FW: Boundary Commission Comments - time is ticking away

[Ian Edwards]

Colleagues

We are approaching the deadline for making comments to the Boundary Commission on their proposed changes to Balsall Heath (and the rest of Birmingham!). You can comment up until midnight tonight.

They propose that the area around Edward Rd be renamed 'Balsall Heath Ward' and that the area around Ladypool Rd becomes 'Sparkbrook Ward'. They also say that Balsall Heath Park should be moved to Moseley .

If you wish to make a comment please follow this link: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/5688

Please do tell the Commission what you think!

To give you a flavour of what the Commission are looking for, below is what Balsall Heath is Our Planet submitted:

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing in my capacity as Chair of Balsall Heath Is our Planet, a charity founded 2009 to work with everyone who lives or works in Balsall Heath in bringing about environmental improvements to the neighbourhood.

Unfortunately we cannot accept that the Boundary Commission's recommendation of May 2016 to divide our neighbourhood in two up Moseley Road A435, and put Balsall Heath Park into Moseley ward, would reflect natural community boundaries, or facilitate public administration.

BHIOP's steering committee has representatives from St Paul's Community Development Trust and Balsall Heath Forum who have been the primary actors in the regeneration of Balsall Heath, but who are located west of Moseley Road, in what you propose as a new Sparkbrook Ward. The Sparkbrook Ward that you have proposed is too large, in our view, and would take in parts of other neighbourhoods, including a great piece of Balsall Heath, creating unnecessary difficulties and divisions in future.

Co-operation between the organisations that make up our neighbourhood, across ethnic and religious lines, has been built up with a huge amount of work and commitment, culminating in the ground-breaking Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Plan. Having the entire neighbourhood within a single ward has been very helpful in building relationships with councillors who have responsibility for the whole of Balsall Heath.

Our steering group is therefore unanimously of the view that the small Balsall Heath Ward of 8,000 electors confined to the east of Moseley Road, as proposed in your draft recommendations should be expanded to embrace the whole neighbourhood, as it has always been defined.



Many thanks

Ian
St. Paul's Community Development Trust Hertford Street Balsall Heath Birmingham B12 8NJ Telephone 0121 464 4376 Registered in England & Wales No: 1429707 Charity Registrations No. 508943 www.stpaulstrust.org.uk E-Mail:adminis...@stpaulstrust.org.uk This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual organisation to whom they are expressed. The views expressed within this email are those of the individual, and not necessarily those of the Trust.