Free personal safety alarms for Basford pensioners

Local Basford councillors have decided to commit their £10,000 ward councillor budget to acquire personal safety alarms for all elderly people of a pensionable age in Basford. After a spate of street attacks / muggings, local councillors have responded to enable the elderly to fulfil their daily lives feeling safe and secure.

The alarms are multi-purpose and can be used on the individual or within the home.

Speaking to residents at Kersall Court residential home, Councillor Newton said:

“Crimes against the elderly are one of the most abhorrent crimes in society. Feeling safe and secure both inside the home and outside in the wider community is a fundamental basic human right.

Nottingham Children’s Centres are on target

In a recent Children’s Centres progress report, Labour Members of Nottingham City Council have praised the programme and services delivered by the Children’s Centres in the City which have been supported by £8,433,031 of revenue budget. The target of 16 designated Children’s Centres has already been achieved for 2008/09.

85% of families with children from 0 – 5 years in the City have access to a wide range of core services including family health services, childcare, early education, family support, outreach services, links to employment and training opportunities and information for families.

In addition to those services above, Nottingham has recently been selected as a national child poverty pilot area for the Work Focussed in Children’s Centres Programme. This will provide three JobCentre Plus advisors located full-time in three Children’s Centres across the City.

Councillor welcomes Big Lottery funding for Nottingham’s Meadows Library

Nottingham’s local Meadows councillor, Ian MacLennan, is delighted by the news that approval has been granted to use Big Lottery funding to refurbish the Meadows Library as part of the Meadows Alive! project.

The Executive Board of Nottingham City Council agreed to the go ahead of the project at a meeting on 21st October 2008. The project, will offer a range of improvements to service including an after school homework centre and an increase in the number of hours the library service is available to the public. A management committee made up of local residents will help to ensure the Meadows community are more involved in the delivery of the library service in the Meadows.

Nottingham Labour: Nottingham’s LHC to shape affordable housing delivery

The approval of the Local Housing Company (LHC), New Homes Nottingham (NHN) to develop Council owned sites has been welcomed by Labour members of the Executive Board.

Nottingham was originally one of 14 pilot authorities for a local housing company in the Housing Green Paper in 2007. The endorsement of New Homes Nottingham means that Nottingham is now leading progress in this area.

The LHC will allow the Council to determine key sites for development as well as shape the nature and mix of developments. It will ensure the residents and tenants of Nottingham are provided with high quality sustainable housing, together with suitable social and physical infrastructure.

The aim of NHN is to provide a 50:50 split between private and affordable homes. The affordable housing will comprise social rented homes (managed by Nottingham City Homes) and shared equity agreements.

Nottingham Labour: ‘encouraging progress’ on reducing re-offending

Labour members of the Executive Board welcomed the latest report from the Youth Justice Plan on the Youth Offending Team’s (YOT) overall performance during 2007/08, which is well above the national average.

The key headlines are:

* It is one of only five YOT’s in the country to achieve all four of the Youth Justice Board’s targets for reducing re-offending. Its performance is also best among the Core Cities.

* There has been a 24% reduction in the number of new entrants to the youth justice system since 2005/06.

* There was a reduction in the over-representation of young Black or Black British people in the youth justice system.

* There was a significant increase in the number of young people supervised by the YOT who are in full-time education, training and employment.

* There was a reduction of 29% in the number of children in care who offended during 2007/08 compared with 2006/07.

Nottingham Labour welcomes Government report about local flooding

Basford Ward Councillor Mick Newton today welcomed the Pitt Review report concerning local flooding issues. The review lists 92 recommendations involving a large number of different organisations including The Environment Agency, The Met Office, Local Authorities, central Government and Government Departments, water companies as well as householders.

Speaking to residents Councillor Newton has said that he “particularly welcomes” recommendations two and 15 from the review.

Recommendation two appropriates responsibility for ground water flooding to the Environment Agency.

Councillor Newton said:
“The Pitt review resolves any confusion over responsibility for ground water flooding in Basford.”