Residents have just two weeks to get their suggestions in to the customer services desk at the current Tesco supermarket, Bradley Stoke Library or to bs.comp@virgin.net / town.clerk@bradleystoke.gov.uk

Felix Gummer, Corporate Affairs Manager for Tesco, said: “This is the opportunity for local residents to put their stamp on Bradley Stoke’s new town centre development.

“Since the project started in the mid-1990s Tesco has been consulting with the local residents over the design and contents.

“The development is now well underway with the opening scheduled for this autumn. The name is the final piece of the jigsaw and this is the residents’ chance for them to have their say!”

The firm had promised to launch a competition to name the centre which they eventually went through with after trying to name it The Brooks Centre.

Mayor Julian Barge, who will help judge the entries, praised Tesco for finally launching the contest and giving residents the chance to make the town centre something locals have an involvement with.

“We were always promised a competition for the name by Tesco so this is the town’s opportunity to get involved. Whatever name is chosen will be there for many years so like the design and content of the building a lot of thought will have to go into the selection by the judges.

“It will have to be a name that is recognisable, reflects our community, and the developers’ architects can work with so that it blends with the existing design criteria.”

Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Filton and Bradley Stoke, John Kiely, is to ask the district council’s auditor to investigate the dispute.

Bowlers have been locked out of the green at Bailey’s Court after rejecting a proposed 8% rise in rental costs.

The club says the rise could see them close down but the town council has refused to back down claiming the rise is in line with other users at the activity centre.

A press release from Mr Keily says: “At a special Council meeting called last Thursday (8th May 2008) to discuss the impasse, the Conservative leadership produced a four option plan based on the findings of a working group.

“Neither opposition Councillors nor the public were given copies of the working party report nor were their options made available prior to the meeting, both which are illegal under access to information legalisation.”

Scroll down to read news from the meeting including updates on finance, planning and policing.

8.00pm: The meeting wraps up - next is the town council AGM which takes place a week today.

7.53pm: Next - PCSO Pat Gardner says the next Safer South Gloucs meeting will be June 10 at Meadowbrook Primary School (it starts at 6.30pm, you can find out more here). At these meetings residents can flag what they believe are priorities. She says that work is on-going for stopping graffiti. Another initiative is to set up community speed watchess. One piece of good news is “they think they know who did all the graffiti on Bailey’s Court wall“.

7.51pm: Mayor Barge says the last time council did an audit there were 100-150 groups in the town but the elderly are at a disadvantage because of the young demographic of the town.

7.50pm: Winsombe from Southern Brooks Partnership adds that they run a coffee morning and are currently trying to start a line dancing club.

7.48pm: Next question - Resident wants to know if there are dedicated facilities for pensioners. Cllr Forsyth says council has recently given a grant for an over-50s group who organise activities such as keep fit groups.

7.47pm: First question from the public - wants to know how non-activity centre money was spent. Cllr Jones says he will send him a summary.

7.46pm: Cllr Mark Forsyth, the man in charge of planning, takes over. “Unfortunate that we don’t have as much influence with planning as we used to, it seems to be mostly South Gloucestershire now.”

7.42: Councillor Robert Jones takes over to talk finance. He starts with the precept and the 4.2% rise which is “bang on” the April RPI. Staffing, heating for the council’s three buildings are the main costs. Income sources have pressure - previously council had the “luxury” of money in the bank, current sources of money are the precept and hire charges at its buildings. Council want to avoid huge rises in either cost to residents.

7.40pm: Says it has been a “successful and promising year” and thanks his fellow councillors.

7.38pm: Talks about graffiti problem and that police are patrolling, trying to stop it. Talks about meetings police hold and how they “support us very well”.

7.37pm: Moves on to schooling in the town talking about good Ofsted reports. Mayor Barge talks about awards for teachers and achievements by community school headteacher Dave Baker.

7.35pm: Mayor Barge says this year the town is “coming together”. One of the jobs, he says, is to network and “add to the fabric” of the community. Adds another achievement this year was spending £750,000 on the Bailey’s Court Activity Centre extension. Happy that it has been paid for without borrowing.

7.30pm: Mayor Julian Barge gets things under way and introduces the councillors present.

The Evening Post has been reporting on the case of Gavin and Karen Peters, who live in Juniper Way, who have been refused entry to their first three school preferences.

This is despite one of those choices being less than half a mile away - at their end of their street.

The Peters wanted their daughter, Millie, to go to either Bailey’s Court, St Mary’s (on Juniper Way) or Wheatfield Schools but were turned down for all three because they were oversubscribed.

She has now been allocated a place at Bowsland Green which Mrs Peters says would take 50 minutes to walk and is along an unlit path.

In an email, seen by The Bradley Stoke Examiner, which was sent by an employee of South Gloucestershire Council, they claimed the “lake route was included after all the to do with Bradley Stoke [Community] School potential parents”.

The council worker is referring to a case in 2006 where a girl in Ormonds Close was refused entry to the community school despite being able to see it from her house.

At the time, the official council gazetteer showed that her nearest school would be Patchway if walked using official routes.

After a campaign those routes were changed to include the nature reserve. Two years later the consequence of this change is that Millie has been given a place at Bowsland Green.

Pictured: Three Brooks Nature Reserve, where Millie would be expected to walk to school

Since the fight between the district council and parents battling for places at the community school, new tarmac has been put down on the paths and street lighting installed - which is not the case for the route to Bowsland Green School.

A spokeswoman for South Gloucestershire Council, speaking to Evening Post, defended the latest decision: “The routes to school used in determining allocations are agreed and adopted as part of the Routes to School Gazetteer.

“Where parents are unsuccessful in gaining a place at one of their preferred schools, they are referred to their nearest available school with a place available.

“This is normally within the statutory walking distance of two miles for children under the age of eight.”

According to the council, they are currently ranked fifth best for recycling for unitary authorities in the country at 39.5%.

With the new food collections the council expects this to rise another 9.5% with a target of 50% of waste recycled by 2010/11.

Elsewhere in the policy, the Stoke Gifford Sort It centre is to be upgraded and an extra £50,000 will be invested for more plastic bottle recycling sites.

A £15 charge is also to be introduced for the collection of bulky items which is currently a free service.

The club and the council are locked in a dispute over an 8%-per-year rise in the money the club pays to use the facilities there.

The town council voted at an acrimonious meeting last week to give the group an ultimatum to either pay or leave.

But the club says the rise would put the club in danger because many of its members would not be able to afford the increase.

At a bowls club open meeting on Monday, attended by around 70 members, they have once again decided to turn down the proposal.

A letter, sent by the council to the club, said the group now has until May 20 to decide to take up the rental agreement.

If there is no last-minute diplomatic resolution the club must remove its property from Bailey’s Court by May 27.

After the meeting last week, Northavon Bowls Club chairwoman Margaret Thompson said the rental rise could “close us down”.

“I thought they would be more magnanimous and I thought that they would see a way forward to support the bowls club.

“I don’t know what they will do with the bowls green as this will close us down because we just cannot afford the rise that they want.”

The international event, at Grisolles near Toulouse, saw the squad pick up two golds, three silvers and three bronze medals.

The winners in full are - Gold: Alan Gibson & Marc Arsac; Silver: Elliot Gallagher, Bethan Andrews & Kelly Wilson; Bronze: Adam Bourne, Louis Arsac & Marc Arsac.

Many congratulations to the team for a fantastic performance which has seen them invited back to the event next year.

News this month includes: advice about how to secure your home in the warm weather, how to pick businesses to do home improvement work and how to stay safe at the Bradley Stoke Festival.

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