Bricknell Avenue litter bin

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the replacement of a damaged litter bin in front of the Bricknell Avenue shops.

We were delighted to see, during the course of our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum, to see that our prolonged pressure on the corporate centre has finally borne fruit with the fitment of a metal bin – hopefully more resistant to mindless vandalism than the other sort – in a location where one might expect there to be high demand for somewhere to get rid of snack and drinks packaging. We are of course prepared to replace any such bin which is damaged to the extent that the old one on this site was and we will continue to keep an eye on the new one as well.

Hartoft Road flats entry system

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to arrange for a new secure entry system for the Hartoft Road flats.

As is often the case, we and the officers find ourselves with funds under certain budget headings we didn’t have a use for before but we have one now.  This is why we have been holding discussions with the appropriate officers as to whether, without compromise to service provision in the new financial year, we can spend most of the rest of one particular little budget on providing new security doors. We are hoping to draw on our experience with a similar project some years ago on Appleton Road to ensure the problems experienced with that system do not recur here.

Southfield Road land transfer

John Fareham and John Abbott have the latest information on the transfer of surplus Council land to residents of Southfield Road.

Having been asked by some local residents what was causing delays, we asked NPS, who handle such matters on behalf of the Council, to tell us why there was a problem. They replied that 36 households had been offered land of which 29 had signed the necessary paperwork.  Of the other 7, technicalities such as proving sole ownership, confirming the existence of planning permission and solicitors dawdling over the return of paperwork were among the causes of delay, whilst some households turned down the offer of the land necessitating the making of arrangements for others to be offered the land.  The officers are, we are assured, working closely with NPS to make sure the situation is sorted out as soon as possible.

Fairfax Avenue fly tipping

John Fareham and John Abbott have worked with officers to arrange for the removal of bags of rubbish fly-tipped on Fairfax Avenue.

Local residents contacted the Guildhall to complain about this problem and their complaints were passed on to us. We  checked the specifics with local residents and then passed the details on to the officers. They in turn passed the matter on to their enforcement team and the rubbish in question, which comprised four bin bags of pop bottles and the like, has now been removed. If there is any more rubbish dumped like this instead of disposing of it properly, we are of course entirely prepared to assist once again with getting rid of it.

Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge - mural in the offing?

John Fareham and John Abbott report that discussions are to be held regarding the possibility of a mural being painted on the Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge.

Whilst there are clearly other matters relating to this bridge to be resolved, including restoring the lighting and dealing with the mess that the local pigeon population leave behind, we are nevertheless prepared to discuss with the councillors for the ward on the far side of the bridge the provision of appropriate decorations for the bridge to take the place of worn out paintwork and mindless graffiti. The meeting is to take place early in January and we will of course report back on its outcome when that is known.

New sandwich van for National Avenue

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Council’s Licensing Committee have approved an application from Cooplands to operate a van selling hot food and sandwiches from a location on National Avenue near the Ideal works.

This van will stop briefly at a wide range of locations across the city and remain at each of its numerous stopping points for some five to ten minutes. The stop here is scheduled to begin at 10.55 a.m. When consulted about this as ward councillors, we were both broadly relaxed about the general idea but we asked that the number if stops within the ward be reduced from three to one.  Since we were asked about this some time ago Cooplands accepted that three different stopping points round here made less sense than one. John Abbott was therefore prepared to support the passage of the application and it duly went through.

Barrington Avenue street light design principles

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that the detailed design of the Barrington Avenue street lighting scheme conforms to the needs and preferences of local residents.

The installation of additional lamps to cover tenfoot entrances has already been agreed on as a result of the consultation process and whilst some element of mathematical calculation will be involved, there is no risk of lamp standards either blocking drives or having lights shine into houses.  In all the previous lighting schemes we have implemented, only once has it been necessary to shield a lamp. As to the timing of the works, for obvious reasons they are not likely to be carried out in the winter but they could take place next spring so as to ensure a seamless transition from the old street lights to the new.

The Woodlands carriageway funding

John Fareham and John Abbott report that, in common with other proposed carriageway works, the resurfacing of pavements in The Woodlands is likely to be carried over until 2017-18.

We made enquiries after the meeting of Wyke Area Committee at which figures for the overall cost were presented in order to ascertain when the works were likely to be carried out and what stage had been reached with the procedures described in the meeting papers as “investigation”.  We were informed that the officers were currently uncertain as to what budget they would receive for the new financial year and could not therefore comment at this stage as to when they could go ahead.  This is not exactly perfect news but equally it would not be unprecedented for officers to find, late in the financial year, that they had more money left than they thought and needed ways of spending or at least committing it sharpish.  We are therefore not giving up hope and will continue to pursue the matter.

Loveridge Avenue carriageway funding

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the tentative proposals for carriageway works on Loveridge Avenue are likely to fall under the 2017-18 highways budget.

As we started previously, we are working with the officers to ensure that these proposals are implemented.  Our latest information is that the officers cannot guarantee that these schemes, for which provisional budgets have already been calculated, will go ahead until their budget allocation for next year is known.  We will therefore continue for these works to be given serious consideration; after all the hoo-hah with orange barriers, diverted  buses and all that in the City Centre it is about time other parts of the city got their fair share of highways funding.

Chanterlands Avenue carriageway works funding

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the tentative proposals for carriageway works on Chanterlands Avenue between Goddard Avenue and the roundabout are likely to fall under the 2017-18 highways budget.

As we started previously, we are working with the officers to ensure that these proposals are implemented.  Our latest information is that the officers cannot guarantee that these schemes, for which provisional budgets have already been calculated, will go ahead until their budget allocation for next year is known.  We will therefore continue for these works to be given serious consideration; after all the hoo-hah with orange barriers, diverted  buses and all that in the City Centre it is about time other parts of the city got their fair share of highways funding.

The Woodlands footpath reinstatement

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure footpath reinstatement on The Woodlands.

Given that both sides of Goddard Avenue have had their footpaths resurfaced, it only seems reasonable to pursue similar action here. Papers for the most recent meeting of Wyke Area Committee listed a scheme for The Woodlands as one of those “under investigation” although a figure for how much it would cost was given in the papers.  We will of course continue to pursue the scheme as we think such work is long overdue; as soon as we have any information as to whether or when the plan will go ahead we will of course let local residents know.

Briarfield Road traffic regulation order

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a final decision on whether or not to proceed with a Traffic Regulation Order for Briarfield Road will be taken by the Council’s Wyke Area Committee at its meeting on Wednesday January 18^th.

We have consulted repeatedly and extensively on these proposals and we have of course kept local residents informed throughout the entire process. However we and the officers agree that the time has come to make and implement the decision and the matter will therefore come before us and our colleagues in January. For those who want to read the papers we will have at the meeting, they should be downloadable five working days before the meeting. We would like to thank all the local residents who have taken part in the consultation process; we will report on the Committee’s decision when it is known and also on the timeframe for the necessary works.

County Road North junction markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the remarking of the Keep Clear signs on the road at the junction of County Road North and National Avenue.

We received representations from local residents to the effect that other local markings such as these were in need of renewal. We therefore took the matter to the officers as soon as we heard about them and, having heard from the corporate centre that those markings were to be re-done, we checked with the officers that these were going to be repainted too. At first we were given to understand that some such thing as national guidance would preclude the work being done, but they were good enough to clear that up and we can now confirm that three such sets of markings in the immediate vicinity are all to be repainted. The work may not be done immediately, for weather-related reasons, but the contractors are certainly under instructions to carry it out.

Keep Clear markings to be reinstated

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the remarking of the Keep Clear markings at the junction of Briarfield Road and National Avenue.

“We were given to understand that other markings were to be attended to and we asked when these were to be done. The contractors have been instructed to repaint these markings and others nearby as soon as the climatic conditions permit which may not, given the current weather, be for some time.  We were initially given to understand that national guidance precluded this work but we have since been informed that this was not correct and that the work will go ahead as soon as the climatic conditions, and in particular those relating to moisture, are correct.

Grammar School Road tree trimming

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the trimming of Grammar School Road trees.

There are places within this ward where tree trimming is a matter of keeping sap and worse off cars; places where properly trimmed trees are essential for sufficient daylight to enter local residents’ homes; and places like this where tree maintenance is simply prudent.  We therefore arranged that these trees should be trimmed at the same time as concerns about trees that were interfering with light in another street nearby were being addressed. Once trimmed, of course, trees do grow back as long as they are healthy but, wherever local residents are concerned that trees are getting too big for their roots, we will refer that matter to the Council’s tree experts with a request for the appropriate professional action.

National Avenue Keep Clear markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the reinstatement of National Avenue Keep Clear markings.

We received representations from local residents to the effect that these markings were in need of renewal. We therefore took the matter to the officers as soon as we heard about them and, having reminded them about it in response to further enquiries from local residents during our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum, we can now confirm that we have been informed that the contractors who carry out work such as this on behalf of the Council had already been chased up on this matter and that the markings would be reinstated in due course as soon as possible.

Cancellation of Service 23 bus route

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the East Yorkshire service 23 has now ceased to operate.

East Yorkshire were able to operate the service on an experimental basis using vehicles already allocated to school contract services. However, passenger take-up of the service was not sufficient to warrant its continuing to be used and the service is therefore ceasing operations.  We are of course working with officers to arrange for the bus stops which will no longer be used to be available as additional parking spaces, which will mean ensuring that the Council’s parking enforcement people are also firmly in the loop and know not to ticket any cars parked there.

Skelton Avenue trees

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the trimming of Skelton Avenue trees.

Local residents asked that we got the trees trimmed as they were interfering with light levels in their homes. We therefore contacted the officers to ask that a task of relatively modest proportions such as this be carried out as soon as possible. As residents will by now have seen, the work was carried out on November 23^rd, the day of our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum, and we hope that residents will thus be able to enjoy the full benefit of the works they asked for in the first place.

Prospects for Goddard Avenue open land

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that the open land behind Goddard Avenue is to remain as open land in the draft of the Council’s revised City Plan to be submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

A report submitted to the November meeting of the Planning Committee – and to other committees as well – confirms that although representations were submitted asking for several pieces of open land to be reclassified as housing land, it was decided not to take these ideas on board. The draft City Plan will thus go off to the Secretary of State for approval and, if it gets the thumbs up, the Council will then have a good excuse to tell any developers with designs on these patches of land that approving their applications would be directly contrary to the City Plan.  Long-term readers of CONTACT! who remember the previous attempt to build houses on this land may suspect that we would derive pleasure from being allowed to do precisely that. We of course could not possibly comment.

Barrington Avenue period street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott reaffirm their commitment to replacing the obsolete Barrington Avenue street lights with ones of appropriate period appearance.

At no point have we been interested in, or committed to, replacing Barrington Avenue street lights with anything other than new lamps of old-fashioned appearance. Indeed, we took considerable care last time we replaced street lights like Barrington Avenue’s to canvass the options thoroughly, look at all the available designs within the Council’s price range, and to buy, having conferred with local residents first, the ones we and they liked best.  Street lamps dating from 1930 or thereabouts are being replaced elsewhere and a reasonable chance exists of finding period-style street lamps which we might expect to find favour with local residents as an acceptable second best to keeping the same lamp standards indefinitely.

Chanterlands Avenue North pavements campaign

Loveridge Avenue pavements

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure the resurfacing of Loveridge Avenue pavements.

We appreciate that other matters may be prevalent in local residents’ thoughts, but we think it is not inconsistent with attending to those to look into important but unrelated matters. We have therefore been applying pressure to the officers to ascertain whether the state of these pavements is, in their opinion as in ours, in need of remedial measures and, if so, what steps they propose to take to remedy the matter.  We understand that they are now looking into the matter and, when we know what action they propose to take, we will of course report further on the matter.

Resufacing of Windsor Road pavements

John Fareham and John Abbott report that slurry sealing of Windsor Road pavements is due to start on site at the beginning of February.

Papers for the November meeting of Wyke Area Committee listed all the highway works, whether to pavements or carriageways, recently carried out or due to be carried out in the near future. The Windsor Road works were put into the programme in June and cover the stretch from the junction with County Road North to no. 89 on the odd numbered side and to no. 56 on the even numbered side.  It goes without saying that if we receive any more specific details as to the timing of this work we will of course let you know.

Newland Park street sweeping

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured an undertaking that efforts will be made to ensure Newland Park streets will be swept before student and other parking begins in the morning.

For some time we have been pressurising the officers to accept the obvious – namely, that if street cleansing here is to achieve the best possible results, that cannot be attempted at any time of day when non-resident vehicles belonging to students and others are around.  Far better, we have long contended, to do the job before all those vehicles get here since of course residents park, for the most part, on their own drives. We raised this matter yet again at Wyke Area Committee and finally received, after rather prolonged pressure, and undertaking that the officers would take our views back and arrange for what we wanted to be done.

Resurfacing of Cottingham Road pavements

John Fareham and John Abbott report that slurry sealing of Cottingham Road pavements is due to start on site at the beginning of February.

Papers for the November meeting of Wyke Area Committee listed all the highway works, whether to pavements or carriageways, recently carried out or due to be carried out in the near future. The Cottingham Road works were put into the programme in June and cover the stretch on the Bricknell Ward side of the road from Chanterlands Avenue North to Kenilworth Avenue.  It goes without saying that if we receive any more specific details as to the timing of this work we will of course let you know.

Chanterlands Avenue rail bridge lighting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings that the electrical lighting under the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge will be restored.

We have arranged for the state of the lighting to be investigated after complaints were received from local residents who attended a pioneering and trail blazing local forum we conducted in October.  It has now been discovered that the wiring was disconnected and that it will be necessary to arrange, in consultation of course with Network Rail however long that may take,  for its reconnection.  It goes without saying that any and all matters relating to street lighting are ones which we take very seriously indeed and which we are intent on ensuring that the corporate centre act upon.  Equally, we will remain grateful to any local residents who draw such matters as this to our attention – not all of our frequent visits to the ward are conducted at hours when working street lights are on and malfunctioning ones are not.

Barrington Avenue and other grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for a review to be undertaken of locations where vehicles have been damaging grass verges, as they have been on Barrington Avenue, and for additional rocks to be situated or planting to be undertaken to address the problem.

We understand and appreciate that not all motorists have first class access to convenient parking spaces.  However, chewing up grass verges is not the most orderly of solutions to the problem, and we are therefore working with the officers to ascertain where efforts to prevent the problem from recurring can do the most good. We suspect we know the answer already, and it may well be that you do too, but it will be necessary to conduct the review first and then plan for the allocation of resources to combat the problem.

School playing fields allotments

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for a consultation exercise to be carried out into the possibility of setting up further allotments on the former Newland  Avenue Primary School playing fields.

Residents will, in the near future, be receiving a letter from the Council seeking to ascertain whether they would be interested in creating a community allotment site on the old school playing fields. If residents wanted to go ahead with the scheme it would thus become the third phase of our attempt to increase the number of allotments in the ward; some vacant Housing Department land on County Road North and parts of the Bakers Field land behind Huntley Drive have already been put into use on this role and, whilst the supply of available land for this purpose is of course very limited indeed, as an allotment holder myself I want more local residents to have access to an allotment of their own if they want one.

Cropton Park half term activities

John Fareham and John Abbott arranged for informal activities for children to be available on Cropton Park during the school half term break.

This is of course not the first time that we have acted on our long term priority of increasing the availability of activities for children in the area. We know that half-term is not the broadest possible canvas on which to plan such activities, but we have high hopes that children in pursuit of something more interesting than several days with a games console might have found the activities we arranged to have laid on for them of use and interest.  Given that Bricknell ward is not exactly overwhelmed with large amounts of open play space, it seemed and still seems to us sensible to get expert help in ensuring that children looking to enjoy their half-term breaks, last month and in the future, to the full should have all the help we can manage to arrange in doing exactly that.

County Road North and National Avenue cyclists on the pavement

John Fareham and John Abbott are working with the Police to resolve issues with cyclists riding on the pavements of County Road North and National Avenue.

As regular readers will of course know we have been working on this matter for a considerable time and Police Community Support Officers have now been asked to undertake initiatives on the question of cycling on the pavement which has been identified as being a particular nuisance around the County Road North – National Avenue junction. Police officers and Council officers from the local Area Team will also be taking part in work on this issue. Cycling on the pavement is illegal for a reason and both of us have been buzzed by cyclists who really should know better. We hope therefore that, whilst not a solution to this problem that will last for all eternity, a joint Council-Police initiative on this issue should at least go some way towards reducing the problem.

Barrington Avenue street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for the replacement of Barrington Avenue street lights.

As previously mentioned the lamp standards date originally from 1930 and are thus sufficiently past their sell-by date to figure in the corporate centre’s own plans for a citywide replacement of street lights with LED lamps. However, in the light of the concerns expressed by some local residents about the effect of removing the current lamp standards from an aesthetic standpoint, we have elected to find the money for suitable replacement lamp standards. Whilst we have yet to agree with the officers on a specific design of lamp standard, those who have cause to look at the new lamp standards we had installed on Allderidge Avenue may be ahead of the game in speculating what the new lamp standards might look like.

Cropton Park play equipment

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for the replacement of old and damaged play equipment on Cropton Park.

This of course reflects the importance we attach to adequate play equipment being provided for the use of local children.  We have also asked the officers to arrange for the prevention of vehicles getting onto the playing field as this is as much a maintenance issue in its own way as problems withy vandals contributing to the disrepair of the play equipment. We have also received a undertaking that, as soon as the proposals have been agreed upon, we will be furnished with copies for our consideration. At that stage in the process we hope to be able to provide local residents with details of exactly what is proposed and to invite residents to express their opinions.

Fairfax Avenue dustcarts

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working to resolve issues with malfunctioning dustcarts dropping quantities of refuse down Fairfax Avenue tenfoots.

We received reports from local residents to the effect that dustcarts were Leaking large amounts of rubbish  down local tenfoots in a manner not conducive to the safety of children and others.  We therefore referred the matter to the officers as soon as we heard about it and were subsequently informed that a smaller Scarab street cleaning vehicle had been sent to clear up the mess and that the vehicle used for emptying bins had been recalled to the depot for repairs. This may or may not be a one-off problem, and the vehicle concerned may equally well be repaired completely, but we remain concerned about the possibility of a recurrence of these problems and will of course refer them to the officers for action again if they recur.

Future YPI planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott report that preliminary discussions have taken place regarding a possible planning application to build further accommodation on the former YPI sports grounds.

No formal planning application has been submitted as yet but preliminary details suggest that the plan will be for what the prospective applicants call “a small complex of high quality, single occupancy accommodation aimed towards professionals working in the city, sports scholars or post graduate students”. The proposals before us received a less than warm welcome from those members present, some of whom, including myself, feel that this would be a more sustainable sporting venue if it drew on the funds available from national sporting bodies to upgrade the facilities instead of embarking on the slippery slope towards becoming a housing estate by stealth.

Service 9 new timetables

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Stagecoach Service 9 bus will operate according to new timetables from October 30^th.

Except to note in passing that certain parts of East Hull including Dorchester Road will no longer be served by the 9, this is perhaps not the place to attempt a detailed comparison between the old and new timetables. We are however assured that Stagecoach staff on the interchange are expecting revised timetable leaflets to be received by them, and to be available to the travelling public, in time for the changes taking effect; presumably the new timetables will also be downloadable in due course, hopefully also before the new timings are implemented.

Abbotsford Close hedges

John Fareham and John Abbott have addressed concerns about overhanging hedges impinging on pedestrian access to and from Abbotsford Close.

We received complaints from local residents to the effect that these hedges were projecting too far to be compatible with pedestrian access in general and access for those with pushchairs in particular.  We therefore  furnished the officers with photographic evidence of the scale of the problem and they now report that suitable machinery has been used to trim back the hedges.  We understand the concerns of those who think the trimming was too abrupt or excessive but officers have undertaken to look into this on our behalf; foliage of course will grow back in time and we will continue to observe how thick or thin it is in case it requires further attention in the future.

Hayburn Avenue planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of a planning application to turn a small area of amenity land on Hayburn Avenue into part of a private garden.

Details of this application are now available to view on the Council website; you can access the details most easily by using the reference number 16/01389/COU which you would also be well advised to quote when contacting the Council if you wanted to express an opinion on the application.  If indeed you do want to express a view for or against the application you can either e-mail dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk or write to Planning Services, Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA in time for your comments to be received by 4 November 2016.

Stagecoach Service 9 to survive

John Fareham and John Abbott are delighted to report that, as a consequence of the negotiations between Hull City Council and the bus operators, Stagecoach Service 9 will continue to run and will continue to connect Bricknell Estate with the City Centre.

The East Hull portion of the Service 9 route will cease to operate as that part of town is well enough provided with buses. Our part, however, will continue for the time being to connect Bricknell Estate with both the City Centre and Cottingham, though the possibility exists that East Riding of Yorkshire Council will stop subsidising the bit between the Estate and Cottingham. If they do, the service will then carry on as a service, on what remains of the current route, between the Estate and the City Centre. A decision on that aspect of the matter will be reached early next year, presumably a part of their budget-setting process, and when the outcome is known we will of course pass the details on to local residents.

Hotham Road North planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of a planning application to build two one-bedroom flats above the retail unit and post office at the junction of Fairfax Avenue and Hotham Road North.

Full details of the planning application are now available on the Council website; the quickest way to access them is to go to the Public Access section of the Planning page and use the application reference number 16/01317/FULL to call them up.  If residents then have any opinions either for or against the application, they should either e-mail dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk or write to Planning Services, Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA in time for their comments to be received by 26 October 2016.

Fairfax Avenue white box markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have ascertained the purpose of the new white box markings on Fairfax Avenue.

We received queries from local residents as to the purpose of these markings and made enquiries of the officers as to why they were being installed.  The local residents concerned had asked the workmen about this but had not been satisfied with the answers. What the officers told us – which was broadly in line with our expectations – was that these boxes are meant to show motorists, who are limited as to how long they can park there, where they are supposed to park within the hours they are allowed to park there.  It therefore follows from this that putting these markings down is an integral part of the process of marking all the lines that go with the TRO. We will of course take an interest in how the TRO works out in practice and will be prepared to react to any problems with it that may come to light.

Loveridge Avenue highway works

John Fareham and John Abbott report that further  highway survey work and further consultation are to be undertaken on Loveridge Avenue.

Comments received from local residents during the formal consultation exercise suggest that some are concerned about questions of access and parking. Further exploratory surveys on the even numbered side at the low numbered end have uncovered no evidence that possible means of resolving these issues are not capable of being implemented.  As soon as we reach the point where these conclusions can be translated into a plan of action we will of course pass on details to local residents.

West Bulls junction and Service 3 again

John Fareham and John Abbott report that East Riding of Yorkshire Council have agreed to look into the possibility of remodelling the West Bulls junction so as to permit the passage of Stagecoach service 3 on its way out and thereby to allow for the possibility of the bus ceasing to travel via Hotham Road North.

This is not by any means a quick fix, as East Riding themselves have been prompt to point out, but it is light at the end of the tunnel and we would like to thank our Conservative Group colleagues on East Riding Council for their part in getting us this far. Various local residents have also pulled their weight, as of course have we, and we will of course report on any progress that has been made as and when we hear about it.  Relations between their transport officers and ours improved considerably when it was drawn to their attention that the roadworks up the road were not a purely East Riding consideration and this too may have helped get us this far.  Things have certainly improved since ERYC were hiding behind “accident statistics” of highly limited relevance; the basic principle that something needs to be done, given the unsuitability of Hotham Road north as part of the bus route, would appear to have been accepted. It therefore remains to resolve the technical issues, such as they may be, draw up a scheme and get it approved; we have of course asked East Riding to attend to these matters as expeditiously as they can.

Cottingham Road slurry sealing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a plan for slurry sealing Cottingham Road pavements will be put into effect between now and July 2017.

According to papers for the September meeting of Wyke Area Committee, this plan is currently at the stage of being priced and no exact start date has been agreed, but of course, as soon as we do know when the work is due to start we will let local residents know. This will not of course be the first such scheme to be undertaken – a stretch further along has already been done – but in the light of the pressure we have applied over the years for more to be done to maintain acceptable standards of paving around here, we feel this initiative is very much to be welcomed.”

Bricknell Avenue resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that an additional carriageway resurfacing project to do the road surface between Strathcona Avenue and the City boundary has been formulated as a consequence of consultations with East Riding Council about the work they are currently undertaking.

Work is due to commence on site during October2016- we do not have a specific start date yet but we will pass it on when we do.  Papers for the September meeting of Wyke Area Committee confirm that the officers have been talking to their East Riding colleagues, which we very much welcome in the light of the ongoing conversation we have been having with East Riding about the West Bulls junction and the implications of this for public transport.  We continue to receive comments from local residents about issues relating to traffic vibration; we hope this new scheme will, limited as it may be in scope, be a useful contribution to reducing  that problem.

Commonwealth Homes pest control

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the maggots and bluebottles that have been causing problems in Commonwealth Homes should be dead by now.

Our latest information is that the food waste on which the insects and prospective insects have been feeding has been removed and, in its absence, the insects should only have been able to survive for seven to ten days.  The warden has been made aware of the circumstances and, if no further food is prepared in the communal area, what has in effect been an underfloor maternity hospital for creepy-crawlies should be closed down, hopefully for good. Of course insects cannot be totally relied on never to return, but one does rather hope they will take the view that richer pickings are to be had elsewhere and make their movements accordingly. If, however, they do not then we and the officers will work once more to resolve the problem.

Bricknell Avenue road works

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Phase 1 of the East Riding Council roadworks on Bricknell Avenue was due to start on Monday 12^th September and Phases 1 and 2 were due to continue until Friday 16^th September.

What these works – or this part of the overall plan for the works — means is that Stagecoach’s Service 9 bus will be able to head into Hull as usual but not to get past the roadworks on the way out.  This means that the dates given above will be the principal dates for the 9 to be diverted, once an hour and in the mornings, afternoons and early evenings only, via Hotham Road North on its way to Cottingham.  We realise that this is not particularly welcome, but as previously stated, Stagecoach were more than a little reluctant to consider the alternative of sending the bus as far down as Fairfax Avenue to take an alternative detour.

Goodfellowship refuse collecting noise

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve issues with very early-morning noise from refuse contractors visiting the Goodfellowship public house.

We have received complaints from local residents to the effect that refuse lorries have been arriving at unreasonably early hours of the morning.  We have therefore contacted the refuse company we were given to understand were still servicing the pub and asked them not to call so early.  They told us that another company had taken over the contract and told us who they were; we have also now contacted the replacement refuse providers and asked them to be considerate of local residents’ needs in the matter of when they pick up rubbish and whether their arrival acts as an unwelcome early alarm call.

Bricknell Estate bus provision

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Hull City Council are withdrawing funding for Stagecoach Service 9 to cover Bricknell Estate but that negotiations are under way to provide an alternative off peak service.

As we previously reported, contract negotiations have been under way for a lower-cost bus subsidy provision.  This has resulted in the contract being awarded to East Yorkshire, but the contract does not cover Service 9. Officers have therefore begun negotiations with both local bus operators about diverting other services to cover Bricknell Estate during the daytime so as to provide continuity of service.  We for our part have emphasised the urgency of doing so in order to ensure continuity of public transport provision for the numerous elderly residents who need there to be a bus service of whatever kind to get them to the shops, the doctor’s surgery or other important destinations.

Ancaster Avenue fly tipping

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged to have motor vehicle parts that had been fly tipped on Ancaster  Avenue cleared away.

Fly tipping is of course against the law – thought perhaps it is less reprehensible to leave something on the grass verge pending its imminent disposal – so when fairly substantial parts of a car that had clearly, from the state of them, been damaged beyond economic repair were dumped on the grass verge in Ancaster Avenue, local residents drew them to our attention and asked for their removal.  We of course then referred the matter to the officers who discussed the matter and have, at the time of writing, arranged between themselves to go and get rid of them. This may or may not be an isolated instance – the question comes to mind of where the rest of that car may be – but whenever we find fly tipping going on, or have it drawn to our attention, we report it and the officers, who like rubbish just dumped on the pavement about as much as we do, will usually take the necessary steps to get the rubbish shifted.

Service 9 vehicle allocation

John Fareham and John Abbott have been liaising with Stagecoach to try and reduce the disruption caused to local residents by the passage of service 9 via Burniston Road outbound and Langdale Avenue inbound.

There are those elsewhere on the route –the frail and elderly, for example-for whom the service 9, in and of itself, is a potentially vital lifeline.  The recent issues over rerouting the 9 in connection with the roadworks on Bricknell Avenue have brought that sharply into focus.  We have however been holding discussions with Stagecoach as to whether it might be possible, given that bus magazines regularly report buses being transferred between one part of Stagecoach and the other,  to find smaller, lighter and less noisy vehicles more suited for use on the 9 in general and on the tight turn into Langdale Avenue in particular.  They have now undertaken to consult with their senior colleagues elsewhere to see if it is possible to find such vehicles elsewhere in the Stagecoach fleet and, if there are, to transfer them in.

Fairfax Avenue tree maintenance

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured a number of tree repair works on Fairfax Avenue. John Fareham says, “On receiving a number of different complaints from local residents about the state of the trees here, we referred them at once to the officers who now inform us that steps have either been taken or scheduled for the appropriate time of year. These are as follows:- Tree vandalised at nos. 170-172: All major branches were removed from this so it has been removed and a new one will be planted in the autumn or winter. Silver birch tree blown down at no.134: This had a large section of trunk still hanging there – it too has been removed and will also be replaced in the autumn or winter. Disused cherry tree at nos. 164-168: This was cut down but not replaced. A replacement will be planted in the autumn or winter. Leaning cherry tree near no. 60: This has fungus growing on it lower down. The tree’s health will be checked on and pruning undertaken as appropriate.”

Proposed Hotham Road North bus stop

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that a proposal exists for a bus stop on Hotham Road North. A public notice has indeed been issued for the erection of a bus stop on the even numbered side, outside no. 4. We appreciate that the presence of buses here is not welcome in the first place, and we are continuing to press for the bus to be re-routed, but this may have come impact on the effect caused by buses passing this way if they are obliged to slow down and stop to pick up or drop off passengers. Local residents may or may not agree with this theory; either way, comments should be sent to Hull City Council, Passenger Transport, Festival House, 93 Jameson Street, Hull HU1 3JJ quoting reference number BS123 to be received before 16th September. Once the results of the consultation are collated we will be asked to pass judgement on whether the proposal should go ahead.

Service 9 diversionary route

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of the diversions that will be taken by Stagecoach service 9 during the impending East Riding road works on Bricknell Avenue. During what East Riding call Phase 1a of the works, the bus will be unable to get to Bricknell Avenue from St Mary’s Avenue and will therefore go via Dent Road and Hotham Road North and from there to Cottingham. Thereafter every effort will be made to let the bus follow its usual outbound route. During the phase 3 of the works, the inbound route will divert via Cottingham Road and Fairfax Avenue to Bricknell Avenue and St Mary’s Avenue and then follow the usual route into town. The officers have undertaken to put up notices at all the bus stops affected which will remind residents what is going on for the duration.

Service 3 and 9 rerouting

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Stagecoach will be rerouting the Services 3 and 9 via Fairfax Avenue during of the roadworks on the Cottingham part of Bricknell Avenue. East Riding Council will begin shortly to dig up the road in places which mean that the bus to Cottingham cannot follow its usual route via St Mary’s Avenue and Bricknell Avenue. Discussions have taken place between ourselves, Stagecoach and officers of both councils resulting in the decision to use the less popular of the possible diversions - less popular with residents there and with us - via Hotham Road North for service 9 during an early stage of the works and, later on, to send service 3 via its earlier route straight up Hall Road. The changes will of course be temporary, which we hope will go some way towards consoling those residents concerned about the welfare of their cars’ wing mirrors; it will, however, temporarily connect Fairfax Avenue with Cottingham and large parts of East Hull.

Service 9 bus rerouting

John Fareham and John Abbott report that, as a result of East Riding of Yorkshire Council roadworks on Bricknell Avenue, the Stagecoach service 9 bus will be rerouted via Hotham Road North during the period of the roadworks. We have been discussing the matter in some detail with officers of both Hull and East Riding Councils and have made clear to all concerned that we would have preferred the diversion operated while Bricknell Avenue was being resurfaced to have gone via Fairfax Avenue – which was, of course, part of the route of the former Service 13. However Stagecoach chose, for operational reasons to do with service punctuality and the delay they thought would follow from sending the 9 back down Bricknell Avenue, to have the 9 follow the 3 along Hotham Road North. We realise this decision on their part will not be popular, but the diversion is temporary, for stage 1a of the works only, and the 9 will revert to its usual route when that part of the the works is completed.

Departure of National Avenue travellers

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the travellers who were camped out behind the former Booker premises on National Avenue have now left. As we said previously, the travellers were camped on private land so that it fell to others to have them moved on. We were given to understand that this was due to happen over the weekend. The officers have since checked that they have indeed left, but information as to where they are now is in short supply. However two caravans have since appeared at Priory Park and it is possible these may be some of the same travellers. If this is the case it may be a good sign for residents here and elsewhere – travellers may easily be aware of the likely procedural outcome if they camp on Council land in this ward and may prefer the chance of a slightly longer stay elsewhere.

National Avenue litter bin

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the installation of an additional litter bin on National Avenue. We have received complaints from local residents to the effect that the long gap between two existing bins on the even numbered side, one near the highest-numbered houses and the other further down near the industrial estate, is too big and that litter – much of it accumulating by courtesy of those travelling home from school – is becoming a problem. We therefore contacted the officers and arranged with them for an additional bin to be installed; they have agreed to do so and will be monitoring its use to ensure that its location is such as to optimise the effect it has on the litter problem.

National Avenue traveller encampment

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working with officers and others to remove an illegal traveller encampment behind the former Booker wholesale premises on National Avenue. This may not have been the biggest traveller incursion we have faced, comprising as it does only four vehicles, and it is not on Council land which means it is not our direct responsibility. However we have worked with the office to ensure that the owners of the land on which the travellers are encamped know they are there and we understand that the estate agents representing the landowners have already called bailiffs to move the travellers on some time this weekend.

Cropton playing fields graffiti

John Fareham and John Abbott have succeeded in having inappropriate graffiti removed from the facilities at Cropton playing fields. We have no intention of shocking anybody by quoting any of the scatological terminology used in some of this material; suffice it to say that when local residents assured us that these words and others were there, we reported the matter to the officers at once and then went to check the extent of the problem. Foul language has been deleted from the slides and arrangements are in hand to take a large, professional-sized graffiti-removing machine to the walls. Given that the appearance of such graffiti is not a regularly scheduled event, we will remain ready to pass on any further reports we receive from local residents as to problems like this in the future.

Rainhill Road electronic bus sign

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured repairs to the signal feeding the automatic bus sign outside Rainhill Road. John Abbott says, We noticed, and heard a number of residents complaining about, the absence of details of certain rather obvious bus services from those displayed on this device. For example it would show Stagecoach Service 9, which runs hourly, as imminent and would do likewise with EYMS service 23, but it was not showing Stagecoach service 3. Given the level of reliance which might be placed on this information being correct, we contacted the officers who passed the matter onto the appropriate technicians. They moved quickly so that details of the correct bus service were showing by mid-morning on the next working weekday.

Briarfield Road traffic proposals

John Fareham and John Abbott have consulted further with residents of Briarfield Road about the traffic regulation proposals. We circulated an edition of CONTACT! on the day of our mobile forum, just before the National Avenue stage of the event began, and several residents came to view the plans. If you weren’t one of them, but you would still like to see the plans and express a view on them, you can, as we have already said, visit the Area Team at the former Adult Education Centre on Park Avenue, gain admittance by the back door at which you ring the bell to get in, and look at the plans there. If you then find you have an opinion you wish to express, you should tell either the Area Team or ourselves by the end of August, as the matter will come to Wyke Area Committee in either September or October, depending largely on the time taken to prepare the Committee papers.

Goddard Avenue resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings that the work done last year on resurfacing pavements on the south side of Goddard Avenue will be upgraded to match that recently carried out on the north side. John Fareham says. “Both of us have been receiving complaints from local residents on the south side to the effect that whereas the opposite side had the ramps between the carriageway and the pavement resurfaced, their own side had not. We therefore contacted the officers and asked that the contractors be requested to remain on site and to undertake to such work as would be necessary to bring last year’s efforts up to the same standard as this year’s. They have now secured precisely such an undertaking that the necessary upgrades will be completed shortly.”

Bricknell Estate public transport

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems which may arise with Bricknell Estate public transport as a result of the carriageway works about to be undertaken at the Cottingham end of Bricknell Avenue. Without wishing to be unduly critical of our valued sub-regional partners, neither we nor Hull City Council’s officers who deal with such matters had any knowledge or notification of this until local residents attending our monthly mobile bus forum produced a copy from the Press of East Riding’s legal notice of imminent resurfacing works from Hotham Road North outwards. Naturally we at once contacted our own officers who in turn contacted East Riding. They say that they are having discussions with the bus companies as to how disruption to bus services can be avoided, but if disruption cannot be avoided, the works will go ahead anyway.

Bricknell Estate roofng programme

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Phase 2 of the Council’s roofing programme for 2016-17 will involve properties in Appleton Road, Bishop Alcock Road, Bowes Walk, Bricknell Avenue, Brompton Close, Cloughton Grove, Cropton Road, Dent Road, Grammar School Road, Hartoft Road, Hawes Walk, Hayburn Avenue, Helperby Walk, Hotham Road North, Hutton Close, Lythe Avenue and Marske Walk. A list of proposed start and finish dates is given overleaf, and the corporate centre will have notified all the specific properties affected, but the work should begin on the first houses concerned in mid-August and it is meant to be all finished by the end of October. Given the difficulties experienced with previous works undertaken on the estate, we stand ready to assist local residents with any related matters they may wish to raise with us. We do however hope that the undertaking of this work will reassure those local residents affected that both we and the corporate centre are committed to the long term future of this estate; some of the houses affected are Hull Council properties in Cottingham which should go some way towards reassuring them that they are not the “forgotten estate”.

Traffic regulation order

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that work on putting up signs and painting road markings to install the long-awaited traffic regulation order for Fairfax Avenue, Ancaster Avenue, Hotham Road North and Fairfield Road will begin early in August. The latest information we have from the officers is that the necessary legal paperwork is currently being sealed, with an operational date set for early in August. Orders have already been placed for the associated marking and signing work and, as soon as this work is completed, the traffic regulation order will take effect. The officers have placed on record their gratitude for our input into the process; we in turn would like to thank local residents for the exemplary patience they have displayed during the lengthy process of making this happen.

Wyke Area Committee and traveller stopping places

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured a recommendation that any proposed temporary stopping place for travellers will not be situated either in Bricknell Ward or in any other ward in Wyke Area. We were able to point out to the July meeting of Wyke Area Committee, wholly accurately as it happens, that every unallocated piece of open land was earmarked for housing, leaving none to spare for travellers. Neither Avenue nor Newland ward can spare any land for this purpose either, so if the corporate centre want a site for a stopping-off place for travellers, which is an idea former Police Commissioner Matthew Grove advocated, they will have to look elsewhere.

Cropton Park play provision

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that the maximum possible level of play provision is in place at Cropton Park during the school summer holidays. We are working closely with the officers to arrange that the council’s Sports Development team and other organisations proposing to hold such activities during the school summer holidays should choose Cropton Park as a venue. Given the estate’s relative proximity to the city boundary, it is all the more important that such facilities as these should come to local residents, not the other way round. Parents need to be sure that when their children go out to play, it is in the safest and most appropriate environment possible, and Cropton Park strikes us as exactly the kind of venue that would meet that specific requirement.

National Avenue and the Council's tree strategy

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of the Council’s arboricultural strategy as it applies to National Avenue. In its capacity as the local highway authority, the Council is responsible for managing the entire tree population on the city’s roads – all 29,000 of them. The Council have actively managed the tree population for the last quarter century and expanded it to provide good tree cover in the long term with healthy trees. The Norway Pine trees on National Avenue however are 50-60 years old and some are stunted while others are either past it or becoming nuisances by leaning over gardens and dropping things on pavements and kerbs. The officers assure us that they do not take chopping down trees lightly and will only do it when there is plentiful evidence that the specific trees are becoming a problem. In the case of National Avenue the plan is for selective felling of a few trees, pruning others and planting suitable replacements for the trees being felled.

Commonwealth Homes gutter clearing

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured action on blocked gutters at Commonwealth Homes. During the local election campaign we had this matter brought to our attention, took photos of the foliage growing in the gutters and sent them to the officers. We have now heard back from them that Housing Department staff have arranged for contractors to look into the matter; we look forward to hearing that the matter has been resolved at what one might term the sharp end and we will chase it up further if we hear nothing further within a reasonable timeframe.

Southfield Road resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that Southfield Road will be included in the forthcoming microsurfacing programme. Previously we were given to understand that Southfield Road had been dropped from the schedule of works as not being in a bad enough state to warrant its inclusion. Having seen that the papers for the July meeting of Wyke Area Committee included Southfield Road in the list of forthcoming works, we enquired of the officers whether their previous response was correct or whether the works were indeed to go ahead. They replied that they had recently re-inspected the road surface and concluded that the increasing level of surface irregularities warranted the inclusion of Southfield Road in the list of schemes and were confident that the outside contractors doing the work would be able to fit the work in with their activities elsewhere. When we have more details, such as when the work will be carried out, we will of course let residents know.

County Road North surface dressing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that County Road North is to be included in a programme of carriageway surface dressing works to be undertaken by the Council in the near future. The proposed works will encompass both the Bricknell Ward part of County Road North and the other part in Derringham Ward. The works on our side will stretch from the flyover to the former Hull City training ground. We do not have a start date for the work as yet but, given the potential impact they could have on local residents’ vehicular access to the other side of the bridge, when we do get a specific start date we will of course pass it on.

Goddard Avenue pavement resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that pavement resurfacing works are being carried out on the north side of Goddard Avenue. Every quarter Wyke Area Committee receives a report from the highways officers which gives a list of all schemes that are underway or due to begin. The papers for the July meeting included just such a list which stated the cost of the scheme and confirmed that work was due to start in mid-July. We are pleased to be able to confirm that the initiation of this work will make good on a promise we made some time ago when the south side pavements were resurfaced to the effect that we would secure reinstatement of north side pavements as well.

Rocks to protect Goddard Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the installation of sufficient rocks to protect Goddard Avenue grass verges. We now have confirmation from the officers that, in the opinion of local residents living nearby, the rocks now in place are quantitatively adequate to protect grass verges and that the practice of parking motor vehicles on the grass verge has thereby been rendered impracticable. It remains of course necessary and important to enforce the law in a matter of cycling on the pavement, which is a police matter, but the installation of these rocks and the effect reported to us by local residents as being in place will be a major first step towards not only protecting grass verges of ensuring that all elements of the traffic flow remain where they should be.

Replacement of damaged Hartoft Road bin

John Fareham and John Abbott have now secured the replacement of the burnt bin on Hartoft Road destroyed by vandals. We have leant more than once on the relevant officers to ensure that something was done about this. They have reported that the delay was attributable to the necessary paperwork going missing and that, after consultations between the local area team, with whom we have been working closely on this matter, and the corporate centre, the appropriate council team were asked to arrange for the removal of the burnt out bin as soon as possible. When they said this would be done, they were not sure that work schedules would allow for both parts of the job to be done at once, but in practice not only was that possible but the work was carried out promptly. Better still, the replacement bin provided is made of metal which ought to reduce or even eliminate the risk of fire damage.

National Avenue planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a planning application has been received to vary the design of previously approved changes to the buildings at the Ideal works on National Avenue. John Fareham says, ‘Further details of the application itself are available on the Council website; the applicants, having already been granted planning permission for their original designs, have submitted revised proposals which they think will be more attractive and more in keeping with the rest of the surrounding built environment. Local residents wishing to express an opinion, one way or the other, on these proposals, may as usual do so either by e-mailing dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk or by writing to Planning Services, Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA. The reference number for the application is 16/00900/RES and comments should be received by 22 July 2016.”

Allderidge Avenue planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott have agreed with officers that a planning application for extensions to a house in Allderidge Avenue is to be rejected. The officers gave consideration to the application when it was received and considered it appropriate to reject it as the proposed alterations were not acceptable in terms of either residential or visual amenity. They then asked us whether we preferred to have it rejected by the officers under delegated authority or to have the matter discussed in open Committee. We both replied that we preferred the former option and, provided the matter is not thereafter taken to appeal, that is where the matter can be expected to rest.

County Road North and Langdale Avenue road markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured an undertaking from the officers that the condition of County Road North and Langdale Avenue road markings will be kept under continuous observation. We have received complaints from local residents to the effect that, following resurfacing works some years ago, road markings had not been reinstated as one might have expected on the completion of those works. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who say that, whilst the markings are not yet in a sufficiently distressed condition to warrant immediate repainting, they will nevertheless revisit them in due time to see whether, by that time, they do need attention.

Service 9 bus consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of a forthcoming consultation exercise on the future of tendered bus services such as service 9 to Bricknell Estate. The consultation process will take place between now and the middle of July. Members of the travelling public who use the buses concerned – including a number of services in East Hull – will be invited to complete survey forms which will also be downloadable from the Council website and the websites of the local bus operators. The object of so doing is to gain a clearer picture of what bus passengers want and need in order to make sure that, when the tendering process begins to reprocure these services, the specifications will meet as accurately as possible the actual needs of bus users.

Bishop Alcock Road planning permission

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a planning application has been submitted in respect of reserved matters relating to the previous partial planning permission for 11 new houses on Bishop Alcock Road. The original planning application was approved last year subject to a lengthy list of conditions relating to materials. The applicants have now submitted drawings and the matter will come to Committee in due course for consideration of the remaining matters to be resolved. What this appears to suggest is a genuine commitment to putting this land, previously of course occupied by shops and flats, back into commission; in the light of some of the difficulties previously experienced with alcohol bottles and other packaging being left on site as litter, we cannot but hope that is the outcome that will follow if the Committee are satisfied with the proposals on the matters under discussion.

Cropton Park building works

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the establishment of a store and staff building for forthcoming re-roofing works on Bricknell Estate is expected to act as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour on Cropton Park. The contractors for the works have agreed not to bring a Portakabin with them and dump it on the grass verge but instead to use the currently-empty Cropton Park depot for storing equipment and providing staff facilities. When the programme details are finalised - dates and times have yet to be decided – we will of course pass them on, but for now it is hoped that the contractors’ offer to give the depot a lick of paint and improve security will act as deterrents to such previously observed forms of anti-social behaviour as youths climbing on the depot roof.

Bricknell Estate fly tipping

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the Cottingham end of Bricknell Estate to be included in a Council campaign to discourage fly tipping. Since members were told this campaign was going to happen members from all across the city have been asking for the affected parts of their wards to receive Council literature advising against fly-tipping and offering advice on how to dispose of rubbish responsibly. We for our part asked that this end of the estate, which has areas of open land that in the past have been open targets for irresponsible dumping, should be included in the mail shot; the officers told us that they weren’t sure they had ordered a large enough initial print run to allow for the inclusion of this part of the ward but that if they hadn’t, in the light of the demand from across the city, they would print some more and we could be sure of hereabouts being included on that basis.

Huntley Drive grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the cutting of overgrown Huntley Drive grass verges. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that overgrown foliage in the grass verges was getting out of hand. We therefore both passed on the complaints we received to the officers who told us that the grass would be cut within 48 hours. Of course once the grass has been cut it will begin to grow back but if there are any further complaints of this kind we will of course refer those to the officers as well. We will also pay particular attention to the tendency of large clumps of foliage to gather round street furniture as this is where the grass grows highest.

Huntley Drive grass verge trimming

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the cutting of overgrown Huntley Drive grass verges. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that overgrown foliage in the grass verges was getting out of hand. We therefore both passed on the complaints we received to the officers who told us that the grass would be cut within 48 hours. Of course once the grass has been cut it will begin to grow back but if there are any further complaints of this kinds we will of course refer those to the officers as well. We will also pay particular attention to the tendency of large clumps of foliage to gather round street furniture as this is where the grass grows highest.

Bricknell Estate bus tendering exercise

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that the Council’s tendering exercise for supported bus services turns out satisfactorily for residents of Bricknell Estate. In order to save money on subsidising buses – something on which the Council currently spends £300,000 every year – the corporate centre are re-tendering for the affected services. We have met with the officers to seek assurances that this will not unduly affect the frequency and quality of such routes as the service 9 and we have made additional representations on these matters, working with other opposition members, via the Scrutiny process. The tendering exercise will, as usual, take several months and if any changes are introduced, will happen before the end of October.

Hartoft Road bollard damage

John Fareham and John Abbott have initiated an investigation into claims that a Council refuse vehicle demolished one of the bollards surrounding the Hartoft Road shops. We received a report of this incident from local residents who saw it happen and have referred it to the officers with a request that they (a) find out how this came to happen and (b) take steps to have the bollard restored to its correct position. The officers have undertaken to have an investigation carried out; which part of the corporate centre makes good the damage will depend on the outcome of this investigation, but we will persist in insisting that, if it is the fault of council employees that this accident happened, then the corporate centre should take the necessary steps to repair the damage its own actions caused.

National Avenue tree trimming

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured initial undertakings with regard to tree trimming and removal works to be carried out on Norway Maple trees on National Avenue. As a result of various complaints about such matters as trees leaking sap onto house frontages and parked cars, to say nothing of birds finding abundant foliage convenient to nest in, with the inevitable resultant mess, we referred the matter to the officers. They have now informed us that it is proposed to get rid of four or five of the largest trees, specifically those causing the most nuisance. It is hoped that details of this work, together with trimming of other trees, will be available in the next few weeks; when we have this information we will of course pass it on.

Barrington Avenue tree planting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured undertakings of further tree planting in Barrington Avenue in the winter of 2016-17. Complaints from local residents to the effect that at least one tree blown down some years ago had yet to be replaced. We therefore raised the matter with the officers who tell us that they have plans to plant more trees in Barrington Avenue over the winter of 2016-17 and that they will pay special attention to where trees were blown down. It goes without saying that when we have fuller information about when and where trees will be planted we will of course pass those details on.

Cropton Park vandalism

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the police and others to take steps to prevent antisocial behaviour and vandalism on Cropton Park. We received complaints from local residents regarding youths misbehaving in the play area and of damage to Play Equipment we have therefore arranged through the local area team that they, in conjunction with the local community policing team and the neighbourhood nuisance team, will monitor any such issues on a continuing basis. It goes without saying that, especially in the light of the recent claims to the contrary, we do care about the state of maintenance of these playing fields, we have put funding into new equipment and we will take a serious view of any attempt at wanton destruction or damage where any play equipment is concerned.

Baker's Field allotment painting

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the painting of the perimeter fencing of the Baker’s Field allotments to blend in with the surrounding area. Working in conjunction with the officers, we arranged for a local conservation group to undertake this work. The green paint job is intended to harmonise the appearance of the fencing with the rest of Baker’s Field and the fencing has been painted both inside and out. Obviously, any coat of paint on any outdoor surfaces cannot be expected to last indefinitely, and when this one wears out we will need to arrange for a fresh coat of paint to be applied, but for now the fences have a protective coating that will last them for some time, and that is intended to improve their appearance considerably.

Goddard Avenue and the City Plan consultation process

John Fareham and John Abbott urge local residents on Goddard Avenue to play their full part in any future consultation exercise carried out by the City Council on the new City Plan. At a recent meeting of Planning Committee, members of different political persuasions were aghast to notice that the officers were still proposing to consult on maps showing both the privately owned and publicly owned parts of the land behind Goddard Avenue as available for housing purposes. All of the Committee rejected this proposal out of hand and asked that the maps be corrected accordingly, but what this seems to us to suggest is that unless local residents who feel strongly that this land should remain open say so loudly and clearly when the time comes, the same officer mindset that moved the area team from Newland Avenue to Park Avenue in order to make money on selling the former building might easily be applied, with unpleasant and inappropriate environmental consequences. We therefore urge residents to look out for any consultation forms they may be sent by the Council and to make the fullest use of them in expressing their views on this matter.

Burniston Road grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have sorted delays with the cutting of Burniston Road grass verges. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that the verges were getting overgrown and that they had not been cut for some time. For all that we had been given to understand that the corporate centre had set up regular schedules for grass cutting, we nevertheless referred the matter to the officers with a request that they resolve the problem. This was just before lunchtime; within a matter of hours we received confirmation from local residents that the verges had now been cut. It goes without saying that we take all matters like this seriously and, in previous years, have cited the level of dandelion growth as evidence that something needed to be done. Equally, if we receive any further complaints about the state of grass verges here, we will take such steps as are necessary to rectify the position.

Briarfield Road TRO again

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the consultation exercise on the traffic proposals for Briarfield Road will be advertised in the Press this week and notices put up to go with that. Papers for the May meeting of Wyke Area Committee stated that the consultation exercise would take place in the month of June, but the officers subsequently told us that the notice would appear in the Hull Daily Mail on Wednesday May 25th and notices would be posted in the street for the duration ofd the consultation period. We would wish to stress that if local residents decide not to approve the proposals prepared on our behalf by the officers, this does not preclude the preparation of an alternative scheme at some time thereafter. Others sought, during the recent local elections, to wilfully misrepresent both the proposals on offer elsewhere and the process by which those proposals had been arrived at. The proposals on which Briarfield Road residents will be asked to pass comment are precisely those which we arrived at with the officers on the basis of comments passed at that stage by local residents.

Hutton Close dog mess

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work to resolve problems with the disposal of dog mess in and around Hutton Close. We continue to receive reports that the bins in this vicinity are overflowing and that, contrary perhaps to our understanding of best practice, council employees are refusing to remove bags containing dog faeces. We have therefore referred our concerns about this being the case to the officers with some degree of incredulity and we will continue to pursue this matter as long as is necessary to achieve a solution. To our way of thinking, adding additional bins or increasing the capacity of the ones we have simply postpones the inevitable; arranging for the corporate centre to ensure that the bins are emptied regularly and correctly seems to us to be the way forward.

Loveridge Avenue traffic proposals

John Fareham and John Abbott wish to explain the principles behind the proposals for Loveridge Avenue traffic schemes. Council policy requires any resident wanting to acquire a dropped kerb to have a gap of at least 14ft. between the front of their house and the boundary of their property. This policy was set by the ruling Labour group; since no gardens on the north side of Loveridge Avenue are that long, we are trying to get round Labour policy so you can park on your property. . As John Fareham made clear at Area Committee, supported on matters of fact by the Council officers, neither we nor any officer of the council have said the proposals mean that those on the south side cannot apply, through the usual channels, for dropped kerbs at their own individual homes if their gardens are the right length. It is of course lamentable that others, in the pursuit of their own party political objectives, have suggested otherwise in defiance of the facts.