Local * Visible * Hands On (Published & Promoted by Izzy Knowles on behalf of Cllrs Izzy Knowles & Philip Mills, 78, Alcester Road, Moseley B13 8BB)
The Liberal Democrats manifesto which lays out our priorities for the City of Birmingham for 2026 and beyond, is now available on the main Birmingham Liberal Democrats website:
https://www.birminghamlibdems.org.uk/2026-manifesto
You can also read it here:
At the Moseley Forum meeting earlier this month anti -social parking was brought up, as it often is.
We have obtained data from the council of the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued in Moseley ward in 2025/6.
A total of 3806 penalty tickets were issued across Moseley ward, 1564 of them were on Alcester Road, but only 4 on Oxford Rd. Looking at the list as a whole we feel too much emphasis is put on daytime patrols and not enough in the evening.
In December 2024, Izzy took part in a ‘task and finish’ scrutiny enquiry examining the council’s response to road safety, in particular traffic enforcement. One of the recommendations Izzy made, which was included in the final report, was that the council should re-instate it’s ‘annual parking report’, which was last published in 2018/2019.
We are pleased that the 2024/2025 report has now been published. It makes interesting reading, showing that Alcester Road was actually the road with the sixth most PCNs issued outside the city centre.
What is quite shocking is how few patrols have taken place outside schools, with zero PCNs issued in Moseley ward in the entire year. We plan to ask a lot more questions about how schools patrols are determined and managed.
Parking enforcement in Birmingham is contracted out to a private company NSL. This is the first confirmation we have had that income from penalty notices and parking fees is in excess of the cost of the contract. How the surplus is used is another topic for future questions.
You can read the report below:
Currently obstruction of pavements or junctions, where there are no parking restrictions are the responsibility of the police to enforce. The government has stated it will issue powers to local authorities to enforce pavement parking, but as yet we do not know what these powers will look like.
In the meantime the best way to deal with dangerous parking like below, which Izzy came across recently whilst with her grandchildren, is to report it to the police via Operation Snap. Hopefully, they will issue a retrospective penalty to the owner of this car in Valentine Road.
Izzy and Philip have joined the other Lib Dem Councillors in calling for talks to be urgently resumed to end the bin strike.
The two sides have not met since July last year. They are clearly far apart, with conflicting legal advice, but the only way to work towards a resolution is to start talking now.
Recycling levels have plummeted to an all time low, whilst fly tipping has rocketed and contaminated recycling bins litter our streets, garden waste collections have been suspended for a second year and people in flats and HMO’s with communal container bins continue to suffer frequent missed collections and overflowing bins.
Despite this the council are ploughing ahead with food waste collections, redirecting agency crews from container collections to do so.
The Labour leadership of the council appear to be caught, like a rabbit in headlights, totally in denial and afraid of doing or saying anything.
Lib Dem Group Leader, Roger Harmer said:
“Residents feel like they’re being used as a pawn, in a battle between Unite and the Labour Party. It’s unfair on them and is tarnishing the reputation of our great city. It needs to come to an end“
Moseley Ward is one of six council wards chosen to take part in a Food Waste pilot, starting week commencing Monday 16th March 2026. (NB: Moseley collections are on Fridays – so the start date for us will be Friday 20th March 2026)
The pilot forms part of the Governments Simpler Recycling reforms under the Environment Act 2021, which aim to standardise waste and recycling collections and improve recycling rates across England.
The pilot will include approximately 1600 households in the Moseley Triangle / Oxford Road and Moor Green Lane/Reddings Road areas. It will not include flats or HMO’s that currently use communal container bins.
What happens next
On Wednesday 4th February a group called Raise the Colours descended on Moseley Village and fixed Union and National flags to 19 lamp posts in Alcester Road and St Mary’s Row.
Izzy went out and spoke to the group at the time, asked them to take the flags down and told them they were committing an offence under S132 Highways Act 1980.
Despite that they continued to put up flags through the village even though it was clear from the reception they were getting that the community did not welcome them here.
Later the same evening Izzy emailed the Cabinet member for Community Safety,Social Justice and Equalities, Cllr Tennant, the Director for Community Safety and the local Police Superintendent asking for the flags to be taken down as soon as possible and for some firm action to be taken, either a summons to court or an injunction.
Raise the Colours are not being patriotic, they are upsetting and frightening many people, causing division amongst communities, wasting police time and adding unnecessary cost to a council that is already struggling with managing its finances.
On Friday 6th February Izzy & Philip received confirmation from both the council and the police that they would support each other to facilitate the removal of the flags put up without permission on public lamp posts. They could not give us a timeline but assured us it was being treated as urgent.
On Saturday 7th February a community event was held, which Izzy attended and almost half of the flags were removed by local residents.
We would like to reassure the many residents who have contacted us about this that our’s and others representations are being taken very seriously.
We already have a flag for Birmingham. It’s the Birmingham Community flag celebrating our rich heritage as a city of a thousand trades, built on migration and welcoming to all.
Bullying tactics are not welcome here. If people have differences we talk and respect each other. We have so much more to unite us than to divide us.
A reply has been received to a letter sent by all four ward Councillors (for Moseley and & Brandwood & Kings Heath) and the WMCA Road Safety & Active Travel Commissioners to the Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, Cllr Majid Mahmood. In the letter we had raised issues with the revised Places for People design presented to Cllrs at a meeting on 15th January. (See previous post) In the reply Cllr Mahmood confirms this design will not be progressed and further technical work and legal advice is required before the project can be taken to Cabinet for a decision.
In addition Izzy has received clarification regarding the Billesley Lane traffic calming as follows:
Although the traffic calming on Billesley Lane formed part of the original TRO under a notice, we are not proceeding with that original TRO or the notices that sit within the order. This is necessary because the updated decision, the scope of the scheme, and the associated funding all apply to the entire project, not just selected elements.
Therefore the Billesley Lane traffic calming cannot go ahead as a stand alone element whilst it is part of this scheme.
Both Cllrs Izzy and Philip remain committed to working with officers and residents to facilitate the delivery of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood which will meet the councils Transport plan and Road Harm Reduction Strategy and lead to calmer and safer streets in Moseley.
Birmingham City Council have issued a statement regarding the Kings Heath and Moseley Places for People (LTN) Scheme:
“Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) Update
From Monday 15th September to Monday 6th October the traffic regulation order (TRO) consultation for the Kings Heath and Moseley Places for People scheme took place.
Over 900 responses were received via email, letter and the online response form on Be Heard – Birmingham City Council’s consultation platform. The consultation invited people to review the scheme designs and submit a formal objection including the grounds for the objection.
Each response has now been reviewed in detail by the project team.
Based on the mixed feedback and objections received, fundamental changes have been required. As a result, the scheme as originally advertised cannot go ahead and the current TRO cannot be approved.
The modified scheme will need to go to Birmingham City Council Cabinet for approval, following this the TRO will be readvertised to account for these changes.
We understand that this news will be received with mixed feelings across the community, and those who support the Places for People scheme will be disappointed.
We would like to reassure you that as a result of the detailed feedback received through the consultation process, we have gained a clear understanding of what aspects of the designs work and what needed amending. We have worked hard in the background to address the elements of the design to satisfy the needs of both those living in the area and those travelling through.
The revised TRO will be consulted on in March 2026 subject to governance, and this is the opportunity to engage with the consultation process.
Please note the Places for People scheme is a separate scheme to the Kings Heath Local Neighbourhood Scheme which received TRO approval in November and construction will commence in Summer 2026 subject to the statutory process.
If you have any questions regarding the scheme, please contact connected@birmingham.gov.uk.
We thank you for your continued patience and interest in the scheme”
Having met with officers and the cabinet member yesterday I have expressed my deep disappointment in the delays in finalising this scheme. Whilst I accept some changes will have to be made following consultation, I believe these are issues that could and should have been resolved months or years ago.
A proposed alternative scheme that was presented to myself and other Councillors does not, in my view, comply with the councils Road Harm Reduction Strategy nor the Transport Plan. I have made representations that it will negatively impact residents in Moseley. I cannot support it in its current form and have made representations for additional revisions prior to further consultation.
I have also asked for clarification on the proposed traffic calming for Billesley Lane which was not part of the Traffic Regulation Order and was published as a Traffic Notice.
Councillor Izzy Knowles
We have received loads of complaints about the state of Edgbaston Road outside the cricket training ground. It was due to be resurfaced in December. We have written to the Highways Engineer to find out why it wasn’t done and get it back on the list as a matter of urgency.
This video shows how vehicles are having to negotiate the potholes, the broken grit from them is being spread across the cycle lane causing further danger.
We are very pleased that the council has responded to requests to install CCTV in Green Road at the ford and the entrance to the recreation ground after numerous incidents of fly tipping, including in the river itself.
Flytipping costs the council thousands to clear up and is hugely damaging to the environment.
Let’s hope they catch someone
Huge congratulations to Philip Mills for winning the Moseley by election tonight and becoming the second Lib Dem Councillor to represent Moseley ward alongside Councillor Izzy Knowles – and not forgetting now we have Councillor Dog Mason.
Lib Dems take Birmingham Council seat from Labour – BBC
Thank you to Stephen Pihlaja (Labour) for running a positive campaign and all the candidates who put themselves forward. It has been a long four weeks but it was great to speak to so many people across Moseley.
Philip and Izzy wish to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to deliver, canvas and support our campaign and to the Moseley community for putting your faith in us.
We may take a day off but not before chasing some bin collections x
Update: 24th October
I’ve now been informed a U Turn decision has been made by the Head of Parks and this event will now go ahead on Sunday – but with reduced numbers, and moved to the redgra area.
Whilst I’m disappointed with the lack of engagement both by the council and the organisers I hope the event goes smoothly. I will go and check it out during the day and provide my feedback to the council SAG and Head of Parks.
Izzy
Subject: Update on Sunday’s Event
Dear Cllr Knowles,
Apologies for the delay in responding regarding this matter.
We’ve had several discussions with the event organisers this week and can now confirm that the revised event is approved to proceed on Sunday. This decision is based on the following key factors:
Reduced audience numbers, in line with the TENS licence conditions
Confirmed infrastructure, including toilets, stewarding, and first aid provision
Relocation of the event to the redgra area, due to waterlogged conditions on the original event field and further rain forecast
We appreciate that this has been a complex and challenging application. However, we are now confident that the event will run smoothly and without issue.
Following the event, we will review its delivery and consider how similar events can be managed more effectively in future.
Kind regards,
Eddie Curry
Head of Parks & Greenspaces
Update: 20th October
I’m pleased to hear today that following representations the Head of Parks has withdrawn approval for this event to go ahead this Sunday. The events organisers had tried to circumvent the licence conditions by obtaining a Temporary Event Notice (TENS) and they failed to engage with stakeholders, such as the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) would have been impacted by such a large event.
I’m not against events and festivals being held at Cannon Hill Park, far from it, but they need to be organised responsibly and with full engagement of other park users.
Original Post – 16th October
I have sent an email to the chair of Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group and the Head of Parks, raising concerns about an event that is being advertised to be held in Cannon Hill Park on Sunday 26th October.
I do not believe the organisers have complied with the conditions set by the police in an application they have made for an alcohol licence, which has not yet been approved.
There has been no attempt to correspond with other users of the park, such as the Midlands Arts Centre – MAC the Friends group or local residents.
I have not been given any evidence that a robust management plan of the event, including toilet facilities and parking management is in place.
Until I receive that assurance I cannot support such a large event in the park on a Sunday afternoon.
Following requests from residents on Alcester Road, myself & Philip Mills are calling for a re-introduction of speed cameras on Alcester Road outside Park Hill and King David schools.
There were Gatso cameras in both locations until approx 15 years ago, when they were switched off.
Since then speeding and racing has increased including through Moseley Village.
We are asking for Alcester Road to be included in the next round of average speed cameras to be installed in the city.
Please sign our petition which will be submitted at the next full council meeting:
We have received details of the road surfacing programme to take place in Moseley ward between now and March 2026. See the chart below for details and dates.
This is a welcome investment in our highways, especially as it includes Springfield Road, Wake Green Road (from Yardley Wood Road to Church Road) and Moor Green Lane (from Yew Tree Road to Dads Lane), but we are disappointed there are no footways included in Moseley for re-surfacing and neither have we been allocated any schemes for upgrade to LED streetlights.
One pedestrian crossing, Wake Green Road at Grove Avenue is also on the list to be upgraded.
This week Councillor Colin Green and I successfully took a motion to full council to urgently roll out Moving Traffic Enforcement cameras across the city.
This is the third motion on road safety I have taken since being elected. Some progress has been made, but it is no where near enough.
I outline in my speech how the failure to consistently enforce traffic rules is causing resentment and division.
At the same meeting my colleague Philip Mills asked a question to the Cabinet member about the councils poor response to enforcement of pavement parking. Philip is severely sight impaired so this is something that impacts him and other disabled people every single day.
Today at Birmingham City Council full council meeting I was proud to initiate councillors cross party to come together to endorse the Brummies United Against Racism campaign.
Now, more than ever we need to send the message Brummies stand united. There is no place for racism, hate or division in our city.
Posters are available from The Moseley Exchange or you can print your own. If you live in Moseley ward I can drop one through your door.
The Traffic Regulation Order consultation for Kings Heath & Moseley Places for People (PfP) aka Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme opens on Monday 15 September and runs until Monday 6th October 2025.
Following public consultation and engagement activities on the proposals for Kings Heath & Moseley PfP, and subsequent amendments to the plans based on this engagement, the council are now at the stage of formalising the proposals through a consultation on the Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO).
During this consultation, residents/businesses and organisations are invited to make comments on the proposals or submit a formal objection (which must include the grounds for the objection).
A letter outlining the TRO will be delivered to all residents and businesses within the area of the scheme.
Details of the measures can be found on the online consultation and sets of the TRO documents will also be available at Kings Heath Library and Kings Heath Community Centre. (Opening times of the venues will need to be checked before attending).
In addition, to the TRO’s the council are proposing the following changes which can be implemented with a Traffic Notice rather than a TRO:
The link to the online consultation and all the plans is: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/bcc/kheath-moseleytro
If you have any questions about this consultation, or need help understanding the plans, please contact:Â KingsHeathandMoseleyTRO@birmingham.gov.uk
On 8th August I wrote to the Director of City Operations and Cabinet Member concerning the appalling inconsistency of waste collections to flats and HMO’s with communal container bins.
Today I have received a response as follows:
Dear Councillor Knowles
Thank you for your email. Please see response below provided by Head of Service for Waste.
Thank you for your enquiry regarding the collection from communal properties.
As you note in your email the City Council has made a commitment to ensure all residents, regardless of property type, receives a minimum of one collection a week. Whilst this has been challenging to deliver we are pleased to report that circa 97.2% of all flats are receiving a weekly collection. However it should be noted that a lot of communal properties in the City are scheduled to usually receive more than one collection, and whilst we are taking excess in the short-term, this does not fix the problem long-term. With this in mind we are currently reviewing the operational resource we have available to us and trying to identify if there is a means whereby we can provide a more consistent, scheduled collection.
Once we have developed a solution we will share it with Elected Members through the Cabinet Member briefing process.
I hope to meet with the Director at a briefing next week, but in the meantime I have written back the following. It seems to me they are in total denial about what is happening on the ground:
Dear Cllr Mahmood and Richard
Thank you very much for the reply.
I am pleased to hear you are trying to find a way to provide a more consistent, scheduled collection for flats and HMO’s. I hope it will be treated as a priority.
I would really like to see the evidence that 97.2% of all flats are receiving a weekly collection and how that figure has been reached.Â
I’m afraid it just does not add up in the experience of residents with communal containers in my ward and I expect other wards across the city.Â
I have multiple properties that are being left 3 to 6 weeks between collections and that I am flagging up regularly on behalf of residents.
I also dispute that crews are routinely taking excess waste. Some crews are doing this but more often the containers are emptied and the excess piles of waste are left behind. I attach a photo of one block of flats where this happened only today. It means residents are having to re-fill the bins with the excess, meaning they need another collection much sooner, or more often their management companies pay for the bins to be filled and the stores cleared, which is a charge to the residents.
Most of these properties would manage with one collection a week but that is simply not happening.
Best wishes
Izzy
I have today written to the Director of Operations at Birmingham City Council, Richard Brooks and the Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, Councillor Majid Mahmood to ask that something be done to sort out the appalling inconsistency in collection of waste from communal containers of flats and HMO’s. See my email below.
I have received a reply from Richard Brooks office  to say the issue will be investigated and an update be provided as a priority.
Dear Richard and Majid
I have highlighted this before, but can anything be done please, whilst industrial action continues, to improve the appalling inconsistency in the collection of waste from communal flats and HMO’s that use large container bins?
At the beginning of the strike the council communicated that these properties would be prioritised for collections. In my experience the opposite has happened.
Residents in flats report their frustration at seeing a crew emptying their neighbours wheelie bins weekly whilst their communal bin store is overflowing with bags and hasn’t had a collection for weeks.
I am spending a huge amount of my time chasing these collections. This is time I should be allocating to other pressing casework. Many properties only get a collection when the residents contact me and I highlight it to the depot supervisors, despite them reporting the missed collections themselves, often multiple times.
In a growing number of cases management agents for flats are arranging private waste collections and cleaners to clear the bin stores. This is a cost that will be passed on to the residents in their service charge. This is not acceptable or fair, these are not luxury apartments and most residents are already paying high rents and council tax. They are less likely to own a car to be able to visit a HRC or MHWC and they do not have the storage space to hoard waste and recycling.
I do not have any criticism of the depot service managers, who are excellent and very responsive – but surely some review of management of communal collections has to take place, as this is not sustainable.
Best wishes
Izzy
I am devastated today to hear that my ward colleague and friend, Cllr Kerry Jenkins has passed away.
Kerry was ward Councillor for Hall Green from 2014 -2018 and after the boundary changes, for Moseley from 2018.
Kerry was an incredible person, kind, clever, generous, empathetic, hard working and totally committed to both her community and her family.
She was a dedicated campaigner, especially for children and young people and her passion in standing up for youth services and SEND provision was a force to be reckoned with.
Despite being in different political parties after the elections of 2022 Kerry reached out and made me welcome as a new Councillor for Moseley, for which I will always be grateful. We soon found we had more in common than divided us and any disagreement was always dealt with respectfully and with common sense.
I shall miss her wise advice, her integrity, inclusiveness and her friendship.
Birmingham has lost a good person today.
I send my love and deepest condolences to Kerry’s children, grandchildren, mum and siblings , friends and colleagues.
I was hoping to respond to the Net Zero report presented to Full Council today but I was denied the opportunity. This was what I planned to say:
There are several things I could comment on in this report, but I wish to concentrate first on flooding and then glyphosate.
Whilst the work to remove weirs, build bunds and improve protection from flooding is welcomed, there is no mention of any work to monitor regular leaf clearance and gulley maintenance programmes. Failure to do both these things contribute significantly to flash flooding of properties during heavy downpours of rain, which with climate change are becoming more frequent.
In Southlands Road in Moseley, in every heavy downpour, residents resort to going out in their rain gear to clear the gullies and divert the water away from pouring down their drives and into their homes. The last two years, the leaf collection routine has been virtually non-existent. Getting blocked gullies cleared is a mammoth task usually involving several emails to Kier for every gulley that needs doing. Consideration of this in future reports would be welcome.
Secondly, it is almost three years since Councillor Mahmood and I jointly presented a petition from Bee Friendly Brum of over 100,000 signatures demanding an end to the practice of spraying of glyphosate in our parks and streets.
Glyphosate is harmful to wildlife, especially bees and other pollinators. It is banned in the EU and is labelled as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organisation.
Since 2022, as members of the Neighbourhoods Committee will know, assurances have been given numerous times that it’s use is being phased out. The ending of chemical spraying was even in last year’s budget, one of the very few cuts that made sense.
In April 2023, in answer to a written question. We were told, and I quote:
‘Our Highways contactors, Kier, have already moved away from the use of Glyphosate based sprays to control weed growth on pavements and gutters to a more organic substance found naturally occurring in plants – this being Pelargonic Acid’
For the Parks Service, we are where we can, transitioning our practices and reducing our reliance on glyphosate-based products to a contact pelargonic acid-based product too.
The aim is to cease the use of all Glyphosate based product by the end of this season except for the treatment of invasive weed species where there may be no other suitable alternatives’
End quote
So, it is disappointing the progress is not mentioned in this report? Could it be because there has not been a reduction at all?
I have the figures here:
Between 2020 and 2022, 2,850 litres of glyphosate weed killer were used each year.
In 2023 that rose to 3,780 litres.
In 2024 it was 3,635 litres and so far in the first three months of 2025 they have sprayed 1,825 litres across the city.
So much for Kier changing its system.
Now, we could be led to believe it is only being used for invasive species like Japanese Knotweed. But that would not be correct.
This is Amesbury Road in Moseley. Two years ago residents planted bulbs around the tree bases. I have a photo here – Beautiful blue and yellow irises. (see header picture)
This is what the same tree base looks like this year after two visits to the street by a contractor appointed by Kier. They have reduced these lovely flowers to a brown mush. It is heartbreaking and totally unnecessary. (again, see header picture)
This is not an isolated mistake. This photo (below) shows pointless spraying the edge of the car park in Windermere Playing Fields.
This one (below)is of random spraying of a street kerb in Moseley Village.
I’m aware they have also sprayed flowers in Acocks Green planted by volunteers from Acocks Green in Bloom. I’m sure it is happening all over the city.
I live in hope Lord Mayor, that one day petitions of over 100.000 signatures might mean something. I live in hope that one day as a young student once commented to me, we will ‘stop the bee genocide’.
I live in hope that residents across Birmingham will be able to plant out flowers in their streets and centres and know they will thrive and blossom and not be poisoned and killed.
And I hope that the progress to achieve this will start now and be documented in next year’s report.
Thank you, Lord Mayor.
You can read the Net Zero report here – Item 8 – pages 101 -146:
Moseley Councillors have been sent details of a ‘Pre – Planning Consultation for a Mobile Phone Base Station Installation on land at St Mary’s Row/ Wake Green Road, B13 9HD’
The mast would be situated on the grass verge outside Chemycare/Satori 2C-E, Wake Green Road.
Details of the proposal can be found in the below letter:
Site plans can be seen here:
We have also been sent some background information concerning Telecommunications Development:
If you have any feedback on this proposal please contact Izzy izzy.knowles@birmingham.gov.uk
100 days since the all out bin strike, I have today sent this question to Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport – Councillor Majid Mahmood:
Residents in this city have endured almost six months of bin strikes with no end in sight.
Although most (not all) residents are now receiving some waste collections, recycling has been suspended since the beginning of the year and garden waste collections never got started. Residents report storing bags of recycling in their houses, sheds and gardens and even more has been left out so long it is now contaminated.
Our recycling levels were already amongst the worst in the country, so please can you advise when recycling collections will be re-instated in the city?
Many people cannot get to the recycling centres but could manage a visit to one of the MHWC sites.
When the MHWC came to Cannon Hill Park I asked if a recycling truck could be included. I was told it wasn’t possible. Yet, there was plenty of room for both recycling and garden waste trucks.
I have also contacted Smurfitt Kappa who say it is perfectly possible for them to send a cardboard collection truck as part of an MHWC. However, my email suggestion that this be explored has been ignored.
Could you please explain why a recycling wagon and garden waste wagon cannot be part of the Mobile Household Waste Centres at locations where there is room for them?
The statutory Traffic Regulation Order has been published for the proposed works to construct a roundel and four parallel pedestrian/cyclist crossings at the entrance to Moseley Village Train station.
Letters have been sent to surrounding properties and businesses and a site notice will be displayed until 10th June.
Copies of the site plans can be downloaded here:
More details on the progress of work can be found on Transport for West Midlands and West Midlands Rail Executive websites.
Yesterday in the Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee I asked the cabinet member, Cllr Majid Mahmood if the booking system for the household recycling centres could be suspended during strike action as it is so difficult for residents to secure a slot. He replied that the system cannot be suspended due to the contract with Veolia and changing that would come at a high financial cost to the council.
Today I have emailed him to ask if this could be discussed further with Veolia following the declaration of a major incident. They may be willing to allow temporary changes to the contract without a financial implication for the council.
I also asked about the prioritising of missed collections and pointed out that whilst the agency crews cannot cover a whole round in the time given, they are not alternating their start location, so the same properties are missed week after week. He acknowledged this as an issue and said crews are now being instructed to ensure they alternate start locations.
I have explored several potential sites to bring a Mobile Household Waste Collection to Moseley. As they are attracting upwards of a 1000 visitors during the industrial action this would need to be a large area, such as a car park where there is room for people to unload cars quickly and safely. So far, private sites have all said no due to health and safety concerns.
I am also exploring the possibility of a supervised paper and cardboard collection at a set location in Moseley.
I continue to send almost daily lists of missed collections in Moseley to the depot supervisor and they are prioritising them as and when they can get crews and wagons out. Different wagons are required for containers and wheelie bins, so if you see a crew they may not necessarily be able to empty your particular bin. If I have reported your property or road, please let me know when it is collected.
The council has updated their FAQ on the website since declaring a major incident, which includes a factsheet about the reasons for the industrial action and their attempts to resolve it
Earlier today the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Cllr Majid Mahmood made the decision to end the consultation into the West Moseley Traffic Reduction Scheme and not to proceed with the trial.
Issues such as volume of traffic, speeding, dangerous driving and parking are regularly brought to my attention and have a huge negative impact on our communities. I have supported residents and schools in their campaigns for road safety measures and increased enforcement and I have shared their frustration when they fail to get any commitment to address their concerns, either due to lack of funds or out of date policies and priorities and when previously agreed schemes have been later cancelled. I have submitted at least six petitions, taken two successful road safety motions to council to change policy and contributed to a scrutiny enquiry into the council response to road safety and enforcement.
This is why, together with Councillor Jenkins, I was supportive of the councils request to take this scheme to residents in a consultation, as their views and feedback are extremely important to me. I tried to explain the rationale behind the scheme and its aims and benefits, of which I was also supportive, to enable a more informed decision to be made.
I have carefully listened and responded in full to the large amount of feedback received over the first two weeks of the consultation.
Although I have had some very positive responses, the vast majority of feedback is that people feel traffic will be displaced causing congestion to other roads and driving routes will be longer and more difficult.
I have also taken into account the representations made by the parents of pupils at Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools in Queensbridge Road concerning the impact on childrens’ travel arrangements. I think they raise valid concerns and more time should be taken to consult and consider their needs.
The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), if implemented would have run for 12 months from the end of April. This will coincide with works at the entrance to Kings Heath Train station, followed by extensive works at Moseley Train Station, lasting well into the summer, followed by Phase 2 of the Kings Heath & Moseley Places for People scheme, which will not be fully implemented until Spring 2026.
I cannot therefore rule out the impact of traffic congestion or hold ups caused by all these other works, on being able to properly evaluate the West Moseley scheme.
My report sent to officers yesterday is that now is not the time to implement a scheme such as this. We need to wait until Phase 2 Kings Heath and Moseley Places for People is consulted, installed and bedded in and the train stations are open and running and then we can re-evaluate the situation in West Moseley. We can use that time to further engage with the community and schools to explore other possible solutions, with the objective of applying for sufficient future funds. I have an open mind to study any ideas to improve road safety that are put forward.
I would like to publicly thank the council officers who tried their best, under very difficult financial restraints, to find an answer to the concerns raised , whilst also adhering to council policy. The feedback received will no doubt help when planning delivery of future schemes,
Councillors Izzy Knowles, Philip Mills & Moseley Liberal Democrats 