Borough Councillor Dave Harris, Working for Colchester and Berechurch residents. (Also County Councillor for Shrub End and Berechurch )

The community payback team managers and myself work very well together. We do hours and hours of good community work each year. It is a fact that lots of work in our area would not get done without the input of community payback teams working with me.

On 31/5/2016 I went with a team to do the gardens at Plum Hall and Nancy Smith Close. Residents were very pleased to have the gardens done and area tidied up. 

With young people working with the army to create a make over on a WW2 bunker in Mersea Road it looked like the area was improving. But - a short time ago some vandals threw blue paint all over the bunker.

The Council applied specialist paint graffiti removal liquid, but it also renmoved the mural underneath.

So - after a front page appeal in the local paper, I worked a plan out with HELP FOR HEROES team in Colchester.

Veteran soldiers, an artist and myself spend a couple of days to apply some suitable Army murals and the WW2 bunker has been improved

Essex County Council came to re surface the footpaths on our local Willows estate.

What should have been a happy event, turned quickly to disappointment when the quality of the work was clearly lacking

I have raised this a Full Council at Essex County Council, with the head of highways and quality control manager.

I have written to every resident on the Willows estate

Issues were : Weeds left under the tarmac, uneven tarmac, poor joints, rough surface, poor communication with residents

I will maintain the pressure to get corrective works done

The Blackheath area has had a bus stop outside the Orchard Baptist church for decades. It is a popular bus stop for people from Ash Grove, Gosfield Road, Chestnut Ave, Blackheath to catch a bus to the town centre.

So for decades we, the residents have had to stand in the rain, cold, and snow during winter, and hot sun in the summer, waiting for a bus. 

After Councillor Dave Harris ran a campaign for a bus shelter, he managed to get the County Council to fit a new shelter to protect bus users from the elements. The new bus shelter has been named "Baptist Church" which is brilliant.

Here Martyn Warnes and Cllr Dave Hariis celebrate the new bus stop.

After discussing with residents, the needs of our area, we as a team submitted a request for some more litter bins.

So we have successfully managed to get installed bins at : -  Lethe Grove, Queen Elizabeth Way, and The Willows.

We are now working on more on Birch Glen, and Blackheath, (By the bus stop)

So myself, Cllr Kim Naish, Cllr Chris Pearson, and Martyn Warnes are please to report back our success.

Watch this space as we make a positive difference in our area.

As County Councillor for the area, I am concerned at Essex County chiefs removing the school patrols at Monkwick ave (serving the 3 Monkwick Schools) and Mersea Road (St Georges school) .  I have raised this at County Hall, and with the portfolio holder and made it clear that our childrens safety comes first

E mail me at councillor.dave.harris@hotmail.co.uk

Hoping everyone had a great Christmas, and I wish you a happy new year 2016

If you need me - just e mail councillor.dave.harris@hotmail.co.uk or call on 07816168858

Best wishes

Cllr Dave Harris

Using locality budget from Colchester Council, I have worked with Cllrs Kim Naish, Chris Pearson and team member Martyn Warnes to provide crocus bulbs to plant in the area.

Areas include Inworth Walk,. School Road, Lethe Grove, RockHampton Walk, and Queen Mary Ave will be enhanced with some spring colour in 2016.

5 years ago, the County Council took away the Lollipop school crossing person

The Council had risk assessed and said there was no need.

I disagreed with Council in 2010, and put a petition in signed by hundreds of local people.  But still the Council refused to budge.

Now in 2015, TLA School is nearly full every year, 3 more classes have increased the numbers at Monkwick Infants and Nursery School, and the junior school is expanding numbers year in year with another 140 children expected to join the school over the next 2 / 3 years

Add that to the new estates in Berechurch (Quarters / Solus estate) and new housing in Monkwick, it is clear to me that the County Council needs to review its decision and put in a School Crossing patrol

I have applied to County and hope that with parents backing, that the power of my argument will be heard.

CHILDS SAFETY MUST COME FIRST !

As part of being a community representative, my aim is to improve our area.

Litter picks are just one way to show leadership, get others involved in setting an example, and to encourage others not to drop in the first place

Its fun, makes a difference, and gets our streets looking better.

It is also in addition to and not instead of Council litter picks

There are several estates in Berechurch Ward, and every Saturday we do Litter picks

The Children and parents who walk to school each day have had to use a footpath that was beginning to be covered with Brambles.

Today (October 4th) I spend a morning cutting back the overgrown vegetation

It is now safer for us to use

result for the area.

During September, working with Family Mosaic, I arranged a fun afternoon.

This was funded by Cllrs, Kim Naish, Chris Pearson and my own locality budget.

This was a fun day with free hot dogs, a bouncy castle, and a "lets help Colchester" charity stall

A bit of music, some fun party dances, all added to the event

Everyone who came agreed it was a wonderful way to get our community meeting up

After a car crashed into some railings out side houses in Berechurch Road, it seemed all that had to happen was a repair and restore the street to normal.

But no --- Council did not want to own it, Taylor Wimpey the developer did not think it was theirs, and householders were adamant that deeds did not show the ralings as theirs.

So - impasse,. stalemate, and no action/

So - I got involved and stated if the broken railings were not removed in September, I would remove them personally.

After some thought and a short delay - ECC and Taylor Wimpey sent a team with disc cutters to remove the danger

Result - a safe road.

Road signs (some of them there for safety reasons) have been left so long they are almost unreadable.

Essex County Council have been asked to clean them, but nothing has been done.

So - Martyn Warnes, and I have spent a little time with some clear soapy water, and cleaned off years of grime.  Community action to keep us safe..

Cllr Dave Harris  (see below - before and after pictures Mersea Road)

RESULT !!!

ROAD PROBLEMS IN BLACKHEATH

Blackheath was resurfaced weeks ago - and I have written e mails about the lack of sweeping of the chips --- They need to sweep MUCH better to clear the paths, roads, and drives of the loose chips.. The process needs re thinking to have a better clearing.sweeping regime --- Wonder if anyone is listening

PAXMAN AVENUE - ALDERMAN BLAXILL SCHOOL SITE

PHONE BOX AT MERSEA ROAD AND BERECHURCH ROAD UNUSABLE

On one of my walk about looking out for faults and problems, I see that yet again the Phone boxes at Berechurch Road (Junction of Queen Mary Ave) and Mersea Road (across the road from Roberts Road) have both been out of use due to vandalism

These phones have not been in use for months, and since that most people have mobile phones, that it is about time these boxes were removed.  I have written in to BT phones to say, either fix these phone boxes and make them useable 24/7 or remove them.

MESSAGE FROM DAVE HARRIS

I have been one of the Berechurch Councillors for over 11 years.

I have been proud to represent our area, and always support the views of my neighbours and constituents. 

May 7th is voting day, when residents of Berechurch choose their Local Councillor, and indeed on the same day, the General Election is also being decided.

I hope the residents of Berechurch use both their votes, and I also hope that I am again chosen to champion the interests of our part of South Colchester

Our track record is very sound,, with regular litter picks on every Estate in the area, make overs on street signs, garages, footpaths kept clear, regular advice surgeries, thousands and thousands of e mails, letters, and representations to support my constituents.

It is a fact we already are planning litter picks for May16th (The Willows) May 23rd (Monkwick) and May 30th (Birch Glen) with the rest of the estates in our area being planned in...

All the very best

and if any resident wishes to ask any questions on the Election, please feel free to call me on 07816168858

or e mail on Councillor.dave.harris@Hotmail.co.uk

Dave Harris

promoted by D Harris on behalf of himself at 12 Prince Philip Road Colchester Essex CO2 8PA

Their are many Council owned garages around the Berechurch Area.

Most are in need of a make over with flaky paint removed, and after a rub down with wire brush and sandpaper, a new coat of paint was the order of the day...

I worked with a led the community payback work to get this done.