Alongside local community groups, Cllrs Bernadette Nanovo and Judy Richardson have successfully secured thousands of pounds worth of grants for Southbourne. 

Working with the Southbourne Wick and Tuckton Action Group (SWAT), more than £18,000 has been secured to spend on the local area. 

This will help fund a defibrillator in Wick, and summer flowers in Tuckton and at Southbourne Crossroads, to name just a few. 

Bernadette regularly gets stuck in with SWAT’s community volunteering, helping to take pride in our area by litter-picking and street-cleaning. 

Bernadette said: “Local groups like SWAT do such an amazing job for Southbourne. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to secure additional funds to help them in their mission to make Southbourne even better.”

Councillors Olivia and Rich represent Bournemouth’s Wallisdown and Winton West ward.

In November they launched BCP’s first in-school Youth Surgery at Glenmoor and Winton Academies.

The Councillors took questions and listened to concerns from some very vocal young people.

The pupils had a lot to say about their local area.

Amongst other things, anti-social behaviour and road safety were two of the main issues that came up – these are key issues for many of the adults across the area too.

Olivia and Rich also took part in a session of the schools ‘Bolder Voices’ programme to encourage views to be heard in school from their young people.

Olivia and Rich will be holding surgeries at the school every half term.

That is in addition to their usual monthly slot at Ensbury Park Library. Their regular drop-in surgeries are held between 6-7pm on the first Tuesday of the month in The Garden Room at Ensbury Park Library, 31 Columbia Road, BH10 4DZ.

 

Would your local school or youth group like to have their voices heard on local issues?

Get in touch!

richard.herrett@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

olivia.brown4@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Local Lib Dem Councillors, Bernadette Nanovo and Judith Richardson have been working hard for local residents, since being elected in May.

They have been working with Council Officers and residents on a range of issues including: Traffic Control, Seafront Management, Promenade Safety, Seafront Business Activity, Hygiene Facilities, Anti-Social Behaviour, Street Maintenance, Natural Environment Conservation, Social Care, Housing and Planning applications.

Concerned about the state of Seafield Gardens in Southbourne, Bernadette recently established the Friends of Seafield Gardens Facebook group. This is a group for people who love Seafield Gardens and want to help look after it and preserve it for the future.

Bernadette says “If you value this local space and want to help out, please do get in touch. We are also supporting The Parks Foundation Charity events programme. Check out the Facebook Group or information posters in Seafield Gardens”.

bernadette.nanovo@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

judy.richardson@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Councillor Adrian Chapmanlaw is one of the Lib Dem Councillors for the ward of Alderney and Bourne Valley.

He received an  email from a resident about the parking near Talbot Primary School in Talbot Rise. The roads directly next to the school have single yellow lines which disallow parking during pickup and drop off times.

Adrian visited the school during a pickup time and this is his report:-

"On the day I visited coincidently the parking team were also in attendance.

I was shocked by the amount of illegal parking I witnessed. I went back the following week hoping the enforcement had an affect but unfortunately illegal parking was still prevalent despite numerous spaces in the carpark.

The illegal parking also slowed the ingress and egress of cars from the carpark which just makes things worse.

Talking to other residents with children at other schools in the ward, illegal parking seems to be an incredibly common issue which endangers our kids.

Please park legally, the restrictions are there for the safety of your children.

If you can, please walk or cycle to the school. I know this isn't always possible but even if it's just one day a week it will help greatly with congestion, pollution and safety.

If you must drive, then always park legally. Why not park a little bit further away from the school and walk the rest.

We are investigating the possibility of introducing more school streets but need volunteers to help run them".

You can find out more about School Streets on the Council website at School Streets (bcpcouncil.gov.uk)

The Lib Dems are calling for the Council to improve the state of Slades Farm Play Park due to a lack of maintenance.

Lib Dem Campaigner, Richard Herrett said “Slades Farm park is being left to go to ruin by our Conservative Ward Councillors”.

“I enquired about why the treehouse and roundabout had been removed and was invited to apply for a Community Infrastructure Levy to replace items. Surely replacing broken equipment should come under general maintenance?”

Olivia added “When we first moved to the area my children used the play park regularly. Sadly with the continued dilapidation of the equipment it is not somewhere they wish to come any longer, which is very sad”.

“With the velodrome, the skate park, football pitches, a fantastic café and what has the potential to be an excellent play space for our children, Slades Farm could be the central hub for families in the area and we hope to make this a reality”.  

Thanks to everyone who got in touch with us about the multiple potholes all the way down Beaufort Road. We have been down the road, making a note of the worst, and have reported each of them to the Council, asking for them to be repaired.

These include the top of the road, at the Southbourne Road roundabout, outside the surgery, then outside House Nos 6, 12, 26, 28, 72, 104, 118, 133, 138, 151 and 157, and at the junctions with Fenton, Amesbury, Burleigh, Inverleigh, and Cranleigh Roads.

Sadly, our experience is that the Council repairs can be very patchy, with tarmac pressed into the holes, which may not last that long, or the Council may not see the holes as bad enough to fill.

What the road really needs is substantial resurfacing. Buses and heavy vehicles use it regularly, so it gets more wear and tear than most residential roads. The problem is that the Conservative-run Council has mismanaged the budget, and has not allocated enough funds to properly maintain our roads.

We will see what happens following our report. If you would like to make your own complaint, just Google ‘BCP potholes’, and you find a link to an easy-to-use online form that will take no more than a few minutes to fill in.

In May, we will get the chance to change our councillors, and elect a Council that listens to your concerns. Until then, we will do our best to get things done on your behalf.

Take care,

Jeff Hanna and Brian Chick