Archive for May, 2014
Thursday, May 29th, 2014
Tamworth’s Conservatives celebrate victory in Thursday’s local election
Last Thursday’s Tamworth Borough Council election saw the Conservative Party outpoll all of the other Party’s and increase their vote across Tamworth from 12 months ago.
7,874 of Tamworth’s residents voted Conservative on Thursday across the borough, compared with 7,437 who voted Labour. Thursday’s election also saw the Conservative Party vote increase 2,252 from twelve months ago, whereas Labour’s vote only went up 1,354.
Although, the 2014 election was for Tamworth Borough Council and last year’s election was for Staffordshire County Council, the majority of those residents that voted last week would also have had the chance to vote in the 2013 elections in Tamworth.
Total votes cast in Tamworth Borough Council Election 2014
Conservative Party 7,874, Labour Party 7,437, UKIP 3,149, Green Party 276, Liberal Democrats 114
Saturday, May 24th, 2014
There were Conservative Party victories for both new and new and familiar faces in Thursday’s Tamworth Borough Council elections.
First time candidates John Chesworth and Joy Goodall won in Spital ward and Belgrave ward and former Mayor of Tamworth Michael Oates regained Trinity, the ward he represented from 2002 to 2010.
John Chesworth won Spital with a majority of 388, Joy Goodall won Belgrave with a majority of 388 and Michael Oates won Trinity with a majority of 563.
Saturday, May 24th, 2014
Tamworth’s Conservatives celebrate victory at the end of a long election day
The Conservative Party have retained control of Tamworth Borough Council for a further year despite the national media claiming the Labour Party would take back control for the first time since 2004.
After months of hard and continued campaigning across Tamworth, the Conservative Party retained control of the council with a reduced majority of 2 from their previous 3 after losing Amington and Stonydelph; however, the party won Belgrave for the first time since 2008.
Two new councillors will join the Conservative benches after Joy Goodall won in Belgrave and John Chesworth won Spital ward and former Mayor of Tamworth Michael Oates is also returning as a Borough Councillor after winning Trinity.
Unfortunately, current Mayor of Tamworth, John Garner, was not so lucky after finishing second in Amington, the ward he has presented on and off for over 35 years.
The other successful Conservative candidates were Cllr Allan Lunn in Castle ward, Cllr Michael Greatorex in Mercian ward and Cllr Tina Clements in Wilnecote ward.
The first meeting of the new council will take place at Tamworth’s Town Hall on Thursday 5th June at 18:00 when all of the Conservative councillors will continue to sit on the controlling benches.
Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
Cllr David Smith
Lichfield District Council’s new Chairman for 2014/15 is Cllr David S Smith, longstanding Conservative councillor in Stonnall.
Cllr Smith was sworn in as the new Chairman at the Annual Council meeting of Lichfield District Council on Tuesday 6 May 2014.
As Chairman, Cllr Smith will represent the district at a wide range of functions across Staffordshire – including royal visits, civic and ceremonial functions, and community and charity events. He will also chair council meetings and work throughout the year to raise money for his chosen charities.
Cllr Smith said, “I am honoured to take up this important role and am looking forward to representing the district council at the many events and functions that take place across Staffordshire.
“I am also pleased that it will give my wife Gay and me a chance to meet people throughout the district to find out more about voluntary groups and the vital work that they do.”
Cllr Smith has also announced that he will be raising money for three good causes, he said, “The charities I will be raising money for are Lichfield Cathedral East End Appeal, the Friends of St Peters Church in Stonnall, and the Forces Children’s Trust.”
Click here to keep up with the Chairman throughout his year in office
Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
Tamworth’s MP, Christopher Pincher, has welcomed the figures released this week which show unemployment in Tamworth has fallen once again to a new decade low level.
Figures published by the ONS show that the number of unemployed claimants in Tamworth constituency in April 2014 was 851. This represents a rate of 1.7% of the economically active population aged 16 to 64. This number of claimants is a massive 726 lower than April 2013 and 117 lower than in March 2014.
Responding to the latest fall in unemployment in Tamworth Christopher Pincher said, “I welcome the news that unemployment in Tamworth has fallen once again and continues to drop below levels seen before the Labour government’s recession. It has now fallen to a new record low for this decade.
“Together with the fall in inflation which we last month, there is now compelling evidence that the government’s long term economic plan is working. But we must not be complacent, there is still much to do. We must make Tamworth the place to set up or expand a business. Tamworth is a working town and we should not put our economic recovery in jeopardy by returning to Labour’s bad old ways.”
Nationally unemployment is now down to 6.8%. Tamworth is also well above regional and national levels of employment which also continues to rise. Last month also saw a record jump in the number of people finding work since records began in 1971.
Tuesday, May 13th, 2014
Conservative Cllr Tina Clements, ward councillor for Wilnecote, has written to Staffordshire County Council to ask if they will work to help set up a residents led management committee to keep Wilnecote youth centre open for everyone.
Cllr Clements’ letter follows the County Council’s recent decision to close Wilnecote youth centre and with every other SCC owned youth club. Cllr Clements’ letter is asking for support to keep the building open as a community hub for a whole range of other community groups in Wilnecote and not just the youth club.
Cllr Clements said, “We would like a meeting with county to discuss the future of Wilnecote youth centre. We as residents would like help to set up a management committee in order that we don’t lose such an iconic building.
“Our older residents used to use this building when it was the school and have grown up in the area where it is. We don’t want to lose one of our oldest features to demolition for it to be left for years; there are so many community groups who use this building and where would they go if it is knocked down.”
Cllr Clements, who wrote to the residents of Wilnecote last month calling on them to sign her petition against the proposed closure of the youth centre, said that she would be writing again to them when she has a reply from the County Council.
Tuesday, May 6th, 2014
Carmaker Mini is to open a purpose-built showroom, workshops and parts store in Tamworth, which will create 22 new jobs and is another boost for the local economy.
The plans for the showroom and service area at Cardinal Point, part of the Ventura Park Employment Area, were given the go-ahead by Tamworth Borough Council’s Planning Committee last week, by a unanimous vote in favour of the development.
The two-level building will house a Mini dealership, including a showroom, MOT facility, service workshop with six service bays and parts store. The opening of the dealership will create a total of 22 jobs, 20 full-time and two part-time, providing a valuable boost to the Tamworth economy.
The go-ahead for the Mini garage comes just six weeks after the planning committee gave unanimous approval for a luxury BMW dealership on the neighbouring site, which will create a total of 93 new jobs.
Members of the planning committee were united in their support for the development. They agreed that the showroom plan fits in well with the existing prestige car showrooms in the vicinity, complements the new BMW site and will help to enhance Tamworth’s attractiveness as a destination for investment, helping to improve and strengthen the local economy.
Cllr Robert Pritchard, Deputy Leader of the Council said, “The development of the new Mini showroom will be a big asset to the borough’s economy and is yet another sign of the confidence there is in Tamworth as a place to do invest and do business.”
Friday, May 2nd, 2014
Parents in Staffordshire with a two-year-old interested in returning to work or retraining can now do so thanks to 15 hours free childcare.
Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council launched the ‘Think 2’ free childcare scheme in September 2013 and following a very successful first year, the scheme is to be extended to help even more parents.
Parents who receive Working Tax Credits will now also be entitled to the free places as well as parents meeting the benefits criteria for free school meal eligibility with a household income of under £16,190. This means over 1600 parents could benefit from the extra places.
The free 15 hours childcare is provided by local nurseries, child minders or pre-schools and is available across the county.
Cllr Mike Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Children, Community and Localism on Staffordshire County Council said, “We have been incredibly pleased with the success of the scheme so far and know that it has helped many more parents get back to work or learn new skills.
“Many parents that we speak to tell us that they would like to return to work, but find it difficult to do so because of a lack of suitable and affordable childcare. That’s where our scheme and the free 15 hours has made a huge difference and why we decided to extend it to help even more parents.
“It’s important to remember that very young children who enjoy a good quality early education often get a better start in life. Their early experiences of learning through play form a great foundation both for school life and the years to come.”
Parents will be able to access the 15 hours free early learning per week, choosing to take it either during school term-time over 38 weeks, or spread over the year if the childcare provider has this flexibility. The free places are now available for eligible children on the term following their second birthday.
To apply, obtain information or to check full criteria and eligibility visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/think2, people can also call 0300 111 8007. Eligible parents will receive a list of suitable high quality childcare providers in their area along with their confirmation letter.
