The Bradley Stoke Journal

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and other local authorities in England that have so far failed to publish plans for improving broadband infrastructure in their areas have been set a deadline by Whitehall officials concerned that the Government’s promise of delivering the “best broadband in Europe” by 2015 could be in jeopardy.

The news comes three weeks after South Gloucestershire Council launched a lengthy 13-month public consultation in which residents and businesses are being asked to “register interest in receiving improved broadband connectivity”, which triggered an avalanche of negative comments from dismayed Journal readers.

An impatient Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has now ordered all authorities to submit a draft Local Broadband Plan by the end of February 2012. Plans must be agreed with the Government by the end of April and procurement of equipment must begin within a further three months.

Any authority that has not begun procurement by by the end of July is likely to see the Government stepping in to take remedial action.

In the Government’s original plan for the delivery of superfast broadband published in December 2010, local authorities were expected to submit detailed bids for a specific share of the £530m funding. By April 2011, so few Councils had submitted plans that the Government abandoned the bidding process and decided to allocate the remaining money based on its own assessment of local needs.

The West of England (South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset and Bristol) was allocated £1.4 million from the fund in August 2011. Since then, BANES has voted against accepting its share of the Government money, which must be match-funded by each Council. The Journal has also heard a rumour that SGC is considering leaving the West of England group to pair up with another local authority whose broadband plans are more advanced.

More: Almondsbury exchange misses out again in latest BT announcement »

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Representatives of a group campaigning for improved road safety measures on Bradley Stoke Way will tonight (Wednesday 14th) address a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in a debate secured through the Council’s petitions scheme.

Two serious accidents involving school-age children on the stretch of the road near the Willow Brook Centre earlier this year led to a group of concerned parents and residents launching a public petition to force a debate at a meeting of Full Council – through a mechanism enshrined in the South Gloucestershire Petitions Scheme.

Officially launched on Saturday 15th October, two weeks after the second serious accident on the road, the petition soon achieved the 2,500 signatures required to force a debate and the number of supporters has since grown to over 3,900.

The petition called on the Council to install a new ‘raised table’ toucan crossing, replacing the two drop kerb uncontrolled crossing points where the recent accidents have occurred. It also demanded conversion of the dual carriageway stretch of Bradley Stoke Way to a single lane, the introduction of a 30mph speed limit and the installation of improved warning signage and over-speed indicators.

Since the petition was launched, the Council has committed to installing a new toucan crossing between Wheatfield Drive and Savages Wood and extending the 30mph speed limit in a northerly direction so that it includes the new toucan crossing. The 30mph zone will also be extended in a southerly direction south of the Savages Wood Roundabout – to include the existing toucan crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne.

More: Current plans omit speed table and lane reduction »

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South Gloucestershire Council wants local residents and businesses to complete an online survey to demonstrate the demand for a better broadband service in Bradley Stoke and other parts of the district but seems to have forgotten to tell anybody about it!

A consultation entitled “Improved broadband for South Gloucestershire – Resident’s survey” began on Monday 28th November and runs until 31st December but, ten days in to the 33 day consultation period, the Council has not yet given the survey any credible publicity. [Ed: I've assumed the end date of 31st Dec 2012 should read 31st Dec 2011 - see comments below]

Whilst many residents of Bradley Stoke will question why the survey is needed, having already demonstrated a massive local demand through BT’s Race to Infinity competition a whole twelve months ago, the Council says the exercise is necessary in order to secure Government funding for broadband improvements in areas deemed unviable by commercial suppliers such as BT and Virgin Media.

A partnership formed of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire Council’s was assigned £1.4m for broadband infrastructure improvements by the Government in August and the Councils have been asked to submit a ‘local broadband plan’ as the first stage in the process of securing the cash. The Government money, which must be match-funded by the Councils, will be used to pay telecommunications companies to install superfast broadband in commercially unviable areas.

The current survey is being undertaken in order to gather evidence that (hopefully) proves there will be enough demand to generate sufficient revenue for the telecommunications providers once the equipment has been installed.

More: South Gloucestershire is "lagging behind", says Government Minister »

South Gloucestershire Council and the Town Council are reminding local youngsters about the ‘Youth Needs Survey‘ currently being conducted in Bradley Stoke.

The consultation was started after the two Councils jointly decided to close the town’s only youth club at the Brook Way Activity Centre with effect from the end of October, a move which led to Southern Brooks Community Partnership having to make 13 youth workers redundant.

Interim measures put in place by South Gloucestershire Youth Services since the beginning of November have seen youth workers engaging with youngsters on the streets and the staging of organised sessions including DJ-ing, circus skills, skating, football and music.

To help encourage young people to give their views, an event was recently organised at Bradley Stoke Skate Park, where youth workers gave out copies of the survey to help promote the consultation.

The consultation is open to all 10 to 19-year-olds who live in Bradley Stoke and it runs until 17th December.

Cllr Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, said:

“Your answers are important to us because it means that we can use them to shape new services that appeal to more of you and provide something for everyone to enjoy.”

More: "Biggest-ever consultation on youth services", says Mayor »

A public meeting in Bradley Stoke on Tuesday night (29th November) will see Councillors decide how to spend the area’s allocation of £50k for local transport schemes.

The meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) Southern Brooks Area Forum, at the Jubilee Centre (7pm start) will consider a total of 28 potential schemes, proposed by residents, Councils, Councillors and schools.

Seven of the proposed schemes lie within the Bradley Stoke town boundaries, these being:

• Kerb works near Pear Tree Roundabout on Woodlands Lane
• Improved school signage in Breaches Gate, near Baileys Court Primary School
• Noise and speed reduction measures in Woodlands Lane, near Woodlands Park
• Speed reduction measures in Ormonds Close, near Bowsland Green School
• Introduction of a pedestrian crossing on Brook Way between Braydon Avenue and Baileys Court Road
• Cycle track measures in Webbs Wood Road, near St Mary’s Primary School
• School ‘keep clear’ markings and traffic orders in Webbs Wood , near St Mary’s Primary School

The Bradley Stoke schemes are pitched against five from Filton, five from Patchway, six from Stoke Gifford and five from Winterbourne.

More: Chances are slim as budget is massively oversubscribed »

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has revealed details of the interim youth provision measures it has put in place following its decision, jointly with Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC), to close the Brook Way Youth Club at the end of last month.

Youth workers will be going out onto the streets on three nights a week to engage with young people congregating at places such as the skate park and the Willow Brook Centre.

The street work will be supplemented by six hours of activity sessions each week – including DJ’ing, football and young women’s projects – taking place at Baileys Court Activity Centre and Bradley Stoke Community School.

Catherine Challinor, a full time youth worker for SGC, said the programme would remain in place until Christmas, after which it might be reviewed following feedback from service users.

Having taken the decision, back in July, to close the Brook Way Youth Club, the Councils have now finally opened a public consultation to ask young people which activities they would like to see provided in the local area. The survey, dubbed “the largest, most in depth consultation regarding youth provision in Bradley Stoke” by Mayor Ben Walker in a recent Town Council newsletter, was supposed to start in September but finally got underway on 1st November.

The Bradley Stoke Youth Needs Survey 2011 runs until 17th December. SGC says it will publish the results of the consultation by the end of January 2012 on its Youth Unlimited website.

More: 13 youth leaders made redundant following Councils’ decision »