Don't Let Balsall Heath be Split in Half! - please circulate
Ian Edwards
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is re-drawing the Council Ward Boundary map for Birmingham. This is for the area where you elect your local Councillor.
We are pleased that the Commission recognise that there is such a place as Balsall Heath. They propose that the area around Edward Rd be named ‘Balsall Heath Ward’.
However, they propose that the area around Ladypool Rd becomes ‘Sparkbrook Ward’.
If their proposal goes ahead, it will mean that Balsall Heath Forum, Balsall Heath City Farm and Balsall Heath Children’s Centre will all be in Sparkbrook. It will also mean that Balsall Heath Park should be moved to Moseley Ward!
We believe that it is a terrible idea to split Balsall Heath in half for the following reasons:
· There is a recognised Neighbourhood Plan that covers Balsall Heath for which almost 2,500 turned out to vote.
· If it Balsall Heath is split in half, will make it harder for voters to implement the plan and more complicated for the Council, reducing the effectiveness of public administration.
· Balsall Heath has had a strong identity for hundreds of years.
· For the last 40 years, the community of Balsall Heath has worked hard to make the area a better place to live, work and grow up. In doing so, it has reinforced the sense of community identity and unity.
We need as many people as possible to tell the Boundary Commission what they think (whether they agree with us or not!). You can do so by following this link: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/5688. The Commission will want to know your reasons.
The closing date for making a submission is the midnight on 20th June.
Below is a copy of the submission made by Balsall Heath is Our Planet:
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.
Please do contact the Boundary Commission, they would love to hear from you, or, if you prefer please email ian.e...@stpaulstrust.org.uk and he will make a submission on your behalf.
Please share this information as widely as possible.