Alleway closure to bring some Christmas joy
I’ve written many times over the last few months about the anti social behaviour issues in and around a cut through joining two areas of Fazeley together in my County patch.
Despite best endeavours it’s been a difficult problem to make progress on. From my own point of view I’ve always been most 
concerned about what people around the alleyway have had to put up with… abuse, vandalism, stuff I’m not even going to mention and general bad behaviour by groups of young people who use it as a place to hang around.
I did a consultation to get general views on what local people thought and that made the process even tougher. I was taken aback by the number of people who felt it should remain open. Even some of the locals who were suffering from the anti social behaviour were a bit averse to ‘letting the yobs win’.
I firmly believe in tackling issues head on and so in an attempt to address the cause of the problems, ie a hardcore group of young people who seem hell bent on causing grief, I asked the police to step up patrols to police the specific area more robustly.
This, I’m pleased to say, they have been doing but despite that the last few weeks have seen a fewer number, certainly, but none the less, significant incidents which really have to be stopped. So, with some mixed feelings, but with a firm belief that local people should be able to live their daily lives in peace, Homezone will be closing the alleyway early in the New Year.
I do have concerns as to whether the problems will simply move on elsewhere. That said, I’m pleased with the significantly increased efforts of the Youth Service and other agencies to engage with the more difficult young people in the area following additional funding and resources I wrote about securing a few weeks ago.
Next week also sees the new alcohol restrictions come into force so all in all I’m hopeful that progress will continue to be made at tackling the underlying problems which mean grief for so many caused by so few.
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4 comments
Mr Ellis
Please remember it’s not just that alleyway where youths are causing problems. We live on the Deer Park estate and I really hope the anti social behaviour isn’t just moved elsewhere.
All that said thank you for the interest and useful work you are doing for the community here as a whole. About time someone did!!!
Bill,
We must make sure the problem isn’t just moved elsewhere.
I hope you will have seen some increase in policing in the area. The restrictions on drinking alcohol in public I proposed earlier this year also come into force this week.
Add to that the increased efforts by the Youth Service to engage with young people (and use the new youth club much more) and I hope that all these things together will have an effect over the coming months.
I would add, however, that anti social behaviour must not be tollerated at all and I’m confident that the new police commander for Lichfield area will continue, as promised to me, to deal robustly with those who cause problems for others. I’m pleased with his approach to date!
Thankyou mathew for closing this alley it is the best news we have had all year. What a difference this will make to our lives. Once again thankyou
mr ellis
im still very much against the closure of the alley as i have always been,its ridiculous how a group of rebels/yobs cannot be kept under control by the police, thus resulting in genuine people who use the alley for genuine purposes to lose out.
i still very much feel closure is the easy way out and now the problems will move elsewhere and if the police couldnt deal with the problems there what chance does anybody have of a peaceful christmas! The booze ban has not even been brought onto the estate yet and that has not even been given the chance to work as im sure that quite alot of the incidents are brought on by being under the influence of alcohol.
i think that consideration has only been for the new houses that have been built and if you ask me those houses should never of been built if there was a problem with youths on the bridge.
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