LDC News - Summer/Autumn 2019 by Lichfield District Council

Telephone 01543 308000 · www.lichfielddc.gov.uk

Lichfield District Council’s residents’ magazine

LDCNews

SUMMER & AUTUMN 2019

An ability swing for Beacon Park

See your new-look council

Peace Woodland opens

Boosting business

A pull out double page spread of new district councillors following May’s elections.

We joined Lichfield Cathedral in opening Beacon Park’s Peace Woodland.

From grants to free business advice, find out how we can help your business grow.

PAGES 4 & 5

PAGE 6

PAGE 7

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LDC News

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/news Keep up to date on council news

Welcome to LDC News Councillor Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council

This is my first LDC News, having been selected as leader of the council by my colleagues just a few weeks ago. I’m very grateful for the trust that has been put in me and will be working hard with my chosen cabinet and with all councillors from across the district wards to deliver great services to our residents. Here’s a quick overview of what’s happening. Following on from the district council elections, on the centre pages (pages 4 and 5) you will find a who’s who of councillors. It’s handy to know who your ward councillor is, in case you need help with a local issue, so you may want to keep these pages. Alternatively, you’ll find councillor contact details at

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/councillors At the start of the year we held resident and stakeholder events on the future of the Birmingham Road site. We are appointing consultants who will work with us to run future events and consultations to make sure local people are involved in the planning of this important city centre development.

Above: The Waste Less guide to help people waste less and recycle more

I’d like to thank you all for upping your recycling game, after we ran campaigns to remind everyone of what can and can’t go in blue bins, including not using black bin bags. You stepped up to the challenge and I’m pleased to report we haven’t had any of our loads rejected by the recycling sorting plant in recent months.

Each year we look forward to Lichfield Proms in Beacon Park, which is on Saturday 7 September this year. I hope you will join us for our 21st outdoor concert, which is a massive community celebration. Set to feature popular classics along with all the proms anthems and a firework finale, it will be a night to remember. I hope you enjoy LDC News, and that you have a great summer and take full advantage of the packed events calendar that Lichfield District has to offer. Below: Lichfield Proms in Beacon Park, image courtesy of Michelle Williams Photography

For a reminder of what can and can’t go in your blue bin visit

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/wasteless On page 7 you’ll find out how to apply for a small business grant to help new and start-up businesses grow. We also set out a number of initiatives that small and medium enterprises in the district can access thanks to partnership working.

Funding local infrastructure projects

Staffordshire County Council successfully applied for two projects and has received £101,000 to provide more secondary school places at King Edward VI School, and £44,000 to improve Chasewater Country Park.

Four projects are set to receive a share of £300,000 Community Infrastructure Levy funding, which is a charge on development to help local authorities deliver infrastructure in their areas.

We awarded The Westgate Practice £120,000 to extend its Greenhill Health Centre in Lichfield, and gave £35,000 to the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust to reinstate the canal between London Road and Cricket Lane in Lichfield.

This is the first round of the Community Infrastructure Levy funding we've distributed, with more rounds to follow.

Pictured: Recipients of the CIL funding

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Helping vulnerable rough sleepers

Business Football League www.activelichfield.co.uk/bfl

To help local rough sleepers into housing, we have agreed a plan to tackle homelessness. This is after an increase in the number of people who are sleeping rough locally or at risk of being made homeless. We are set to buy up to four properties, which would house multiple people. These will be used as supported accommodation for rough sleepers and homeless people with complex needs. In partnership with Cannock Chase District Council, we will be commissioning an independent delivery partner who will lease the accommodation from us at affordable rent prices and will be responsible for managing the properties, including any day-to-day repairs. Councillor Ashley Yeates, Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing, said: “This is a ground-breaking local scheme and is testament to the hard work our officers have put into this worthwhile venture. “This package of support, which is funded by government grants and

In partnership with The FA, we’re setting up a Business Football League and asking local businesses and organisations if they want to put together a team. The league is open to all over 16s and we’re aiming to launch it in September 2019. To register your interest in getting involved, please email euan.scott@lichfielddc.gov.uk or call 01543 308835 by 26 July 2019.

unallocated section 106 monies, should mean we tailor our services to the individual and have a good chance of helping rough sleepers off local streets and into secure and safe homes.” Thanks to government funding, we have also appointed a two-year tenancy sustainment officer to support residents who are in housing, but at risk of becoming homeless.

Summer fun at Beacon Park Over at Beacon Park, we’re running a story trail each day of the holidays for children to follow the clues in nature to discover a mythical creature. A family friendly highlight of Beacon Park’s summer calendar is our annual Fun Day on Wednesday 7 August from 11am to 3pm. The day features inflatable fun, a carousel, stalls, games and the Teddy Races. The event is free entry, with a small charge for some activities.

For our full summer holiday activity programme visit www.activelichfield.co.uk/holidayfun

Pictured: Ranger Ted and friends

LDC News If you need LDCNews in another format, such as large print, please call Esther Epstein on 01543 308778 or email esther.epstein@lichfielddc.gov.uk

Summer holiday fun www.activelichfield.co.uk/holidayfun There are lots of active, creative and fun activities for children and young people this summer holidays. Our Getin2it Holiday Fun programme offers low cost activities at venues and parks across the district, including tennis, football, multi sports, tag rugby and streetcheer sessions. And, thanks to funding from the Staffordshire Police & Fire Commissioner, SPACE passes are making a welcome return this summer. For £20 a pass young people aged from 8 to 17 can enjoy unlimited Getin2it sessions and public swims and court hire* at Friary Grange and Burntwood leisure centres all summer long. The passes also cover activities at Burntwood Fun Club, Liberty Staffordshire, Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire Wildlife and Edingale Village Hall. SPACE passes are on sale at Burntwood and Friary Grange leisure centres now! *Depending on court availability – don’t forget to book your court first.

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Contact your councillor Email your councillor Thank you to everyone who voted in May’s elections – here’s your new-look council. Please get in touch with your ward councillor if you have a local issue you need advice on.

Our councillors’ email addresses start with their first name, followed by a dot, followed by their surname, and finished off with @lichfielddc.gov.uk – for example: joseph.powell@lichfielddc.gov.uk

Cllr Derick Cross

Cllr Michael Wilcox

Cllr Sonia Wilcox

Cllr Nick Binney

Conservative

Alrewas & Fradley

Armitage with Handsacre

Vice Chairman

Alrewas & Fradley

07748 177092

07772 913265

07909 151318

07927 763966

Cllr Richard Cox

Cllr Thomas Marshall

Cllr Janet Eagland

Cllr Mark Warfield

Conservative

Armitage with Handsacre

Boley Park

07814 832117

07527 847495

01543 257102

01543 300934

Cllr Rob Birch

Cllr Diane Evans

Cllr Brad Westwood

Cllr Brian Yeates

Labour

Conservative

Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Boney Hay & Central

Bourne Vale

07852 583078

07813 151672

07754 243761

0121 323 2200

Cllr Joanne Grange

Cllr Paul Ray

Cllr Sharon Banevicius

Cllr Steven Norman

Independent

Liberal Democrats

Labour

Labour Leader of the Opposition

Chadsmead

Chase Terrace

07768 636898

07771 856931

01543 270761

01543 304711

Cllr Darren Ennis

Cllr Samuel Tapper

Cllr Shirley Barnett

Cllr Colin Ball

Labour

Conservative

Labour

Chasetown

Colton & the Ridwares

07713 831030

07512 767373

01889 577168

Curborough

07484 819301

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www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/councillors Contact your councillor if you need help with a local issue

Cllr Dave Robertson

Cllr Barry Gwilt

Cllr James Parton-Hughes

Cllr Alastair Little

Labour

Conservative

Curborough

Fazeley

Hammerwich with Wall

07866 491068

07886 945208

07469 199189

07583 147124

Cllr Janice Silvester-Hall

Cllr Wai-Lee Ho

Cllr Doug Pullen

Cllr Jamie Checkland

Conservative

Leader of Lichfield District Council

Hammerwich with Wall

Highfield

Leomansley

07939 468874

07873 505258

07384 819014

07881 454394

Cllr Iain Eadie

Cllr Andrew Smith

Cllr Elizabeth Little

Cllr Joseph Powell

Conservative

Deputy Leader, CM for Investment, Economic Growth & Tourism

CM for Customer Services & Innovation

CM for Recycling & Leisure

Chairman Chairman

Leomansley

Little Aston & Stonnall

07916 139803

07795 661123

07725 510971

01543 255176

Cllr Rob Strachan

Cllr Ashley Yeates

Cllr David Salter

Cllr Deb Baker

Conservative

CM for Finance & Procurement

CM for Communities & Housing

Longdon

Mease Valley

Shenstone

St John’s

07708 696958

0121 323 2200

0121 308 4421

07785 246391

Cllr Tim Matthews

Cllr Christopher Spruce

Cllr Jeyan Anketell

Cllr Colin Greatorex

Conservative

Independent

Conservative

St John’s

Stowe

01543 255729

07879 714003

01543 268891

01543 416677

Cllr Angela Lax

Cllr Bernard Brown

Cllr Laura Ennis

Cllr Kenneth Humphreys

Conservative

Labour

Conservative

Summerfield & All Saints

CM for Legal & Regulatory Services

Stowe

07592 881687

01543 683411

01543 674338

Cllr David Leytham

Cllr Harry Warburton

Cllr Alan White

Conservative

Whittington & Streethay

01543 671248

Lichfield City Ward Lichfield Rural Ward Burntwood Town Ward

07932 602446

07798 526849

07793 838432

CM Cabinet Member

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Burntwood Leisure Centre unveils improvements

Ability swing for Beacon Park Pictured: The launch of the ability swing earlier this year

Thanks to Lichfield Round Table, along with fundraising in memory of Isla Elizabeth Hufton, we installed a new ability swing in Beacon Park’s junior play area. Lichfield Round Table started raising money last year so children in wheelchairs could have a dedicated piece of play equipment in the park. They joined forces with Stephanie Hufton, who wanted to see an accessible swing in Beacon Park as her daughter Isla had really enjoyed her time on a similar swing. Isla suffered from Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome and sadly died when she was just 18 months old. At the launch of the swing earlier this year, Stephanie said: “It’s amazing to see the children enjoy the swing, their

smiles were priceless and that’s what I wanted other children to experience.

“Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution to the swing, we wouldn’t have been able to make this happen without you.” Stephanie Hufton

The ability swing is available for children in wheelchairs to use. It can be accessed with a radar key, which is available from Beacon Park’s Ranger Station.

Along with our leisure partner, Freedom Leisure, we cut the ribbon to the newly refurbished Burntwood Leisure Centre earlier this year. With our help, the not-for-profit leisure trust invested £1.6 million in a raft of improvements, including modernising the building to make it more energy efficient. Leisure centre users are now enjoying a brand new 70-station gym, a MyRide cycling studio that offers instructor led and virtual sessions, a new group exercise studio, a new Freedom Café serving Costa Coffee, and a new sauna and steam room. Find out what’s on offer at Burntwood Leisure Centre at www.freedom-

leisure.co.uk/burntwood

Peace Woodland opens Pictured: The plaque with 1,300 engraved names

We joined representatives from Lichfield Cathedral, volunteers, sponsors, guests and well-wishers at Beacon Park in June for the official opening of the only Peace Woodland outside of Jerusalem. The opening event, which was attended by around 300 people, included speeches, the unveiling of the six-foot bronze plaque, and music from the Cathedral Choir.

Image courtesy of Hannah Golding

Designed by artist Peter Walker as a living piece of art, and planted and cared for by our parks team and many volunteers, the woodland marks 100 years since the end of the First World War and is a symbol of peace. Everyone can visit the Peace Woodland, which is beyond Beacon Park’s golf course.

Take a tour! Book onto a city tour with our Visit Lichfield guides and find out about Lichfield’s exciting and sometimes horrible history!

Above: Burntwood Leisure Centre’s new gym

Discover Lichfield A great overview of Lichfield’s fascinating history.

Pubs, Priests & Prostitutes Lichfield’s more colourful history comes alive.

Ghosts of Lichfield Visit the places where ghosts have been sighted and find out their stories.

Hideous History A children’s tour that takes in some of Lichfield’s gruesome past.

Find out more at www.visitlichfield.co.uk/tours and book at Tourist Information in St Mary’s or by calling 01543 308924

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More small business grants up for grabs Last November we launched small business grants and have distributed £15,000 to local small businesses and start-ups so far. The fourth round of the scheme is now open and we have a further £5,000 to give out as grants of between £500 and £1,500. The grants, which need to be match-funded, can be spent on marketing, IT software and hardware (excluding laptops, computers, mobiles and tablets), office equipment, professional qualifications and training, and equipment to support product or process development.

“It’s great to see businesses already benefitting from the grants. So far we’ve funded a range of items and services, including food containers and shop scales, a new website, exhibition stands, computer equipment, professional sector certification and more.” Councillor Iain Eadie Cabinet Member for Investment, Economic Growth & Tourism

“We look forward to receiving our next batch of applications and finding out more about their business plans,“ Councillor Iain Eadie continued. To be eligible, applicants must first receive 12 hours of free business support from the Enterprise for Success programme. Find out how to apply at:

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/sbg Round four’s closing date for applications is 30 August 2019.

Warmer homes We’re working with Staffordshire County Council and E.ON to spread the word about Staffordshire Warmer Homes. This programme fully funds the installation of first time central heating systems into eligible homes across Staffordshire. The £150 million Warm Homes Fund has been established by National Grid Affordable Warmth Solutions to support local authorities to address some of the issues affecting fuel poor households. Other funding has been provided from public sector partners. Households could save up to £350 a year on fuel bills by changing to gas central heating. You can apply for this scheme if you do not already have gas central heating and claim benefits or tax credits, have a low or no income, are disabled, elderly or have very young children. Apply at www.staffordshirewarmerhomes.co.uk or freephone 0333 202 4481.

Supporting business Thanks to partnership working, our local businesses can access free advice and grants. ■ For anyone thinking about launching

a business, get free expert advice with Enterprise for Success. ■ Grants of between £10,000 and

£1 million are on offer to business-to-business SMEs through the Business Growth Programme 2. ■ Contact local Growth Hub advisors

for free business advice (running until September 2019).

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ businessadvice

Minster’s trail Visit Lichfield has re-launched its heritage trail for children called Minster’s Trail. Families can follow Minster the Duck on a circular tour of the historic city of Lichfield. Along the way Minster asks a series of questions to get youngsters to take a closer look at their surroundings and to find out more about the city’s heritage. Minster’s Trail is free and available from Tourist Information at St Mary’s on the Market Square or can be downloaded at

www.visitlichfield.co.uk/minsterstrail

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www.visitlichfield.co.uk For festivals, events, visitor attractions and more

2019 Sign up for garden waste collections As we head into summer, there is still plenty of time to benefit from 2019’s subscription to the garden waste service.

£36

for collections in 2019

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/mygardenbin or call our team on 0345 002 0022

Contact the council www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/contact

✆ 01543 308000

From signing up to paperless council tax bills to ordering a new bin, save time, get online. www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/digitalservices

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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 2019 © 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.