Give your views on Gloucestershire hospital services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England. The CQC registers, monitors and inspects services to make sure they provide safe, effective, compassionate, high quality care, and encourages services to improve.

In January, the CQC will be inspecting services provided by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. These services include:

• Cheltenham General Hospital
• Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

The CQC is interested in hearing any feedback about the Trust from members of the public and organisations about experiences of care. You can contact the CQC online at www.cqc.org.uk/tellus, by telephone on 03000 616161, or by email to enquiries@cqc.org.uk.

Junction improvements

The faded white lines at the junction of
Church Road with the A417 are to be repainted.
Those at the junction between Church Road
and Old Road will also be renewed.

A site meeting took place between Rodri Grey (Gloucestershire County Council), Chris Hawkins (Amey), County Cllr Phil Awford and Parish Council Chairman, Andrew Cooley to road safety issues at the junction of Church Road and the A417 and Church Road and Old Road.  Jeremy Chamberlayne also attended.

As a result, work is being put in hand to repaint the white lines at both junctions and to repair a signpost.  There will probably be additional work to improve the drainage near the lowest points of both Old Road and Church Road.

A major concern at the junction with the A417 is that the current white lines do not extend far enough from the main road, so that vehicles attempting to come out of Church Road are forced on to the wrong side of the road and regularly meet vehicles turning off the A417 head on.  GCC are considering how this can be improved and will be looking at the possibility of 'no parking' double yellow lines round both sides of Church Road on the corner and also on the main road immediately opposite the junction.  

The Highway Code rule 243 says "DO NOT stop or park  opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction.

Well done men ... and women

Thanks to everyone involved in the excellent production of Dad's Army by Maisemore Arts & Drama Society and Hartputy Drama Group.

The two performances in Maisemore and two in Hartpury were seen by near-capacity audiences and thoroughly enjoyed.

Congratulations to everyone involved in putting on the show - on stage, back stage, front of house and set building. 

Consultation on the future of the Post Office network

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is consulting on the future of the Post Office network and the services that are provided.

Discussions regarding future funding for the Post Office network will shortly be taking place. The Government has launched this consultation to help inform these discussions.

The consultation document can be found by clicking this link. You can respond online by using this link. There are five consultation questions and the deadline for responding is 21st December 2016.

Written responses can also be submitted to:
2016 Post Office Network Consultation
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET

Purple for Polio

Maisemore's Queen Elizabeth Avenue should be a picture of purple in the spring.

On Monday, 21st November at 1.30pm, Newent Rotary Club - with a few Maisemore children from Hartpury school - will be planting crocuses in the Avenue as part of a project to spread the awareness of "Purple for Polio" - the Rotary International support for the eradication of Polio.
 

The Rotary Crocus is one of the leading international fundraisers for the End Polio Now Campaign.  Since 2012 Rotary Crocuses have raised around £1,000,000 and been distributed in 15 countries.  For every £1 raised a further £2 is donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

If you walk a dog, why not join 'Paws on Patrol'?

Tewkesbury Community Safety Partnership recognises dog walkers spend a lot of time out and about in their community, and are likely to notice when something out of the ordinary is happening.

Dog walkers who join Paws on Patrol are encouraged to record observations of suspicious activity and report it.  Paws on Patrol is not just about reducing crime, it’s about tackling ‘quality of life’ issues such as dog fouling, fly-tipping, inconsiderate or dangerous parking and traffic offences.

Paws on Patrol links into other parts of the safety partnership including Neighbourhood Watch and the Local Policing Teams.

Members who provide an email address, will be notified of Partnership news and alerts from the Police or the Borough Council.

For more information, see the leaflet on the TBC website.  If you would like to register please visit www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/pawsonpatrol, complete a simple registration form and return it to: pawsonpatrol@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Speak up for faster broadband

Maisemore (and Over) are being left behind when it comes to getting a fibre connection for broadband.

This was highlighted at the last Maisemore Parish Council meeting.  Planning is now well under way for the next phase of fibre roll-out, so we all need to speak up about it now.

Here's what you can do:

• Visit www.broadband-feedback.com and complete the survey before the end of November.  This survey is being used for planning phase.
• If you haven't done so already, register your interest at www.fastershire.com.  This site also provides updates on developments.
• Register your interest at www.gigaclear.com.  Gigaclear are key providers for the phase 2 roll-out.
• Email your MP, Mark Harper, and ask him why the government is letting Maisemore be left behind in the provision of fast broadband.
• Finally, if you know of any other website or contact  who could influence what happens, please let us know so that we can put it on this site

There are a number of sites where you can test your current broadband speed, such as U-switch or Broadband Speed Test.

Remember the men of Maisemore

This Armistice Day, remember the men of Maisemore who gave their lives in two World Wars.

World War I A. T. Brunsdon H. Brunsdon C. F. S. Cox C. H. Etheridge W. F. Gazey W. Hamblin E. C. Marshall W. H. Marshall A. Price H. M. Price J. E. Richards W. Wadley   World War II T. A. Green R. S. Mason W. H. Taylor

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Have you got your tickets for Dad's Army?

If you haven't yet got your tickets for the joint Maisemore Arts & Drama Society and Hartpury Drama Group production of Dad's Army, you can use the application form here.

Details of how to apply for tickets are on the form and all tickets are £10.

Pavements are for people - especially at night

As I walked down the main road this evening, I found the pavement obstructed by no less than 5 cars parked either entirely or partly on the pavement.

This car took up so much of the pavement
that pedestrians were forced into the road.

That's not what Maisemore pavements are for.  The Highway Code rule 244 says “You should not park partially or wholly on the pavement  unless signs permit it - which they certainly don't in Maisemore. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs”.


Maisemore Parish Council is seeking the aid of the police to stop this inconsiderate and dangerous practice.  The number plates of the offending vehicles were photographed so that they could be passed on.

Have your say

Gloucester Rural Community Council has issued this page of current consultations.  Link to respond to each consultation are given.  Some of these have already been mentioned on this site.

'I Dig Trees'

The Conservation Volunteers are again running their 'I Dig Trees' initiative for 2016/17.

The intiative, in conjunction with OVO Energy, proved successful last year and resulted in 158,00 new trees being planted.  This year's target is a quarter of a million new trees planted.  There's more information here.

Don't bin it...

... give it to someone who can use it.

Every day, used but serviceable things are dumped as waste at Hempsted and other amenity sites or just put in the green bin.

But there may be someone out there who could use what you're discarding - perhaps re-use it, repair it or use for spare parts.

The Gloucester area has at least 4 websites for 'free-cycling' - free advertising of items to be given away:

Freecycle

Freegle (Trash nothing)

freelywheely

Freeads

If you post something on any of these sites, it will cost you nothing. You'll get emailed if anyone is interested.  The you just decide who's going to have it and they come and collect it at a time to suit you.  Apart from registering on the site, the only time you need to give your address is when you're telling someone where to come to pick up the stuff.

So you can keep those trips to Hemsted to a minimum, help reduce landfill and pass on something you don't want to someone who does - all at no cost to you.

Pavements are for people

Try getting a wheelchair or pushchair through here!

It can't be done.  The overgrown hedge is already restricting the pavement width and a vehicle parked on the pavement is reducing it even more. You couldn't walk through without touching either the hedge or the van or both. The hedge is the responsibility of the property owner and the van is illegally parked and causing an obstruction.

If such hedges are not trimmed back, Maisemore Parish Council will shortly be asking Tewkesbury Borough Council to use their enforcement powers to cut them and bill the residents for the cost of their contractor.  MPC will also be working with the police to stop vehicles parking on pavements.

It will help everyone if vehicles parked on the road are kept in the road and off the pavement, particularly on the main road.  If they're on the pavement, through traffic doesn't slow down.  If they're parked on the road, traffic slows down or stops.  That could save someone's life!

If you park a vehicle in the road at night, though, make sure it's facing in the right direction and your rear reflectors are clean!

Pavements are for people - not parking, plants or poop.

Consultation on Gloucestershire's schools admission policy

Gloucestershire County Council and some schools across Gloucestershire are consulting on their proposed school admission policies between 1st November and 31st December 2016.

School admission policies, which are published annually, include information about how places are allocated, how waiting lists for schools work and people’s right to appeal decisions.

By law any school or organisation that manages their own school admissions, such as the council, has to consult on their policy every seven years.

Gloucestershire County Council manage the admissions for 146 schools in Gloucestershire. The council’s policy hasn’t changed significantly.

There are 139 schools in the county who do their own admissions and don’t follow the council’s policy. These schools are mainly academies and foundation schools.

Of these, 54 are consulting on their own policies. The council is including a list of these schools and links to their consultations from its own consultation website to make it easier for people to make their comments to the right school or organisation.

GCC values your feedback and encourages you to participate in this consultation and mention it to others to whom it may be relevant.

To have your say on the draft policy visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/admissionsconsultation

Planning documents

Tewkesbury Borough Council have been experiencing problems getting planning documents on to their website, so those relating to the Rectory Farm applications (16/01163/AGR &  16/01164/AGR) are here.