The South Glos Post

Councillors in Kingswood are celebrating after a council committee agreed to allocate funding for a zebra crossing outside a sheltered housing scheme.

Blackhorse Court on Blackhorse Road provides supported living for around 19 people with disabilities or learning difficulties. Residents had approached their local councillors about two years ago to see if South Gloucestershire Council would build a zebra crossing across Blackhorse Road as they had found it increasingly difficult to cross this busy road.

Local councillors Roger Coales, Andy Perkins and Pat Rooney (Labour, Woodstock) explained what followed:

“We held an initial site meeting with an official from the Council’s Highways department who identified a suitable location for a zebra crossing. Our problem was that there was no obvious source of funding through the normal Council routes.”

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Source: Woodstock Labour Councillors

South Gloucestershire Council is improving the support it provides to the district’s carers with increased investment and a range of innovative ideas.

There are an estimated 20,000 carers in South Gloucestershire and the council recognises the huge contribution they make. The council, in partnership with NHS South Gloucestershire, has developed a Joint Carers Strategy that is designed to provide the very best support to carers. This strategy has been carefully developed incorporating feedback and comments from carers themselves.

The strategy aims to empower carers by extending more choice and control to them. One way of achieving this is to give carers direct payments so that they can arrange and pay for services, such as a carers’ break, how and when it suits them, rather than the council commissioning a service it thinks carers need.

Carers are also being helped in developing their own support networks –where carers themselves have a greater say in running and influencing the groups. The council has set aside nearly £100,000 to help set up these carers groups.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Trading standards officers in South Gloucestershire have stepped up their efforts to combat incidents of rogue trading in the area with the introduction of four more ‘No Cold Calling Zones’.

The zones were set up by trading standards at the request of residents and Neighbourhood Watch groups, who have chosen to say ‘no’ to uninvited doorstep callers.

The new zones cover Cooks Close in Bradley Stoke, Simmonds View in Stoke Gifford, Kings Drive in Hanham and Sunningdale, Sandy Lodge, Troon and Hoylake in Yate.

Visitors to the No Cold Calling Zones will see street signs on lamp posts to warn traders, and residents will also be provided with information packs and a door/window sticker to display. The aim is to protect residents as well as empowering them to refuse traders selling at their door, through advice and information.

Residents are encouraged to report breaches of the zones to trading standards and the police as traders who ignore the zones could find themselves being arrested for committing an offence.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

A scheme to relieve congestion and improve road safety at the Marsham Way roundabout on the Avon Ring Road (near the Longwell Green Asda) is now fully operational.

New traffic lights which control three arms of this busy junction have been switched on and are helping to ease congestion at peak times, along with extra lanes.

Councillor Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire Council’s executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “We are committed to working hard to keep traffic moving smoothly at this ring road junction, which has seen an unprecedented amount of new development in recent years.”

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council