Pupils at a school in Arnold are being reminded to cycle safely after reports of them ‘weaving between traffic’ and ‘pulling wheelies’ on a main road.
Arnold Hill Academy has written to parents and also issued a plea on its Facebook page and is reminding them to warn their children of the dangers of riding irresponsibly.
Teh Facebook post read: “We have written to parents about pupils riding their bikes dangerously on local footpaths and roads asking them to share our concerns, and those of the wider community, with their children.
“We have highlighted particular issues with cyclists riding as a large group blocking the road including towards oncoming traffic, pulling wheelies on Gedling Road and the pavements near the junior schools, cycling down the centre of the road and weaving between traffic.
They added: “Within school, we regularly remind pupils about the dangers and have had the local road safety team alongside the schools link police officer speak to most of the cyclists in school.
The school reminded parents that action will be taken against any pupils if caught in the act.
The post said: “We do wish to encourage cycling and are pleased at the increasing numbers of our pupils who now ride to and from school, but will issue sanctions if behaviour is deemed dangerous or inappropriate. “
Renters across Gedling borough will be saving hundreds of pounds when a ban on rip-off fees charged by letting agents comes into force this summer.
The government has announced that the long-awaited Tenant
Fee Bill will finally come into force on June 1, 2019, almost three years after
it was first announced.
Some renters are currently having to fork out for fees of
around £432 when they take on a new tenancy in the borough.
This is because letting agents can currently charge renters
for things like referencing, viewing a property and processing fees.
Under the new rules, agents will only be allowed to charge
for tenant damages, if the tenant loses their keys and for late payment.
To Let, Home rentals, Landlords
The new Bill will now also limit the size of a holding
deposit to no more than five-weeks worth of rent when the annual income is
below £50,000.
Once the new Bill comes into force in June, any landlords
caught charging illegal fees will be fined £5,000 for the first offence, and up
to £30,000 if they do it again. That money gets collected by the local council,
who are allowed to keep the money and use it for local housing enforcement.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, the Government’s housing
spokesperson in the House of Lords, announced when the Bill would come into
force when it was read out in the House of Lords yesterday.
He said: “We need to enable agents and landlords
following Royal Assent to become compliant but we intend for the provisions to
come into force on June 1 2019.
“This would mean the ban on lettings fees would apply
to all tenancies signed after this date.”
The Bill still needs to be debated in the House of Commons,
which is subject to parliamentary timetables, and could impact the start date.
But one industry experts fears the new bill could force
landlords to increase rents to make up the shortfall.
Alexandra Morris, managing director of online letting agent MakeUrMove said : “Our fear is that, while the government’s intention was to make the private rental sector more affordable and fairer for tenants, they will likely end up worse of
“Many landlords, particularly the smaller landlords who make
up the biggest proportion of the private rental sector and often operate on
very tight margins, will be forced to raise rents to cover the increased costs
they will incur as a result of the bill.
“Landlords will face additional upfront costs including
referencing, and because of their already tight margins they will need to
recoup these during the initial tenancy period to ensure renting their property
remains financially viable.”
Mathew Horne has been named as one of the stars set to take part in a new remake of comedy classic Dad’s Army for comedy channel Gold.
The Burton Joyce-born actor will play Private Walker in the remake of three episodes which were lost by the BBC back in the Sixties.
Also starring in the new series is Tom Rosenthal as Private Pike, Kevin Eldon as Lance Corporal Jones, Bernard Cribbins as Private Godfrey and Cold Feet’s Robert Bathurst as Sergeant Wilson.
Kevin R. McNally has been cast as Captain Mainwaring in the three episodes, which have not been seen since their original broadcast in 1969.
The remakes will use the original scripts, which were written for the second series of Dad’s Army by Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
The episodes being recreated are: The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Walker, A Stripe for Frazer and Under Fire.
Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes will air on Gold in 2019 to celebrate 50 years since the episodes were first broadcast.
A football academy in Gedling has received £1,000 towards furnishing its new classroom to help support up and coming sporting stars.
Carlton Town FC was presented the donation from Persimmon Homes Nottingham through the regional housebuilder’s Community Champions scheme, which donates up to £2,000 to community groups each month.
The Nottinghamshire club
which plays in Northern Premier League East division and runs 20 junior teams
has successfully managed its academy team for two years.
The Academy offers students a
BTEC qualification in Sport while being part of the club’s team. The club is
currently improving its classroom and the housebuilder funds will go towards
new furniture.
Dave Hodgson, Strategic Development Officer from Carlton Town FC, said: “We are delighted with the success of the Academy, we have a dedicated team to guide and support the students through their studies. We are currently exploring the development of a degree programme to create multiple pathways for our students to progress a career in sport.
“The classroom facilities
needed to be upgraded. Most of the work has been funded by the club and
completed by a team of volunteers.
“We host a lot of fundraising
events to cover these costs, but Persimmon Homes’ donation is a huge boost to
our refurbishment plans. We can now get the work finished sooner than we had
originally expected.”
Neil Follows, Persimmon Homes
Nottingham, added: “We are delighted to support a club that encourages physical
fitness in youngsters. As we are building in Gedling, at our Rivendell
development, we expect many of your customers to benefit from the club’s
facilities.”
Residents and park users have reacted angrily after a walker shared a picture of a pile of dog waste dumped just yards from a bin in Gedling Country Park.
Paul Farrell shared the picture with Gedling Eye and also on social media after being left disgusted by the mess left by dog walkers in the park.
He said: “We spotted this pile on Sunday. There is a dog waste bin only 200 yards way.
“By putting dog waste in plastic and dumping it just makes the issue worse and putting it in a neat pile does not make it ok. It’s personal responsibility and taking care of our park .
Mr Farrell said other dog walkers have reacted angrily after seeing the picure online.
He said: “I’m not a dog walker but interestingly I’ve had lots of responsible dog walkers upset about the actions of just a few since I posted the picture.
The waste was found near to the Lambley Lane entrance to the park.
A number of park users got in touch with Gedling Eye via our social media pages to voice their disgust.
Sue Sutton lives in West Bridgford but regularly visits the park with her dogs.
She said: “It’s disgusting. People should have to take some test to be able to have a dog. A lot of people just can’t be bothered with the responsibilities that come with owning a pet, like clearing up after them or training them.
“If they had to get a licence and pay they’d think twice.
Mark Shields, from Newstead, often takes his dogs to the park and always cleans up after.
He said: “There are so many bins so there isn’t an excuse for this kind of behaviour. I hope they were caught on CCTV. They need to be fined.
A councillor who was awarded an MBE in recognition for his
service to the local community has died at 86.
Cllr Denis Beeston MBE passed away peacefully this morning (January 16) at Nottingham City hospital after a long period of illness.
Cllr
Beeston served as a Gedling Borough Councillor from 1983 and received his MBE
in 2009 from Prince Charles.
He was the current ward member for Bestwood St Albans.
He served on the parish council for Bestwood Village for 37 years and was a governor at Hawthorne Primary School for 32 years. Councillor Beeston was born in Bulwell and grew up in the Hucknall area.
He said: “Councillor Denis Beeston MBE represented the residents of Bestwood Village and latterly Bestwood & St. Albans ward as a Gedling Borough councillor for 36 years.
“He was also a long-serving Chair of Bestwood Parish Council and local school governor. He was honoured with an MBE from Prince Charles in 2009 in recognition of his service to his community.
“During his time he demonstrated the very best of
distinguished public service – tirelessly championing the cause of the place he
was proud to call home.
“His fierce commitment to the
values of social justice, fairness and his trademark courtesy and grace were a
reflection of Denis’ selfless and compassionate nature. He was one of society’s
true gentleman.
He added: Our beloved colleague ‘Denbo’ was a friend to many,
a fine mentor and an inspiration to us all. His voice of wisdom and reason will
be missed at Gedling Borough Council but he can rest in peace knowing his fine
commitment, service and dedication made our borough and his village a better
place for all.
“We will miss Denis dearly but we will commit to honouring
his life and service by redoubling our efforts to continue championing the
causes he held dear.
“Today Gedling Borough and Bestwood Village have lost a
towering figure and a truly fine representative. Our thoughts and prayers
are with Denis’ family and friends at this difficult time.’
People in Gedling borough with ancestors who fell during the Great War are being urged to ensure their ancestors get honoured on a new memorial being constructed in Nottingham.
More than 14,000 local soldiers, sailors, air
crew and civilians gave their lives during World War I (1914-1918). The fallen
will now be named together, for the first time, on the new memorial to be built
at the Victoria Embankment later this year.
The names being included on the new memorial are being taken from the Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour – www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/rollofhonour – an online database which includes the names of those killed, plus further details such as family history, military honours, photographs, letters home and press reports.
The Roll of Honour has been compiled by a team of volunteers, led by local historian David Nunn, who have scoured 677 village and town memorials across the city and county in chapels, churches, churchyards, parish halls, factories, schools, post offices, parish halls and sports clubs as well as archives and press cuttings.
However, prior to the creation of the Roll of Honour, no list of Nottinghamshire’s Great War dead had ever been compiled and many communities did not keep written records of the 1914 – 18 losses, so researchers are concerned that some names could have been missed.
Nottinghamshire
County Council and Nottingham
City Council, who have jointly commissioned the new memorial, are now urging
people in the borough to check that the names of family members, or others they
know of, are listed to ensure they take their rightful place on the memorial.
All details must be submitted by the end of January so that work on etching the
thousands of names can begin, in time for a grand unveiling of the memorial
this summer.
Cllr Kay Cutts MBE, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: The new Great War Memorial will be a moving symbol of our appreciation to the 14,000 local men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War and be a focal point for county and city residents to say thank you – please help us ensure that all our fallen are rightfully recognised.”
Cllr Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “It is important to bring together a definitive list of those fallen and having a single memorial in place will create a focus for families and visitors that will allow them to reflect upon and commemorate their lives.
“Working
with Nottinghamshire County Council and district councils on this project, we
will commemorate the thousands of Nottingham city and Nottinghamshire people
who died in the First World War.”
Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire
County Council are working with the seven district and borough councils,
Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and
Sherwood and Rushcliffe to create the memorial, at a total cost of
£395,000.
£80,000 is being raised for the project through
public subscriptions to support the commission of the memorial and its on-going
maintenance. Local businesses and residents from across Nottinghamshire are
being encouraged to contribute, which can be done online at http://nosf.org.uk/roll-of-honour.html
Pensioners in the borough with partners of working age could now lose up to £7,000 a year in top-ups as a result of imminent rule changes that will require them to claim universal credit as a couple.
The changes announced on Monday by the Department for Work and Pensions mean that from May 15, new pensioners whose partners are younger than the state retirement age of 65 can no longer claim a means-tested top-up called pension credit, which is available to poorer pensioners.
Currently, ‘mixed age’ couples, where only one partner has
reached the pension age of 65 while the other is younger, can claim pension
credit if they wish because one of them is over state pension age.
Instead they will now be made to claim the much less generous
universal credit alongside their younger partners.
The couple rate of universal credit is currently £114.81 a
week compared with £255.25 for a couple receiving pension credit. This amounts
to a potential loss of £7,320 a year.
In a statement released late yesterday, pensions minister
Guy Opperman said: ‘Pension Credit is designed to provide long-term support for
pensioner households who are no longer economically active. It is not designed
to support working age claimants.
“This change will ensure that the same work incentives apply
to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age, and taxpayer
support is directed where it is needed most.”
Age UK said pensioners may find themselves in the “absurd position” of being financially better off if they split up and live apart from their partner.
A single person who claims the top-up is eligible for
£167.25 a week in pension credit, meaning that in theory a pensioner will be
better off staying “solo” for benefit purposes rather than claiming with a
partner.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director, said: “It is by no
means unusual for one partner to be slightly older than the other within
relationships and the bigger the age gap between them, the more long-lasting
the adverse impact on them will be because of this proposed change.
“That’s why this government policy has been dubbed ‘the toy
boy tax’ by some – but that’s not to trivialise the really serious impact it is
likely to have on anyone unlucky enough to be subjected to it. For some, the
impact will be truly devastating. The government should think again.”
The pension credit change has been in place since the
Welfare Reform Act 2012, but ministers put off its introduction until universal
credit was fully rolled out. Last month universal credit moved into every
Jobcentre Plus area of the UK.
Students at Carlton le Willows delved into life in Tudor times with a little help from world-renowned TV historian David Starkey – who came to deliver a talk at the school following a plea from a pupil.
Dr Starkey agreed to deliver two talks at the Academy on Monday (January 14) after Year 13 history student Henry Beal got in touch with him.
During the visit he said that he was moved to accept Henry’s request due to ‘the sheer nerve and ingenuity of the teenager’.
Henry said he was delighted the historian answered his call to appear at the school to benefit their studies.
He said “I got in touch with his agent first and had to wait several weeks for a response, but once Dr Starkey was involved he responded very quickly. I just thought it would be amazing if we could hear him talk.
PICTURED: Dr David Starkey delivers his talk to pupils at Carlton le Willows school
“He’s such a famous historian. It’s a real privilege that he accepted my invitation to Carlton le Willows. This was such an opportunity for all of us.”
Dr Starkey reduced his usual multi-figure appearance fee for Henry, enabling sixth form history students to listen to his talk on Henry Vlll and his transformation to tyrant for free.
He also agreed to put on an evening talk – about Henry Vlll and Brexit – with tickets sales for that funding his appearance.
The school’s head of history, Ryan Brooks, said: “This is a great opportunity for our students to meet such an eminent historian for the Tudors, in order to further their understanding of their course – as it is one thing to read about a historian’s views, but quite another to meet them in person.
“In addition, having the chance to listen to and meet an academic
formerly of the University of Cambridge, has encouraged students to consider
their own aspirations for the future.”
A D-Day war veteran has been presented with the Legion d’Honneur by the French Government for the role he played in liberating France in the Second World War.
Ray Mellors, who is a patient at Nottinghamshire Hospice in Mapperley, has been awarded France’s highest honour by Jean Claude Lafontaine, Honorary Consul for France in the East Midlands.
Mr Lafontaine came to the hospice to with the medal, and it was kept as a surprise for Ray, 93, who took part in the Normandy landings 75 years ago.
Ray, who landed on Sword beach in
Normandy three days after D-Day in 1944, said: “I knew something was happening
today but I had no idea it would be this big. I’m really honoured. I’ll
treasure this, not just for me but for those who didn’t make it back.”
Ray, with others from the South
Staffordshire Regiment, was heavily involved in the liberation of Caen before
moving further into France and on to Belgium. He later joined Blackwatch
regiment and took part in the Rhine crossing.
Before pinning the medal on Ray,
the Consul said: “This is a tremendous opportunity to say thank you to Ray and
to his generation for what they’ve done. It is a way to celebrate the heroes of
our society and to celebrate Ray’s bravery in World War II to make us free.
“I believe you have visited the
place you landed, and the place you liberated, Caen. For anyone who has visited
Caen we can appreciate how hard it must have been and how much we owe you.”
Ray’s daughters Sharon and Carol
came to the hospice for the ceremony, Carol said: “It was a wonderful occasion
for Dad and indeed us, we are very proud of him and he revelled in all the
attention.”
