I thought that readers may be interested in What the Managing Director of City of Wolverhampton Council wrote in a briefing too all 60 City Council Members. Here it is!

Ward Visit: Mr Tim Johnson ” On Monday, I attended another ward visit, this time in Wednesfield North with Councillor Phil Bateman, Councillor Mary Bateman and Councillor Rita Potter.

It was great to get out and about in the local community discussing issues and concerns they and residents have in the neighbourhood.

I think the highlight of the visit was a trip to the Ashmore Park Hub, where we were taken on a tour of the fantastic facility. It was also great to meet Irene and Angela, volunteers who run the café at the hub five days a week, and who demonstrated the potential of our voluntary offer.

They have just received a five-star food hygiene rating which is a fantastic achievement and I am sure you will all join me in congratulating them on receiving this accolade.”

This morning I thought that I would take a number of items that we are working on behind the scenes and give information on.

• True Briton Public House – The fences are down and this gives the  PH the appearance of being a mess. We have been receiving complaints from a local resident. There is continued  information being sought from The City Councils Chief Planner.

This is not an issue which  is not being worked on, but it is only possible to act if it in some ways the inaction breaks the law. Unless of course the PH owners do the right thing and replace the fences and tidy up the site as just good business practice.

The Green Public Open Space on Kitchen Lane –  your Councillors have tried to get the hedge on the side of the road trimmed back on road safety grounds, on the stretch running into Essington.

• Dumped Sofa – Kitchen Lane this has been reported and I am hoping that it will soon be removed. Other residents indicate that the Sofa is the result of local residents dumping it?

Please if you have any additional information on who dumps items like this, you can phone Crime stoppers and leave the information anonymously.

There have been one or two issues relating to crime here in Wednesfield North- They are not issues that I can publicise. But there is some on going investigation by the Police on issues that are causing concern locally.

I persevered following one residents complaint and eventually the Police called and spoke with him this week. It is a disgrace that like the Local Authority, the Government has been cutting down on Police resources. Crime is one of the big concerns here in Wednesfield North.

Today Wednesfield North Councillors gave  newly appointed Tim Johnson, Managing Director of City of Wolverhampton Council, an informed tour of Wednesfield North.

“It was a two hour tour and we showed him some of our high spots” said Councillor Phil Bateman. ” We  pointed  out some of the issues that we have, some that threaten us, Plus we showed him some of our community projects and introduced him to great people, involved in a great community – doing some great volunteering.”

It was a packed two hours of visits.

 All three Labour Councillors spoke with him…Councillor Rita Potter said “It allowed the three of us to get to know him a little better, and it gave us a chance in an informal way, to speak about Ward issues that will task us all over the next 12 months or more.

Laughing she said “We gave him a ‘Cook’s Tour of’ of our great Ward!”

The schedule included – 

• Danesmore Pastures –  the new WV Living site at the North end of Wednesfield North. Here they are building new homes for private sale, and for Council Housing.

• Kitchen Lane Public Open Space – Very important open space. This site is of enormous  environmental importance. Site of  a Wild flower meadow and rich in wild orchids. Problems relating to fly – tipping and a threat from Traveller incursion. was raised with Mr Johnson.

Linthouse Lane – Threat to the South Staffordshire Green Belt – proposal for 2,500 new homes, has been lodged with South Staffordshire Council.

Councillor Mary Bateman explained the situation to the MD. She said ” The loss of green belt, and the potential loss of heritage the Mineral Line, will go down badly here in in this part of Wednesfield . It goes without saying that people in these parts enjoy the wildlife the birds etc. “

Your Councillors  explained that this threat is becoming a BIG WARD Issue .

Councillor Phil Bateman said “that all three Wednesfield North Councillors were against the proposal. Such a huge influx of homes  had the potential to clog Wednesfield North and the City of Wolverhampton own  infrastructure.”Including local schools, Doctors Surgeries, Community & Leisure facilities, as well as placing great pressure on  Highways and public  transportation facilities.”

The tour also took in  -Devils Elbow alongside the  Wyrley and Essington canal. we explained what the New Local Nature Reserve  could do in  Economic terms ,  as well as it being an environmental gem. We then went to –

• The Hub at Ashmore Park – The home of Volunteering! This place is hive of activity and it hosts a wide range of events. The Volunteers took him on a tour of the site and asked him to see the huge potential that it had.

We also visited – Ashmore Park Shopping Parade – pointing out the volunteers and the planting of the three redundant flower beds. How they  were part of ‘Wednesfield in Bloom’ and we also took the chance and requested support from  the city – by placing a sign giving indication of the three years of success the Village, and all our community has had, in the Heart of England in Bloom competition .

Councillor Phil Bateman  said  “We spoke of many of the other issues we have,   as we ‘criss-crossed’  across Wednesfield North.

Plus –  We saved a slot for him to savour, close to the Wyrley and Essington canal – Yep you guessed it Johnson Avenue!”

 A message from City of Wolverhampton Licensing Services.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Licensing Services have commenced a consultation on the proposed draft Guidelines relating to relevance of convictions and breaches of licence conditions.These guidelines are used determine whether an applicant/ current licence holder is fit and proper to hold a hackney carriage/ private hire drivers licence; hackney carriage/ private hire vehicle licence or a private hire vehicle operator licence.

The current consultation can be viewed at http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/article/4047/Current-consultations.

We welcome any comments/ feedback that you wish to make on the proposed draft guidelines.To take part in this consultation, please send written responses, either via email to driver.lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk or by post to:

Licensing Services

City of Wolverhampton Council

Civic Centre

St Peters Square

Wolverhampton

WV1 1DA

Comments need to be made by no later than 31 December 2018.

Licensing Services

City of Wolverhampton Counci

I was very pleased to read about the Wolverhampton City Council’s  Equalities Peer Review: This is good news for our Council.

The City of Wolverhampton Council have been accredited as an ‘Excellent’ Council under the Equalities Framework for Local Government (EFLG).

The LGA Peer Team returned to the Council on Tuesday 2 October and were here until (Thursday 4 October), meeting with colleagues, Councillors and partners to assess the team’s work against the (EFLG).

In the last three years, City of Wolverhampton Council has moved from no accreditation, through to ‘Developing’ to ‘Achieving’ status which was gained in April 2017 and now ‘Excellent’ status in 2018.

The Managing Director Tim Johnson said in a message to City Councillors “This is a great achievement for the council, the city, its partners and communities. I would like to thank everybody involved in helping us achieve this accreditation.”

Its clear that a whole lot of effort has been recognised in this Peer Review and that can only be good new for our Council.

There is rightly concern about the potential loss of the Green Belt that is currently in force between the West Midlands and South Staffordshire and is within  the boundary of Staffordshire County Council..

The key message in this article being published today – is to bring you the electorate in Wednesfield North – up to date with the current situation. Recently a number of residents have contacted me to ask,  and understand what the latest plan is which has been reported in the press and media.  I have been in contact with Wolverhampton City Council

The latest situation has been clarified by City of Wolverhampton Planning Officers.

They have explained , that the only allocations in the adopted South Staffordshire Site Allocations Document (2018) which are near our border are the employment sites to the north (i54 western extension) and small extensions to Perton (to the west) and Codsall/Bilbrook.

These are the sites that are causing so much conversation at the moment in the North of Staffordshire. 

However, there is to be another ‘New South Staffordshire Plan’ (which will replace the 2018 Plan). This is the Plan that holds major concerns for me, and my fellow Councillors here in Wednesfield North.

The Issues and Options consultation is due out in Oct/Nov with regards to this plan.

City Officials will be preparing a Cabinet report to approve a Wolverhampton response.   

Wednesfield North Labour Party were the first to break this story about how 2,500 homes are being made ready to be constructed on Green Belt land locally, and we are pleased that we did!

It wasn’t the Councils of South Staffordshire District Council, Essington Parish Council, or even Staffordshire County Council that told the public about these proposals first. It wasn’t the Express and Star, or the Local Radio stations that told the public about the enormous interest the developers were showing in this Green Belt Land!

It was Wednesfield North Labour Party and it was Wednesfield North  Councillors who were vigilant and found the information buried deep in a regional report. It was our team that went public, and told you. It was twenty-four hours later before the Government confirmed their plans on housing in the House of Commons!

We have made our opposition to the proposals for the construction of 2,500 homes a major part of Wednesfield North Labour Party’s Local Election Campaign, in the run up to the City Council elections on the 3^rd May 2018

The proposals that will go to South Staffordshire District Council to build 2,500 homes on this agricultural land within the Essington Green Belt is strongly opposed by all three of your Wednesfield North’s City Councillors.

We will continue to keep you aware of the situation, as we become aware of the proposals and plans going forward.