January 2022 agenda

Happy New Year to all our fellow Stirchley residents. The agenda for tomorrow’s meeting (Monday 10th January 2022) is available below, along with the minutes from the last meeting.

The meeting tomorrow will be online, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation and problems with the IT at Stirchley Community Church. To join the Zoom Meeting, click here.

  1. Welcome
  2. Apologies
  3. Minutes of meeting 13th December 2021 (posted here)
  4. Matters arising
  5. Police Update 
  6. Planning issues, including Aldi application for retail store at Hazelwell Lane – Ref 2021/10881/PA
  7. Networking 
  8. The future of Stirchley Ward and High Street – follow on from December discussion
  9. Any other business

The next Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum meeting will take place on Monday 14th February 2022. We will be monitoring the situation and advice in terms of whether it is safe to gather in person and will let people know if it will be online only or a hybrid meeting, as trialed last year.

If you would like to be informed of upcoming Stirchley Forum meetings, please email stirchley.forumb30@gmail.com

Ward meeting – November 2021

Councillor Mary Locke will hosting the Stirchley Forum Ward meeting on Tuesday 30th November from 6:30pm, via zoom.

Join the meeting on Zoom
Meeting ID: 868 1815 7436
Passcode: 593194 

Agenda

  • Welcome & Notice of Recording – Chair to advise those participating/listening to the online meeting that a recording will be available for future record on the council’s You Tube channel
  • Covid Update from Public Health, Nadeem Mohammed 
  • Local Anti-Bullying/Self Defence Project Update from Aimran Majid
  • Parks Update from Sue Amey, Parks Manger
  • Kier Highway Update from Stuart Cross, Local Highway Steward
  • Stirchley High Street Update from Darren Share, Assistant Director Street Scene
  • Councillor Update/ Local Issues/Updates

November update

See information about our new committee, Forum December meeting, a survey to take part in, latest COVID-19 guidance and a wordsearch!

Committee

Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum Committee was elected at our November meeting (a big thank you to all who took the time to attend) and the following officials have been appointed;
Chair – Rob Morris
Vice Chair & Planning Officer – Sandra Cooper
Treasurer – Paula Aubrey
Secretary – vacant for the time being
Publicity Officer – vacant for the time being
Other Committee members are;
Julie Saunders
Marg Walker  
Heidi Murphy  
Stacey Witcomb 

Two people can be co-opted in-year so contact us If you are interested in joining the committee.

We will be holding our usual Forum meeting on Zoom on Monday 14th December at 7.30, unfortunately you’ll have to supply your own mince pies this year!

Survey

We have been asked to bring to your attention this survey. It concerns digital advert hoardings across the city. The community interest group Adblock Brum are planning to collate the findings in responding to the Council over the Local Enforcement Plan for the new Planning Laws.  

COVID-19

A quick reminder of Government Guidance currently in place. Full details can be found here.

Public spaces

In general, you must not meet with another person socially or undertake any activities with another person. However, you can exercise or meet in a public, outdoors space with people you live with, your support bubble (or as part of a childcare bubble), or with one other person.

You should minimise time spent outside your home. When around other people, stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household – meaning the people you live with – or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions (e.g. wearing a face covering).

You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble.

support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that support bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight in each other’s households, and visit outdoor public places together.

You can exercise or visit a public outdoor space:

  • by yourself
  • with the people you live with
  • with your support bubble
  • or, when on your own, 1 person from another household

Children under 5, and up to two carers for a person with a disability who needs continuous care, are not counted towards the outdoors gatherings limit.

There is further guidance on what exercise and other physical activity can continue during the period of national restrictions.

Public outdoor places include:

  • neighbourhood streets, parks, beaches, and the countryside
  • public gardens and grounds (whether or not you pay to enter them)
  • allotments
  • outdoor playgrounds

You cannot meet people in a private garden, unless you live with them or have formed a support bubble with them.

Face coverings are required by law to be worn in many indoor settings, such as shops or places of worship where these remain open, and on public transport.

Word search

As a special treat this month why not try a Stirchley word search available at this link.

The committee look forward to seeing you at our meeting on 14th December. A link will be sent nearer the time.

Neighbourhood Forum AGM & updates

This is a reminder that our AGM will be next Monday (9th November) at 7.30pm online. We will send the link to you nearer the time so please look out for it.

We need 32 Stirchley residents to attend to be quorate and ensure that we get our annual grant which pays for room hire, etc. Hopefully we will soon need to pay room hire when we can meet in person.

Minutes of the AGM 2019 and SGM 2020, Annual Report and Annual Accounts will appear on our website.

The committee would love to welcome new committee members so please volunteer. We need an email from the person nominated and one from the person nominating them, giving their name and address (both need to live in Stirchley Ward) by 5pm on Friday (6th) sent to stirchley.forumb30@gmail.com

COVID Community Champions

Given the recent changes to COVID regulations please consider becoming a COVID Community Champion. It is a great way to find out what can and can’t be done and gain information that you can share within your networks (road, family, groups, etc). Further information can be found here
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50231/coronavirus_covid-19/2256/covid-19_community_champions/3 

Selly Oak Constituency Online Mini Conference – HMO’s & the Private Rented Sector

You are invited to join an online mini conference around the Private Rented Sector organised by Councillor Sharon Thompson, Cabinet Member for Homes & Neighbourhoods. There will be guest speakers along with representatives from other partner agencies to provide information and answer questions.

The event will be taking place on Thursday 5 November at 6.30pm – 8.30pm via Zoom and the link to join is below. Please feel free to share these details with anyone else you know who might be interested in joining the conference.

Link to join the conference;
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97647099343?pwd=WjluSUJHVkJXRW9mZ0hYVUF5Uks2Zz09
Meeting ID: 976 4709 9343
Passcode: 835605
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ac1FsMlOBf

Covid-19 Community Champions

Birmingham City Council is launching a a Covid-19 Community Champion initiative to help contain and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Based on a model developed by Newham Council, if you live or work in Birmingham, you can become a Covid-19 Community Champion. The council will keep champions informed of the latest advice and guidance so that they can help their family, friends and other community members to make sense of the latest facts about the virus.

By having and sharing clear information, friends, family and wider community members will be able to make informed choices and champions will be able to feedback what they are hearing in communities and to discuss any questions they might have.  

The role of the Covid-19 Community Champion;

  • To be a point of contact within your community (a street, a place of worship, a community organisation, a neighbourhood)
  • To pass on key messages in appropriate ways, providing reassurance and an authoritative voice
  • To encourage others to become Champions
  • To help your community understand what it needs to do to stay safe
  • To provide feedback to the Council and let us know what is and isn’t working

Please note that being a Covid-19 Community Champion is not an enforcement or regulatory role. While we welcome and value your volunteering as a Covid-19 Community Champion, this does not constitute a contract of employment or eligibility for internal recruitment positions.

To find out more and to sign up to become a Birmingham Covid-19 Community Champion, visit the community champion page on the council’s website.