Nottinghamshire County Council has made significant progress in
reducing its budget deficit over the last two years, but with on-going
reductions in Government funding, combined with spiraling demand for
social care services, councillors are warning that tough decisions still
lie ahead.
Since 2017, the County Council has secured £26.8m in new savings,
helping to almost halve its projected four-year budget gap to £33.9m
(down from £63.9m). This is despite facing cost pressures of nearly £70m
over the same period, due mainly to an ever-increasing number of people
needing children’s social care and adult social care services.
Government funding is also reducing. By 2020/21, the County Council
will be receiving less than half the Government funding it did in
2012/13 and its main source of funding, the Revenue Support Grant, will
cease all together.
The Council’s Finance and Major Contracts Committee will consider the
financial position and proposals for its 2019/20 budget when it meets
on Monday 11 February.
The initial proposals include a recommendation to increase Council
Tax by just under 3% and the Adult Social Care precept by 1%, leading to
an average increase of 97p per week for Nottinghamshire households.
A final decision on the budget proposals, council tax and social care levy will be taken at Full Council on 28 February.
Councillor Richard Jackson, Chairman of Finance and Major Contracts
Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We’ve made
significant progress in reducing the budget deficit we inherited when
taking office in 2017 but it is fair to say that making savings is
getting tougher each year – and will continue to do so.
“Regrettably, it appears that we will have no choice other than to
increase Council Tax overall by 3.99% for next year as we’re caught
between having less money from government and needing to spend a greater
proportion of what’s left on life-and-death social care services.
Reductions to some of our discretionary functions –often the most
popular, highly-valued services we provide – are now inevitable, unless
significant savings can be made elsewhere, such as reshaping our
relationship with district and borough councils or removing a tier of
local government all together.”
The report also sets out the County Council’s £116m capital programme
for 2019/20, including a new school in Hucknall, a new special school
and day care facility in Newark, flood protection in Southwell,
superfast broadband, upgrading street lights and a £1m investment at the
Mill Adventure Base in Ashfield.
2019/20 will be the second year of a four-year, extra £20m investment
in upgrading roads across the county. This includes investment in new
machinery, significantly improving the quality and quantity of road
repairs.
Councillor Jackson added: “Reducing our year-on-year running costs is
the norm, but it does not prevent us from making capital investments in
the county’s infrastructure. Investing in new LED street lighting and
heating systems in schools actually helps us reduce running costs and
the money we are committing to build new schools, broadband and roads
will benefit us in years to come – improving educational outcomes for
our children and attracting new businesses to create more and better
jobs when they are older.”
Nottinghamshire County Council’s children’s services have been praised by Ofsted. Children potentially at risk or in need of support across the county are well served by the county’s children’s services teams. The vast majority of children and their families receive quick and appropriate responses from the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), when enquiries for early help and support and safeguarding concerns are received.
These are the findings of Ofsted following a visit to Nottinghamshire County Council children’s services earlier this year. The inspectors looked at the council’s arrangements for front door responses to contacts and referrals of children potentially at risk, considering a range of evidence including discussions with social workers and MASH officers, observations of frontline practice like the daily domestic abuse meeting and looking at children’s case records.
The visit also revealed that staff morale in the MASH and assessment teams was high and that senior management ensured social workers had manageable workloads. Commenting on the Ofsted visit, Councillor Philip Owen, chairman of the Council’s Children and Young People’s committee, said: “I would like to congratulate staff on the positive outcome to the Ofsted visit in January. It is particularly pleasing that the inspectors identified that staff morale was high, in no small part, this is due to the effective management by senior managers of their caseloads.
“It is also gratifying that Ofsted has recognised the thresholds that we have set for intervention are set at the correct levels. “It is particularly pleasing that senior leaders have a good oversight and understanding of operational practices. “It is also important to acknowledge that Ofsted has found areas for improvement and we will concentrate on these to improve our decision making across the whole of children’s services.
“On the whole, it is reassuring to know that children in
Nottinghamshire are as safe as they can be, but we must never lose sight
of the fact that we must continue to drive improvement where required.”
Colin Pettigrew, Corporate Director for Children and Families at Nottinghamshire County Council, said that the robust visit took place over 2 days and was carried out by highly experienced inspectors. He added: “They looked at a significant number of cases and visited offices across the width and breadth of the county, observing and interviewing staff, in short, it was a thorough exploration of our work.
“All of our staff, including those who support our social workers in
whatever way in their complex task should take great pride from the
content of this letter and I have written to all staff thanking them. “The inspectors commented on many good areas of work. The few areas
that they identified needing further improvement were known to us, and
we are confident that a few weeks later, we have made significant
strides towards those improvement targets.”
A
retail and business group has been praised for being ‘High Street
Heroes’ by creating initiatives to drive visitors and footfall to
their village including the launch of their own market.
Ruddington
Village Centre Partnership (RVCP) only formed last year but is
exploring ways to further attract people to visit local businesses in
and around their High Street.
They
have created a loyalty card, a festive The Twelve Traders of
Christmas video, a Ruddy Good Day Out Guide
and
now their first event, the Ruddington Village Market which launches
tomorrow (Saturday February 2) from 9am to 1pm at the White Horse Inn
in the village featuring a host of stalls.
Rushcliffe
Borough Council has praised the efforts as part of their High Street
Heroes campaign that aims to celebrate the efforts local business
groups and individuals go to in encouraging businesses to thrive.
Cabinet
Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Business Cllr Andy Edyvean
said: “This is a fitting first example of High Street Heroes, a
group who have really taken up the mantle in Ruddington to show what
is achievable in a relatively short space of time when businesses are
willing to work together.
“It’s
fantastic to see people coming together and enabling their own
communities to thrive.
“The
village market looks set to be a wonderful event that has captured
local imagination and we wish RVCP every success with it.
“Wherever
we can we will support our towns’ and villages’ efforts who
introduce new ideas and such positive initiatives.”
The
group were formed as a mixture of local business owners, residents
and members of Ruddington
Parish Council who could see the advantage of bringing local business
owner’s expertise together to create the projects.
RVCP
Chairman Mike
Ader said: “This
is the second major initiative by the RVCP, which we hope will prove
very popular with both residents and also visitors to the village.
The aim is to run the market every month and expand it as times goes
on.”
Fresh
fruit and vegetable boxes will be available at the market together
with the range of stalls including Black
Cat Café,
Doughnotts, The Jam Lady, Ruddington Village Butchers, the Sweetie
Boutique, Cocoabake, Turners Bakery, The Peckish Artisan Kitchen and
Split Screen Coffee
A craft
section will further complement the event offering pictures from
Ruddington arts, jewellery, scented candles, hardwood goods,
hand-made hats made in the village and hand-made cards and gifts.
Review of the Full Monty at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal
The Full Monty has arrived at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal and
what a treat of a play it is.
This is the perfect pick me up for this rather drab time of
year – a real belly laugh of a show which holds our attention
throughout.
The Full Monty is one of the most acclaimed
British films ever and this stage play, with the (predominantly female) audience
loving the tale of redundant steelworkers in Sheffield
forming their own strip act to perform the Full
Monty.
The cast have such good chemistry which
shines throughout as it deals with some very challenging subjects with such a
genuine sense of humour.
Gary Lucy as Gaz
Set in Sheffield, small screen favourite Gary Lucy (Hollyoaks,EastEnders, The
Bill and
winner of Dancing
on Ice)–
who’s sheer presence on stage elicited excited screams from the audience – plays
the main character Gaz, a cocksure and swaggering likely lad who decides to form
a band of male strippers to make some easy cash and drags some unlikely
accomplices along for the ride.
There’s Dave, his chubby, comedic and more likeable best
mate, impressively played by another TV regular, Kai Owen(Torchwood and Hollyoaks);
and Gaz’s son Nathan played astoundingly well by 17-year-old Fraser Kelly. Guy,
a well-endowed, gay plasterer given a sensitive portrayal by James Redmond(Hollyoaks and
Casualty);
stuffy former-foreman Gerald, played by Andrew Dunn (best
known from Dinnerladies and
for his regular appearances on Bremner,
Bird and Fortune),
who teaches the improbable strippers dance moves learnt from his time on the
Conservative Club ballroom. Joe Gill (Emmerdale)
plays tragic Lomper, a suicidal and in the closet loser, who finds confidence
and friends; while Louis Emerick (Benidorm,Brookside, Last
of the Summer Wine)
plays arthritic-hipped and ironically-named Horse, a role he’s played on staged
for a number of years – which showed through his confident, charismatic and
absolutely entertaining stage presence.
There are far too many comedy highlights to mention them
all with laugh-out-loud moments aplenty. The dancing is so funny (where it needs
to be) and so entertaining and yes you get the full monty!
What you will get when you go to see The Full Monty is a
play with a fantastic cast, set and soundtrack with a relevant heart warming and
hilarious story resulting in a fantastic night out.
Nottingham Forest football has been home to many iconic players throughout its illustrious past, perhaps none more so than former winger and cult hero Brian Rice. Brian, now 55 years old, has just landed the manager’s job at Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premiership having previously held assistant positions at Hibernian and St Mirren. I will return to his coaching toward the end of this piece but in the meantime prepare yourselves for a whirlwind of events during his time at Forest under Brian Clough.
Brian Rice joined Forest for £175,000 from Hibernian in August 1985. Liverpool were vying for Rice’s signature at the very same time but as the man himself explained, it was an easy choice to make. Brian had the following to say, “When I knew Brian Clough was in for me, having watched his great Forest sides over the years, there was only one place I wanted to go.”
Andrew Antcliff & Brian Rice
I asked Brian if he felt the pressure and expectancy of playing for a club whom five years previous were European champions. “It was more daunting following a man like John Robertson, who’s a God to the Nottingham Forest supporters. He’s an absolute legend, I was a massive fan of his, I’d watched Forest on the TV on that muddy City Ground pitch and seen this wee Scottish guy terrorising teams from all over Europe.” It was at this point during the conversation that I realised the two men actually crossed paths for a short while at Forest. Robertson had returned to the Reds from Derby in 1985 but featured in just a handful of matches for his former employers. Whilst the ageing legend’s contribution on the field was miniscule, his impact off it would prove to be pivotal in the development of 21 year old Rice at Nottingham Forest.
Brian revelled in his appraisal of Robertson as his mentor during those early days in Nottingham. “I was staying in the Balmoral Hotel and John would come down at night and have a drink and a chat. I was a young Scottish lad away from home and he’d been through that himself, he really took me under his wing.” Brian recalled a time when he and John Robertson went to a local nightclub, “We were in Madison’s (remember that?) And everyone was coming up to Robbo for his autograph (remember those, prior to selfies?). Robbo told me to look above his head where there was a huge picture of the man himself holding aloft the European Cup. That’s when it hit me, I was out with a guy who’d assisted and scored winning goals in the European Cup final and scored the winner for Scotland against England, it does ne get any better than that!”
Once Brian Rice had settled in at Forest he forged another great friendship with Stuart Pearce, who’d happen to sign on the very same day as him. The pair would socialise together before striking up a great on field understanding down the left flank at the City Ground. Brian then revealed a hilarious ritual that he and Pearce would engage in prior to kick off, “Pearce would beckon me to a quiet part of the dressing room as the lads went out for the warm up, then he’d get me to cut his fringe for him, I kid you not!”
Rice continued in his strong Lanarkshire accent, “Here’s the thing, I could ne draw a straight line with a ruler but he must have been chuffed because it became a regular thing.” On the field of play Rice and his teammates would be instrumental in Brian Clough’s second wave of trophy hunting. The young pretenders produced two consecutive third place finishes in the top flight of English football as well as reaching two consecutive FA Cup Semi Finals and winning two consecutive League Cups.
Mark Richardson & Brian Rice
I asked Rice what the secret to the team’s success was under Brian Clough? “First and foremost, it was great fun because everything was about doing things as a team and not as individuals. You never knew what the gaffer was going to do from one day to the next, five a side one day and then being told to bring your tennis racket the next. One time Cloughie told us to bring our passports with us to training, next thing we knew we’re on a plane to France. Every day was an adventure which made life great fun, and that was the beauty of it because it kept you on your toes.”
The next topic of conversation was all about THAT goal at Highbury, I remember it like it was yesterday. Arsenal v Forest in the FA Cup Quarter Final, with Forest hanging on to a slender lead Nigel Clough sprayed a defence splitting pass to Rice who carried the ball a good fifty yards before lobbing John Lukic with the deftest of chips.
That was my version of it but it would be remiss not to hear it from the man himself. “It was all about the ball from Nigel and my first touch” said Brian Rice. “When I went through I felt really confident even though I had England’s back four chasing me down. When I got to Lukic, who was a big lad, I waited for him to make the first move which he did by going down slightly. Then the instinct kicked in and importantly I managed to stay composed and just chip it over the top of him.” It’s no surprise to learn that Brian’s nickname has always been Chipper, which he earned those early years at Hibs.
I then asked if there were any comical encounters between Brian Rice and Brian Clough? “Aye,” said Rice with a pre chuckle brewing in his voice. “I was on the bench one Saturday, just seconds from kick off when Mr Clough ordered me to run onto the pitch, he told me to ask our No9 if he was giving his dad a lift home after the game. I felt like a right idiot as I sprinted over to Nigel and whispered the question, delaying the kick off in the process. Red faced, I returned to the bench where Clough senior asked for his son’s response.” “Well, what did he say?” asked Brian Clough. Rice tentatively relayed Nigel’s response by saying “Am I ****”
If column space permitted, I could have written at least three full pages about Brian Rice and his time at Nottingham Forest, which he emotionally described as the best days of his life. He produced some brilliant performances for Forest and weighed in with important goals too, like the winner against West Ham in 1986. The game is always remembered for Johnny Metgod’s stunning free kick but Brian Rice’s goal at the Trent End put a huge dent in the Hammers title hopes on an unforgettable evening.
Brian is still obsessed with football and has progressed through the coaching world following his retirement from playing the game. His appetite is insatiable and It was no surprise to see him land the Hamilton Job, his first as the main man in charge. He told me it would be a dream come true to coach at the City Ground one day and I for one wouldn’t bet against it, his favourite saying in football sums him up perfectly, “Hard work beats talent when talent does ne work hard.”
It was an absolute honour and a pleasure to interview such a wonderfully genuine guy, to this day Brian Rice has a great affinity for our fans and the City itself, he truly is a Nottingham Forest cult hero and will be forever more.
Ashfield District Council’s cabinet approved the land behind the current Festival Hall site as the preferred location for the development at a meeting on 21st January. The state-of-the-art provision will see the introduction of long awaited water space to Kirkby in the form of a leisure pool and a 25-metre swimming pool, as well as an indoor adventure climbing wall and cinema screen in the multi-purpose sports hall. The artist’s impressions, developed by GT3 Architects, depict the proposed design for the destination’s swimming pool, fitness suite and café. The outline plans will be developed over the next few months and further images will be made available as the project is progressed.
The facility mix approved includes:
• Water Space (25m pool with flexible floor and separate leisure water pool)
• Sports Hall (size of four badminton courts – the same floor space as the current Festival Hall)
• Health and Fitness suite with full gym
• Two multi activity studios
• Group Cycling studio
• Well-being toning and Rehabilitation suite
• Indoor adventure climbing wall
Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Tom Hollis said: “The new drawings are amazing and is another step closer to the new leisure destination Kirkby deserves. Residents have waited decades for this and it is clear residents value their Council making such a dramatic investment in our future. These are exciting times for Kirkby and we are remembering our past too with the Nag’s Head Clock going back up!”
The drawings that have been produced by the architects showcase our ambition for a state-of-the-art space that will provide Kirkby with the high quality leisure provision it so desperately needs. It’s exciting to see our vision come to life.” “The facility mix that has now been approved provides something for everyone. There are activities for the very young to older people. By bringing such excellent facilities to Kirkby, the new leisure centre will be a destination for residents to be proud of.” The Council recently met with a community focus group set up to help shape the project. Andy Hall, member of the group said:
“I think a new leisure centre will transform the local area and people’s lives. It is fantastic that Kirkby will be having both a lane swimming pool and a leisure pool, it will provide something for everybody of all abilities.” The approval will see the new leisure centre built behind the existing site, ensuring that the Festival Hall remains open to its customers throughout the build programme. It is anticipated that the new centre will be opened in 2021.
Carlton Town 2-3 Loughborough Dynamo The new year would commence with a home fixture against Loughborough Dynamo with both teams looking to get a good start on the first day of the calendar year. The opposition came with a strong squad and showed a lot of determination again under a difficult footing. The Millers would score twice in the first fifteen minutes with goals from Opoku and Clarke before the away team could really get a look in.
Opoku scoring against Loughborough Dynamo
Dynamo raised their game and were to pull a goal back thirteen minutes before the break. This would spur them on in the second half where they would equalise and ensure that they would run out the victors via a seventy-ninth minute penalty in a game where there were many hotly disputed decisions.
Pickering Town 0-2 Carlton Town. A week later Carlton would travel to yorkshire looking to avenge their home defeat from back in november and would be involved in a fight to the death in this encounter. They would score early through the now fit again Blake and with ten minutes remaining would go onto double that lead through substitute Rollinson. The Millers would finish the game with nine men with Opoku being sent off for time wasting and Clarke for being accused of throwing a water bottle off the pitch which hit the linesman’s flag on it’s way. Clarke in this instance was not to blame and was instigated in a case of mistaken identity.
It was a harsh way to end a game which on a heavily sloping pitch would produce a very hard working performance from the team.
Carlton Town 0-4 Stamford Up next were Stamford, again a team looking to reverse their result from earliar in the season and with the Millers looking to make it back to back victories in the league for the first time this season.The away side started brightly and at times produced some neat and productive play, keeping the home side in hand and under control.
They would lead at the interval two-nil with Carlton missing a penalty that could have reduced the arrears before the close. Stamford would continue their good work in the second half and eventually win the game with another two goals in the second period of play.
Ossett United 1-1 Carlton Town. Saturday soon comes round and another furore into Yorkshire beckoned. This one was an end to end battle with Carlton for long periods on the back foot and having to dig in. The home side would open the scoring six minutes after the break and Bartram would equalise twelve minutes later after a goal-less first half.
The two teams couldn’t be divided after ninety minutes and again the Millers would finish the match with only nine men with Robinson and Blake both being dismissed for two separate instances.
Newark Flowserve 0-2 Carlton Town A cold tuesday night was next on the agenda in the senior cup and at times in literally a bruising encounter the team would be triumphant. Another goal early in the game from Bartram would set the Millers on their way but at a cost. Carlton would have to use all three substitutes in the first forty minutes, losing Rollinson with a hamstring problem, Spence with a dislocated shoulder and then his replacement the recently signed McLoughlan with a broken foot. It was at times a fierce contest and was very tight until the dying embers of the game when substitute Stovell put the result beyond doubt.
Carlton Town 1-5 Cleethorpes Town An encouraging week for the team on the pitch would see a lot of expectation and with the squad now being stretched due to injuries and suspensions see Cleethorpes come to town. It was to be a very frustrating day at the office for the home side and would see them fall apart in the second half after coming back to two-one just before half-time. Stovell again would get on the score sheet to give the Millers some hope for the second half but the team would see three goals conceded in the last twenty-five minutes ruin a decent run of performances from the previous seven days.
February is now on the horizon and the expectations are still high with a group of players that are more than capable of producing a run of results to elevate them up the league. Hopefully this will be achieved this month and the team will be able to show their true quality. Forthcoming Fixtures 2nd Feb Sheffield (a) 9th Feb Belper Town (a) 16th Feb Spalding Utd (h)
WE ALL play golf for fun but the one shot that reduces most of us to shambling wrecks is the opening tee shot. It often sets the tone for the day and is all the more difficult because there is usually a crowd hanging around the first tee, and we all get nervous when we feel eyes boring into us, wondering if we are going to top the ball 20 yards or slice it out of bounds with that first proper swing of the day.
First-tee nerves even afflict the very best players – ask any European or American golfer what it feels like to strike the opening drive at the Ryder Cup and they will tell you that they are so nervous that they struggle to put the ball on the tee. In many respects it is a good thing to have some nerves and to be able to summon up a little adrenaline. But there are some things you can do to make life a bit easier. Here, we provide 10 tips that may make that opening drive a little easier.
• Go to the practice ground and hit some golf balls before you start your round. It may seem obvious, but most of us turn up in the car park 10 minutes before we are due to tee off, hit half a dozen putts and then climb onto the first tee and expect to crunch our opening drives. Tour pros warm-up properly for a reason.
• Do some warm-up exercises. It is important to stretch your muscles and get yourself ready. Taking half a dozen violent practice swings is not warming up. Tight muscles make for tight golf swings.
• Take deep breaths. It make sound like a cliche, but breathing properly is important. If you take the time to have some deep breaths before you play it will help you to relax and you may be surprised by how much better you feel when stand on the tee.
• We all have a favourite club in our bags, our go-to club. Most of us automatically reach for the driver on the first hole, but it is surely better to go for the club you are most comfortable with, the one that is most likely to help you find the middle of the fairway.
• Come up with a strategy. Don’t just walk onto the opening tee and fire off your first drive of the day without first thinking about the best way to play the hole. Think about where you want to put the ball – and use that club last of all before you walk off the practice ground or driving range.
• Don’t put down a brand new Titleist ProV1 unless you are properly prepared. If you lose an expensive new golf ball with your first shot of the day the chances are that it will put you in the wrong frame of mind for the rest of your round. But don’t put down a battered old ball either.
• Arrive in plenty of time. Even if you decide that you don’t want to spend an hour on the driving range before starting your round, give yourself time to get to the opening tee in the right frame of mind. Go for a coffee or a bacon roll.
• It may seem obvious but have you cleaned your clubs? At least give yourself a chance by ensuring that your equipment is clean, that all the mud from your previous round has been removed.
• Take some time to chat with your playing partners before you start your round. Share some banter, have some laughs.
• Have fun! No matter what, it is only a game and the reason that we play is because we enjoy it, so don’t stress about your opening drive – or anything else that follows it. No matter how badly we play, there will always be at least one shot that will bring us back.
Two new and expanding businesses have moved in to Broxtowe’s new Business ‘Incubator’ Hub in Beeston, thanks to a unique Council initiative to transform flats above retail space in Beeston Town Centre. Philip Davis of Island HVAC Systems, an air purification systems company for residential and commercial properties, and Trevor Woolery of Create Animate, an educational animation studio, have moved in and are already seeing the benefits of the Hub.
The hub, on the corner of Station Road in Beeston Town Centre, provides new and expanding businesses that want to grow but may not be able to afford full rent, with desk space and a base to work from. Chair of the Jobs and Economy Committee, Councillor Tony Harper said: “This is one of flagship initiatives of the Council and it’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses. It’s right in the centre of Beeston, an ideal location. The people that have moved in are more than happy with it, it ideally suits their needs, so it suits everybody and is allowing new businesses to thrive.”
“This is a pilot initiative which we’re very proud of, and if we can get a good blueprint on this project then we can move it around Broxtowe and use it for other towns and villages to help many more businesses across the Borough.”
Philip Davis of Island HVAC Systems said: “I decided to move into the Hub because of the flexibility of the contract and the options available for a new start business. Indoor air quality is a growing agenda, particularly air purification on indoor air quality and public health issues, so with Nottingham as a central base the Hub is an opportunity to grow out to the UK and a national audience.”
“It’s been great so far, we’ve had a few meetings here already and we’ll hopefully get a few more networking events available and get the opportunity to meet other new start-ups.
We want to use the Hub as a base to grow our businesses and to look for opportunities with a wider network available in the community.” The Council will be providing Case Studies of the businesses using the Hub in the coming months to help other new start-up businesses understand the benefits of network working. A tapered rent agreement for four years is available to allow businesses time to grow and afford commercial rent rates. The shared space also offers fantastic networking opportunities with other businesses in the hub.
The space is fully kitted out with:
• Kitchen (including appliances)
• Wi-Fi
• Meeting/Break out Area
• WC
• Communal Outdoor Space
Anyone interested in renting in the Hub should contact Rebecca Ogden on 0115 917 3826 or by emailing economic.development@broxtowe.gov.uk. Find out more about the Beeston Business Hub. The Incubator Hub is just one of a number of Council initiatives to support new business in the area.
Also available is a £1,000 Grants scheme for start-up business throughout Broxtowe. Any registered businesses that are not yet trading are free to apply, and interested applicants need to showcase up to a £2,000 spend on eligible activity. Find out more about Broxtowe Start-Up Grants.
This week two more motorbikes have been seized as part of an ongoing operation in Kirkby by Ashfield District Council. This means in just a few weeks SIX stolen motorbikes causing misery for residents have been seized on the Coxmoor Estate alone. In the first incident, two males aged around 12-14 years old were spotted riding the motor bike down Beacon Drive, Kirkby in Ashfield. Abandoning the Motorbike on Holiday’s Hill when they saw the Council’s Community Protection van. The bike was retained by the Community Protection Officers and passed to Nottinghamshire Police for further investigation.
In the second incident two males aged around 18-20 years old were seen pushing a scooter down Park Lane, Kirkby in Ashfield. On stopping them, Community Protection Officers enquired about the scooter which they stated had been bought from a male on the Coxmoor Estate. Officers contacted the Police and the bike had been registered as stolen. Officers retained the bike until the police removed it for further investigation. Cllr Jason Zadrozny, Leader of Ashfield District Council says “These are just two more examples of the Council’s Community Protection Officers seizing stolen motorbikes in the Coxmoor area. This is the sixth in the past two months. Following concerns from residents in the summer, a multi-agency task force was set up to get to grips with crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
“We are committed to reducing anti-social behaviour on Coxmoor and across the Ashfield District. We are working closely with the Police on a number of initiatives. The fact that 55 police response officers are now based in Kirkby continue to makes a real difference in the fight against crime.
“Last month a day of action on the estate resulted in the arrest of a known trouble causer and we’ve already received feedback from residents on the positive changes that are taking place on the estate. We will continue to work closely with the police and residents of Coxmoor and believe we’re on track to make Coxmoor a place where residents feel safe and proud to live.”
