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Gedling Borough Council to increase taxi driver fees and charges to help balance budget

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Gedling Borough Council to increase taxi driver fees and charges to help balance budget

Taxi drivers will have to pay more to run their cabs in Gedling borough as the local council plans to increase their licensing fees and charges.

Gedling Borough Council is proposing to increase the cost of having a taxi licence by around 5.5 per cent as the department responsible for running taxis continues to lose money.

The proposed fees and charges for 2022/23 are designed to ensure the service operates towards ‘a full cost recovery basis’, the council said.

In a report prepared for a meeting on January 18, the council said: “The service has historically been delivered at a cost to the council and requires a subsidy to break even.

“The increases in fees over the past few years have been made to progress towards a full cost recovery model, this year’s increase brings the service a step closer, however, it is anticipated that the service will still be a cost to the council and still require a subsidy to break even.”

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, councillors decided not to increase fees for taxi drivers, operators, and vehicles.

The council said: “This was in recognition of the continuing difficulties faced by the taxi trade during the pandemic and the fees remained at the 2019/20 level.

“During 2021/22 fees were raised to reflect the increase in applications being received and enforcement work carried out as the lockdown restrictions were lifted.

“Now that the trade is back to pre-pandemic levels and above in terms of public demand, the administration and enforcement workload for the licensing team is back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Members are also asked to take into consideration that, notwithstanding the recent lockdowns, in recent years there has been an increase in licensing enforcement investigations involving complex cases as well as high visibility compliance checks across the region which has placed a further burden on existing resources.”

Gedling will publish details of the proposed fees for 2022/23 and provide for a period of 28 days for any objections to the fees to be lodged.

Any objections will be considered by the council before the proposed fees are finally approved.

Costs rises include:

  • A driver licence fee (for one year) will rise from £158 to 166.50.
  • a driver licence fee ( for three years) from £409 to 431.50.
  • vehicle licence fee from  £154 to £162.50
  • operator’s licence (for one year) from £117 plus £117 per additional vehicle to £123.50 plus £123.50 per additional vehicle
  • operator’s licence (for five years) from £620 plus £175 per additional vehicle to £654 plus £184.50 per additional vehicle

Cllr John Clarke (Lab), leader of Gedling Borough Council, said: “We are not a charity. It is not unlike energy bill rises. This is helping to achieve this balanced budget that we need to make in February/March this year by law.

“Taxi drivers had a break (from increases during the pandemic) and I have great sympathy with the fuel price rises but unfortunately we are going to have to increase some of these fees.”

The proposed rises are expected to be approved at a Environment and Licensing Committee on January 18.

Police appeal after woman is injured in collision with van in Carlton

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Police appeal after woman is injured in collision with van in Carlton

Police are appealing for witnesses after a collision between a woman and a van in Carlton.

Officers were called to Cavendish Road, Carlton, yesterday (Thursday 13 January 2022), at around 6.45am, after receiving a call from a member of the public that a woman had been injured.

The victim remains in hospital in a stable condition and is being treated for her injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening.

Cavendish Road, Burton Road and Carlton Hill remained closed for some time yesterday but were fully reopened later on in the day after police had cleared the area.

Officers are now appealing to the public for any witnesses or people with CCTV and dash-cam footage to come forward to help with their investigations.

Collision Investigator Liah Lane, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are working to understand exactly what happened in this incident and would like to appeal to anyone who may have any CCTV or dash-cam footage to come forward.

“We would like to thank local residents and the public for their patience whilst we dealt with the incident and closed off the surrounding roads.

“Any information, no matter how small, may greatly benefit our investigation.

“The victim remains in hospital where she is being treated for her injuries and she remains in a stable condition.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting 78 of 13 January 2022.

Here’s what people in Gedling borough think about Boris Johnson and the Downing Street lockdown party revelations

Adam Toms
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Here’s what people in Gedling borough think about Boris Johnson and the Downing Street lockdown party revelations

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing questions over his leadership after this week admitting he attending a party at Downing Street in May 2020.

At PMQs on Wednesday, the PM told the House of Commons how he believed “implicitly” that the gathering was a work event, and apologised to the millions of people who have made sacrifices over the pandemic.

He said: “I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months.

“When I went into that garden just after six on May 20, 2020, to thank groups of staff before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, I believed implicitly that this was a work event.”

An email from Boris Johnson’s Principle Private Secretary inviting around 100 people to a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of the Prime Minister’s residence was also leaked earlier this week.

At the time, coronavirus restrictions stated that you could only meet one other person from outside your own household outdoors.

Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross said on Thursday that Johnson’s position was “untenable”.

The Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has also called for the PM to go, saying on Wednesday: “the public think he’s lying through his teeth.”

Accusations of another party were revealed on Thursday by the Daily Telegraph, during which Downing Street staff are said to have drank alcohol into the early hours at two events in April 2021, the night before Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral.

In Gedling borough, many think he should resign – or even be sacked.

A woman from Gedling, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “In early April 2020, my Grandma died alone in a nursing home aged 96 with no family ‘allowed’ to visit her for 2 weeks before she passed away.

“We found out after she died that she had Covid. 

“As you can imagine this was devastating for my family, especially my Mum.

“However we were led to believe, and took comfort from the fact, that this was for the greater good, to protect the NHS and save lives.

“We had sacrificed our final goodbyes to stop the spread and protect our elderly. 

“We managed to arrange a very small funeral for the end of April with only 10 guests.

Boris Johnson apologised on Wednesday to the country after it was revealed he attended a party at Number 10 during lockdown

“I sat away from my parents and other family, on my own, as we didn’t have space to invite my husband.

“There was no hugging, no wake, no celebration of her amazing life. 

“To know that shortly after this there was this ‘work do’, with 100 people invited, for drinks in the garden, when we weren’t allowed to say goodbye to my Grandma or give her a proper funeral, is one of the most upsetting and disgusting things I’ve ever heard.

“That the Prime Minster sanctioned this disregard by attending shows poor judgement and even poorer leadership.

“Everyone who attended clearly had no idea what the normal people were going through and the sacrifices they had made for the greater good. 

“Imagine if a public sector workplace such as the NHS, the police or a school had held a ‘work event’ such as those held in May, even if they were to say ‘Thank you’ to the amazing public sector key workers.

“The condemnation from the Government would have been widespread and well deserved. Why are they different? 

https://twitter.com/michaelpayneuk/status/1481000370373636096?s=24

“Boris Johnson’s apology was that he was sorry we were upset by it, sorry he got caught.

“Explains why he didn’t sanction Dominic Cummings at the time.” 

Dee Evans, 41, from Gedling, said: “Everyone can relate to this.

“Anyone who stayed home and followed the rules, anyone who went to work unsure if they were safe because we didn’t know anything about the virus then.

“Anyone who worked in the hospitals or care who are currently on their knees as a consequence of Covid and backlogs.

“Anyone who suffered Covid or is suffering long covid and anyone who lost someone and was denied the right to a gathering of more than 5 at the funeral.

“Boris Johnson should be sacked.

“Let’s not forget he’s not the first. Dominic Cummings’s eyesight and Matt Hancock’s affair spring to mind.

“Sadly I’m not sure this will be the last we hear of these situations from the people who were handing out the rules.”

Casey Hughes Smith, from Gedling, however urged people to look to the future.

She said: “Let’s move on the best we can. Look forward not backwards.”

The Gedling Conservatives issued a statement after being contacted by Gedling Eye.

They said: “All at Gedling Conservatives share the anger that many feel after hearing of parties at No10, while we and Gedling residents were in lockdown, abiding by the Government’s restrictions and missing events with our family and friends to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and save lives.

“We welcome the apology issued by the Prime Minister and the investigation into these allegations, which is being led independently by senior civil servant Sue Gray.”

Gedling MP Tom Randall said he wouldn’t be commenting further until the independent investigation had been completed.

Gedling Borough Council deputy leader and Labour councillor Michael Payne called for Johnson to resign.

He tweeted: “Conservatives in Downing Street partied away while people in Gedling suffered. They’ve been caught red-handed yet they lack the decency to be honest about it. The rest of us followed the rules.

“They are taking us for fools.”

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or via our social media channels.

40 per cent of calls to Notts fire service are false alarms

Anna Whittaker (LDR reporter)
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40 per cent of calls to Notts fire service are false alarms

A “high percentage” of incidents attended by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service last year were false alarms, reports show.

Papers show 40 per cent of all incidents in the year to December 2021 were false alarms.

But this marked a reduction in the statistics from 2020/21 which showed 42 per cent of all incidents attended were false alarms.

Area Manager Mick Sharman, speaking at a Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority meeting on January 14, said a high number of the calls come from local hospitals and other big institutions.

Mr Sharman said: “False alarms have reduced this year on last year but it continues to be a high percentage of the incidents we attend.

“Quite interestingly, out of those 40 per cent there is a small number of premises who do the majority of those incidents, and they are generally the city hospitals, the prisons and other community-based settings.

“We continue to work with the responsible persons at these premises to reduce down those activities with some success. The key to it is education.”

A total of 7,151 incidents were attended by the service in the year to December 2021, which is in line with figures from previous years.

Area Manager Bryn Coleman added: “It is mainly the hospitals which have significant figures. We have a quarterly meeting with all the hospitals.

“You can imagine at Queen’s Medical Centre how many detectors there are across such a complicated building with very vulnerable people in it.

“They are looking at implementing new fire alarm systems across the university hospitals which should reduce some of that.”

Arnold travel agent sees trade take off after ‘busiest week’ since pandemic began

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Arnold travel agent sees trade take off after ‘busiest week’ since pandemic began

An Arnold travel agency says it has enjoyed its busiest week of trading since the pandemic began, after the government announced the lifting of Covid-19 testing requirements for travellers. 

Holiday bookings at Your Co-op Travel, based on Front Street, have soared following the relaxation of the government’s stringent travel testing measures, with bookings up more than 100 per cent versus the same period the week before the announcement.  

Natalie Turner, head of branches for Your Co-op Travel, said: “We’re delighted to see that the significant change to the travel testing rules from our own government, coupled with the news that holiday hotspots such France are planning to ease entry requirements for Brits, has inspired confidence in our members and customers and given a welcome boost to bookings.

“30 per cent of the holidays booked since Sunday are for departures between now and March, as many of our members and customers look for instant getaways. More than half (55 per cent) of bookings are for summer 2022, and the most popular week is currently 28 May – 4 June, as sunseekers look to take advantage of the two extra bank holidays for the Queen’s Jubilee and the school half-term break.

“The biggest-selling destinations for this summer are the Canaries and the Balearics, Turkey, Greece and Croatia. For winter ‘22/23, it’s the Canaries, Sri Lanka, New York and Barbados.

With testing still part of the travel process, depending on the destination and vaccination status of the holidaymaker, the holidaymaker is offering Covid-19 tests to members and customers at cost price. The tests are supplied by government-approved, UKAS-accredited providers, Randox and C19 Testing, and can be ordered directly from the Your Co-op Pharmacy website, with a discount code provided on booking.

New KFC restaurants could be coming to Arnold and Netherfield

Gedling Eye Reporter
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New KFC restaurants could be coming to Arnold and Netherfield

KFC has revealed plans to open new restaurants in Arnold and Netherfield.

The popular fried chicken chain has listed locations on its website where it want to open new restaurants – which include plans for drive-thrus in the two towns.

It is inviting developers to get in touch if they have a space that could be of interest, and says the company will pay £20,000 “for all recognised introductions”.

The inclusion of Netherfield on its list ‘wanted’ list will come as a surprise to local residents following the closure of a drive-thru restaurant in the town only two years ago. The site is now occupied by a Costa drive-thru.

KFC restaurant currently has one restaurant in the in the borough at Mapperley.

KFC vegan burger

According to the company, drive thru sites are its most popular type and can be fit into vacant sites of more than 0.3 acres. Existing building conversions will also be considered.

Its restaurant options are considered where drive-thrus cannot be accommodated. As this is just a wish list of locations where KFC wants to expand, there is no guarantee that restaurants will definitely pop up in each new site.

KFC currently has more than 900 branches in the UK.

You can find the full list of proposed locations on the KFC website HERE

M&S to rename Midget Gems after claims the name is offensive to people with dwarfism

Gedling Eye Reporter
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M&S to rename Midget Gems after claims the name is offensive to people with dwarfism

Marks and Spencer has announced they are to rename their popular Midget Gems sweets after claims it was offending people with dwarfism.

The retailer, which has a food hall at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield, has given the retro sweets the new name of ‘Mini Gems’ following a campaign by Dr Erin Pritchard – a lecturer in disability studies at Liverpool Hope University.

Dr Pritchard has a condition that stunts growth called achondroplasia and has raised concerns about the use of the word “midget” having its roots in Victorian freak shows.

She approached a number of supermarkets and sweet makers about changing the name, explaining that the word “midget” is seen as a derogatory term for people with growth problems.

Pritchard has previously called for the use of it to be seen as hate speech.

M&S is the first retailer to show support for her campaign

It said it was “committed to being an inclusive retailer” as it rolled out the changed labelling.

“Following suggestions from our colleagues and the insights shared by Dr Erin Pritchard, we introduced new Mini Gem packaging last year, which has since been rolled out to all of our stores,” a spokesman for M&S said.

Tesco has also announced it will be reviewing the name of its product.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “We are a diverse and inclusive retailer and we would not want any of our products to cause offence [so] we are grateful to Dr Pritchard for bringing this to our attention.”

Following the announcement, Dr Pritchard claimed a lot of people were getting “upset” about the change and tooj to Twitter earlier today to say: “It seems that there are a lot of average-sized men getting upset about the removal of the word midget from a packet of sweets.

“I didn’t realise they were so sensitive.”

https://twitter.com/ErinPritchard15/status/1481559409872486400

Explaining a little more about why the word is offensive to people with restricted growth in Big Issue North, Dr Pritchard said: “Often referred to by people with dwarfism as the m-word, it is a term derived from the word midge, meaning gnat or sandfly.

“Its origin automatically dehumanises people like me.

“It was a term popularised during the Victorian freak show, where many disabled people, including people with dwarfism, were oppressed and exploited,” she said.

CCTV camera approved for Carlton Square to help combat anti-social behaviour

Andrew Topping (Local Democracy Reporter)
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CCTV camera approved for Carlton Square to help combat anti-social behaviour

A new CCTV camera will be installed at a Carlton car park in a bid to crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

The camera, which will be placed on a 12-metre pole overlooking Carlton Square’s car park, is being brought in by Gedling Borough Council to improve public safety in the area.

It will overlook and monitor properties in the middle of Carlton village, including retail, leisure and residential buildings.

The council approved its own application when the planning committee met on Wednesday (January 12).

Councillor Paul Wilkinson (Lab), who represents Carlton on the authority, told the meeting: “This sits in my ward so I’m very pleased to see it.

“I welcome extra measures being taken to combat anti-social behaviour and I have no hesitation in supporting this application.”

CCTV

The council’s application states there has been a “number of complaints” regarding anti-social behaviour, shop thefts and general crime across the Carlton Square area.

A report published ahead of the meeting states: “As a result, it is considered that the erection of the pole and CCTV camera will reduce the fear of crime as well as helping with the detection of crime.

“Being located close to other cameras is important as it enables the proposed camera to link into an existing transmission pathway.”

The CCTV will be used to monitor the car park and nearby shops as a deterrent, record possible crimes in the area.

There are residential homes in the area, mainly to the north and east/south-east.

The report adds: “The proposed CCTV pole will be set centrally within the car park, offering a good deal of separation to the nearest residential dwellings.

“In any case, the purpose of the camera is not to impinge on the privacy of occupiers but to observe the public realm.”

Members of the planning committee unanimously approved the plans during Wednesday’s meeting.

Covid isolation period cut to ‘five full days’ in England

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Covid isolation period cut to ‘five full days’ in England

From Monday, 17 January, people with COVID-19 in England can end their self-isolation after five full days, as long as they test negative on day 5 and day 6.

The decision has been made after careful consideration of modelling from the UK Health Security Agency and to support essential public services and workforces over the winter.  

It is crucial that people isolating with COVID-19 wait until they have received two negative lateral flow tests on two consecutive days to reduce the chance of still being infectious. 

The first test must be taken no earlier than day 5 of the self-isolation period, and the second must be taken the following day. If an individual is positive on day 5, then a negative test is required on day 6 and day 7 to release from isolation. 

It is essential that two negative lateral flow tests are taken on consecutive days and reported before individuals return to their job or education, if leaving self-isolation earlier than the full 10 day period. 

For instance, if an individual is positive on day 5, then a negative test is required on both day 6 and day 7 to release from self-isolation, or positive on day 6, then a negative test is required on days 7 and 8, and so on until the end of day 10.

Those who leave self-isolation on or after day 6 are strongly advised to wear face coverings and limit close contact with other people in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, work from home if they can do so and minimise contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19. 

The default self-isolation period continues to be 10 days, and you may only leave self-isolation early if you have taken two LFDs and do not have a temperature in line with guidance.

New bar at former Mapperley bank granted 1am alcohol licence

Andrew Topping (Local Democracy Reporter)
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New bar at former Mapperley bank granted 1am alcohol licence

A new bar due to transform a former TSB bank in Mapperley will will only be allowed to serve alcohol until 1am on weekends.

It comes after numerous objections were raised by residents and concerns were voiced over potential anti-social behaviour arising from the new venue.

The venue, named ‘Old Bank Mapperley’, hopes to become a “high-end Italian restaurant” and will take over the former TSB building on Plains Road, Mapperley.

The venue had initially proposed selling alcohol between 8am and 2am Monday to Sunday, with plans to use an attached beer garden close to the rear near Bonington Road.

But 23 objections were raised against the proposals, with people in the area concerned over late opening hours which do not mirror the operating times of any other venue nearby.

Gedling Borough Council’s environmental health officer also raised objection to the proposed beer garden, citing concerns over potential “public nuisance” and noise issues it could generate.

However, a licensing panel held by the council on Thursday (January 13) heard many of the concerns have now been addressed by the applicant.

The meeting was told the new venue’s owners have come to an agreement with the environmental health officer not to use the beer garden at all.

The venue also proposed limiting its licensed hours to between 8am and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, with alcohol sales limited to no later than 11.30pm every other day.

A spokesperson for the applicant told the meeting these amendments were offered to form a closer working relationship with the community and to address the concerns raised in their objections.

TSB Mapperley
PICTURED: The former TSB branch in Mapperley (IMAGE: Google)

They said: “This was done in an effort to work in partnership with the residents and we believe their concerns have been dealt with.

“The applicant is investing substantial funds to create a high-end venue for the community, which we believe they will be proud of, and they are keen to avoid us being the last venue to get a drink when others have closed.”

On the beer garden agreement, they added: “There will be no use of the beer garden, that’s not just for licensable activities but for no use full stop, people can’t even go there.”

The meeting heard concerns from some members of the public over how the initially-proposed opening hours could have impacted the community.

Mark Smalley, who lives on Bonington Road, said: “On balance we welcome development in the area and we certainly welcome the removal of the beer garden.

“We don’t want a derelict bank at the end of the road any more and a nice restaurant would be great for us.

“It just needs to work with us and not have people leaving in the early hours of the morning.”

The panel, made up of three councillors, granted the venue a license to sell alcohol between 8am and 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday, and between 8am and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

On each of these days, the venue would close half an hour after the end of alcohol sales to give customers the opportunity to finish their drinks.

The new venue hopes to occasionally show plays, films, sport, live music, recorded music and dance performances during these hours.

And it states it will bring in a CCTV recording system prior to opening and will train all members of staff in the sale of alcohol, stressing it will follow “all relevant legislation” on public safety and nuisance.

Physical changes to the venue are subject to planning permission, which is yet to be granted by the council.

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