Tag: front desk

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OPINION: Erdington Cllr Robert Alden, Leader of Birmingham Conservatives

Cllr Robert Alden with local residents on Spring Lane / Photograph supplied by Cllr Robert Alden

Words by Erdington Ward Cllr Robert Alden – Leader of Birmingham Conservatives

(**Ed’s note… this column was first published on Friday 17 October in the Erdington Local print edition.)

Cllr Gareth Moore and I have been working with residents and the police to tackle speeding and dangerous driving in the Spring Lane area during the year.

Last month we gathered a petition calling on the City Council to fund a raised crossing and speed bumps to slow down cars racing, as well as bollards on the corner of Fern Road to prevent people blocking visibility at the junction.

Thank you to everyone who has signed, backing the campaign. We’ve also been supporting local speed watches with the Police in the area.

This month we’ve met with the officers from West Midlands Police following our letter to the Chief Constable demanding the reopening of the front desk at Erdington Police Station.

We put forward our case for why we feel it is vital to back up the initial success of Operation Fearless and extra police officers locally by now reopening our much needed Front Desk. We will continue to put the case in the coming weeks and months.

We’ve continued to challenge the Council about the ridiculous case of the broken street lights on Wesley Road. The road itself is a private unadopted road. Over the last year all the street lights on the road have broken and the Council refuse to fix them.

Despite the lights having Council asset tags and electric vehicles chargers attached to them installed by the Council!

Hopefully the Council will finally see the light and fix them!

For more from Erdington’s Councillor Robert Alden and Councillor Gareth Jones visit www.facebook.com/ErdingtonNews

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP (centre) with Linda Hines (centre left) and Afzal Hussain (centre right) from Witton Lodge Community Association, alongside local police officers, at the launch of the Community Pod on Erdington High Street / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

Summer is here, and it’s been wonderful meeting so many of you recently, including at my pop-up surgery during the Summer Fun Day on Erdington High Street.

We officially opened the new Community Pod on the High Street, a fantastic space for the Police and local groups to work together.

Residents have asked me whether this replaces a front desk at Erdington Police Station. It does not. Last year, Simon Foster, our Police and Crime Commissioner, confirmed that a front desk will reopen at Erdington Station, and that commitment still stands. I’ll share an update as soon as I have it.

It was also a pleasure to visit Sainsbury’s in Castle Vale to see how they’re offering affordable, healthy food options, a small but important step in tackling food inequality in our community.

Paulette Hamilton MP by Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

In Parliament, I’ve been standing up for Erdington. Over 11,000 PIP claimants and 3,000 carers in our constituency were at risk from welfare changes.

I joined more than 120 Labour MPs in demanding protections. We pushed back against Clause 5, which would have imposed harsher eligibility thresholds, and we secured vital exemptions for existing claimants. A hard-fought win.

On assisted dying, I voted against the bill. While I respect differing views, I believe the core issue is chronically underfunded palliative care. Until every terminally ill person has access to dignified, high-quality support, changing the law risks leaving the vulnerable behind.

From local policing to fair welfare, I’ll keep fighting for every corner of Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale and South Oscott.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org