Hodge Hill Ward The Firs Estate Local Government Gone MAD

  
 

As a tenant living in one of the flats on the Firs Estate my life has become hell on earth. There are about five tenants remaining in my block, the place has become run down and we have no fire alarm in our bin rooms, rubbish is dumped all the time around the flats, kids chuck stones at our windows, drug addicts try and break into our homes because they think all the flats are void. It's a nightmare! when I complained about this I received a letter saying  "The problems you are experiencing with break-ins and bricks being thrown are, unfortunately, common to blocks being cleared for demolition" from a Mr Dave Cusack  Bromford Neighbourhood Office Operations Manager. The caretaker is hardly ever seen now. The local neighbourhood office are no help: I asked four weeks ago for the fire alarm system to be looked at but no one has been, They are now telling me I should change the areas I'm looking to move to because I'm not going to get what I want. Meanwhile my rent has gone up ( yes, I do pay rent to live there ). Do you think they are trying to squeeze me out of there?

  
 

DID YOU KNOW....?

  
  If you are waiting to be moved out your flat because blocks are being cleared for demolition you could be stuck there for years because if they decide to start knocking other flats down in the meantime, a tenant who has lived in a council property  longer than you will get priority over you. This means you could be there for a very long time. This is a local government decision (LABOUR council), a bad one.  
 

DOES THIS AFFECT YOU IN YOUR HOUSE

  
  The answer is yes it does. Take a look at the last flat to be empted, Chillinghome Tower. This block is still standing, costing council tax payers money. There are fire engines in attendance every week the area has been so run down, crime is up and drug use is very high! House prices down .  
 

ALL FLATS ON THIS ESTATE WILL COME DOWN IN TIME

 
  They may not have told you so yet but believe me they will all be coming down in time. That means it does affect everyone on this estate. It is already  a dumping ground for bad tenants and  completely run down. It seems  like a forgotten-about area (no police station anymore). They say crime is down but we all know, what's the point in reporting your car being broken into, your shed being robbed, your windows being smashed? I know a lot of people do not even bother to report theft from the houses any more, but we all know crime is up!

 

  
 

Write to me have your say                 news@bromfordbridge.co.uk

  
  My Diary Starting Saturday 10th July  

Saturday I could not gain access to the rear door of my flat because tenants that had moved out on the Friday had left old beds, wardrobes, tables, and much much more. The Council are supposed to clear it up but they seem to take a few days to do it, so on the Saturday night on my way home I noticed that someone had pushed it all towards the rear door and set fire to it. I tried to move it all away from the door.
That was something to think about that night!
Sunday I like to get get up early and get away from the place ASAP as it tends to get me down, I dodged the urine in the lift did not attempt  to go out the rear door walked to my car which I have to park many streets away and made my escape, came back around 6:30 pm only to see an old gentleman with orange leaflets urinating out side the flats, he was only a Libdem canverser I could not believe it! I asked what on earth do you think you are doing he tried some excuses but I'm sorry they did not wash with me, I think he thought my my home was a Labour toilet where its ok to urinate, anyway I went back out  about 7:pm  then came home at approximately 10pm parked my car walked to the flat there were about 10 youths out side Firs House they were smoking drugs and were just staring at me as I walked past its very dark around there and its not a nice feeling at all. I did not sleep to well at all that night.
Monday Not such a bad day some person had had all is car windows smashed, but that's what you get for leaving your car on the Firs Estate, another neighbour moved out and I didn't get much sleep, not bad at all
Tuesday Came home around 8:pm just as I was getting to the front door of my block a middle aged man came towards me (Dark hair black leather jacket) followed by a gang of Kids aged from 9 -17 years old A proximity( mostly white some mixed race)10 in number he had cuts on his face and looked very shaken up he told me they had be throwing stones and bottles at him they were still shouting abuse at him while I was there, I waited with him and called the police, they backed off as I think they could see I was calling the police. I do not know if the police came out but the man walked of in the direction of Chiperfield RD, later that night I looked from my flat window and watched the same man who had the cuts on his face with a proximity 5 other males, who knows what was going on! did get some sleep that night
Monday 21st things have been ok till now few more broken windows but you can live with that, came home last night at 11:30 pm there were around 7-10 young men around the back of the flat who knows what they are doing fooking nightmare had no offers of a place to live yet another tenant moved out today lucky sod. Must be 7 weeks now since I reported there were no fire alarms in the bin room  still they have not come to repair it  BROMFORD NEIGBOURHOOD OFFICE !!!!