Birmingham CCHE

Elect a Mayor

DebK — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:09:36 +0000

On May 3rd 2012, all Birmingham residents get to decide whether to have an elected mayor.
Residents of 10 cities across the UK will be making this decision.This has been forced upon Birmingham residents by the Localism Act 2011.
The current system largely mirrors the national parliament at Westminster, with a leader elected from the largest party and the cabinet made up of elected councillors from either the ruling party or – as at present – the ruling coalition. Elections are staged three years out of every four, with one-third of council seats contested each time. Mocking the democratic process, the government have refused even to announce what the mayor’s full powers and policy remit will be until after any mayoral election has taken place! So Birmingham’s electorate are being asked to make an informed decision about an office whose scope and powers have yet to determined!
I will be voting NO on the 3rd of May.
How about you?
Whether it is a yes or a no …. please do cast your vote.

Decent Homes Update

DebK — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:03:32 +0000

99.9% of all council homes have now been brought up to the Decent Homes Standard. Not only was this completed on time, Birmingham City Council managed to do it without any funding.
Because of this I can now announce that £58 million is available to the Housing Department to be spent over the next few years. This will initially be spent on updating some kitchens and bathrooms. Windows with plastic frames that are only single glazed will also be on the replacement programme.
Watch this space for more info!

BCC Housing Triumphs Again

DebK — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:46:36 +0000

I can now announce that from 1st April BCC Housing will be totally autonomous. We no longer rely on government money for anything. In fact the Housing Dept no longer has to rely on any official body whatsoever. BCC Housing can now do what it wants with the money it gets from the rent. Your rent money will now be used totally on housing issues.
Believe me when I tell you that this is great news. Birmingham City Council Housing Department is now self-sufficient and the residents/tenants of our city deserve this.

Metro gets bigger!

DebK — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:12:30 +0000

Birmingham’s Midland Metro tram service will be extended in a project worth £128 million, it has been announced. The new line will now run through the city centre, stretching from New Street Station to Snow Hill Station. Centro has now been given the green light to go ahead with the project and a £75.4 million grant towards the cost of the work, which includes building a bigger maintenance depot, an extension to the line and a procuring a new fleet of trams.
The existing service between Wolverhampton and Snow Hill Station – Line one of the Midland Metro – opened in late May 1999. The new line will hopefully create 1,300 jobs and £50 million for the local economy.
The buses will be stopped from going along Corporation Street and most will just stop at Moor Street Station.

Housing Fraud

DebK — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:54:09 +0000

A government driven campaign that all landlords must follow.
If you know of a property which IS empty but was rented out please report it by ringing 0121 303 4130 to blow the whistle.
This is only fair if people are using them as a “benefit drop” or leaving it empty for some other reason (still living at home etc) – these properties are needed for the 26,000 people on the waiting list.

January events

DebK — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:37:08 +0000

Holocaust Memorial day
Town Hall Victoria Square
22nd January
Free
0121 303 3008

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Chinese New Year
Arcadian Centre City Centre
29th January
Free

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Lost in Lace
Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Until 19th February
Free

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The Jungle Book
The Old Rep Theatre Station Street
Until 28th January
£18.50 Adults £11.00 Children (under 16)

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November Events

DebK — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:00:25 +0000

Christmas Parade
12 November 2011
Victoria Square
5.30pm
Birmingham’s Christmas Lights get switched on. With santa and reindeers.
Free.
0121 303 3008

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Frankfurt Christmas Market
17 November – 23 December 2011
Victoria Square and New Street
Over 180 stall. Combined with Birmingham’s Craft Fair.
0121 303 3008

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Nativity Trail
30 November – 6 January 2012
The Museum and Art Gallery
Highlighting the Holy Family as seen through the eyes of some of the greatest artists.
Free
0121 303 1966

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Santa’s Grotto
26 & 27 November
3, 4, 10, 11, 17 – 21 & 23 December
Saturdays = 11am – 4pm, Sundays & weekdays 12.30pm – 4.30pm
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
£2.50 per child
0121 303 1966

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Christmas Craft Fair
27 November
11am – 4pm
Highbury Hall, Yew Tree Road, Moseley
Free

How your rent is spent

DebK — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:40:39 +0000

To be quite frank, I’m sorry but I don’t have time to work out the percentages so I’ve just copied the BCC report.

Use this as an example.

Your rent might be £67.86 out of that
£19.75 goes towards Repairs and Maintenance
£12.84 goes towards Local Housing Management
£11.28 goes towards BCC Interest costs
£22.99 goes to the Government (Treasury)
£ 1.00 goes towards other expenditure

Don’t lose your heating this winter – Let the Gas Man in!

DebK — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:47:04 +0000

If you have a combination boiler with pipes that drain excess water outside, it is more likely you will have problems with them during any cold spell. 1000′s did last year. Gas teams are now working throughout the city to … Continue reading →

BCC Performance Updates

DebK — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:07:38 +0000

This is a brief summary of the quarterly report. (What I can publish anyway).

Rent
£9,309,167 is owed in rent citywide
8.36% of all tenants owe rent
0.12% of all rent-owing tenants were evicted due to arrears.

Empty Properties
Average number of days to repair an empty property = 20.3 days (Target = 11)
Average number of days to re-let a property after vacating to re-let start date = 45.2 days (target = 44)

2891 properties were re-let through Birmingham Home Choice (CBL) between 2010/2011 – so far.