I am informed by National Express West Midlands that they have purchased 89 new buses,75 of which will be Platinum buses for their operations here in the West Midlands. They are due to arrive over Christmas. My hope is that these vehicles will not all be used in Birmingham to deal with the Clean Air Zone being created in the City Centre.

The chances are though that they will!

• Mainly because the Brum market is so much bigger for NX than the market here in Wolverhampton.
• Second is the fact that Wolverhampton is no where near ready for advocating a clean air zone of its own, to rival Birmingham.

It would be great if Wednesfield received the first All Electric buses on the 59 bus route, alas it looks like Dundee will be the first area to gain from this type of National Express investment.

However I do believe if we campaign for All Electric Buses on this major route (59) here in Wednesfield and Wolverhampton, our needs will be noticed.

So if you like me want to see All Electric buses on the 59, let me know via the social media sites that I display on. Finally on Bus Services National Express inform that 1per cent more passengers rate them better than they were last year. Plus the Passengers rate their bus drivers 6% better than last year.

Well yesterday Saturday was designated a campaign day to highlight the needs of the Local stores in our Wednesfield North Ward  and in Wednesfield .

#ShopLocal was the brand that your three Councillors – Cllr Rita Potter Cllr Mary Bateman and myself Councillor Phil Bateman here in Wednesfield North  have supported. We all believe in the need for vibrant local shops and stores, and we have a track record of support. We also believe that the Wednesfield in Bloom volunteers that helped plant hundreds of flowers around the Ashmore Shopping Parade, has also helped in this years #ShopLocal campaign. It has put a focus on the shops and added much needed colour and pride.

Last year in the run up to the 2017 designated #ShopLocal day – Councillor Mary Bateman was able to advocate the need for the Ashmore Park Shopping Parade to be given a lick of paint. As it was looking tired and a bit unloved.

This was achieved, and with some crisp and bright painting the Ashmore Park Shopping Parade  and the shops and stores have been made to look – that bit more attractive.

This year the campaign has been about making residents more aware of the tough trading that is taking place in all the local neighbourhoods in Wednesfield North,  where Local Stores exist.

This time of the year when many Local Residents go on holiday is tough for Local shop keepers. As they often have to take account of less footfall. The economy is the key to peoples shopping habits, and of course people will look for bargains to match their purse.

This year in 2018 I paid for  Social Media advertising and the results show that this promotion reached 2891 persons. However the organic reach of our #ShopLocal campaign also reached out and informed a further 1485 persons about the message and the needs of the campaign. So in total 4376 local people were made aware of what your Councillors in Wednesfield North were trying to do to support Wednesfield North traders.

Now the success of our media campaign also had a knock on impetus. With the Wednesfield High Street traders also seeing the potential of a #ShopLocal awareness campaign, and they too decided to deliver something similar. So Saturday had quite a flourish!

Our own Local Economy would be that much worse off if we just allowed shops and stores to decline and close. Jobs would be lost,  simple convenience would force people to drive further looking for the goods they want. That would affect the environment.

If we lost even a few local stores, the simple convenience of looking directly to the neighbourhood, for that forgotten item would be lost. Convenience and accessibility is by far the best reasons for needing your Local Shops and stores.

Going Forward

Your Councillors here in Wednesfield North are going to support another #ShopLocal campaign in the run up to Christmas.

Christmas is a key trading time for shops and stores and I hope that some  of our local stores will themselves join in and try and woo you the customer into their store!

We are a very progressive and active bunch of Councillors here! Perhaps if you have a view, or if you actively supported #ShopLocal you could let us know!

The Wednesfield Junior Parkrun gives four to 14-year-olds the chance to complete a 2km circuit around Wednesfield Park every Sunday morning.

Those taking part can run, jog or walk for their own enjoyment and at their own pace, and parents are able to join in if they wish.

Wednesfield Junior Parkrun was launched in 2015 with support from the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Public Health team and members of Wolverhampton and Bilston Athletics Club. It takes place thanks to the efforts of volunteers who set up, manage and marshal the route, supporting the participants all the way around the course until everyone has finished.

The popular event marks its third birthday this Sunday (19 August, 2018), with a Wolverhampton Wanderers-themed party to celebrate the club’s return to the Premier League. Children are encouraged to wear Wolves football kit or superhero costumes, while Wolfie and Batman will be joining in the fun. There will also be free goodie bags and refreshments.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The Junior Parkrun is a fantastic way for children and young people to get exercise, enjoy some fresh air and make new friends.

“It is well loved by children and parents alike and has had a very successful first three years, so I’d encourage young people to come along this weekend and have a go.”

Martha Cummings, Co-event Director at Wednesfield Junior Parkrun, added: “Children of all abilities are welcome at our Junior Parkrun, and we don’t mind how fast of how steadily they go around the course because our amazing volunteers will be there to cheer and high-five them all the way to the finish line.”

The Junior Parkrun takes place at Wednesfield Park every Sunday morning and is open to all children aged four to 14. Please meet by the play area at 8.45am. For more details, and to register to take part or volunteer to help out, please visit www.facebook.com/wednesfieldjuniorparkrun or www.parkrun.org.uk/wednesfield-juniors.

Adults and the young people aged over 14 can take part in the Wolverhampton Parkrun, which takes place at West Park every Saturday at 9am.

NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED    

Notification of emergency road works:

Location: Cannock Road junction of Bridge Street / Powell Street.

Promoter: Cadent Gas

Nature of works: Gas emergency repair work

Traffic management: 4 – way temporary traffic signals

Duration: 07/08/2018 19:00 – midnight.

Wednesfield North Councillors, would like to draw residents attention to the VJ Day Anniversary which takes place next week. Many of the fallen will have come from the City and from Wednesfield. If you can make the date and the time. I know that your attendance would be much appreciated.

The featured Photograph is from Councillor Phil Bateman’s Archive Collection and it shows the ‘VJ veterans of 2005.’

Wolverhampton will come together next week to mark the 73nd anniversary of VJ Day – an event which effectively heralded the end of the Second World War.

Veterans, civic dignitaries and members of the public will be among those taking part in a service of remembrance at the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday 15 August, 2018.

It will commemorate 73 years since Victory over Japan Day – the day in 1945 that the Japanese Army surrendered to Allied forces. In doing so, it brought an end to a conflict which had claimed the lives of an estimated 60 million people around the world.

The City of Wolverhampton Central Branch of the Royal British Legion, the Wolverhampton and District United Ex-Service Council and the Burma Star Association’s Wolverhampton Branch will attend the annual service at the Cenotaph from 11.30am.

It will begin with a parade of standards and veterans followed by prayers, the Kohima homily, Royal British Legion exhortation, the Last Post and two minutes’ silence.

Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Phil Page will be among those in attendance. He said: “Commemorating VJ Day gives us the opportunity to remember the courage and bravery shown in the Far East by many thousands of British servicemen, some of whom were sadly never to return.

“It is now more than seven decades since the end of the Second World War and, as the number of veterans who are still with us sadly diminishes, it is very important that we continue to show our immense gratitude for the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”

Pat Johnson, chair of the Central Branch of the City of Wolverhampton Royal British Legion, said: “I’d like to invite everyone to join us and remember the sacrifices shown by countless Wulfrunians who served in the Far East during the Second World War, including the Chindits – the British India special force which served in the Burma campaign.”

Wolverhampton is a signatory of the Armed Forces Community Covenant, a pledge of mutual support between the city and its Armed Forces community.

It calls on local people to support the Armed Forces community, recognise and remember the sacrifices they have made over the years and encourage activities that help members of the Armed Forces integrate into local life.

It also encourages members of the Armed Forces support the wider community, and promote understanding and awareness among the public of some of the issues faced by former members of the Armed Forces as they return to civilian life.

For details of the help and support available to the Armed Forces community in Wolverhampton, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/armedforces.

ENDS

1/ For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Paul Brown, Communications Manager, on 01902 555497 or email paul.brown@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

* Issued by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Corporate Communications Team.

* For more information, please call 01902 555439.

* More news from the City of Wolverhampton Council is available at:  o www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/news o www.twitter.com/wolvescouncil o www.facebook.com/wolverhamptontoday o www.youtube.com/wolverhamptontoday

Released: Monday 6 August, 2018

The City of Wolverhampton Council has been given a prestigious award by the Ministry of Defence in recognition of the support it offers to the military community.

The council is just one of a handful of local authorities nationwide to receive the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award – the highest recognition for employer support to the Armed Forces.

The City of Wolverhampton Council ensures that the military community – including serving personnel, veterans, their families and cadets – get a fair deal in employment and the services the council provides.

This includes the development of positive recruitment policies for service leavers, veterans and their families. It also offers reservists employed by the council an additional 24 days paid leave to fulfil their duties if and when they are mobilised.

Councillor John Reynolds, who chairs the Wolverhampton Armed Forces Covenant Board, a partnership of organisations committed to tackling the disadvantages that members of the military community may face, said: “The City of Wolverhampton Council is extremely proud to have received this award in recognition of our work in this area and our ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces community.

“Since signing the Armed Forces Community Covenant six years ago, we have been on a journey to better support our military community.

“We have raised the profile of the Armed Forces and the issues they face through a highly successful social media campaign and developed a new website at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/armedforces which acts as a first port of call for anyone needing help and support.

“We are supporting veterans into employment, helping homeless veterans into accommodation and delivering fantastic events such as Armed Forces Day. We have also supported businesses and local organisations to sign an Armed Forces Community Covenant of their own.

“We are delighted to receive the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence and hope to use this as a springboard for further action.”

Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Ellwood said: “We all have a role to play in ensuring that the Armed Forces community is not disadvantaged by service, and each of these employers is a setting an example as meaningful advocates for those protecting the nation.

“Their commitment is a testament to the fantastic contribution our serving personnel, veterans and their families can make to any organisation.”

The award will be presented to the City of Wolverhampton Council at a special ceremony later this year.

For more information about the Armed Forces Community Covenant, a pledge of mutual support between the city and its Armed Forces community, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/armedforces.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1/ For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Paul Brown, Communications Advisor, on 01902 555497 or email paul.brown@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

2/ The official announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/50-employers-awarded-gold-for-supporting-the-armed-forces

* Issued by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Corporate Communications Team.

* For more information, please call 01902 555439.

* More news from the City of Wolverhampton Council is available at:  o www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/news o www.twitter.com/wolvescouncil o www.facebook.com/wolverhamptontoday o www.youtube.com/wolverhamptontoday