Log, January 2007

Here’s a quick summary of news, events and casework for January 2007

30th – a Meridian train set is named "City of Nottingham";

29th – 60 people attend public meeting on Hine Hall Conservation Area Plan at Elliott Durham school;  development brief to be updated in response and another meeting will be called; 

28th – British public vote for Bollywood actress, Shilpa Shetty, in response to bullying and some racist abuse on a TV programme; 

28th – Sinn Fein agree to work with Northen Ireland's police; 

27th – Holocaust Memorial Day; ceremony at the Old Market Square;  read - "Never Shall I Forget" by Elie Wiesel;  

26th – larger employers from Nottingham meet to share best practice on mitigating climate change and to resolve to take further steps; 

25th – the Nottinghamshire Partnership discusses the next steps for the County Council, County public agencies and District councils to take on tackling climate change;

24th – Woodborough Road children's home is to be recommended for closure by the City Council at its February Executive Board; 

23rd – launch consultation exercise on new spending and savings proposals for Nottingham City Council; we're expanding neighbourhood services, collecting recycables and provide more support for older people;

22nd – Nottingham is declared as one of the Govt's new Respect areas;  

22nd – City Council publishes new A-Z of services;

20th – a book on the history of Nottingham trolley buses - which ran in Nottingham between 1927 and 1966 - by David Bowler, is launched at the Council House; 

19th – 40,000 complaints by public over bullying broadcast by Big Brother;  

19th – City & County Cllrs review new franchise for Midland main line and East Midlands railways franchise; and express concern over lack of ambition for passenger growth on the services to and from London; 

18th – Notts County Council decide not to progress the proposal for a unitary council;

18th – heavy winds hit Britain;

18th – Nottingham Development Enterprise reviews progress on Nottingham’s Science City; turns out Nottingham has more aerospace research establishments than any other English city;

16th – Mapperley & Sherwood Area Committee; including - - Hine Hall Area Conservation plan;   - TACT opposing an idea for further speed cushions to deter traffic and instead calling for Thorneywood Mount to be closed to all vehicles except buses, using retractable bollards;

12th – Home Secretary John Reid attends the passing out of 23 new community protection officers at The Council House; crime in England is down by 35% from 1997, but does not tend to be believed except in areas where extra uniformed presence is provided on the streets;

11th – Home Secretary John Reid visits Porchester school, just east of Mapperley ward, for a "Labour Listens" event on crime and anti-social behaviour;

11th – last year’s exam results in Nottingham are the most improved of any education authority in the country (across the main headline attainment indicators); almost 45 per cent of Nottingham’s 16-year-old GCSE candidates achieved five good grades (A*-C) in last summer’s exams – a 3.3% improvement on the previous year, compared to the national percentage point increase of just 2 points;

10th – 96% of residents surveyed rate the CityCard for older or less mobile people as good or excellent;

9th – visit the House of Commons with unitary councils from the Midlands and the North to lobby local government minister Phil Woolas for a fairer share of resources;

9th – Nottingham Evening Post's third day of coverage on a wider unitary City Council to serve the conurbation;  

8th – Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine dies;  

7th – survey estates off The Wells Road, with John Heppell MP; 

3rd – Guardian puts Nottingham in the top 10 councils for action on climate change;