Minutes of Westbury on Trym Community Forum
held in Westbury Library on December 13th 2022
held in Westbury Library on December 13th 2022
1. Attendance and Apologies:
The Meeting was attended by approximately 24 residents, plus PC Steve Harding and PCSO Azim Wazir, together with all three of our local councillors – Geoff Gollop, Sharon Scott and Steve Smith. Apologies were received from four people who had prior commitments and six people joined the meeting by Zoom. Below is a brief résumé of the main points raised during the Meeting, including relevant external links:
2. Police Update:
Azim and Rob are the area PCSOs, while Steve is the beat manager. Steve went through a number of issues relating to the current crime statistics for Westbury and Henleaze.
There have been a number of thefts of electric bicycles, with the suggestion that many may be stolen to order. Garages are not secure enough in many cases, and the advice is to keep bikes in the house. If this is not possible, then you should seek to take the battery indoors, as this often amounts to half the value of the bike.
Similarly, garages and sheds are not good places to store Christmas presents or expensive items of food and drink, as they provide easy targets for casual thieves.
There have been instances of thieves managing to unlock cars which have “keyless” system for entry by signalling picking up and relaying a signal from key which the owner has “safely” indoors. This only applies to keyless entry cars, not those with remote locking/unlocking but a normal key. The advice is not to leave keys in the hallway or to use a “faraday bag” which acts as a signal shield – a cheap solution is a small metal tin.
Drinking in the village had been a corncern earlier in the year, but the problem has reduced of late. There is no issue with people drinking in a public place, provided they are not behaving antisocially
It was suggested that the level of shoplifting was much higher than shown in the monthly analysis, as shopkeepers did not have the time to report crimes which would not then be investigated. One suggestion was that a survey could be taken of shops, asking them for an estimate of losses for the last week.
The frequency of scams, by phone, mail and online, is ever increasing. The police have a number of advisory leaflets, copies of which are available in the library, but one immediate piece of advice was to never give your date of birth in a phone call that you didn’t initiate.
The question of whether to dial 101 or 999 was raised. The advice from the police is to use 999 if someone is being threatened or in danger and 101 in other cases. For example, if a “cold caller” turns up on your doorstep, but goes away quietly, then that would be a 101 call; if they become abusive or threatening, that would be 999.
One resident questioned the effectiveness of rehabilitation of persistent offenders. Steve Smith, who is a local magistrate, responded that many offences are committed by people to obtain money for drink or drugs, and they will only stop when they themselves want to change – and that is the time they will need support, both before and after release from prison.
3. Update from the Councillors
Sharon has been working with the relevant council department to ensure that drains are cleared of obstructions, such as fallen leaves. If residents have concerns, they should raise it via the “Fix My Street” website – www.fixmystreet.bristol.gov.uk – and also pass their concerns on to Councillors.
Geoff outlined the financial situation regarding the Budget Consultation which is currently taking place. The budget shortfall for the next four years is estimated to be at least £37 million and could be as high as £64 million. The document shows the proposed levels of cuts for each area of the budget for each of the next four years and asks participants to give their reaction – ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. However, the figures don’t include the current levels of funding, which makes it harder to visualise the likely impact of the cuts. Two areas are the libraries, where a cut of about £1.4 million is planned for 2024/5 out of a total budget of about £4.5 million and the parks, where a cut of £1.5 million is planned – the whole of the remaining budget! A third area that was mentioned was possible changes to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which may see the poorer people of Bristol having to pay at least 20% of the tax each year.
The Consultation period started in mid November and ends on December 23rd. The proposals can be found online at www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/budget-2023-24 and paper copies can be obtained by ringing 0117 922 2848
4. The Compassionate Friends
Amanda talked about the role of this organisation, which organises support groups for parents who have lost children of all ages. She hosts a group which currently meets in the evening at Redland library, providing a safe space to talk with others who have the same experiences and to be assured that it is OK to NOT be OK. All volunteers are provided with training and have DBS clearance. For further information, you can email Amanda at amamtcf@gmail.com and the organisation’s website is www.tcf.org.uk
5. Stoke Lodge Playing Fields
Helen provided an update on the ongoing attempt to get Village Green status for the playing fields At this point, evidence has been submitted and a judgement is expected in ten days time. In the meantime, the decision of Cotham School to install covert CCTV cameras to monitor the fence and surrounding area has caused a lot of controversy and Helen informed the meeting that the school has now been directed to remove them. One resident referred to the claims made by the school that they were concerned about vandalism and dog fouling; Helen’s response was that these claims were not included in the original submissions made by the school. The support group can be contacted at welovestokelodge@gmail.com and their website is www.welovestokelodge.co.uk/
6. Trees in Westbury
Stephanie gave an update on the situation regarding new and replacement trees for the area. As part of the redevelopment of the toilets, the new owners wanted to have the tree in front of them removed. Instead, a Tree Preservation Order was obtained, and this has been upheld after an appeal from the developers. Some funding is being provided for three new trees in Westbury, and two or three more will be provided from Stoke Bishop’s allocation as they have no suitable sites at present. Concerns were raised by one resident that when trees were planted in paved areas, the roots could cause problems with the tarmac surface, as has happened on Falcondale Road near the allotments. The general view of the meeting was that this should be dealt with by careful planting and pruning, rather than by wholesale removal of trees. At the end of her presentation, Stephanie announced that she was looking for someone to take over her role as “Tree Champion” for Westbury. She can be contacted at stephanie@srfrench.co.uk
7. Community Speedwatch
This is a group of volunteers who monitor and record traffic on particular roads, with arrangements being made by the police, following requests from members of the public. The police provide high-vis jackets and monitoring equipment, which they maintain. The group has a coordinator who arranges training and DBS clearance; volunteers are asked to do two sessions a month, for a couple of hours at a time, working in groups of 3 or 4. Records are kept of vehicle make, colour, registration and speed and these are fed back to the police, who take any necessary action. Members of the group are clearly visible and that, in itself, reminds motorists that there is a speed limit and acts as a deterrent to speeding. A question was raised about a speed sign on Canford Lane which was damaged in an accident and has not been replaced. Councillors responded that this was a matter for the Council and that, as yet, no funds had been made available for its replacement. For more information about speedwatch, visit www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/apply/community-speedwatch
8. Planning Matters
Andy started by referring to Bristol’s Local Plan, which was lat updated in 2019. The current consultation is about updates to the Plan to incorporate items from the WECA (West of England Combined Authority) plan and is open until January 20th.
Andy then gave a short analysis of various planning applications which have been decided recently. You can get more information on the Society’s website, www.westburyontrymsociety.org.uk
Toilet Block The current plan is to convert it into a cafeteria with (very limited) outdoor seating.
The Meeting was attended by approximately 24 residents, plus PC Steve Harding and PCSO Azim Wazir, together with all three of our local councillors – Geoff Gollop, Sharon Scott and Steve Smith. Apologies were received from four people who had prior commitments and six people joined the meeting by Zoom. Below is a brief résumé of the main points raised during the Meeting, including relevant external links:
2. Police Update:
Azim and Rob are the area PCSOs, while Steve is the beat manager. Steve went through a number of issues relating to the current crime statistics for Westbury and Henleaze.
There have been a number of thefts of electric bicycles, with the suggestion that many may be stolen to order. Garages are not secure enough in many cases, and the advice is to keep bikes in the house. If this is not possible, then you should seek to take the battery indoors, as this often amounts to half the value of the bike.
Similarly, garages and sheds are not good places to store Christmas presents or expensive items of food and drink, as they provide easy targets for casual thieves.
There have been instances of thieves managing to unlock cars which have “keyless” system for entry by signalling picking up and relaying a signal from key which the owner has “safely” indoors. This only applies to keyless entry cars, not those with remote locking/unlocking but a normal key. The advice is not to leave keys in the hallway or to use a “faraday bag” which acts as a signal shield – a cheap solution is a small metal tin.
Drinking in the village had been a corncern earlier in the year, but the problem has reduced of late. There is no issue with people drinking in a public place, provided they are not behaving antisocially
It was suggested that the level of shoplifting was much higher than shown in the monthly analysis, as shopkeepers did not have the time to report crimes which would not then be investigated. One suggestion was that a survey could be taken of shops, asking them for an estimate of losses for the last week.
The frequency of scams, by phone, mail and online, is ever increasing. The police have a number of advisory leaflets, copies of which are available in the library, but one immediate piece of advice was to never give your date of birth in a phone call that you didn’t initiate.
The question of whether to dial 101 or 999 was raised. The advice from the police is to use 999 if someone is being threatened or in danger and 101 in other cases. For example, if a “cold caller” turns up on your doorstep, but goes away quietly, then that would be a 101 call; if they become abusive or threatening, that would be 999.
One resident questioned the effectiveness of rehabilitation of persistent offenders. Steve Smith, who is a local magistrate, responded that many offences are committed by people to obtain money for drink or drugs, and they will only stop when they themselves want to change – and that is the time they will need support, both before and after release from prison.
3. Update from the Councillors
Sharon has been working with the relevant council department to ensure that drains are cleared of obstructions, such as fallen leaves. If residents have concerns, they should raise it via the “Fix My Street” website – www.fixmystreet.bristol.gov.uk – and also pass their concerns on to Councillors.
Geoff outlined the financial situation regarding the Budget Consultation which is currently taking place. The budget shortfall for the next four years is estimated to be at least £37 million and could be as high as £64 million. The document shows the proposed levels of cuts for each area of the budget for each of the next four years and asks participants to give their reaction – ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. However, the figures don’t include the current levels of funding, which makes it harder to visualise the likely impact of the cuts. Two areas are the libraries, where a cut of about £1.4 million is planned for 2024/5 out of a total budget of about £4.5 million and the parks, where a cut of £1.5 million is planned – the whole of the remaining budget! A third area that was mentioned was possible changes to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which may see the poorer people of Bristol having to pay at least 20% of the tax each year.
The Consultation period started in mid November and ends on December 23rd. The proposals can be found online at www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/budget-2023-24 and paper copies can be obtained by ringing 0117 922 2848
4. The Compassionate Friends
Amanda talked about the role of this organisation, which organises support groups for parents who have lost children of all ages. She hosts a group which currently meets in the evening at Redland library, providing a safe space to talk with others who have the same experiences and to be assured that it is OK to NOT be OK. All volunteers are provided with training and have DBS clearance. For further information, you can email Amanda at amamtcf@gmail.com and the organisation’s website is www.tcf.org.uk
5. Stoke Lodge Playing Fields
Helen provided an update on the ongoing attempt to get Village Green status for the playing fields At this point, evidence has been submitted and a judgement is expected in ten days time. In the meantime, the decision of Cotham School to install covert CCTV cameras to monitor the fence and surrounding area has caused a lot of controversy and Helen informed the meeting that the school has now been directed to remove them. One resident referred to the claims made by the school that they were concerned about vandalism and dog fouling; Helen’s response was that these claims were not included in the original submissions made by the school. The support group can be contacted at welovestokelodge@gmail.com and their website is www.welovestokelodge.co.uk/
6. Trees in Westbury
Stephanie gave an update on the situation regarding new and replacement trees for the area. As part of the redevelopment of the toilets, the new owners wanted to have the tree in front of them removed. Instead, a Tree Preservation Order was obtained, and this has been upheld after an appeal from the developers. Some funding is being provided for three new trees in Westbury, and two or three more will be provided from Stoke Bishop’s allocation as they have no suitable sites at present. Concerns were raised by one resident that when trees were planted in paved areas, the roots could cause problems with the tarmac surface, as has happened on Falcondale Road near the allotments. The general view of the meeting was that this should be dealt with by careful planting and pruning, rather than by wholesale removal of trees. At the end of her presentation, Stephanie announced that she was looking for someone to take over her role as “Tree Champion” for Westbury. She can be contacted at stephanie@srfrench.co.uk
7. Community Speedwatch
This is a group of volunteers who monitor and record traffic on particular roads, with arrangements being made by the police, following requests from members of the public. The police provide high-vis jackets and monitoring equipment, which they maintain. The group has a coordinator who arranges training and DBS clearance; volunteers are asked to do two sessions a month, for a couple of hours at a time, working in groups of 3 or 4. Records are kept of vehicle make, colour, registration and speed and these are fed back to the police, who take any necessary action. Members of the group are clearly visible and that, in itself, reminds motorists that there is a speed limit and acts as a deterrent to speeding. A question was raised about a speed sign on Canford Lane which was damaged in an accident and has not been replaced. Councillors responded that this was a matter for the Council and that, as yet, no funds had been made available for its replacement. For more information about speedwatch, visit www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/apply/community-speedwatch
8. Planning Matters
Andy started by referring to Bristol’s Local Plan, which was lat updated in 2019. The current consultation is about updates to the Plan to incorporate items from the WECA (West of England Combined Authority) plan and is open until January 20th.
Andy then gave a short analysis of various planning applications which have been decided recently. You can get more information on the Society’s website, www.westburyontrymsociety.org.uk
Toilet Block The current plan is to convert it into a cafeteria with (very limited) outdoor seating.
50-54 Stoke Lane The latest appeal against refusal of planning permission was denied and “For Sale” signs have now appeared on the houses.
329 and 334 Canford Lane These applications have been refused and appeals denied. However an application for change of use for 334 is currently under review.
Telecoms Masts These continue to turn up and, to date, all local ones have been refused. However, most are then subject to appeal, so watch this space!
9. Canford Park
As had been referred to earlier, the current budget consultation proposes an almost total removal of funding for our parks. Hilary outlined work that had been done in recent years to support Canford Park and emphasised the need for volunteers to maintain and develop our green spaces and, in particular, the Sunken Garden.
10. Library Update
This meeting was the first to be held in the library, made possible by the provision of funding to purchase additional chairs and an outside store, together with changes to the furniture to allow easy movement. Any group can ask to use the library for a meeting – either as a one-off or on a regular basis. The main restrictions are that meetings cannot start until 7:30pm, as the library is open to the public until 7:00, and that organisations should have public liability insurance.
The Library Group holds a regular Coffee Morning in the library on the last Saturday of each month, with the next one being January 28th. Why not come along for a hot drink and biscuits or cake – it’s all free! For more information, visit the Library Group website at www.westburylibrarygroup.org
11. Date of Next Meeting
This will take place in the Library on Tuesday April 4th, beginning at 7:30pm.
9. Canford Park
As had been referred to earlier, the current budget consultation proposes an almost total removal of funding for our parks. Hilary outlined work that had been done in recent years to support Canford Park and emphasised the need for volunteers to maintain and develop our green spaces and, in particular, the Sunken Garden.
10. Library Update
This meeting was the first to be held in the library, made possible by the provision of funding to purchase additional chairs and an outside store, together with changes to the furniture to allow easy movement. Any group can ask to use the library for a meeting – either as a one-off or on a regular basis. The main restrictions are that meetings cannot start until 7:30pm, as the library is open to the public until 7:00, and that organisations should have public liability insurance.
The Library Group holds a regular Coffee Morning in the library on the last Saturday of each month, with the next one being January 28th. Why not come along for a hot drink and biscuits or cake – it’s all free! For more information, visit the Library Group website at www.westburylibrarygroup.org
11. Date of Next Meeting
This will take place in the Library on Tuesday April 4th, beginning at 7:30pm.