Plans are set to go before the Cabinet next week that will see the Stoke-on-Trent City Council become the anchor tenant for the new Central Business District in Hanley.
The move away from the Civic Centre in Stoke could be the beginning of the end for this struggling town. It is widely thought that it is only council staff doing their shopping and buying lunches in Stoke that keeps the remaining shops open. Continue reading
I read somewhere of the commitment of former Labour Councillor Stan Bate to protecting the heritage of Fenton especially the Town Hall.
All well and good as it’s a fine late Victorian building and his passion for defending what is a jewel has to be commended.
It’s a pity that Stan, who to be fair to him, memory might be hazy of events a quarter of a century ago has perhaps forgotten the stance he took on Longton Town Hall in the late 80s when Ellis Bevan and other concerned citizens of the town campaigned to save the building. Continue reading
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Chief Fire Officer, Peter Dartford has expressed his shock at three serious fires in just four days in North Staffordshire. Three people have died and a family of three have been hospitalised in the incidents.
Last Thursday an elderly couple died in a fire in their Biddulph Moor home, on Monday evening an elderly man died following a fire at his flat in Berryhill and in the early hours of Tuesday morning a house fire in Hanley resulted in the hospitalisation of two children and their mother. Continue reading
As MIPIM just about to start from 6th to 9th March in Cannes, MIPIM is the European meeting point and deal making forum for many key industry players.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council have teamed up with Staffordshire in attempt to generate interest and investment in the area? Continue reading
The 1.6 million local government employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being informed that in order to protect funding to vital frontline services and reduce further job losses, no pay offer will be made to local government employees for 2012/13.
Sarah Messenger, LGA Head of Workforce, said
This has been a very difficult decision to make but it is the right one for council tax payers and the workforce as a whole. A combination of rising costs and shrinking local government funding means councils were left with little choice. Increasing pay would mean more job losses and cuts to the services people need. Continue reading
Another week on and another Council Budget agreed with pledge to spend £12million and complete Hanley Ring Road, after the last proposal for another Hotel and another Casino failed to materialise and increase our Council Tax by 3.49%
Oddly enough my first suggestion for a retailer to contact on their interest in our City came from a local Councillor, Cllr Rosenau suggested on twitter for her followers to contact Hotel Chocolat about coming to Hanley. Who I am to ignore Cabinet Member for Regeneration she must know a thing or two. So I send off my email hoping above hopes that this will be the first positive response ( I have insider information dont I ) but sadly no yet another negative reply Continue reading
Dear Sir,
I understand from an article that appeared in a national newspaper this weekend that over 90% of souvenirs for the London Olympics are produced abroad primarily China. When Britain successfully gained the right to host the 2012 Games we were lead to believe that this would be a major boost to the manufacturing sector in the UK. This has now proved illusionary, but what is particularly galling is the way in which British pottery companies like Royal Doulton and Wedgwood have out sourced much of their production of Olympic pottery to the Far East. Despite being decorated with Union Jacks and London’s famous landmarks, fine bone china teapots, cups and saucers, vases and pottery are being produced 6,000 miles away in Thailand and China. At a time when over 8,000 people from the Potteries are out of work I would describe the action of companies like Wedgwood as little more than treachery directed at the community which created the company in the first place.
Bill Cawley
The Tax Payers Alliance have voted Councillor Sarah Hill, the Stoke-on-Trent City Council Cabinet Member for Finance as their Pin Head of the month for February.
According to the TPA Sarah is the driving force behind moves to refuse the Government’s funding that would enable a council tax freeze in Stoke-on-Trent this year and instead is pushing ahead with a 3.49% increase in bills at a time when many residents are struggling with the rising cost of living. On Thursday Sarah and her fellow councillors were set to vote through this rise, despite previous TPA research and official statistics pointing to areas where costs are already running too high, such as Continue reading
Stoke-on-Trent City Council announced today it was one of the 80 councils that has received its first repayment from money owed after the collapse of the Icelandic bank, Landsbanki.
The city council received £1.5m of its £5m owed and is expecting more installments in the future. Stoke-on-Trent City Council lost the money in the Icelandic banking crash after an email, sent by the council’s credit agency, which showed a downward review of Landsbanki’s credit rating, was not acted upon by one of the council’s officers.
Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, said this morning
This is excellent news for the city council and a well-deserved success for the Local Government Association (LGA) and its partners in the Supreme Court case. The way in which we have co-ordinated the legal action with the LGA, and other local authorities is an example of our effectiveness as a council, we have minimised legal costs and provided excellent value for money for the taxpayer.
This is very welcomed money for the council, £1.5m is a lot of money but it isn’t new money, it is money we were confident we would get back and is already committed for capital expenditure over the next few years.
So unfortunately it doesn’t change the budget proposals before the council later this week. However it is good that after four years we know for certain we will get most of our money back from Landsbanki.
The legal action was, coordinated by the Local Government Association, to secure priority creditor status for UK local authorities following the winding up of Landsbanki and another bank Glitnir. Local authority funds worth £413m were held by Landsbanki when it collapsed in 2008, and the LGA expects some 98% to be eventually recovered.
LGA chair Sir Merrick Cockell, said
This is the result of four years of hard work on behalf of the sector and we are absolutely delighted that we have been able to help more than 80 local authorities.
With just 6 months to go until the new Bus Station in Hanley opens in Autumn 2012, its time to get excited about what is soon to come.
The opening of the Bus Station will finally allow the old Bus Station and surrounding buildings to be demolished making way for City Sentral.
Consultation has now started on the Bus re-routing and highway changes required to allow speedy clear access for Buses to the new Station
The City can then move on to the next phase of the development “City Sentral” we know that Marks & Spencers will be the main anchor retialer and the Vue will operator the Cinema. Travelodge are likely to be the Hotel operator due to there past partnerships with Realis, but what of the 70 retailers?
Little has so far been revealed of who these maybe, only one way to find out if you can’t wait, E-mail some retailers.
So I sent this email
When will Stoke-on-Trent get a ****** store, we have two new development centres one an expansion of the existing Potteries Shopping Centre and a brand new £350million shopping precinct City Sentral. Have you yet expressed an interest in either development?
to
I have only had few replies so far, some the to be expected noncommittal while others more direct and honest.
Many people in Stoke on Trent have been crying out for a Nando’s they have even set up a Facebook Page to the cause, sadly I feel this is unlikly as Nandos reply was
We don’t currently have any plans for a restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent.
Krispy Kreme, CULT, and Zara all said
At this moment in time we are not yet planning on opening a store in Stoke
I have yet to hear from any of the others but I will be providing updates as I do.
Has anyone heard any rumours? Does anyone have inside information or have suggestions on other retailers who I should contact?