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Gedling Borough Council to sign ‘collaboration agreement’ with Nottingham City Council

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Gedling Borough Council to sign ‘collaboration agreement’ with Nottingham City Council

Gedling is set to make its co-operation with Nottingham official by signing a ‘collaboration agreement’.

It comes after plans were outlined by Nottinghamshire County Council boss Kay Cutts to abolish all district and borough councils in the county.

On Thursday, leaders at Gedling Borough Council are expected to sign the collaboration agreement, which formalises closer working ties with Nottingham City Council.

However, the document makes it clear the increased co-operation is not a full merger between the two authorities and both councils will retain sovereignty over their areas, meaning each is ultimately free to make its own decisions.

John Clarke, who is the leader of Labour-run Gedling Borough Council, supports working more closely, but has said he will ‘resist any attempts to  take over our council’.

Councillor Clarke, who represents the Netherfield Ward for Labour, said: “We need to look at ways we can work together with our neighbouring councils as we deal with increasingly difficult budget pressures arising from ongoing cuts from central government.

“We’ve had similar agreements with Newark and Rushcliffe councils in the past, which were very productive and we are looking forward to the opportunities this collaboration may bring.

“It’s not an exclusive arrangement and it’s not about Gedling merging with Nottingham City or any other council. We will work with anyone if it will help us to provide the best possible services for the residents of Gedling.”

Gedling Borough Council already works with several other councils in the area on a broad range of issues, many of which are listed in the collaboration agreement.

These include delivering payroll services to Rushcliffe Borough Council and managing Bestwood Country Park for Nottinghamshire County Council.

It also works with the city council on issues such as Nottingham managing Cafe 1899 at Gedling Country Park, and the city ‘delivering’ Arnold Carnival.

If the agreement is passed, at a meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday (June 28) it will be subject to a reciprocal agreement being passed by the city council.

It says the decision has been taken in part due to the pressures on local government finances, and the savings that can be made by sharing services.

However, the document makes clear that it is not a full-scale political merger.

It says: “It is important to emphasise that both councils will retain decision making sovereignty over the policies, services and finances for their areas.”

Schools in Gedling borough offered chance to vie for £1,000 breakfast club boost

Gedling Eye
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Schools in Gedling borough offered chance to vie for £1,000 breakfast club boost

Schools in Gedling borough could win £1,000 for their pre-school breakfast clubs.

The borough’s schools have been invited to enter the annual Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards, with winners invited to attend an awards ceremony in the Houses of Parliament.

The awards are being held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kellogg’s supporting breakfast clubs in the UK.

A specialist panel of judges will hand-pick the entries and the winners will be announced on Monday, October 29, 2018.

Kellogg’s managing director, Oli Morton, said: “Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards celebrate the fantastic people who make these clubs happen every day in schools up and down the country.

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“Brilliant progress has been made since the 1990s to increase the number of schools offering pupils a safe and fun environment that provides a nutritious breakfast.”

He added: “We will continue to support breakfast clubs because we believe that every child deserves the best start to the day.”

Over the last 20 years Kellogg’s has supported breakfast clubs, offering funding, food and training to more than 3,000 clubs across the UK.

To find out more and to submit a Breakfast Club Awards entry, visit: www.KelloggsBreakfastClubAwards.co.uk

Entries close on Friday, September 28

Arnold home care company in top 20 care providers in the region

Gedling Eye
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Arnold home care company in top 20 care providers in the region

An Arnold-based home care company has been named one of the top 20 most recommended care providers in the region.

Respectful Care Nottingham North, which specialises in providing at-home care to the elderly and vulnerable, scooped the accolade at the recent Home Care Provider Awards 2018.

Karl Overton and his team at Respectful Care Nottingham North were named as being in the top 20 Home Care Providers in the East Midlands for 2018.

For Karl and his team it is particularly special as it is based on reviews from people they care for.

The independent homecare.co.uk website is the leading home care website, featuring reviews, products and services, jobs and news about the UK care sector.

Its annual awards highlight the most recommended home care providers in each region of the UK, with the awards based on a review score given by clients.

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SUCCESS: Karl Overton and his team at Respectful Care Nottingham North

It’s a particularly proud moment for Karl, who only launched the Arnold-based Respectful Care Nottingham North office, part of the Respectful Care group,  just three years ago.

He said: “As a homecare provider who works tirelessly to provide high quality, person-centred care to our wonderful clients, we are absolutely delighted to know that all our hard work and commitment over the past year has been acknowledged by this prestigious award.

“To be one of only 20 companies in the whole of the East Midlands region to win this award recognises the commitment by all our outstanding staff to set high standards and make sure we constantly achieve them.

“A huge thank you from all of us at Respectful Care Nottingham North has to go out to our amazing clients and their loved ones who, by providing honest and independent reviews about the service we provide, have made our dreams of winning this award a reality! We are so happy. Thank you.”

Scott Marsh, who co-founded the Respectful Care, which has branches in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, added: “Karl and his team are dedication personified. Caring for people is a privilege and we expect high levels of service from our carers. To get an award based on reviews is spectacular and makes the whole Respectful Care group proud.”

Respectful Care offers services that are tailored to meet exact requirements and preferences, whether it is a simple 30 minute daily domestic call, or a more complex package of intensive care.

Trained and qualified Care Workers support people in their daily routine and enable them to live their lives the way they want it.

For more about Respectful Care, visit www.respectfulcare.co.uk

Pick raspberries at Linby farm summer fun day

Emily Sanchez
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Pick raspberries at Linby farm summer fun day

Get your buckets ready as raspberries will be ripe for the picking at an event taking place at a farm in Linby next month.

People popping along to the summer fun day at Brooke Farm on Saturday, July 7 can pick the fruit for £2.90 a kilo.

As well as fruit picking, visitors can enjoy cakes and craft stalls, barbecue food, children’s games, a bouncy castle, live music and a dog show.

Also on offer is a self-service café and seating area for refreshments for visitors.

Entry to the event is free – but some activities will have a charge.

The fun day will be running from 10am to 4pm.

Brooke-Farm
PICTURED: Brooke Farm is based in Linby 
Brooke_Farm
HEN PARTY: Hens feed at Brooke Farm in Linby

The farm is run by Nottinghamshire County Council and employs staff with mixed abilities and offers training to people with disabilities.

Councillor Stuart Wallace, chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee, said: “Last year’s event went down a storm and we’re hoping for a nice day to attract even more people to this activity-packed event.”

The farm shop offers a range of home-grown produce for sale including, free range eggs, seasonal vegetables, salad and fruit, flowers and plants along with locally-sourced products such as bread, milk, preserves, pickles, cakes and biscuits.

Produce grown at Brooke Farm is sold at the farm shop in Main Street, Linby, and is open Monday to Thursday 8am to 3.45pm, Friday 8am to 3.15pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm.

For further information on the shop call 0115 963 2638 or visit bit.ly/brooke-farm

Leader of Gedling Borough Council: “We will resist any takeover”

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Leader of Gedling Borough Council: “We will resist any takeover”

The leader of Gedling Borough Council said they will ‘fight to keep their independence’ after hearing of plans for a ‘super council’ that would result in the demise of borough authorities.

The plans were revealed yesterday by the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Cllr Kay Cutts.

Cllr Cutts said yesterday she wants to ‘get on with’ plans to abolish district and borough councils.

She said this would involved doubling the number of county councillors (from 66 to 132) but abolishing district and borough councillors altogether.

This would mean a dramatic reduction in the overall number of councillors.

She also hopes it would save money by removing back-office duplication.

Councillor John Clarke is the leader of Gedling Borough Council, and represents the Netherfield ward on the borough council.

County_Hall_Nottingham

Today he reacted to the plans for a ‘super council’ revealed by Cllr Cutts yesterday.

He said: “I’m against the unitary authority because I think it’s much too big. We will resist any such take over.

“We still want to retain our independence, but work closely on some things with Nottingham and Derby, similar to London boroughs.

“If I thought it was a good thing for the people of Gedling then I would go for it.

“But we’re doing some good stuff as a small authority and I want to keep working on that.”

Cllr Clarke is in favour of a plan which would see his council keep its borders, but work more closely with Nottingham and Derby, known as the Metro Strategy.

He said: “It’s not just councils, we want to be working much more closely with health authorities, the police, and all these sort of things.

“We are all working on the same things really, but we’re doing it in our own silos.”

Councillor Cutts has requested a meeting with the Government minister responsible for local councils to discuss the scheme.

However while those talks are in early stages, Nottingham, Derby and Gedling are in advanced stages of what they call the ‘Metro Strategy.’

This could involve the three authorities working together on issues like procurement and infrastructure, but keeping borders and some powers, similar to London boroughs.

‘Super council’ plan would see Gedling Borough Council abolished

Gedling Eye Reporter
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‘Super council’ plan would see Gedling Borough Council abolished

Gedling Borough Council could be abolished if plans to create a ‘super council’ move forward.

The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Cllr Kay Cutts, has said she is eager to get on with plans to abolish district and borough councils and increase co-operation between East Midlands councils.

Cllr Cutts is working on two projects: to create a unitary authority in Nottinghamshire by abolishing district and borough councils; and creating a ‘super council’ with four counties and three cities in the East Midlands.

County_Hall_Nottingham
PICTURED: County Hall

Speaking about the new unitary authority, she said the funding situation was now so serious that there were now three options: cut services, raise council tax or pool resources.

The Conservative councillor, who represents the Radcliffe on Trent ward, said: “This council needs to save £54 million out of our revenue, and if we’re going to do that, we have to close down services and for me that’s not acceptable.

“The other alternative we have is to put council tax up by something like five percent per annum for a decade.

“In Nottinghamshire, we’re going to pool our resources. In my view that’s the most sensible thing to do. We will probably double the number of councillors so everyone can have their say, and try to do what we’re elected to do which is try to provide members of the public with services.

PLANS:  Cllr Kay Cutts

Councillor Cutts was speaking ahead of a meeting which has been requested with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire to discuss the possibility of a ‘super council’.

She added: “The local issue for Nottinghamshire is we are going to look for re-organisation, and if I have an opportunity at this meeting I will raise it, but the meeting is not about that.”

However the abolishing of councils is likely to be controversial with the councils which would be absorbed, many of which have already come out against the plan.

Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins favours a scheme which would see an expansion of Nottingham’s borders, known as the Metro Strategy.

John Clarke, the leader of Gedling Borough Council, also favours this approach.

Other council leaders, including the boss of Ashfield District Council Jason Zadrozny, have previously said they are opposed entirely to the abolition of district and borough councils.

Speaking after a meeting of the Policy Committee today, Councillor Cutts went on to discuss the plan for a ‘strategic alliance’ which has also been dubbed a ‘super council’.

This would involve four counties and three cities – Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derbyshire, Derby, Leicestershire, Leicester and Lincolnshire.

It is hoped this would rival the combined authority in the West Midlands.

She said: “I have been talking to my colleagues across the East Midlands and we’re very much involved in the Midlands Engine. We need to pull our weight more with the Midlands Engine.

“The West Midlands is already very well organised. We aren’t so well organised.

“We’re going to see James Brokenshire in order to see if we can come to an agreement about a strategic authority without a mayor, that’s going to draw down funding from Government and allow us to behave like responsible councillors that we are.”

When asked about a timeframe for when the changes in Nottinghamshire could come into effect, Councillor Cutts replied: “I want to get on with it.”

EE customers in borough warned of new scam involving unpaid phone bills

Emily Sanchez
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EE customers in borough warned of new scam involving unpaid phone bills

Scam-busters Action Fraud are warning people in Gedling borough to be aware of a new scam involving mobile phone company EE.

Fake text messages have been sent out to people in the area  – which falsely claim to be from EE.

The mobile giant has now moved swiftly to block the link.

EE_Phishing_text
PICTURED: An image of the scam text

The scam texts claim the receiver hasn’t paid their EE bill.

Phone_stock

The link in the message leads to a phishing website designed to steal your EE account log in details as well as personal and financial information.

A spokesman for EE told Gedling Eye: “As soon as our customers started receiving these messages from scammers, our security teams acted swiftly to block and remove the website in the messages to protect our customers.

“We continue to advise any customers who receive any spam messages to not click on any of the links, and delete the messages after forwarding them to 7726, Ofcom’s anti-spam service.”

A spokesman for Action Fraud said: “Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details. Never automatically click on a link or attachment in an unexpected email or text.”

For more information on how to stay secure online, visit www.cyberaware.gov.uk

Warm welcome for Carlton choir during German visit

Gedling Eye
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Warm welcome for Carlton choir during German visit

A choir from Carlrton received a warm welcome when they performed in front of large numbers in Nottingham’s twin city in Germany, Karlsruhe.

The Carlton Male Voice Choir (CMVC) was received with open arms by the people of Karlsruhe, and received a standing ovation at the conclusion of the main concert in the magnificent StadtKirche where an audience of 600 people came to see and hear earlier this month.

Musical director, Ian Watts, who also planned the musical content, led the choir and was supported by their lead principal accompanist, Roger Holland.

It’s the second time that the Carlton choir has represented Nottingham in Karlsruhe; they first paid a visit to the city back in 1994. It was 24 years ago in 1994, when musical contacts were first made

Cultural visits were made to Ettlingen and Baden Baden in the Black Forest during the visit.

PICTURED: Carlton Male Voice Choir in Karlsruhe (PICTURE: Nigel Slater)

Carlton Male Voice Choir’s marketing manager, Howard Lloyd said: “The choir were hosted by The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) University Chamber Choir  and they extended a very warm welcome. CMVC look forward to providing similar hospitality when the KIT choir visits Nottingham in 2019.

“KIT Choir member Nikolaus Indlekofer told CMVC how much they had enjoyed this first link with them. He was looking forward to 2019 and the return visit with his choir to Nottingham.

Carlton MVC’s next concert is at the Nottingham High School at 7.30pm on Saturday, June 23 and is a fundraiser for the NSPCC.

Details are on www.carltonmvc.org and tickets available from tickets@carltonmvc.org or tel 07954995636.

Severn Trent failed customers in Arnold during ‘Beast from the East’ water woes, says Ofwat

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Severn Trent failed customers in Arnold during ‘Beast from the East’ water woes, says Ofwat

Severn Trent Water has been heavily criticised by regulator Ofwat for failing to protect customers in Arnold from water shortages in the aftermath that followed the Beast from the East.

The report by Ofwat cites “poor advance planning, inadequate communication with customers and a lack of basic support, such as bottled water” during the spell of bad weather earlier this year.

Ofwat is now requiring four water companies – Thames Water, Severn Trent, Southern Water and South East Water – to submit a detailed, externally audited, action plan setting out how they are addressing the issues identified. The plans must be submitted no later than September 28.

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Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher said: “The freeze and rapid thaw earlier this year was forecast and was not unprecedented.

“But too many companies were caught off guard and let people down, causing real hardship as a result. Our report shows there is no excuse for this level of failure.”

A number of residents in Arnold experienced interrupted supplies or water loss during the period of bad weather.

The leader of Gedling Borough Council, Cllr John Clarke, today issued a statement following the publication of Ofwat’s report.

He said: “During the cold weather at the beginning of March, a considerable number of residents living in and around the Arnold area experienced either an interrupted or complete loss of water supply for a significant period, causing them distress and extreme inconvenience.

Cllr-John-Clarke
ENCOURAGED: Gedling Borough Council leader John Clarke praised improvements being made by Severn Trent Water following the bad weather spell

“I know that plenty of local people found it hard to get hold of Severn Trent Water at the time of the incident and the organisation and provision of bottled water didn’t work as well as it should have done.

“Ofwat’s report published today highlights the improvements that are needed to better manage future incidents and builds on the discussions that have already taken place between the Council, local MP Vernon Coaker and Severn Trent Water during which assurances were sought from Severn Trent Water to improve the flow of information to local residents and businesses and ensure that support to our most vulnerable residents in particular was better co-ordinated.

He added: “I am encouraged to see the commitment from Severn Trent Water in respect of improvements and the Council will continue to work with the company to ensure that the impact of any future incident on our residents and businesses is minimised.

“In addition to this, positive work is underway with Severn Trent Water to recognise the heritage of the Borough with the company contributing £10,000 to fund work around this.”

In a statement issued by Severn Trent Water, they acknowledged significant numbers had experienced disruption.

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’d like to apologise again to our customers who were affected during the extreme weather in March. Customers rightly expect water whenever they need it, and we’ve been working hard since March to make improvements to our incident response processes.

“We accept Ofwat’s findings and are committed to submitting our action plan in September. We’ve already announced a significant programme of investment in our network, including plans for additional monitors in our network to enable us to respond much more quickly and accurately in the future, should this ever happen again.”

Faulty fridge freezer most likely cause of flat fire that led to death of Carlton woman

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Faulty fridge freezer most likely cause of flat fire that led to death of Carlton woman

A fire at a flat in Carlton which caused the death of a woman was most likely started by a damaged flex of a fridge freezer, an inquest heard earlier this month (June 5).

Anita Hanks, 33, died after the fire at her home in Walton Court on October 2, 2017.

Ms Hanks had returned home from a friend’s neighbouring flat during the early hours, before the fire, and friends alerted the fire service when they became aware of a fire in her flat later that morning.

Crews from Arnold, Carlton and Stockhill arrived to find that the fire had self-extinguished, and found significant damage to the fridge freezer, which is believed to be where the fire originated.

The court heard that the appliance was not subject to any recall notices and an independent forensic examination commissioned by the manufacturer found that there were no technical faults with the fridge freezer.

In what Ms Casey described as ‘an incredibly rare set of circumstances’, it is believed that the freezer’s ‘flex cable’ had become damaged at some point, either when the appliance was moved or had become trapped underneath the appliance.

Returning her narrative conclusion, Ms Casey, said Ms Hanks was overcome by fumes.

Walton_Court_Carlton
PICTURED: Walton Court in Carlton

“The situation that led to this was most likely to have been developing over a period of time and we cannot be fully sure how the cable became damaged. I am satisfied following such a detailed examination of the appliance that there were no technical problems, and I would like to thank the manufacturers for their assistance with the investigation.

“I would like to express my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ms Hanks and I would like to recognise the bravery and courage of her friends who, when they found out she was in trouble and that her flat was on fire, did everything they could to try to save her.”

Following the inquest, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) would like to highlight the need to correctly install appliances and to follow manufacturer’s guidelines.

Ian Tomlin, Fire Investigation and Arson Reduction Officer, said: “As Ms Casey has said, this is an incredibly rare occurrence and, on behalf of NFRS, I would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of Ms Hanks.

“Both our fire investigation and an independent forensic investigation returned the same conclusion that the fire was caused due to accidental damage to the ‘flex cable’.

“This raises an important issue and our advice is that if you are buying an appliance, particularly if it is second-hand, you should always inspect not just the appliance itself for damage, but also the attached cables and plugs.

“When an appliance has been moved, sometimes cables can become trapped underneath the appliance with the base resting on them. When installing appliances, we would advise you to follow manufacturer’s recommendations for installation and maintenance.

“We would also always advise regular general maintenance of your electrical appliances, making sure they are in good working order and that you register them with Register My Appliance (www.registermyappliance.org.uk) to keep up to date with any relevant recall notices.”

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