Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Staffordshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Conservative Matthew Ellis, has announced plans to recruit police officers and put an end to A19 redundancies.
Staffordshire Police last advertised for police officers three years ago and the last new recruits to join the force started on the 22 February 2010.
Regulation A19, which requires police officers with more than 30 years pensionable service – to and including the rank of chief superintendent – to retire, has been in place since November last year.
The moves follow discussions with Chief Constable Mike Cunningham, Staffordshire Police Federation – which represents rank and file officers – and Staffordshire residents on the pre-election campaign trail.
Matthew Ellis said, “Staffordshire Police has lost a lot of valuable experience since the A19 policy was introduced and has not been able to bring in new blood for even longer. I’ve got ambitious plans for the next three years so I am determined to keep the best talent within the force.
“This hasn’t been an easy decision but it is the right decision for the police service in Staffordshire so that we can continue to drive down crime. During the next three years, I want people across all of Staffordshire to see the positive difference that the role of Police and Crime Commissioner will make.
“Opportunities for more joint working, efficiencies and collaboration with other agencies in Staffordshire will mean that we will meet our financial obligations in the future whilst crucially ensuring that jobs and prosperity stay, wherever possible, within Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“I want policing to be more visible to people across Staffordshire and for our determination to prevent crime and reduce re-offending to have even greater impact”
Monday, December 10th, 2012
Young people in Staffordshire continue to get the head start they need in their careers thanks to Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council’s highly successful apprenticeship programme.
The programme which has been running since 2009 has currently recruited a total of 396 apprentices working in a wide range of roles including teaching assistants, chefs, catering staff, business administration assistants, ICT technicians, sports coaches, nursery assistant and adult social care.
Staffordshire County Council Deputy Leader, and Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills, Ben Adams said, “It is vitally important that we give young people like Nathan the opportunity to develop their career and In Staffordshire, we continue to invest in providing real opportunities for them.
“We are very proud of our young apprentices and our apprenticeship programme which for the second year running has seen us being ranked as one of the top 100 apprentice employers in the country. Nine out of ten of our apprentices also end up securing paid employment, which is another measure on the quality of the programme.
“By working closely with businesses we are also helping them to realise their wider responsibility to the local economy and to Staffordshire’s future prosperity. Our business support apprenticeship helpline also continues to provide employers across the county with the advice they need to realise the benefits of taking on an apprentice.”
For more information on our apprenticeship scheme, please visit www.staffordshireapprentices.org.uk.
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
“The economic recovery is taking longer because the damage is worse than we feared. But the economy is healing. The last thing we could do is put all this progress at risk and attempt to borrow less by borrowing more. We cannot turn back.”
The Chancellor has today announced critical measures that will be welcomed across Tamworth constituency. The personal allowance will rise further, meaning people will keep more of the money they earn before income tax kicks in. Labour’s planned fuel duty rise has been cancelled. Small businesses rate relief has been extended for another year. We have also seen a range of capital infrastructure projects to boost growth up and down the country.
The measures announced will support the cost of living for households and unlock growth for our businesses and industry.
Mr Pincher commented, “This is fantastic news for Tamworth. The West Midlands will see two million people get an income tax cut with 22,000 lifted out of tax altogether.
“The three and a half million people who drive will welcome the cancellation of a rise in fuel duty that the Labour Government had planned for. Businesses will welcome the drop in corporation tax and the small business rate relief. And the raft of capital infrastructure projects will unlock growth and equip Britain to compete in the global race, including the £10million upgrade to junction 10 at the M42.
“Times are tough. But the economy is undoubtedly healing – and the measures announced today will bring welcome support to families and businesses in our town.”
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has cancelled the planned 3.02p per litre rise in fuel duty scheduled for introduction in January.
Announcing the change in today’s Autumn Statement speech, Chancellor George Osborne said the move would be a “real help” for families and businesses.
The proposed rise would have cost motorists an average £2.53 for a full tank, so consumer groups and industry bodies have welcomed the freeze. Both say higher fuel prices have curbed their driving and hurt the economy.
Mr Osborne said, “Under this government we’ll have had no increase in petrol taxes for nearly two and a half years – in fact they have been cut. Fuel is 10p per litre cheaper than it would have been if we had stuck to the Labour tax plans and I want to keep it that way.”
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council is giving an early Christmas present to the town’s traders and shoppers – free festive car parking for the eighth year in a row.
Parking will be free in all borough council-run car parks on the two Saturdays leading up to Christmas, December 15th and 22nd in a bid to boost town centre trade by encouraging more people to come into Tamworth to shop.
Tamworth Borough Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Robert Pritchard, said, “”We are keen to support the town centre, especially at important times like Christmas. We made the decision to waive parking charges on what are traditionally the two busiest days of the year because we want to support traders and boost town centre trade.
“I hope everyone can take up the opportunity of free parking and support Tamworth town centre. Please tell your family and friends so we can make this the busiest Christmas for the town centre ever.”
The decision to offer free town centre car parking on the two Saturdays prior to Christmas in the last seven years led to a significant rise in the number of visitors. This year, the free parking will give shoppers more opportunity to visit the town centre shops and the Christmas markets, which are running every day from Tuesday December 18 until Christmas Eve.
The Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council first introduced free town centre Christmas car parking in 2005.
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
The Chancellor, George Osborne MP, has announced an increase in the amount of money people can earn before they pay tax.
In his autumn statement speech, Mr Osborne said it was part of the government’s goal of supporting people on modest incomes by taking them out of tax.
He said personal tax allowances will rise by £1,100 from next April – making 24 million people £220 a year better off.
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Conservative controlled Tamworth Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council joined together to invite businesses to their ninth Think Local 4 Business Show on Thursday 29 November.
Nearly 700 entrepreneurs descended on The Hilton at St George’s Park near Burton on Trent to attend the free event.
The Think Local 4 Business Show offered local companies the chance to come together and do business. In all, there were 56 exhibition stands, 12 seminars, 5 buyers in the ‘Meet the Buyers’ section and much more.
Cllr Mike Wilcox, Leader of Conservative controlled Lichfield District Council, who launched the event and gave the welcoming speech, said, “It was a pleasure to welcome all the delegates to this fantastic show. On the day, I talked to lots of business representatives from across southern Staffordshire, and they were all impressed with the energy that is put into the event and the quality of the buyers, exhibitions and seminars.”
On top of opportunities to network, delegates had the choice of 12 free seminars to attend. These ranged from advice on closing a sale, to securing a client, through to marketing secrets and tips on social networking.
To keep up to date on the Think Local 4 Business news, visit www.thinklocal4business.co.uk.
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Cllr Philip Atkins
Speaking ahead of the Chancellor’s autumn statement tomorrow, the Leader of Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council, Cllr Philip Atkins, said great strides had already been made in Staffordshire to improve opportunity for residents through difficult financial times and that the Chancellor could support these with a few simple ideas.
Cllr Atkins said, “We run an efficient and effective organisation with limited resources and have made a significant positive impact through our transformation programme. There are no quick-fix solutions to the financial situation this country is in; however, in Staffordshire we are proud of the steps we have taken to mitigate it for our residents.
“Most recently we have shown innovation which has been recognised nationally through our plans to create a joint venture with Capita to protect jobs and improve our education support services. Our joint Make It Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire inward investment team continues to attract business to our area and help existing companies grow.
“Staffordshire is a prime location for business, from international leaders like JCB and Jaguar Land Rover to smaller enterprises which are the lifeblood of our local economy. Clearly, business is good in Staffordshire and I would ask that the Chancellor looks at easing the regulatory burden and other pro-business measures that makes it easier to work with private businesses and encourage more companies to pick Staffordshire as a base from which to grow and expand.
“In Staffordshire we are an integral part of one of the most highly regarded local enterprise partnerships in the country and will be submitting a bid for one of the Government’s City Deals to bring more jobs and growth to Staffordshire. If the Chancellor could ensure that any additional funding for local businesses and infrastructure is targeted through the council and the LEP this will ensure we can target resources in the most effective way to support local businesses.
“The Chancellor could also help with the on-going reduction in unemployment in Staffordshire. Unemployment has fallen by around seven per cent over the last year in this county. That’s why we will continue to focus on supporting businesses through initiatives such as our loans fund, developing our enterprise centres for start-up companies and signposting people to our business and apprenticeships advice line.
“If the Chancellor could ensure that small businesses are given a break from National Insurance contributions or increase the lending from the banks, I think it would be an early Christmas present for local firms.”
Friday, November 30th, 2012
Staffordshire’s newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, has welcomed Government proposals on minimum alcohol pricing.
Mr Ellis said, “I welcome and support the Home Office proposals. It’s wrong that strong, harmful alcohol can be sold so cheap and in large quantities. In the hands of some it can fuel anti-social binge drinking in neighbourhoods and town centres – particularly at night.”
The legacy of alcohol harm in parts of Staffordshire is significant and wide reaching. It affects individuals and families and puts massive demands on Staffordshire’s public services.
Mr Ellis continued, “I support this because it’s not just another tax, it’s targeted at cheap, harmful booze. It sends out a strong message that there are boundaries to behaviour and it reinforces personal responsibility.
“We do need to get the balance right with the night time economy. We all want thriving town centres, which are vibrant and benefit everyone – not the few.
“Minimum pricing isn’t a solution in itself, but it is an important part of a bigger picture. I want to work with partners to develop more detailed, wider plans to tackle the problem.
“I look forward to my experience with front line staff when I go out on patrol on a busy Friday night on 7th December. This isn’t about stopping people enjoying themselves but there shouldn’t be areas where people think twice about taking family and friends at certain times of the day.”
Friday, November 30th, 2012
Cllr Sue Arnold
Local Conservative District Councillor and successful businesswoman, Mrs Sue Arnold, is being put forward for the role of Staffordshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.
The appointment is being proposed by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis and will be discussed at the county’s first Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday 17 December.
Mr Ellis said, “Sue will bring her amazing drive and commitment to this exciting role. She has a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to everything she does. As well as an enviable 30-year track record in successfully building and developing businesses, Sue has also been Chairwoman of Business Link Staffordshire.
“Sue has served local communities as a councillor in the Mease and Tame ward of Lichfield and is keen and eager to deliver better public services for the people of Staffordshire. She will use her experience of engaging with communities and her strong business and human resources skills to help me hold the force to account and drive further improvement in policing services across the county.”
Mrs Arnold said, “This is an exciting new role and I intend to bring all of my business skills and experience of local-community working to serve the people of Staffordshire.”
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