The upcoming leader of Nottinghamshire County Council says he has a “big task” ahead as the Conservative Group plans for the authority’s election next May.
Cllr Sam Smith, cabinet member for education and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), was announced as the group’s new leader on Monday (November 25).
On December 5, he will take over from Cllr Ben Bradley, who announced he would be stepping down following a “challenging” year and two election defeats.
His replacement, who’s aged 27, represents Newark East on the County Council and Trent Valley on Gedling Borough Council.
He is due to take over as leader less than half a year before voters across the county go to the polls to choose who they want to stand as their county councillor.
Sam Smith represents Trent Valley on Gedling Borough Council along with Mike Adams, right
The council consists of 66 elected councillors and 34 of these seats belong to the Conservative Group.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Smith said he expects his time as leader to prove a “big task” following the Labour Party’s landslide victory nationally in July.
But he said: “Obviously we’ve been helped out by the dreadful Labour Government that has just added £31m to our council’s social care bill.
“Unemployment will rise because of the increase to National Insurance [contributions from employers].
“And a vote for any party [other than the Conservative Party] is a vote for Labour.”
Cllr Smith became the youngest councillor on Gedling Borough Council in 2019 at the age of 22.
In a Conservative Group vote on Monday morning, he beat Cllr Richard Jackson, the council’s current cabinet member for finance, and Cllr Neil Clarke, who had both tabled their leadership bids.
Once he officially becomes leader in December, Cllr Smith will take control of the council at a crucial time.
Alongside the upcoming election, the authority is facing a £4.4m in-year budget gap and an expected shortfall of up to £70m over the next three years.
He admitted “things are not as rosy as they could be”, but said the council is in a better position than others – including Nottingham City Council, which declared itself effectively bankrupt in November last year.
The message to residents, he says, will be “delivery, delivery, delivery”.
He said the council already has a £100m capital programme and will be investing £66m into the county’s roads and £50m on new school infrastructure.
“I think we will be continuing to work with the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA),” he added.
“They have a lot of money now that can be invested into things like better rural connectivity.”
Cllr Bradley, who is looking to stand for the Conservative Party in the Lincolnshire mayoral election, congratulated Cllr Smith.
“I’m certain that I leave the group in good hands as I move on to pastures new,” he said on X.
A care home in Carlton has been rated as ‘inadequate’ and placed in special measures after residents were found to be at “serious risk of abuse”, and one told inspectors they were ‘hit twice’.
Charnwood Care Home, run by Divine Rock Care Limited, provides personal and nursing care to people, including some living with dementia. The service can support up to 88 people. At the time of the inspection, there were 37 people living in the home.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also issued a warning notice to protect people following an inspection in July and August.
This inspection was prompted by serious concerns raised with the CQC by the local authority and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) regarding medication, staffing, and poor management.
During the inspection, these concerns were substantiated, and the CQC found four breaches of regulation, including issues relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, consent, and management.
As well as the home being rated inadequate overall, its ratings for being effective, caring, responsive, and well-led were also inadequate. It has been rated as requiring improvement for being safe. This was the first inspection since the service was registered.
The care home has also been placed in special measures, issued with two warning notices and told to formulate an action plan to make sure people are protected correctly.
The care home will be closely monitored whilst in special measures to ensure people are kept safe while improvements are made.
Steven Paisley, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “It was concerning to see a lack of strong leadership and a culture that didn’t encourage high-quality care. This meant people living at the home weren’t receiving safe, dignified, or person-centred care.
“People weren’t always safe from abuse. One person told us staff were rough when caring for them, which had caused bruising. Staff had recorded this bruising two months ago; however, no action was taken to refer it to the safeguarding team.
“Another person explained that a staff member had hit them twice. We reported this to the management team to investigate, but when we returned two days later, little action had been taken. This put people at serious risk of abuse and must be addressed as a priority.
“We have told Charnwood Care Home where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take further action if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect.”
The 27-year-old, who also represents Newark East on Nottinghamshire County Council, was chosen by the Conservative group at the county council to be their new leader. Councillor Richard Jackson and Councillor Neil Clarke were the other two contenders seen off by Smith.
The Trent Valley councillor is now expected to be confirmed as Nottinghamshire County Council’s new Leader at its Full Council meeting on Thursday, December 5.
Speaking after his election win today Cllr Sam Smith said: “I thank Cllr Bradley for his leadership of our Group and this Council over the past three and a half years.
“Nottinghamshire is a far better place thanks to the leadership of Cllr Bradley and this Conservative administration at County Hall and that is something I look forward to building on in the coming weeks and months.
“During the 2017 and 2021 Conservative administrations at this Council, I am proud that Nottinghamshire County Council’s Conservative Councillors have kept Council Tax as low as possible, delivered good social care, protected and expanded bus services, retained a brilliant youth service and never shut a library. We’re also investing more than £60million into repairing our roads, £50 million into new schools and have a capital programme of over £100 million.
“This is in stark contrast to bankrupt Labour-run Nottingham City Council.
“Here at County Hall, this Conservative administration will keep delivering on the priorities of Nottinghamshire’s residents and I am honoured to have been elected as the next Conservative Leader. Working alongside fantastic colleagues, I will do all I can to continue to make Nottinghamshire a better place to live, work and visit.”
Police are looking to trace this man after a staff member was assaulted by a suspected shoplifter at a superstore in Arnold.
The incident happened inside Asda at 2.20pm on Thursday, October 24.
A store security guard approached three males suspecting they had pocketed items without paying.
While attempting to challenge them, the staff member was spat in the face and racially abused by one of them.
Police are looking to trace this man after a staff member was assaulted by a suspected shoplifter at a superstore in Arnold.The incident took place at the Asda store on Front Street in Arnold
Police have now released an image of someone they’d like to speak to in connection with the incident.
PC Junior Grant, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “There is absolutely no place for this type of behaviour.
“We are keen to trace the person in this picture, as we believe he can assist us with our ongoing investigation into this incident.
“We would urge the man or anyone who recognises him to contact us straight away.
“Information can be left with the police on 101, quoting incident 442 of 24 October 2024, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The family of a taxi driver murdered in Gedling 30 years ago have spoken about the “daily torture” of never finding out why their loved one was killed.
The Ghafoor family have lived without closure for three decades and are now calling on the public to help “end their agony” and ensure justice is finally served.
The family have watched as their parents have taken their anguish to the grave by never finding out why their “charming and outgoing” son was taken from them.
Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor, aged 26, of Sherwood Rise, known to his friends and family as Shami, was shot dead in his taxi on Tuesday, November 22 1994.
Shami was last seen in Carlton Square at 2.40am with three Asian men in his black and white Ford Sierra.
He was found by a milkman at 4.30am at Lambley Lane Playing Fields with his hands tied and bound to the steering wheel.
Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor,26 , was shot dead in his taxi on Tuesday, November 22, 1994.The family have now spoken about the “daily torture” of never finding out why their loved one was killed.Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor was found dead at Lambley Lane Playing Fields with his hands tied and bound to the steering wheel.
Crimestoppers, a charity independent of the police, is offering up to £50,000 for any information which leads to a conviction.
Shami was described as a family man, known as a rock to his three sisters and four brothers.
Already the father of a five-year-old son, he was killed just five months before his baby daughter was born.
Now, a new team of detectives are re-investigating the crime and appealing for information on the 30th anniversary of his death.
They believe the answers to Shami’s death lie within the community.
Speaking on behalf of the family, his sister Aisha Ghafoor, 58, from Nottingham, describes how the family’s life was shattered the day they received the police visit.
Aisha was in her twenties and at university when her brother was killed.
She couldn’t even bear to attend her own graduation.
She had always planned to have her eldest brother by her side on what should have been the happiest moment of her youth.
She said: “We are the ones that are serving the life sentence. We are the ones doing the time.
“When they killed Shami that day, they killed every chance of us being a happy family again. They stole our Shami from us.
“Even after 30 years, the feelings are still raw.
“We are a close family, and this tragedy has kept us together. But it also comes with immeasurable pain and isolation.
“He was such a central figure in our family. Our mother never recovered from his loss. She never got to find out who killed her son and she never will.
“She died at the age of 85. Even right up to the last weeks of her life she would say ‘I’m not going to find out who killed my son, am I?
“Our youngest brother was also robbed of his life the day Shami died.
“He was only 17 when Shami was killed. Traumatised by the crime, he was afraid to go out and spent the rest of his short life a recluse.
“He had lost the big brother he idolised, suddenly taken in such brutal circumstances.
“Shami was also murdered five months before his baby daughter was born. He never got to meet his daughter, she never got to know him, he will never see the beautiful children she has now brought into the world nor his son’s children.”
Shami was born and raised in Nottingham and attended local schools. He was a big cricket and snooker fan and helped build a snooker table in his dad’s attic.
This became a focal point for family gatherings. Shami loved singing and would often embarrass his sisters by breaking into song.
He had joined the family taxi business, A1 Taxis, but had high aspirations of being an actor and auditioned for drama school.
The family business collapsed after Shami’s death. They couldn’t bear to continue after what had happened.
Aisha said: “He was the life and soul of every celebration. He was the kind of guy you could rely on with a charming personality.
“He was very protective and if someone needed help, he would be there. Shami may have associated himself with the wrong people at times and it might be associating with these people which cost him his life. But he was our Shami.”
The family are now calling for anyone with information, no matter how small, to please come forward.
Crimestoppers, a charity independent of the police, is putting up a £50,000 reward for any information which leads to a conviction.
The reward is available for three months.
“Silence is not an option anymore,” she said.
“Someone out there knows who murdered my brother and why he was killed.
“Over the past years we have been told by some people to ‘move on’ and ‘to get on with your own lives.’
“But my question is this – how can you move on when you don’t have closure? We can’t and we won’t until we know the truth.
“We know that closure won’t bring him back, but we need answers.
“Why someone would kill such a loving family man and rob his daughter, son, and grandchildren of ever knowing him. We owe it to them!
“I want to say to the community – please, it is never too late to come forward. It is never too late to make a difference.
“Our parents never got that closure. Please end our agony. Please, let us finally understand what happened.”
Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, added: “This is a shocking and very sad case. Shami’s whole family have waited 30 years for justice and answers which they truly deserve.
“We know it can be difficult for some people to speak directly to the police which is why our charity is here for you.
“We are hoping that with the passage of time it will be easier to share what you know. We’ve been passing on information about crime whilst guaranteeing anonymity since we were established decades ago. It’s a promise we’ve always kept.
“Crimestoppers is completely independent of the police. You can make a difference by passing on what you know whilst being protected by our guarantee of anonymity. That means no police, no courts, no witness statements. Put simply, when you contact our charity online or on the phone, there’s no comeback.
“We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us.
“You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference, and you could be eligible for this £50,000 reward.”
Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or 101 quoting incident number 0300 of the 15th November 2024.
Alternatively, information can be submitted online via the Major Incident Public Reporting Site Public Portal.
Flood alerts have been issued for three areas across Gedling borough amid heavy rainfall.
The flood alerts have been given to areas close to the River Trent, including parts of Burton Joyce, Colwick, Netherfield and Stoke Bardolph.
The Environment Agency has warned residents to ‘be prepared’.
A spokesman said: “River levels are rising at the Colwick and Clifton Bridge river gauges as a result of heavy rainfall. Consequently, flooding of roads and farmland is possible today.
PICTURED: Flooding in Stoke Bardolph back in early 2020
“Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including communities near to the River Trent and Stoke Lane at Stoke Bardolph.
“Further rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours. We expect river levels to remain high until Thursday (3).
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are patrolling watercourses in the area.
They warned: “Please avoid using low-lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded. ”
A Colwick firm has been fined more than £300,000 after an explosion caused two employees to suffer life changing injuries.
The metal tank the two men were working on was projected high into the air before crashing to the ground nine seconds later.
Footage of the blast has been released.
On September 20, 2017, two employees of Bio Dynamic (UK) Limited were using a grinder to cut and replace pipework at the top of an 11-metre high metal tank containing waste slurry. They were not using harnesses. Sparks from the grinder ignited flammable gasses causing the tank to explode.
Footage of the explosion captured by CCTV has now been released.
Tomasz Patek was flung out of the mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) into the air and landed on the ground in the slurry around the tank. He suffered serious injuries to his back, head and torso and was in hospital for two months. His injuries were so severe that he was not able to work for more than two years.
Tomasz said he suffers from pre and post-traumatic amnesia and has no specific recollection of the events.
In a statement, he revealed the psychological scars from the incident;
“After the accident, I was unable to recover emotionally.
Tomasz Patek was flung out of the mobile elevating work platform into the air and landed on the ground in the slurry around the tankRobert Tyrko was thrown into the air and landed back in the basket of the MEWPThe metal tank the two men were working on was projected high into the air before crashing to the ground nine seconds later
“I did not realise what had happened and was in deep shock. I could not cope with the pain. I could not accept an accident had happened to me.”
Robert Tyrko was thrown into the air and landed back in the basket of the MEWP. Following the incident, Robert’s leg was amputated and he remains wheelchair bound as treatment is still ongoing to receive a prosthesis. Also, he sustained a fractured skull and a piece of metal in his elbow that continues to affect his daily life.
In his statement, Robert explained how the explosion has affected his day-to-day life; “This whole situation is having a huge impact on my relationship. I can’t help my wife in anything like I used to be able to. Magda is both wife and husband because all my responsibilities fell on her; along with the kids.
“Also my personality is explosive. I lose my patience very quickly. I attended appointments with a psychologist because I had nightmares that I was still having this accident.”
A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency found that the company had failed to ensure the health and safety of its employees and others nearby.
The company had kept and treated waste in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment.
The explosion was caused by multiple failures in the company’s management system and exacerbated by multiple breaches of the company’s environmental permit.
At a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on November 22, 2024, Bio Dynamic (UK) Limited, of Colwick Industrial Estate, Nottingham:
pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR), and s.33(1)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA).
They were fined a total of £304,500 and ordered to pay £229,988 in costs.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Richenda Dixon said: “It’s remarkable that Robert and Tomasz weren’t killed.
“This incident resulted from fundamental and multiple failings by the company to properly manage its health and safety risks.
“These included failing to ensure that the design, installation and use of the tanks were safe; failing to carry out risk assessments; failing to put in place a safe system of work; and failing to train and supervise employees.”
Senior Environmental Crime Officer Iain Regan said: “This was a lengthy and technically complex investigation by the Environment Agency and the HSE during which we found that the company’s attitude towards environmental compliance was largely cosmetic.
“Although the site had an environmental permit, the company was not complying with the conditions of the permit or with their own management system and procedures.
“The site had unauthorised gaseous emissions points and undertook modifications to their process which were not risk assessed or notified to the Environment Agency. The company did not recognise or understand the impact that these changes had on the safety of the plant and failed to take action, when warned, which could have prevented the incident. These factors, and a failure to implement permit to work procedures, including appropriate risk assessment, created all the necessary conditions on 20 September 2017 for the explosion which occurred.
“Sites which receive, treat or dispose of waste must be permitted to ensure that they minimise the risk to the environment or human health. Incidents such as the explosion at Bio Dynamic show why it is essential that such sites strictly comply with all the conditions of their environmental permit and take their environmental responsibilities seriously.
“The consequences of the company’s failure to comply with its environmental permit could have been fatal. As it is, two employees have been left with life changing physical and mental injuries which continue to devastate their lives seven years on from this incident.”
Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for finance has announced his bid to become the Conservative-run authority’s next leader.
Cllr Richard Jackson confirmed his decision to stand for leader with the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday (November 22).
The council’s current leader, Ben Bradley, announced he would be stepping down in December following a “challenging” year and two election defeats.
Mr Bradley lost the race to become the first mayor of the East Midlands in May to Labour’s Claire Ward. He later lost his Mansfield MP seat to Labour’s Steve Yemm in July following a party landslide victory nationally.
Cllr Richard Jackson, cabinet member for finance, confirmed his decision to stand for leader with the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday (LDRS)Cllr Sam Smith, 27, who represents Trent Valley on Gedling Borough Council and Newark East for the County Council, tabled his leadership bid earlier in November.
Mr Bradley will hold the leader position until December 4, after which the Conservative Group at the council will appoint a new leader the following day.
Cllr Jackson, who was born in Chilwell, now sits in the County Council’s cabinet with responsibilities for finance.
He was previously leader of Broxtowe Borough Council between 2015 and 2019.
“I’ve had several colleagues ask me to put myself forward,” he said.
Ben Bradley will hold the leader position until December 4, after which the Conservative Group at the council will appoint a new leader the following day. PHOTO: LDRS
“I’ve got 23 years on the County Council serving the Conservative Group. I’ve been the leader of Broxtowe Borough Council for four years.
“Considering my portfolio I have it means I am up to speed with the council’s situation. We’ve got five months left until the local elections, we need someone who will be able to step in and be up to speed with everything already.
“It has always been our mantra to find the savings we need by doing things differently to other councils, rather than cutting services. We’ve kept council tax as low as we can. I want to continue that.”
Cllr Sam Smith, 27, who represents Trent Valley on Gedling Borough Council and Newark East for the County Council, tabled his leadership bid earlier in November.
He said he hopes to become one of the youngest leaders in the country.
It is expected a third candidate will step forward in the coming days before nominations close on Sunday.
A new leader is then expected to be chosen on Monday (November 25) by the Conservative Group.
