Lozells Neighbourhood Forum Public Meeting

On Wednesday, 25^th May, I was delighted to attend the public meeting of the Lozells Neighbourhood Forum at Angelsey Infant School. I was very curious as well as nervous to learn of the attendance at the meeting as it was advertised to start at 9.00am. As I approached the entrance to the school hall where the meeting was taking place, I was pleased to see a queue of people, the majority of whom were women, waiting to gain entrance into the meeting. The attendance at the meeting was outstanding and I commend Lozells Neighbourhood Forum for thinking out of the box and organising a meeting at that time to target a specific group who have in the past  been disengaged.

The meeting had a busy agenda but was efficiently Chaired by Sister Helen Ryan. I was asked to speak at the meeting about my role as a Councillor and what I would be doing for my constituents. Below is a video recording of what I had to say [apologies for the poor sound quality]. I talked about cuts to front line services affecting many services in the ward but emphasised the role of local residents to stand united at these difficult times.

The Cherry Tree Children’s Centre, Lozells Methodist Community Centre, Bangladeshi Youth Forum, Angelsey School, St Francis School and BEEAZ all advertised their forthcoming activities. These organisations and schools play an imperative role in the local community. I myself have a strong understanding of the third sector and look forward to supporting these organisations as much as possible in my new role.

Lozells Neighbourhood Forum also promoted the www.lozells.info website which is an excellent tool for community engagement. The Forum also have a competition running for someone to design their logo. I have pledged to personally donate £50 towards the winning prize.

It was good to see PCSO Rob Capella return from a long injury lay-off and join PCSO Zoe Bishop in delivering their presentation to the meeting. West Midlands Police face a challenge to sustain their good work during tough times with cuts to their resources. I, like the local Police, am concerned at the number of street robberies taking place including chain snatches. Please note, recession has increased the price of gold. However, I am pleased to learn of the number of arrests being made by the Police and encourage all local residents to report all crime and any suspect activities to the local Police team on 0345 113 5000.

A discussion also took place on cuts to the education sector, both in schools and in adult education. I subsequently had a meeting with the Principle of City College Birmingham to discuss the relationship between the college and community. I was impressed with the commitment of the college and look forward to further such meetings with FE providers.