People across Gedling borough have been backing a new campaign calling on the Government to reduce the maximum volume of consumer fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels.
The Fireworks Impact Coalition, made up of 19 animal and people-focussed charities – are calling for tighter fireworks regulation to help reduce burn injuries, animal distress and mental health impacts.
The coalition want to highlight the distressing effect on household pets and wildlife, the mental health impacts on individuals with conditions like PTSD and the shocking frequency of adults and children suffering burns from fireworks.
A petition set up by campaigners has now been surpassed the 100,000 signatures required to trigger a potential debate in Parliament, with 431 of those signing based in the borough.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary is one of the animal charities involved in the campaign.
Helen Whitelegg, Redwings’ campaigns and policy manager, said: “A lot of MPs who said they would be keen to support a parliamentary debate on the topic. At this time, we’re waiting to hear whether the Government will hold a debate following the level of support our petition has attracted.
“Once a UK Government and Parliamentpetition surpasses 100,000 signatures this must be considered, and the petition calling for better regulation of fireworks that have far exceeded the 100,000 signature threshold.
“There have been so many tragedies involving fireworks shared on social media and covered in the mainstream news over the past two weeks.
“A two-year-old horse suffered a broken leg and had to be put to sleep after a large firework display near their home in West Sussex. On Friday we spoke with an owner whose horse hit their head after being spooked by fireworks and x-rays have shown she has a broken jaw. Lucy isn’t out of the woods yet and is facing eight weeks of soft food every few hours and continued veterinary support that will lead to significant cost.
“These are just some of the incidents involving horses that have happened this year, that we know about, as well as many devastating incidents involving dogs and other animals. Children and adults have also been badly injured. Fireworks have been thrown at police.
“A bland response from Government to these calls for change won’t be acceptable now. People want and need more effective restrictions on the use of fireworks in the UK, for people, animals and the environment.”
A knife amnesty bin has been set up at Oxclose Lane Police Station as part of national efforts to deter knife crime.
Police are urging people across Gedling borough to hand in knives and other weapons during Operation Sceptre – a national week of action.
An amnesty bin is now in place at the Arnold station until the end of the week.
Anyone wanting to drop a knife off at the amnesty bin is asked to package it up safely in a box, or wrapping it in bubble wrap.
During the previous Sceptre, in May, a total of 222 knives were handed in across Notts.
An amnesty bin is now in place at Oxclose Lane Police Station until the end of the weekMachetes, samurai swords, flick knives and kitchen blades were all safely disposed of in amnesty bins during previous campaigns
Machetes, samurai swords, flick knives and kitchen blades were all safely disposed of in amnesty bins.
Chief Inspector Kylie Davies said she wants to see the momentum continue this Sceptre, with the force’s knife crime lead urging people to hand over any unwanted or illegal weapons.
She said: “Every weapon taken off the streets is a positive development and makes our communities safer.
“It was pleasing to see so many people make use of our amnesty bin offering during the last Sceptre and we want to continue this momentum.”
People can hand in weapons without fear of prosecution by police during the campaign.
“If the main reason for people feeling hesitant is because they’re worried about getting into trouble, I can assure them that this will not be the case,” said Chief Inspector Davies.
“This initiative is not a trick. We want to take these blades and other offensive weapons off our streets and this amnesty makes that easier and more efficient.
“Knife crime has devastating consequences, so anything we can do to take these weapons out of harm’s way is a good thing and something we support as a force.”
It has more than £2 billion to spend on improvements, secured in funding from central government.
But what it will be spent on exactly is down to the people.
Those who want to share their thoughts can have their say on the EMCCA website, where a wide-reaching questionnaire and survey is now live.
The Mayor is also hosting public drop-in exhibitions across the region from now until just before Christmas, where those interested can talk to her at one of 17 locations across the region – one for each borough/district and one each in the cities of Nottingham and Derby.
The Mayor has more than £2 billion to spend on improvements, secured in funding from central government.
“This really sets out our strategic priorities for the next 15 years,” said the Mayor. “We’re asking people to give us their views and to understand some of the challenges that we face in this region and to talk to us more about that.
“There are opportunities in the questionnaire for people to tell us their thoughts. This is about the big picture. We’ve got to think differently and we want to hear from people. I hope we’re going to have lots of people submitting their views and contributing.”
When the consultation is finished, it will be used to create a strategy for the region, which will be put into a more nuanced plan by the end of 2026.
“This is really about the strategic plan,” said the Mayor. “It’s not so much about whether the 55 bus stops at the end of my road.”
The consultation, which lasts until February 13, will be advertised everywhere over the next three months, with the first indication of that via posters put up on this Stagecoach bus’ wall.
“Hopefully, for the next 12 weeks, the public in this region will not be able to avoid me,” says Mayor Claire. “I’ve already had to warn my family to not crash the car when they see my picture on the back of a bus.”
Six fights for a fairer, better-connected East Midlands
The Mayor’s plan is built around six key “fights” that she says reflect what matters to her the most.
Fighting congestion No one has a favourite traffic jam. Congestion means pollution, frustration and lost time – a daily barrier to work, productivity and wellbeing. The Mayor wants to hear how important you feel it is to tackle congestion and what local solutions could work best in the face of ongoing traffic growth.
Fighting for young people’s independence Many families spend their days as unpaid chauffeurs. A fair transport system should give young people safe, affordable, independent travel – helping them reach education, training and social opportunities.
Fighting for connected communities Town and city centres must be joined by better links to the places where people live and work. Schools, hospitals and major employers should be accessible without relying on shuttlebuses – the Mayor wants to hear what improvements are needed to make this possible.
Fighting for reliable public transport When a bus is full before it reaches your stop, when services are patchy or unreliable, everyday life becomes harder. The plan aims to map and fix these gaps so every community has dependable, affordable options.
Fighting for better roads Drivers and cyclists alike have zero tolerance for potholes. Poor-quality roads damage vehicles, safety and confidence. The Mayor is asking how much of the transport budget people want to see invested in fixing roads relative to other transport improvements.
Fighting for safe and clean bus stops The signpost of the community but if they’re unlit, without customer information and in need of repair, they can be a barrier to people using a bus service, especially in rural areas. The Mayor wants to know what residents need from their bus stops to make them more appealing.
The Government are expected to announce plans tomorrow (19) banning reselling tickets to live events for a profit in a bid to crackdown on ticket touts and resale sites.
Tackling ticket touts was one of the Labour government’s pre-election pledges, as fans complained of massively inflated prices for resale tickets for music and sporting events.
According to analysis by the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), tickets sold on the resale market are typically marked up by more than 50%.
New research from Which? Magazine found that some tickets to see the Oasis reunion at Wembley Stadium over the summer were listed for as much as £4,442.
The move is now expected to be announced on Wednesday and comes after an open letter by some of the biggest names in music. In the letter dozens of artists including Sam Fender, Dua Lipa and Coldplay urged Sir Keir Starmer to protect fans from exploitation.
Other signatories included consumer watchdog Which? the Football Supporters’ Association and groups representing the music and theatre industries, venues, and ticket retailers.
A recent consultation on the changes had canvassed views on capping costs at up to 30% above the face value of a ticket, but ministers are now expected to set the limit at face value, although some fees could still be charged on top of the original ticket price.
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said the move would be “great news for music and sports fans”, adding the plan would “rein in professional touts and put tickets back in the hands of real fans”.
Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation Entertainment said it already limits resale in the UK to face value prices and described the reported plan as “another major step forward for fans”.
Resale sites like Viagogo and Stubhub have previously claimed that a price cap could push customers towards unregulated sites and social media, putting them at increased risk of fraud.
The government declined to comment on the reports.
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Ash Chambers and Jason Law were on target as Carlton Town won 3-2 at Mickleover to extend their lead at the top of the NPL Midlands division.
With Belper Town, Anstey Nomads and Corby Town all not playing this was an opportunity for the Millers to put a six-point gap between themselves and their closest rivals and they did so with a first ever league win at the Don Amott arena.
After 10 years at step 3 perhaps the king of caravans and the rest of the Sports fans thought life at step 4 would be easier than it has turned out to be. Mickleover complained after the game in somewhat salty fashion of Carlton’s “particularly aggressive” play. Should they ever find themselves in the NPL East they might discover what “particularly aggressive” play really is. In any event the visitors just had too much for the home side on the day and fully deserved their win.
Carlton made two changes to the side which had been beaten by Coleshill last time out. Shea Thompson-Harris returned after suspension to replace Alex Troke and Nat Watson was back after injury to replace Alex Howes. There was a place on the bench for new signing Huw Dawson.
Belper’s game at home to Shepshed fell victim to flooding during the course of the afternoon. That led to Nailers manager Lee Attenborough attending the game with some Nailers players including ex-Miller Kieran Preston. Also present were a group of 25 or so Belper fans who joined the impressive away support and cheered on Carlton vociferously for 90 minutes. They were an absolute credit to themselves and their club.
The Millers got off to a perfect start with a goal inside three minutes. Ewan Robson played a lovely pass to send Chambers away on the centre-left of goal. He drew goalkeeper Oliver Bosworth and then steered the ball past him for his first goal in five games. Five minutes later the home side levelled when Andy Dales found Dale Benson and he got to the ball ahead of Felix Annan to convert.
A fairly scrappy 15 minutes of so followed before the Carlton midfield took control of the game. Lamin Manneh, the target of some hefty challenges all afternoon by a succession of home players, sped down the right before playing the ball to Chambers who in turn set up Oliver Clark whose shot was blocked.
Thompson-Harris, who had an excellent game throughout, saw a rare shot fly over the bar after Sports failed to clear from a Lewis Durow throw. Robson then fed Manneh who once again ran at the defence but saw his shot go just wide.
Niall Hylton was having an impact and a fine run and cross saw Brad Gascoigne clear the danger.
With the game in the final minute of first half added time the Millers got the goal their pressure merited. Clark won the ball in midfield and slipped it to Watson. He laid it off to Niall Davie and the captain played a lovely ball to set Chambers free on goal with Ashton Offler playing him onside. With Bosworth off his line the Carlton support knew exactly what was coming and the Chambers trademark lob was executed to perfection with the ball landing just in front of the unguarded goal and bouncing gently into the net.
Sports had a spell of pressure around the hour mark and a cross from Stanley Holder found Josiah Dyer whose header was saved by a combination of Annan and his left-hand post. Another attack, this time down the left, saw an almighty scramble in the Carlton penalty area before the ball was cleared. Those were relatively rare moments of danger for the Millers with Dean Freeman and Robson commanding in the middle and Thompson-Harris and Durow dealing well with the pace of the Mickleover wide men.
Substitute Stuart Beavon saw a shot from the edge of the box go just wide and another attack down the left was expertly dealt with by Thompson-Harris.
The Millers have been guilty in recent wins of running out of energy in the latter stages of games and hanging on. However, this game was different. Substitutes Law and Dawson offered an immediate presence in midfield and took the game away from Sports just as they were starting to get on top. Indeed, it was these two players who combined for what turned out to be the winning goal.
Deep in right midfield Dawson sent Law away down the right. Law still had plenty to do but he looked up, cut inside his man, sped into the right corner of the area and then curled a delicious shot beyond Bosworth and into the corner of the net to spark ecstatic scenes amongst the Carlton and Belper fans behind the goal. The entire team including Annan ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in what was one of the moments of the season.
Carlton brought on Troke and Ollie Taylor to add more energy and they did exactly that such that it seemed a fairly comfortable final eight minutes plus four added. That was until Sports pulled a goal back through Paddy Webb with a minute of added time remaining but they had run out of time and the league leaders went to celebrate with their joyous fans (and Belper’s) at the end of the game.
Carlton Town: F Annan, S Thompson-Harris, L Durow, D Freeman, E Robson, N Watson, L Manneh (A Troke 83), O Clark (J Law 69), A Chambers (H Dawson 69), N Davie (O Taylor 87), N Hylton. Unused sub: A Howes
Goals: Ash Chambers 3, 45+3, J Law 82; Danny Benson 8, Paddy Webb 90+3
Carlton Town Supporters Club MOTM: Shea Thompson-Harris
Over the decades, many of Gedling borough’s pubs have been either demolished or converted into shops and flats.
Gedling borough residents have shared their memories of their neighbourhood pubs that now closed.
From small community inns to biker boozers, many pubs and bars have closed in across the borough over the years.
‘The Westdale Tavern was a strict, but great pub’
Andy Lamb said: “Dot and Norman were the tenants. They ran a strict, but great pub back in the day. I did my best to drink it dry!”
Andrew Vennell said: “I’ve still got some fantastic memories in that pub. I started drinking in there when I was 14. Dot and Norman were fantastic, and the pub was always bouncing with great people – thankfully, I’m still in touch with them.
Kim Lacey remembers landlady Dot chucking a young lad out the pub. “She was holding on to his ear and was dressed in a beautiful lounge suit at the time.“
John Speirs remembered: “The Cavo, Goose and finish at the Tavern. Three in each and then a bag of chips from Fearn’s chippy.”
“Ever Friday I would buy a full 20-pack of fags and still have the rest of my payday money burning a hole in my pocket to spend of beer. Great days and many long chats with Dot during quieter times in the week. Pubs aren’t the same anymore. Great days!
‘I had some wonderful times in The Grey Goose’
Vanessa Sixsmith said: “The ‘Dirty Duck’ – also known as The Grey Goose. I worked the weekends there for about three years whilst I was at college in the 80s. It was classed as a fun pub then. I had some great times there.”
Liz Ball said: “My boyfriend at the time was always being chucked out of Dirty Duck. He always had to grovel to get back in the next day as it was my favourite pub and I refused to drink anywhere else!”
Jeremy Peel remembered: “Biker night at the Mucky Duck or some called it ‘Dirty Duck. Always had a great night there.”
John Moody Grey told us: “Always loved the Goose or as we knew it as the Dirty Duck. It was a great pub and had some wonderful times in there.”
Andrew Vennell: said: “Loved the Grey Goose. Monday night was bikers’ night – until the plod got involved. Greggy was on the bar with the Starbucks running the pub.”
Gary Souter: The ‘Dirty Duck’. Loved Biker Night on Mondays. I used to dread Tuesday at work. Would often call in sick!
The Cavendish was ‘my dad’s home from home’
John Wilson said: The Cavo! My dad worked there and Mum said should take his bed there as he spent more time in that pub than at home.
Christian Wheeldon said: “The ‘Cavo’ iss the pub I miss most. I met wife there.”
Michael Robert Bent told us: “The Cavendish was another good Nottingham Forest pub.”
Windsor Castle
John Wilson said: “The great Windsor Castle run by Jean and Claude who were great people and loved them to bits. We had a good darts team.”
“Fond memories of this place,” said Ray Jones. “A few of us would drink in their at lunchtimes when we worked at Tesco. Had a few beers in there after work too. Shame its gone. Nothing else round that way now.”
Sue Clough said: “Am I dreaming this or did a woman with a fox on a lead used to come in? I wasn’t on any drugs. I did like a drink though.”
Ronnie Winter said: “The old pub was my favourite back in the 70s. Had my first legal drink there.”
Other pubs
Rog Scott said: “The Elmhurst on St Albans Road in Arnold. I had many a lock-in there with landlord and landlady Keith and Renee Whittaker.”
Alan Wright misses the Toby Jug on Carlton Hill. “That was a proper pub,” he said. “Lots of memories of the time when the pub was ran by Betty and Bill.”
Mike Boorman:”I had my first drink in the Caroline Club in Netherfield. I remember that Hi-Ho Silver Lining was in the charts at the time.. My Aunt June Stokes took us in. They were cracking days for an eight year old.”
John Moody told us: “I loved the Balaton Club in Gedling. Rudi was a great owner and I had some amazing late nights in there.”
Richard Brown contacted us with a memory he wanted to share.: “I always remember my Dad used to go in there in the 50s when it was the Miners’ Club. He worked at the pit. I would always toast his memory in there after he’d passed.”
Reg Conway has fond memories of the British Railways Social Club, better known to locals in nearby Netherield as the ‘Brasso’. It was a cracking place. Big Graham in there used to reminded me of Giant Haystacks. He was a lovely bloke.”
Nottinghamshire turned another shade of blue six months ago after its county council became one of 12 Reform-led authorities after May’s local elections.
Reform UK took Nottinghamshire County Council from the Conservatives, now sitting with a total 41 out of 66 seats after summer by-elections, leaving the Tories with 18 seats as the main opposition group.
The group pledged to find financial efficiencies if it got into power, particularly around the county’s highways and adult social care – two of the biggest drains on any local authority’s finances.
It has remained relatively quiet policy-wise for the first few months of the Reform council, but with service and financial reviews beginning to wrap up, here are the notable moves the authority has made in its first six months.
A review into the county’s roads
NCC say they have “have worked really hard before winter” to fix potholes across Notts
In June 2025, the authority decided to review the county’s roads and highway services and the outcomes of this were discussed in an early November cabinet meeting.
Speaking in early November, council leader Mick Barton said the authority and its highway partner, VIA, “have worked really hard before winter” to fix potholes.
More than 8,800 potholes have been reported to the council since April 1, 2025, and Bert Bingham (Ref), cabinet member for transport and environment, told the LDRS these would be “pretty much [fixed] by December” as part of preventative efforts before the colder and wetter months.
Out of the 17 miles of resurfacing works planned for the 2025/26 financial year, around 14.5 miles have already been completed since April.
The “three-road principle” has also been reintroduced under the Reform authority, meaning each county councillor can put forward three roads each in their respective wards that require the most attention – and these will be seen as priority roads for fixing.
Cllr Barton told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) on Tuesday (November 11) the county’s residents will see “massive improvements” in Nottinghamshire’s roads after 12 months of the Reform administration.
Millions of pounds of potential savings
Back in June 2025, the authority also announced its efficiency review, which aims to find savings across council services. This review is due to conclude around December.
PHOTO: Adobe Stock
On Tuesday (November 11), Cllr Barton shared with the LDRS initial projections of how the authority was planning on saving over £45 million over the next three years. It faces a £15.9 million budget shortfall by 2028/29.
The Reform authority wants to save £21.28 million across adult social care and children’s services over the next three years, with around £9.6 million expected to be achieved in 2025/26 by reviewing high-cost care packages and exploring “direct payment” options within adult social care.
On the over £21 million projected saving, Cllr Barton told the LDRS the planned saving will not have an effect on the people the council’s looking after, and the council has already invested “heavily” in high-tech caring equipment to help costs.
The authority is also looking to save over £17.5 million by reducing the pay for external placement providers for children in care, including commissioning a new set of specialist children’s homes, and aims to increase family-based placements.
Around £1.83 million in SEND transport savings has been identified over the next three years, with a £2.3 million mitigation expected due to changes to the “post-16 transport to direct travel assistance payment” and the transition of pre-16 transport to a direct travel assistance payment, estimated to result in a £280,000 mitigation.
The withdrawal of faith school transport is expected to save £900,000; however, this has a two-year time lag, allowing current year 10 and 11 students to complete their education at the school.
Councillor Sam Smith (Con), leader of the opposition group at the council, criticised these planned savings as “playing spreadsheet wizard” and as “back-loading”.
He told the LDRS on Tuesday: “How can you right now know how many children will require SEND services or adult social care within the next three years? They’ve put an estimate into a spreadsheet, and it has produced a figure.
“The cost of care and SEND will balloon – it’s built on sand.
“Based on guessing the amount of people who will require care, experience will tell you that no matter how good you are at guessing, councils across the country – I’d put money on it – guess lower than the actual demand. Adult social care is always overspent in most authorities every year.”
Half a-million-pound emergency repairs to the iconic County Hall
In October 2025, the Reform council announced it would be spending £500,000 on emergency repairs to its ageing County Hall building in West Bridgford.
The grand, historical building served as the council’s main base since being built in the 1950s, but the previous Conservative administration moved its headquarters to the £19 million Oak House building near Hucknall and Linby.
But Reform has decided to operate democratic functions from both locations, and the money will go towards fixes such as ensuring fridges and toilets at County Hall work properly.
Cllr Smith (Con) has previously said the decision shows Reform not keeping to their money-saving promises, saying: “The £1.7 million annual saving in the budget has vanished and they’re now spending hundreds of thousands more to keep a second building open. This isn’t good financial management – it’s complete chaos.”
A £75,000 spend on new banners
At a cost of around £457 per banner, 164 of these will be displayed across districts and boroughs
At a cost of around £457 per banner, 164 of these will be displayed across districts and boroughs and part of the spend will also include replacing brackets, traffic management, and the use of cherry pickers.
Cllr Barton previously told the LDRS the move was a “long-term” investment, with future plans to put banners up in their place to celebrate Nottinghamshire Day, the Tour of Britain, and other events.
Opposition groups have criticised the spending, and Cllr Mike Adams (Con) previously said: “As Conservatives, we love the Union flag. I have one outside my house, but it should stay as donations.
“People have been doing this out of their own pockets. Why should a struggling family be contributing to this from their council tax?”
Nottinghamshire’s Labour group argued the move was “wasting our money”.
Looking to the future
Reform will be asking East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward (Lab), for more money
On Tuesday, the leader told the LDRS the council is “going to raise the budgets” for roads.
It appears he will be asking the East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward (Lab), for more money, saying: “It’s my job as chair of the Transport and Digital Connectivity Committee at the East Midlands Combined Authority to make sure I fight tooth and nail for everything that we get in Nottinghamshire.”
Regarding the future of the council retaining one of its bases at County Hall, the leader told the LDRS on Tuesday the authority would “definitely be keeping” the building, depending on the results of local government reorganisation.
He said: “That’s up to the government, depending on where the geography lets County Hall sit. Why would you not want to keep a place like this? It needs money spending on it – we’ve got the money identified that we can spend on it.”
Cllr Barton says any updates on what residents will pay in council tax will be known next January, with the authority waiting until it knows how much money the Labour Government would give it in a financial settlement. Settlements are awarded to all councils every year, with the amount revealed in December.
