The Bradley Stoke Journal

Liberal Democrat Councillors have welcomed news that South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is to think again about its revamped cardboard recycling collections.

Since November, local residents have no longer been able to put cardboard in their green wheelie bin, instead being asked to put it all inside a larger cardboard box or place it under another bin.

Speaking after a meeting at which the Conservative-run Council said it was “looking again” at arrangements for collecting cardboard, Bradley Stoke Lib Dem Councillor Jon Williams said:

“On a windy day, cardboard put out by the road gets blown all over the place, making a terrible mess. People are getting fed up and putting their cardboard in the black bin instead, which means it will end up in landfill. This is no way to encourage recycling.”

Bradley Stoke Lib Dems’ latest Focus newspaper contains more criticism of the new recycling collections, claiming that on a ‘green bin day’, residents watch no fewer than three different vans turn up – one for the green bin, one for food waste and cardboard and a third for the green box (containing paper, glass, tins and more). Other areas manage with fewer vehicles, they say.

Read more: Labour Councillors criticise plastic collections »

But have you received your new bins and recycling bags?

South Gloucestershire Council’s new kerbside recycling collection service for plastic bottles and food waste begins next week (Monday 22nd November) but not all households have received their new bins.

A package of two grey bins for food waste and a white bag for plastic bottles should have been delivered to all homes in the area (except flats, which will not initially receive the new services) but residents in some streets of Bradley Stoke say they don’t yet have the new containers.

A recorded message on the Council’s StreetCare hotline (01454 868000) was last week advising residents not to be concerned as deliveries of the new bins would continue over the weekend (Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st November).

The Council also says that “supplier problems” with the white recycling bags may mean they are not available in time for the first collections.

Read on to find out more about the new recycling collection schedule »

Bin collections days are to change soon for many streets in Bradley Stoke as part of a package of measures designed to improve recycling rates.

About 43,000 households in South Gloucestershire are to to see their rubbish and recycling schedules change during the last week of September.

The changes are being made in preparation for the introduction of weekly food waste collections and fortnightly plastic bottle collections, planned for November.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGP) says:

“If your household is affected, you will be notified with a bin hanger on the black wheeled bin, or by information posted through your letterbox, that will inform you of your new collection arrangements.”

You can also check your next black bin collection on the Local Connections page of the SGP website.

More: Extra waste to be collected in first week after changeover »

A number of clubs and organisations that operate in Bradley Stoke will tonight (Tuesday 31st) learn the fate of grant applications made to South Gloucestershire Council’s Southern Brooks Area Forum.

The Forum, which has £23k to allocate from its Capital Grant Funding scheme, has received 17 applications totalling £37k.

Organisations with Bradley Stoke links that have applied for funding include South West Winterguard Academy, Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association, 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group and Bradley Stoke Bowls Club.

The Winterguard Academy, which meets at Meadowbrook Primary School, is a group that promotes a dance-based activity called ‘colourguard’ – using flags and other equipment to perform a routine to music. They are looking for £2,000 to purchase equipment.

Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association is asking for £3,000 to purchase recording equipment so that it can create programmes and interviews for a radio broadcast planned for October. They say they will work with Bradley Stoke Community School and the local youth service to run workshops to train young people to use the radio equipment to produce jingles. The association previously received a grant of £1,500 from the forum and was recently awarded £400 by Bradley Stoke Town Council.

Read on for details of two more organisations that could win grants tonight »

South Gloucestershire Council has opened a public consultation on the latest version of its draft Core Strategy, which is the main planning document for guiding and managing new development and change in the district up to 2026.

Committed or proposed new developments in or around Bradley Stoke include:

• The North Fringe Rapid Transit scheme (shown purple in the plan above)
• Committed housing developments at Filton Northfield/Charlton Hayes (2) and Harry Stoke (5)
• A proposed new neighbourhood east of Harry Stoke (E)

A series of documents is available on Core Strategy consultation page of the Council’s website, of which the most readable is the Plain Guide leaflet [PDF, 461KB].

Hard copies of the Core Strategy may also be viewed at the Council’s ‘one stop shops’ and public libraries (note, however, that Bradley Stoke Library is closed for refurbishment from Monday 7th June to Sunday 11th July).

The consultation runs until Friday 6th August and comments can be made online or by post.

More information will be available at a staffed public exhibition to be held at the Willow Brook Centre on Wednesday 23rd June (11am – 3:30pm).

The exhibition will be repeated at the next meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group at the Jubilee Centre on Tuesday 20th July (6:30pm start).

A meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum this evening (Tuesday 2nd March) will allocate funding of £29,220 to a selection of projects proposed by local voluntary organisations under the Small Grant Scheme.

A total of 27 applications have been received, from organisations which include:  Four Towns Play Association (£3,000 for equipment, staff training and publicity), Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (£391 for bat walk equipment), Holy Trinity Youth Group (£3,000 for equipment) and Willow Brook Townswomen’s Guild (£500 for hall hire).

Area forums, organised by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), give local people the opportunity to talk about issues and concerns that affect their neighbourhoods. They champion local needs and aspirations and gather the views of residents about specific community issues.

Other items on tonight’s agenda include a presentation on emergency planning and consultation on the South Gloucestershire Compact, a partnership agreement between the statutory sectors and the voluntary and community sector.

The meeting takes place at Patchway Community College, Hempton Lane, Patchway (7pm start).

More info: Agenda (SGC)