000 per annum.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has opened a public consultation on plans for a number of ‘raised table’ cycle crossings within Bradley Stoke.

The proposed crossings are part of Cycling City Route 3, which will link Parkway Station to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

The Statement of Reasons document published by the Council explains:

These crossing points consist of a raised table section bringing the carriageway up to the footway level. This allows pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users to cross the carriageway with no change in gradient or level. It also raises the visibility and priority of vulnerable users to the same physical level as the traffic. The crossing can also help maintain the low speed of traffic within any 20mph zone.

The new crossings are to be installed at the following locations:

• Across Baileys Court Road, between its junctions with Sherbourne Avenue and Meadow Way
• Across Fiddlers Wood Lane, close to its junction with Bradley Stoke Way
• Across the access road into Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre

Each crossing will consist of a gentle ramped approach up to the existing level of the footway and then a flat table.

In contrast to the speed bumps used on Brook Way and other roads in the town, the raised crossings will present a ‘full carriageway width’ obstacle to road vehicles. Bus companies and ambulance services are known to have previously objected to such features on the grounds of passenger discomfort.

Residents have until Wednesday 10th March to register comments on the proposals.

More information:

• Consultation Documents (SGC)
• Respond to the Consultation (SGC)

Management at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre say they were “shocked” when The Nationwide Building Society branch ceased trading without notice yesterday (Monday 15th).

The agency branch, operated by 1st Equity (part of financial services company 1st Group UK of Thornbury), first opened on Monday 20th October 2008 – one week after the official opening of the Willow Brook Centre.

The business had appeared to be doing well, particularly after the recent closure of the rival Halifax agency at Bradley Pavilions – the town’s only other banking outlet.

The proprietors had also recently been advertising a job vacancy at the agency, for which the application deadline had been given as 11th February.

Nationwide branding on the agency shop front and elsewhere within the Willow Brook complex had been removed by late afternoon on Monday and the shop window covered with paper sheets.

Notices on the windows of the store state:

“Regrettably it has been necessary to temporarily close this branch agency. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Willow Brook Centre Manager Scott Lahive told The Journal:

“This is obviously sad news for the many customers who held accounts at the Bradley Stoke branch. Our thoughts are with the staff who along with the centre were unaware of the planned closure.”

The Bradley Stoke branch was operated by a separate company who act as an agency for Nationwide. Customers can be safe in the knowledge that any transactions completed prior to the closure are registered with Nationwide and are unaffected. In effect their accounts remain whilst the ability to bank in Bradley Stoke does not.”

“At this moment in time we are not aware if this closure if a temporary or permanent move.”

Customers are advised to contact Nationwide on 08457 302010 if they have any queries.

The news comes just three months after the Curves ladies-only fitness centre, another tenant of the Willow Brook Centre, suddenly ceased trading on Friday 6th November.

1st Equity were unable to provide a statement before publication of this article but a director of the company has promised to speak to The Journal later today.

UPDATE at 4pm:

John Bridge of 1st Equity supplied the following statement:

“The decision to close the agency was not ours and we regret the inconvenience to customers.”

“I am not allowed to comment further.”

Two Muslim women from Bradley Stoke feature in a innovative photographic exhibition that opens today (Monday 15th) at Bristol Central Library.

The Building the Bridge project, which aims to to build understanding between the city’s Muslims and the wider community, celebrates ordinary Muslims living in Bristol. Each of the twelve subjects is photographed beside a city landmark or in a place that holds a special resonance for them.

Lara Almasri (pictured above, left), a Civil Engineer, is shown in her Bradley Stoke home, while student Majida Islam Khan (right) is seen inside the Council House in Bristol.

A strong theme running through the exhibition is a conviction that Islam is a religion of peace and that the actions of terrorists are abhorrent. Organisers say they aim to counter media stereotypes and provide the wider community with a greater understanding of their Muslim neighbours.

Zaheer Shabir, Chair of the Building the Bridge Programme Board, said:

“The individuals featured have been selected as a typical cross section of the Muslim community, which has deep roots in Bristol.”

“I hope that this exhibition gives you an insight into the aspirations and hopes of the Muslim community. I believe that through their words these individuals reflect Islam’s core teachings of peace, love and tolerance.”

The Building the Bridge exhibition will be at the Bristol Central Library for two weeks. It will then move to Easton Community Centre, where it will remain for a further two weeks.

A book featuring the photographs from the exhibition will be distributed to community and youth groups, mosques and other community venues to ensure that the project can be enjoyed by and is accessible to as many people as possible.

Full interviews with Lara and Majida can be found on the Building the Bridge page in our Faith and Religion section.

Over 130 sixth form students at Patchway Community College took local politicians to task on Friday (12th February) over issues facing the country in the next General Election.

In a tutorial session earlier in the week students had discussed key issues of particular interest to them and prepared some questions that were put forward to prospective parliamentary candidates from the three main political parties.

Taking part in the session were (pictured L-R, centre of photo): Jack Lopresti (Conservative), Ian Boulton (Labour) and Peter Tyzack (Liberal Democrat) – all prospective candidates for the new Filton and Bradley Stoke parliamentary constituency.

Questions from the students were very diverse, including university and tuition fees, the health system, Afghanistan, and immigration.

Afterwards, the students were divided at random into five groups to represent each of five political parties. They carried out further research on the web so they could create a campaign and select student candidates in preparation for a mock election in the afternoon.

Head of Sixth Form Ian Trevarthen said:

“This day represented a superb opportunity to raise our students’ awareness of political issues at both local and national level.”

“The students were full of enthusiasm throughout the day, and welcomed the chance to hear first-hand answers to their questions.”

“We were very impressed with the student party leaders who delivered confident and well-informed presentations to their peers.”

Winner of the mock election was Lewis Gregor, aged 18, representing the Conservative Party, who received 30% of the votes cast.

Related links:

• Filton and Bradley Stoke – General Election 2010 (The Journal)
• Schools serving Bradley Stoke (The Journal)