Residents of long standing may recall the ominous ring of this title. But spirits were high when 32 local residents assembled outside Highfield House at 6-45 a.m. one February morning. The occasion was to take part in a live radio broadcast to make clear the public support for the retention of Highfield House.

The house was in very good condition some 18 months ago but, since it has been in the ownership of developers / speculators the once lovely garden has been devastated and the house itself has been allowed to decline. Based on items and photos supplied by several people, Michael Wilkes produced a slide show of the house (if you would like a copy email Michael as Michael.Wilkes@birmingham.gov.uk - it is a 1mb file). “Neglect of a locally listed building is tantamount to vandalism and should not be rewarded with permission to demolish and develop for a maximum haul of money” said Councillor Wilkes. “It shows what can happen when a good house falls into the wrong hands. I spoke at the Planning Committee and submitted five pages of arguments as to why the application should be refused and Councillor Paula Smith worked tirelessly organising the campaign to save the house”.

As ever, the dice are loaded against the general public when it comes to profitable development. Successive governments have done nothing to change this situation and the present lot have made it even worse with their obsession with targets. Hall Green Focus believes that the only target that should count is the preservation of the character of communities. There is nothing wrong with a fair profit (given the point reached we would accept build on the site that preserved the structure of the house) and this could have been done had the will - and or appropriate legislation -been there.

The Birmingham Tolkien Group (BTG) which is chaired by Councillor Michael Wilkes continues to work hard to make the most of JRR Tolkien’s close connection with Birmingham and Hall Green in particular. The international popularity of Tolkien remains very high, and in February Michael officially welcomed a group of visitors from Poland who were being shown round Tolkien sites in Birmingham.

Naturally, their first port of call was Sarehole Mill and our picture shows Michael with some members of the visiting party. Volunteers from the Tolkien Weekend group guided the visitors throughout the day, which was very successful and much appreciated.

This year’s Tolkien weekend at Sarehole Mill will be on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May and will include a special performance from Shire Productions, the Hall Green based drama group.

In a letter to the Birmingham Post recently I wrote about the question of flouridation: It appears that the Health Secretary wants to see flouride added to all drinking water in the UK. The Government is also talking about consultation. I hope that this is a sincere intention because fundamental issues are raised.

There is evidence (although it can be exaggerated) that flouridation has some impact on dental health, especially amongst those who don’t look after their teeth. Those who do may benefit less, and decay rates have been improving across countries whether they add flouride or not. There is a downside in terms of flourosis (mottled teeth) and some research suggests possible links to hip fractures and bladder cancer.

In Birmingham flouride has been added since the 1960s. I do not recall having a choice in the matter. Certainly there is none now since filters do not remove flouride - a fact not often stated on the box.

The flouride issue is one example of population dosing, others being under consideration. I am concerned about this not simply on grounds of individual freedom (think also of the loss of same in our surveillance society) but also because, while health experts are usually right at least when they agree, when they are wrong the price can be very high indeed.

If there is a genuine debate (rather than the closely managed and selective ‘consultation’ we saw with hospital closures) then I for one would welcome this. But will those of us already flouridated be given a choice? I somehow doubt it. As, I assume, we are not likely to have a referendum then at least there should be a professional and independent opinion poll that would carry a measure of public trust.

There’s growing concern (but no action from the Government) about the way that members of the public are used as profit fodder by banks and privatised utilities. Having had a bit of a read, I wrote recently in The Birmingham Post:

In a compelling novel, The Historian, a surprising number of librarians turn out to be vampires (rest at ease Cllr Whitby, this isn’t about intentions for Centenary Square). Few would turn to this mild profession to find bloodsuckers, there being a richly populated necropolis of bankers, power companies, fuel firms and telecomm providers. BT clearly has the contagion with its recent hike in charges for those, typically thrifty and older people, who do not wish to be drawn into direct debit.

The corporate ethics and social responsibilities of yesteryear are but a memory and national government similarly usurps its citizens - security of data about individuals is discarded for petty cost cutting. So where are we to find the vampire slayers? Enter the unlikely (potential) heroes in the form of local Government.

We need not resort to garlic or even Christian icons and, in taking the brakes off devolution, we could avoid a stake through our global city’s innocent local heart. We must ensure that our services put the ordinary people first, bemused and exploited as they are, and we should restore former services such as a Municipal Bank that would offer a simple and trustworthy alternative to the financial creatures of the night. Oh for the days when we also had our own water, gas, buses and a visible police force. Now there’s a line-up that would ward off the bloodsuckers.