David Brown

Since Cllr David Brown, Cllr Daphne Long and Cllr Peter Maiden were elected in the May local elections, the local Lib Dem team have been listening to residents and working to ensure that Bearwood is no longer forgotten and gets a fair share of services from the Council and other bodies. In recent months we are pleased to have reported numerous improvements to make life in Bearwood better for all residents. 

• NEW Police Community Support Officers start work and deliver a much higher uniform presence

• NEW Mobile Library Van arrives with more books and more stops in Bearwood

• NEW Bridge Youth Centre opens offering better activities and clubs for young people

• NEW Children’s Centre services start at Bearwood School and soon at Bearwood Community Centre

• Refurbishment of Bearwood Community Centre continues with many more groups now running

• Better play facilities soon to be delivered after Poole Council agrees funding for improvements

Poole Council has agreed to invest £10,000 to enhance the children’s play area between King John Avenue, Runnymede Avenue and Charter Road, known as the Charter Road Play Area. This should fund new equipment as well as improving what is already there.

Cllr Daphne Long explained “Poole Council collect contributions from property developers towards improving local amenities every time a property is built in the ward. These funds need to be used to address the chronic lack of play facilities in this area and we are delighted that this has been realised and this money will now be used to address the problems that local families have told us about. We are already working on new plans to secure further funds to provide better play areas locally.”

Cllr David Brown has been working with council staff to make sure that this play area is also kept clean and litter free so that children can use it all year round and a new bin has already been installed as a result.

A new programme to provide Children’s Centre services for young children and their families across Poole has started in Bearwood. At Bearwood Primary & Nursery School “Lets Play Together” groups are now provided each week and new speech and language therapy sessions are also on offer. On 9th January the Children’s Centre team will be starting “Wiggle Bugs” play and activity sessions for pre-school children aged 18 months to 4 years at Bearwood Community Centre every Wednesday from 10.45am to 12.45pm. Call the Health Visiting Team on 01202 577849 for information or to book a place.

Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, welcomed this saying: “These new services are of great benefit to local children in Bearwood and it is even better that they are being provided on their doorstep”.

After many years of hard work and fundraising, Bearwood now has its own dedicated youth facility following the opening of THE BRIDGE YOUTH CENTRE at the back of Bearwood Community Centre. At the opening ceremony on 28th October Cllr David Brown was honoured to be asked to cut the ribbon with Rev. Geoff Boland to unveil this excellent new centre to the assembled crowd.

Annette Brooke MP was on hand to watch this exciting event and commented “I know that many local people have worked for many years to see this day and it is great credit to local residents for their dedication to make this happen.”

Cllr Peter Maiden highlighted the difference across the ward saying “Merley has been fortunate with both Merley Youth Centre and the Pulse Youth Club in Canford Magna for some years, but youth provision has been patchy in Bearwood with the Church youth project filling the gap. Many youngsters have told us that they want more to do in Bearwood and this is the start of what we hope will be many more improvements.”

Cllr David Brown added “I will continue to work with the Council and all of the local groups to ensure that this is just the start of making sure that this generation of young people growing up in Bearwood will no longer be able to say that there isn’t anywhere to go or anything to do around here.”

The excellent work to improve the facilities at Bearwood Community Centre continues apace. Poole Council has agreed to provide some financial support to enable the Community Centre to secure a £25,000 grant from SITA Trust to fund the refurbishment of the toilet and washroom facilities throughout the premises.

Cllr Daphne Long commented “The residents involved in running the Community Centre need to be congratulated on the tremendous refurbishment. I am pleased that the Council have been able to support this final part of the refurbishment programme which will make the centre much more inviting for its visitors.”

There are now many more groups running in the centre as a result of the refurbishment with Pilates, Guides, Slimming World, Weight Watchers, dance classes and University of the Third Age (U3A) all starting this year. Full details are available on the notice board at the centre.

Cllr David Brown has set up a new group on the Facebook social networking website called “We love Bearwood”, to build an online community of local people. David says “In its first few weeks dozens of people have joined this group which I hope will support the community spirit in Bearwood, enable discussion of local issues and help local groups to keep in contact”.

If you are on Facebook please join the group and get involved.

The new Mobile Library Van is starting a new stop at Hull Road. The timetable is now:

11.00-11.45am   Hull Road

12.00-12.45pm   Bearwood Community Centre

2.10 – 3.00pm    Dukes Drive

3.15 – 4.00pm    Barons Road

The next dates are every other Wednesday – 19 December, 2 January, 16 January, 30 January, 13 February, 27 February, 5 March, 19 March, 9 April.

Now that the fortnightly green waste bin collection has stopped for the winter, Bearwood residents will still be able to dispose of their Garden Waste at the collection site at St Barnabas Church on King John Avenue between 1pm and 4pm on these dates:

Saturday 15 December, Saturday 12 January, Saturday 26 January, Saturday 9 February, Saturday 23 February, Saturday 8 March, Saturday 22 March.

Annette Brooke MP and Councillors Peter Maiden, Daphne Long and David Brown have at last made some headway in negotiations with Poole Council and the Bus Companies over the ongoing bus problems in Sopwith Crescent.

Pressure from your Lib Dem representatives and local residents has resulted in some action from the Borough of Poole. The Council are investigating with the Bus Company as to whether one flyer per hour could be re-routed onto a new loop to cover Wimborne, Oakley Hill, Quenn Anne Drive, Merley Lane/Sopwith Crescent, Oakley Straight and Canford Magna, back along Queen Anne Drive and back to Wimborne.

“Hopefully this proposal will be adopted by the Council and Bus Company. We will continue to work towards this solution with Annette Brooke MP,” said Cllr Peter Maiden.

We are also putting pressure on the Council to provide newer buses for the 32 service with a step free entrance, which will be of easier use for those with walking disabilities,” said Cllr Daphne Long.

An appeal for volunteers has been made by Merley First School, who need more volunteers to keep their walk to school programme running.

Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat Childrens Spokesperson, joined the school during the International Walk to School week in October last year, which aims to encourage community safety and reduce congestion and carbon emissions by getting children and parents out of their cars.

40 Countries participated last year and this October, there is an international walk to school month. However Merley First School needs more volunteers if the programme is to keep going in the long run.

“If you are interested in helping with the activity in Merley, please contact Councillor Peter Maiden on 888608,” said Annette.

For more details visit the walk to school website http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/

Councillors Peter Maiden, Daphne Long and David Brown reported in the last Focus about parking problems around Harrier Drive. The area suffers from a lack of available spaces at school pick-up and drop off time. Local residents have complained that their drives are being obstructed and cars are parking in dangerous places when dropping off school children.

Following a petition from residents of Harrier Drive, Annette Brooke MP attended the Council’s Transport Advisory Group in July which discussed these parking problems. Aftre presentations from a resident and from Cllr David Brown, the council has decided to carry out a review of the perking and traffic situation around Merley First School. This has been prioritised for action as soon as possible during 2008/09. In the mean time, local PC Stephen Hawke will be issuing tickets for any dangerous parking in the area.

After a very large petition against the installation of the phone mast in Queen Anne Drive by the local residents, ably co-ordinated by Mrs Harding, it was referred for refusal at planning committee.

Reasons included increased danger to motorists, damage to trees from the mast foundations and the ‘green belt’ designation of the land. It was also apparent that other potential sites had not been thoroughly investigated.

It is felt that this, and more applications, will be submitted in the near future. A meeting would be beneficial for the residents to discuss the issues involved and prepare to respond to these applications.

Local Councillors David Brown, Daphne Long and Peter Maiden are pleased to report the brand new mobile Library bus is now in service and visiting Merley and Bearwood regularly.

In Bearwood, a new stop has been introduced at Bearwood Community Centre from 12pm to 12.45pm. This is followed by Dukes Drive at 2 - 3pm and Barons Road at 3.15 - 4pm. It stops every othe Wednesday.

One especially good feature to the van is the disabled access chair lift, which allows wheelchair users easy access to the van.

“I am particularly pleased that the new van provides access to people with disabilities who also might want to use it,” said Daphne.

A new 30mph SID was installed along Knights Road in May after lobbying from your local Lib Dem team on behalf of concerned residents. We hope it will encourage people to stop speeding near the junctions with De Courtenai Close, Crusader Road and King Richard Drive.

Following lobbying by PC Simon Bridge, the local beat officer for Bearwood, and some local residents, Dorset Police are now providing two new PCSOs.

“The two new PCSOs started work around a month ago and should be very useful in dealing with some of the anti-social behaviour residents have reported to us in the past. We will be in touch with them if any issues are raised on crime and anti-social behaviour,” said Cllr Peter Maiden.

The goalposts on Lionheart playing fields had been incorrectly removed by council contractors. Local residents were quick to notify Cllr David Brown.

David, a keen football fan, was quickly on to the Council to make sure Bearwood footballers had the chance to play this summer and got the posts put back within a couple of days.

Your local Liberal Democrats were disappointed by the poole Conservatives recent decision to exclude all three ward Councillors from the Canford Sports Park joint committee.

Instead they have appointed an Oakdale Councillor to this liaison committee which has one representative from Bournemouht Council and one from Poole Council. There has always previously been a ward councillor on the committee.

“Despite a lot of Lib Dem objections at the Council, the Conservatives on Poole Council chose to appoint to the committee a Councillor who does not represent the ward and therefore may not have the best interests of Merley and Bearwood residents at heart,” said Cllr Daphne Long.

Liberal Democrat candidates enjoyed success in the local elections on Thursday 3^rd May 2007. Seats were gained from the Conservatives in Broadstone and Merley & Bearwood wards and so changed the balance of power on Poole Borough Council. Elsewhere in Poole the story was one of ‘no change’ apart from Hamworthy West where two Lib Dem seats were lost to the Conservatives. The Conservative majority on the council has now slipped to 8 from 10 and the seats are shared 17 Lib Dem (+1) and 25 Conservative (-1).

“I would like to congratulate all our successful candidates and extend a special welcome to our four new councillors, Dan Martin (Broadstone) and David Brown, Daphne Long and Peter Maiden (all Merley & Bearwood)” said Annette Brooke MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole.

Mike Brooke added: “I would like to thank all our helpers, who showed great determination and commitment during the election campaign, and also extend a big thank you to all those residents who supported us through the ballot box on polling day itself.”

A detailed analysis of the results is given below.

Merley & Bearwood Ward