A Labour MP for Mapperley has pledged support to a local charity by donating thousands of pounds out of her salary.
Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, has donated £3,000 to the Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum as part of her salary donation commitment.
Upon her election to Parliament in 2019, Ms Whittome pledged to take home £35,000 of her MP’s salary after tax, the average UK household income, and donate the remainder to local causes.
The Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum offers practical advice, information, support and friendship to refugees and asylum seekers, and also campaigns on issues affecting them. Last year, they helped over 1,700 people.
Whittome visited the Forum this week, meeting staff, volunteers and clients. They discussed asylum seekers in destitution, the hostile environment, the severe impact of the no recourse to public funds policy during pandemic, and resettlement schemes for Afghan refugees.
Ms Whittome has previously donated to a number of other local organisations, including St Ann’s Advice Centre, POW Nottingham, the Nottingham branch of the App Drivers and Couriers Union. and the Nottingham couriers’ branch of the IWGB.
Ms Whittome said she made the donation after being inspired by the plight of Afghans who were forced to flee the country after the Taliban took back control of the country.
She said:“We all watched the situation unfolding in Afghanistan with horror as the Taliban assumed control and thousands attempted to flee.
“I was inundated with emails from Afghans in Nottingham East but also many other constituents, all urging the government to do more. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of the right to asylum and the need to support people fleeing conflict and persecution.
“The Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum do incredible work to support asylum seekers and refugees, and campaign to make their lives better.
So many of my constituents have told me that their assistance has been invaluable since they arrived in our city. I hope that by sharing part of my salary with them, I can make a small contribution to NNRF’s continued growth and success.”
Gedling House is to fling open its doors to the community for an open day next month.
The historic property is to become a Buddhist meditation centre – if planning approval is granted.
And before plans move forward, new owners Kadampa Meditation Centres will open up the property to the community so they can have a look around the Grade II listed building and also see plans for the new centre.
A spokesman said:” By way of thank you to all our new neighbours we will be having an ‘open house’ event.
“Come and have a look around Gedling House, find out about its history and our plans for the future.
“So whether you are a history buff, want to revisit old memories or just want to enjoy the beautiful building – or maybe just nosy(!), you are welcome to join us.
“Members of the community will be on hand to show you around and answer questions and our historian, Mo Cooper, will share her fascinating ‘pen portraits’ of previous occupants of the house.
They added: “We are also very interested to hear your memories of the house and especially welcome any pictures.”
The event, which takes place on November 13 between 2-5pm is free but numbers will be limited.
Councillors will be recommended to approve the next stages of a 120-home development close to the Colwick Loop Road in Gedling.
The plans are up for debate at Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee next week, with council officers advising the development should be given the go-ahead.
The development would be based to the south of Burton Road, across from the playing fields of Carlton le Willows Academy, while its eastern boundary would border the busy link road.
The scheme is being submitted in its reserved matters stage after councillors previously approved outline permission for the development in January 2021.
The proposals to be debated by councillors on Wednesday (October 13) involve the development’s layout, scale, landscaping and appearance in the reserved matters stage.
Documents to be reviewed next week suggest there will be a central area of open space on-site, as well as recreational space to the south of the land.
The majority of existing trees and hedgerows are expected to be retained, with more trees and hedges planted.
The houses will be built opposite Carlton le Willows playing fields PHOTO: Neil Slack Photography
The overall development proposes a range of two, three and four-bedroom terraced, semi-detached and detached houses, including two wheelchair-accessible bungalows.
Up to 24 will be affordable homes.
The documents state: “The application is for the erection of 120 dwellings.
“This will include 96 open market dwellings with a housing mix comprising 10 two-bedroom properties, 53 three-bed properties, 33 four-bed properties, all of which would be two-storey.
“Twenty-four [will be] affordable dwellings, comprising 17 affordable rented and seven intermediate units, with the housing mix [comprising] two two-bed bungalows, 12 two-bed houses, eight three-bed houses, and two four-bed properties.
“There would also be two main areas of public open space, [with] a more conventional equipped area of play located toward the centre of the site.
“There would also be narrow green strips along the front of the site and to the eastern boundary with Colwick Loop Road.”
Ten letters of objection have been sent to Gedling Borough Council in response to the plans, all from neighbours on existing streets such as Linden Grove.
Concerns have been raised about the loss of greenbelt land, the impact of this development and the ongoing Gedling Access Road works, its impact on ecology, traffic and potential flooding.
Residents also view services including doctors and schools are “at capacity and not able to accommodate the increase in population”.
But the council’s planning department views the scheme as acceptable and has recommended the development for approval.
A spokesperson for Miller Homes, the developer behind the scheme, previously said: “With the site already allocated for housing by the local council, and having an outline planning consent, our proposed development, which will range from two-bedroom starter to four-bedroom family homes including affordable homes, would bring much-needed new residential properties to the area to help meet local demand.
“If our application is successful, we anticipate work starting on site in late autumn.”
A man has been charged after a teenager was left fighting for his life following an incident at a pub in Top Valley.
Officers were called to the Duke of St Albans pub on Bewcastle Road at around 11.15pm last Saturday (October 2) after receiving reports of a teenager who had been stabbed.
Shaylon McCalla, 22, of North Street, Heanor, has now been charged with causing grievous bodily harm and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today (October 8).
The 16-year-old victim, who was stabbed while at a private party, remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Detective Inspector Steve Wragg, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This incident has left a teenager fighting for his life in hospital and our thoughts remain with his family and friends.
PICTURED: Nottingham Magistrates’ Court
“We have now charged a 22-year-old in relation to this matter and do believe it was an isolated incident with no wider risk posed to the public.
“We have worked incredibly hard to bring a charge in this case and dedicated a lot of our resources into investigating it, as well as increasing patrols in the area to provide community reassurance.
“Nottinghamshire Police remains committed to tackling knife crime through enforcement and education, working in partnership with partner agencies and the public.”Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the police on 101 quoting incident number 758 of 2 October 2021.
People from across Gedling borough were given a chance to question Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner and local police bosses last night (October 7) during an online public meeting.
Residents were invited to submit their questions and comments ahead of the meeting organised by Caroline Henry, who is Nottingham’s police and crime commissioner (PCC)
She was joined by a panel that included Gedling MP Tom Randall and Gedling neighbourhood police inspector Chris Pearson during the session, which lasted an hour.
The first question put to the panel was from Mohammad from Woodthorpe.
He asked: “We never see any cops where I live. If you ring they take ages to come or don’t come. What’s going on with getting more cops?”
Commissioner Henry was first to respond.
She said: “We have been getting more cops. There is more to do. We want more visible frontline policing and we want you to be confident that when you do call you will get a response. I will keep pushing to get more police officers for you”
Inspector Pearson revealed that the Gedling Neighbourhood Policing team had gained around 10 officers in the last couple of years.
“We’ve gained a sergeant and six PCs on my proactive team,” he revealed.
“We are really starting to see the benefits of the extra officers locally.
“On the issue of visibility we have been fortunate to receive new methods of transport in Gedling like electric bikes that were funded through our partnership which have increased the accessibility and visibility of our team as well.
“I really think we’re going in the right direction now with officer numbers. We have a new beat manager for the Calverton area as well who has joined our team in the last few weeks, so it’s going in the right direction for sure.”
PICTURED: PCC Caroline Henry (PHOTO: LDR service)
Gary in Arnold complained about the noise and problems caused by youths in the town.
He said:”They hang around causing trouble and make people feel unsafe.”
Gary asked the panel: ‘What’s the plan as I never see the police to deal with it?”
Commissioner Henry responded: “The police are there but actually anti-social behaviour (ASB) is very much a joined up approach with Gedling Borough Council and also the city council.
“ASB is actually the top priority for the neighbourhood policing team in Gedling borough and they are working with the council and wider partners such as the youth service, who carry out detached youth work to reduce ASB reports.
“There has been a particular focus on open spaces and parks and the police team has increased patrols. The Operation Reacher colleagues have been working to reduce to reduce those ASB concerns.
“Officers also carry out high visibility patrols and do targeted days of action.
“The neighbourhood team are supported with officers in plain clothes too, so officers may be there but you just don’t realise it but they are keeping an eye on what’s happening.”
The panel heard that Gedling Borough Council recently issued a reminder CCTV is in operation in key hotspots across Gedling borough.
Inspector Pearson revealed that rural villages had been suffering from high levels of anti-social behaviour following the easing of lockdown restrictions
He said that Ravenshead had been one of the areas in the borough that suffered the highest impact but proactive policing work had been going on to reduce incidents.
Pearson said: “We received a report that some damage had been caused to one of the residents gardens. I believe it was some plants and flowers had been damaged.
“We actually managed to locate the offenders for that offence who later took part in a litter pick in the community. We took that approach because I am a huge fan of the community resolution outcome or restorative justice as most people would probably know it. It gives people the chance to learn from their mistakes and we wanted to do that on that particular occasion to promote some ownership in the community and make young people realise that their behaviour is not acceptable.”
Manjit in Netherfield asked the panel how they would be tackling the drug dealing issues in the town.
He said: “I worry about my family and I want to see these people dealt with so what are you doing about it?”
Inspector Pearson said that tackling drug supply has been made a priority in Gedling borough.
He said: “Since the Operation Reacher team started with us there has been two main areas of Gedling borough we’ve focused on. The first being Netherfield, under the banner of Operation Thistle, and then over in the Arnold area where we sadly saw some serious violence in the Front Street area which we believe to be down to the use and supply of controlled drugs.
Pearson revealed that the Neighbourhood Policing team and Operation Reacher have carried out 57 magistrates’ court warrants aimed at drug supply offences and have made 160 separate seizures of controlled drugs across the borough and taken £275,000 of suspected criminal money out of circulation.
Inspector Pearson added: “There is often a viewpoint that we don’t act of reported intelligence. It can sometimes take several weeks and months to develop to the standard we need in order to obtain a warrant through the courts. Please do keep reporting your concerns to us. We want to hear from you and want to get that information so that over time we will develop it and take enforcement action.
You can watch the full ‘Have your say’ session HERE
Police say they have stepped up patrols after reports of men being verbally abusive at a park in Mapperley.
Officers increased high-visibility patrols to provide reassurance as they continue their enquiries into separate reports of men being verbally abusive.
Patrols have been stepped up in the Digby Avenue/Digby Park area after a woman reported two men had shouted abuse at her and intimidated her before one of them shoved her during an incident on a footpath in Central Avenue.
It happened around 1.50pm on Tuesday (October 5, 2021).
The victim was unharmed but left feeling shaken.
Officers are also progressing with their investigations into a report of two men shouting abuse at another woman in the same area while she was walking her dog at around 2.15pm on Tuesday.
Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Becky O’Connor said: “We are treating both of these reported incidents seriously and we have increased patrols in the area to provide reassurance as we continue to work hard to understand the circumstances and find those responsible.
“We are offering support to both victims as we progress with our enquiries and our investigation is ongoing.
“To help us with our enquiries we are urging anyone who witnessed either of these incidents or who has any other information which could assist us to please get in touch.”
Anyone with information should call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 325 of 5 October 2021 (regarding the first incident) or 347 of 5 October (second incident).
Parked cars blocking bin lorries and more people at home due to the pandemic have been listed as the source for a surge in complaints about Gedling Borough Council’s waste collection service.
Council documents show the majority of complaints upheld against the Labour-run authority in 2020/21 were related to waste and missed bin collections.
The figures, reviewed by the authority’s cabinet on Thursday (October 7), show the council received a total of 510 complaints in the year to March 2021.
Around 64 per cent, or 328 complaints, related to issues with the waste service.
The total is far higher than the council service with the second-highest number of complaints, parks and street care, with 57.
The figures also show that of the 164 complaints either upheld or partially upheld by the council’s investigation department, 108 related to waste and bin collections.
It comes as council figures also show roughly a 34 per cent rise in the number of year-on-year complaints about the council’s services, rising by 131 from 379 in 2019/20.
The council also recorded a small rise in the number of compliments it received during the same period – up by 37 to 397 in March 2021.
Sixty-two of the compliments related to waste.
Commenting in the meeting, councillors and officials spoke of the “difficult year” in managing waste collections, saying the issue is also proving challenging in the current financial year.
Mike Hill, the council’s chief executive, said: “It’s predominantly caused by missed bins due to blocked streets. This is no excuse, but Covid has created a lot more people either working from home or on furlough.
“The number of cars on the streets has caused significant difficulties for our crews.
“We have tried alternatives, we have a narrow vehicle, have sent letters to residents about considerate parking. We have done our best and we’re doing our best.
“But unfortunately there were a number of complaints relating to waste, and we can only do better this year and keep striving to improve on that.”
Councillor Peter Barnes, portfolio holder for the environment, added: “I think it’s very difficult under the present circumstances to ensure our lorries get down streets.
“We’ve got streets in the borough where, if you get two or three cars parked outside, you can’t get any traffic down.
“I don’t know what the answer is, to be honest. If we carry on like this, with people working from home, we might have to get more narrow lorries.
“But that’s all a cost and it seems to be a no-win situation.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported in the summer how hundreds of Gedling homes were left with unemptied bins due to badly-parked cars.
Residents reported maggots and flies swarming as rubbish mounted, leading to the council asking for more considerate parking.
Council figures showed collections were missed on more than 100 occasions between June 7 and August 2.
This affected 82 Arnold streets, with a further 72 in Carlton, 54 in Gedling village and 26 in Netherfield.
The council said the issue was putting a financial strain on its services, with lorries having to return to blocked streets later on to complete collections.
Police are warning drivers to be on their guard after a recent spate of thefts in Calverton and Woodthorpe.
Officers are currently investigating eight different thefts in the areas that have occurred over the last two weeks – some of them from unlocked cars.
During one theft on the morning of September 27, electrical equipment worth around £4,000 was stolen. There were no obvious signs of entry.
Other stolen items have included cash and a DVD player.
Inspector Chris Pearson, responsible for local policing in the area, said: “We are currently investigating a number of potentially linked incidents and have been working hard to gather all the evidence we will need for a future prosecution.
“However, whilst we are making good progress in tracking down the person or people responsible, it is only sensible to warn other residents in the area to pay particular attention vehicles parked outside of their home – ensuring that all doors are locked and that no items are left on display. Even a single jacket or other item of clothing can prove a tempting target for an opportunist thief.
“I also understand how easy it can be to make a mistake and leave a car unlocked, but at a time when we have evidently capable criminals operating in the local area I would urge residents to make things as difficult as possible for potential offenders.
“We would also like to hear from anyone who may have seen people acting suspiciously around cars in these areas – especially if the have any home CCTV footage they may be able to share with us.”
Anyone with additional information about local car crime is asked to call police on 101.
