Dear fellow residents,

BOWEN COOKE AVENUE - STREET LIGHTING REPAIRED

I am pleased to see the street lighting around Bowen Cook Avenue is now back in operation.

I reported these lights being out a while ago and have been repeatedly chasing the fault-finding and repairs required, having managed to get it reallocated as a priority repair.

During this time I've heard from several residents about the issues it was causing them.  It is important our street lighting is maintained in proper working order for the safety and security of our communities using the roads and footpaths.

I was pleased to receive confirmation on the repairs being completed, and have visited the area to check it is all working.  Finally there is light!

If there is an issue I can help with please let me know.

GULLY CLEANING & POTHOLES  - WINDSOR AVENUE & SANDIWAY ROAD.

Following the flooding issues I reported last weekend it was good to see Cheshire East Highways out clearing the gullies on Windsor Avenue and Sandiway Road to hopefully prevent reoccurrence of the problem.

Thank you to the residents who moved their vehicles to allow access for the work to be completed.

I've asked for the potholes to be addressed with the usual temporary repairs in the short term and I am looking at getting more permanent repairs in this and other similar areas around the ward. As you can imagine it does take longer to put more comprehensive repairs into a planned program of works.

Unfortunately I am still playing catch up with many issues across the ward from the lack of anything being planned from previous years!

BOWEN COOKE AVENUE ALLEYWAY CLEAN UP

It was great to see how much better the alleyway between Bowen Cooke Avenue and West Street was looking whilst I was out and about recently.

I have been working to tackle issues including fly tipping, littering and abandoned wheelie bins across St Barnabas which are a real eyesore for residents like ourselves who live nearby.

Thank you to Crewe Town Council, Ansa Environmental Services Ltd and The Guinness Partnership who have assisted with getting this location cleaned up.

Work to tackle these issues is not only about clean up visits, but begins with education in the first instance, which hopefully would prevent enforcement being needed.  Fines for these offences are hefty, being up to £50,000 (or even prison!) for fly tipping and £80 for littering.

If you see instances of fly tipping, please report by calling 0300 123 5011, or report online:

SCHOOLS VISIT - UNDERWOOD WEST & LEIGHTON ACADEMY

I recently visited Underwood West Academy and Leighton Academy primary schools with PSCOs Jen & Andrea from Cheshire Police and  Lindsay from Crewe Town Council to talk about the recent regeneration of Leighton Brook Park, our competition for the schools to design some new signs for the park and to talk about our local police. 

We had a lovely time and were impressed with both schools - all the children were extremely well behaved.   It was also nice to see how enthusiastic all the pupils were about what we have been doing.  

Thank you to both Leighton Academy and Underwood West Academy for allowing us the time to come and visit and disrupt your busy days!

We look forward to seeing the designs and the eventual new signs being installed in the park from the winning entries next year.

WHEELMAN ROAD - FRANK BOTT FIELDS

I met with The Guinness Partnership this morning to discuss issues with fly tipping to the rear of Wheelman Road on to the Frank Bott fields.

Work is now being scheduled to clear the waste, and further discussions are ongoing to look at the best way to prevent recurrence of the problem.

Fly tipped waste is not only illegal, it’s an unattractive addition to our local communities. Additionally, the waste being fly tipped can be dangerous to the environment, to wildlife and to people.

Fly tipping costs Guinness Housing and Cheshire East Council thousands to clear, which ultimately we all pay for from our council tax and service charges. This money could be much better spent on improving other services for tenants and residents!

ALDER DRIVE / REDWOOD DRIVE - REPAIRS COMPLETE

It is good to see the repairs to the 'trip hazard' kerbs are finally complete on Alder Drive and Redwood Drive.  I've been pushing Taylor Wimpey to do this for some time.

The curbs have been replaced and sections of the footpaths resurfaced.

Persistence get things done!  I'm now chasing a few other outstanding issues around the estate.

If there's an problem you see that needs tackling, please let me know. 

LEIGHTON BROOK PARK - CCTV CAMERA

You may have noticed the CCTV camera I campaigned to have installed at Leighton Brook Park by the playground.  But how does it work and what does it do?

I went to visit the CCTV control room to find out more!

The camera may be discreet, but it can see everything and everywhere as I found out.  Not only can it see in the dark, but also looks all around and can zoom in on areas far away.

The camera is always recording, with control room operators monitoring the camera 24 hours a day, they have direct contact with the police if needed.

So next time you're in the park, remember to look up and give them a wave as they work day and night to look after our park and keep our community safe. 👍

See more pictures and find out more.

CLEANING UP CREWE!

A few weeks ago I worked alongside PSCO Jolley of Crewe Police to carry out a knife sweep as part of Operation Sceptre and with Crewe Clean Team  to help out with their 119th litter pick.

It was great to see 22 members out in force making a real difference to the community collecting an incredible 43 bags of litter.

If you'd like to get involved with cleaning up our area please join our local group.

Great work everyone!

CREWE TOWN CENTRE - POST OFFICE UPDATE

Following the closure of the Post Office branch inside the former WHSmith, a new Post Office is expected to open January 2024 in Unit 3 the Victoria Centre in the town centre, which was previously 'Liberty Sports & Leisure'.

Until then, the alternative locations for Post Office services are 171 West Street, 20 North Street and 'drop and collect' services at 2 Tollemache Drive and 78 Queen Street.

UNDERWOOD WEST ACADEMY - ROAD SAFETY MARKINGS

I have had recent discussions with Underwood West Academy with regards to road safety outside the school.  I requested that Cheshire East Highways repaint the school road safety markings, and I am pleased to see that this work has now been completed.

For everyone's safety please park responsibly and keep the zig zag area clear when parking during school drop off and pick up times. 

Parking will be monitored by Crewe St Barnabas Police so please be mindful of the 'keep clear' markings to ensure you don't end up with a ticket!

FRANK WEBB AVENUE - 🍁 LEAF CLEARANCE 🍂

There was a hive of activity on and around Frank Webb Avenue to clear the bulk of the leaves on the pavements and road.  This was something I recently asked to be addressed due to how slippery the surfaces had become.

Thanks to Tim, Ian and the rest of the Ansa Environmental Services Ltd team, they absolutely worked their socks off using two road sweepers, trucks, blowers and sheer determination to clean the huge amount of leaf fall here.

If you live in this area and recently received my tree survey, please don't forget to respond. Thank you!

If there's an issue you have noticed, please let me know.

MINSHULL NEW ROAD ROUNDABOUT CLEAN UP

Hopefully you will have noticed the difference at the roundabout outside Morrisons Local on Minshull New Road.  It is looking so much better recently.

The Crewe Town Council Rangers have done a brilliant job of weeding around the area.  We also litter picked here during our last Community Litter Pick with local residents working to improve where we all live. Find out how to get involved.

I am hopeful that further work can happen in this area to improve it even more including repairing the railings and tidying up the roundabout planting.

OPERATION SCEPTRE - FRANK WEBB AVENUE

I joined PSCO's Jen, Penny and Liz of Crewe Police to take part in operation Secptre at Leighton Brook Park where we carried out a knife sweep around the park.  I am pleased to report nothing was found in the park, nor have any articles been previously found here.

Visits were then made to local schools to educate the dangers of carrying a knife.

The message is clear!

If you carry a knife you could be sent to prison, and you increase your risk of being seriously injured or killed.

GET INVOLVED - COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH 🚗

Don't forget there is still time to register to get involved with our Community Speedwatch!  Help make the roads in our area safer for everyone.

I've been hearing from residents and seeing for myself the problems with speeding vehicles in our area.  I've attended recent TruCam speed check sessions with PSCO Jolley but I wanted more to be done to tackle this problem.

I asked at a recent meeting with Crewe Police if we could set up a Community Speed Watch to help tackle the issue.  I'm pleased to say that the Community Speed Watch scheme is now being launched in our area.

If you would like to volunteer to work as part of a team to help keep our roads safe, please email jen.jolley@cheshire.police.uk or let me know so that you can be invited to the training event.

CHRISTMAS BIN COLLECTION SCHEDULE

There will be no recycling or black bin collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

For our area, the black bin collection normally on Tuesday 26 December, will now be collected on Wednesday 27 December.

Please ensure your bin is out for 6.30am on all collection days.

You can find your bin collection dates for 2024 and print out a calendar here:

https://online.cheshireeast.gov.uk/mycollectionday/

Local household waste and recycling centres will remain open over the festive season with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

For more updates on local issues and upcoming events please keep following my Facebook and Instagram

If you have something you'd like me to look in to please do get in contact.

Over the Christmas and New Year period for any urgent issues please call Cheshire East Council on 0300 123 5500.

Council offices are closed on bank and public holidays, so for out of hours emergencies please call 0300 123 502, or 0300 123 5022 for Social Care.

I wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

Have a wonderful Christmas time!

Councillor James Pratt

Crewe, St Barnabas Ward

Cheshire East & Crewe Town Council

Promoted by James Pratt of CNCA, 13 Churchyardside, CW5 5DE