A man from Gedling is due in court after being charged with possession of a Class A drug and possession of a knife in a public place.
Members of Nottinghamshire Police’s road crime team followed a car in Carlton and arrested a man after the vehicle came to a stop at around 1.45pm on Saturday (October 23).
Andrew Bates, 54, of Coronation Walk has been charged with possession of a Class A drug, namely crack cocaine, and possession of a knife in a public place.
He was released on bail and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on November 24, 2021.
Neighbourhood Inspector Chris Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I’d like to reassure the public that we take drug and knife crime extremely seriously and investigate all reports.
“Our work is ongoing to tackle and reduce crime in response to community concerns and to keep our communities safe. This includes a dedicated operation which is continuing in the area to combat drug crime.”
If you have any information about drug dealing in the community then please report this to Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Sainsbury’s has announced it will open its new highly anticipated Colwick supermarket will open its doors to customers at 09:00 am on Wednesday, November 10
The supermarket giant said construction of the 53,000 sq. ft supermarket is nearly complete and the finishing touches to the building, car park and interior that will give the store that familiar Sainsbury’s look and feel are currently being installed. In the final week before opening Sainsbury’s colleagues will stock and dress the shelves for the first time, ensuring the supermarket is fighting fit and ready for customers.
Sainsbury’s is looking forward to becoming a valued member of the local community and is finalising plans for the opening day when customers will have the first chance to experience their new state-of-the-art store. The new supermarket will provide an impressive selection of food and non-food products for local people, including Sainsbury’s popular Tu Clothing range, Habitat home products, and an Argos store inside the store, enabling customers to collect Argos purchases whilst picking up their groceries.
Sainsbury’s Colwick will also contain a Specsavers store and a Starbucks Cafe, both of which will open on the 10th November along with the supermarket, further adding to the range of convenience and choice the new store is set to provide customers in Colwick. The opening of the Specsavers store marks the 70th branch to open inside a Sainsbury’s since the two companies entered a partnership together in 2016.
Paul Wain, Sainsbury’s Colwick Store Manager, said: “The fantastic new team that will make up Sainsbury’s Colwick is now in place, and we can’t wait to welcome customers into the store on the 10th of November. This is a really exciting opportunity for us to showcase the brilliant customer service that Sainsbury’s that is known for from the get-go.”
Sainsbury’s Property Director Patrick Dunne said:“We’re thrilled to be able to confirm the opening date of Sainsbury’s Colwick for local people before it opens for business next month. I’m looking forward to personally welcoming the community through the door on the 10th and am sure customers will be delighted with their new store.”
Police chiefs say that organised crime groups have been rocked to their core by a network of specialist uniformed neighbourhood police teams formed just one year ago.
Nottinghamshire Police deployed 11 new Operation Reacher teams in October 2020 – each with a responsibility to proactively target local criminals and build stronger community relationships.
Gedling borough has their own dedicated Operation Reacher team, which was introduced last year.
Building on the success of the original Bestwood Reacher team, the additional units have been carrying out early morning raids on suspected drug dealers, hunting wanted suspects, taking illegal vehicles off the streets and visibly patrolling in local neighbourhoods.
In their first full year the teams arrested or dealt with 2,026 suspects, seized £619,000 in suspected illicit cash, and made 874 different drug seizures.
They also took 423 weapons and 569 illegal cars off the streets, and also carried out 672 searches at the homes and hiding places of suspected offenders.
Importantly, they have also attended or host 958 different community engagement events, and developed 2,205 community intelligence reports.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “When we secured funding for additional Reacher teams across each of our neighbourhood policing areas, we had a very clear vision in mind – to make life as uncomfortable as possible for criminals and to establish stronger, more trusting links with the public.
PICTURED: Operation Reacher officers carrying out a warrant at a property last year
“I am delighted to say that, 12 months on, we have been successful in achieving both of these objectives. We’ve seen many hundreds of warrants executed across the county as criminal suspects have come face to face with the police in the early hours of the morning. We have also taken a very considerable number of potentially lethal weapons off the streets and seized large amounts of cash we suspected to have come from the proceeds of crime.
“All in all there has rarely been a worse time to be a drug dealer or other kind of career criminal in Nottinghamshire. All of our neighbourhood public surveys saw drug dealing as a local priority. In response we listened, used local intelligence, planned and took sustained action against those who choose to undermine local communities by their criminality. With these additional teams of officers on duty, we have continued to target those who cause most harm by a relentless focus upon individuals and organised criminals groups who have been rocked to their core by this additional attention. And that is exactly what we want – drug dealers and criminals looking over their shoulders and sleeping unsoundly in their beds.
“However, one of the things that has pleased me most about the Operation Reacher initiative is the way these new teams have thrown themselves into community engagement activities – visiting schools, community groups and an array of public events to build stronger relationships and trust. We continue to grow our numbers, recruitment is strong and we are determined to deliver on behalf of the public.
“I look forward to another successful year of Operation Reacher activities and would like to thank every officer who has helped to make this initiative so successful.”
Each operation Reacher team consists of a Sergeant and seven full-time officers.
The map uses data from event duration monitors which show the length of time over which sewage was dumped into waterways across the country.
Sewage can sometimes be pumped out of the sewage system and into rivers, streams and the sea through safety release valves which are known as ‘combined sewer overflows’.
Sewage leaves these valves when there is heavy rainfall – to prevent waste from backing up into homes.
These so-called ‘storm overflows’ are only supposed to take place under ‘exceptional circumstances’.
The new map reveals one sewer storm overflow near Burton Joyce spilled 93 times into the River Trent for a total of 1107 hours.
A sewer storm overflow also spilled 88 times into Ouse Dyke for a total of 190 hours.
The map also reveals the activity of storm overflow pipes near Calverton, Woodborough and Bestwood Village.
He said: “Section 141A in Amendment 45 would have placed a duty on sewerage undertakers in England and Wales to demonstrate progressive reductions in the harm caused by the discharges of untreated sewage.
“On the face of it, this is very attractive. But there were two problems with it: the amendment came with no plan on how it might be delivered and there was no impact assessment. Nor do we know the cost.
“The Government took the view that it would have been irresponsible to put this into the Bill without a detailed plan, signing a blank cheque on behalf of bill payers.
“The cost of eliminating storm overflows entirely would potentially be enormous,” said Mr Randall.
Schools across Gedling borough are being expanded as a result of increasing pupil numbers.
Driven by new housing developments in the borough, new schools and school expansions are being proposed to “mitigate” the impact of new homes on local communities.
Funding is provided through Section 106 agreements, which is a legal obligation between a developer and a local authority.
There are currently more than 200 live Section 106 agreements in Nottinghamshire, which include contributions for education purposes.
Funding is also provided through Government grants.
During the county council Children and Young People’s Committee meeting on November 1, councillors will be asked to approve new projects and expansions to schools in the county.
PICTURED: County Hall
A council report states: “The council is committed to providing good schools with sufficient places for all Nottinghamshire children. The Schools Capital Programme is a key element of delivering this commitment.
“There are currently 214 live Section 106 agreements which include contributions for education purposes and a further 79 under negotiation.
“Depending on the scale of the development the planning application pertains to, these capital funding contributions range from relatively small sums that fund only a few additional school places, all the way to multimillion-pound sums to provide major expansions or entirely new schools.”
New schools
Teal Close, Netherfield will see a new school built by the house builder Persimmon. The developer has chosen to construct the 210 place Primary School at this site. The school will be completed for September 2022 and will be operated by the Flying High Academy.
Schools which are increasing pupil numbers
Carlton Academy, Carlton – This school has increased its Published Admission Number (the number of students who can be admitted into each year group) from 170 to 230 by constructing 10 new classrooms.
Carlton Le Willows, Gedling – This school is expanding from 8 forms of entry to 12, increasing its Published Admission Number from 226 to 360.
The road was initially expected to take 18 months to complete, with work beginning at the start of 2020.
Once complete, the new 3.8km route will help reduce congestion through Gedling village for motorists and local residents.
It has also enabled the redevelopment of the former Gedling Colliery/Chase Farm site, which includes the construction of 1,050 new homes.
Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The Gedling Access Road is a major investment for Nottinghamshire and we are proud that we have made a significant amount of progress on the project despite the challenges we have faced.
“Back in March 2020 we could have halted works, as was the case with many other projects at the time. If we’d done that, the Gedling Access Road would have been many more months behind schedule, but we chose to press on, and that was the right choice.
“In the circumstances, just an extra few months on a project that’s been in the pipeline for several decades, delivered during a global pandemic, is a pretty good effort in my view and I am very proud that we are the ones delivering this for people in Gedling.
“The road will make a huge difference to motorists who will notice faster journey times, and local residents, who will benefit from less congestion through Gedling Village and for the further investment it will unlock in the area.”
“I want to thank local residents for their patience and understanding about the project. We are really looking forward to completing the scheme soon, and delivering its benefits for local people and Nottinghamshire as a whole.”
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the authority found60,769 potholes were fixed by the Nottinghamshire County Council across Gedling borough between 2016/17 and 2020/21.
During this period Arnold South division received the most repairs with 17,132 between 2016 and 2021.
The Gedling borough area with the fewest repairs was Newstead, with 5,555
Gary Wood, head of highways and transport on the council, said: “In May 2021, we announced we would be setting up a cross-party highways review panel to look at all aspects of our highways maintenance.
“This includes road inspections, improvement programmes and funding, maintenance treatments, and repair techniques.
“All our current repair techniques, including those used to fill potholes, are under review by our highways review panel.”
Below are the figures for Gedling borough, including the total number of potholes repaired between 2016 and 2021.
Nottingham City Transport has announced plans to raise bus fares in a bid to ‘help balance the books’.
The bus operator, which serves Gedling borough, said it will be increasing some single trip and day ticket prices for the first time in 2.5 years due to increased operating costs and reduced government COVID funding for the bus industry.
The fare increase will come into force from Sunday, October 31.
The firm announced thatall Easyrider Everyday, Easyrider Anyday and multi-day ticket prices on the NCTX Buses app prices are frozen and won’t be affected by the rise.
The Under 19 all day ticket, Grouprider, Network Rider, Park & Ride Return fare and Outer Area fares will also be frozen at their current prices.
A spokesman for Nottingham City Transport said: “NCT’s fares remain competitive with other local operators and in line with neighbouring cities of Derby and Leicester.
“Fares for journeys in Nottingham apply when paying by cash, contactless, on the app or a Robin Hood Pay As You Go Card.”
Nottinghamshire County Council will push forward with plans to build a multi-million-pound office building near Linby – but has shaved about £7 million off its overall investment plan.
The council revealed its £27.74 million Investing in Nottinghamshire programme weeks before the start of the pandemic in 2020, with a flagship £14.7 million building at Top Wighay Farm at the centre of the plans.
The proposals were then put on hold and a review launched after the start of the pandemic. The authority then published a new hybrid working strategy earlier this year.
Now the review has re-confirmed the full scale of the plans, including libraries potentially moving into other council buildings and the authority co-locating services with other Nottinghamshire councils.
The review says the council will still progress with the Top Wighay Farm building, in what it says will set a “benchmark” in meeting the authority’s carbon-neutral targets.
The council has confirmed the Top Wighay building cost has increased by £1 million to £15.7 million due to “rising construction costs”, but the review has cut about £8 million off the plan overall in other areas.
Councillor Keith Girling (Con), chairman of the economic development and asset management (EDAM) committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the new building is “not going to be cheap”.
However, he insists running costs over time will recoup money and provide a “fit for purpose” building.
He said: “In terms of Top Wighay, we’re still going ahead with it because it’s strategically in the right place.
The building will be part of the Top Wighay development, where work began last year
“We know we will be beaten with a stick that it’s going to cost a lot of money, that it should be spent elsewhere, but we’ve got places used by parents and young kids that are not ideal.
“In some places, the floor is starting to go. We’ve got to put things right.”
Cllr Girling added “nothing is off the table” when it comes to reviewing the council’s estate and the sale of assets.
This recouping of cash was cited by finance committee chairman Cllr Richard Jackson last week as a method of reducing the authority’s long-term borrowing.
But the EDAM chairman insists one of the areas that will not see closures is libraries, though the council is looking into the possibility of some being relocated into other, local authority-led buildings.
This, he says, will help to save costs and make many county-wide buildings “multi-functional”.
It comes alongside potential plans to move some council services in Mansfield into a potential public services hub, planned by Mansfield District Council as it looks to move into the town centre.
Cllr Girling says the hub is something the county council would “very much like to be a part of”, allowing the authority to release buildings for sale elsewhere in the county.
“It’s incumbent on us to look into everything and see how we can reduce our outgoings. It’s about how we start recouping our money,” he added.
“It’s a lot of toing and froing, but eventually it will end up with services being delivered from places where they should be delivered from.
“We deliver some really serious services, and we need to be delivering them from buildings that are fit for purpose. Where we can, buildings will be multi-functional.”
Documents due before the EDAM committee next week show the plan will now cost about £20.9 million, down from its original £27,744,140 price.
The committee is recommended to review and approve the updated Investing in Nottinghamshire plan when it meets on November 2.
Avid fans of Wetherspoons pubs across Gedling borough have joined with other customers across the UK to compare the amount of chips they serve with meals.
The Facebook group Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count is made up of more than 94,000 people, who all dedicate their time to sharing details of the amount of chips they’ve received when eating in the chain’s many pubs.
And, of course, a number of Gedling borough residents are in the group and have taken part in the rankings – and it’s a mixed bag at best.
The Free Man, on Carlton Hill, is a popular one, with many talking about the large number of chips they serve with the meals.
Jessica Corbett posted: “45 chips at The Free Man in Nottingham.
“Nice hot temperature, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. No super long bois [sic] , the lengths are pretty consistent apart from your few crispy ends which I rather enjoy regardless. This ‘Spoons is a keeper”
IMAGE: Facebook/Jessica Corbett
Bek Jarvis wrote: “The Free Man’. Mmmm, lovely steak but was so obsessed with counting the ’32’ chips I had been very generously given, I didn’t realise they had forgotten to put onion rings, peas and tomato on the plate!
IMAGE: Facebook/Bek Jarvis
The Woodthorpe Top in Mapperley was another one mentioned by reviewers.
Taylor Hartung wrote: “The Woodthorpe Top 25 chips look banging tbf but not happy about there only being 25 though.”
Chips served at The Woodthorpe Top (IMAGE: Facebook/Taylor Hartung)
Chris Bills aslo visied and was impressed by the number of potato treats on his plate:
“A respectable 20 chips at The Woodthorpe Top.”
PICTURED: Chips served in the Ernehale in Arnold (IMAGE: Facebook/Chris Bills)
Leah Holden was impressed by the chip portion being served up at the Ernehale pub in Arnold.
She wrote: “28 chips today from the Ernehale.”
(IMAGE: Facebook/Leah Holden)
To make the most of the publicity this ever-growing Facebook group has been getting recently, the owners have set up a JustGiving page so that viewers can donate money to support foodbanks while comparing their chip portions.
In a post made on October 19, they wrote: “Hello fellow chip counters, keep up the good work.
“I thought we could try to do some good with our new-found fame, and I’ve opened a fundraiser to raise money for Fairshare, the hunger and food waste charity.
“I’m suggesting a donation of 10p (or whatever you can afford) per chip you receive on your next meal in ‘Spoons.”
