Parents in Gedling borough may now be able to save a small fortune on the cost of school uniform thanks to a new law.
The Children’s Society estimates parents spend an average of £337 on uniform for each child at secondary school, and £315 for kids at primary school.
But a new law passed last week will mean schools across Gedling borough and England will have to comply with legally-binding guidance aimed at ensuring uniforms are affordable.
The Bill also includes measures on encouraging second-hand uniform, schools’ arrangements with suppliers, and ensuring parents have access to clear information about uniform policies.
Their was cross-party support for the new law, which recognised the costs parents face for school uniform, particularly for branded items, and the statutory guidance will tell schools to consider high street alternatives.
School uniforms are important in establishing the right ethos in a school. They also help to improve behaviour and a sense of belonging and identity. But we want to be sure they are affordable for parents.
This new law will help to save families money and ensure the cost of a blazer or shirt is never a barrier to accessing the best possible education.
The new law, introduced as a Private Members’ Bill by Mike Amesbury MP and given Government backing, enables the Government to set statutory guidance for schools to consider about costs for uniforms.
The Department will publish the statutory guidance in the autumn this year, which will focus on ensuring costs are reasonable for families of all backgrounds and giving parents the best value for money.
It will also advise schools to make sure that when they take up contracts with uniform suppliers, they are competitive and transparent in order to keep costs down.
The Government is committed to ensuring no family is deterred from applying to a school due to the costs for its uniform. Once guidance is published, schools will be required by law to consider it when developing their uniform policies.
Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said: “We are thrilled this new law has passed and we thank Minister Gibb and the Department for Education for their support. This legislation will be vital in ensuring that school uniforms become more affordable for families across the country.
“Young people told us back in 2014 that high-priced school uniforms had a huge impact on their ability to make the most of their education. We hope this new law will make children feel more equal to their classmates and make life easier for struggling families.”
An Extinction Rebellion protestor blocked a road in Mapperley earlier today (May 1) in a bid to ‘make politicians take notice of the climate crisis’.
Risking her life, 72-year-old Pippa McKeith, began her protest at 11am by sitting in the road at the top of Woodthorpe Drive on Mapperley Top.
Ms McKeith said “I know this will annoy those people I’m holding up and I’m so sorry – but I want politicians to wake up and take notice of the climate crisis.
“How come Prince Philip and David Attenborough have been talking about our impact on the natural world for decades yet governments are still ignoring what they’ve been saying?”
The Government’s own Committee on Climate Change said in its latest report [1] that the government has failed on 17 out of 21 of it’s own ‘progress indicators’, and that just two of 31 key ‘policy milestones’ have been met since Parliament declared emergency.
Ms McKeith, who lives in the Arboretum, added “I’m frustrated, I’m angry, and I’m frightened. I’m sitting in the middle of the road because I’m terrified that not enough is happening. I’ve signed petitions, I’ve written letters; I just don’t know what else I can do!”
PICTURED: Pippa McKeith protesting in Mapperley
Extinction Rebellion protestors also stopped traffic in Nottingham city centre and West Bridgford earlier this morning as part of a UK-wide ‘Rebellion of One’ protest involving 200 members of the action group.
A spokesman for the group said: “Greta Thunburg showed that one person can make a difference, and this is what the 200 sitters across the UK in 49 different cities are trying to do as part of the “Rebellion of One”.
“With lockdown lifting, and despite the new protest laws, concerned citizens have today resumed action against against what the Prince of Wales Corporate Leaders Group called the UK Government’s inadequate plans to tackle the climate crisis.”
The group have also been protesting this week outside County Hall in West Bridgford ahead of the May 6 election.
Care home residents in Gedling borough will be able to leave the home to make visits outdoors and not have to self-isolate for 14 days afterwards, the government says.
From Tuesday, May 4, residents on trips out must be accompanied by either a member of staff or one of their two nominated visitors and they must follow social distancing throughout.
They cannot meet in groups or go indoors, except for the use of toilets, and public transport should be avoided where possible.
Residents must be accompanied by either a care worker or nominated visitor and follow the government guidelines of washing hands regularly, keeping social distance and remaining outside, in line with step 2 of the roadmap.
The changes come as the data shows cases continuing to fall meaning it is now much safer for care home residents, who are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19, to leave their homes. Keeping visits outdoors will ensure any risk is minimised as much as possible.
Pensioners in care homes had been forced to self-isolate if making a trip outdoors
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We know how challenging this time has been for care home residents, so I am pleased that they can now leave their homes to reunite with their loved ones outdoors.
“With the data continuing to head in the right direction and as restrictions ease, it is my priority to keep increasing visits for residents in the coming weeks in a safe and controlled way.”
Minister for care, Helen Whately said: “I know residents and their families have found the restrictions on trips out of care homes incredibly difficult. This is one more step towards getting back to normal, while protecting care homes from the continued risk of Covid-19.
“As part of this interim update before the next stage of the roadmap, care home residents will also be able to leave to spend time outdoors. I know this has been long-awaited for those who haven’t had a chance to enjoy trips out. I look forward to encouraging more visiting and trips out in future as we turn the tide on this cruel virus.”
The latest flyover video from the council shows progress made over March and April on roundabouts, earthworks, drainage and raising ground levels.
Work constructing the four-arm roundabout close to the old Gedling Colliery Yard is now almost complete with kerb laying works now finished and much of the surfacing material laid.
Further north, the five-arm roundabout which will link the GAR to Arnold Lane also nears completion.
Ground levels have been brought up to level meaning that construction teams will soon be able to begin placing down the road construction layers.
At Burton Road, you will see that landscaping works along the verges have begun, and 3.8km up the road utility service diversions and drainage works have continued at the new junction on Mapperley Plains.
Gedling House Woods
The construction site next to Gedling House Woods may look narrow in the video compared to other areas of the site, but the road itself will actually be wider at this section and will feature a crawler lane.
It’s all intentional to preserve as much of the woodland as possible, and most recently on site, construction teams have finished installing 650 soil nails to support the steep slope between the GAR and Gedling House Woods.
The new road, which is part of a £40 million scheme, is set to open in the autumn of 2021.
It is being introduced to ease traffic issues through Gedling village and serve the new Chase Farm housing development.
The 3.8km single carriageway will link the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains – running parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane.
Voters across Gedling borough questioned local council candidates on Thursday (29) evening on their plans to combat climate change if elected on 6 May.
The issue remains especially important to electors in the borough who are surrounded by areas of natural beauty such as Sherwood Forest and the nearby Peak District.
The event was chaired by the chair of the Friends of Gedling House Woods – Frank Knowles.
Labour’s incumbent councillor, Jim Creamer, is hoping for re-election to the Carlton Hill ward.
He was joined by the Liberal Democrat candidate for the same ward, Paul Hughes.
Margret Vince of the Green Party is standing for a seat representing Newstead.
All eight Conservative candidates, and those standing as independents, had prior commitments.
No candidate downplayed the issue of climate change, Mr Hughes stating that it – as well as resulting biodiversity loss – is the “greatest long term threat to mankind”.
“We must take urgent action”.
Ms Vince agreed, calling it the “biggest threat to humanity”. The issue should be “informing all County Council policies”.
She claimed that neither Conservative nor Labour councillors had done enough thus far to combat overall harm to the planet, suggesting that Green Party representatives would “hold them to account”.
Mr Hughes called for Nottinghamshire County Council to immediately declare a climate emergency, stating that the Coronavirus pandemic gives us an opportunity so as not to return to “the old normal”, building on the reduced carbon emissions seen during lockdown.
Mr Creamer emphasised how councils should “lead by example”, ensuring a “healthy, clean, and safe” local environment.
Moreover, he claimed that the Conservative’s current commitment for net zero emissions by 2030 was not initially voted for by them and was put forward by Labour initially.
Also urging the council to declare an emergency, Ms Vice expressed her concerns regarding the underlying reasons for the climate crisis, namely a “profit based economy” and “reckless consumerism of the environment”.
Also a common feature of the candidates’ aims was the electrification of the main midlands rail line.
Ms Vince said that this was “a long time coming” as she also voiced her opposition to HS2 and the planned expansion to East Midlands Airport.
Moreover, the consensus was that pensions must be diversified from fossil fuel sources.
An audience member lamented, “I hate the fact that my pension is ruining my grandchildren’s future”.
Another attendee added that she thought that this could be mitigated if the government would be yet “more positive about green investment”.
In addition, most candidates suggested that changes needed to be implemented at the site of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar incinerator.
Mr Hughes denounced it as a “very messy way of generating energy”.
Ms Vince similarly highlighted how the process was “not great for air quality”, and raised concerns about the road transport required in order to transport waste with which to “feed the beast”.
Much of this burnt material could also be recycled.
Local recycling as a whole would be made a lot easier, all candidates said, if existing closed centres were reopened, Mr Hughes calling the council’s Veolia contract “nothing short of a disaster”.
Ms Vince suggests the implementation of wind turbines or solar panels on the incinerator site whilst preserving its trademark towers.
Whilst Mr Hughes agreed, however, Mr Creamer raised concerns about the council’s sway over a private company.
This is despite his preference for it “not to be there”. In some ways, “it’s nothing to do with us”, but he would “sooner have incineration than landfill”.
Uniper runs the power station site and submitted plans for a new incinerator worth £330m in September 2020.
On electric vehicles, all candidates called for more charging points in all council managed car parks, with Ms Vice stating that they should be made a standard feature of all new building developments.
Mr Creamer also suggested that they should be provided in the staff car parks of local businesses.
Hydrogen vehicles, on the other hand, are not a flawless solution, professed the candidates. The hydrogen manufacturing process produces carbon in turn.
A public information campaign was agreed upon by all candidates to this effect, informing firms as to what positive changes they can implement.
This also applies to schools, candidates agreeing that council officers should liaise with comprehensive establishments and academies in order to create informative activities and organise speakers which would convince the next generation of the planet’s perilous state and what they could do to help.
Mr Creamer would like to see children “telling their parents what they’re doing wrong”.
Notwithstanding Mr Creamer’s admission that Gedling is “not exactly cycle friendly” being a “little on the hilly side”, another common aim was to improve and add to the region’s cycling infrastructure.
Ms Vince suggested more showers in work places for those travelling to work via bicycle.
Lower speed limits were also proposed by all, lowering overall emissions and making local parks safer to visit.
There is good news for those seeking Covid-19 jab appointments locally in Gedling borough.
Earlier this week, residents in the borough had been angered after discovering all appointments for the Covid jab were only available 20 miles away, with no option to book one locally on the new NHS appointment system.
When using the previous Swiftqueue system people requiring a jab could book a slot at the Richard Herrod Centre in Carlton. But since Swiftqueue was replaced by a national NHS appointment booking system, jab appointments were only available in Derby, Sheffield and Leicester.
Following complaints from residents, Gedling Borough Councillor Henry Wheeler contacted chief executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS, Dr John Brewin seeking a resolution.
People were being vaccinated at the Richard Herrod Centre in Carlton
Mr Brewin said he was ‘aware of the issue’ and had good news to pass on regarding local appointments.
Mr Brewin told Councillor Wheeler: “Over the last two weeks our programme has hit its peak for vaccine second doses, hence we have had to prioritise our appointment slots for these.
“There have therefore only been a very small number of slots available for first doses. Hence your constituents have been offered appointments further afield.
“Nottingham was a few weeks behind other counties at the start of the vaccine programme, hence this issue is not the same elsewhere.”
Mr Brewin added: “The good news is that this peak is passing and we will have significantly more first dose appointments from next week and onwards.
“It also looks promising for longer term vaccine supply and hopefully we will be able to avoid such situations in the future.”
Councillor Henry Wheeler said: “I am really pleased that this situation will be resolved and from next week significantly more local appointments will become available”.
“Local residents shouldn’t be forced to travel long distances to get an appointment”.
Co-op stores in Gedling borough will today begin removing their ‘bags for life’ from sale.
The bags are expected to be gone completely by the end of the summer, once stock runs out.
Jo Whitfield, chief executive of Co-op Food, said: “Increased use of bags for life has led to a sharp rise in plastic use.
PICTURED: The Co-op store on Netherfield (PHOTO: Neil Slack Photography)
“With over 1.5 billion bags sold each year by retailers, this remains a massive issue for our industry as many shoppers are regularly buying so-called bags for life to use just once and it’s leading to a major hike in the amount of plastic being produced.”
The Co-op is now calling for ‘greater transparency’ around the tracking of the impact of the carrier bag levy.
Ms Whitfield said: “We believe that it should be mandatory for all retailers to report on the sales of all of their reusable bags, not just single-use bags.
“Right now, Co-op is the only major retailer to report on all of the bags it sells. This policy would enable a fuller understanding on the impact of the levy and its true effect on shopping behaviours when customers are making decisions at the tills.”
The price of single-use plastic bags will double next month to 10p.
Work has begun on the £4m redevelopment of the Arnold Market Place site.
Gedling Borough Council today confirmed that contracts have been signed with developers G F Tomlinson to begin preliminary works on the site from this week.
The company, who previously built the council’s iconic Café 1899 at Gedling Country Park, will begin preparing the site by removing old hoardings and excavating the ground to start laying out the foundations for the new building.
The project in Arnold Town Centre will receive the most significant investment it has ever had with up to £4 million allocated to the project as part of the council’s plan to revitalise the centre and create a new space that will help boost visitors to the town centre and support local businesses.
The plans include the construction of a new landmark building, between the existing Methodist Church and King George V Park.
A two-storey building will frame the new market place as well as create a new eastern gateway into Arnold Town Centre.
PICTURED: Work gets underway of the redevelopment of Arnold’s Market Place (IMAGE: Gedling Borough Council)
A new public space will be created as a central focal point for the Market. The new building will provide seven small outlets for local independent businesses with flexible space above, which could be used for a variety of commercial options.
Funding for this project will come from the council’s capital programme budget, boosted by a successful bid for £1.25 million from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund that supports town centre improvements.
The project will create around 40 new jobs through business employment and through the construction of the new buildings.
The building has been designed by Maber Architects, who specialise in landscape and master planning services. The council is also working with local designers on the branding and naming of the building, which is likely to be announced in the next month.
The building is expected to be completed by spring 2022.
Health inspectors discovered human waste, blood and dried food on the floors and walls of a mental health hospital in Arnold.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated The Priory Hospital ‘inadequate’ and placed it in special measures following the inspection in March.
The inspection was said to have taken place after anonymous sources reported poor hygiene and gaps in patient safety measures at the independent hospital for adults.
The CQC told the BBC they also found found dirty toilets and a bag of urine that had been left for several days.
Dr Kevin Cleary, from the CQC, said standards of cleanliness were “well below what people should be able to expect”.
A Priory Group spokesman told the BBC that ‘a significant amount of work has taken place since the CQC visited in March’
They said they have now improved procedures, governance, and staff training so we deliver consistently high-quality, safe care.
“This work has been overseen by a new hospital director and senior management, and we already have a significantly improved environment for our patient, the said.
“We provided assurance to the CQC that effective and rigorous systems around safety, hygiene, and infection control are in place.”
The CQC told the BBC that ‘if there was insufficient improvement, it would use its enforcement powers to protect patients and hold the hospital leaders to account’.
Seven knives have been seized by the Gedling South Neighbourhood Policing Team during weapon sweeps in parks across the borough.
Team members seized the blades from various places after carrying out weapons sweeps in Jubilee Park, Standhill Park, Brick Yard Estate and Conway Road Park in Carlton. They also searched Stoke Lane and Gedling House Woods in Gedling
Of the four knives recovered, three were handed to police by a member of the public after they had been found hidden in a park in the Brick Yard Estate. The fourth was found by police hidden behind a tree in Jubilee Park.
The team also went into Netherfield and Carlton conducting a mixture of plain clothes and uniform foot patrols, as well as visiting the retail park in relation to reports of anti-social use of vehicles.
Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Becky O’Connor said: “In support of the national Operation Sceptre campaign we have spent a lot of time out of foot completing weapons sweeps, conducting stop and searches of people and vehicles and focussing our attention on the areas that the public have told us are concerns for them. This has included doing regular patrols of Conway Road Park, Jubilee Park and Stoke Lane after dark.
“Whilst we were in Jubilee Park on Tuesday (27 April 2021) the team went ‘off road’ and managed to climb a bank and drop down under the railway bridge where the public have told us that there are often groups behaving anti-socially and using drugs. We did find evidence of this and have fed this back to our partners in a bid to tackle this issue.”
Yesterday (Thursday 29 April 2021) the team was back out and about in their community focussing on crime hot-spot areas.
Sgt O’Connor added: “The team has worked incredibly hard this week balancing demand as well as the proactive work in support of Operation Sceptre. I would like to thank them all for their tireless work and commitment and also thank members of the public for their continued support as we continue to tackle knife crime by working together.”
