Deputy Leader of the City Council Cllr Steve Evans joined with Cllr Mary Bateman, Rita Potter and myself, as we presented Sue with Wednesfield North Community Excellence Award. Here is Sue’s citation . Sue Lacey – Head teacher at Ashmore Park & Phoenix Federated Nurseries. “Sue is a local lass, and grew up here. She has spent 38 years teaching and running the Ashmore Park Nursery It’s a school that has been awarded the ‘Outstanding accolade by Ofsted 5 times on the trot. Sue has made this award because perhaps a thousand local children have been educated at the school over the 38 years she has been teaching there.
Sue will be retiring in 2024. If ever a person has deserved an Excellence Award…..it is Sue!

Wednesfield North and Wednesfield south with Heath Town, Fallings Park, Bushbury North and Bushbury South with Lowhill, along with Short Heath and Willenhall North now make up the new Parliamentary Constituency of Wolverhampton North East.

Its a brand new Constituency and it is sure to lead some confusions for people, as for the first time in decades we have a Parliamentary constituency that crosses Local Authority boundaries.

As you would expect Wednesfield North Labour Councillors have gotten behind our Parliamentary Labour Party candidate Sureena Brackenridge, even joining her campaign team, and crossing the Borough boundaries to campaign today in Short Heath and Willenhall North.

Here are the details of Labours Parliamentary candidate if you want to contact her.

Get in touch with Sureena by phone 07438663 282 ; or by email on sbraxWV@gmail.com

Wednesfield is Not seen as a High Crime Area by the Police. In fact, it is described as the opposite which is a good thing overall.
But that doesn’t mean that there is no crime. I have been looking at the Home Office statistics as reported by the Police UK. Which looks at crime statistics over both Wednesfield North and Wednesfield South.

Police & Crime Statistics – I have been analysing the bigger picture looking at the last three years of the Crime statistics in Wednesfield. August 2023 being the cut-off month. This is what the information tells us.
Police UK lists these crimes as being in the top twelve of crimes committed in Wednesfield over this three-year period. –
Crime Numbers and percentage
1. Violence & Sexual crimes is the most reported crime in Wednesfield North and South -3620-42.2%
2. Vehicle Crime -846 -9.9%
3. Shop Lifting – 726-8.5%
4. Public Order-680-7.9%
5. Criminal Damage -624- 7.3%
6. Other Theft- 529-6.2%
7. ASB – 523 -6.1%
8. Burglary – 416-4.8%
9. Other Crime -167-1.9%
10. Robbery-129-1.9%
11. Possession of Weapons-128- 1.2%
12. Drugs-90-1%

It appears to me that the really big issue which doesn’t seem to grab attention is the top crime. Violence and Sexual offences.
Many of these crimes takes place in the home, that is what the police inform me. But seeing the size of the crime here, it demands an explanation about what is being done to tackle the impact and scope of the crime.
I will be following this level of crime up with the West Midlands Police.

The second largest crime is Vehicle Crime. I know that the Police here in Wednesfield have been reporting on the various initiative around vehicle crime that they have been undertaking. But I am keen to see a more detailed response. I will be following that through as we approach the year 2023 end.

Plus, I will be raising the matter with the Wolverhampton Safety Partnership.

I have been looking at the last published stat for Wednesfield from Police UK, (The national website for policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland). They are the statistics that are following Wednesfield Crime for August 2023. The Crime stats lag a couple of months from the current date

I looked at the last stats for the month -between July and August 2023- and analysed where the movements were.

Top of the statistics are Violence and Sexual Crimes. These are in the main crimes that take place in the home, but not exclusively. Its a worrying trend to see these figures for Wednesfield constantly fixed top of the crimes that happen in these Wards. Looking over the last three years which you can compare. This crime violence and sexual crimes heads the list regularly each month for three years. I will be asking the Safer Community Partnership, about the actions they will be taking to reduce and detect these worrying statistics.

Second in the crimes reported is the increase Anti Social Behaviour Crimes. this is a problem that is causing much concern amongst the Public. in Wednesfield. During the Summer months this crime became a regular issue with those living in Wednesfield North. Criminal Damage and Arson is also worryingly high with 13.2% of all crime reported in Wednesfield being in this category. here are the stats.

Crime Numbers & Percentage

1- Violence & Sexual Crimes- Number of crimes recorded 87 – 35.5%

2-ASB -34—13.9%

3-Criminal Damage & Arson- 32-13.1%

4-Shoplifting-23-9.4%

5- Vehicle Crime -21-8.6%

6-Other Crime- 17-0.8%

7- Public Order -11-4.5%

8-Burglary- -8-3.3%

9- Robbery -6- 2.4%

10-Weapon-2- 0.8%

11- Other Crime-2- 0.8%

12- Drugs -1- 0.4%

These are the sectors that seem to be the areas of most concern for residents and business, living and working here in Wednesfield North.

Here is what the census informs us about the make up of our Ward in Wednesfield North.

The latest Census 2021- informs that there are 11.196 adults living in the Ward of Wednesfield North. The area is 2,267km in size.
Males number 5444 =48%
Females 5,753 =51%

My current case load (Residents contacts) may surprise people, but the largest range of events that I have been contacted about, here in Wednesfield North can be fitted into the following individual sectors.

• Environment – trees, highways, litter, street lighting, water, flooding. Parks, grass cutting verges, waste disposal, sewage.
• Housing
• External Organisations – Police, transport.
• Public Health
• Adults
• Regeneration
• Children
• Finance
• Communications

These statistics very much help to understand the areas of concern that residents have. It helps your councillors to determine what is taking place across the 11,000 people that live here in Wednesfield North. Clearly in todays living, it would be a shock if housing issues where not in the forefront of the concerns residents have. There is no shock here, hardly a week goes by without your Councillors fielding an enquiry on housing from the public!

Here is a great photo of the Christmas Lights Switch on back in November 2018. With the great Dickie Dodd as the presenter of the evening event and entertainments.

Here is the proposals for the road closures and times for this years event 23 of Novemnber 2023.

High Street, Wednesfield South:
High Street closed in both directions between its junction with Church Street and Neachells Lane.

Vehicular diversion route: Alfred Squire Road, Neachells Lane and vice versa.

Church Street closed in a westerly direction between is junction with High Street and its junction with Graiseley Lane.
It is expected the closure will commence at 13:00 until 22:00 on 23/11/23 .

Wednesfield Volunteers – Have Yet Another Success!
It’s only been a few days since Wednesfield in Bloom Volunteers informed us that they have been successful in winning for a sixth year on the trot, a Gold Award for the Urban category, for Wednesfield in Bloom in the Heart of England in Blooms Awards!
Now the Volunteers of ‘Hands on Wednesfield’ who are behind the Wednesfield Canal Festival has been informed that the canal festival has once again beaten its previous highest attendance which was in 2022.
This is a fantastic result. It has been confirmed to me that our Wednesfield Canal Festival has had yet another record year for the Canal Festival! Here are the statistics
Saturday attendance: 5,456
Sunday attendance: 5,236
Total visitors: 10,692
We also know that the August footfall at the Bentley Bridge Leisure Park was up 16.18% –
Week 32 (Canal festival week) +22.66% vs the previous year a 11,713 increase in foot traffic on the commercial site.
I believe that everyone involved in this result will be simply pleased and excited as to what our work has resulted in. Its brilliant to be informed of what is nothing short of an amazing set of results.
Back in 2022 – City Council Members had been discussing funding arrangements for regeneration projects in Wolverhampton. I informed the Economy and Growth Scrutiny Panel of the City of Wolverhampton Council – 28 September, ‘that there had been no mention of community and volunteering on the slide detailing the regeneration plan for the city over the next twelve months. I mentioned both Wednesfield in Bloom and the Wednesfield Canal Festival as examples of how volunteers can, and do help both the reputation of our city, and in growing the local economic opportunities. I was signifying that in the tourism sector for instance visitors played a big role, and for City of Wolverhampton in enhancing the vitality of local communities, they like the “in Bloom” team who do so much to bring vibrant colours and initiatives to this district.
Now we have the statistics for 2023 that back up my claims of that September meeting.
Volunteering in Wednesfield in particular is strong and active. We can always do more than we do of course. Volunteers are a tremendous asset to any settlement, village, town or city. If residents want to help Local Communities, they should look to join and offer their services to local clubs who are often looking for help.
Here in Wednesfield I am proud of all the volunteers that run sporting clubs, expand and develop culture through Dance, and especially the volunteers who run Art and Crafts clubs.
As Wednesfield in Bloom and the Wednesfield Canal Festival with Hands on Wednesfield. Developing other opportunities will I am sure see an expanding role for Volunteers, and of course the enhancement they make to our historic city.

Back on the 19th August this year Wednesfield North Labour Councillors announced that-
“The third Wednesfield North Wolverhampton City Councillors ‘Community Excellence Awards ‘would take place again this year 2023.

Nominations are now open.

These awards are very much valued, and your three City Councillors, Rita, Mary and Phil are delighted to once again be initiating this exciting action. Here in this part of our great and historic City of Wolverhampton.


We are now looking for people, groups, business and individuals for the following categories.


The Awards will cover the following headings

Art & Dance
Sporting Achievement
Environment
Volunteering
Business in the Community
Improving Lives
Best Community Project
Volunteer of the Year


Contribution that individuals and people make in all these areas of our lives, strengthens our community. Any individuals nominated and/ or community groups, business of all categories listed for the honour, have to have a strong link to Wednesfield North either by living, working, providing a service, to residents, business, or other.
The decisions of your three Councillors will be final
I really do hope that you will be able to take part and nominate your favourites!
Please contact Philip.Bateman@btopenworld.com put your own name and address and telephone number with your email address. At the top of your nomination.
Then place the name and address or email address, of the person you are nominating in the category you have identified for the Award.

Nominations will close on FRIDAY 10th NOVEMBER 2023

Awards will be presented on the Saturday 18th November 2023

Best Regards
Cllr Phil Bateman
Cllr Mary Bateman
Cllr Rita Potter

#KeepCanalsAlive
We here in Wednesfield certainly support keeping canals alive.
The Government has cut back on the Canal and River trust financial support, They inform us that they will have some £30m cut to their finances over the next 10 years.
Please write to your MP in support of the #KeepCanalsAlive campaign.
Did you know that on average every Narrowboat that moors at Bentley Bridge spends around £100 of their own resources on our Local Wednesfield Economy.
During August alone around 35 narrowboats to my knowledge moored in these moorings. That meant that our economy benefitted by around £3500.
We need to keep our Canal Alive so that we can boost our economy, benefit from the leisure and walking opportunities, the angling and the fantastic Local Nature Reserve that we have here and the huge and different species of animals, birds, reptiles and fish that makes their homes on the banks and in the water.
Plus, we need our canal for the fantastic Wednesfield Canal Festival we put on in August of every year!

The other day at the Scrutiny Committee, we looked at a report that highlighted Fly-Tipping here in the City . Residents in the 21 most fly tipped streets in the City have been written to giving them information around how to dispose of their waste legally, and reminding them that fly tipping is a crime.

Some of these streets have had cctv installed si the City can gather evidence of who is fly tipping. and we received confirmation that the City will use its enforcement powers. The ‘Shop a Tipper’ project is still live, if residents provide information that leads to a Fixed Penalty Notice they get a £100 reward.

These schemes are so useful, and I hope our residents – if they see Fly Tipping taking place here in Wednesfield – Report it immediately to the City Council or West Midlands Police.

Note for Readers- The Photo is just for example, and it was a period ago here in Wednesfield North.