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Lichfield District Council’s residents’ magazine
LDCNews
SUMMER & AUTUMN 2016
Play away this summer
The light fantastic Plans for Friarsgate have been approved and the new cinema operator announced.
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Summer fun We’ve got a packed summer holiday programme for kids.
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Festival city We’re looking forward to a summer and autumn filled with brilliant festivals and events.
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LDC News
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/news Keep up to date with council news
Welcome to LDC News Councillor Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council
michael.wilcox@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Welcome to the newly named, LDC News, formerly known as Intouch. We’ve still got all the council news you’d expect. First off, we’re all excited the Friarsgate planning application has been approved, which is an important step towards making the Lichfield City centre mixed leisure and retail scheme a reality. It’s fantastic that work got underway early this summer on a brand new parkour facility next to Burntwood skatepark. This is a first for the district, offering a space to practise free running. We’re looking at our leisure services to make sure we’re using our resources effectively, while remaining committed to providing you with good access to leisure opportunities. See page 4. Over the summer we’ll be putting stickers on your wheelie bins to remind
you what rubbish should go in which bin. This is so we can continue to recycle as much of our waste as possible. Turn to page 5 to find out more. In other news, this year, we’ve published our new Strategic Plan in which we outline our priorities and focus for the next four years. It summarises how we, together with our partners and residents, can make sure our district has a vibrant and prosperous economy, healthy and safe communities, and clean, green and welcoming places to live. On top of this, we’ve also been looking at what our values should be and, after asking staff to help shape these, we’ve come up with three core values.
They are to put customers first, improve and innovate, and have respect for everyone. Finally, we’ve also agreed our customer promise. This sets out what you can expect from us and the level of service you should receive. Find out more about this and our Strategic Plan and values on pages 6 and 7. Looking ahead, we’ve got plenty of free entry festivals and events coming up, such as Beacon Park Fun Day, followed by Lichfield Food Festival, Lichfield Proms in Beacon Park and Lichfield Heritage Weekend. I hope you find LDC News interesting and informative, and that you have a wonderful summer.
Cinema set to ‘light’up Friarsgate Following planning approval for the Friarsgate development in May, property regeneration specialist U+I announced that the entertainment company, The Light, will open a seven-screen cinema at Lichfield’s major new mixed-use hub. Delivering incredible 2D and 3D visuals with state of the art digital picture and sound, as well as a café bar and luxury seating, the cinema will join the scheme alongside a gym, around 25 shops, up to ten restaurants, a new bus station, a 500-space car park, 82 apartments and 11 townhouses. Richard Upton, Deputy CEO of U+I, commented: “Sustainable communities and the generation of jobs and growth is core to U+I’s approach to mixed-use regeneration, so we’re thrilled The Light will be joining the Friarsgate development. “The cinema will form a key part of this new destination for the city and we look forward to announcing further brand partners set to join the scheme in the near future.”
“It’s great news that our Planning Committee unanimously approved the Friarsgate scheme and that we’re set to get such a high-end cinema in the city. We’ll be working closely with U+I and our local partners to help make sure the new development enhances Lichfield and delivers footfall and growth to all areas of our city.” Councillor Mike Wilcox Leader of Lichfield District Council
To find out more about Friarsgate go to
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ friarsgate
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Burntwood parkour park This June we celebrated work finishing on our new parkour park next to the skatepark in Cherry Close, Burntwood. The new facility offers various obstacles to practise parkour, which is also known as free running. The sport encourages self-improvement, discipline and reliance. It also encourages respect for others and for the environment, community spirit and highlights the importance of play.
“We’re really pleased Burntwood has a dedicated space to practise parkour. Our hope is that lots of people jump at the chance to take up this popular and growing sport, at their own pace, for free.” Councillor Andy Smith Cabinet Member for Leisure & Parks
We’ve worked closely with Cherry Orchard Gardening Services (COGS) on the project, as they manage the former youth and community building on Cherry Close and helped us to secure the funding. The project has been funded by the government’s Pocket Parks initiative, Lichfield District Safer Community Partnership, Lichfield Locality Commissioning Board, Sportivate Fund and Lichfield District Council through section 106 contributions. We’ll also use the funding to host parkour sessions and events, and make sure there is some planting to frame the park.
Do you know? Parkour comes from the French word parcours meaning route or course. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of training to move freely over and through any terrain using only the body.
BeaconPark Fun Day Wednesday 10 August
We’re inviting the whole family to come to Beacon Park on Wednesday 10 August between 11am and 3pm for Beacon Park’s Fun Day. There will be plenty on offer to keep youngsters entertained, including inflatables, stalls, games, face painting and much more. There’s also the chance to enter the teddy races – so don’t forget your teddy bear! It’s free to come along, although there is a small charge for some activities.
www.lichfieldhistoricparks.co.uk/ whats-on
Summer holiday fun This summer we’ll be offering lots of holiday activities at Burntwood and Friary Grange leisure centres and Beacon Park, including: I I I I I I I
Swimming pool inflatable fun Sporty coaching courses Swimming lessons Boot camps Rookie lifeguard courses Football pitch and court offers Pond dipping and bug hunting
For the full programme and to find out how to book visit
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/holidayfun
Above: Mila at the Beacon Park Fun Day
LDC News If you need LDC News in another format, such as large print, please call Esther Epstein on 01543 308778 or email esther.epstein@lichfielddc.gov.uk
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk
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LDC News
www.ratemyplace.org.uk Find out how clean local eateries are
New pest control service
Reviewing leisure services We’re reviewing the way we deliver leisure services across the district. We want to make sure we’re using our resources effectively and encouraging more people to be more active more often. As part of the review, we’ll explore different models of leisure service delivery that are used by other local authorities. For example, leisure centres in Cannock and Rugeley are managed on behalf of the council by a trust. The review is outlined in our Physical Activity and Sports Strategy (PASS).
“At the heart of our review is our ambition to make sure local people can easily access good quality sport and leisure facilities. However, this aim needs to be balanced with our reducing budgets. We know there are plenty of questions, which is why we’ve put together a series of frequently asked questions on our website, and will be adding to them throughout the process.”
We’ve chosen Opkill as our new pest control specialists. This means if you live in Lichfield District, we have negotiated a special rate for you on local jobs. So, if you have a problem with pests, such as rats, mice, wasps, cockroaches or bedbugs, from now on we recommend you contact Opkill to tackle them. It costs £66 to deal with mice and rats (which may be free if you receive certain benefits), and includes up to four visits. It costs £60 to tackle fleas, bedbugs and cockroaches, and £42 for wasps, ants and other insects. If you have a pest problem, call Opkill on 0800 980 4142 and make sure you tell them you are a Lichfield District resident, when booking in your job. Find out more at
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/pestcontrol
Andy Smith Cabinet Member for Leisure & Parks
For our frequently asked questions and to read our Physical Activity and Sports Strategy, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/leisurereview
Above: Opkill operatives with Charlie the Harris Hawk
The future of King Edward VI Leisure Centre
We’ve given three years’ notice to withdraw from King Edward VI Leisure Centre, following which it will be returned to the school and county council to manage.
Cllr Andy Smith, Cabinet Member for Leisure & Parks, said: “It’s unusual for a city the size of Lichfield to have two leisure centres managed by a district council. Since 2014, the school has had exclusive weekly, daytime use of King Edward VI Leisure Centre and public opening hours during weekend evenings have also reduced in response to customer demand.” We’re in discussions with the school about whether the centre’s facilities will be available for club and community use in the future. This type of arrangement
is commonplace at schools across the district, and it will be for the school to decide on community use and how it operates. Our lease requires us to replace the synthetic turf pitch before we withdraw, and we will be consulting existing and potential users of the pitch before we carry out the works. In preparation for the handover, we’ll be encouraging King Edward VI Leisure Centre users to try out our other leisure centres at Friary Grange in Lichfield and at Burntwood.
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LDC News
your blue bin This summer we’re running a campaign to encourage more recycling across the district. You already recycle a massive 50 percent of your rubbish, but we’re still noticing plenty of waste in black bins that could be recycled. This is why you’ll see handy stickers appearing on your wheelie bins soon, which explain what waste to put in which bin. Most importantly, we want you to love your blue recycling bin! Here’s a brief roundup of what should and shouldn’t go in it:
Do
put these in your blue bin
ALL Glass
ALL Cans
ALL Foil
ALL Paper & Card
heck ,
ALL Tetrapaks
lean ,
NO Pyrex Glass
NO Polystyrene
NO General Waste
ALL Plastics
Don’t put these in your blue bin
NO Nappies
NO Food Waste
NO Textiles
huck
Clean containers as we can’t recycle items that are dirty or half full.
To find out more visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bluebin
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LDC News
Strategic Plan
Our values
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/strategicplan
We’ve published our new Strategic Plan which sets out our vision for the district for 2016 to 2020. It was put together with the input of councillors, staff, stakeholders (including
For healthy and safe communities, our aim is by 2020 that:
the business, community and voluntary
I
sectors) and local residents, who’ve all
I
had an opportunity to contribute, and we’ve fed their comments into the plan.
More people will be active and healthy. More people will be involved in volunteering and community activity.
I
The Strategic Plan sets out how we
We’ve worked with staff across the
Fewer people and families will be
council to create a set of staff values
homeless.
that we will all work to uphold in our
More people will feel safer and less
daily roles. They will help to make sure
delivers good value, quality services and
worried about crime and anti-social
we provide really good and consistent
helps to support a vibrant and prosperous
behaviour.
service, and that we are a responsive,
want to be a strong, flexible council that
economy, healthy and safe communities and
I
I
clean, green and welcoming places to live. We also explain how we think we can best contribute to these priorities and what we hope to achieve by 2020.
I
I
Put our customers first, which includes being passionate about our customer service, always listening and working with our customers to meet
More affordable homes in the district.
I
Our heritage and open spaces will
their needs, and taking responsibility for
be well maintained or enhanced.
things we can change and improve, and
Our streets will be clean and well
encourage our customers to do the same.
maintained.
Improve and innovate, which means
More people will use parks and
challenging each other to look for ways
open spaces.
to do things better, listening to feedback
New homes, offices, retail and
and learning from it so we can improve,
More visitors and greater visitor
manufacturing spaces will be built
and welcoming change and moving
spend in our district.
or developed in line with our Local
forward with confidence.
A regenerated Lichfield City
Plan and planning guidance.
More local jobs and people in
I
More new businesses locate to
I
our district. I
independently at home.
For clean, green and welcoming places to live, our aim by 2020 is that there will be:
employment. I
forward looking organisation. These values are outlined below:
I
For a vibrant and prosperous economy, our aim is that by 2020 there will be: I
More people will be living
More businesses succeed.
I
Have respect for everyone, which
centre and an improved retail offer
You can read the whole plan at
includes listening to one another and
in Burntwood.
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ strategicplan
understanding each other’s views and
“Thank you to everyone who helped us to shape our Strategic Plan. We know that we can’t do all of it on our own, so our plan sets out how we will seek to influence other organisations and suggests how communities can help us to make sure these aims are realised.” Councillor Mike Wilcox Leader of Lichfield District Council
pressures, appreciating each other and trusting our colleagues to do a good job to the best of their ability.
“It’s important that we work as one team towards shared goals with shared values. They will help us to focus on how we will deliver services, not just what we will deliver.” Diane Tilley Chief Executive
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LDC News
To find out more about our customer promise and how to make a compliment, comment or complaint, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/customerpromise
CUSTO
SE
PROM ER I M
We pledge to treat you with respect, keep you informed, and to make it easy to deal with us. As part of the promise, we set out how long it will take us to respond to your enquiries and how we will keep you updated of progress. In our communications we’ll put your needs at the heart of what we do, listen, be helpful, polite and treat you with
respect. We’ll use plain language and be open and upfront, and explain our decisions. We’ll make it easy to make a complaint, comment or compliment, and respond to them in good time. In return we ask that you check our website, if you can, before phoning us as there is a wealth of easy to find information online. It also helps if you can let us know if you have any specific needs, ask us to explain anything you’re not sure of, and tell us if you are happy or not with the service you receive. We also ask that you treat us with respect and are patient at busier times.
CUSTO
We’ve launched a new customer promise in which we set out how we will work with you and the standards you can expect from us.
PROM I ER M
SE
Our promise to you
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“We’re passionate about providing excellent customer service, and strive to improve all the time. We hope our customer promise helps us to achieve our goal and that you are happy with the service you receive. We want to hear from you if you’ve had particularly good service, have a suggestion about how we can improve, or are not happy with the way we’ve treated you. So, please do let us know. Thank you.” Councillor Doug Pullen Cabinet Member for Community
Boosting our city Visitors are vital to our city – they support local businesses, shops, eateries and jobs. In recognition of this, partners across the city are working together to encourage more people to visit Lichfield, as well as improve visitor facilities, such as coach parking, marketing, signage and more. As part of this, the new Lichfield City Centre Development Strategy will be formerly launched this autumn. The strategy aims to deliver a 5 percent growth in visitor spending every year over the next five years, which would add an extra £46 million to the local economy and create over 850 new jobs. The strategy was developed with the help of the Tourism Company, one of the UK’s leading tourism consultancies with town planning expertise. The team interviewed key organisations, including
Lichfield Cathedral, the local councils, Lichfield Garrick, Lichfield Arts, Lichfield BID, Lichfield Festival, LEPs, landowners and more. Local people were also given chance to feed into the plan The strategy was funded by the Lichfield City Centre Development Partnership, which is formed of local tourist attractions and landowners, including Lichfield Cathedral and the city and district councils. Find out more and read the strategy at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ citycentrestrategy
“Tourism is crucial to our city and district. Not only does it bring footfall and spend, it also helps to support local jobs and businesses. We really want to put Lichfield City on the map as a key tourist destination and the new strategy is set to help us achieve this.” Councillor Helen Fisher Cabinet Member for Tourism and member of the Lichfield City Centre Development Partnership
www.lichfielddc.gov.uk
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LDC News
www.visitlichfield.co.uk For local festivals, events, visitor attractions and more
Contact Lichfield District Council www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ contacts
01543 308000
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Contact your councillor www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ councillors
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Feedback
To give us your feedback about LDC News, please call Esther Epstein on 01543 308778 or email esther.epstein@lichfielddc.gov.uk LDC News is published by Lichfield District Council, District Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield WS13 6ZB, summer & autumn 2016 Š Every effort has been make to make sure the information in the magazine is correct. However, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss or disappointment arising from misinterpretation, error, omission, or subsequent change to the information.