A prospective Gedling MP has revealed that heart attack victims in the borough now face a two-hour wait for an ambulance.
Michael Payne, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Gedling, shared new official figures published this week, which reveal that category 2 (emergencies including heart attacks and strokes) patients are waiting an average of 2 hours 16 minutes for an ambulance in Gedling.
“The figures are staggering,” said Payne.
“After 13 years of Conservative government our NHS faces the worst crisis in its history. The terrifying truth is that patients in an emergency in Gedling can no longer be sure the NHS will be there for them.
“In the week starting 2 January 2023, at Nottingham Hospitals NHS Trust 43% of all ambulances were waiting 30 minutes or more to hand over their patients to A&E staff. It should only take 15 minutes.”
“The longer the Tories are in power, the longer patients will wait for care – but Labour has a plan to get our health service back on its feet. We would bring about one of the biggest NHS workforce expansions in its history – funded by abolishing the unfair non-dom status for the super rich.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressures the NHS is under and are taking urgent action to support the ambulance service and staff so they can deliver high quality care to patients.”
“This included an additional £500m for freeing up hospital beds, and £3.3bn per year for the next two years announced in this month’s autumn statement.”
A burglar will face the next eight months behind bars after pleading guilty to two attempted burglars in Mapperley Park.
Troy Trevethick, 48, of no fixed address, worked in the early hours of January 5 to try and gain access to two properties at The Point.
He also attempted to gain access to a Grey Skoda Fabia. But his attempts failed, and he now faces the next few months behind bars.
Trevethick was caught on CCTV, but it was the intuitive work of a police community support officer which recognised the suspect’s distinctive appearance.
He was arrested and charged with three offences.
Trevethick pleaded guilty to two attempted burglaries and a vehicle interference at Nottingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday, January 10.
He received an eight-month custodial sentence along with £154 court costs.
Nottingham has a dedicated burglary and robbery police team.
Detective Constable Colin Kirkup, who works as part of the team, said: “This was a great result after a long day and night piecing together all the evidence.
“A special mention to the knife crime team at St Ann’s for making the arrest.
“While Trevethick didn’t manage to gain entry to any of the homes he was targeting that morning, by acting so fast we have stopped his criminality and potentially saved other homes being targeted by him.
“Burglary is such an invasive crime and that is why we put so much resource into catching those responsible. Hopefully this ensures that homes are safe from Trevethick now he is behind bars.”
Recent bad weather has “ripped chunks” out of Nottinghamshire’s roads with the county council saying it is “firefighting” to bring them back up to scratch.
The Conservative-led authority says reports “almost doubled” between December 7 and January 7, though no specific figures were revealed.
It follows freezing temperatures in December and recent heavy rainfall causing damage to the surface of the county’s highways.
Winter is typically the worst period for road damage as cold temperatures cause surfaces to become more brittle.
The council says the sub-zero temperatures in December, salt used to grit roads and recent heavy rainfall caused the spike in pothole reports.
It follows the authority recently reporting drastically-improved statistics on the state of the county’s roads.
It came after a cross-party review conducted in 2021 found the council should move away from the temporary asphalt repair method ‘Viafix’.
The new focus is on more permanent road replacement schemes and to shift towards a “right repair, right-first-time” approach.
Data published last month showed the use of ‘Viafix’ reduced by 61 per cent following the review, with the number of ‘patching gangs’ doubled from four to eight in a £15m investment last April.
These are the teams at Via East Midlands, the council’s highways contractor, who conduct permanent road replacement projects on behalf of the authority.
The council’s figures also showed the length of roads patched per day more than doubled from 46.9 daily square metres to 96.5 following the review.
And Councillor Ben Bradley (Con), the council’s leader and Mansfield’s MP, says the programme was “going really well” until recent weather conditions.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service teams are working 24/7 to “tackle and keep up with it” but stressed bad road conditions are a national issue.
“Frustratingly, our roads programme was going really well until the weather hit and ripped chunks out of the roads,” he said.
“The feedback and the data had been excellent, and we will get back to that once we’ve finished firefighting the damage caused over the past couple of weeks.
“The roads are bad at the minute and, unfortunately, I can’t control the weather or the quality of work done long before I was here.
“But the key point I’ve been making is that we have put the investment in, teams are working 24/7 trying to tackle it and keep up with it, and this genuinely is a national issue.
“We’re not unique – one in three roads across the country need resurfacing nationally so we’re all in the same boat.”
The issue was discussed during the authority’s place select committee on Wednesday (January 11).
In the meeting, Cllr Penny Gowland (Lab), who represents West Bridgford North, said: “I’ve been astonished by the effects of the highways review, it has been very positive.
“I think the only question we should be asking as a council is how we got into the mess before. I guess it comes down to resources.”
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Neil Clarke (Con), portfolio holder for transport and environment, said: “Wintry conditions always take their toll on highways across Nottinghamshire.
“I would like to reassure our residents that we are not alone as an authority in experiencing this.
“We ask residents and road users to bear with us; they will likely see an increase in emergency repairs as we keep roads safe through the winter until larger-scale permanent repairs can be made.
“However, we’ll still be undertaking permanent repairs wherever we can and are continuing with our large-scale patch repairs, as part of our four-year programme.”
Detectives investigating a stabbing in Carlton have arrested a second suspect.
Officers were called to Valley Road, Carlton, at around 10am on Wednesday (11 January 2023) following reports of a stabbing.
A man, aged in his 20s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries and remains in a critical condition.
A 24-year-old man was arrested close to the scene on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and remains in custody.
Detectives have now also arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We believe this was an isolated incident and I would like to reassure members of the community that there is no wider risk to the public.
“If any residents have concerns I would urge them to speak to an officer.
“It was, however, an extremely serious assault and we are continuing our investigation to find out exactly what happened in the moments before, during and after the incident.
“Valley Road is a busy road and I would appeal to any drivers who may have seen anything or may have dash-cam footage of the incident to come forward.”
Anyone with additional information who has not already spoken to an officer is asked to call 101 quoting incident 126 of 11 January 2023.
A derelict former petrol storage site in Colwick will be turned into 13 new industrial units and a builder’s merchants.
Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee have approved the plans for the former Total site, on Road Number 3 of the Colwick Industrial Estate.
The former petrol site has been vacant since 2019 and the main part of the building has since been demolished.
PHOTO: Gedling Eye
Existing boardings across the front of the site have been vandalised with graffiti but now developers have been given permission to rejuvenate the land.
The plans were lodged by national developer Chancerygate, which occupied the site in November 2021 and said “hundreds of jobs” could be created.
The company said at the time that, overall, the wider scheme has an estimated value of about £20m.
The Labour-run council confirmed in planning documents it will negotiate an agreement to ensure some construction jobs go to the local workforce.
The site will see five blocks of units created, with four to be shared across the 13 industrial units.
The fifth will be specifically for the builder’s merchants, which will be occupied by supplier Travis Perkins.
The authority’s planning committee approved the plans during its meeting on Wednesday (January 11).
Mark Garrity, Chancerygate’s development director, spoke in the meeting to outline the benefits of its plans.
He said: “This development will provide important, new employment opportunities within the borough.
“The site will regenerate and renew a redundant parcel of land within an industrial area.
“It will deliver 13 industrial and logistics units, including six trade counters and a builder’s merchants intended to be occupied by Travis Perkins.
“Overall, a total of 9,377 square metres of new floor space is proposed across the site, including a range of unit sizes and types.”
He told the committee all units and the builder’s merchants will benefit from electric vehicle (EV) charging points.
Planning documents say 73 parking spaces will be provided for the industrial units, including 14 EV bays and 13 disabled bays.
A further 32 spaces will be provided for the builder’s merchants, including five EV bays and one disabled bay.
The units will also include 14 lorry parking spaces alongside a further three lorry bays for the builder’s merchants.
The parking – including the EV ports – was welcomed by one councillor who also praised the regeneration of the site.
Cllr Mike Adams (Con), who represents Trent Valley, said: “I welcome the application, the EV charging and a decent lining of vegetation along the site.
“I’m also incredibly happy to see us using an industrial site to put industrial things on and to build on existing grey space brownfield sites.
“It’s welcome in this area, specifically in our industrial zone.”
Cllr Meredith Lawrence (Lab), who represents Colwick, added: “I’ve got pleasure in moving this application.
“It’s in my ward and the area has been vacant for some time.
“Anything that brings jobs into the area – and hopefully, local jobs – [is welcome].
“It’s good that the area can sustain and give people choice.”
UPDATE: Emma Grace has now been found safe and well. Thnks to everyone who shared the appeal
Police are appealing for help to find a 14-year-old girl who has gone missing from Arnold.
Emma Grace was last seen in the Arnold area at around 2:00pm yesterday (Wednesday, 11)
She is described as a white female and is around 5ft 4ins tall with shoulder-length brown hair. Emma was last seen wearing Black Leggings, a white Top, Grey Jumper, Scarf and White Fila Trainers.
If you have seen Emma Grace or have any information about her whereabouts, please contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 383 of 11 January 2023.
Plans for 24 homes in Gedling have been approved by councillors despite concerns over existing residents’ privacy.
Developer WFW Developments Ltd brought forward the plans for land at Grange View Road, on an overgrown site close to existing homes.
The plans include a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes which will all be two or 2.5 storeys, including two for affordable rent and three for first-time buyers.
PICTURED: The plans were approved during a meeting of councillors at the Civic Centre in Arnold
It would be accessed from Grange View Road and via a footway on either side of the development.
The plans are part of the wider Willow Farm development, which has already been granted consent for 110 houses.
Councillors debated the 24 home plans on Wednesday (January 11) and granted planning consent.
However, the planning committee meeting heard from Philip Oddie, of the Willow Farm Action Group, who raised concerns about the impact on existing homes.
He told councillors: “The layout of the houses on the southern edge of the development will result in significant harm to the residential amenity currently enjoyed by existing residents.
“We see little evidence in this application that this has been considered. The applicant’s intention to construct two-storey houses on elevated terraces … will only serve to maximise the negative impact.
“The height, bulk and position of these new houses will dominate neighbouring properties and will result in the occupants having close-up views into the rear rooms and gardens of existing homes.
“The impact of the applicant’s plan will be devastating.”
Councillor Andrew Ellwood (Lib Dem), the ward member for Phoenix, shared these concerns.
He said: “It’s really quite noticeable how seven of the proposed houses are really overlooking the existing houses.
“It is so overbearing for those existing residents and would look incongruous to my mind.
“I think with maybe a little more imagination, something better could have been proposed.”
The committee had initially discussed deferring the plans and asking the developer to outline a visual impact assessment for the scheme.
This deferment was proposed by Cllr Chris Barnfather (Con), who represents Newstead Abbey, but was voted down.
In the meeting, Cllr Barnfather said: “I do not think we have sufficient information to make the decision today.
“I believe these properties are overbearing and impactful on the quality of life of residents of the existing properties.
“For that reason, I can’t support the application as it is.”
However, other councillors spoke in favour of the development and it was ultimately granted planning permission in line with officer recommendations.
Cllr Paul Wilkinson (Lab), who represents Carlton, said: “We have to accept Gedling is a hilly borough.
“There are houses all across the borough where there are big differences in height.
“It’s not unusual for the borough of Gedling. The principle of development has been established and I think I’m happy with what’s proposed.”
Cllr Pete Barnes (Lab), who represents Daybrook, added: “I think it’s a decent-sized development.
“These probably will sell because it’s quite pleasant down there now we’ve got the relief road and it’s quite easily accessed.
“I think it’ll be a very nice development.”
The plans were approved subject to the developer agreeing to significant financial contributions.
This includes £15,000 for bus stop enhancements, £131,270 for education and £12,680 for open space maintenance.
A traditional custom which dates back hundreds of years is being celebrated in villages across Gedling borough over the next few days.
The Calverton Plough Play is performed each January in Calverton and its surrounding villages by the Calverton Real Ale and Plough Play Preservation Society (affectionately known as CRAPPPS).
The Society was formed in the Autumn of 1978 and was made up of members of the Calverton Theatre Group.
The 2023 tour will see CRAPPS undertake their 45th consecutive year of Plough Play performances. The first ever run took place in 1979, raising more than £30k for Nottinghamshire NSPCC in the process.
A quote from a letter of 12 January 1979 to the local bars read :
‘Many thanks for allowing members of the Calverton Theatre Group to perform the Plough Play in your bars last weekend. Our total collection for the eight pubs was £64.33. We have donated this money to the Nottingham branch of the National Children’s Home.
Yours sincerely, John Calvert’
The origins of Plough Plays stretch back hundreds of years. Only a fragment remains of the original Calverton script so the version currently performed combines text from various other Nottinghamshire scripts (though mainly from the Cropwell version).
If you are in any of the following venues between the 12 – 14 January, be prepared to witness one of Nottingham’s oldest and most respected respected folk traditions that is based upon a script dating back to 1890.
Proceeds, as ever, will go to Nottinghamshire NSPCC.
Content courtesy of Calverton Real Ale & Plough Play Preservation Society – Further details can be accessed on their website at: https://ploughboys.wordpress.com/
A taxi driver who left a blind couple from Arnold stranded because they had guide dogs with them has been fined by magistrates.
Gavin and Mel Griffiths had booked a taxi to pick them up from the town in July 2021.
When the taxi arrived, the Griffiths were waiting on the pavement with their guide dogs. However, the vehicle turned around and drove off, leaving the couple stranded.
The judge ruled that the reason Mr Anwar failed to fulfil the booking was due to the presence of the guide dogs
Despite pleading not guilty, Rajan Anwar, 52, was convicted by a district judge after hearing evidence from Mr Griffiths’ himself and considering evidence obtained from his phone and Uber which supported the prosecution’s case.
The judge ruled that the reason Mr Anwar failed to fulfil the booking was due to the presence of the guide dogs, not a flat tyre as Mr Anwar claimed.
Mr Anwar was fined £288, ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge and ordered to pay £100 in compensation to each of the Griffiths as well as a contribution of £500 towards the prosecution costs.
Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, Councillor David Ellis said: “We are pleased with the court’s decision to hold Mr Anwar accountable for his actions, this case serves as a reminder that discrimination against disabled individuals and their assistance animals is illegal and will not be tolerated.
“I would like to thank the Licencing Team for their sterling work in gathering the evidence to be able to prosecute the driver and I hope that Mr and Mrs Griffiths are not treated in this way ever again.”
