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Your View: British Gas announce electricity price rise

Gedling Eye
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Your View: British Gas announce electricity price rise

British Gas yesterday announced they are to increase electricity prices by 12.5% from 15 September 15.

Its owner Centrica said the rise will affect 3.1 million customers.

Gas prices are to remain unchanged, but the average annual dual-fuel bill for a typical household on a standard tariff will rise by £76 to £1,120, up by 7.3%.

Centrica said the rise was “a result of transmission and distribution costs and the costs of government policy”.

But the government said its policy costs “could not explain” the rises.

Centrica said the price increase was its first since November 2013, adding that British Gas was one of the last suppliers to raise prices.

The company said it would protect its most “vulnerable customers” against the rise and that British Gas would credit more than 200,000 people on the government’s Warm Home Discount with £76.

What do you think?…

We asked people from across the borough about their thoughts on the latest rise in energy prices.

Lee Roach, from Calverton, said: “This is a real blow. I was really hoping for a fall in prices after a reasonably-hot summer, not a more rises. What will the government do about this? Probably nothing as usual.”

Tam Banks, from Arnold, said: “Wages aren’t rising but energy prices around us are. It’s becoming a real struggle for me now. I just don’t see why it’s allowed.”

Gary Lawrence, from Carlton, was happy about the price rise.

He said: “I work for a rival, so obviously it’s good for business as people will look at switching to us. No idea if the others plan to do the same, but at the moment the phones are buzzing!”

Terri-Anne Hemsley, from Bestwood, said a state supplier should be set up.

She said: “If the government is so angry about this, why not set up their own supplier and undercut the big boys and start a price war. People would sign up if it was cheaper and the money could go back in the public purse”

  • What do you think about yesterday’s price rise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page

Police appeal after Sherwood off licence burglary

Gedling Eye
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Police appeal after Sherwood off licence burglary

Police are appealing for information following a burglary at an Sherwood off licence during the early hours of this morning (Tuesday 1).

Officers were called to Kubis off licence on Mansfield Road (at the junction with Melrose Street) just before 4am following a report of a burglary.

Offenders forced entry at the rear of the property and stole a quantity of cash, cigarettes and alcohol.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “If you saw or heard anything in relation to this incident or think you can help, please call 101 and quote incident number 75-01082017. Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers free and in confidence on 0800 555 111.”

Elaine Bond: You need to be more assertive…NOW!

Gedling Eye
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Elaine Bond: You need to be more assertive…NOW!

Assertiveness is about us being able to stand up for our own rights, or those of other people, in a calm and collected way without being aggressive or passive by just saying “yes” when we really don’t mean it. So, assertiveness means getting our point across without being angry, offensive or upsetting the other person. Assertiveness is always respectful to others and ourselves, it allows us to act in our own best interests, to stand up for ourselves without anxiety and to express our honest feelings or personal rights comfortably without denying the rights of others.

We all react aggressively or passively at times and this mostly comes from a lack of self-confidence.

When we react passively, for example, saying “yes” when we want to say “no”, or taking on just one more piece of work, we have a strong need to be liked by others. We are people pleasers and do not, at that point, believe we are equal to the others. We fail to say what we need and want and allow others to take decisions for us and lead us.

Then if we react aggressively we are not taking into account the wants and needs of others. We will not show praise or appreciation of others and often we put others down. Our aggressive response encourages the other person to respond in a non-assertive way, either aggressively or passively. Aggression is not just anger, but can also be the use of humour inappropriately, rushing someone to make a decision, telling someone what to do or simply cutting them out of the discussion. Plain aggression can be really frightening to the person on the receiving end of it.

SAY NO: here are ways to learn to become more assertive

So why aren’t we assertive?

It’s down to our own individual belief systems and self-esteem. Thoughts like “Being nice means going along with others “or “She’ll leave me if I speak up!” keeps us passive. The fear of conflict or feeling inadequate also keeps us quiet and for some the fight or flight reaction is activated and we get stuck in anxiety based flight from speaking out. We could also have the beliefs that “the only way I get heard is to be intimidating” or “do it my way and I know it’ll work out” that lead to dominance and aggression.

Here are some things that may let us know we aren’t assertive enough –

  • We have to explain ourselves a lot or we constantly find ourselves repeating what we have said to be heard and we over explain ourselves. On the days we can say “no” we have to explain why, who and how instead of simply refusing or declining something.
  • We say “yes” a lot. Therefore, we are the one at work they will give the time consuming or new project to, not because we are good at it or the best person for it, but because everyone knows that no matter what, we will not refuse. We will also put in the extra hours or the take longest journey to get the job done. We may also moan and complain about this to a few trusted people or just stew on it ourselves.
  • When we can’t express our true feelings or opinions because we fear the consequences of disagreeing with others. Our fears are much bigger than they need to be e.g.”if I don’t go shopping with her, she’ll never speak to me again”.
  • We often hate taking risks or stepping outside of our comfort zone., The fear of getting it wrong or other’s opinions of us make us stay in an often uncomfortable place or in a job that we can do so much better than. But, we know what will happen and we don’t have to raise our heads above the parapet.
  • We are anxious or even fearful about dealing with people in authority and try our best to never spend time with managers etc.
  • If we go into somewhere like a meeting or home, braced and ready for a fight, with all our defences up, we are getting ready to be aggressive not assertive
  • When we have an idea someone is out to get us we start to plot our revenge, or their downfall, and talk about them behind their backs this is us being passive-aggressive not assertive.

We can see assertiveness depending on self-esteem and our belief systems,  one of the first things to do is to look at those. Write a list of your beliefs about yourself, others and the world e.g. I am terrible at public speaking, everyone else is very good at it and it’s the only way I’ll get on in life – so I won’t bother! Check out how unreasonable your beliefs are, how global they are and what you can do about them.

Then we can work out the situations where we do not stand up for our self. We will be able to see patterns – the kind of people, places, age, authority, work etc.

Is it harder for us to give compliments or criticism, or are both difficult? What do we fear might happen in these situations if we were assertive and compare this with our beliefs and the patterns we have seen.

Then we can start in a small way, asked to be seated somewhere else in a restaurant and work up to bigger things like relationship issues, carefully noting how it felt to be assertive.

Learn to say “no” and set up some boundaries that we will not cross as this is important. Then say “no”. This is not selfish – it is necessary. We also do not have to explain our refusal unless someone asks us to and even then we can decide not to.

We need to go back to those beliefs again, and look at what we really need and want. We should never assume that others will know what we really need, so we need to find a way to express them in a clear, honest and assertive way. If people don’t hear us say them, we need to be repeat them “can I just take you back to…” often works. We need to remember to use the “I” expression in our communication when we are assertive, “I get very upset when you are late for lunch as I feel like we won’t have the time together we both wanted.”

The process of becoming assertive will take time; after all we have been acting either passively or aggressively for some time, so we have to be gentle and forgiving with ourselves. If we don’t get it right this time we can always try again next time.

The Recovery College has some great assertiveness courses: https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/nrc-our-courses

However from time to time we are too stuck in our belief systems to make that change alone and we need counselling to deal with our anger or low-self-esteem. The counselling directory has many counsellors listed you can use.

http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/elaine-bond

https://www.facebook.com/ElaineTerryCounsellingServcies/

Tel: 07769 152 951

E: ng4counselling@gmail.com

New fleet of bio-gas buses with free wi-fi and USB charging points arrive in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye
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New fleet of bio-gas buses with free wi-fi and USB charging points arrive in Gedling borough

NCT’s fleet of new buses with wifi and USB charging points has arrived

They may be red but they are also ‘green.

The Red 44 service is the latest route to benefit from a new fleet of Bio-gas buses which are being introduced by Nottingham City Transport.

Not only are the buses better for the environment, but passengers using the service – which covers Colwick, Netherfield and Gedling, can charge their phones using USB charge points and enjoy a free wi-fi service.

The buses also boast glass staircases to add more light, new higher-quality comfy seats and also audio announcements giving journey information along the route.

The buses are also environmentally friendly too as they are fuelled by Bio-Gas.

Bio-gas is produced naturally through anaerobic digestion, using food waste, farm waste and sewage. The methane emitted from the digestion process is captured, treated and turned into fuel.

Anaerobic digestion doesn’t just produce bio-gas; it also produces a nutrient rich low carbon fertiliser, which helps farmers reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

A spokesman for Nottingham City Transport said: “Our brand new bio-gas buses are some of the greenest buses on the road and will make a significant reduction to our carbon footprint and improvement to the air quality in Nottingham.

“Bio-gas is a much cleaner fuel to produce and use and these buses emit hardly any particulates (soot) or hydrocarbons. Using bio-gas buses generates a CO2 saving of 84% as well as tailpipe emissions that are cleaner than an equivalent Euro 6 double deck bus.

By fuelling our buses with bio-gas, we’re helping reduce the amount of food, farm and sewage waste going to landfill or not being reused, which produces high volumes of methane when left to decompose naturally. As methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, our bio-gas buses will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Hunt down this hidden gem – The Fox and Hounds is a great country pub only 7 miles from Mapperley

David Bratton
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Hunt down this hidden gem – The Fox and Hounds is a great country pub only 7 miles from Mapperley

This revamped pub in the ridiculously pretty village of Blidworth Bottoms not only does food extremely well – it’s a proper boozer, too

A traditional country pub nestled on the outskirts of Gedling borough is promising visitors a warm and hearty welcome.

The Fox and Hounds can be found in the tiny (blink-and-you’ll-miss-it), gorgeous village of Blidworth Bottoms, just ten miles from Mapperley.

Located on Rigg Road, this pub – which dates back to the 19th century – already attracts a devoted following who enjoy the superb selection of traditional cask ales and great British pub-grub on offer.

And now following a recent revamp, the venue is now hoping to welcome in those from further afield with the addition of a new Orangery dining area and extra terrace space – making it a perfect destination to relax over the summer.

The outside terrace area

The Fox and Hounds has an extensive menu with a range of traditional light bites and pub classics on offer. Sunday lunches continue to prove popular and their selection of world tapas being offered during the warmer months also wins rave reviews.

But while the food available is more than enough to impress – it’s the setting that’s likely to keep you coming back for more.

The main bar area at the Fox and Hounds in Blidworth Bottoms

The biggest draw of this rural pub is its stunning outdoor area which provides a perfect place to spend some time on a hot summer’s day.

Many visitors like to enjoy a drink and take in the surrounding scenery by grabbing a table on the recently extended outdoor terrace.  The family-friendly pub’s huge beer garden is also a real asset for those with children in tow.

The dining area
This making you hungry? The pub offers great traditional British grub

The Fox and Hounds is also a perfect destination for weekend walkers with Newstead Abbey, Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park and Rufford Abbey ­­all being on the doorstep.

This is just a great British pub. Excellent food, friendly faces, traditional surroundings, good beers and great laughs – pretty much everything a village hostelry should be.

You can list the website http://foxblidworth.co.uk or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/foxandhoundsblidworth for more information

Three men arrested in Arnold after police pursuit

Gedling Eye
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Three men arrested in Arnold after police pursuit

Three men have been arrested after a police pursuit came to an end in Arnold during the early hours of Thursday morning.

The three men were believed to be wearing balaclavas and armed with weapons.

They were suspected of carrying out an aggravated burglary on a house in Sheffield.

The men had fled the scene in a car thought to be stolen.

Later in the afternoon, the car was spotted by a Nottinghamshire officer on the A614 near Ollerton.

Officers then began to implement tactics to bring the car to a stop quickly and safely; a stinger was deployed and the car came to a stop in Burntstump Hill, Arnold at around 4pm.

The police helicopter and dog unit were called as all three men made off on foot, however they were quickly tracked down by officers before the dogs or helicopter arrived and were arrested at the scene.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “They remain in police custody and have been taken back to South Yorkshire for processing.”

Have say on new bus priority measure plan

Gedling Eye
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Have say on new bus priority measure plan

Residents are being asked to have their say on a series of bus priority measures being planned on roads in Colwick, Carlton, Gedling and Netherfield.

Funding has recently been secured through the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership to implement a range of bus priority measures as well as new and improved cycle and pedestrian facilities as part of the ‘Southern Growth Corridor’ project around Nottingham.

The project predominantly covers the A612 Daleside Road in Nottingham – but also extends to include roads in Colwick, Carlton, Gedling and Netherfield.

Jeff Burton, senior improvements officer for Via East Midlands, told residents: “The project seeks to improve the punctuality of and access to the local bus services in order to encourage more people to travel sustainably around Nottingham.

Bus passengers rate punctuality and reliability as their number one priority and these improvements, welcomed by bus operators, will have a significant impact on journey time and reliability. This in turn should lead to increased patronage and an overall reduction in congestion on this corridor which will benefit all road users.

As part of the overall project Via East Midlands Ltd, working on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, is proposing to introduce bus route improvements at the following locations:

Colwick

(Vale Road, Chaworth Road, Road No.1, Road No. 2 and Mile End Road),

Netherfield

(Meadow Road)

Carlton

(Burton Road, Gedling Road, Manor Road and Station Road)

and Gedling

(Main Road).

The proposed works include introducing a bus lane on Vale Road inbound to Nottingham, from the health centre to the junction with Mile End Road. This would be in operation on weekdays between 7.30am and 9.30am.

Single yellow lines and loading restriction would be introduced (no waiting or loading Monday to Friday, 7.30 – 9.30am) within the proposed bus lane on Vale Road inbound to Nottingham

Double yellow lines (no waiting at any time) would be introduced along the north side of Vale Road from the junction with Mile End Road to the junction with Chaworth Road.

Double yellow lines (no waiting at any time) would also be introduced along the south side of Vale Road opposite the Balmoral Road junction and on approach to the Chaworth Road / Road No. 1 junction.

Detection devices would be installed at the junction of Colwick Loop Road / Mile End Road / First Avenue junction to give buses priority over other traffic. Detection devices would also be introduced at the junction of Colwick Loop Road / Road No.1 to give buses priority over other traffic.

Other improvements to bus stops would be introduced at the following locations:

Road No.2, Colwick

GE0326 – on the south side of Road No.2 near the junction with Road No.1

  • Install real time information pole;
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0517 – on the north side of Road No.2 near the junction with Road No.1

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0320 – on the north side of Road No.2 outside of Hilary’s Blinds

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0327 – on the south side of Road No.2 near Crosslands Meadow

  • Install real time information pole
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Mile End Road, Colwick

GE0293 – on north side of Mile End Road near the junction with Colwick Manor Farm

  • Install new bus shelter at rear of footway
  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0334 – on south side of Mile End Road near the junction with Colwick Manor Farm

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Meadow Road, Netherfield

GE0155 – on north-west side of Meadow Road near the junction with Matlock Street

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Modify existing bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times (shortened to 12m that will provide additional provision for residential parking).

GE0154 – on south east side of Meadow Road near the junction with Harrogate Street

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new bus shelter at rear of footway.

Station Road, Carlton

GE0499 – on north side of Station Road near the junction with Elm Drive

  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Manor Road, Carlton

16. GE0498– on west side of Manor Road

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Main Road, Gedling

GE0209 – on north side of Main Road near the junction with Carnarvon Grove

  • Install real time information pole
  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0210 – on south side of Main Road near the junction with Carnarvon Grove

  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times

GE0206 – on east side of Main Road near the junction with Ranmoor Road

  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0208 – on west side of Main Road near the junction with Tennyson Avenue

  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

GE0207 – on east side of Main Road near the junction with Tennyson Avenue

  • Install new raised bus stop kerbs
  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Burton Road, Carlton

GE0051– on north side of Burton Road near the junction with Carlton Square

  • Introduce a bus stop clearway – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times.

Gedling Road, Carlton

GE0205 – on west side of Gedling Road near junction with Blackhill Drive

  • The introduction of a bus stop clear – no stopping, except buses, in operation at all times *This has already been consulted upon and is due to be implemented.

Mr Burton said he wanted to give local residents the opportunity to have their say before work began.

He said: “Before proceeding further with the bus lane, double yellow lines and bus stop clearways, I wish to consider the views of residents and organisations who may be interested in this matter.

If your comments are in the form of an objection to the proposals and if they cannot be resolved, they will be reported through the County Council’s procedures at the appropriate time.

“Any observations on these proposals should reach me by August 21 2017.”

All comments or objection should be sent to either the e-mail address tmconsultation@viaem.co.uk or by post to: Via East Midlands Ltd, Major Projects and Improvements, County Hall, West Bridgford Nottingham NG2 7QP

  • There will be a public drop-in event at Colwick Community Centre Vale Road Colwick on Monday, August 7 between 3.30pm and 7.30p. Representatives from Nottinghamshire County Council and Via East Midlands will be on hand to answer questions and concerns you may have about the planned work and also show you the plans. 

Kodi Box warning to football fans in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye
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Kodi Box warning to football fans in Gedling borough

Football fans in Gedling borough using Kodi boxes to illegally stream Premier League football matches could have their internet connection shut off. 

As part of its biggest ever crackdown on the illegal streaming of its content, the Premier League has obtained a High Court Order that will force UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block servers that are hosting illegal streams of its matches.

The Order – which will be in place for the entire 2017/18 Premier League season – will allow the League to further combat the sale and use of illicit streaming devices, including pre-loaded IPTV and so-called ‘Kodi’ boxes.

A similar Order was obtained for the final two months of the 2016/17 season and was highly effective, with more than 5,000 server IP addresses blocked that had previously been streaming illegal Premier League content

The League’s anti-piracy efforts have also contributed to a range of prominent apps and add-ons being closed down as the law catches up with them, leading to consumers who have purchased illegal pre-loaded streaming devices being out of pocket.

Premier League Director of Legal Services, Kevin Plumb, said: “This blocking Order is a game-changer in our efforts to tackle the supply and use of illicit streams of our content.

“It will allow us to quickly and effectively block and disrupt the illegal broadcast of Premier League football via any means, including so called ‘pre-loaded Kodi boxes’.

“The protection of our copyright, and the investment made by our broadcast partners, is hugely important to the Premier League and the future health of English football.

“The ability that clubs have to develop and acquire talented players, to build and improve stadiums, and to support communities and schools is all predicated on being able to market, sell and protect commercial rights. We are pleased the Courts have recognised this with the granting of this significant blocking Order.”

Would your child know how to make an emergency 999 call?

Nick Salt
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Would your child know how to make an emergency 999 call?

Parents in Gedling borough are being asked to take time over the summer holidays to sit and talk to their children about how to call 999 in an emergency.

This summer, the East Midlands Ambulance Service are asking parents to make sure children know how to call 999, their home address and also how to open the front door in an emergency.

Alison Crowe, Service Delivery Manager for our 999 control room, said: “Teaching your child the right reason to call 999 could save your life.

“As the summer holidays begin, we are asking parents to make sure they take five minutes to sit down with their children and explain when to call 999, especially if an adult is not awake.

“It is important that children know their address and postcode so that if they need to call 999 we can get an ambulance to them as quickly as possible.”

A video has been produced by the EMAS to show how two five-year-olds called 999 when they found their mums collapsed at home.

Emergency call handler Bethany Tidmarsh explained the best way to broach the subject of calling 999 is when an ambulance goes past, when they see one on TV, or even when they hear sirens.

She said:  “It is important that they know that calling 999 is not a scary thing to do as we are here to help and we will stay on the phone with them until the ambulance arrives.”

Activity books and colouring sheets to help teach children how to call 999 are available on our website

Where is safest place to park your car in Gedling borough?

Gedling Eye
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Where is safest place to park your car in Gedling borough?

Finding your parked vehicle missing or broken into after returning from the shops in Carlton, a meal out in Mapperley or hitting the gym in Arnold is every local driver’s worst nightmare. 

But now help is at hand to help you find safe parking in the borough with the launch of a new interactive map by Co-op insurance.

The tool uses Home Office data to reveal the safest places to park in the local area – and also the UK.

Users enter a location or postcode into the Park Smart tool to see the number of vehicle crimes over the last six months.

The Co-op said they hope the tool will help people to make an informed decision on where to leave their car.

The Park Smart tool uses data from November 2016 – April 2017, published by the Home Office, to display the number of vehicle crimes in the area selected over the last six months.

Red circles on the map represent areas where six or more incidents have taken place within the last six months; orange circles represent areas where three to five incidents have occurred.

Finally, yellow circles show areas where zero to two incidents have occurred.

Gedling Eye tried out the tool and on several postcodes from across the borough.

In Netherfield we found all the roads showing yellow circles, with one incident of car crime taking place on some of the town’s various streets.

Nevo-Map

In Carlton, we found an orange circle showing on Southdale Drive – indicating 3-5 vehicle crimes had taken place there within the last six months.

Yellow circles on Plains Road revealed that four incidents of car crime had taken place there during the last few months.

Why not try out the tool for yourself by visiting: https://hub.co-opinsurance.co.uk/park-smart/

Co-op insurance has also created a blog with tips on how to keep your car safe.

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