FOCUS

www.PeterboroughLibDems.org.uk
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Councillors: Darren Fower and

Edition: 75
39

Working All Year Round

SOUTH WERRINGTON and NORTH GUNTHORPE RESIDENTS NEWSLETTER

BUS SHELTERS NEEDED

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Darren Fower has been contacted by residents about the need for bus shelters in certain areas of the ward.
So far the two areas that seem to be most in need of attention are the stop on The Green, opposite Lewes Gardens, and the stop on Coniston Road, between Ambleside Gardens and Campbell Drive. Darren has had previous success in introducing shelters to other well-used stops in our area. He said: "Getting the Tory council to spend money on bus shelters used to be like getting blood out of a stone. These days its like getting blood out of a huge rock! However, the bus is the only real feasible alternative to car reliance and thus reduction in traffic, pollution and fines. The city council and Stagecoach should therefore be You wait for ages and then three looking to make it as comfortable as possible. bus shelters all turn up at once . The first thing is to provide shelter from The Lib Dems hope to get shelters erected at several local stops. the elements while passengers wait." Darren says he intends to speak further with council officers and hopes to provide an update on the shelters later in the year. If you know of a location where a shelter is needed please phone, email or text Darren or councillor Julia Davidson to tell them about it.

Julia Davidson
Text or call Darrens mobile: 0796 184 91 10 Text or call Julias mobile: 0750 653 66 27 Email: SWNG_FOCUS @peterboroughlibdems.org.uk Ward website: www.campaigns. libdems.org.uk/SWNG Darrens website: www.darrenfower. mycouncillor.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/SWNG. FOCUS.Team Post: Cllr Darren Fower or Cllr Julia Davidson, Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough PE1 1HG

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FOCUS is written and delivered by volunteers but we have to pay for printing. One way we raise money is through the 100 Club which also pays cash prizes to its members.

TACKLING MOTOR BIKES

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Darren Fower recently spoke with residents in Dukesmead who reported motor cycles and mopeds using the footpath leading from Carron Drive through to Dukesmead.
As a result Darren has paid several visits to the area and on one occasion even deterred one moped rider from using the footpath. Darren said: Footpaths and cycleways are not designed for motorised vehicles. Using motorbikes and mopeds on these paths is dangerous. The footpath at Dukesmead is not the only place where this occurs. During one cycle around the ward, I was overtaken by a motorbike while I cycled along the footpaths adjacent to Campbell Drive. I did try to stop the rider but the motorbike headed off through Baron Court. I will be keeping an eye on the situation from now on and if people continue to ride on the cycleways I'll take the appropriate action."

It costs just 1 per month. Half the money received is paid out in prizes much better odds than the National Lottery! For details see our website at www.peterboroughlibdems.org.uk or talk to your local councillors.

CAN YOU HELP? Could you spare an hour or so once a month to help
deliver FOCUS? We are looking for new volunteers to join our deliverers in a few local streets. Please contact local councillors Darren or Julia.

COUNCIL BUDGET CUTS

At the recent full council meeting to discuss the city councils annual budget, both your Lib Dem city councillors stood up to defend the views of people in this area, while the Tory councillor for this ward said nothing and did not even bother to vote!
Werrington and Gunthorpe Lib Dem councillor Darren Fower said: Some of the most basic services this council has are being cut. Its these service which are there to help those people in our communities who can least afford to help themselves. At the same time the council is spending lots of money on grandiose projects. Both Darren and his colleague Julia Davidson the other Lib Dem councillor for this area were applauded by members of the public after their speeches. Nick Sandford - Walton councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the city council - has slammed the councils budget cuts as damaging and insensitive. The council is faced with some difficult choices and has to cut its budget, Nick said. But the Liberal Democrats think it has made the wrong choices. The Tory proposals, which were bulldozed through a council meeting in March, see funding for local bus services cut by half, meaning we could lose most evening bus services. Services for older people will see Childrens play centres will close huge increases in charges for meals on and library opening hours will be cut because of council budget cuts. wheels and day care. The local Werrington library will close one or two days each week and have shorter opening hours on other days. All the councils play centres are to close. The Gunthorpe Family Centre, which provides vital services to local families, will lose council funding and is likely to close. However, Julia Davidson has asked the council to look at the possibility of handing the centre over to the parents themselves to run. Despite all these cuts, our council continues to waste money. The Tories will spend 2 million replacing paving stones and street furniture in Long Causeway, 700,000 extra on chopping down trees and a whopping 87 million on building a new waste incinerator. And they are doubling spending on the council newspaper, Your Peterborough, despite government warnings that councils should not waste money on politically biased publications.

DOG DIRT
After being contacted by local residents, Lib Dem councillor Darren Fower has had dog dirt removed from the footpath leading from Church Street through to the recreational area.
Darren said: "Often the issue along this footpath is the overgrown foliage but recently the amount of dog dirt increased. Following contact from several residents, I persuaded the council to clean it up. Darren is seeking to have more dog waste bins placed in the recreational area between Church Street and Warwick Road as at present there is only one bin.

FACTS & FIGURES

Every ten years the Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out about local neighbourhoods
The latest census took place over a year ago when ONS sent questionnaires to 25 million households. The first data from the 2011 census is now being published. You can get the details from the council website at www.peterborough.gov.uk. But here are some interesting statistics for the South Werrington and North Gunthorpe ward taken from the census. We have an average 2.2 people per household the lowest in the city. Central Ward has the highest with 3 people per household. There are now 3,782 males and 3,937 females in this ward fewer residents than at the time of the 2001 census. Along with Central Ward, Glinton & Wittering we have the lowest percentage of divorced people (all at 7.7%) while Paston has the highest percentage at 13.3%. We have the citys highest percentage of residents listed as widowed at 10%. We have the citys lowest percentage (0.8%) of households with no adults in employment but with dependent children. The Peterborough average is 4.9%. We have the lowest percentage (21.3%) of households with dependent children (all ages). Orton with Hampton has the highest percentage at 44.0%. We have the highest level of female lone parents in full time work at 35.6%. Along with Newborough and Northborough we have the citys lowest level of residents born outside of Europe. If space permits, we will bring you more snapshots from the census data in a future issue of FOCUS.

WERRINGTON MEADOW
Local Lib Dem councillors Darren Fower and Julia Davidson have paid several recent visits to Werrington Meadow to inspect flooding which has blocked the footpath leading to Fulbridge Road.
Darren said: "I spoke with one blind gentleman who had been led into the water by his dog. Only when the water was up to his ankles did the dog turn back. There is clearly something wrong at this point because when we have heavy rain the water is not dispersing properly." Darren and Julia have now reported this issue to the city council. You can watch videos of your councillors in action on this and other issues on YouTube just search for SWNGFocusTeam.

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