News ...features... plus more about your city ...your neighbourhood... your services cCo vetnt ry v s o issue n35 | june | 2011 l NHS bid to cut drugs waste l Summer What’s On inside Road crews head your way to put paid to potholes Health on menu thanks to funding Plus: Your eight-page 2012 Olympic Games special News and features on Get set for how co-host city Coventry is on its marks the Godiva for London 2012. spectacular Be part of it! Plus Including: News, comments and updates from organisations across the city working together to improve life in Coventry From the top contents welcome to the june issue of citivision l A personal news message from l A personal message from Roger Lewis, chair of the Coventry Partnership.... Cllr John Mutton, 4 Coventry is top of the Leader, Coventry league when it comes to how City Council. speedily it deals with Coventry Citivision includes a planning applications. great range of articles from organisations that make up the It’s only been a couple of months 5 Work is underway to Coventry Partnership. since the recent local elections improve Broadgate Square The partnership includes the public, private, community and * Roger Lewis is the director legal saw changes across the Council, as part of plans to create a and company secretary of Peugeot with half a dozen new councillors more people-friendly city. voluntary sectors and as this Citroen Group in Coventry and has elected to serve you and issue goes to print we have just worked in the motor industry for 15 represent your communities, but 6 The Council has introduced had confirmation of a new years over three periods since 1982. already all your councillors are a project to help the campaign that we will be getting on with the business of vulnerable find employment. running called Proud of My City. Partnership to Dave Walton, making sure we’re delivering on It’s all about celebrating civic assistant director for technical the issues that are important to 7 Nominations are being pride and the work of city and operational support, West you. sought for Coventry’s Good communities, and you’ll get to Midlands Fire Service. Thanks to everyone who Citizen Award. hear more about this in the Dave will bring his wealth of voted in the recent elections – coming months. experience to ensure the it’s a real privilege and honour Also in the weeks ahead, I’ll partnership approach to making for me to be leader of the streets focus be handing over the reigns of progress in Coventry goes from chairing the Coventry Council, and I’m very proud that 8 More than £5 million is strength to strength. I can continue that work over being invested over the next the coming year. 10 months on the repair of There’s plenty going on too, as Coventry’s roads. you’ll find out in this issue of p7 Young swimmers from Coventry will Citivision . We’re cracking on with 9 Coventry produces about splashdown in style when they arrive the important business of repairing 126,000 tonnes of waste for the International Children’s Games thanks our roads, which we know is a each year - but thanks to to a donation from West Midlands Police. priority for you, so find out more you, we are recycling more about the roads we’re tackling and more. over the summer on pages 8-9. london 2012 We were already really proud of health focus our work to make the most of Don’t miss: With the London2012 and Olympic football 12 NHS Coventry is urging Olympic 2012 countdown well here in our city, but last month’s Coventry residents to help underway, don’t miss our announcement that the Olympic reduce the amount of money special eight-page Torch will visit for an unforgettable wasted on unused drugs. supplement on how your evening on its journey to London city is preparing for the was the real icing on the cake. Find 15 Ninety-eight per cent of greatest show on earth out more about how Coventry is women in Coventry and making the most of this once-in-a- Warwickshire, now get their lifetime opportunity in the special smear test results within what’s on two weeks. 2012 supplement – and look out 18 A round-up of some of the for lots more news on our work attractions on offer in and to leave a lasting legacy over the around Coventry this spring coming months. and early summer. But well before 2012, there’s a fantastic opportunity for us all to party at the Godiva Festival from councillors * The UK’s biggest, free July 1 to 3 in the War Memorial three-day family event, the 22 Need to contact your Park – and best of all, it’s absolutely Godiva Festival, returns for councillor? Check out our free! Hope to see you down there its 14th consecutive year comprehensive directory for – and fingers crossed for a sunny from July 1-3. See pages 16-17 for details. who you should turn to for weekend. help or advice. * You can write to John at The Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR, or e-mail him at [email protected] contact us Call the Citivision newsdesk on print and distribute to every If you would like to advertise in the If you need this information in another 024 7683 1075 or write to Newsdesk, home in Coventry. You can also next issue of Citivision , contact format or language please contact us: Room 27, The Council House, pick up a copy at libraries and Darren O’Shaughnessy on Tel: 024 7683 1081 Earl Street, Coventry, CV1 5RR, council buildings. Citivision is 024 7683 1075. Coventry City or e-mail [email protected] produced on paper from Council is grateful for the support Fax: 024 7683 1132 sustainable woodland and is from advertisers in this issue of e-mail: communications@ Written and produced by the chlorine free. The milling process Citivision , but accepts no coventry.gov.uk Communications Team, Coventry also has Environmental responsibility for the accuracy of Cover story: Kimisha Shankle helps launch the City Council. Each edition of Management Systems in place. adverts. The next issue of Citivision will Godiva Festival in spectacular style. For details of the Citivision costs 7p per copy to write, Once read, please recycle. be delivered in October 2011. line-up for this year’s event, turn to pages 16-17 11/06/2146 june 2011 | citivision | 03 news Hailed for the Partners put stamp on bus service pace of tackling planning issues Coventry is top of the league n Planning when it comes to how speedily chairman Cllr it deals with planning Kevin Maton: applications. “This is recognition In 98 per cent of cases, the of the great planning department of Coventry work being City Council deals with planning done by our applications within the timescale set staff in by Government. difficult times”. Councillor Kevin Maton, chair of the planning committee, said that it was great news for anyone looking to extend their property, develop new housing or businesses looking to invest. “This is recognition of the great work being done by our staff in proposals for their area.” difficult times. But dealing with He also said the Council would applications in a timely manner not compromise on the importance doesn’t mean we will minimise the of developments being sustainable importance of people having the and the need to protect our opportunity to comment on heritage and environment. Cllrs Lindsley Harvard and city centre and Holbrooks. Linda Bigham parade the n Plans to reduce the partnership award for helping numbers of motorists driving improve city bus routes. illegally on city bus lanes are Coventry City Council and its being introduced in the city. partners Centro, Jacobs and Cameras will be used to National Express have won identify motorists who “Best Partnership” category illegally drive in a bus lane in the Institution of Civil and offending motorists will Engineers awards held last be issued with a £60 penalty week. The award was charge (£30, if paid within 14 achieved for delivering the days). Cllr Lindsley Harvard, West Midlands Smart Routes cabinet member for City scheme on the Number 13 Services, said: “Motorists who bus route in Coventry. The ignore the restrictions and £2.3 million scheme has are subsequently fined will improved services on the only have themselves to route which runs between the blame.” Screening help keeps teams healthy A new scheme that provides health Trust to run the scheme. screening events for local For details of the Working Well businesses has been launched in the in Coventry project or to book a city. Coventry and Warwickshire Health Screening event for your Chamber has joined with the employees, contact Lesley McCall Council, Coventry Health on 024 7665 4144 or e-mail Improvement Programme (CHIP) [email protected] and the Coventry Primary Care n Health focus – Page 12-15 04 | citivision | june 2011 news Living lab status Dig this! A people’s for techno park square to be proud of Work is underway to improve Broadgate Square and other parts of the city centre as part of redevelopment Coventry University, in plans to create a partnership with Coventry City greener and more Council, has been awarded ‘Living people-friendly Labs’ status by the Brussels- environment. based European Network of Coventry City Living Labs (ENoLL). Council leader Cllr The Coventry organisations’ John Mutton and membership of ENoLL will see deputy leader Cllr the University’s Technology Park George Duggins helped become a real-life test and mark the start of experimentation environment building work and they for low carbon innovations in are keen for the the transport and building redevelopment to leave industries.