Hello fellow residents! I’m James Pratt, your local councillor for Crewe St Barnabas. I live right here in the heart of our St Barnabas community, in the West End of Crewe.
I’m proud to represent our area on both Cheshire East Council and Crewe Town Council, working to make sure your voice is heard and local priorities are delivered across Crewe & Nantwich.
From Minshull New Road, to Underwood Lane, West Street to Wheelman Road, Badger Avenue, Frank Webb, Rolls Avenue, Chassagne Square, Kettell to McNeill Avenue and all roads and communities in between – we are all Crewe St Barnabas.
I’m your local councillor – and a fellow resident of our community. I’m working hard to tackle the everyday issues that matter, including potholes, litter, fly-tipping, parking problems, street lighting and anti-social behaviour.
If there’s something you’d like me to look into, please get in touch – or you can report issues online.
Read my latest news updates or check my recent facebook posts to find out what I’m up to!
Please follow and share my Facebook and Instagram and TikTok accounts, or sign up for my Email Newsletter so I can keep you up to date on local issues.
You can also take a look at my video looking back at some of our achievements in 2024!
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I wrote to every household in the area and delivered residents surveys to to find what issues you’d like to see tackled in our community. You can still complete this survey online if you have not already. |
If you would like to contact me about any local issue please do get in touch.
Thank you for your support!
Here’s what I’ve been up to recently…
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
FAMILY FUN AFTERNOON AT LEIGHTON BROOK PARK
This school holiday half-term, join us on Thursday 19 February, 1-3pm at Leighton Brook Park (Frank Webb Avenue, CW1 3NE) for an afternoon of sport, play and nature-based activities.
A free meal will be provided, and children over 8 can attend independently. No need to book – just turn up and sign in!
I’m thrilled to continue working with Wishing Well to bring even more activities for our young people to Leighton Brook Park, right in the heart of our community. A big thank you to the Wishing Well team for making this possible!
For more information, call 07894 123413.
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
WORKING THE WEEKEND
Out and about today in between dodging the rain - pink hoodie on for Valentine’s weekend spirit!
A couple of fly tipping issues have been reported around McNeill, Bowen Cooke and West Street. I am pleased to say CCTV is now in the process of being installed in this area, something I have been pushing for a long time. It is a positive step towards tackling this ongoing problem.
I also carried out a litter pick around Leighton Brook Park, and thankfully there was not too much to collect. I have logged further litter picking requests for parts of Timbrell Avenue and Badger Avenue to make sure those areas are sorted too.
And in the name of Valentine’s weekend, I treated myself to a bargain 50p biscuit from Morrisons Daily. You cannot beat a good deal!
If you spot anything that needs reporting locally, please do let me know or report it online here:
www.crewestbarnabas.org.uk/report-an-issue/
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
ALLEYWAY CLEAN-UP, MONKS LANE TO DARLINGTON AVENUE
I recently noticed fly-tipped items and litter along the alleyway linking Monks Lane to Darlington Avenue / Kettell Avenue.
I requested it be cleared, and it’s now been done – it looks much better!
Spot an issue like this in our area? Don’t ignore it – report it and help keep St Barnabas a cleaner, better place to live: www.crewestbarnabas.org.uk/report-an-issue/
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY LOOKING ITS BEST IN ST BARNABAS
While passing the roundabout on Minshull New Road near Morrisons Local earlier this week, I noticed litter starting to build up. I asked for it to be added to the schedule and I am pleased to say the street cleaning team have now been out and given it a proper tidy up.
A big thank you to the crew for their hard work. It has made a real difference and the area looks so much better.
If you ever spot an area that needs attention, please do report it so we can get it sorted and keep our community looking its best. You can raise issues here:
www.crewestbarnabas.org.uk/report-an-issue/
Working together, we can take pride in where we live.
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
FRANK WEBB AVENUE TREES UPDATE
For several years I’ve been pushing for proper maintenance of the trees on Frank Webb Avenue. Residents have told me they haven’t been pollarded for years. Over that time, I’ve heard from 17 different households about concerns over the lack of maintenance. Some trees are even touching roofs, blocking street lights, causing huge leaf fall, making roads and pavements slippery, and damaging driveways, garden walls and cars.
I've continually raised these issues with highways. On one occasion, I was even called into a highways meeting to “manage my expectations” about getting anything done. My response was simple: I represent the residents where we live, and I will continue to call for the work that’s needed. That's a councillors job, right?
Last July, I met with a senior highways officer and we identified many trees on Frank Webb Avenue – and a few elsewhere – that needed work to maintain them.
But this week, without any discussion, a tree on Frank Webb Avenue was cut down to an ugly stump. Apart from one tree on Darlington Avenue being pollarded, nothing else has been done.
This isn’t the outcome we wanted. I will continue to push for proper maintenance to keep our streets safe, well-lit, and looking cared for.
If you think this is as disappointing as I do, please email letusknow@cheshireeast.gov.uk
and feel free to CC me at james.pratt@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
POTHOLE PATROL UPDATE – MINSHULL NEW ROAD
Back out in my frequented spot this morning for more pothole patrol on Minshull New Road.
Despite reporting all the potholes before Christmas, meeting up with a highways officer on site a couple of weeks ago, and checking the area again last week and earlier this week, there’s been almost no work done so far.
Rest assured, I’ll keep chasing this up. I’ve also asked if the debris left from the potholes can be cleared to make the road safer.
And if anyone in Crewe fancies lending a bit of moral support to a lowly councillor battling the potholes, I’m accepting tea, biscuits, and motivational comments. Preferably all three.
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
GETTING OUR ROADS ACTUALLY GRITTED ❄️🚗
Over the Christmas period, a number of residents contacted me with serious concerns about road safety during the snowfall. Several accidents took place around the new roundabout on Minshull New Road, including one that resulted in a street light being hit and later removed. It was also clear that the road from Tottys Hall Way from the hospital to the roundabout had not been gritted.
I raised these same concerns last year. At the time, I was told the roads were not included on the gritting maps as they were newly built. I asked for them to be assessed and considered for inclusion.
I’ve continued to push on this, because when you look at the gritting map, the issue is obvious. The blue roads are gritted, but there is a major gap at Tottys Hall Way and Brian Palin Way that people must travel through to reach the hospital. That is not acceptable, especially in icy conditions.
Unfortunately, I’ve again been told today that my request has been declined. The response I received was that Tottys Hall Way “was reassessed and does not currently meet the criteria to be added to the routes.”
I’ve written back to Highways asking for this decision to be reconsidered. These are key routes, on gradients, used by residents and emergency services, and I will continue pressing the case to improve safety for everyone.
"Dear Highways Resilience Manager,
Thank you for your reply and for confirming that Bob Brown Way is included in the winter treatment network.
I am, however, very concerned that Tottys Hall Way and Brian Palin Way remain excluded. As the attached map shows, these are key routes to Leighton hospital that will be used by members of the public and emergency services alike, particularly in urgent situations. The current arrangements leave a clear “gap” in the route to and from the hospital, which could pose serious safety risks.
Additionally, Tottys Hall Way and the roundabout on Minshull New Road are both on a gradient, which increases the risk of accidents in icy conditions. These are accidents which were seen during the last snowfall, including what lead to the removal of a lamp post column.
Given that these roads lie between routes already gritted, it seems that including them would require minimal additional resource while providing significant safety benefits.
I would respectfully ask that Asset Management consider adding these roads to the winter treatment network to protect everyone who uses them, including ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Thank you for taking this into consideration. I would be grateful if you could keep me updated on any review or changes regarding these routes.
Best regards,
Cllr James Pratt"
If you want to support my call for these routes to be gritted, please email letusknow@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Councillor James Pratt - Crewe, St Barnabas
OUT ON FOOT AND WORKING FOR ST BARNABAS
Yesterday was taken up with meetings for most of the day, but today I have been back out on foot across our area.
Some of you may have noticed there is major work going on locally today. Alongside this, I have also been raising a number of smaller but important issues that need attention.
Here is a snapshot of what I have been working on today:
• Minshull New Road roundabout (by Morrisons Daily)
Litter clearance requested
• McNeill Avenue
Fly tipping and potholes reported
Street lighting repair request
• Leighton Brook Park
Fly tipping in the wooded area reported for clearance
• Minshull New Road
Weekly visit completed and further potholes reported
• Plus a few other issues picked up along the way
As mentioned in previous posts, I will continue to chase for updates on the further works planned for Minshull New Road and keep residents informed.
This is why it matters to be a councillor who actually lives in the community they represent. You see the issues first hand, listen to residents, and get on with working to get things done.