News page 5 of 5. Scroll down to read if indicated. See 'Archived news' for other past news items.

Labour Councillors Get Result on Litter Problem.  (March, 2010) (Scroll down to read)

Local councillors have welcomed Halton Housing Trust’s recent decision to increase the frequency of litter collections in the Trust’s estates in the Hough Green area. Local councillors Phil Harris, Kevan Wainwright and Paul Nolan had been receiving increased numbers of complaints about litter from local residents over the past six months and have been registering these complaints with the Trust.

Recently a tour of the Bechers estate and adjacent shops by the council, police and the Trust identified litter as one of a number of issues that needed to be addressed to improve the area.

The Trust’s contractors Vale who are now responsible for grass cutting and litter picking on the Trust’s estates, have recognised that the fortnightly collections have been insufficient and have increased the frequency of litter picking to a weekly cycle for non-grassed areas across Hough Green. Grassed areas will be subject to fortnightly cutting with a litter pick beforehand as part of the programme for the growing season. Halton Council is no longer responsible for the majority of cleansing and landscaping in the Trust estates. The Council only covers certain areas like around the Bechers shops and highway verges. It als maintains woodland areas and playing fields.

Hough Green Councillor Phil Harris said ‘’Hough Green councillors welcome the additional litter collections, as it was clear from both our own tours of the estates and complaints from residents that the fortnightly collections were not effective enough.’’ ‘’We are conscious of the cost of increased cleansing and we will continue to monitor the situation in the months ahead and explore what else can be done.’’

The Robin Hood Tax - A small tax that could make a big difference.  (February, 2010)

A tiny tax of 0.05% from international bankers’ transactions could generate hundreds of billions of pounds every year to stop cuts in crucial public services in the UK and help fight global poverty

and climate change. And it shouldn’t cost the public a penny. Phil Harris supports the campaign.

The Robin Hood Tax campaign is a movement bringing together dozens of organisations that work to reduce poverty in the UK and overseas, and campaign to tackle climate change. They have come together during the economic crisis to campaign for a new deal between banks and society. See Video page.   If you would like to know why 350 top economists are supporting such a tax and why it would benefit the many, then click this link. 

Halton's Labour MP Derek Twigg took the time to visit the Robin Hood Tax Parliamentary lobby on Wednesday (24th Feb) and showed his support by signing the Early Day Motion 913 by Lindsay Hoyle MP which supported the call for a Robin Hood Tax.

If you support the Robin Hood Tax show your support now. After all, only wealthy bankers and certain politicians tend to be those who don't !

Recyclebank scheme progressing well. (February, 2010)

Since last October a pilot recycling rewards scheme has been running across seven parts of Halton. Read the latest report on the scheme in  this link to a recent news article. Parts of the Hough Green ward have been offered this voluntary scheme and if the pilot is successful it will be considered for a roll out across the rest of the borough from this summer. (visit the Recyclebank website by clicking here.)

Halton's recycling rate increased again last year to 28%, which is great news and a testimony to the efforts of local residents who understand recycling makes sense. If you aren't recycling yet, why not give it a try ? It saves money and it's good for the environment.

Upton Playbuilder Update (January, 2010.)

Despite a tough budget situation, the Council remains committed to maintaining effective front line services and where possible investing in improvements across the borough.

As some people may be aware Hough Green has been included in the 2010/11 scheme for the Playbuilder Programme and so far £185,000 has been secured for the project. Cllr Phil Harris has been acting as the lead member in the ward for the project, along with the other ward councillors; Paul Nolan and Kevan Wainwright.

The Hough Green project is aimed at delivering physical play facilities for young children and teenagers. This will include a multi-use games area (MUGA) which will ensure older youths have somewhere to use in most weather conditions, rather than using the play areas intended for younger children.

Cllr Phil Harris said ''It's important that we tackle anti-social behaviour that is caused by some young people, but it's also important not to label all young people as out for trouble and to provide them with facilities to use.'' ' 'The new play facilities being proposed cover a range of age groups and we will be encouraging local residents to help with the design.''

The Upton Playbuilder project includes encouraging a partnership with other local agencies, like the Youth Service; Halton Housing Trust and community safety agencies. Cllr Phil Harris said '' It's important to work in partnership with other organisations who operate in the area.''. '' Halton Housing Trust's proposed Environmental Improvement Programme for instance, could carry out its work at the same time in the same area as the playbuilder project and thus minimise disruption to local residents.''

At the Area Forum meeting held at the Upton Community Centre on Monday 25th January, an update on the progress of recent public consultation was given and what the next steps were. The next phase of the project will be to carry out further consultations with regard to the most popular site identified in recent public consultation, and exploring further funding options. This will include young people and how local schools might be get involved. Once this has been done the wider community will be updated again.

The aim is to identify a site and have begun construction of the play facilities by the spring/summer of 2010. If you would like further information please get in touch with one of the Hough Green ward councillors.