Residents' Update:
Sunday 11th October 2015
Dear All,
This week’s update includes: Car Park Expansion at JLR Whitley; West Midlands Combined Authority; Police Appeal for Bus Crash Witnesses; Whitley Parking Issues Update; What happens to Stray Dogs?; Does your family have a Blitz story to tell?; Wildflower Meadows; Commemorative Service on Saturday 17th October; Weed Spraying; Contact with the Register Office; Looking for a Local Club or Activity?; Youth Opportunities; Styvechale and District Residents Association Newsletter; One Big Thing; AgeUK Appeal; Diary; Useful Links. And Finally ….
Car Park Expansion at JLR Whitley
A few weeks ago we reported that Jaguar Land Rover had applied for planning permission for more car parking spaces at the Whitley Business Park site. Construction of the new car park has started and it will be ready to use by the end of the year. More car park spaces are proposed during next year.
West Midlands Combined Authority
A report will be discussed on Tuesday asking Councillors to give the go-head for Coventry to join the West Midlands Combined Authority. The meeting is open to members of the public to attend, although you are not allowed to speak or vote. The meeting agenda is
here. Scroll down to item 7 to read the “Devolution and Economic Growth – Scheme for setting up a West Midlands Combined Authority” document.
Roger and Hazel, along with their Conservative colleagues, have called for a referendum to be held to allow Coventry residents to have "their say". If Coventry is to be part of a Combined Authority then our preference is to join Warwickshire and other local Councils rather than Birmingham and the West Midlands.
This week Mark attended a meeting to hear a resident present a petition regarding residents’ concerns about Coventry joining a West Midlands Combined Authority. Mark feels that many residents want to have a greater say in the final decision on joining a ‘CA’ (Assuming Coventry does join?) and having listened to many residents ask questions and seek information at neighbourhood forums and other meetings, Mark is of the opinion that many residents are still seeking a referendum on this issue.
Mark said:
“I’m hopeful that residents’ who may be free on October 13th, could attend the full Council meeting to see how Coventry Councillors will vote. This week, our Council will be making one of the most important decisions they will ever make. Personally, I would prefer that we explore further discussions with those Councils across Warwickshire who are hinting they would consider working with Coventry alone, rather than join in a larger West Midlands Combined Authority”.
Mark has made a small 2 minute video on this issue. It is his personal opinion, if you would like to view it, click
here.
Police Appeal for Bus Crash Witnesses
Roger and Hazel have been asked by the Coventry Policing Unit to pass
their appeal onto residents.
We send our heartfelt thoughts and condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.
Whitley Parking Issues Update
This week, Roger attended a meeting between Jaguar Land Rover and Council officials to discuss the parking issues caused by JLR employees.
The company is doing everything in their power to alleviate the situation. The opening of the new car park will help. Double yellow lines are also a subject high on the agenda, however the process takes time as consultations and legal procedures have to be followed.
What happens to Stray Dogs?
We often get contacted when someone loses a cat or a dog. See response from the Council Dog warden to one of our colleagues.
Thank you for your e-mail.
This section provides a 24/7 service for stray dogs.
During office hours dogs are collected by our officers, we can be contacted on 02476 83 4333.
Out of hours there is a drop off point at the address below. We advise that the public call 02476 83 2208 before they bring a dog to the kennels out of hours.
We collect approx. 650-700 stray dogs a year. Half of these dogs are claimed by their owners after paying a stray dog fine. The dogs that are left are sent to various dogs homes to be assessed and rehomed.
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards
Julie Gallagher
Lead Pest Control / Animal Welfare Officer
Community Services, Coventry City Council
Jackson Road, Holbrooks, Coventry, CV6 4BT
Does your family have a Blitz story to tell?
The City Council is asking for stories from Coventry people with memories of November 14th 1940.
Next month marks the 75th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz, with events being held around the city, and we want to share Coventry families' stories of what happened on the night of 14 November 1940. We are asking people for their stories - to make sure they are shared and live on so future generations know the history of their city.
Do you have a story to tell about the night of the Blitz and what happened to your family?
What did your parents and grandparents go through that night?
Send your stories so we can publish them to the website - e-mail communications@coventry.gov.uk.
Wildflower Meadows
A number of residents have contacted us with complements about the Wildflowers in the city. The Council will soon be looking at ways to make savings in next year’s budget.
It is good to hear your thoughts, as they enable Roger and Hazel to express ‘your views’ should there be any proposals to reduce the ‘flowers budget’.
See Mark Yates, Parks Development Officer, response which will make sense to all the flower growers that read our updates.
Thank you for your comments regarding the wildflower meadows around Coventry.
This is the second year we have sown areas of the adopted highway in Coventry and we are very proud of the results. We have received more compliments from the public for our Highway Wildflower programme than for any scheme of a comparable size and we hope that its success will enable us to do similar work in future years.
Over the past two years, we have used a different supplier each year. The suppliers were Pictorial Meadows (http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/annual-mixes ) whose Classic Annual mix was very good in 2014 whilst DLF Trifolium (http://www.dlf.co.uk/) provided their ‘Hardy Annual’ mix for use this year. The seed mixes combine seeds from exotic and native species in order to give a much longer flowering period than purely native mixes. This has allowed us to have a constantly changing display of flowers all the way through from May to October - and possibly even longer if the good weather continues! Once the hard frosts come however the plants will die back and will be mown and the arisings collected.
Although the flower mixes are technically annual mixes – i.e. the display is supposed to only last one year - we managed to get most of the meadows sown in 2014 to flower again this summer, most notably along Allesley Hall Drive. We hope to do the same with the meadows sown this year. The older meadows are beginning to suffer from aggressive weeds overshadowing the flowers however so it is unlikely we could get any notable displays for a third year so we will recultivate them next spring.
I hope this information is of interest and I hope you continue to enjoy the wildflowers around the city for years to come.
Commemorative Service on Saturday 17th October at 11.00am.
The Whitley History Group is commemorating the lives of the seven army bomb disposal men who lost their lives on Whitley Common 75 years ago.
A service is being held at the memorial (which is located on a corner of the Common opposite the Ibis Hotel) on
Saturday 17th October at 11.00am.
The Local History Group invites all local residents to join them at the memorial.
Weed Spraying in our area
Over the last few days, residents may have seen one of the quad bikes, that sprays the roads and pavements, in our area. Whitley and Stonehouse Estate were sprayed on Tuesday and Wednesday and it was Cheylesmore’s turn on Thursday and Friday. This is the second and last treatment of the year.
Contact with the Register Office
A message from Anne Mullen, Administration Team Leader, Coventry Register Office
Due to the volume of calls being handled by the Contact Centre for various areas of the Council we have had contact with a number of members of the public who were unhappy that they had not been able to get through to book an appointment with the Register Office (normally a birth or death registration). This is being addressed in various ways by ourselves and the Contact Centre but if you receive any complaints or contact to Members around this we would be grateful if you could pass on the email address of the Register Office to the customers (registeroffice@coventry.gov.uk) and ask them to provide a telephone number we can then arrange for a team member here to call back and make the necessary appointment.
Looking for a Local Club or Activity?
Use the Community Activities Directory. There are over 700 activities available in Coventry.
Simply click
here; enter your Post Code, a keyword and select how far you wish to travel.
Your group isn’t included or some of the details are incorrect? Then complete the form by clicking
here.
Youth Opportunities for Unemployed 16-24 year olds
Styvechale and District Residents Association Newsletter
Read more ..
One Big Thing
Coventry is a really active city - so let's shout about it!
On Wednesday 21 October they're asking you to
log/pledge how you're active anyway, or get involved with one of the many free or cheap ways of being active, such as these (all provided by different organisations or volunteers in the city):
- Join them in Broadgate where there will be lots of free activities to take part in
- Come along to a free evening walk in the city centre
- Join a Buggy Workout
- Give seated Zumba a go!
- Take part in Cardio tennis
- Many more are being added to the website daily - add your own or get involved!
The One Big Thing is a partnership project between
Coventry University,
the University of Warwick,
Coventry City Council,
CSW Sport,
Coventry on the Move, Coventry NHS organisations and the
Workplace Wellbeing charter.
The day will see thousands of people across Coventry doing something active, either collectively or individually, to create a united, healthy and energetic city.
The aim is to enable and encourage everyone in Coventry, regardless of their health, fitness or background to do any form of physical activity that suits them. It could be ten minutes or ten hours; you could choose stretching, swimming or spinning; do it in the bedroom, bath or boardroom – whatever works for you.
Read more ..
AgeUK Appeal
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 17th October 2015 from 11am to 6pm - African Food and Music Festival, Broadgate, City centre.
Embrace Africa Project website
Sunday 18th October - London Road Cemetery tidy-up day. Meet at the Paxton Memorial at 10am. Click
here for the Friends of London Road Cemetery website.
Friday 23rd October 2pm to 4pm - Cheylesmore Good Neighbours will be having a Talk on Nigeria by Jafaar Gambo, which will take place at Quinton Park Baptist Church Hall – (no religious connection)
Saturday 24th October - Sowe Valley Whitley Grove Woods Group tidy-up day. Meet at the end of the tarmac "road" on Folly Lane playing field near the entrance to the wood at 10am. They can provide bags, gloves and litter pickers. For more information email
juderobins@hotmail.com or phone 02476 304341
Now until 26th February 2016 Monday to Thursday, 10am until 3pm - African Heritage Exhibition, The Highlife Centre, Coventry Point, 5th Floor, CV1 1EA.
Read more ..
And Finally ……Do you know the stories behind our city's streets? Take the
Coventry Telegraph Quiz and let us know your score.
Useful Links and Phone Numbers.
Age UK Coventry - Trusted Traders Scheme
Blood test locations to download a document listing the locations
Cheylesmore Parking Scheme Email:
parkingenforcement@coventry.gov.uk
Community Activity Directory
Disposal of Large or Bulky items
European Health Insurance Card
General Online Safety Tips & Advice
Government Services
Report Fly Tipping
Report Graffiti
Report a Missed Bin
Report a Pothole
Report a Street Light Fault
Road Works
Scams & Warnings
Parking Enforcement phone numbers
Misuse of a visitor pass - 024 7683 4367
Not sure a car has a permit 024 7683 4367
Change virtual visitors pass registration number - 0345 520 7007
Buy a new permit virtual & paper - 0345 520 7007
Query the status of a PCN (Penalty Charge Notices) - 024 7683 3400
Roger & Hazel secretaries - 024 7683 1101
