South Glos Council Report

Jubilee Celebrations

We were really pleased to see so many residents taking the opportunity to enjoy the various events that were organised to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Personally, I had two very different experiences; sitting in the sunshine late into the evening on the Thursday followed by a more ‘traditional’ cold and blustery street party on the Sunday afternoon. The real positive was to see such great community spirit and children playing out in the streets.

We were really pleased to see that South Gloucestershire Council helped to support both formally organised events with funding whilst at the same time making it free and easy to close roads for street parties. We must also express our gratitude to the local emergency services who were able to visit several street parties to allow children the opportunity to see inside ambulances, fire engines and Police vans (including several opportunities to play with the sirens!). We hope that there will be similar opportunities for future national and local celebrations in the future, especially with an extended bank holiday weekend.

Reporting Issues

We continue to receive reports of issues in the local area, including isolated incidents of graffiti and untidy or overgrowing verges. The weather at this time of year often sees road side verges grow rapidly and this can narrow footways. Please continue to report these issues to the Streetcare team so they are aware and can respond quickly, especially where there might be safety issues. The best way of reporting is using the online forms on the South Gloucestershire Council website. However, we will also be happy to make reports on your behalf.

The Streetcare team will act quickly when graffiti on Council owned infrastructure or buildings is reported. However, when this graffiti is on private land then then it becomes more complicated. If you are unsure about ownership then please report it to the Council or ourselves and we will do are best to try and find the appropriate solution. As we all know, if graffiti is removed quickly then it reduces the chances of it reoccurring.

Litter Pick

We have arranged several litter picks recently in Downend and Bromley Heath. These have been targeted at ‘problem’ locations and we have been able to leave the area looking much tidier. We would very much like to arrange the next litter pick in Frenchay. Residents locally are doing a fantastic job at keeping the village clean and tidy but if you know of any isolated problems locations then please let us know. We will then advertise the litter pick in due course and bring the necessary equipment and bags

Cllr Ben Burton