Two of Gedling borough’s busiest roads are to benefit from a £4m fund announced by Nottinghamshire County Council that will pay for major resurfacing work across the county.
Nine new road maintenance schemes were announced yesterday (22) at the County Council’s Full Council meeting.
A6211 Thackerays Lane Roundabout and parts of Arno Vale Road in Woodthorpe and the B6020 Kirkby Road in Ravenshead were the two borough roads listed for the resurfacing works.
The final decision on these proposals will be taken in mid-March when the 24/25 Highways Capital Programme report is approved. It is envisaged that works will begin in early summer of 2024.
The £4m is on top of the £29m of investment already planned for 2024/25 to improve the county’s roads.
The council said full plans including the sections under repair will be published ahead of the works.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for transport and environment,said the good news on the extra investment was further evidence there was a Highways maintenance plan going forward and one that he was committed to.
Cllr Clarke said: “While we’ve had to focus on the essential severe weather damage and emergency repairs of late, this funding serves as a reminder that we are still committed to our strategy of making ‘right repair, first time’ permanent repairs wherever we can.
“We are listening, and the decision to focus on these nine areas is based on feedback and reports we’ve received from residents as well as data and inspection reports from our highways partner Via East Midlands.
“We will still be undertaking permanent repairs wherever we can and will continue with large-scale patch repairs, putting a particular focus on well-used roads over the coming months.”
Council Leader Cllr Ben Bradley MP added: “We know how important the roads are to residents and they’re a priority for this council as well.
“This multi-million pound investment will deal with repairs to some of the county’s busiest roads and shows our commitment to doing everything possible to get more resources and funding to tackle this huge ongoing challenge.”
Large-scale patch repairs are part of the council’s four-year Highways Improvement Plan which includes the aims to reduce the need to use reactive short-term maintenance, maintain the road network condition and seek to improve it within financial constraints and to publish a longer-term programme of capital works to keep residents informed of future plans.
A breezy day ahead for Gedling borough residents, with a mixture of sunny spells and showers, these locally heavy with the risk of hail and thunder, especially towards the west of the region. The showers turning a little wintry over higher ground. Temperatures around normal. Maximum temperature 8 °C.
Further showers are likely to affect western hills overnight, where turning wintry. Elsewhere, a largely dry night, with lengthy clear spells, leading to a widespread frost, as winds fall light. Minimum temperature -1 °C.
Tomorrow is expected to see a chilly start, with some early fog patches in places. Otherwise, it will be a largely fine and dry day, with sunny spells. Temperatures near average, with light winds. Maximum temperature 8 °C.
Peppa’s Cinema Party (U) – Bonington Cinema, Arnold
Fri 23 – Wed 28 Feb, 10:30am £6.80pp
Come on everybody it’s time for Peppa’s Cinema Party! This year Peppa Pig celebrates her 20th anniversary and to mark such a HUGE occasion she is throwing the MOST EPIC PARTY EVER – and all of her friends are INVITED! (That’s YOU!) Featuring the voices of Katy Perry as Ms. Leopard and Orlando Bloom as Mr. Raccoon in an episode of the 3-part Wedding Party story, the whole family can enjoy 10 never-before-seen Peppa Pig episodes!
And with 5 brand new songs, as well as 11 interactive entertainment shorts with Peppa and her friends playing, dancing and singing in the real world, you and your little ones will be moving and grooving with Peppa in a whole new way! So grab your coat and jump into your boots, let’s be on our way to the Peppa Cinema Party!
All of us Strangers (15) – Bonington Cinema, Arnold
Fri 23 – Thu 29 Feb, Various Times £6.80pp £5.00pp on Tuesdays
One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life.
As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.
“It shimmers and it aches” Telegraph ★★★★★
“A beautiful romance ” Guardian ★★★★★
Times ★★★★ Little White Lies ★★★★
Directed by Andrew Haigh With Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal 1hr 45 mins // US 2023
EVENT CINEMA: National Theatre Live: Vanya (Cert TBC) – Bonington Cinema, Arnold
Fri 23 – Sun 25 Feb, Various Times £12.50pp
Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.
Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024.
“The performance of the year” The i ★★★★★
Vanya adapted by Simon Stephens, after Anton Chekhov directed by Sam Yates designed by Rosanna Vize
1hr 57 mins | No Interval
*Additional screenings may be added at a later date
Rebel Rebel – David Bowie Tribute Show – Bonington Theatre, Arnold
Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm £15.00pp
Join Rebel Rebel for a powerful musical experience as they present the greatest hits of David Bowie from across his career alongside a full performance of the seminal Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust album.
*Please disregard a previous note that the car park will be closed. The date of the car park closure has been moved to 22 February.
Mon 26 – Thu 29 Feb, Various Times £6.80pp £5.00pp on Tuesdays
A woman’s painful journey of self-realisation sees her face prejudice, abuse and sexual violence in this musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, featuring jubilant and defiant songs in the face of challenging themes.
“A joy to watch” BBC ★★★★
Nominated for 1 Academy Award– Best Supporting Actress (Danielle Brooks)
Directed by Blitz Bazawule With Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks 2hr 20 mins // US 2023
Flying High Film Workshop – Bonington Cinema, Arnold
Tue 27 Feb, 10:30am £10.00pp
We would love you to join us for this once a month opportunity for adult members of the community to come together for fun, camaraderie, learning, sharing food and film.
Each month in the Bonington Theatre, we will meet at 10.30am for a 2-hour exploration workshop (discussions, exercises, some role play and improvisation for those brave enough!) examining the themes, context, characters, ideas and plot of a particular film. There will be a light buffet style lunch, teas and coffees before watching the film at 1.30pm. The event should finish 3.00pm – 3.30pm depending on the length of the film.
The Color Purplecentres around Celie’s painful but triumphant journey of self-realisation as she faces prejudice, abuse and sexual violence, eventually leaving her abusive husband for a romantic relationship with jazz singer, Shrug Avery and becomes an independent business woman.
This musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, featuring jubilant and defiant songs in the face of challenging themes.
“A joy to watch” BBC ★★★★
Nominated for 1 Academy Award– Best Supporting Actress (Danielle Brooks)
N.B. This film is 2 hrs 20 mins so will finish at 3.40pm.
EVENT CINEMA: Exhibition on Screen: Painting the Modern Garden- Monet to Matisse – Bonington Cinema, Arnold
Tue 27 Feb – Wed 6 Mar, Various Times £12.50pp
Based on the sell-out show at the Royal Academy of Arts, London
Claude Monet was an avid horticulturist and arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, but he was not alone. Great artists like Van Gogh, Bonnard, Sorolla, Sargent, Pissarro and Matisse all saw the garden as a powerful subject for their art. These great artists, along with many other famous names, feature in an innovative and extensive exhibition from the Royal Academy of Art, London.
From the exhibition walls to the wonder and beauty of artists’ gardens like Giverny and Seebüll, the film takes a magical and widely travelled journey to discover how different contemporaries of Monet built and cultivated modern gardens to explore expressive motifs, abstract colour, decorative design and utopian ideas. Guided by passionate curators, artists and garden enthusiasts, this remarkable collection of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and avant-garde artists of the early twentieth century will reveal the rise of the modern garden in popular culture and the public’s enduring fascination with gardens today. Long considered spaces for expressing colour, light and atmosphere, the garden has occupied the creative minds of some of the worlds greatest artists. As Monet said, ‘Apart from painting and gardening, I’m no good at anything’. For lovers of art or lovers of gardens, this is an ideal film.
Filmed and Directed by David Bickerstaff Produced by Phil Grabsky
A new enterprise centre is on the cards for Arnold after Gedling Borough Council today revealed plans to transform the vacant first floor of The AMP into a space for budding entrepreneurs.
A report has been published by the council revealing that it plans to allocate a significant investment of £655,000 into fitting out the vacant first floor of the building to boost economic growth and provide a space for offices, conference and training room in the heart of the town.
The council said it always had plans to develop the first floor space and the project has received £655,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund so that work can begin and is expected to be completed by the Autumn.
The AMP was opened up in Arnold last yearThe AMP was built on the former site of Arnold Market in the town centre
The project is expected to support several of the council priorities including revitalising town centres, support economic growth and creating jobs in the area. It will also increase footfall to the town shopping precinct and support the existing businesses in the area.
The council has also recently announced investment plans in the northern part of the town with the purchase of vacant units and the creation of a masterplan for the entire town centre with the aim of attracting investment opportunities following the disappointment of not receiving any UK Government Levelling Up funding in the latest round of bids.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE said: “We’re delighted to be announcing the next phase of work to create an enterprise centre here at the AMP.
“We want to create a space where we can support local businesses, start ups and entrepreneurs who need office space in the centre of a busy town centre like Arnold.
“We’ve seen how successful our investment to build the AMP building has been. The ground floor has been as all seven units are currently full against a backdrop of difficult economic times for so many.
He added: We are doing everything we can to bring people to the high street, including continuing to offer two hours of free parking in all our car parks and now with this work to transform the first floor, it will create more jobs and support growth in the borough.”
Back in March 1965, angry residents in a Carlton street were complaining to reporters from the Nottingham Guardian after their road was turned into a ‘quagmire’ by builders.
Those living on Gardenia Grove complained that it had now become ‘a daily occurrence’ for milk and bread vans to be trapped in the mud and sometimes break-down vehicles had to be called to their assistance.
Gardenia Grove was then a private, unmade road, and several years previously, residents had put down a hard surface on their side with ashes and ballast.
But since building operations began on the 51 bungalows and chalets in the street, however, they claimed their side of the road had been churned up by lorries and bulldozers.
Mr, Walter Hunt, of Salcombe, Gardenia Grove said at the time that he would now leave his car at home whenever he could.
PICTURED: Residents in the mud on Gardenia Grove in Carlton back in 1965
“It’s just a death trap to drive along the road, particularly when it is wet, At the exit to the grove there is a hill and you have to be extremely careful not to skid,” he said.
Mr. Hunt had put down over nine tons of hard core on his road frontage.
“That has just been wasted now. Bulldozers and lorries have put earth and clay all over it.”
One of the complaints was that workmen had put a clay surface on the opposite side of the road and so vehicles are forced to travel on the surface made by the residents.
“This ruins the surface even more,” added Mr. Hunt.
He said that although Carlton UDC had agreed to investigate the willingness of residents to pay for the road to be made up, it had no jurisdiction over the condition of the road.
Mrs, Lily Whittington, of The Poplars, said: When children come home from school their boots and shoes are filthy. These conditions are ruinous to shoes.”
For most of the residents, there is a ritual of changing footwear before entering the house.
Mr, W. Scott, managing director of W. Scott (Nottm) Estate Co. who were building contractors on the site, denied that their firm had been responsible.
“We have provided our own surfaced road from Gardenia- grove and this has been wired off so that our own lorries can’t get onto the grove.”
He added that his firm had offered to contribute towards the cost of making up the road.
Mr. L. G, Butterworth, a director of Butterworth and Partners, engineering contractors of Langley Mill, who were also working on the building project, said that bulldozers had not been used on the site since September.
Gedling Borough Council’s new budget is likely to see residents’ council tax bills go up by nearly three per cent from April.
The authority has blamed government support, saying it has consistently been one of the lowest-funded councils in the country.
The 2.988 per cent rise in council tax would be an annual increase of £3.64 for Band A properties and £4.25 for Band B, which make up the majority of properties in the district.
Leaders at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (February 21) said they were “sick and tired” of a lack of funding.
Deputy council leader Michael Payne Deputy said he was sick and tired of being one of the lowest-funded councils in the country year in and year out.The authority has blamed government support, saying it has consistently been one of the lowest-funded councils in the country.The council will need to find £3.5m in savings for the next three financial years in order to balance its budget.
Budget papers say the council has consistently been in the bottom three per cent of English and Welsh councils for Core Spending Power – the government’s method of measuring resources.
It was the overall lowest in 2020/21 and 2021/22, and is predicted to be seventh worst in the financial year starting in April.
Core Spending Power takes into account central government support, council tax and business rate income.
Deputy leader Councillor Michael Payne (Lab) said: “I am sick and tired of seeing this year and year out.
“Over the lifetime of this Parliament, Gedling Borough Council has never found itself out of bottom nine of 349 local authorities in England and Wales in terms of the money it receives from the government.
“We’ve never asked to be given millions of additional pounds of money; we’ve just asked to be treated fairly.
“There is lots of criticism about councils increasing tax but not taking fat out of the system. Just this year, we’ve taken £406,000 out of our own budget, which mean cuts to local jobs and services.
“Why is money being taken away from Gedling residents and sent to the wealthy and leafy boroughs down south?”
The council will need to find £3.5m in savings for the next three financial years in order to balance its budget.
It expects that council tax will need to be raised by the maximum threshold of 2.99 per cent each year during this time.
The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for setting council funding,
A spokesperson said: “Gedling Borough Council’s Core Spending Power (CSP) allocation of £12.4 million – an increase of £0.68 million or 5.8 per cent compared to the funding in 2023-24.
“We recognise councils are facing challenges and that is why we recently announced an additional £600 million support package for councils across England, increasing their overall funding for the upcoming financial year to £64.7 billion – a 7.5 per cent increase in cash terms.”
A full meeting of Gedling Borough Council will sign off on the council tax proposals on Wednesday, March 6.
As Easter approaches The Robin Hood Inn in Lambley has started an Easter egg collection to support children’s cancer charities.
Gedling Eye caught up with Jo Leafe from the popular local pub who said: “We have a regular, Pete who mentioned that he had done an Easter egg collection in the Robin Hood Inn a few years ago.
“We like supporting charities and raised £114.82 for the fire fighters charity at our previous free children’s party event in December and we thought that building an Easter Egg wall or two for ill kids was a great idea so we decided we would give it a go.
“We chose to support children’s cancer charities as this is a cause close to Pete’s heart. Pete’s nephew, Ryan died from a cancerous brain tumour that progressed down his spine.
Courtesy of The Robin Hood InnCourtesy of The Robin Hood Inn
“We are asking people to donate an Easter egg or however many they choose and pop it down to the pub and we will add it to the wall(s).”
The Robin Hood Inn is located at 82 Main Street, Lambley, NG4 4PP and can be contacted by telephone on 0115 931 3906 or by email at robinhood.lambley@phoenixpub.co.uk.
Further information can be accessed via their social channel HERE.
Animal Search UK’s Missing Pet Search Team are out in Gedling today, February 22, on the hunt for the missing cat Portia.
Portia escaped the house on Thursday, February 15 and hasn’t come home.
There has been only one potential sighting of Portia since she escaped, and the observer reported that she appeared injured, which is increasingly concerning for the owners.
The charity believes she is either scared hiding somewhere close by or befriended a neighbour in the area for some food and shelter.
PICTURED: Portia went missing last weekThe Animal Search UK team will be in Gedling today looking for Portia
Animal Search UK, the UK’s leading missing pet organisation, are conducting a search for Portia today in the local area and they need your help.
Portia is a beautiful Siamese cat with blue eyes. She is chipped and neutered.
Portia’s worried owners said: “My young children (and us) are heartbroken and just want her back.
“She’s a house cat and isn’t used to being outside. She’s gentle and nervous and I believe the only reason she didn’t come back quickly after wandering outside the back door is that just after she escaped my house sitter let our dog out so she will have moved away from the dog, he then locked her out and didn’t realise she was missing until Saturday afternoon. She would have been walking around meowing outside the house, but the house sitter is a bit deaf and wouldn’t have heard her.
“The potential sighting of her injured is very worrying but would explain why she’s not come home. Maybe she’s been chased, attacked or hit by a car and is too badly injured to make the journey back.”
The charity has issued this poster as the search for Portia continues
Alisha Turner from the Media Team and Animal Search Headquarters said:“We are worried about Portia since she is an indoor cat and this being the longest she has spent outside.
“She has little road sense and likely to become overwhelmed by her environment. We are urging everyone in the area to be vigilant and to check their gardens.“
Anyone who thinks they might have seen Portia or have any information, please call the Animal Search UK team on 0800 4 320 340 or visit our website at www.animalsearchuk.co.uk quoting reference number ALP311494.
Animal Search UK’s missing pet search team are the only one of their kind, with over 22 years of extensive experience successfully reuniting pets across the UK.
Pet owners are urged to PROTECT their beloved pets at www.animalsearchuk.co.uk, ensuring they are prepared for the worst. You can also become part of their Pet Watch Campaign to help keep the pets of your neighbourhood safe.
*We urge anyone in Gedling (Nottingham) and surrounding areas to be vigilant and check their sheds and outbuildings. Transport workers, also please check your vehicles for Portia*
A flood warning has this morning been issued for a village in Gedling borough where water levels are rising, with some residents told they will experience flooding.
The Environment Agency has informed residents in Woodborough to expect flooding as a result of further heavy rainfall expected today (22).
They say flooding of property is possible and will start at 10:00am.
Areas most at risk are Woodborough including Main Street which is likely to be impassable, affecting access in and out of the village.
Flooding is expected in Woodborough from 10am onwards
Flooding may also affect properties on Lingwood Lane, Smalls Croft and Westfield Lane.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Further rainfall is forecast over the next 6 hours. We expect river levels to rise until this afternoon.
“We are closely monitoring the situation.
“Please move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety and follow advice from emergency services.”
Lidl and Aldi have become the highest-paying supermarkets in the borough, as staff members start the year with another pay rise.
Store staff at Lidl get an hourly pay rise of £12 from £11.40, rising to £13 with length of service. Aldi also offer staff an hourly pay of £12, rising to £12.95 based on length of service.
Lidl last month revealed it was investing £37m in pay to increase the wages of its 26,000 hourly-paid workers and salaried colleagues following a similar move by Aldi in December 2023.
The lowest payers were Morrisons at £10.92 an hour and M&S who pay staff £10.90.
The National Minimum Wage is £10.45 an hour for those aged 21 and over – this will increase to £11.44 from April 2024.
All supermarkets pay higher than the National Minimum Wage.
So if you’re considering a job at one of these shops it’s worth looking at the work perks you can get too.
But which grocery shop pays the best rates? Here are the basic hourly rates of pay ranked.
Lidl
Lidl last month revealed it was investing £37m in pay to increase the wages of its 26,000 hourly-paid workers and salaried colleagues
Last month, Lidl invested £37m in pay to increase the wages of its 26,000 hourly-paid workers and salaried colleagues.
From March 1, entry-level roles at the discount grocer will be 17% higher than the new National Minimum Wage being introduced in April.
Colleagues will see hourly pay raised from £11.40 to £12, increasing to £13 with length of service.
Other new pay benefits include a bank holiday premium of £2 per hour and an enhanced nightshift premium of £3.50.
Aldi
In December, Aldi raised pay for all store and warehouse colleagues to a minimum of £12 an hour nationally.
Store assistants will see their pay rise further to £12.95 based on the length of their service.
Aldi is also the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is worth more than an additional £900 a year.
Sainsbury’s
Last month, Sainsbury’s invested £200m to increase hourly rates by 9.1%.
From March, wages for store colleagues will rise to £12 per hour nationally and £13.15 within the M25.
The change, which was described by Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts as “industry leading”, will impact 120,000 hourly paid employees and marks the supermarket giant’s single biggest ever investment into colleague pay.
Since 2018, Sainsbury’s has increased pay by 50% and by 9% in the past year in line with the Real Living Wage.
Employees will receive an additional £1,910 a year nationally and £2,290 a year in London, making it the largest supermarket to pay colleagues the new Real Living Wage nationally and the London Living Wage.
Last year, Asda invested a record £141m in giving staff a 10% pay increase to hourly-paid store colleagues.
In July, pay rates rose to £11.11 per hour – a move benefitting more than 115,000 colleagues.
In April, the retailer offered employees an advance on their pay to help with the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis.
With financial wellbeing app Wagestream, Asda colleagues can access up to 50% of their earned contracted pay when they choose.
Tesco
In April 2023, Tesco made its biggest ever investment in employee pay of £230m as it boosted its hourly rate by 7% to £11.02.
At the same time, the retail giant rolled out further employee pay benefits including an increased additional skills payment for shift leaders, taking their hourly rate to £13.28.
Morrisons
Morrisons increased its hourly pay rates last October, when they raised the established rate for a customer assistant by 50p to £10.92.
M&S
In February 2023, M&S invested £57m to increase the hourly pay of its 40,000 customer assistants across the UK.
The wage, which came into effect on 1 April, marked the retailer’s “biggest ever investment” in front-line colleague reward.
The rate of pay for customer assistants nationally increased 70p to £10.90 per hour and pay rose to £12.05, up from £11.25 for those working in London.
