Is Birmingham shrinking?

Last September (2010), all of the bushes and practically all of the trees were chopped down on either side of the river Tame where the bridge crosses it by Forge Mill Farm in Sandwell.

Photos 1 and 2 show a before and after of one side -- the side I am interested in.

In the last few weeks, and particularly in the last 2 weeks, all of the bushes and most of the trees have been chopped down on a sizeable piece of land adjacent to that shown in photos 1 and 2.

Photos 3 and 4 show the 'after' situation - the pale patches on the ground being the shredded left overs of the former trees. Prior to the chopping and shredding, the area was a dense block of greenery. Now, as can be seen, a distant car park looms large.

Followers of by blog will not be at all surprised by this. Sandwell have during the past 3 or 4 years chopped down hundreds of mature trees; thousands of saplings and hundreds of yards of mature hedgerows - all in the facile name of 'looking after your countryside.'

But this one is a bit different.

Reason?

Because these trees and bushes were on land owned by the City of Birmingham.

See my somewhat amateurish map and note the two green patches which designate the sites concerned, and note also the red line which marks what I understand to be the County boundary.

The destruction of the environment is just the thing that Sandwell is so good at. Sandwell Valley even has a Green Flag in recognition of Sandwell's especially green credentials.

Bravo!

However, suspicions alone, that Sandwell is the perpetrator of this latest crime against the environment, are insufficient to indict Sandwell.

But as luck would have it, last Saturday (2nd April, 2011) a hapless bunch of Community Pay Back people were at the site doing minor choppings and shifting pieces of old fencing. So I asked one of them what he was doing and who he was doing it for.

He told me it was Sandwell!!!!!

QED.

So, Birmingham, what's going on?

Has Sandwell accidentally strayed, like lost sheep, into Birmingham without realising it?

Is Sandwell carrying out these 'cleansing' works with Birmingham's knowledge? Nudge nudge - wink wink!

Has Birmingham sold the Hill Top Golf Club, to which this land is adjacent, to Sandwell, as was rumoured last year?

Or did the Community Pay Back chap get it wrong? Has Birmingham itself chopped down all of these shrubs and trees, thereby emulating Sandwell in its destructive practices, and if so, why?

Tip Top Tip

I generally don't like Christmas because there's far too much goodwill about!

Yet, eventhough the season is almost upon us, and contrary to all my normal instincts, I feel compelled to record my appreciation of an organisation which I have long admired.

I refer to the Holford Drive Tip in Perry Barry, Birmingham.

I have used the tip (probably shouldn't call it that - there is bound to be a euphemism - must find out what it is) for years.

I have seen staff come and go, although it is noteworthy that the turnover of staff is low.

I have seen the place evolve in response to changing requirements such as refrigeration and computer disposal; recycling; fluorescent tube disposal.

I have seen staff working out of doors, obviously, in snow and freezing cold; in the heat of summer and in pouring rain. But they are a really nice bunch - always polite, friendly almost. The weather doesn't seem to bother them at all.

I have seen a site which is inherently unsafe. There are many vehicle movements - many people movements - and all in a relatively confined space. But I haven't seen any accidents, and, if you look, you can see that the staff take care, particularly at busy times, to be about and on watch, just in case.

I have seen a site which is inherently dirty - after all it is a tip. But none of it. The sweeping and tidying never stops, with the result that the site is clean. You are struck by the fact that if you drop a piece of paper or a bit if a tree, it lands on an otherwise clean surface!

I think that the staff maintain this high level of tidiness as much for safety reasons as any other.

So, over the years I have given much thought to the staff of Holford Drive.

Why is it that the staff turnover is so low given the, at times, unsocial working conditions, and why is it that the staff are so consistently pleasant, given all the riff raff of the general public that they have to put up with. Why is it that they keep a 'tip' in such a clean and safe condition?

The answer must lie partly in the management.

Good working relations never exist where management does not genuinely respect the other members of staff, and by that I mean the staff and their representitives.

But the answer must also lie partly with the union(s). Management can only function properly where it has clear lines of communication with its staff and where staff issues are responsibly discussed and reasonably resolved.

And what of the chaps themselves? They must be hand-picked because they have the ability to deal with the public; aren't fazed by the weather, and take cleanliness and safety as second nature.

The foregoing is no bull. It is just a straightforward recitation of the facts as I see them, and common sense.

Of course, there must from time to time be tensions at the site; it would be unrealistic to suppose otherwise.

But I don't see evidence of these tensions when they arise. They do not overspill into the public.

All I do see is a great bunch of people giving a first class service, and, having given careful consideration to the matter over a number of years, I believe that Holford Drive must be close to a text book way of how to run a business.

I take my hat off to all who work there and, much as it goes against the grain, wish them all a Happy Christmas and many happy new years.

My first Blog

Well, after much thought I have finally decided to write a blog.

I don't know what 'blog' stands for - maybe it's an acronym - and I don't know who, if anyone, will ever read it. However, on the off-chance that someone will, I must own up at once to writing under a pseudonym.

The blog creation process didn't ask for my name but merely the name under which the blog would be signed. So I assumed that pseudonyms are acceptable. If they are not then I expect to be deleted; expunged; hanged, or whatever, in very short order -- and rightly so!

What can be expected to appear in my blog?

Well, occasionally I have good ideas, although I accept that I'm not always right. I have written to the Sunday Times once and the Daily Mail a couple of times but neither have thought my submissions worth printing or even following up. So there's a good indication that there is probably not much point in anyone following this blog. I mean if the Daily Mail thinks I'm rubbish, then I really have to be at the bottom of the pile.

Apart from my good ideas, I have fairly strong views about certain Local Authorities. I live in Birmingham, England, and observe at close quarters the workings of both Birmingham and neighbouring Sandwell. I will be writing about things which these Authorities do, which, in my opinion, are unnecessary; unwise; foolish or just downright unforgivable.

For now, however, I will confine myself to this fairly basic introduction.

John Oaks