Dear John,

This week I’ve been collating the responses that more than 350 constituents submitted to the survey I shared on speeding in Quinton and Bartley Green. 290 people responded to say that there was a daily issue with speeding on their roads, with many others additionally being impacted by car racing and cruising.  
 
West Midlands Police is working hard to put in place a street racing injunction in both the Black Country and Birmingham that will see anyone caught handed down hefty fines and the potential of prison sentences. Following many reports of street racing, the Police and Council have also carried out raids in Bartley Green which following an arrest, warning letters have been issued. 
 
With this in my mind, I am looking to set up a local speed watch group, with the first taking place next week. The speed watch group will be able to take immediate enforcement action against those who drive over the speed limit and will act as a deterrent to those who are determined to flout the law and endanger lives by dangerous driving. I will be contacting residents who have indicated that they are interested in getting involved early next week. 
 
Following Cllr Kate Booth’s success in getting speed cushions installed on Simmons Drive, I am also in conversations with Birmingham City Council about the installation of averaging cameras to ensure that we start to see a reduction in speeds at which people drive in our communities. 

From 1 June, our Commonwealth Games team will be looking for more than 13,000 spirited, dedicated and dynamic volunteers to be the heartbeat of the Commonwealth Games. We’ll see a community of passionate people coming together to help deliver the biggest sporting and cultural event the West Midlands has ever seen.

Birmingham and the West Midlands is a community of communities, home to more than 180 nationalities. The Commonwealth Collective will represent the vibrancy and diversity of our people at Birmingham 2022, a home Games for every nation.   

As part of the Commonwealth Collective, you’ll be the public face of Birmingham 2022, the heart and soul of the Games experience for athletes, officials, spectators, and a global audience of more than one billion. 

Banks are a staple of our high streets that play an important role in changing a neighbourhood to a community. After hearing from Santander, I am disappointed that they will be closing their branch in Harborne. The closest branch listed would mean residents would have to travel into the city centre, which for those who are not so ambulatory, will be extremely difficult. 
 
To me, this is a concerning trend that we are seeing. Since 2010, we’ve seen 7,400 bank branches close and access to banking services has become much more limited. While many may be able to use internet banking, their also remains many who can’t or do not wish to use online services and require in-person access to more than just cash. 
 
I have written to the head of branch interactions at Santander and have asked that they reverse this decision. In the meantime, I have also issued a survey to understand how many residents this closure will affect and what access to bank services residents require.  
 
Over the last decade, our high streets have suffered, seeing more and more empty units appearing. Following the pandemic, I do not want to see this trend continuing. Harborne High Street is a source of pride to the community, and I want to see businesses flourish. This includes the vital services that banks provide for the betterment of local residents.