Presenting awards at Aston "Oscars" tomorrow night

Nikki Sinclaire MEP will present prizes at the Aston Awards which are to be held tomorrow night.

The "Aston Oscars" are designed to build social capital in the area by recognising local people for their acheivments and service to the area. Individuals or groups have been nominated and voted for by local people through voting boxes which have been placed in the local shops.

The night will feature local music act, ss well as this there is a fashion show and a buffet dinner.

Nikki Sinclaire is honoured to be asked to present the awards at the event,

"It is great to come along to honour the local heroes of the community and show support for their efforts.

Pritesh Pattni, former Olympic torch bearer, has  been instrumental in his community in Aston and I'm delighted to be able to support his event tomorrow night which celebrates community and all the people who are doing so much good around around us, but sometimes this good is not recognised.

It is only right that they are put on a pedastal for a night and perhaps inspire others to do good in their local area". 

An update on Aston Arena

We've had a reply from Bob Neill MP about Aston Arena. The fight to keep sports centres and sporting provision available for local communities continues. 

Save Aston Arena Protest - Video

Save Aston Arena Protest

HUNDREDS of Aston residents took to Victoria Square and the council house to protest against the demolition of a local sports centre.

Aston Arena is earmarked for closure and then demolition as a part of Birmingham City Council’s 15 year Area Action Plan. The council then plan to turn the Serpentine site, where the Arena sits, into a business park.

Despite claims of a 20,000 consultation, local residents are angry about the further depletion of sports services in the area.

Joining the protest was West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire who is calling for greater sporting provision in the poorest parts of the city, not less.

Nikki Sinclaire said,

“As a politician myself, I know how important it is to listen to my employers, that being my constituents.

You should never ignore the will of the people, and the people of Aston and the surrounding boroughs do not want this site removed from the local area.

We cannot let a facility like this be bulldozed into history

Why do the local council want to diminish such an important sporting provision? For the second city, this is shameful

Where will the Olympians of the future train? Do we not want gold medal winners in Aston?

The efforts of the local community in coming together for this protest today are fantastic. This is what big society is all about. The council need to listen and rethink their plans”.

The group handed a petition for the attention of the head of the council, Albert Bore.

PRESS RELEASE: SAVE THE ARENA CAMPAIGNERS PLAN PROTEST OUTSIDE COUNCIL HOUSE

Nikki Sinclaire alongside local residents will protest outside the council house this coming Monday (August 20^th).

Backed by community groups and concerned constituents, the group are protesting against plans to close the Aston Arena, formerly known as the Aston Villa Leisure Centre.

Birmingham City Council has earmarked the site for demolition as a part of their Area Action Plan (AAP). The serpentine site is earmarked as a business park for Aston which the council believe will bring employment to the area.

Residents are angry that they have not been properly consulted. The council claim a 20,000 person consultation has been undertaken before these plans were agreed. However, local charity groups claim the figure is closer to 1000, and this number is made up of statutory bodies, meaning the number of local residents consulted is minimal.  

Nikki Sinclaire MEP is backing the residents in opposing the demolition of the sports facility,

“As a politician myself, I know how important it is to listen to my employers, that being my constituents.

You should never ignore the will of the people, and the people of Aston and the surrounding boroughs do not want this site removed from the local area.

We cannot let a facility like this be bulldozed into history

Why do the local council want to diminish such an important sporting provision? For the second city, this is shameful

Where will the Olympians of the future train? Do we not want gold medal winners in Aston?

If the politicians won’t listen to us, then the only solution is to go and protest on Monday and show them how much this issue means to us. ”

Pritesh Pattni, of the Bidgley Power charity said, “We need to save this facility for our kids. Nobody else is going to do this. We as a community need to work together to save the Arena.

The council will never build anything of this size ever again, so we must preserve this facility

We need the voices of the people of Aston to be heard”.

Rico Wojtulewicz, who has been working with Bob Cooper who is the current tenant at the Aston Arena, said, “Why would Birmingham City Council want to close the only facility of this size in the area? If Birmingham is serious about making a bid about future commonwealth games in the future, then we need to keep venues such as the Aston Arena”.

ENDS

We are expecting hundreds of people to turn up to this - if you feel strongly about the Aston Arena then please come along to protest with us!  

Double page in the Birmingham Mail about Aston Arena

A double page spread in todays Birmingham Mail today about the fight to save the Aston Arena. Let the Mail know your views by sending them a letter! 

PRESS RELEASE: LOCAL RESIDENTS VOW TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER TO SAVE ASTON ARENA

A local MEP last night held a public meeting to discuss a local sporting facility.

Nikki Sinclaire chaired a meeting where around 100 concerned constituents and community groups attended to discuss Aston Arena, a centre that has been earmarked for closure and eventually demolishment in the near future.

Despite being invited to attend, local councillors and even the local MP failed to attend the event at the Aston Pavilion in Aston Park.

Nikki Sinclaire said,

“As a politician myself, I know how important it is to listen to my employers, that being my constituents.

You should never ignore the will of the people, and the people of Aston and the surrounding boroughs do not want this site removed from the local area.

We cannot let a facility like this be bulldozed into history

Why do the local council want to diminish such an important sporting provision? For the second city, this is shameful”.

With high levels of unemployment and lower than average house hold incomes, expensive private sporting facilities are out of reach for local residents who are increasingly frustrated as affordable sports services appear to decrease.

This frustration was heard in the meeting last night, where organisations pledged to work together to fight the closure of the centre.

Pritesh Pattni, of the Bidgley Power charity said, “We need to save this facility for our kids. Nobody else is going to do this. We as a community need to work together to save the Arena.

The council will never build anything of this size ever again, so we must preserve this facility”.

Also at the event was Rico Wojtulewicz, who has been working with Bob Cooper who is the current tenant at the Aston Arena, who made an impassioned speech to those in attendance, “Why would Birmingham City Council want to close the only facility of this size in the area? If Birmingham is serious about making a bid about future commonwealth games in the future, then we need to keep venues such as the Aston Arena”.

Birmingham City Council have earmarked the Serpentine site as a future business park with the aim to create jobs in the area. Their plans are backed by a 15 year Area Action Plan (AAP) and supported by the claim of a 20,000 person consultation. In fact, the real figure is around 1000 which was made up of statutory bodies and residents, meaning very few local people have been consulted about the future of the arena.

Those in attendance all pledged to work on group events to highlight the Arenas plight to the masses.

Calling to save the Aston Arena on BBC Midlands Today

Aston Arena on the Radio

I spoke last Wednesday on BBC WM discussing the issues surrounding the Aston Arena. The team of the Adrian Goldberg show invited me onto the show the discuss why the Aston Arena should be saved from closure.

There is a public meeting tonight at Aston Pavilion from 6pm onwards which is open to anybody wishing to attend.

Community Led Bid for Sports Facility in Aston - An open letter to the council

I write with reference to the council’s planning proposals for the Aston Area of Birmingham under the Aston, Lozells and Handsworth Area Action Plan. The plan makes proposals for one site in particular which is the Serpentine site in Aston Hall Rd, Aston. This site consists of a large car park and a 2000 seated sports and community centre known as the Aston Arena which is under caretaker management and is hardly used by the community in the area at the moment.

The site has been designated as a Regional Investment site under the AAP with the most recent proposed amendments outlining its use for more shopping facilities and a gym. Local shop keepers are opposed to the plans and an overpriced Gym will not be accessible to many local residents. Local groups are afraid that only private developers will benefit from the plan for the site.

Fears now persist that as a prelude to the AAP plan the site will be cleared and the Aston Arena will be demolished. This would be a great loss to the local community and in particular to the committed group of local charities and voluntary organisations who have put together a vision and draft plan for the site to turn it into a key community asset with the help of Locality the national asset transfer body. Many industrial brownfield sites of similar size exist in the area so why do council plans seek to demolish the only site of community interest.

The proposal by Bidgley Powe,r a community based charity and 15 local and regional and national stakeholders sets out a compelling vision for the  site which would see amongst other things:

•Jobs created

•New homes built

•A vibrant sport and community Hub

•A community police station and library developed

The motivation of the group came from a strong voluntary sector being stifled by a chronic lack of facilities and funding in an area of high deprivation. The council’s leisure services decision to cut the funding to school based sites decimated local sports clubs, adult education and community meeting places in one stroke. Currently on 2 sites in the Aston area exist where these activities take place and these are very heavily oversubscribed.

Consultation by local stakeholders document how people living in the area feel disenfranchised from the political and planning process with many siting how the council does not listen to their voices and the lack of facilities affects their standard of living.

As a matter of clarification as to the future of the site can the council confirm the following?

•That the site is being transferred into the councils portfolio of property

•The buildings on the site and in particular the Arena will be demolished

•whether it has considered any other brown filed sites within the locality for its plans

•With current spending being cutback what plans do the council have replace sports and community facilities which have been lost in the area.

•Would the council support more consultation with local  groups on a community led vision for the site

Does the council really believe in the government ethos of localism through decentralization empowering individuals, local agents and communities through the big society or just ignore if it hinders commercial development of property for a profit.

I urge the council to listen to the voices of the people in the area, capitalise on the strength of the voluntary sector there and restore their faith in the political process by supporting this community led bid to transform the site into a vibrant hub leaving a lasting legacy in this Olympic year.