Tag: Windermere Fields

Playing fields in Windermere Road, Moseley

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The speech I didn’t get to make!

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: 

 â€˜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:

Agenda Document Pack – Meeting of the City Council – 08_07_2025Download
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Parks Gate Locking Service to be continued!

Last August I wrote about the trial by Birmingham City Council to end the city gate locking service for 34 city parks that have car parks attached to them. I sent a letter on behalf of Friends groups and residents expressing our concern that ending this contract would result in more issues of fly tipping, vehicle incursions and anti – social behaviour and compromise the security of buildings like the MAC. A short term saving would ultimately result in greater long term costs than renewing the current contract.

After our letter, at the end of the trial, the contract was renewed for six months with a further review to take place before March.

At the Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committee this week I asked Cllr Majid Mahmood if that review had taken place. He confirmed the gate locking contract would be renewed in March and said the council “would no longer proceed with that saving”.

This is a very sensible decision welcomed by Park Friends groups and park users across the city.

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Protect our parks

On 2nd August some Councillors and Friends groups of our parks received an email to say that a trial was to take place in August involving the gate locking service. Currently thirty four parks in the city have their gates locked at night by a private contractor. The parks are those that have car parks within the park and it is the car park gates that are locked. The trial would entail the gates being left open overnight to the car parks in seven parks across the city.

Ending the gate locking contract will save the council money in the short term but has huge long term implications of the security of our parks after darkness. The gate locking crews have also previously assisted people in distress who may have intended to harm themselves in the parks after dark.
This is the letter received:

Following concerns raised by Friends groups and residents I wrote to the director of Street Scene and Cabinet member to ask how the impact of the trial would be measured.

20240815 Gate locking in parks – briefing note v0.1Download

I have received this reply with a briefing note listing all 34 parks where the locking service is used. These include Cannon Hill Park, Highbury Park, Kings Heath Park, Windermere Fields and Swanshurst Park.

I intend to ask for more details of the trial and the bench marking exercise referred to in the briefing note. In the meantime I have urged all friends groups and residents to report issues in the parks, especially at night, to both council and police.

Councillor Izzy Knowles

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Saving Windermere Fields

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On 5th May 2017 I went to a public meeting on Windermere Fields. It had been rumoured that Attock Cricket club were planning to take over the fields, to build a club house and extend their facilities with a new cricket pitch. Residents had already had to stop council workers from mowing some of the long grass at the side of the field, which is especially left untouched due to nesting birds and other wildlife. At the public meeting Councillor Lisa Trickett promised there would be no buildings or loss of use to dog walkers or families and a full public consultation would take place, as part of any bid to use the fields.
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On 27th June, after a long period of silence and with no public consultation having taken place, I discovered that on 19th May Springfield Councillors had signed off a Local Innovation Fund bid (council funds) for £20,000 to assist Attock Cricket club to cut hedges, cut overgrown grass, trim trees, hedges & shrubs, scarify, roll, aerate, seed and fertilise the field. Further funding had been obtained / was being considered to lay one astro turf and two grass squares at the site and for a pavilion and changing rooms. There were many inaccuracies and mis- information in the bid including that the field is neglected and under used and that the club was working with Friends of Moseley bog, neither of these statements were true. The bid had also failed to take into account the ecological and architectural importance of the fields, the impact on wildlife or the huge impact on parking and noise nuisance to residents living in close proximity to the field. Finally there was no consideration of a covenant on the land, which is believed to have been bequeathed to the city for use for dog walking and recreation. 
I further discovered that the bid was due to go to cabinet the following day, on 28th June for full approval. This was brought to the attention of about 35 residents who came to a meeting that evening at the cricket club to discuss the bid. At that meeting Councillor Rehman  declined the request to pull the bid from the next days cabinet meeting, despite the clear concerns and objections to the bid in its current form, by every resident there. Representations were then made at a Moseley Forum meeting the same evening which resulted in the bid being pulled the following day.
 
You might find it interesting to see the reason put forward for withdrawing the bid and the comments made in answer to a question by Councillor Jon Hunt (the Liberal Democrat leader) . You need to click on Cabinet Committee – Local Leadership 28th June – then no 7, Local Innovation Fund. The relevant times are 03:50, 15:20, 20:28 & 22:04 to 23:19
 On 10th July 2017 Councillor Trickett finally sent an email to some of the residents concerned putting their minds at rest that this particular development was not going ahead. 

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Wax Wings in the Fields – February 2017

I am now helping   Friends of Moseley Bog   and local residents to set up a Friends of Windermere Fields to protect this beautiful piece of open space against future, poorly thought out land grabs.  There are still opportunities for local cricket clubs to play cricket on the field, without having exclusive access. I will post further updates in due course, but if you would like to know more or to join the new friends group please contact me via my contact page. 

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