Words by Ed King / Pics by Ed King and Short Heath Fields Trust
A prominent local community group has warned Birmingham City Council (BCC) “the goodwill is disappearing fast” after weeks of chasing a response over dangerous debris and hard rubbish left in Bleak Hill Park by squatters.
Initially reported in late August by Short Heath Fields Trust (SHFT) and Friends of Bleak Hill Park (FoBHP) up to four tents had been found on Bleak Hill Park – accumulating significant rubbish, akin to fly tipping.
Alongside the abandoned tents, the people who had set up camp on the green space – used regularly by local children and dogwalkers – left behind waste including sodden mattresses, old clothes, and even a microwave.
SHTF and FoBHP further reported “drug paraphernalia left in the bushes” where one tent had been pitched, proposing a hazard to any rubbish removal without proper equipment in case of discarded needles or items that could carry possible infection.
Alongside seeking help from BCC over the clearing the refuse, SHFT reached out to the people camping in the park and contacted StreetLink on their behalf – a charity which connects people sleeping rough to support agencies and services.
In a strongly worded series of emails to the BCC Parks Department and several members of the council, SHFT Secretary, Paul Smith, challenged the “total lack of response” from Stockland Green Ward Councillors Jane Jones (Labour) and Amar Khan (Labour) – the elected officials responsible for the area.
Having initially been told the debris would be cleared by 28 August, after the BCC Parks Department raised an official incident report, Mr Smith continued to ask for the agreed help but found “the level of inactivity and lack of communication [from Birmingham City Council] increasingly frustrating”.
Mr Smith did receive some support from Councillor Robert Alden (Erdington Ward, Conservative) who is technically not responsible for Bleak Hill Park but referred the issue on to the Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Majid Mahmood (Bromford and Hodge Hill Ward, Labour).
In the final email dated 21 September, Mr Smith, who is involved in other local community groups that help support Erdington’s green spaces and keep the streets clean, continued: “There are many proactive community volunteer groups operating in Erdington, who regularly pick up the slack when Birmingham City Council let its constituents down. but just occasionally we ask for your help.
“If we all ignored the issues we find in our communities, as you have done in this case, Erdington would be in a far poorer state.”
He added: “I sometimes feel it is only the commitment of hardworking community groups that is keeping Erdington afloat, but goodwill and hard work will only go so far.”
At the time of writing this article, the rubbish remains on Bleak Hill Park and no members of Short Heath Fields Trust or Friends of Bleak Hill Park have received any further communication from anyone at Birmingham City Council – nearly two months after it was initially raised.
Short Heath Fields Trust became invested in the upkeep of both Short Heath Fields and Bleak Hill Park after having successfully fought a council plan to build an 84 strong housing estate on the beloved green space.
Since stopping the development, SHFT have organised a series of well attended community events on the parkland – alongside organising regular maintenance of the grass and shrubs, and planting new trees with the Woodlands Trust.
The Trust also build a community Covid memorial by the pathway that connects Short Heath Road to Marsh Lane and are an active community group well known by the surrounding ward councillors and BCC Parks Department.
After being contacted by SHFT about the issue, Erdington Local reached out to both Jane Jones (Stockland Green Ward, Labour) and Cllr Amar Khan (Stockland Green Ward, Labour) for comment.
Cllr Jones responded: “I personally missed the emails from Mr Smith while on holiday in August and so did Councillor Khan who was out of the country with his family.
“After I had read the first two emails the gentlemen had departed the park (so we were told) and I admit that removing the rubbish was not my priority at that time as I had hundreds of emails to action.
“As councillors we receive many many emails on a daily basis and after a holiday the number was substantial.”
She added: “My concern is for the gentlemen having to live in tents in the park along with the many homeless individuals on a nightly basis sleeping in doorways in the City Centre.
“Homelessness is a major crisis in the UK and urgent action is required as successive governments have failed to undertake the mass house building of social housing to help remedy the current housing catastrophe.
“Councillor Khan and I will work with the appropriate Cabinet Members to resolve the issue that has angered Mr Smith and apologise to him for our poor response to date.
“We will also visit the gentlemen who currently reside in the park to obtain their back story and see what help can be undertaken on their behalf.”
For more on Short Heath Fields Trust visit www.shortheathfieldstrust.godaddysites.com
