Mike Rouse

I’ve been out into one of the most rural parts of the Redditch South division today on my way to Feckenham, picking up a number of issues along the way including fallen branches, blocked drains, siding out, and footway improvements.

Caught out by driving in bus lanes or yellow box junctions?

We want to hear from you on whether the current traffic enforcement measures are fair to drivers.

Have your say by 11 May: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/restricting-the-generation-of-surplus-funds-from-traffic-contraventions

It’s just before 8pm as I write this with polls closing at 10pm. There’s still time to vote.

Please give your backing to Matt Dormer and his team of Conservatives on Redditch Borough Council. They are delivering on the promise set out in 2018 to unlock Redditch’s potential.

More investment than ever coming in, regeneration in progress, more council homes for those who need them, and topped off with a promise to freeze the Council Tax next year.

VOTE
CONSERVATIVE
TODAY

Polls open 7am to 10pm (tomorrow) for voting all across Redditch for the Borough Council elections. If you have still got a postal vote you can drop it off at a polling station. If you vote in person don’t forget your photo ID.

Helped the team in Astwood Bank & Feckenham this morning. The ward also includes Hunt End and parts of Crabbs Cross.

Craig Warhurst is a fellow County Councillor for the area, and is also hoping to return to the Borough Council on Thursday where he has turned the council housing department around in recent years.

Chris Holz is new to the area having been elected to Crabbs Cross. But that ward doesn’t exist any more so he’s standing in Astwood Bank & Feckenham.

Brandon Clayton is also standing and has years of experience on both the Borough Council and County Council.

Please vote for all THREE on Thursday.

GET REGENERATION DONE

The elections next week will decide who runs Redditch Borough Council in what must be the most crucial elections in a generation. The whole council is up for election, not the usual one-third of seats.

Back in 2018 I remember a town that backed the Conservative vision for regeneration, against national odds. Let’s stick to the plan and get it done.

You have great Conservative candidates in all wards. They’re all believers in the local Conservative vision, which includes:

🛠️ Build more council homes to accommodate people who need them.

📚 Bring public services and our central library under one roof at Town Hall, making everything easier to access and cost taxpayers’ less.

🛝 Building more play areas so that no child is more than 15 minutes walk from a decent playground.

💡 Innovation Centre on the site of the old police station.

🚓 Brand new police and fire station.

🅿️ Installing more parking spaces in residential estate.

🚂 Brand new Railway Station with room for more regular services in the future and improved public realm up Unicorn Hill.

There’s so much being delivered by the current Conservative council led by Matt Dormer. He is supported by great candidates who care about Redditch.

Your Conservative candidates are in the comments below.

Please let them finish the job they started 6 years ago.

Vote Conservative on Thursday 2nd May 2024.

Really pleased to see these steps to the bus stop on Coldfield Drive. Just a small job but makes the area look nicer and safer for people dashing for the bus. The barrier has also been secured too. [Note: There is a ramp just off to the left of the photo.]

Shocking to hear about criminality at a Severn Valley Railway station. Volunteers work very hard, and don’t deserve to have their generosity abused in this way. I hope the culprits are caught and brought to justice. Please help police recover the stolen items if you can.

Volunteers heartbroken at Severn Valley Railway break-in Several lamps and other heritage equipment are taken in the break-in

A great many thanks to Adrian Kriss and Maria Middleton for inviting me to join them for the first night of Pesach at Singers Hill Synagogue. It has been a fascinating and fulfilling evening.

Been out campaigning for Craig Warhurst, Brandon Clayton and Chris Holz this morning.

It’s also a good opportunity for me to check the drains and grit bins. One drain reported for cleansing. Leaflets delivered; now off to the Steamhouse to pick up a treat for my wife and kids. Who am I kidding, and for me!

You’ve got FOUR votes on Thursday 2nd May. I’d be grateful if you could vote for Craig Warhurst, Brandon Clayton and Chris Holz for the Borough Council and John Campion for the Police & Crime Commissioner elections.

Let’s play a little game. If you can guess which two doughnuts from the Steamhouse in Astwood Bank I have in the box you’ll win … nothing.

It’s an election period. I can’t do that. But you will get all the kudos in the comments.

One point for each correct guess. Good luck!

Fostering not only drastically improves the life chances of a child in need, but saves the public purse huge care costs whilst ensuring foster families are adequately supported. It’s a win-win-win initiative that can quite literally transform lives for the better. I hope more people come forward as there is currently a chronic shortage of foster families at the same time as more children sadly being taken into care. You can find out more about fostering on the Worcestershire County Council website. A link is in the comments.

Have you received a copy? What part did you find most interesting?

I was proud to create the Redditch Arrow back in 2019 as a way to communicate with the local electorate in a broader and more accessible manner. I’m even prouder to see it live on and grow in 2024, setting out a positive case for why you should vote for my Conservative colleagues at the upcoming local elections.

Like many of you I will be heading down to the post box to send back my postal vote for the Borough Council elections and the PCC elections.

Sending best wishes to all candidates regardless of party for being brave and putting your name forward. It takes courage these days to stand for public office.

But at the end of it all there can only be three winners in each ward. These are the most crucial local council elections in Redditch for a generation.

Don’t waste your vote. Easy to be put off by national issues. But democracy was never easy, and many fought and died for the privilege to elect representatives.

Huge congratulations to RoadPeace West Midlands and our own Lucy Harrison on receiving a King’s Award for Volunteering.

It’s an organisation and cause that ideally should not need to exist, but it does because sadly we lose people on our roads in tragic and sudden circumstances that leave families and loved ones devastated.

The loss is felt through the generations too. My grandmother was killed on the roads in the 1970s and my grandfather died just months later from a broken heart. The impact on my family from one person’s decision to drink and drive is everlasting as it is profound.

I now have the duty as the Cabinet Member for Highways in Worcestershire to try and ensure our roads are free of defects and contributing factors, and to work closely with the police to help enforce against dangerous acts. It’s a duty I take extremely seriously.

RoadPeace West Midlands helps me and others like me be better Cabinet Members. One small change we have introduced as a result of Lucy’s efforts is our change of language to use ‘crash’ instead of ‘accident’ because this word infers it’s just something that couldn’t be helped, when in reality we have to learn from each crash and put in place measures to reduce risk in future.

We have lost too many people on our roads. RoadPeace is there for the ones who get left behind, and works in memory of those taken away.

I can’t think of a more worthy recipient of this award.

Last autumn I joined Nigel Huddleston and Richard Morris at the roundabout on the A38 in Droitwich near Roman Way Industrial Estate and Westlands. You may know it as the big island near Home Bargains, Aldi and DFS.

This was my second visit, aimed at raising the profile of what Richard Morris called The Westlands Crossing. We wanted to show the proposed location to Nigel to get his help as MP to get the project over the line.

The challenge was the price tag. At nearly £1m it was always going to be a big ask.

When Richard first approached me about the issue he helped me understand why it was so important and I bought into his vision. He was determined to get it over the line and I could see why.

It’s not just another crossing. It’s a pathway to jobs just over the road for people who live in Westlands, or from the employer’s point of view it’s a way to attract local talent to their workplaces because it’s a safe way to get to work.

It’s a health enabler, encouraging more people to exercise or walk to the shops. You’re more likely to walk or cycle if it feels safe to do so.

So I knew we had to build a broad business case that sold the economic, social, wellbeing and transport benefits.

Active Travel England agreed it will help encourage people to walk or cycle, so they provided a large chunk of the funding.

Worcestershire County Council recognised the economic benefits, the enabler for wellbeing and public health benefits. We chipped in.

Wychavon District Council saw the benefits to improving opportunities for people across the local area and levelling up this part of Droitwich. They chipped in.

Even the DWP and the JobCentre were keen on it.

You may see just a crossing. And that’s OK. It doesn’t need to advertise itself.

But I will always see it as an achievement and example of what’s possible when MPs use their convening power to get people around a table; when councillors like Richard Morris keep plugging away and demonstrate demand using tools such as a petition; when public health practitioners buy in to the vision; when other Cabinet Members such as Karen May see the bigger picture; when officers within the County Council push the economic case - and pull together the submissions that win.

Not every idea comes to fruition like this. But when they do, it’s a brief moment of pride in an otherwise toxic and turbulent political world.

ARTHUR STREET

Upgrading drains
🚦Mon to Wed

Buyer beware, or is that ‘fryer beware’?!
Sorry, bad joke. Don’t end up with a chip on your shoulder - get it right when ordering.

Was out with the Conservative team earlier delivering literature around Patch Lane and showing them the improvements at the junction near KFC and the location of the upcoming works to install steps to the bus stop. I also showed them a good spot for a play area as part of my ongoing campaign for Oakenshaw.

CADENT WORKS CONTRIBUTION EXTRACTED

As you may know, Craig Warhurst- County and Borough Councillor and I have been addressing issues and representing residents and businesses with respect to
Cadent’s works in Astwood Bank.

I am pleased to let you know that I have extracted an offer of goodwill from Cadent by way of a contribution to the community.

I will be meeting with Cadent at the start of May to discuss and agree what form this will take. I don’t know at this what they are offering or how much. Feel free to discuss suggestions and ideas in the comments or email me directly if you prefer.

Let’s give a round of applause to Bank Cafe & Bar. We are lucky to have such a thoughtful team running this valuable community asset.

6️⃣0️⃣ years ago today was designated a by the then Conservative government. Six decades later, our town has grown into a modern, diverse and tree-lined place to live and work. Happy birthday Redditch 🎈

The North Cotswold Line brings huge benefits to Worcestershire, primarily to the south of the county where infrastructure is weaker but also benefits to the north too.

The line runs from Great Malvern to Oxford via Worcester, Droitwich and Evesham as well as Worcestershire Parkway. The development and people are in Worcestershire with lots of jobs in Oxfordshire. It’s a win-win.

The proposals from the Task Force to improve the line supports 50,000 homes, adds £33m GVA to the local economy, and creates 750 jobs. Across the line more than 250,000 tourist visits happen every day.

Importantly, it would see the train from Worcester to London go from 2hr 10m to 1h 50m.

I had the privilege of joining a cross-party delegation in Westminster recently, jointly spearheaded by Robert Courts MP and Harriett Baldwin MP.

The North Cotswold Line has commitment from both Worcestershire and Oxfordshire county councils, setting aside any political differences to focus on our residents and our county-wide economic needs. Indeed, support is fully cross-party including from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. The line is also supported by Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Herefordshire.

As the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport for Worcestershire I am fully committed to the asks of the North Cotswold Line Task Force.

Photo (left to right):
- Councillor Liz Leffman (Leader, Oxfordshire County Council)
- Harriett Baldwin MP (West Worcestershire)
- Huw Merriman (Minister of State for Transport for the United Kingdom)
- Robert Courts KC MP (Witney & West Oxfordshire)
- Baron Faulkner of Worcester (Chairman of the North Cotswold Line Task Force)
- Councillor Mike Rouse (Cabinet Member, Worcestershire County Council)

CRABBS CROSS LANE will be closed from its junction with Littlewoods to its junction with Priestfield Road for essential utility works by Cadent Gas from WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2024.

The work involves replacing old iron pipework with plastic to prevent leaks in residential areas. It is expected to take 4 days.

The diversion route is to go around Windmill Drive and Ryegrass Lane and then into Walkwood Road. Access to frontages and emergency services will be managed by operatives on site.

Any problems, please call Highways Control on 01905845676 or email [email protected].

CC:
Craig Warhurst- County and Borough Councillor
Cllr Chris Holz for Crabbs Cross
Mayor of Redditch - Salman Akbar

Good news for this part of Worcestershire. See details below and share to those who might like to know. It’s a huge challenge communicating bus news.

182-183 Service Improvements | Diamond Bus 182 & 183 Service Improvements 04 April 2024 Worcestershire From 15th April, The 182 & 183 Service will benefit from some great service improvements. We’ll be introducing additional weekday services, including peak time morning and evening journeys. A brand new line of route, will now also include...

The heavy bouts of rainfall we are encountering is causing havoc in a number of ways.

We are at the time of year where potholes will worsen before we can repair them. The teams at Highways are moving away from gritting to potholes, but nearly all highways works is weather dependant if you want a decent repair. Resurfacing, patching, and surface dressing all come with disruption leading to complaints about roadworks.

Drains will be overwhelmed both due to the need to cleanse them, which can be reported and addressed on the WCC website, but also because we just don’t have the sewage systems to cope with this level of rainfall. This leads to complaints about the drains.

People are rightly complaining about sewage discharges, which have been going on since Victorian times, which is far too long, but the reality is it’s either got to be put into the seas and rivers or it’s going to back up into your homes and streets. Better sewage systems are needed, but this requires digging up the road - leading to complaints about roadworks.

Powick Bridge has already been a victim of increased rainfall and flooding this season too, with repair efforts hampered by waterlogged land preventing the council getting close to the bridge. There have also been complaints about the alternative cycling route that was established after the bridge collapse took one away.

We are also receiving an unprecedented number of complaints about speeding and parking. With 2 million more cars on the roads than in just 2020 we are seeing huge pressure on the road network. Rain plays a part here too as wet roads make it seem like vehicles are going faster than perhaps they are, and of course it affects road safety too. We are also seeing complaints from cyclists who feel unable to ride their bicycles in wet weather, or get frustrated when encountering flood waters whilst riding in the rain.

Pray for sunshine! I am!