HENBURY WARD FOCUS

Re the Henbury Ward Focus Bristol Evening Post Wednesday 21 May 2009.

SO WHO ARE THESE HENBURY WARD COUNCILLORS, COUNCILLOR MARK WESTON AND COUNCILLOR DEREK PICKUP?

Thank you Tom Morris for the Henbury Ward Focus, Evening Post Wednesday 21 May.

So who are these Ward Councillors? Surely Ward Councillors should either live in the Ward or close by, certainly Henbury Ward Councillors should live north of the River Avon. However all of Derek Pickup’s declared interests on the Bristol City Council website appear to be a long way from Henbury. He lives in York Road, Bedminster. So why is he a Ward Councillor in Henbury Ward? We need Councillors who live and take an interest in the area. Perhaps they don’t want him south of the river.

Derek Pickup’s election handout is all about Central Government and Bristol Council Executive policies, exactly what has he done personally?, apparently little worth reporting. He says, “I get my priorities from YOU……I have been quick to respond”.

However as a result of local developer Newland Homes Ltd’s failure to maintain a stone retaining wall and trees in Hallen Road, Henbury, which was the initial impetus for the Campaign to ban Aviation Fuel Tankers from North West Bristol suburban roads, Derek Pickup emailed on the 13 October 2008, “I will check out what is happening”. At the date of this post we are still waiting for him to tell us what he discovered.

By contrast Mark Weston has been a source of continuous support and inspiration since October 2008.

On the day following the Campaign’s presentation to the Bristol full Council meeting on the 28 April, the Deputy Chief Executive’s Ward visit was cancelled because, “Cllr Pickup’s car had broken down”. Why did he not use the bus? Perhaps he will attend the rearranged Ward visit when it occurs, assuming of course he knows where Henbury is and he can find it.

The former Executive of Bristol Council, represented by Cllr Helen Holland and Cllr Mark Bradshaw have done their utmost to frustrate, ignore and block the Campaign, including failing to question the actions of obviously incompetent Council officers.

At the Campaign’s presentation to the Bristol full Council meeting, Cllr Bradshaw subsequently responded to a supplementary question querying what action he had taken with regard to the tanker issue while an Executive member. His response was, “he had asked officers to investigate, thought they had said it was “South Gloucester's issue” and had left the issue with them”.

Derek Pickup has proved that he is not the slightest bit interested in the Campaign to ban Aviation Fuel Tankers from North West Bristol suburban roads. Next thing we know he will be claiming a second homes allowance.