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Conservative PCC Pledges Two Hundred New Special Constables for Staffordshire

Staffordshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said today that he aims to see the return of local bobbies to pound the streets of a dedicated beat.

Mr Ellis has also committed to giving special constables the same equipment as full-time police officers.

He said, “Specials are important people and have the opportunity to do more and I think we need a greater understanding of what they can do.  I want people who are recruited from within a specific area who will police in that community and be known by that community.

“We also need to look at joining up their expertise and seeing what they can offer the police service.  They have to be absolutely dedicated to the work they can do.

“The police force also has to make their job satisfaction better than it is now.  That is why for the first time I am going to issue them with the same standard of equipment as their full-time colleagues get.”

Mr Ellis said he was going to launch a review into the use of special constables to make sure they are used in the best possible way.

He continued, “We have special constables with one of the lowest levels of power in the country.  We need to improve that.  These people give up their time so we need to make sure we are giving them satisfaction and that their time is well spent.

“We need to get policing back to the way it was having the face on the street that everyone knows.  We’re not going to hurl away specials from the areas they come from; we are going to have them working in their communities.

“Police presence is one of the biggest issues for our communities and it was one of my pledges before the election.”

The pledge comes weeks after the force took on 14 new full-time police officers, bringing to an end a three-year recruitment freeze.

Conservative Council Retains Cabinet for 2013/14

Cllr Danny Cook

Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council will have the same Cabinet for 2013/14 as last year after Council Leader Cllr Danny Cook announced no changes to his team, although some of the roles and responsibilities have been slightly changed.

The unchanged line-up of the 2013 Cabinet was unveiled at the Full Council meeting last Thursday.

Cllr Danny Cook remains Leader of the Council, while Cllr Robert Pritchard retains the position of Deputy Leader.

The full Cabinet and responsibilities is as follows:

• Cllr Danny Cook – Leader of the Council. Portfolio: Overview of performance, financial planning, strategy and reputation
• Cllr Robert Pritchard – Deputy Leader of the Council. Portfolio: Operations & Assets
• Cllr Jeremy Oates: Portfolio – Community Development & Voluntary Sector
• Cllr Steve Claymore: Portfolio – Economy & Education
• Cllr Stephen Doyle: Portfolio – Environment & Waste Management
• Cllr Michael Greatorex: Portfolio – Public Housing & Vulnerable People

Cllr Cook said, “I am very pleased with the work of this Cabinet and the support they have given me over the past year.

“This is the right Cabinet for me and the right Cabinet for this council. The work of this Cabinet speaks for itself and I am happy for that to continue.”

Solar Powered Libraries to Save Conservative Council over £350k

Tamworth library

Tamworth’s library is one of 13 across Staffordshire to have solar panels fitted to save the Conservative controlled authority around £350,000 over the next ten years.

The scheme is on track to cut over £10,000 from the authority’s electricity bills each year, with a further £26,000 to be gained from the Government’s Feed in Tariffs.

The thirteen library buildings were fitted with solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels in July 2012 as part of the Council’s commitment to boost the use of renewable technology, make savings and reduce carbon emissions.

Staffordshire County Councillor, Mike Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Community, Culture and Localism said, “We are always looking at ways of developing our libraries whilst providing great value for money for our tax-paying residents.  We are also totally committed to embracing new technologies to improve the services to our customers.

“Solar panels are only one of many recent innovations in our libraries.  We have also installed a brand new computer library management system, self service kiosks and have now over 1,800 e-books available to borrow.”

The initiative has benefited from the Government’s Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) which was introduced to help kick start the market in small-scale renewable projects, by paying for each KWh of renewable energy generated from solar panels.

Staffordshire County Councillor, Gill Heath, Cabinet Support Member for the Environment and Rural Affairs added, “Solar power offers a huge win-win situation for both the Council and our local taxpayers alike.  The scheme allows us to not only cut our energy costs but also generate extra energy that we sell back to the national grid.

“Our use of solar panels on many Council buildings, combined with biomass heating and the hugely energy efficient Staffordshire Place, is really helping us lead the way in value for money and renewable innovation.”

The £330,000 investment in libraries is expected to be paid back in just over 9 years, and is helping to put Staffordshire at the forefront of renewable technology use.  After the panels have paid for themselves, the Council will continue to receive free electricity and the Government’s incentives for a further 15 years.

Christopher Pincher Calls for Jobs Debate

Yesterday in the House of Commons Tamworth’s MP, Christopher Pincher, called for a debate on job provision and the role that job clubs can play in helping people to find work.

Mr Pincher said, “May we have a debate on job provision and particularly the role that job clubs can play in helping people to find work?  We have three job clubs in Tamworth, and I have no doubt that they have played their part in helping people find work and reducing local unemployment—down by 314 over the last 12 months to the benefit of local families and households.”

The Leader of the House, Andrew Lansley, replied, “Yes, my hon. Friend is right.  I am glad that he and other Members have been actively involved in job clubs in their constituencies, helping people to find work.  That is tremendously important.  There are more vacancies in the economy, and we want to match people to jobs as best we can.

“As my hon. Friend knows, it is also important for this Government to support job creation.  Since the election, we have seen an increase of one and a quarter million in the number of private sector jobs.  We knew when we came to office that we could not sustain the number of public sector jobs, which have been reduced.  Happily, though, the private sector jobs are increasing at a rate several times more than the loss of jobs in the public sector.”

Conservative Cllrs Voted in as Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Leader of the Council

Conservative Cllr John Garner is the new Mayor of Tamworth, after being sworn in following a unanimous vote at the Annual Council meeting held at the Town Hall tonight, Tuesday May 14.

Cllr Garner, who represents Amington, is one of the longest-serving members of the council.  Last year Cllr Garner undertook the role of Deputy Mayor and he is also a former Leader of the Council and previously served as Deputy Mayor in 1987 and as Mayor in 1988.

Cllr Garner replaces outgoing Mayor Cllr Tina Clement, who paid tribute to her colleagues on the council and officers who had supported her during her term.  The Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Cllr John Faulkner and Cllr Richard McDermid, both paid tribute to Cllr Clements for her year as Mayor, working tirelessly for the good of Tamworth.

Conservative Cllr Richard Kingstone, who represents the Mercian Ward, was sworn in as Deputy Mayor and Conservative Cllr Daniel Cook was re-elected as Leader of the Council at the meeting.

Although, the new cabinet is not due to be officially announced until the full council meeting on Thursday, May 16th, Cllr Cook told a packed Town Hall that his current cabinet of Robert Pritchard (Deputy Leader of the Council), Cllr Steve Claymore, Cllr Stephen Doyle, Cllr Michael Greatorex and Cllr Jeremy Oates will not be changing at Thursday’s meeting.

Dinner with The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP – Tickets Now on Sale