Keeping Montgomeryshire Tidy

August 23, 2010

Part of the team that took part in the litter pick

Keep Wales Tidy has just released the results of their latest inspection of the standards of cleanliness of Powys streets. The latest inspection revealed no litter at all or predominantly free of litter. Tidy town funding is used to support  local community groups with activities such as litter picking days, area clean ups, clearing of overgrown areas etc.

I started to get involved in this scheme in Newtown this year. Last month I was part of a team that spent a morning collecting litter on the Vaynor estate, and this Saturday I organized a litter pick and clean up on the Trehafren estate.

Other than the rain (which started half way though this Saturday’s litter pick) I have  enjoyed being involved in this project; it gives a real sense of achievement and encourages community spirit. I have also been really pleased with the amount of people that turned out at the events we have organized.

I have also been concerned that fly tipping was becoming a problem in some areas, so we had organized a skip for the day that was freely available to all residents to make use off – On both occasions the skip was full within just a few hours.

Interestingly, in advertizing the scheme, one resident text me – “Regarding your recent mailshot about tidy and litter pick, surely this is what taxes are paid for!?”  My own view is that the person that text me missed the point. This is about people pulling together to make our communities better places to live, not just expecting authorities and others to do everything for us. We are increasingly becoming a selfish society, looking for people to blame and not wanting to take responsibility ourselves. I would be interested to know what other people’s views are.

Leave a Comment » | council tax, environment, leisure, newtown | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Newtown Skate Park update

August 17, 2010

I always prefer to write a blog post that brings good news! After years of talk, Newtown will soon have a skate park. A group of us have been campaigning for funding for a skate park for some time.

All being well, the new skate park should be open in the Autumn. It’s going to be built on the land at the entrance to Trehafren fields behind the police station.  I think this is a good location as it is fairly central and not located too close to residential properties.

The whole project was put out to tender. Often the Council puts a tender together and looks for companies to submit their ideas and price, but on this occasion companies have been told how much they have to spend, and they have to bring forward creative bids.

Each company bidding has consulted with young people from Newtown either by using Facebook, or by meeting groups to listen to their suggestions. I have always believed it’s not Councillors or council staff that should decide the design; it’s the people that will use it. The selection process will take place over the next few weeks, and the successful bidder will start work soon.

I was amongst a number of Councillors that was involved in securing the funding for the skate park. Being a Councillor often brings difficult and challenging issues, but it’s all worth it when you get a positive result.

If you are interested in knowing more or being involved in the skate park, please leave a comment.

See the County Times Story

1 Comment | leisure, newtown, recreation, Skate Park, sport | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

Dark days for Powys street lighting?

April 24, 2008

Our local authority has put off a decision to switch off a third of Powys’ 14,000 street lights for a year to save money and energy until next month.

In a few weeks I may be one of the councillors asked to consider this proposal. If councillors vote in favour of the project next month then 5,000 lights will be switched off in June.

The lighting bill is around £500,000 per year and is set to rise by £175,000 with rising costs and a tight budget.

After chatting to people in Trehafren last night, I could be mistaken for thinking the scheme was already underway, as a number of residents told me about lights around their homes not coming on.

Of course I knew that the scheme hadn’t really started, and wondered if it was it worth reporting the problem, given that they may be left turned off anyway in a few weeks!

I’m in favour of finding ways to save electricity, and I’m making this a priority in my shop. However, I’m also in favour of having good street lighting, particularly to increase public security and safety.

I’m not sure how much it costs to install one lamppost and light, but I expect the cost is fairly high. Surely, it doesn’t make any sense to spend money installing street lights, only to then introduce a policy not to turn them on?

3 Comments | councillors, elections, environment, issues, powys county council, public services, safety, street lighting | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge

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