Good Morning all,

We are currently seeing delivery drivers attacked for the goods they are carrying, any cash they might be collecting on food orders or the vehicles they are driving.
We are working with the big delivery companies like Royal Mail, Amazon, Just Eat, Uber Eats and the big supermarkets to help stop attacks. However with so many new drivers starting work recently it’s impossible to contact everyone.

Do you know someone working as a delivery driver? If so please pass on this safety advice to them:
• Be aware of vehicles following you and where you are.
• If something does not look or feel right, do not make the delivery. Stay in your vehicle and report any suspicious activity to us or your employer.
• Do not leave your engine running or keys in the ignition when making a delivery. Make sure you remove your keys and lock your doors.
• Be aware of anyone acting suspiciously when you’re in any delivery area. Think abut fitting an approved vehicle tracker and install a dash cam.
• If you’re delivering take away food, can the take away or restaurant take payment in advance.
• If you feel there’s a threat to your life, or someone else’s life, call 999 immediately. If you feel you cannot stay where you are, call us and get to a place of safety.

If you want to report any concerns about delivery driver attacks in your area or tell us something you think we need to know – you can Live Chat us via the website www.west-midlands.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please do NOT report crime on WMNow. Use the appropriate means as mentioned above.
Thank you for your help in keeping the community of drivers on the road and keeping them safe as they help others.

Message Sent By
Emily Rhodes (Police, Engagement and Consultation Officer, Wolverhampton)

Through most of the summer (2021), your team of Wednesfield North Councillors -Councillors Mary Bateman, Councillors Rita Potter and myself, have been hard at work trying to get much needed investment into the Ashmore Park Shopping Parade.

The Ashmore Park Shopping Parade is very much the trading centre for the Ward of Wednesfield North. It is described as a Sub District Shopping Centre which underlines its importance in the City of Wolverhampton. It contains retail stores of variety, Hot Food Take-Aways, Goods for sale such as carpets and products and Angling specialists’ services. It is a home for Dental, and Eye services. It is also a provider of Wolverhampton Homes, and contains the Headquarters of an important private Homes Letting Agency. All this as well as sitting on a site of archaeological importance. A number of Local Bus Routes, services the shopping parade offering public transport to and from Wolverhampton. Wednesfield and Walsall.

The Shopping Parade is in the constant view of thousands of people every week. It is a crucial lifeline for many, and is an important asset to Wednesfield North.

We can report some success in these conversations about our Shopping Parade today.

A whole host of other debates have also been taking place between ourselves and Wolverhampton Homes as we have argued the case, and some of that argument has now been achieved. Earlier this year we identified and successfully achieved action around the drains in Raj Kumar Drive, behind the Deli and the Pet Shop; We have requested a tidying of the Parade. We have asked for structural reviews to take place relating to the arrangements for the waste collection service, the chute management. We have pointed out that the whole place looks run down. We are pressing for the Parade to look better.

Wolverhampton Homes have responded well to our requests, they have repaired the drainage channels over the Summer in the top car park. They have recently refurbished the car park surface on Raj Kumar Drive. Giving safer access to vehicles and pedestrians. They have also replaced the safety ‘pegs’ around the site. Plus, they have inserted new drainage.

The debates and issues will continue and we will keep you informed of these and other issues that make up our list of improvements we are after.

Remember to register rapid Covid-19 test results
Released: Wednesday 6 October, 2021


People who are taking rapid Covid-19 tests are being reminded of the importance of recording their result, even if it is negative.

Rapid testing can identify cases of Covid-19 among people who do not have any symptoms, meaning they can self-isolate and prevent the onward transmission of the potentially deadly virus.

People without symptoms are encouraged to take a rapid Covid-19 test twice a week and are reminded they must report the result, whether positive or negative, via www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result or by calling 119 to help build up an accurate picture of the prevalence of the virus in the city.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “One in three people with Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms, so regular testing is crucial – not only in helping identify these cases in the first place, but in reducing the onward transmission of the virus and preventing outbreaks.

“Even if you feel well, you should still take a test as part of your normal routine, to be sure that you are not unknowingly carrying the virus and potentially putting the people around you at risk of infection.

“And once you’ve taken your test, it’s really important that you remember to register your result, either online or over the phone, as this will help create an accurate picture of the prevalence of Covid-19 in the city.”

People can collect rapid Covid-19 home test kits for free from the Civic Centre, The Hub at Ashmore Park, Bilston and Wolverhampton markets and WV Active leisure centres.

People can also collect them from selected local pharmacies. Please note, anyone collecting test kits from a pharmacy must now register for a collection code in advance, either online at www.gov.uk/get-collect-code or by calling 119. Up to two boxes of test kits can then be collected by people aged 16 and over.

Anyone who is not confident in recording their test result is invited to take a supervised rapid test at the Civic Centre (Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm), the Jamia Masjid Bilal, Newhampton Road (10am-7pm, daily), and The Hub at Ashmore Park (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am-6pm) and at participating pharmacies across the city. The result will be recorded automatically.

Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19, such as a fever, a new and continuous cough or a loss of their sense of taste or smell, must immediately self-isolate and book a PCR test by calling 119 or visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.

For more details about rapid and PCR testing, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/get-tested.

Latest figures show there were 372.5 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the last seven days. That means 980 people tested positive for the virus in that same period – though the true number of cases will likely be higher.

Yesterday, officers were alerted to a robbery offence that had happened on Bentley Bridge. A young male had been threatened with a large kitchen knife and another male was holding a baseball bat.
Area searches were immediately conducted for the offenders and shortly after, two males were detained near to New Cross hospital by our PCSO’s and subsequently arrested by our PC’s for robbery and possession of a bladed article and an offensive weapon, both are currently still in police custody.

Councillor Phil Bateman said ” This was a particular good piece of work. Many people will be pleased because of the potentially dangerous activity of the two men and the allegation of the threats made.”

Good morning Wednesfield! Sunday the 26th September. Hope you all have a great day. Here is the latest information I have about the Local Covid-19 situation here in our City of Wolverhampton, and other news that may have an impact upon you. Please remember contact me on if you know an individual, a Group or a Business that fall into the following headings. We are actively looking for your nominations for the Wednesfield North Community Excellence Awards.

The Wednesfield North Community Excellence Awards will cover the following headings
Art & Dance
Sporting Achievement
Environment
Community
Volunteering
Business in the Community
Improving Lives
Best Community Project
Volunteer of the Year
Please let me have your nominations on email@philbateman.com Nominations need to be with me by Midnight on November 10th 2021.

Covid-19 latest infection rate
1.

The latest figures show there were 338.5 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the last seven days. That means 890 people tested positive for the virus in that same period – though the true number of new cases will likely be higher.

2. Covid-19 vaccination update

A total of 326,245 Covid-19 vaccinations have now been administered in Wolverhampton. Some 170,810 residents have had their first dose, and a total of 155,435 people have had two doses. As students head into halls and get ready for the new term, the vaccine bus is back at Molineux Stadium again this week, close to the university’s halls of residence, to make it as easy for students and other local residents to get vaccinated.

3. Covid-19 education update

With Covid-19 cases rising in the city’s schools, pupils, staff, and their families are being reminded to get tested to help keep Covid out of the classroom.

There were 119 education-based cases of Covid-19 reported to us in the 10 days to Tuesday, including 70 within Wolverhampton’s primary and 37 in secondary schools. Nationally, more than 100,000 children were absent with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections in England last week.

We are urging secondary pupils and all school staff to get a rapid test twice a week and for everyone to get a PCR test if they develop symptoms of Covid-19, no matter how mild. For details of rapid Covid-19 testing, click here. To book a PCR test, people should call 119 or visit www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.

4. Covid-19 changes to international travel rules

Planned changes to international travel mean that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer need to take expensive PCR tests from the end of next month.

The Government has announced that the current traffic light system will be replaced by a single ‘red list’ of countries and territories from Monday 4 October. Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take a pre-departure test from this date, and from around the end of October, fully vaccinated passengers will be able to swap their day two return PCR test with a cheaper rapid lateral flow test.

However, unvaccinated passengers will continue to have to complete a pre-departure test and day two and day eight return PCR tests.

5. Covid-19 business testing

Regular Covid-19 testing is helping to keep staff safe and local businesses operational. One of the first businesses in Wolverhampton to pilot testing for staff who cannot work from home was Ansaldo Nuclear Ltd, which has since made regular testing part of their workplace routine. We have worked with Ansaldo to show the benefits of regular testing and encourage other businesses to do the same.

Traffic Jams.

On Saturday there were a lot of reports about traffic Jams in and around Wednesfield. Many of the jams were around petrol stations as the motorist queued for fuel. But also mixed in with that was the fact that Junction 10 on the M6 was closed for Bridgework. This did impact Willenhall, and that had some affect on our near neighbours in Willenhall. The City Council officials informed me that the City Council “have liaised with our fuel suppliers and have confidence that our services will not be affected by fuel challenges that have affected some organisations.”

Council Invests £480,000 Upgrading A449 Arterial Route

Work to replace broken wooden fencing and a metal pedestrian barrier, install new kerbs and cut back overgrown planting along a section of the central reservation on the A449 Stafford Road between Bushbury Road Island and Oxley Moor Road junction will start on Monday 27 September.

The works will require lane closures to protect workers on both the north and southbound sides of the road for the 12-week scheme, but the work will be done during off-peak hours (9.30am to 3pm) to minimise disruption. Many residents of Wednesfield work in this area, so I have placed this roadworks here to help you plan for it.


Time running out to have say on Black Country Plan

Residents are being reminded they have less than three weeks remaining to have their say on the future of housing plans in the region. A public consultation on the latest phase of the Black Country Plan closes on Monday 11 October, and City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, Cllr Ian Brookfield, is urging people to get involved and help protect greenbelt land in the city.

The Government projects that the Black Country will need just over 76,000 new homes over the next 20 years. To support this growth, it also needs 560 hectares of land to accommodate new jobs by 2039. This is equivalent to 835 football fields.

The consultation gives people the chance to have their say on the proposed sites for development and where they think new development should be in the Black Country. To find out more, you can visit Central Library, Wednesfield Library, Bilston Library or Wolverhampton Civic Centre reception for paper copies, or email blackcountryplan@dudley.gov.uk

Have a great day Wednesfield…!

Wednesfield North residents – Applications are open now for the  Wednesfield North Community Excellence Award for 2021.

We are looking to you and the community to nominate people and organisations who you think deserve public acknowledgement for their role in our community.

We need the name of the person and their address, plus their email or telephone number.

We also need the  reason why you believe that they are worthy of recognition. There are nine headings in which your nomination can fit into. They are listed below.

The Awards are aimed at a wide range of sectors including Business and Individuals, Sporting Clubs and the Arts, Volunteering, Improving Lives etc.

Entries can be all of whom are active or living in the Ward of Wednesfield North.

Remember these are your own community excellence nominations, we need you to nominate your own Community Excellence champions, those individuals, and organisations, that you feel have gone the extra mile to provide for neighbours, organisations, clubs. Plus, those organisations that have thought about how they can deliver their services and their programmes, their sporting achievements. We would ask you to give consideration to those that are addressing the issue of climate change, with one eye on reducing the carbon footprint, and improving our environment. People who volunteer,  or help  the lives of the people here in our part of the City of Wolverhampton . 

The Wednesfield North Community Excellence Awards will cover the following headings

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

 Please let me have your nominations on email@philbateman.com Nominations need to be with me by Midnight on November 10^th 2021.

All decisions will be taken by the Wednesfield North Councillors, and their decisions are final.

Please share this information with your friends relatives and neighbours lets have a great response.

Best Regards

Councillors Phil Bateman, Councillor Mary Bateman, Councillor Rita Potter

I was delighted that the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Metro Mayor has announce proposals for the Light Rail Transit extensions in our conurbation, in the last few days.

I have always been a strong supporter of this mode of transport for Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, giving that support wherever I could, in a long period of local government service.

My pleasure at reading that the Metro Mayor and the WMCA are supporting a further two extensions in our City of Wolverhampton was pleasantly pleasing.

When the Metro celebrated their 20th Birthday in June 2019 , I released this statement.

I still strongly believe in the comments I made then, and I am remaining hopeful that our City Council will lead a strong campaign to ensure that the route to Wednesfield is progressed quickly, and I underline my further plea for a line to service the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux and the developments in housing, commerce and industry out at the I54 site on the Staffordshire boundary.

Here is the original statement I released on the 3rd June 2019- Its a great transport project,

“Councillor Phil Bateman said “I am delighted Midland Metro has made its 20TH anniversary.
Not only is it a transport project that we need, it is also a very good economic tool. All the housing and the industrial development now clustering around the metro on Line One is a testimony to that. When it was first designed and constructed the line was running through derelict land,empty space and industrial ruin. That changed and is still changing when metro started to operate.

My big hope is that Wolverhampton can get two more extensions. One that reaches to Wednesfield, and points towards Walsall, and one that it serves the new Molineux from the transport Hub in Wolverhampton and stretches out towards the housing estates and industrial developments around Jaguar and the M54 corridor.I am hopeful that the Wolverhampton City Council will recognise that these two schemes would be the right sort of transportation planning for the next 20-30 years.”

On the 17th August, I contacted City Authorities following an email message from a concerned local resident. It related to the Fly tipped rubbish dumped in the corner of (Baylis Ave) this car park.

I asked City Authorities to contact Wolverhampton Homes- who owns the site.

I made it clear that this car park has attracted much dumped household rubbish in the past.

It was a fire hazard as it stood at that moment. I asked that the matter be resolved as soon as is possible. I knew it was causing much concern in the neighbourhood, as the message to me made that very clear

Today 31 August – I have been further informed that Wolverhampton Homes have investigated. It is going to take all three of Wolverhampton Homes area caretaking teams and their vehicles to remove the huge amount of Fly-tip.

This will start on Friday 3rd September. It goes with out saying that if any residents happen to know who may have dumped this pile, to inform the Police, or even Crime stoppers anonymously. This is public money that is being used for the clear up. The perpetrators need to be tracked. Earlier this year one such Wednesfield Resident contacted me with information on a Fly-tip, and it is this lady’s evidence, that has allowed the truck and owner to be traced, and provided information for prosecution to follow.

I am pleased that the safety of the area is now being addressed with the plans for this Fly-tip removal.

Wednesfield North and South Wards are in for disruption this afternoon (Thursday 19 August 2021) As your City Councillors for Wednesfield North, we wanted to inform you quickly, that we have had notification that Severn Trent Water need to undertake an emergency repair of a burst water main in the carriageway on Lichfield Road in Wednesfield.

The burst main is at the junction of Stubby Lane and will require the use of multi-way temporary traffic signals affecting Lichfield Road, Stubby Lane and Linthouse Lane.

This location is a busy section of the highway network and the required traffic management will have a notable effect on local traffic flow. The City Council felt the need to give you specific notice of this issue as it may generate enquiries as the traffic flows will alter in surrounding roads, as the Severn Trent Water company tackles this Emergency work.

The issue I am stressing here is that this is not planned work but an emergency response to a burst water main.

City Council teams will monitor the situation and try to minimise disruption with cooperation from Severn Trent Water.

The activity is planned to begin sometime between 15:00-19:00 today Thursday!
It will potentially continue until Monday 23rd. Hopefully the repair can be completed well within the estimated timeframe and the obstruction removed as soon as possible.

I wanted to ensure that my constituents here in Wednesfield North were told as soon after I was as is possible. I will keep you informed of events…..