24% of the UK population has a disability, just 10% of local councillors. With many disabled people needing support from local councils, we need fairer representation, which means reducing the barriers faced by disabled people to getting selected and campaigning on equal terms. This is what I’ve learned in my first election running as a disabled person.

I don’t want to shy away from the difficult questions in the debate about the Heaton LTN trials. From my many conversations with residents, I think there are four.

1. Was the original design of the Heaton LTN scheme fit for purpose?

2. Might the scheme have been “saved” by modifying it part way through the trial?

3. Was the Option 1/Option 2 consultation genuine?

4. Will the Council follow-through on its promise to try again?

You will probably have seen by now that the experimental road-layouts around the Heaton Terraces (the Low-Traffic Neighbourhood/LTN) are going to be removed next week at the end of the 18-month trial period. I’m going to include a brief update in the next edition of Labour Ouseburn Voice, but I wanted also to take the time to write something more comprehensive which I hope you will find helpful.

I enjoyed another successful community event in Sheildfield, one of the many, this time it was a Community Coffee Morning at the NewBridge Project.

These happen Every Monday 11am - 12:30pm in the Co-Work Space of the Shieldfield Centre.