Great Barr Lib Dem Focus Team

Demanding better for Hamstead, Great Barr, Yew Tree, and Tame Bridge. Learn more

424 Changes delayed until mid-Feb

by Mark Smith on 11 January, 2021

Transport for West Midlands have delayed their planned changes to the 424 service until February 14th, on the grounds that there should be less traffic through Perry Barr during lockdown. They have made an additional change, and the route will not longer go as far as Star City. They plan to have notices at bus […]

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Proposed Changes to 424 Bus Route

by Mark Smith on 24 November, 2020

Transport for West Midlands is proposing some changes to the 424 bus service, still affectionately known as the “Sadie bus”. The main change for Great Barr is that will be split into two routes to eliminate the existing routes tendency to double back on itself. A result of this is that the route that serves […]

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Developers break promises to young families

by Mark Smith on 27 February, 2024

We are sad to report that developers are still circumventing their requirement to include at least 10% of affordable housing in new developments in Sandwell. The latest example is The Parade, off Hall Green Road in West Bromwich. Despite assurances that it would include affordable housing the developer is now citing viability as an excuse […]

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We are pleased to see that the Post Office Horizon scandal is finally getting the attention it deserves from politicians. Ministers from all Parties were too naive and trusting of the lies they were being fed by the Post Office and Fujitsu. It is bosses there, not sub-postmasters running Post Office branches, or Posties, that […]

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Save our Green Belt from Developers

by Mark Smith on 9 December, 2023

Property developer, Wain Estates want to build on the Peak House Farm site off Wilderness Lane.Ref: DC/23/68822 The 2020 proposal to build 1,000 houses on the site was not included in the DRaft Black Country Plan, and the site is still designated as unsuitable for housing by Sandwell Council.  However, they are trying again, this […]

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Local Liberal Democrats have slammed Nicola Richards for voting against  a compensation scheme for swimmers who get sick from sewage. The amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, would have allowed anyone who gets sick as a result of illegal sewage dumping to claim compensation from water companies. However, […]

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Anesco have submitted another application to build a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on the farmland off Chapel Lane. Ref: 23/1286You can view the application and comment via Walsall’s Planning Portal: Application Details Despite their previous application being refused by Walsall Council earlier this year, this application is 50% bigger. It claims the BESS needs […]

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Sandwell Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to ban bonuses for Severn Trent Water after revealing they paid their company executives eye-watering bonuses, despite failing to fix leaking pipes ahead of this summer’s drought. Water company bosses from Severn Trent Water were awarded £5,566,500 in bonuses despite companies leaking billions of litres of water […]

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Thank You for Voting!

by Sadie Smith on 19 June, 2022

Thank you to everyone who voted this May. And particular thanks to those of you who chose to support local Liberal Democrat candidates.Sandwell remains controlled by the Labour Party. We very much hope that they will take opportunities to work with the Commissioners the Government have sent in.Nationally the Liberal Democrats were successful, gaining the […]

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Stop bickering and work for local residents

by Mark Smith on 14 November, 2021

Sad to see our Labour Councillors and Conservative MP playing politics with funding for local politics. The Council has never been good at applying for funding, and our Councillors often had to encourage them to apply for it. This resulted in funds for deprived areas going to parts of Hamstead and the Yew Tree estate, […]

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Protection for MPs and Councillors

by Sadie Smith on 17 October, 2021

A lot of discussion on Sunday’s politics programmes. And it has been a backdrop issue to discussion of the dreadful murder of the MP. I found Lisa Nandy and Gordon Brown talked a lot of sense. If their voices are listened to, then there is a chance that the outcome will be sensible. The world […]

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Yew Tree Primary School

by Sadie Smith on 15 August, 2021

West Midlands primary school wins appeal against academy statusThe current situation brings back memories of just how messy the reduction of education to a single junior school serving the whole of Yew Tree and Tamebridge was. Way before the Academy issue. It did leave the whole area badly provided. And an uphill struggle, not helped […]

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