All posts by Sarah Richardson

Statement from local councils on the government review of local government

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Statement from the Leaders of North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council
On 16 December 2024, the Government published the English Devolution White Paper. This White Paper identifies the Government’s intended approach to the devolution of powers from Westminster to more local “Strategic Authorities.”
The White Paper was clear that to achieve objectives surrounding devolution this will also require Local Government Review. This review would result in the abolition of the remaining two-tier local government across the country and establishing unitary government in their place.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to review the local government structures within our area and in our opinion, we owe it to our residents, communities, businesses and staff to ensure that this be considered properly.
The full statement is here:

NHS Consultation on Community Rehabilitation Wards in South Warwickshire

News

NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) have today launched a public consultation into the future locations of 35 community rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire following approval from the ICB Board.

The public consultation will run from today, Monday 6th January 2025, to Friday 14th February 2025 and people are being asked to give their views on two potential options for the locations of the community rehabilitation beds.

The two options being consulted on are:

  • Option A – Three sites: Distribute all 35 beds across three sites: Ellen Badger Hospital, Shipston, Leamington Spa Hospital, and Stratford Hospital. This would reduce the number of beds currently at Stratford Hospital and Leamington Spa Hospital and return up to 12 beds to the Ellen Badger site
  • Option B – Two sites: Provide all 35 beds at two sites, Leamington Spa Hospital and Stratford Hospital. The wards would remain the same current size at Leamington Spa Hospital and Stratford Hospital and there would no longer be any beds at the Ellen Badger site.

People are to participate in the consultation via a survey, by attending a consultation event, or by making a written submission, with more information on each available on the ICB website.

The consultation events will be both in-person and online. There will be 4 of each and the in-person events will be held at venues across South Warwickshire to ensure as many people as possible can attend.

The in-person events will take the form of a drop in exhibition which details the plans and the background to the potential changes. There will also be the opportunity to talk one on one with clinicians and other staff members who will be part of delivering the changes. There will not be specific presentation, so people are welcome to arrive at any point during the allotted time period. The details of the in-person events are:

Date Time Location Address
17 January 2025 09.30 – 11.00 Leamington Dale Street Methodist Church, Dale Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 5HL
21 January 2025 15.00 – 16.30 Stratford Rosebird Community Hall, Shipston Road, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 8LU
22 January 2025 16.00 – 17.30 Shipston Townsend Hall, Sheep Street, Shipston on Stour, CV36 4AE
24 January 2025 09.30 – 11.00 Warwick Lammas Room, Hill Close Gardens Trust, Bread and Meat Close, Warwick, CV34 6HF

The online events will consist of a presentation and then a chance to ask questions directly to the presenters. These will be taking place:

  • 13 January 2025, 09:00-10:30
  • 16 January 2025, 09:00-10:30
  • 21 January 2025, 11:00-12:30
  • 22 January 2025, 18:30-20:00

People are being asked to register for both the online and in person events if they are planning to attend. The registration links can be found on the consultation events webpage.

The ICB have created a dedicated section on their website with all the information regarding the public consultation, including the consultation document, details on how to participate in the consultation, and a list of frequently asked questions. This can be found at www.happyhealthylives.uk/consultation.

Flooding advice from Warwickshire County Council

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Warwickshire residents urged to take care amid widespread flooding

Please do not drive through floodwater, regardless of how shallow it may seem. Not only do you risk getting stuck in flood water, but you are also putting other people at risk if they attempt to help you.

Following heavy rainfall overnight there is widespread flooding across the county impacting Warwickshire communities.

With further rain expected today, emergency services and partners are calling on the public to take care when driving or walking near flood water.

Our fire control has received 45 emergency calls since midnight and our firefighters have rescued 12 people from flood-related incidents. A number of these incidents could have been avoided if people had not driven through flood water.

Partners are working together as part of the Local Resilience Forum to plan and prepare for incidents should flood levels continue to rise across the county causing risk to life and properties. Sandbags are being distributed to properties which have been identified as at risk and a rest centre has been set up in Wolston for those living in properties affected by the flood water.

If you come across floodwater, please follow these important safety guidelines:

  • Avoid driving through floodwater. Even a small amount of water can float your car and cause engine damage. The majority of flood-related fatalities occur when people become trapped in their vehicles.
  • If the water is too deep or murky to see the road underneath, you won’t know what hazards lie hidden beneath the surface, such as manholes or debris, which can damage your vehicle or injure those trying to rescue you.
  • Avoid flooded areas when walking, especially near rivers. Floodwaters can make footing unstable, increasing the risk of falling in.
  • Be cautious when walking through floodwater above knee level. The strong current can knock you over, and submerged hazards like open manholes or roadworks may not be visible.
  • Do not touch items exposed to floodwater. It is likely to be contaminated, possibly with sewage. Be sure to thoroughly disinfect and clean anything that has come into contact with the water.

Warwickshire Resilience Forum Co-Chair and Chief Fire Officer at Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ben Brook, said:

“It is vital that Warwickshire residents and businesses takes steps to protect themselves and others during this period of heavy rain and flooding.

“Please avoid driving or walking through floodwater, and always heed the advice and warnings from emergency services. If you encounter signs warning against driving through flooded areas, please respect them for your safety and the safety of those who have to go in to rescue you!”

Flood advice and support is available for Warwickshire residents and businesses here https://www.warwickshireresilienceforum.org/risks/flooding/#respond

You can check which rivers have flood alerts or flood warnings in place by visiting https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/

If you see flooding of public drains and roads please report it here https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/reportit  You should also call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 if you see flooding from collapsed or badly damaged riverbanks, or unusual changes in river flow.

Please call Severn Trent Water on 0800 783 4444 if you see flooding from sewers and burst water mains.

 

Road Closure 21-24 January

News

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984, SECTION 14

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF DASSETT ROAD, AVON DASSETT

Warwickshire County Council has made a Temporary Traffic Order details as indicated below:

Effect of Order Dassett Road, Avon Dassett closed to vehicular traffic between Lower End and Farnborough Road.

Reason for Order To enable works to excavate and renew waste meter.

Order Effective from: 21 January 2025 for up to 18 months or until works are completed, whichever is sooner.

Anticipated Completion Date: 24 January 2025

Access & Diversion: An alternative route will be signed and is available via: Lower End, Church Hill, Avon Dassett Road, Dassett Road and vice versa.

Vehicular access & egress will be maintained where possible.

Contractor: For STW, Chevron TM Ltd

Tel: 0330 008 0820.

To report any problems with these works or for further details of our current & planned roadworks visit our website www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadworksmap or call on 01926 412515.

Consultation on Police Budget

News

While central government grants make up around 53% of the total funding, the remaining portion comes from local taxpayers through the Police Precept element of Council Tax bills. It’s therefore really important that we hear the views of local residents before the Police and Crime Commissioner proposes the budget for the year ahead, setting the amount that residents will have to pay.

To gather these views, we have set up a simple survey to seek feedback on several options for the Precept level from anyone who lives within Warwickshire.  We want as many residents as possible to take part and give their feedback, so any help you can give spreading the word among your local community will be much appreciated.

You can find full details of the survey at: https://www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/budget-2025-26/ – please do complete yourselves and encourage others to do so before it closes towards the end of January.  I have also attached a copy of a poster that could be displayed on community noticeboards to help promote the survey.  Any assistance you can give to help ensure we get as many responses as possible from across Warwickshire will be much appreciated. 

The survey will run until at least mid-January, with the final budget proposals being made in early February.

Consultation on dog fouling

News

Consultation – Stratford-on-Avon District Council (Public Spaces Protection) (Dog Fouling) Order 2025

The Council will shortly consider making a public spaces protection order, effective across the whole district, to prohibit people from failing to pick up after their dogs.

Public spaces protection orders are designed to tackle anti-social behaviour in public places. The behaviour which the Council is looking to prohibit has been identified as detrimental to the area, persistent and unreasonable.

The Council is required to consult or notify you of any proposals to make public spaces protection orders. The Council would value your opinion in relation to this proposed order. Should you wish to take part in this consultation, please visit the Council’s website – Proposed PSPO (Dog Fouling) Consultation | Stratford-on-Avon District Council: https://www.stratford.gov.uk/environment/proposed-pspo-dog-fouling-consultation.cfm

The last date for consultation responses is 24th January 2025.

Benjamin Ellis

Senior Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)

Out of hours mental health support this winter

News

Safe Haven Coventry and Warwickshire offers non-clinical, community-based support during the evenings—when most other options aren’t available. It’s there to help adults going through mental health struggles with crisis support, de-escalation, and a friendly face to turn to.

It’s really easy to get in touch—by phone, email, text, video calls—but the main focus is on in-person support. Whether it’s one-on-one or in group activities, the goal is to create a safe, supportive environment.

There are drop-in centres across the region including at:

Rugby

28 Cromwell Rd, Rugby CV22 5LY

Open: Wednesdays (6pm–11pm), including
Wed 18 Dec, Wed 8 Jan 

Closed: Wed 25 Dec, Wed 1 Jan

Warwick

45 Coten End, Warwick CV34 4NT

Open: Thursdays (6pm–11pm), including
Thu 12 Dec, Thu 2 Jan 

Closed: Thu 19 Dec, Thu 26 Dec

Coventry

Wellington Gardens, Windsor St, Coventry CV1 3BT

Open: every evening, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (6pm–11pm)

Is it difficult to visit in-person?

If you’re 16+, there are lots of ways you can access support every evening:

Call (024) 7601 7200 to speak to one of our practitioners

Email support@cwsafehaven.org.uk
Text 07790 777039 (Coventry) or 07852 010146 (Warwickshire)

Dassett Pottery/Dassett Country Show Fundraising Success

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Our amazing local Dassett Pottery received a very generous donation of £250 from the Avon Dassett Country Show.  They decided to see if we could create some extra value from it and used the money to make 60 mugs, organised some porcelain Christmas decoration making, Warwick Orchestral Winds agreed to play live music and we had a raffle.  Nothing for the event was sold for more than £5.  The event, in aid of Dementia UK, turned the £250 into £650.

At the same time they had fun mug making with their potters, teaching and learning new skills.

They would like to pass on many thanks to those who supported the event.  As there was a widespread powercut due to Storm Darragh, they charged many phones and had a great time.

They chose Dementia UK because research shows that people who do pottery have a significantly reduced likelihood of getting dementia (73% less likely!) and this fits with their aim of making pottery more accessible.

Well done, Dassett Pottery and Dassett Country Show!

Avon Dassett Christmas Gathering

News

The Avon Dassett Christmas Gathering will take place this year on Sunday 15 December at 6pm at St Joseph’s Church, led by the village choir. Drinks and light refreshments will be served in the courtyard of Avon Carrow from 5pm. 

All are welcome. And Santa will also be visiting the village that evening. He will be in Avon Carrow courtyard from 5.20-5.40 pm and then at the Yew Tree from 5.40 pm.

Happy Christmas from Avon Dassett!