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Top Wighay council offices in Linby ‘should be scrapped’ to create £20.5m roads cash, say independent councillors

Andrew Topping (Local Democracy Reporter)
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Top Wighay council offices in Linby ‘should be scrapped’ to create £20.5m roads cash, say independent councillors

Independent councillors at Nottinghamshire County Council say they would scrap the council’s new £15.7m Top Wighay office development in Linby to pay for county roads repairs if they were in charge of finances.

The Independent Alliance opposition group will propose an alternative budget on Thursday (February 9) when the authority meets to approve financial papers for the next three years.

The group has met with finance bosses over the past month to pull together the plans and its documents have been signed off as “legal and balanced”.

Council offices Top Wighay Farm
PICTURED: AN artist’s impression of the new council building at Top Wighay Fam near Linby
Top Wighay Farm Linby
PICTURED: (L-R) Cllr Keith Girling – chairman of Economic Development, Matt Neale – service director Growth and Investment and Steve Keating at the site of the new offices
Victoria Road Netherfield pothole
The Independent Alliance say the cash could be spent on repairing potholes

The plans include scrapping the controversial new £15.7m offices in favour of pumping cash into road repairs.

Responding to the plans, the council’s leading Conservative group dismissed them as “gimmick proposals”.

The Independent Alliance group says about £11.5m would be saved by dropping the new building, due to be built at Top Wighay Farm in Linby, but £4.2m would be lost to “abortive costs”.

The savings would be moved into immediate highway works for the 2023/24 financial year to tackle an issue some councillors have said is the most frequent complaint from members of the public.

This would be coupled with a further £9m for roads already allocated across the following three financial years, which would be brought forward into 2023/24.

The group says the £20.5m total allocation for roads would then be split by each district and borough to deliver £2.928m of repairs in each area next year.

Other proposals include reductions in the communications and marketing team and scrapping all unfilled vacant job postings.

This would save £670,000, which would be moved into the highways team to create staff for extra road maintenance.

And the group is proposing keeping councillors’ divisional funds at £5,000 rather than the Conservative Group’s planned reduction to £3,000.

These funds are allocated per councillor for community projects in their area.

Scrapping the £2,000 reduction would cost £132,000, with this cash found through contingency cash and an increased number of homes paying council tax.

The proposed 4.84 per cent council tax increase put forward by the Conservatives would still be enforced under the Independents’ plans.

Cllr Francis Purdue-Horan (Ind), who will propose the plans, said: “It’s a legal budget and will be paid for by scrapping an office block we don’t need and bringing forward spending.

“It will be fairly allocated and deals with the biggest problem residents get in touch with us about.

“Ask anybody what they think about the state of our roads and pavements and they’ll tell you they’re diabolical.

“This budget amendment shows we’re listening and acting on residents’ concerns.”

Cllr Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who will second the plans, added: “We’ve told Conservatives time and time again we don’t need new offices at Top Wighay.

“Since Covid, working habits have changed forever yet the council thinks it’s a good idea to build new offices.

“For me, a balanced, legal budget which fixes our broken roads and pavements is a no-brainer.”

Commenting on the Independents’ budget plans, Cllr Richard Jackson (Con), cabinet member for finance, said it is full of “impractical gimmick proposals”.

He says the authority’s communications department does an “incredibly important job keeping the council in touch with the people we serve”.

His planned reduction in divisional funds will “provide more support to our most vulnerable residents through other channels”, he added.

He also described highway spending as a “tired old gimmick” which would “jeopardise the funding available” for major infrastructure projects.

And on the Top Wighay proposal, he said the new building will be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, saving taxpayers £1.35m a year.

“Not so long ago, Ashfield Independents were complaining Nottinghamshire County Council was too remote from Ashfield and even walked to County Hall to make their point,” he said.

“Yet now, they oppose our plans to build an important new Nottinghamshire County Council office on their doorstep.”

He added: “[This] alternative budget …  is just another small bundle of gestures and soundbites designed to get their picture in the papers.

“The budget proposed by the Conservatives is designed to provide sustainable, good-quality services for the next three years and beyond.”

The Labour Group has confirmed it will not be putting forward alternative budget documents and will likely not support the Independents’ plans.

Ravenshead Pétanque Club continues to expand – with 80 members taking part in sport growing in popularity

Justin Doddy
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Ravenshead Pétanque Club continues to expand – with 80 members taking part in sport growing in popularity

For anyone who doesn’t know, petanque is a game sometimes referred to as French Boules. The aim of petanque, pronounced ‘Pet-onk’, is to throw metal balls (boules) towards the target ball (the jack). Points are scored by the player or team whose boules are closer than those of their opponent. The first to reach 13 is the winner of the game. 

Petanque is growing in popularity locally and nationally and can be very addictive. It is suitable for a wide range of age groups and abilities, it is indeed a sport enjoyed by all ages.

The English national squad has three teams – England Youth, England Espoirs (young players aged 18-23) and England Seniors.

Ravenshead Petanque Club has grown steadily since its formation less than 5 years ago and now is one of the largest clubs in the area with almost 80 members. Playing in their well known ‘purple’ colours the club is affiliated to Petanque England and falls within the Mercia region, one of seventeen regions in England. Its members play in various leagues and competitions locally, regionally and nationally. They are current holders of many trophies including the Sherwood Shield, and the Thursday Pairs League & Cup competitions. 

Pictured: Some of the Ravenshead Petanque Members in action (Courtesy of Steve Harrington)

Ravenshead Petanque Club hold social sessions at The Leisure Centre, Longdale Lane, Ravenshead NG15 9AG on Wednesday & Saturday afternoons from 2 – 4pm and Thursdays evenings 7 – 9pm.  Visitors and new members are very welcome – no experience required. All equipment can be provided. 

Find out more about the club by visiting the club website www.pistepetanque.app/Ravenshead or via their facebook page HERE

The club can also be contacted by email on Ravensheadpetanque@gmail.com

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DARTS: Gedling Club move seven points clear of the field

Justin Doddy
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DARTS: Gedling Club move seven points clear of the field

RESULTS February 1

The Gedling Club have moved 7 points clear in the Lowdham & District Village Men’s Darts League with a 5 – 1 win away against their nearest rivals, The Gleaners from Calverton.

Calverton Working Men’s Club draw against the Cross Keys, Epperstone was enough to move them into second place, on leg difference. The battle for second place is currently a very tight affair with four teams sitting within two points of each other.

The Gedling team continue to dominate the league while also having the five highest finishes of the league.

The Knock Out Cup Semi Final is on Wednesday February 8

Old Ship v Rodney @ Nags Head

Gleaners v Gedling Club @ Green Dragon

Finals & Presentation Night is on Friday March 24 @ CWMC

Five of the eight teams are based on the borough so if you want to get involved or know more, you can visit the league Facebook page here .

Who was Richard Bonington? The renowned painter from Arnold whose life was cut short by tuberculosis

Graham Finch
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Who was Richard Bonington? The renowned painter from Arnold whose life was cut short by tuberculosis

You can’t walk around Arnold town centre for long without seeing the name ‘Richard Bonington’ popping up somewhere.

He has a school, theatre and even a popular social club named after him – but what do we really know about the man who lent his name to so much in Arnold?

So, who was Richard Bonington?

Richard Parkes Bonington was born in the town of Arnold on October 25, 1802.

He was the only child of Richard Bonington and Eleanor Parks.

Bonington was reputed to have been skilled at drawing from a young age and to have loved acting. Very little is known about his schooling.

In 1817 the Boningtons emigrated to France and set up a lace manufactory in Calais as a result of the social unrest affecting business following the introduction of the factory system into the Nottingham lace and hosiery industries. The family moved to Paris the following year.

Landscape near Quilleboeuf, c. 1824–1825. (Courtesy of Yale Center for British Art)
PICTURED: The Bonington theatre and Arnold Leisure centre named after the famous Arnold-born painter (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)

Bonington learned the art of watercolor painting from Louis Francia, a native of Calais, who had worked for sixteen years in England; he studied at the studio of Baron Gros at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, from 1819 to 1822, where he was taught precision drawing and developed a taste for coastal scenes.

In 1821 Bonington made an extended tour of Normandy in the company of a fellow student, Alexandre-Marie Colin, and exhibited his watercolors in Paris.

Bonington toured Belgium in 1823 and spent much of 1824 at Dunkirk, exhibiting his first oils that year.

Bonington traveled in Italy for eleven weeks in 1826 with Baron Rivet, a wealthy patron, spending a month in Venice where he worked with feverish energy. The rest of his short life was taken up with handling a mounting pressure of work, much it commissioned, in the face of increasing weakness caused by tuberculosis.

Bonington made visits to London to see his dealers in 1827 and 1828, exhibiting at the Royal Academy of Arts in both years and first showing his courtly history subjects there and and at the Salon in 1828.

In late 1828 his tuberculosis worsened and his parents sent him back to London for treatment. Bonington died of the illness on September 231828 at 29 Tottenham Street in London, aged just 25. He was buried in the graveyard of St James’s Chapel Pentonville and in 1837 his remains were transferred to Kensal Green Cemetery in West London to be re-interred with his parents.

His legacy lives on…

A statue to him was erected outside the Nottingham School of Art by Watson Fothergill, and a theatre and primary school in Arnold are named after him. In addition, the house in which he was born (79 High Street, Arnold) is now named ‘Bonington House’ and is Grade II listed.

Delacroix paid tribute to Bonington’s talent was referenced in a letter written by French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix in 1861. He wrote “No one has possessed that lightness of touch which, especially in watercolours, makes [Bonington’s] works a type of diamond which flatters and ravishes the eye, independently of any subject and any imitation.”

Richard Parkes Bonington – a proper Gedling borough legend

Iceland is supermarket where prices have risen the fastest amid cost of living crisis

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Iceland is supermarket where prices have risen the fastest amid cost of living crisis

Iceland has been named the UK supermarket with the fastest rising prices.

The frozen food chain, which has stores in Arnold and on Carlton Hill, has increased prices by 10.1% increase since January 2022, new research shows.

According to data from Trolley.co.uk’s Grocery Price Index, Morrisons was close behind at 8%.

While Asda, Co-op and Sainsbury’s saw prices hiked by 6.5% since this time last year, Aldi saw a rise of 6%, with 5% for leading retailer Tesco.

Online-only supermarket Ocado rose its prices the least, with a 4.7% difference.

This comes as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a supermarket pricing review as part of an ongoing programme of work to help shoppers spot the best value for their money.

This will investigate confusing unit pricing practices both online and instore across the UK grocery sector. Unit pricing helps shoppers compare how much a particular product costs by the cost per unit (for example per 100g or 100ml), which helps them identify the best deals.

Last week, Kantar’s latest data revealed that grocery price inflation hit a record 16.7% in the four weeks to 22 January 2023, the highest level since is started tracking the figure in 2008.

As a result, as much as £788 has been added to the average annual shopping bill.

New data from the British Retail Consortium and NielsenIQ also found that food inflation reached the highest rate in the food category on record in January 2023 to 13.8%, up from 13.3% in December.

Commenting on the figure, BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson OBE said “prices are yet to peak” as “retailers still face ongoing headwinds from rising energy bills and labour shortages.”

READERS’ GALLERY: Saturday, February 4,2023

Gedling Eye Reporter
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READERS’ GALLERY: Saturday, February 4,2023

Do you think you’ve captured a Gedling borough moment in a photograph that other readers would like to see? If so then send it in to be featured on our Gedling Eye readers’ gallery.

Supply your name and a brief description of where and when the photograph was taken, or perhaps a funny caption.

We only feature photos taken locally in the borough.

The deadline is Friday at 5pm and photos will be published on the website on Saturday morning.

You can email your photos to us at news@gedlingeye.co.uk or hashtag us or tag us into our instagram account #gedlingeye

You can fins us on Instagram here

Aldi crowned as UK’s cheapest supermarket – but how do the others compare?

Graham Finch
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Aldi crowned as UK’s cheapest supermarket – but how do the others compare?

As we continue to feel the pinch from the cost of living crisis, it’s no wonder many of us are thinking twice about where we do our big shop (that’s still what we call it!) in Gedling borough. 

The cheapest supermarket has been revealed after research by consumer champion Which?.

The cheapest? No surprise – It’s Aldi, of course! The German discount supermarket has been named as the UK’s cheapest for the eighth month in a row. 

Lild supermarket
Lidl was just over £2 more expensive than Aldi
A weekly shop at Morrisons was nearly £15 more expensive than Aldi

This latest announcement is based on Which’s January research, which compared the prices for the same basket of items across the UK’s major supermarkets. 

Which? found that, at a total of £82.03, Aldi was around £13 cheaper than Sainsbury’s and Asda, which sat in the middle at just over £95 each, and nearly £12 cheaper than Tesco, which cost £93.80. 

Lidl was a close runner-up, though, costing only £2.04 than Aldi – so if Lidl is closer, don’t bother getting into your car to travel to Aldi. 

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, said: “We know just how important it is for families up and down the nation to find ways to cut costs anyway they can, and at Aldi we are dedicated to keeping prices low and quality high across all our products.  

“The latest findings from Which? show that customers can save themselves over £25 on just one basket by choosing Aldi – that’s not just pocket change. 

“The fact that Which? have found Aldi to be cheapest for eight months in a row is a testament to our commitment to our shoppers.”

UK Supermarkets ranked by cost

  1. Aldi – £82.03
  2. Lidl – £84.07
  3. Tesco – £93.80
  4. Asda – £95.32
  5. Sainsbury’s – £95.5
  6. Morrisons – £96.58

Updates on future of pubs in Carlton and Lambley provided by owners Star Pubs & Bars

Justin Doddy
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Updates on future of pubs in Carlton and Lambley provided by owners Star Pubs & Bars

Updates have been given about two pubs by owners Star Pubs and Bars – and it’s good news for drinkers, with plans to keep them trading confirmed.

The Lambley pub on Main Street, Lambley, closed its doors on January 12.

Gedling Eye contacted The Lambley owners Star Pubs and Bars who told us ‘they hadn’t been informed that the pub was closing’.

PICTURED: The Lambley pub on Main Street
PICTURED: The Beacon Hill on Burton Road in Carlton

When first contacted they said: “The Lambley was leased to an independent operator to run as their own business.

“We are keen for it to reopen as quickly as possible.”

The chain has now provided Gedling Eye with a new update, confirming they want to get the pub trading again.

A spokesperson for Star Pubs & Bars says: “There is interest in taking on The Lambley from a number of parties because it is a great pub in a great location. 

“Until an agreement with one of them is finalised we can’t provide further information.”

The firm also provided an update on the Beacon Hill on Burton Road in Carlton.

The pub is still trading but without a permanent management team in place – but this could be changing soon.

“The Beacon Hill at Carlton is open and trading with a temporary publican,” a spokesman for the pub chain said.

“We should have a new operator in place by the end of February. We’ll be able to confirm all the details and their plans for the pub once the recruitment process is finalised.”

“Once the plans are definite, we’ll be happy to share more details.”

Lidl is offering shoppers chance to win £10,000 when buying fruit and veg from their stores

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Lidl is offering shoppers chance to win £10,000 when buying fruit and veg from their stores

Lidl is offering shoppers at their Gedling borough stores the chance to win £10,000 by buying fruit and vegetables.

The German discount supermarket has stores in Arnold and Netherfield .

Customers must complete a digital Fruit and Veg stamp card via the Lidl Plus app to be in for a chance of winning the huge cash prize.

Every £5 spent on fresh fruit & veg at the discount supermarket until March 1 earns one stamp, with four stamps needed to complete a card. Each completed card offers customers one entry into the prize draw.

There are up to 100,000 fruit and veg coupons to be won as well as the big cash prize, but customers could also choose to pay it forward and translate their coupon into a £1 donation to Lidl’s Community redistribution partner Neighbourly.

Customers are able to enter the Prize Draw multiple times.

The promotion applies only to fresh fruit & veg, including prepared fresh, with no stamps earned for buying frozen or tinned produce.

The news comes as Lidl is set to make a £4 billion investment into the British food industry this year to support suppliers across the country.

Additionally, the discount retailer announced last year that it will be supporting its suppliers by selling stunted fruit and vegetables in a bid to reduce food waste.

Council converts bathrooms to wet rooms so elderly residents in Netherfield can remain in their own homes

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Council converts bathrooms to wet rooms so elderly residents in Netherfield can remain in their own homes

Pensioners in Netherfield have had their ageing bathrooms converted into wet rooms by Gedling Borough Council so they can live independently at home for longer.

15 properties in the town were identified as meeting the criteria to have their standard bathrooms converted into accessible wet rooms.

Standard baths will be removed so that walk-in shower spaces can be created. It can allow elderly people to live in their own homes for longer and potentially delay the need to move into supported accommodation or NHS care.  

Councillor Jenny Hollingsworth, left, with resident Robert Watling (and Sandy the dog) in a newly converted wet room,

The council worked in partnership with local housing providers, Longhurst Group, to identify properties where there was a need for adaptations. 

The scheme has been entirely funded by the Better Care Fund, a programme launched in 2015 to join up the NHS, social care and housing services so that older people, and those with complex needs, can manage their own health and wellbeing and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. 

PICTURED: Before, above, and after, below, photos of a wet room conversion

The cost of the scheme totalled £105,000 but it is estimated that each adaptation could save up to £73,000 per person when compared to the cost of a resident having to move into residential care or the cost to the NHS where help is needed following a fall.

The scheme was designed to improve the facilities for both existing and future residents, and as well as having wet rooms installed, properties have had additional safety improvements such as new sinks, rails and seats fitted. 

The council is now looking at ways to build on the success of the scheme and will consider other areas and housing providers in the borough which could benefit from the innovative use of the council’s Better Care Fund allocation.

Resident Yvonne Lee said; “I’m absolutely delighted with this new shower and wet room, it’s much better suited for me than my previous setup, especially after I fell in the bath and had to call for help last year.

This new wet room is an absolute life saver, it’s helped me to be able to look after myself again and given me back my confidence after my fall.

I’m incredibly grateful for the work that’s been done under this scheme, it’s made such a difference for me.”

Netherfield resident Robert Watling said: “All the teams involved in this did a fantastic job, everyone was so polite, on time, friendly, tidy; you couldn’t ask for a better group. 

I’m so happy with the work they’ve done, I had an accident with the old bath here and this new wet room has helped me get back my independence.

My only complaint was there was too much choice for tiles and floors, there were so many options! It’s a fantastic scheme and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who’s eligible for future projects like this.”

Joe Taylor from Longhurst Group said: “This was an amazing and life changing project, enabled through collaborative working and aligned thinking, all with the goal of improving the lives of our mutual customers. 

What an outcome and achievement to deliver these adaptations in such a timescale, to such a standard, thank you to Gedling Borough Council for enabling this project and thank you to my colleagues in the independent living team, planned works team and at Lindum for their huge and sustained effort over the course of the project.” 

Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth and Economy, Councillor Jenny Hollingsworth said;

“This is a fantastic scheme and something which is going to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.   

A priority for the council is to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities for our residents, and that’s exactly what this scheme is about.

This campaign not only means residents can benefit from new, safer and accessible facilities right now, but they can also benefit from the long term impact, helping to improve their quality of life and live independently. 

I’d like to thank our officers and partners involved in organising this scheme and for securing the finding to help improve the lives of our residents.”

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