Saturday, October 16, 2004
Motor-bike nuisance
There is no part of St. Mellons that is unaffected by nuisance from motorbikes on Council-owned land. The number of complaints about this annoying behaviour is on the increase and your Councillors have been taking up the issue with the Police and the Council.
The facts are that it is against the law to ride any motorised vehicle (including "gopeds") on the highway unless the vehicle and driver is fully insured, taxed and carries a valid MOT. And no-one has permission from the Council to drive a motorised vehicle on any of its land. All the undeveloped land in St. Mellons belongs to the Council.
Clearly there is a minority of people (including parents of children using these vehicles) who simply do not care about how the noise affects other people; indeed some seem to enjoy the fact that they are creating misery.
Your Councillors have been talking to the Police about taking a tougher stance on illegal motor-vehicles and the Police have confirmed that, despite the difficulties of tackling the problem, they will exercise their powers when possible.
The Police have the power to confiscate illegal motor-vehicles or vehicles being used inappropriately and are considering mounting regular operations to catch offenders.
The latest took place in early October with the police recovering a stolen bike, seizing two others and issuing a number of warnings to young riders.
Councillor David English
The facts are that it is against the law to ride any motorised vehicle (including "gopeds") on the highway unless the vehicle and driver is fully insured, taxed and carries a valid MOT. And no-one has permission from the Council to drive a motorised vehicle on any of its land. All the undeveloped land in St. Mellons belongs to the Council.
Clearly there is a minority of people (including parents of children using these vehicles) who simply do not care about how the noise affects other people; indeed some seem to enjoy the fact that they are creating misery.
Your Councillors have been talking to the Police about taking a tougher stance on illegal motor-vehicles and the Police have confirmed that, despite the difficulties of tackling the problem, they will exercise their powers when possible.
The Police have the power to confiscate illegal motor-vehicles or vehicles being used inappropriately and are considering mounting regular operations to catch offenders.
The latest took place in early October with the police recovering a stolen bike, seizing two others and issuing a number of warnings to young riders.
Councillor David English
Stray Horses
September saw a sudden increase in problems with "stray" horses and complaints flooded in to Councillors, the Council and the Police. We once again took up the cudgels on this issue - we’ve never stopped complaining really - and demanded another "swoop" be carried out.
The new divisional Inspector, Alex Chadd, agreed as did lead officers in the Council and in the early hours of the 8th October I watched an operation net 12 horses. Although the animals were finally captured in Trowbridge Road, they were first found in Harrisons Drive in St. Mellons.
Having spent four hours with the Police and the livestock recovery contractors hired by the Council, I watched the horses "boxed-up" at 2am on a very cold, clear night. My impression was that the operation was professional and efficient.
However, over a dozen police officers and five police vehicles were present to prevent a breach of the peace and the contract team also consisted of a dozen people and several vehicles. It seemed crazy to me to incur all this effort and expense merely to catch a dozen horses when the problem could be solved by imposing anti-social behaviour orders on their owners.
Councillor Ralph Cook
The new divisional Inspector, Alex Chadd, agreed as did lead officers in the Council and in the early hours of the 8th October I watched an operation net 12 horses. Although the animals were finally captured in Trowbridge Road, they were first found in Harrisons Drive in St. Mellons.
Having spent four hours with the Police and the livestock recovery contractors hired by the Council, I watched the horses "boxed-up" at 2am on a very cold, clear night. My impression was that the operation was professional and efficient.
However, over a dozen police officers and five police vehicles were present to prevent a breach of the peace and the contract team also consisted of a dozen people and several vehicles. It seemed crazy to me to incur all this effort and expense merely to catch a dozen horses when the problem could be solved by imposing anti-social behaviour orders on their owners.
Councillor Ralph Cook
News in brief
• A hearty pat on the back goes to Alun Michael, MP for Cardiff South & Penarth, for courageously standing up to the bullying tactics of hunters and getting the ban on hunting wild animals with dogs through Parliament. Well done!
• Alun Michael MP is also thanked for giving assistance to the St. Mellons Community Creche in its recent lease negotiations with Tescos.
• The Trowbridge & St. Mellons Labour Party extends a warm welcome to Inspector Alex Chadd the new Police Inspector for St. Mellons, based at Rumney Police Station. He recently joined Councillor Ralph Cook on a tour of the Ward to obtain a "Councillor’s eye-view" of the area.
• We applaud the efforts of the local police in securing an Anti-Social Behaviour Order against a young man with a history of unacceptable activity in the area. We hope the man in question will comply with the Order improve his behaviour - because prison is no picnic!
• Following the attack on a twelve-year-old St. Mellons school girl in September by a "stray" horse, local Councillor Ralph Cook has asked the Council and Police to consider imposing Anti-Social Behaviour Orders on the main horse-owners. They would then be risking imprisonment if they continued to dump their horses in residential areas.
• Councillor Monica Walsh has been busy getting the Council to cut back over-grown vegetation along the western stretches of Willowbrook Drive.
• Alun Michael MP is also thanked for giving assistance to the St. Mellons Community Creche in its recent lease negotiations with Tescos.
• The Trowbridge & St. Mellons Labour Party extends a warm welcome to Inspector Alex Chadd the new Police Inspector for St. Mellons, based at Rumney Police Station. He recently joined Councillor Ralph Cook on a tour of the Ward to obtain a "Councillor’s eye-view" of the area.
• We applaud the efforts of the local police in securing an Anti-Social Behaviour Order against a young man with a history of unacceptable activity in the area. We hope the man in question will comply with the Order improve his behaviour - because prison is no picnic!
• Following the attack on a twelve-year-old St. Mellons school girl in September by a "stray" horse, local Councillor Ralph Cook has asked the Council and Police to consider imposing Anti-Social Behaviour Orders on the main horse-owners. They would then be risking imprisonment if they continued to dump their horses in residential areas.
• Councillor Monica Walsh has been busy getting the Council to cut back over-grown vegetation along the western stretches of Willowbrook Drive.
Education Allowance - Are you entitled?
Local AM Lorraine Barrett is urging students in Trowbridge and St Mellons to check whether they're entitled to a new education allowance.16 year olds entering further education may be entitled to a weekly allowance - called the Education Maintenance Allowance - of between £10 and £30 a week. It is available on a means-tested basis to students in households with an income of up to £30,000.Pupils can get more information by asking for a form at their college or school or by calling the Education Maintenance Allowance helpline on: 0808 10 16 219.
Lib Dem threat to local schools
Cardiff currently has 8,500 surplus school places and these cost around £3m. The new Liberal Democrat Executive is planning a review that will probably result in some schools closing.
All the local authority schools in St. Mellons, Willowbrook, Oakfield and Meadowlane primary schools have surplus places and Llanrumney High - where many St. Mellons children receive their education - has 652 surplus spaces!
To be fair a Labour Administration would have had to look at the issue if we had won the Council elections.
On an economic analysis alone, school closures may prove to be necessary. However our local primary schools perform well despite the Ward’s high deprivation indices and significant numbers of local children with special educational needs.
Therefore we have a strong case against school closures especially where they can demonstrate continuing success in a difficult environment.
In areas like St. Mellons with regard to education, especially of our youngest children - "small is definitely beautiful".
Cllr. Ralph Cook
All the local authority schools in St. Mellons, Willowbrook, Oakfield and Meadowlane primary schools have surplus places and Llanrumney High - where many St. Mellons children receive their education - has 652 surplus spaces!
To be fair a Labour Administration would have had to look at the issue if we had won the Council elections.
On an economic analysis alone, school closures may prove to be necessary. However our local primary schools perform well despite the Ward’s high deprivation indices and significant numbers of local children with special educational needs.
Therefore we have a strong case against school closures especially where they can demonstrate continuing success in a difficult environment.
In areas like St. Mellons with regard to education, especially of our youngest children - "small is definitely beautiful".
Cllr. Ralph Cook
Editor's Comment
Many residents have expressed sadness at the demise of the St. Mellons Community Linx, the bi-monthly grant-funded magazine published by the St. Mellons Healthy Living Centre over the last two-years at a cost of £6,000 a year (including the cost of delivery to nearly 5,000 homes in St. Mellons).
The St. Mellons Rose, produced by the Trowbridge & St. Mellons Branch of the Labour Party, is once again the only community publication serving St. Mellons (the Trowbridge estate is served by its own Labour Party newsletter called the Trowbridge Labour Linx).
Both newsletters are funded by donations from your Councillors and produced on our photocopier. They are hand-delivered to over 6,100 homes by the Councillors and a small team of local residents.
Sadly we cannot match the "Linx" in size or quality but your Councillors want to keep residents informed about the issues they are dealing with in St. Mellons. They are willing to distribute other community group newsletters with the St. Mellons Rose if given sufficient notice.
I hope you enjoy this issue of St. Mellons Labour Rose, comments are welcome.
Maria Lester, Editor
The St. Mellons Rose, produced by the Trowbridge & St. Mellons Branch of the Labour Party, is once again the only community publication serving St. Mellons (the Trowbridge estate is served by its own Labour Party newsletter called the Trowbridge Labour Linx).
Both newsletters are funded by donations from your Councillors and produced on our photocopier. They are hand-delivered to over 6,100 homes by the Councillors and a small team of local residents.
Sadly we cannot match the "Linx" in size or quality but your Councillors want to keep residents informed about the issues they are dealing with in St. Mellons. They are willing to distribute other community group newsletters with the St. Mellons Rose if given sufficient notice.
I hope you enjoy this issue of St. Mellons Labour Rose, comments are welcome.
Maria Lester, Editor
