Westminster Park Residents Association

On Tuesday 22^nd November 2011

At Westminster Park Community Centre

Five Ashes Road

At 8 pm

Everybody Welcome – Council Officials and your Local Councillors will be in attendance to answer your questions

See FOWP website here

Allan Stobie and I recently represented Westminster Park at a meeting convened to discuss the Council’s proposed new waste collection system. It was arranged by our local councillors and included representatives from Queens Park, Handbridge, Hough Green and Curzon Park.

Cllr Lynn Riley, responsible for the Environment portfolio, started the meeting by explaining that the new Council had inherited three different systems from the District councils and that it had always been recognised that these would have to be rationalised.

It was explained that the Council has tendered and is on the point of appointing May Gurney to provide a waste collection service throughout CWaC from April. The aim is to harmonise the three systems, minimise cost, increase the amount of recycling from the current 49% up to 68% and provide a satisfactory service to residents.

The contract will be for 14 years and is expected to cost £126M, saving £50M on current costs over the life of the contract. The cost saving is partly due to the contractor’s expectation of earning significant income from recycled products.

Many more items will be recycled. As well as those collected now, we will be able to recycle tetrapaks, printer cartridges, shoes, engine and cooking oil, and a range of other things. Sorting will take place at the kerbside rather than at the Bumpers Lane and other recycling plants – these will be sold off.

Our brown bins for non-recyclable rubbish will be replaced by slightly larger grey bins and will be collected fortnightly. Everything else will be collected weekly. The containers will be green bin for garden rubbish (unchanged), two boxes with lids for paper, tins, glass and other items (see above), and a small bin for food waste.

There was considerable discussion of the pros and cons of this system compared to the one currently operating in Chester with people particularly worried about lifting the boxes. It was said that the box system already operates satisfactorily in Vale Royal and Ellesmere Port on a fortnightly basis and boxes should be lighter given the proposed weekly collection. The Council is considering providing wheels to those who wish to purchase them and pointed out that an assisted collection service is available.

Apart from Christmas and New Year, the contractor will work on bank holidays so that there should be fewer interruptions to the service. The contract will commence in April 2012 but will not be implemented in Chester until the Autumn.

The Council says it is keen to communicate the proposals to residents and hear their views. The WPRA will do its best to ensure that you are kept informed.

Brian Westcott

The Westminster Park Residents Association invite all over 60 year olds to come along to the Community Centre on Thursday 12th January 2012 at 2 pm for a chat and a cup of tea/coffee and biscuits.

If you are interested we intend starting an Over 60s’ club, initially meeting monthly, with speakers, fun and games, etc and if enough people are interested visits to gardens and theatres. The programme is up to you, so please tell us what you would like.

We are doing this in response to requests, from various people, made to the R A . So please come along on 12^th January and tell us what you would like on the programme.

If you cannot make it on that day please give one of us a call and let us know your ideas. Our telephone numbers are on the back page of this newsletter.

See you there.

Allan Stobie (683461) and Sandra Magilton (677373)

Police in Chester say cyclists have given a “thumbs up” to their latest action to beat bike thefts.

A city centre shop has been turned into a “bike shed” for a month. Cyclists can leave their trusty steed safely for the day and, on request, it will be security-marked and safety-checked before they pick it up.

The move is part of an on-going campaign against bike theft.

If you want to use the Police “bike shed” shop, it is at 26 Bridge Street and is open from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday until November 18th.

See full article here

Westminster Park Residents Association are holding a quiz night at 8pm on Saturday 8th October at the community centre. Tickets cost £6 and include refreshments. Really fun night, everybody welcome! Please contact a member of the committee for tickets or leave a post on our page for more information.