Nottinghamshire County Council are holding their Full Council meeting today.
You can follow the meeting live on our blog below…
REVEALED: Gedling Borough Council paid out £31.4 million in Covid grants
New official figures have revealed that Gedling Borough Council paid out £31.4 million in Covid grants to more than 2,250 businesses in the area since the start of the pandemic.
The funding came as part of numerous Government grants and support schemes launched during the pandemic to keep businesses afloat during lockdowns and local restrictions.
Tens of thousands of payments were made by councils across Nottinghamshire during the two years to March 2022, with councils saying the support has allowed local traders to keep their heads above water at a time when they were “hit hardest”.
Figures from six out of eight distributing authorities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire show councils distributed at least £285 million over the past two years.
But Gedling Borough Council leader Cllr John Clarke told Local Democracy Reporter Andrew Topping that distributing the grants had “not always been straightforward”.
He said: “Our officers have worked relentlessly to ensure as many eligible businesses as possible have been able to apply for, and receive, much-needed grant funding at a time when their businesses were hit hardest.
“Facilitating these grants has not always been straightforward, with a range of criteria and eligibility requirements, tight deadlines to raise awareness of each grant and the huge administrative undertaking processing applications.”
The funding was provided to local authorities from Whitehall to distribute to traders, with eligible businesses, traders and the self-employed required to apply to their council for individual payments.
As of March 19, 2022, all Government business grant schemes had closed, with no Covid restrictions in place across England.
Gedling Labour councillor resigns
A borough councillor for Gedling has announced she is stepping down from the role with immediate effect.
Jennifer Hemingway represented Gedling Ward on Gedling Borough Council, along with Labour’s Jenny Hollingsworth.
Councillor Hemingway said the decision to leave her post was taken after deciding to move away from the area.
In a tweet she said: “I have resigned as a Councillor for Gedling ward on Gedling Borough Council.
“I want to say thank you to the people of Gedling for placing your trust in me. It has been an honour to represent you.
“I never intended not to finish my term, but life happens. My family and I have now moved to the West Midlands.
“Cllr Jenny Hollingsworth continues representing Gedling ward in her phenomenal way.”
A by-election could now take place to fill the vacancy before the next council elections in May 2023.
Two requests for a by-election are now required from two government electors. If the requests are made, the by-election must take place within
35 working days of the date of receipt of the requests.
The vacancy notice has been posted here: https://www.gedling.gov.uk/media/gedlingboroughcouncil/documents/council/elections/Notice%20of%20Vacancy%20-%20Gedling%20-%20290322.pdf
Lateral flow tests will be scrapped in England except for frontline health and care home staff from Friday
Free lateral flow tests are set to be scrapped for everyone except NHS workers, care home staff and vulnerable patients from Friday in England, the Government announced tonight.
People will be told there is no need to take a test even if they are symptomatic, though they will be advised to isolate until they feel better.
Rapid Covid tests are being massively scaled back on April 1 as part of the final phase of the Government’s ‘living with Covid’ strategy.
Although COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations have risen in recent weeks, health bosses say over 55% of those in hospital that have tested positive are not there with COVID-19 as their primary diagnosis.
The Government said the success of the vaccination programme and access to antivirals has given the population much stronger protection against COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic.
They said this has enabled the country to begin to manage the virus like other respiratory infections.
From Friday (April 1), updated guidance will advise people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, to try stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature.
Until April 1 individuals should continue to follow the current guidance.
From Friday, anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result will be advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious.
Advice will be provided for individuals who need to leave their home when they have symptoms or have tested positive, including avoiding close contact with people with a weakened immune system, wearing a face-covering and avoiding crowded places.
Under the new rules free testing will still be provided for:
- Patients in hospital, where a PCR test is required for their care
- People who are eligible for community Covid drug treatments because they are at higher risk of getting seriously ill if they become infected. People in this group will be contacted directly and sent lateral flow tests to keep at home for use if they have symptoms, as well as being told how to reorder tests
- Care home residents
- People working in some high-risk settings, including care homes and prisons. These staff will be able to test regularly, without symptoms
People will also be tested before being discharged from hospital into care homes, hospices and refuges.
But most visitors to adult social care settings, and visitors to the NHS, prisons or places of detention will not be required to take a test.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid said: “Thanks to our plan to tackle Covid we are leading the way in learning to live with the virus. We have made enormous progress but will keep the ability to respond to future threats including potential variants.
“Vaccines remain our best defence and we are now offering spring boosters to the elderly, care home residents and the most vulnerable – please come forward to protect yourself, your family, and your community.”
Opening hours now extended at Calverton Recycling Centre
With the start of British Summer Time last weekend, our local tip at Calverton is now open for longer every day.
Calverton Recycling Centre will now be open from 8am right through until 8pm every day until Friday, September 30.
Residents in Gedling borough are now being encouraged to make the most of the longer opening hours and visit in the evenings when the site on Hollinwood Lane is usually quieter.
The four day Easter weekend is traditionally one of the busiest times at the Recycling Centres as DIY enthusiasts set to work on home improvements. The longer opening times will give residents more opportunity to avoid queues and delays.
Lea Hawkes, general manager for Veolia Nottinghamshire, who runs the site, said: “We’re delighted that we can extend the opening hours. We hope that the longer opening hours will allow residents to visit a site during the evening which tends to be a quieter time or on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday when visitor numbers are also lower.
“We would also like to remind residents that they can visit any Recycling Centre within the county as long as they have registered their vehicle(s) via the County Council’s website.”
The recycling centre accepts a wide range of household waste for recycling; including textiles, glass bottles and jars, wood, scrap metal, batteries, garden waste, electrical appliances and even engine oil and cooking oil. On average, the Recycling Centres recycle an impressive 80% of the waste they receive.
Top tips to remember when visiting your local Recycling Centre:
• Your visit will be quicker if your waste is sorted into types before your visit and will also help us to recycle as much as possible
• Don’t forget, you need to be a Nottinghamshire resident and registered to use our Recycling Centres and will be turned away if not. Register for free at:
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/recycling-centres/using-our-recycling-centres/register
• If assistance is needed, please ask a member of staff.
• Trade waste, commercial waste, or waste from home building projects can’t be taken to the Recycling Centres. You must only take your own personal household waste.
• Children and animals must stay in vehicles at all times.
Wetherspoons’ menu change at Gedling borough pubs – including KFC-style basket at bargain price
Pub chain Wetherspoons is revamping the menus at their Gedling borough boozers – with 14 new items being added this week.
Fans of KFC will be delighted as there will be four new boneless chicken dishes available to order at the venues in Arnold, Carlton and Mapperley.
The first basket option includes three southern-fried chicken strips and five chicken breast bites.
You can also order a basket of five southern-fried chicken strips, or a basket of ten chicken breast bites.
A basket of eight Quorn “no chicken” nuggets is also being added to the menu to ensure vegetarians are catered for,
Each basket will be served with either a BBQ, sweet chilli, JD honey glaze, or sticky soy sauce. You’ll also get coleslaw and a choice of chips or rice.
Other new additions being added to Wetherspoon pubs include a new char-grilled chicken dish with chicken gravy.
This comes with the option of mashed potato, chips or a jacket potato.
Curry Club will see three new dishes being added to the range – chicken korma, sweet potato curry, and chicken vindaloo.
Finally, Spoons is adding a fruit salad to its breakfast menu alongside a small pancakes dish, both of which can be ordered as desserts too.
The menu items will be added from this Wednesday (March 30).
Arnold fire crew attacked by gang of teenagers while tackling bin fire in Top Valley
A fire crew from Arnold called to put out a wheelie bin fire in Top Valley were attacked by a group of teenagers.
A fire engine and crew were attacked by a group of young teenagers in Lytham Gardens on Saturday night (26).
A group of approximately seven, which included two girls, became abusive towards firefighters and threw wood at them.
This happened just after 7pm, after the crew from Arnold had been called to put out a fire in a wheelie bin in the road – a fire which is believed to have been started deliberately to bring emergency services to the area.
No firefighters were hit or injured, however a second attack is believed to have been carried out by the same group when the fire engine stopped at traffic lights on Bestwood Park Drive West.
Bricks were thrown at the fire engine causing some damage.
Matt Reavill, Group Manager for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:”This is completely unacceptable and someone could have been seriously hurt.
“Attending fires that we believe have been started deliberately already hampers our ability to respond to emergencies where lives could be at risk, but to then be subjected to an attack like this is just inconceivable.”All of our fire engines are fitted with CCTV so we will be working with our police colleagues to identify those responsible.”
Sergeant Ollie Chadwick, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This behaviour reported is absolutely unacceptable. Emergency services colleagues are simply trying to do their jobs and keep people safe, and it is unfathomable that anyone could subject them to this.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt. Officers were called following the incident in Lytham Gardens and immediately began to investigate. However, suspects had left the area, and we continue our enquiries which include looking for anyone who witnessed the incident and working with fire colleagues to retrieve CCTV footage.
“We would ask anyone with information to get in touch with Nottinghamshire Police as soon as possible.”If you have information about this incident, please contact quoting incident 617 of 26 March.
Burglar jailed after police found his blood following break-in at Mapperley Park
A prolific burglar was caught after his blood was discovered at a house he’d broken into in Mapperley.
Mark Martindale cut himself while carrying out two burglaries after smashing a window to get inside.
Martindale, who sold the items he stole so that he could buy drugs with the money, was caught after police forensic teams linked him to both offences.
Martindale, of Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, used a brick to smash a garage window during a break in at a house in Lucknow Avenue, Mapperley Park, on February 8, 2022.
After climbing through the window and cutting himself on the glass, Martindale left a blood smear on the door frame, before fleeing the scene without taking anything after the burglar alarm was set off.
Martindale then stole around £750 worth of items, including bottles of spirits, during a second burglary just four days later (12 February 2022), at a house in Montpelier Road, Dunkirk.
He sold all the items he’d taken from the house to a drug dealer.
Once again, Martindale smashed his way into the property, this time by breaking a conservatory window and a glass sliding door, but also managed to cut himself in the process.
Police forensic teams were able to track Martindale down based on the blood stains left at the scene.
He then admitted to carrying out the burglaries.
Before sentencing, Martindale contacted the Police Prison Liaison Officer and said he also wanted to ‘own up’ to four more burglaries he had committed.
Martindale appeared before Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (25 March 2022), where he was jailed for four years and four months.
Detective Constable Colin Kirkup, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The force takes all incidents of burglary extremely seriously, with our officers working hard to ensure we’re able to catch those who commit this invasive crime.
“It’s vital that we’re able to bring offenders to justice and show the public how committed we are as a force to reducing burglaries.
“Martindale has done the right thing by owning up to the other burglaries and helping bring closure to his victims.
“He is now working towards turning his life around.”
Appeal after ‘hazardous’ asbestos dumped in Newstead
An appeal has been launched after ‘hazardous’ asbestos was fly-tipped by the side of a road in Newstead.
Gedling Borough Council said they had been made aware of the ‘large, hazardous, fly tip of asbestos’ on Station Avenue.
A spokesman said: “Specialist contractors will be removing the waste as soon as possible and our Neighbourhood Wardens are looking for any evidence which may lead them to find those responsible.
“This is blocking access to nearby allotments so users are advised to use an alternative entrance if possible.
“If anyone witnessed anything, or has any details regarding this fly tip, please call us on 0115 901 3901 or email enquiries@gedling.gov.uk
Row over Levelling Up cash escalates as MPs criticise Gedling Borough Council funding bid
A row over ‘levelling up’ funds has escalated after Gedling MP Tom Randall accused Gedling Borough Council leaders John Clarke and Michael Payne of concentrating on ‘churning out taxpayer-funded propaganda’ instead of working on an improved bid to get access to government funding.
During Business Questions in the House of Commons last week, Mr Randall criticised the council’s approach to the Levelling Up bid and also a recent letter they sent out to residents about the council tax increase.
He told the House: “Gedling Borough residents are opening their council tax bills to find a letter, signed by the leader and deputy leader, criticising the government, including that the borough has not received levelling up funding. But at a meeting I had with Department for Levelling-Up officials this week, I learned that Gedling’s levelling up fund bid was described as disparate and insufficiently compelling, feedback that the council would’ve had when they prepared their letter.
Randall added: “Gedling Borough Council’s leaders’ time would be better spent working on better bids, rather than churning out taxpayer-funded propaganda.”
Leader of the House of Commons and fellow Gedling Borough MP, Mark Spencer MP, replied: “I share his pain in that Gedling Borough Council covers part of my constituency as well. He is right to draw the House’s attention to this.
A second round of bidding opens soon.
Speaking after Business Questions, Tom said: “I facilitated a meeting between Gedling Borough Council and ministers before the council submitted their levelling-up bid. Feedback provided to the Council during that meeting, particularly around public engagement on bids, seems to have been ignored as it again forms part of the reason why their levelling-up bid was not successful.
“I would not have made this feedback public, or raised it in the House of Commons, but I felt compelled to speak out after Gedling Borough Council’s political leadership tried to use the levelling up fund as a stick to beat the Government with in the letter they sent to all Gedling households at taxpayers’ expense.”
Gedling Borough Council’s leader John Clarke MBE said the letter sent to residents ‘simply stated the facts’.
He said: “Our Member of Parliament failed to mention the reason we issued that letter, to explain to our residents why we have had no choice but to increase council tax at a time when bills are going through the roof and people are genuinely concerned about how they are going to afford to make ends meet.
“We simply stated the facts; we are one of the worst affected councils in the entire country in terms of government funding and that we have not received a single penny for ‘Levelling Up’.
Councillor Clarke also said the feedback received about the previous bid had been positive.
He said: “The feedback we received from government about our bid was clear: it was strong, well presented, detailed and costed but it was a very oversubscribed category and we were classified as not being suitable for feasibility funding, which would have strengthened our bid.
“Our officers worked tirelessly to put the bid together and will no doubt be disappointed to be criticised so publicly.
“Mr Randall says he didn’t come into politics to attack councils yet this is not the first occasion where he has publicly criticised Gedling Borough Council officers for trying to do their jobs.
“We think that his time would be better spent working with us to ensure the residents of this borough see much needed funding, instead of sending out press releases when he doesn’t like criticism of his government that is stating the simple facts.”
A new bid is expected to be submitted in the coming months when the second round of the Levelling-Up Fund is launched by the UK Government.
