Former Gedling MP Lord Vernon Coaker has been appointed to Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
The life peer served as MP for the constituency between 1997 and 2019.
He has been named as a minister of state for the Ministry of Defence as part of a raft of appointments announced on Monday.
Lord Coaker lost his seat to Conservative Tom Randall in 2019 by just 679 votes as the marginal constituency turned blue.
The Labour politician was elevated to the House of Lords the following year with the title Baron Coaker of Gedling in the County of Nottinghamshire.
Lord Coaker served in the Labour Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Spokesperson for Defence and Home Affairs.
Before entering politics as a Rushcliffe councillor, he spent 20 years as a teacher in Nottingham.
He has remained active in politics, campaigning for local Labour candidates in the run-up to last week’s General Election.
Michael Payne, who successfully re-captured the seat for Labour, tweeted his support.
“Congratulations to my predecessor and good friend Vernon Coaker on his appointment as Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence,” he said.
“He brings a wealth of experience to this crucial role and is an outstanding public servant. Well done Vern!”
Alex Norris, Labour MP for Nottingham North & Kimberley, tweeted: “Vern’s the very best of Labour and I’m delighted to see him in such a crucial role.”
The most pressing issue for Lord Coaker to confront at the Ministry of Defence will be the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The new Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to continue the UK’s support for its ally during a trip to Odesa at the weekend.
It’s now 16 years since Google Street View cameras started appearing on the roads of Gedling borough and capturing our towns and villages digitally.
Since then they’ve regularly returned to the area and helped document how scenes in the area have changed during that time.
We’ve picked five locations around the borough that have been transformed since first being photographed by the Street View cameras back in early 2008 and then again when the tech giant returned in 2023.
A number of proposals to improve Arnold town centre have been put forward in a ‘town centre vision’ – and residents are being urged to share their views on the ideas put forward.
Gedling Borough Council launched the Ambition Arnold consultation earlier today (8) and shared the vision which they hope could transform the area and place them in a better position to attract investment to improve the town centre.
The council has been awarded £150,000 from the One Public Estate (OPE) programme to support the feasibility studies to see how the Arnold Town Centre could be improved. The money is being used alongside a further £200,000 from existing budgets and will pay for a business plan, surveys, and design works that will bring to life the vision.
Ambition Arnold aims to address key challenges and lay out the groundwork for securing external funding after two unsuccessful attempts to bid for Central Government Levelling Up funding for the area.
Gedling Borough Council is working with consultants Willmott Dixon who have worked on similar projects to create the vision that will focus on economic viability, deliverability, and future sustainability.
The council heaped praise on the success of the AMP project in ArnoldGedling Borough Council leader John Clarke said that by creating a vision, the council were demonstrating a prudent and forward-thinking approach to town centre regenerationProposals include enhancing the offer available from Arnold Market in Eagle Square
The new proposals targets issues such as creating attractions to draw people into the town, dilapidated buildings, voids, and public realm improvements and will plan for investment across all areas of the town centre.
The vision prioritises accessibility, inclusion, and community pride, aligning with the council’s vision for a vibrant town centre.
In line with the council’s commitment to Net Zero by 2030, the proposal also focuses on green spaces, cycling routes, public transport enhancements, and EV charging facilities.
Residents, businesses and local communities will now be encouraged to review the detailed vision, emphasising the critical role it plays in coordinated development and the positive impact the vision could have on Arnold’s future.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE said: “We are taking a decisive step forward in our commitment to revitalising our town and realising our Ambition Arnold plans. By creating a vision, we are demonstrating a prudent and forward-thinking approach to town centre regeneration.
“This plan not only addresses our immediate challenges but also sets the stage for securing much-needed funding after our previous attempts were unsuccessful.
“It aligns with our commitment to be Net Zero by 2030, as it focuses on creating more green spaces, cycling routes, public transport, and EV charging facilities.
“We’ve invested in the town centre with the creation of the AMP, which is now filled with new businesses and has been an incredible success thanks to the hard work and dedication of this council to improve the borough.
“The consultation is now open and we want the local residents, businesses and communities to have their say on this plan and we are confident that this proposal will pave the way for a vibrant and sustainable future for Arnold.”
The consultation is now live and people can have their say by visiting www.gedling.gov.uk/ambition-arnold and there will also be a chance for people to view the vision in person at pop up sessions being hosted at Arnold Library on Wednesday July 24 and 31st from 1pm – 6pm.
Residents who take part in the consultation will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win £50. Full terms and conditions are on the website.
Gedling borough residents have no reason to go hungry over the next two weeks.
Morrisons Café, on Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield is giving away free meals until Sunday, July 14, and all you have to do is ‘ask for Henry’.
Anyone who “asks for Henry” will get a free jacket potato topped with Heinz Cheesy Beanz – no questions asked.
The offer aims to provide some financial relief to customers and follows on from previous campaigns in 2022 and 2023 which saw Morrisons and Heinz feed tens of thousands of customers.
Customers can request the meal at any time until July 14, and Morrisons Café colleagues have been trained on the code word – ‘Henry’ and will understand phrases like “Is Henry here?”, “Henry,” “Can I have a Henry?”, “Can I ask for Henry?” or similar expressions.
Morrisons will continue to offer its Kids Eat Free initiative in addition to the ‘Ask for Henry’ activity, meaning families can access a free kids meal when purchasing any adult main meal costing over £5. The offer is available every day, seven days a week for any child aged under 16 in Morrisons Cafés nationwide.
Chris Strong, Morrisons Café senior buying manager, said: “Customers continue to tell us how grateful they were for our previous ‘Ask for Henry’ initiatives and so we’re really pleased to be bringing it back.
“We know that the busy summer months can add to customers’ financial pressures, especially with extra mouths to feed, so we’re pleased to be partnering with Heinz and offering this delicious meal. ”
Alessandra de Dreuille, Heinz director of Meals and Insights, said: “We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from our previous ‘Ask for Henry’ initiatives with Morrisons, and so we’re thrilled to be able to bring it back for a third year, and this time with our new Cheesy Beanz for all to enjoy. This offer is open to absolutely everyone – and so we’d encourage anyone who feels they need a warming meal to head to their local Morrisons café.”
“Here at Heinz, we’re passionate about helping solve food poverty in the UK, and whilst we know this offer won’t fix the issue, we’re pleased to be able to help as many people as we can over this two-week summer period.”
The free jacket potato with Heinz Cathedral City Cheesy Baked Beanz is available whilst stocks last.
Gedling borough’s restaurants, cafes and businesses all get ranked on their food hygiene standards and practices.
Inspectors from Gedling Borough Council rank the establishments on their hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and food safety management, to determine how safe and clean they are.
Eateries are then given ratings for their standards, ranging from a 5 (Very Good) to 0 (Urgent Improvement Necessary).
Here are the results of the most recent inspections:
5 – Very good
Coopers Brook The Old Spot, Mansfield Road, Daybrook
A woman has died following a house fire yesterday (6) in Burton Joyce.
Fire chiefs confirmed a second casualty was also rescued from the fire on Bridle Road and was taken to hospital by an Air Ambulance. He remains in critical condition.
Firefighters from Stockhill, Carlton and Arnold Fire Stations attended the fire following a call just after 3:30pm by a neighbour, who saw smoke issuing from the property.
A joint fire and police investigation has now been completed – the cause of the fire has been deemed as accidental.
Group Manager, Tom Archer, said: “On behalf of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, I would like to send my sincere condolences to the friends and family of the individuals involved in this incident.
He added: “Thank you to those across all the responding blue light services who dealt with this terrible and unfortunate incident with us at the scene.”
A suspected burglar was tracked down and arrested by police after being spotted by the public running across a park in Woodthorpe.
Officers were called at 4.05pm on Wednesday (3) after a man was seen running across Woodthorpe Park in possession of several items.
Another call was made just ten seconds later when a member of the public reported a break-in at an address in The Rise, Sherwood.
Less than ten minutes later, a suspect was detained in the garden of a house near Oxton Avenue with the help of a police dog handler.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Detective Sergeant Rob Palethorpe, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a great bit or work by officers on the ground, our call handlers and the quick-thinking members of the public who called this in so quicky.
“As a result of their actions a suspect was in cuffs very quickly.”
Here’s a selection of wonderful photographs recently contributed to our Gedling Amateur Photographers Facebook Group featuring lots of beautiful country scenes, wildlife and scenic hotspots from across the borough.
If you have captured a local moment in a photograph and think that others would like to see it, then upload it to the group to be featured on this post.
Please supply your name and a brief description of where and when the photograph was taken, or perhaps a funny caption.
A selection of photos will be published on Gedling Eye‘s website each week.
Sunrise reflections in Burton Joyce (PHOTO: Tammy Mills)\Great Crested Grebe at Colwick Park (PHOTO: Carl Green)Beautiful skies over Mapperley Top (PHOTO: Mary Haydn-Davies)Sunset through the peas on the plot (PHOTO: Henry Wheeler)Moth in the garden (PHOTO: Lynne Dale)
There is a chance to win up to £25,000 every Saturday when you play Gedling Lotto.
You just need to match six numbers to win the £25,000 jackpot.
We now publish the winning numbers each Saturday night.
THIS WEEK’S WINNING NUMBERS (6/7/24)
5 4 6 4 9 4
How does Gedling Lotto work?
Gedling Lotto is a weekly lottery draw that raises money for good causes across Gedling Borough. All good causes supported by the lottery will benefit the Gedling Borough and its residents.
Play the lottery, support Gedling Borough – it’s that simple!
From every £1 ticket you buy, 60p will go to local good causes in the Gedling Borough and improve our community.
Some of the many causes to benefit from the Lotto include:
These are the latest applications to have been submitted to and validated byGedling Borough Council this week.
The round-up of the latest plans that the council’s planning officers validated and published in a quiet week (w/e 28/6/24) include a proposal for a HMO in Woodthorpe. These applications will now be decided by Gedling borough planners.
Proposed side single storey extension and internal alteration to ground floor Burntstump Cottage Burntstump Hill Arnold Ref. No: 2024/0422
New agricultural building to provide secure storage for the farm machinery and equipment we use to manage the farm land Adjacent 114 Lowdham Lane Woodborough Ref. No: 2024/0424
White Poplar – remove two lower branches over hanging/blocking outlet for Reed Pond; Thin out self set group of Alder/Ash from West Boundary located near pond and remove two bark damaged trees. Removing a total of 8 trees. Reed Pond House Park Lane Lambley Nottinghamshire NG4 4PY Ref. No: 2024/0407TCA
Demolition of part of the property; erection of side and front double storey extension and single storey rear extension and proposed new roof 12 Kirkby Road Ravenshead Nottinghamshire NG15 9HF Ref. No: 2024/0411
Single storey side and rear extension 95 Haywood Road Mapperley Nottinghamshire NG3 6AF Ref. No: 2024/0406
Replace six rotten timber windows with identical window frames to the existing ones. 10A Taylors Croft Woodborough Nottinghamshire NG14 6BX Ref. No: 2024/0409
LED Sign (4m x 670mm) of company name to be situated on the shop front; largest letters are 500mm x 1200mm 275A Westdale Lane East Carlton Nottinghamshire NG4 4FG Ref. No: 2024/0403
Front and rear extensions, raise roof and new gates and piers 140 Chapel Lane Ravenshead Nottinghamshire NG15 9DJ Ref. No: 2024/0396
Pollard Sycamore by approximately 1m 10 Chapel Lane Lambley Nottinghamshire NG4 4PT Ref. No: 2024/0393TCA
Removal of 1 x dead tree. Redwood House Newstead Abbey Park Nottingham Road Ravenshead Nottinghamshire NG15 8GD Ref. No: 2024/0394TPO5
Listed Building Consent to add WC’s to the first floor level and relocate the kitchen. Clock Tower Building Park Road Bestwood Nottinghamshire NG6 8TQ Ref. No: 2024/0385
Single storey front extension 4 Bourne Drive Ravenshead Nottinghamshire NG15 9FN Ref. No: 2024/0377
Prior approval for the change of use of an agricultural building to storage and distribution (B8) Ramsdale Cottage Farm Oxton Road Arnold Nottinghamshire NG5 8PS Ref. No: 2024/0373
General purpose farm building complete with farm office and welfare facilities for use by the farming business. Lambley Grange Park Lane Lambley Nottinghamshire NG4 4QA Ref. No: 2024/0368
New detached bungalow with associated detached garage 14 Dean Road Woodthorpe Nottinghamshire NG5 4FJ Ref. No: 2024/0367
