Boscombe Crescent - Railings or not?

There has been much discussion recently about the new plans for Boscombe Crescent. The plans were drawn up after several consultative workshops and a successful request for 50k from the council.

When the plans were submitted for planning permission there was an objection from a local resident who felt that the railings would not make the area feel safer as desired and may instead make people feel hemmed in and unlikely to walk through the area and more likely to walk around the area.

One point also made was that the railings put up in St James Square around 5 years ago to improve the area are soon to be removed at the request of residents to make the area more opened up and welcoming.

There are now going to be 3 plans drawn up and consulted on. With railings, with partial railings and with no railings.

The consultation will be at a meeting on 1pm on Saturday, 5th February in the Partnership Office, Roumelia Lane.  And on the 12th February the Parks Team will be on the Crescent asking people using the site for their opinions.

Do I live in a “House in Multiple occupancy” ?

You may be living in an HMO if you live in a house or flat that is occupied by more than one household. This could include: Bedsits, houses and flatshares, with separate tenancy agreements, hostels and B&B’s that are not just for holidays.

It is not always easy to work out whether you live in an HMO or not. If unsure, contact us.

HMO landlord responsibilities

fire safety alarms in place

property not to be overcrowded

adequate cooking and washing facilities

communal areas and shared facilities are clean and in good repair

enough rubbish bins.

HMO’s need to be registered with the council if at least three storeys high and containing five or more people. The council will consider if the property is large enough for the occupants and well managed.

A landlord can be prosecuted if their HMO falls within this definition but is not registered with the council.

Housing

Housing
Housing is the issue which underpins most of the problems in Boscombe. Poor planning over many years has led to a dominance of single person units and bedsits.
The Lib Dems in Boscombe are making representations to make sure that planners understand the impact of allowing one type of housing to dominate, and plan for a more mixed community in the future.
Zero tolerance for Rogue landlords
Poorly managed housing is blighting our area. We want to hear from you if your housing is substandard. Your examples can give us the evidence we need to show that change needs to happen. If your house is classed as a “House in Multiple occupancy” your landlord may require a licence and have extra responsibilities to keep your home in a safe condition.
See our guide to find out more 

Cleaner Streets

The Liberal Democrat team, are campaigning for better disposal of large items and better arrangements for bins. We have some of the highest charges in the country to get rid of large items, and with few people having cars in the area people cannot get to the tip. Lisa has been pushing for cheaper ways to dispose of large items.
The storage and management of bins in the most densely populated parts of Boscombe mean there is often up to eight bins outside each house. Storage is difficult and unsightly and contaminated bins are not collected. We don’t think this is good enough. The Lib Dems are taking action on this.
We want to see less bins with bigger capacity, and shared bins in the area’s where this is a problem, making the streets look less cluttered and cleaner.

Public Safety

There has been a concerted effort in recent years to address the problems of crime in the area and this has resulted in a decrease in crime which is testimony to everyones hard work in the area. We cannot afford to be complacent.
The team all live in the area and like many of you have been witness to, or the victim of crime. Lib Dems want to see Boscombe continued to be prioritised for action and will fight the needs of our area as budgets are cut amongst all agencies.
Your councillor, Lisa has supported police and community action on drugs and prostitution, and she speaks up for the most vulnerable, so that the elderly, women and children can feel safe walking in their neighbourhood.
Lisa urges residents to continue to report their concerns to the Safer Neighbourhood Team and to her as this intellegence is valuable in tackling crime in the area.
Safer Neighbourhood team: 01202 222222
Cllr Lisa Northover: 07515 355982

Inadequate toilet facilities and washing facilities

Landlords of Houses of Multiple occulancy have extra responsibilities

The landlord's most important responsibilities are to ensure that:

proper fire safety measures are in place

the property is not overcrowded

there are adequate cooking and washing facilities

communal areas and shared facilities are clean and in good repair

there are enough rubbish bins.

These rules exist to ensure that people living in HMOs have access to decent facilities and to reduce the risk of fire. If you are experiencing problems contact the environmental health department of your local council and they may assess your property under The Housing Health Safety Rating System. This aims to ensure that your home doesn't have any serious hazards, and allows a council to take action against landlords whose properties are dangerous. find out more...

These photo's are of the shares washing facilities in a local HMO, the front door of the HMO is not very secure so it is also easy for the property to be accessed by non residents. 


Please contact us with your experience and stories so we can raise the standards of housing in Boscombe

Unacceptable housing

We are concentrating on housing standards at the moment and looking at problems people experience with their housing. Whilst talking to residents in some flats today I came across a needle left on a stairwell.  I have reported this to environmental health.

Please let us know if you are experiencing these or other problems with your housing.

Open publication - Free publishing - More boscombe

Battistinis, December ‘Retro Revival’ . . . . . . . . .

Get ready and BE QUICK is all we can say!!!!!!!

The next instalment of the ever popular 'Battistinis Retro Revival' will be the Christmas Special occurring on Sat 18^thDecember 2010. We would love you to join us for an exquisite evening of true yesteryear 40’s & 50’s beauty and styling with a good old scoop of fun and giggles thrown in for good measure!

‘Retro Revival’ is to commence from 7-11pm at the Bournemouth based Battistinis custom centre! The price of a ticket is a mere £12 each and includes food and all we can say is be quick, very quick if you want a ticket as these are available now and will be gone very quick! You have been warned!!!!

Tickets are Available from the Battistinis Custom Centre which incorporates The ‘Rockers Cafe’ by simply dropping in store, OR by calling +44(0)1202 437400 and also onlinefrom the following link: http://battistinis.eventbrite.com/

>>> CLICK HERE to join 'Battistinis Retro Revival' on Facebook<<<

'Battistinis Christmas Special Retro Revival’

SATURDAY 18th DECEMBER 2010

LIVE MUSIC FROM

‘The Regular Joes’ 11 piece Swing and Jive band.

Specializing in the dance music of that jumpin', jivin' era inbetween the Big Bands and Rock 'n' Roll. Their unique (but not so secret!) recipe combines old-school R&B, Jump Blues, and classic Swing along with a tasty sprinkling of "The Rat Pack" to serve you up a swingin', dancin' treat!.

plus

Dance the night away to vintage tunes from the 1940s and 1950s from 
ROCK 'N' ROLL DJ "VANESSA"

BURLESQUE ENTERTAINMENT FROM MISS ANNIE & THE KITTY KAT KITTENS

CUSTOM BIKES & HOTRODS BY BATTISTINIS ON SHOW

STALL HOLDERS

- Traditional Barber "Lord Jason" from Southbourne Barbers

- Jive Dive Vintage Records & CDs

- Love From Hetty & Dave Hand Crafted Leather Accessories & Jewellery

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!

LIVE MUSIC * BURLESQUE * VINTAGE CLOTHING STALLS * TATTOOS BAR * TICKET PRICE INCLUDES FOOD!

Remember that the Battistinis Custom Centre incorporating the ‘Rockers Cafe’ is open:

Mon to Friday: 8.30am – 5.30 pm

Saturday: 9.00am – 5.00 pm

Sunday: Pre-arranged events only. (See in store for posters)

Battistinis UK Ltd

Battistinis Custom Centre

1172-1180 Christchurch Road

Bournemouth,

Dorset, BH7 6DY

England

Telephone: +44 (0)1202 437400

Email: sales@battistinis.co.uk

Website: www.battistinis.co.uk

Blog: www.battistinis.blogspot.com

Coda and the People's Millions

Coda, based in the New Forest are the organisation which supports the brilliant Boscombe Orchestra for children, The fiddle orchestra, which has helped lots of local children learn the violin and be part of concerts all around town. They are going to be on the People Millions to get help converting buildings to provide music therapy at their HQ and you can help by voting, please click the link to show your interest, and you will be advised of the number to cal on the day!

Coda and the People's Millions

I voted against

Here is the decision on outsourcing at tonights meeting. 

I voted against

Cllr Lisa Northover

Mouchel Partnership set to commence on 1^st December

Tonight (Wednesday 10^th November), Full Council approved the award of an Incremental Partnership Contract to Mouchel, for an initial period of 10 years, with a proposed contract start date of 1 December 2010.

The partnership is made up of three key aspects:

1. A Council-wide structured change programme, known as Transformation.  This will create the capacity for the Council to save up to 40% of its revenue budget over the next ten years, with a series of business cases being developed over the course of the contract.  The Council will have final decision on which changes to proceed with.
2. Delivery of four initial services – ICT, Revenues, Benefits and Facilities Management.  Mouchel will continue to base these jobs in Bournemouth.  The partnership will see the standards for these services improved to be within the best 25% in the country by 2013, whilst also saving 5.9% a year on their running costs.
3. Developing the local economy including the creation of up to 650 new, private-sector jobs in Bournemouth, with 350 jobs of these guaranteed contractually by Mouchel.  These will be created in the emerging field of carbon management, through the creation of a national Centre for Excellence, and the regional provision of support services (such as IT and facilities management) to other public sector organisations.

Assurances were given at Council by Mouchel as to their financial position and ability to deliver the contract as offered.

Cllr Peter Charon, Leader of the Council, said, “This is probably the most significant decision Council has taken for many years and it is not something that a single Member has considered lightly.  In a series of four meetings over three days, the Business Case has been scrutinised, debated and ultimately, this evening, accepted.”  He added, “It is the combination of service improvement, cost reduction, council-wide transformation, a flexible contract that lets us maintain control, and added benefit to the wider economy that make this a once in a generation opportunity.” 

After a required ‘cooling off’ period, it is expected that contracts will be signed by 30^thNovember.

Cllr John Beesley, Cabinet Member for Resources said, “This has been many years in the planning, and demonstrates Bournemouth’s ability to plan ahead, predict the difficult times and prepare effectively for them.  I am confident that working with Mouchel gives us the best possible opportunity of responding to the announced Government funding cuts, whilst allowing us the flexibility to respond to circumstances that are as yet unknown, such as future legislation or further changes to our funding regime.”

ENDS

For further comment / broadcast interview, please call:

Media Office: 01202 454668

Cllr Peter Charon 01202 304317

Cllr John Beesley 07860 391219

Editor’s Notes:

Timeline: reaching tonight’s decision:

·         October 2008 – Cabinet considered an Options Appraisal which provided a high level assessment of potential efficiencies.

·         February 2009 – Cabinet approved the Detailed Case for Change to procure a potential partner.

·         June 2009 – The Scope of Services was confirmed (ICT< Facilities Management, Benefits, Revenues) and procurement commenced following approval by Cabinet.

·         July 2009 – The notice advertising the Partnership opportunity was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

·         September 2009 – 4 bidders (Serco, Capita, Mouchel, BT/Balfour Beatty) were shortlisted from Pre Qualification Responses.

·         December 2009 – Capita and Mouchel were shortlisted to participate in detailed Dialogue with the Council with a view to submitting Final Tenders.

·         July 2010 - A Business Case was been developed for approval by Council. A number of recommendations were made by Overview and Scrutiny Management Panel to improve the Business Case.

·         July-October 2010 –recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Panel on 5 July 2010 are addressed

Selecting Mouchel as Preferred Bidder:

Both Mouchel and Capita’s final bids were assessed on:

(i) Price – achievement of the Council’s affordability requirements, minimisation of exposure and access to funding.

(ii) Quality – technical approach, robustness and risk management, service management and plans for innovation and service improvement.

(iii) Staff – retaining jobs locally and demonstration of staff welfare and development of skills.

(iv) Broader Strategic Contribution – supporting broader change across the Council and the local economy as a whole.

Lib Dems Campaign to Evict Rogue Landlords in Boscombe

Boscombe Lib Dems back the Shelter Campaign to Evict Rogue Landlords. We want to make this campaign real in Boscombe and are looking for your help in telling us about your experience and providing photographs of housing problems. 

Here is the information about the Shelter campaign:

Over the past 10 years, the private rented sector has been the fastest growing type of housing in the UK and is likely to continue to expand, as waiting lists for social housing rise and more people are priced out of home ownership.

Anyone renting a property from a private landlord deserves to be treated fairly and with respect. While most landlords do this, a minority of rogue landlords are getting away with renting out homes that are in an appalling state of repair, and deliberately exploiting their tenants.

Examples of rogue landlord behaviour include:

• harassment and illegal eviction
• failure to ensure that a property is in a fit state – and that it is safe
• refusal to return a tenant’s deposit without good reason
• charging tenants outrageous amounts for hidden costs
• Using undisclosed fees as an excuse to put tenants into arrears and impose further extortionate penalty charges.

Living in rundown or unsafe housing can severely harm the health and well-being of tenants. It contributes to and worsens problems of poverty and social exclusion. And it is not only tenants of rogue landlords who are affected. Neighbours can also be put at risk by poor maintenance and vandalism in adjoining properties.

Rogue landlords make people’s lives a misery by using outrageous scams to rip off unsuspecting tenants, leaving them in serious financial difficulty.

The Government says that tenants are happy with their experiences of private renting and the laws to protect them are working well. Yet a new survey carried out by Shelter with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health reveals that:

• 9 out of 10 environmental health officers working with tenants have encountered landlords engaging in harassment or illegal eviction.
• 78% had dealt with landlords who persistently refuse to maintain their property in a safe condition.
• More than 90% had encountered cases of severe damp, mould, electrical or fire safety hazard in properties they investigated in the last year.

Shelter believes that much more needs to be done to bring rogue landlords to justice and to drive them out for good. In particular, we want to see:

• A zero tolerance approach to rogue landlords by local councils, backed by adequate resources - bringing all local councils up to the standard of the best.
• The ability to ban people from being a landlord for a period of time if they are convicted of an offence related to their behaviour in this role, for instance harassing or evicting tenants illegally.
• Greater transparency and accountability, so that the public are better able to hold local politicians to account for what they are doing to tackle rogue landlords.