Tamworth Blog

SCC TV

Staffordshire County Council are broadcasting their debate as they decide on this years council tax increase this Wednesday (February 3) and next (February 10).

It is expected that Staffordshire County Council will pass a lower than inflation increase this year.  The 1.9% increase will be the lowest implemented since the Council Tax was introduced in 1993.  A family living in a band D property will pay an extra 39p a week for their services.

Leader Philip Atkins said:

“Our manifesto pledge at the elections in June was to improve services in key areas while keeping council tax as low as possible, which is why I am making this recommendation.

“We have consulted extensively on what our budget priorities should be and I believe 1.9 per cent strikes the right balance. A below inflation rise means council tax should not unduly add to the strain on the budgets of most families, including the elderly and vulnerable groups.

“I am aware that we are still struggling with the affects of the economic slump. But to reduce council tax further would mean we could not keep our manifesto promise to raise standards in schools, improve care for the elderly and invest in roads.”

The County Council have identified over £21m of savings for next year by becoming more innovative in the way in which the council is run.

Atkins added:

“We are committed to sensible long-term financial planning, not panic measures or quick fixes. That is why we have committed to an additional £30m in highways programmes and other investments such as the Tipping Street development and the Building Schools for the Future programme for Tamworth and Rugeley. Both represent initial outlay that will pay dividends for many years to come. It is responsible budgeting.”

The debate will be broadcast online on SCC TV from 10am Wednesday morning (Feb 3 and 10).  You can watch it afterwards as well by downloading the meeting.  To access it simply go to the Staffordshire County Council Website and click the SCC TV icon.

Traffic Cones - Pic: Ian Britton

Glascote Road is to receive a much needed revamp wtih Staffordshire County Council spending some £700k on resurfacing the road and improving the drainage system on the stretch through Glascote.

The disruption will see the stretch between Marlborough Way roundabout and Abbey Road being resurfaced and improved over a 18 week period begginning on February 1.

The drainage system improvements which will see some 200 metres of piping replaced is hoped to relieve the flooding which occurs in the area during heavy rain.

The main work will see Temporary Traffic lights used, with side streets periodically closed to reduce congestion.  A diversion will also be in place utilising the A5 bypass.

Busses will continue to use their usual routes and schedule, likewise businesses and homes in the area will still have access to their properties.

Local county councillor Michael Oates said:

“This is a first class scheme which will have a positive impact on the area for many years to come. The drainage system has struggled to cope when we have had heavy downpours in the past so this investment will be a big boost to the area.

“The B5000 is one of Tamworth’s busiest routes and is used by thousands of motorists every day. However, in the short term we do understand that the work to improve the stretch of road may inconvenience people and would like to apologise for that in advance.”

The final stage of the construction will see the stretch between Marlborough Way and Dumolows road closed due to it being a narrow carriageway.  All traffic will be diverted along the A5 bypass and busses will be diverted along Dumolows lane.

Woodhouse High School

Plans for the changes to Tamworth’s secondary and post 16 provision will be unveiled tonight (Thursday January 7) at a public open evening at Torc Campus in Glascote. The open evening will run from 6pm till 8pm and showcase the plans for the changes being proposed to QEMS, which will become a Post 16 campus run privately by Landau Forte.

You can view the flyers for both the Post 16 Academy and the 11-16 Academy by downloading the flyers below:

Academy flyer Post 16 – QEMS

Academy flyer 11-16 – Woodhouse High School

Gritter Gritting the Roads - Pic: Ian Britton

Ok, hands up, who is bored of this weather now?  Adults, probably, kids, probably not, Gritters??  Most certainly.

The news has been full of shortages of salt for the roads around the country and Staffordshire is no different.

With the weather set to stay cold for the forseable future it is hard to remember what it was like not to deice the car in the morning or walk on tarmac without ice.  The gritting teams at Staffordshire County Council have been braving the elements to keep the roads running but had admitted today that they have had to adopt a new gritting strategy.

From today (Wednesday January 6) only the A and B roads in the region will be treated to save on the valuable salt reserves.  Dedicated teams will also be spreading salt by hand in critical areas such as doctors surgeries, hospitals and town centres.  However side roads will have to remain untreated.

County Councillor Mike Maryon, Cabinet member for Highways, said:

“The gritting teams have been working extremely hard to keep Staffordshire on the move despite the national salt shortage.

“It would be irresponsible to continue to do full gritting in the face of the dwindling national supply of salt. We can not sustain our normal day to day salting levels while supplies are so depleted.

“Due to this, a decision has been made to reduce the gritting service to cover the A and B roads only.

“At the same time we will be ensuring as much as can be reasonably expected, that areas around hospitals, GP surgeries and town centres are kept as safe as possible. We are implementing an innovative approach where dedicated teams are using a special salt based mixture to hand salt these locations.

“The highways team is facing a considerable challenge but is doing everything it can to keep Staffordshire on the move. It is also vital that motorists take extra care in these conditions as, even when roads are gritted, they can still be difficult to drive on.

“The highways hotline, 0800 232323, has been inundated with calls which peaked at 300 per hour on Monday. The system is struggling to deal with the demand and should only be used in an emergency.”

Whilst the main routes should remain careful, drivers should take caution when entering side streets and avoid using untreated roads where at all possible.

Woodhouse High School

Staffordshire County Council have selected the contractors who will build the new Academy on the Woodhouse site as part of the Building Schools for the Future plan for Tamworth (read the original stories here).

Wilmott Dixon Construction Limited have been selected as a panel member who will continue to design and develop plans to build the new campus in Tamworth.

The new Academy which is going to replace the sixth form provision across the town has caused controversy with parents in the town setting up the HOTS group (Hands of Tamworth Schools), believing removing the sixth provision from high schools would be detrimental to their children’s education.  Likewise teachers have held strikes about the changes proposed, worrying about job cuts and changes to their roles.

The Landau Forte run Academy though was approved earlier in the year, likewise the funding was authorised with the academy replacing the Woodhouse Business and Enterprise College in September 2010, moving into new purpose built buildings on site in 2011.

Whilst the academy will be run by Landau Forte, the Council are responsible for the procurement of the new buildings on behalf of the sponsors, with funding of some £35 million provided by central government’s Partnerships for Schools (PfS).  The detailed procurement process begun earlier in the year and the board decided to select Wilmott Dixon Construction Limited.

Ian Parry, Deputy County Council Leader, said:

“Staffordshire County Council has worked closely with colleagues from Landau Forte Charitable Trust during the selection process with both bidding contractors have put an extraordinary amount of effort in throughout the autumn.

“This decision brings us one step closer to increasing the choice and diversity in Tamworth by introducing an Academy and demonstrates a major commitment to future secondary education in the area.”

Gary Church, the bid leader for Wilmott Dixon said:

“Wilmott Dixon Construction is delighted to be working with Staffordshire County Council on this very important project. We look forward to building upon the relationship established with the county council to deliver previous successful projects.”

As part of the BSF project in Tamworth, there will be an open evening at Torc Campus on the evening of January 7 2010 between 6pm and 8pm, members of the public will be able to learn more about the proposals.

Gritter Gritting the Roads - Pic: Ian Britton

The Staffordshire Gritters are working around the clock this Christmas to keep the roads in Tamworth and the surrounding region safe and passable.

The cold snap has lasted a little while now and many of us have seen ice on our streets, but the main arteries through the town have been kept clear thanks to the work of these dedicated gritters.  Over the last weekend some 1,500 tonnes were spread throughout Staffordshire.

Councillor Mike Maryon, Cabinet member for Highways, said:

“The weather has really taken a turn for the worse over the last few days and, with temperatures expected to drop to an icy -10 degrees by tomorrow, the highways team is ready to step up to the challenge.

“However, people need to remember that salt treatment is only effective down to about -7 degrees so they need to be aware that even treated roads will be icy when it gets this cold.

“Crews will be on call around the clock but there are roads which will be untreated and even on gritted roads people will still need to exercise extra caution. The message is a clear one to motorists – you must take extra care when driving in winter conditions and avoid travelling if possible when the weather’s really bad.”

So this Christmas, remember the main roads may be clear, but venture onto side roads, be sure to tread careful.  Especially with the temperature not venturing above zero and sleet/snow forecast this weekend.  The latest forecast is below:

Cars covered in Snow - Pic: Stuart Brown

Tamworth drivers are being urged to take extra care on the roads as forecasters are saying we are heading to the first real cold snap of the winter, with a possibility of snow.

Staffordshire County Council have their fleet of over 60 gritters, 140 snow blades and 20 tractor mounted snow blowers ready if the worst is to come (although this is Tamworth and it never snows). Ten of the gritters are the latest which spread pre-wetted salt, ensuring a quicker reaction with ice on our roads.

Staffordshire grits 43% of it’s roads (which is above the national average) and have 13,500 tonnes of grit stockpiled and ready to use throughout the county and of course Tamworth which has the A5 running through the centre of the town.

Cabinet member for highways Mike Maryon said:

“We’re obviously well prepared for the worst of the winter weather and are ready to act at short notice.

“Staffordshire is a large county with varying weather conditions. Our highways teams are continually monitoring the weather forecasts and will head out onto the roads whenever and wherever necessary.

“But the message is a clear one to motorists – you must take extra care when driving in winter conditions and avoid travelling if possible when the weather’s really bad.

“We will do our very best to make the roads safer and work round-the-clock if we need to. However there are roads which will be untreated and even on gritted roads people will still need to exercise extra caution.”

The gritting team are spread throughout the county with gritters parked up on farms awaiting the call to action if the weather does look to cause disruption on our road networks.  The main roads throughout Tamworth have been mapped using thermal mapping technology to check it’s thermal capacity and what temperature those roads need to be treated.  Hopefully this will keep the towns arteries running in the run up to Christmas.

Whilst we have the latest weather in the side bar, below is a 7 day view of the weather ahead and the latest news for Tamworth from MetCheck.

Computer Keyboard - Pic: Ian Britton

Residents of Tamworth are being urged to shop safe online this Christmas to help you to avoid disappointment this Christmas.

County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture said:

“There are so many websites selling goods and so called Christmas bargains.

“It is important that consumers are aware of what they are buying and where they are buying from. Just as they would if they were purchasing goods from a shop in person.”

The advice includes and tips to avoid disappointment are:

• Know your product – read reviews, make comparisons.
• Shop around – the first price you see is rarely the cheapest. Include delivery charges and think of import duty if ordering from overseas.
• Shop early – allow plenty of time for goods to be delivered. Check products are in stock.
• Know your seller – avoid websites that don’t display the seller’s full details.
• Know your rights – for most goods ordered online, buyers have a statutory cooling off period of seven working days following the day of delivery to change their mind about the purchase. Avoid websites that fail to make this clear.
• Shop securely – only order from websites that make use of secure web pages where the customer is required to supply personal or financial information. Secure web pages have a padlock symbol at the bottom of the web browser and by the use of https:// at the start of the web address. Never disclose payment card information via email.
• Get organised – keep records of transactions.
• Be smart with passwords – don’t use the same usernames and passwords that you use for other online services. Use passwords that are difficult to guess and make use of uppercase letters, numbers and permitted symbols.
• Be sceptical – if an offer is too good to be true then you should assume that it is.
• Be fair – be realistic about delivery times and ensure that someone is available to receive your items in your absence.

County Councillor Adams added:

“These guidelines are designed to help consumers make wise decisions and get the most out of buying online as it can be a great way to buy goods and services. Purchasing online can also help consumers to stay within their budget and learn to shop around for the best buys.”

For more information on safety whilst shopping online, visit the Consumer Direct website.

A damaging pothole has been reported through the FixMyStreet website just of Coton Lane.

View Pothole – MapMyStreet in a larger map

The pothole which is 700cmx2200cm and 70cm deep is effecting access to homes and businesses of Coton Lane and damaging vehicles turning into the estate and nearby Dairy Farm.  As with all FixMyStreet entries, the instruction has been sent to Staffordshire County Council.

A Picture of The Offending Pothole

Tamworth Library - Pic: Paulette Francessca Sedgwick

Tamworth Library is offering readers over the age of 16  the oppotunity of winning fantastic prizes during Staffordshire County Councils Winter Reading Challenge.

The competition will be launched on Saturday December 12 with a special coffee morning.

Those taking part in the challenge will be challenged to read five books of their choice.  To enter the competition, they will then have to fill an entry form and write a short review of the books they have read.  All participants will then be entered into a prize draw to win lots of free books and a years subscription to New Books Magazine.

The closing date for all entries will be Friday February 12 2010.

Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, Ben Adams said:

“This is a great opportunity for Staffordshire residents to share their enthusiasm for books while giving them the chance to win some wonderful prizes.”