Download Citivision December 2011
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
News...features...plus more about your city...your neighbourhood...your services cCo vetnt ryv s oissue 37 |ndecember | 2011 G Job shop opens G Winter What’s On inside Writer ushers in new era at library Let there be Pupils dig in to festive lights! help with clean-up Your guide to bin collections this Christmas Mums get help to kick smoking habit Plus: Your 8-page 2012 Olympic Games special Keep up to speed with what’s happening as Coventry prepares PLUS: Win tickets for for London 2012 panto and ice hockey 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 december issue of citivision G A personal message from news A personal message from Dave Walton, * Dave Walton is Cllr John Mutton, chair of the Coventry Partnership.... acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer/Director with Leader, Coventry 4 Tw o new programmes to help reduce the number of responsibility for the City Council. Coventry Citivision includes a great Technical and young people coming into range of articles from organisations Operational Support care or custody and to across the city that make up the sections within West support foster carers have Coventry Partnership. Midlands Fire Service. Taking pride in a been backed by the Council. The partnership includes the public, private, community and year of highlights 6 City motorists are being voluntary sectors and as the recently warned not to gift thieves an appointed chair, it's been It's been such a busy year in early Christmas present by encouraging to see everyone play Coventry, it’s hard to pick out every leaving their vehicles their part in the Proud of my City highlight as we get to the end of unattended in the mornings campaign with a steady stream of Partnership in the run up to the 2011. While there have been some to defrost. good news stories appearing in the 2012 Olympics presents a fantastic real challenges, I’m very proud that local media. opportunity to promote the City of the Council has played a big part in 7 State-of-the-art facilities I encourage you to go to the Coventry to the rest of the United some of the good work across for people looking to make website, www.proudofmycity.org.uk Kingdom, and indeed the world. Coventry this year. a career or develop their for more information and to submit The opportunity for the city to host We started the year with some of passion for music and the your story of how you're playing your part of such a prestigious sporting the worst weather the country has arts are now open and part to prepare Coventry for London event is unique to all of us and with seen for a long time. Council available for use at Taylor 2012. 2012 now almost upon us, it's just workers did a brilliant job emptying John’s House in Coventry. Being the Chair of the Coventry around the corner! bins, gritting roads and keeping people informed about school 8 All your questions closures. We’re well prepared for this answered on the recent winter, too, as you'll find out in this changes to the rules for green focus issue of Citivision. claiming Housing Benefit. WIN! While economic times are tough, WIN!WIN! 12 A new programme is we’re clear it’s more important than community focus offering training for businesses ever to invest in the city's future. That in renewable energy so that means putting time and resources 9 Offenders have been they can tap into a growing into our Jobs Strategy which is working under the market. helping us support people back into supervision of the Probation work, and putting time and money Trust on projects to benefit into improving the city centre. And jobs & training local communities as a over the year we’ve kept your payback for their crimes. 19 Jobseekers can now ‘shop’ priorities firmly at the top of our for support in their quest for own to-do list. We’ve repaired 158 work by calling on a new miles of Coventry roads over the health focus city-centre jobs store past 18 months and there’s more to 12 Patients are a Tickets for Coventry Blaze opened by the City Council do. It's been occasionally frustrating step closer to benefiting ice hockey and the in a bid to boost as we’ve had to close roads to get from a variety of high-quality Belgrade pantomime 21 employment figures. them fixed, so thanks for your health services from a patience. central location as work is what’s on What we’ve done this year has put completed on the new us in good shape to make the most City of Coventry Health 18 A round-up of some of the of 2012. We have a once-in-a-lifetime Centre. attractions on offer in and opportunity to show the city at its around Coventry this autumn best during the Olympics; I know that 12 A major cancer screening and early winter. Coventry people will make sure campaign has been launched everyone knows how proud we are across Coventry and councillors of our city! Warwickshire as part of an Finally, have a peaceful Christmas, NHS drive to increase uptake 22 Need to contact your and a Happy New Year to you all. of cervical, breast and bowel councillor? Check out our cancer checks. comprehensive directory. * You can write to John at The Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR, or e-mail him at [email protected] contact us If you need this information in another Call the Citivision newsdesk on print and distribute to every If you would like to advertise in the format or language please contact us: 024 7683 1075 or write to Newsdesk, home in Coventry. You can also next issue of Citivision, contact Darren O’Shaughnessy on Tel: 024 7683 1081 Room 27, The Council House, pick up a copy at libraries and Earl Street, Coventry, CV1 5RR, council buildings. Citivision is 024 7683 1075. Coventry City Fax: 024 7683 1132 or e-mail [email protected] produced on paper from Council is grateful for the support e-mail: communications@ sustainable woodland and is from advertisers in this issue of coventry.gov.uk Written and produced by the chlorine free. The milling process Citivision, but accepts no Communications Team, Coventry also has Environmental responsibility for the accuracy of Cover story: Lord Mayor Cllr Keiran Mulhall is City Council. Each edition of adverts. The next issue of Citivision will joined by city Shining Star Joseph Friday and Touch Management Systems in place. FM’s Brody Swain at the festive lights switch on. Citivision costs 7p per copy to write, Once read, please recycle. be delivered in February 2012. For the full story, see page 5. 11/11/2380 december 2011 | citivision | 03 news Toilet is key to shopping experience Coventry city centre will soon have its first Changing Places toilet after the Council backed a scheme to build the much- needed facility in the Central Library. Junction work A nationwide I Cllr Harvard at the campaign has been keeps drivers junction of Barras Lane running to raise and Holyhead Road after awareness of the need the completion of for such facilities so on the move improvement works. that disabled people and their carers can have the same Phase one of a package of The pedestrian crossing near Department for Transport. opportunities to take improvements along Holyhead Road Minster Road has also been upgraded Cllr Lindsley Harvard, Cabinet part in the shopping has been completed. to include the latest technology. Member for City Services, said: “This experience that we all The work, which covered the Phase two is underway, with three package of improvements will help all take for granted. section between the Ring Road and further pedestrian crossings being road users and keep traffic moving.” Changing Places Northumberland Road, included a upgraded. The remaining sets of lights The changes on Holyhead Road toilets have plenty of major change to the layout of the along the road will also be upgraded. includes repair to roads, pavements space and include a Barras Lane junction to improve access The work has been made possible and verges. Work is also underway to changing bench, a hoist for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. thanks to a grant from the replace every street light. and other specialist equipment. It means that many hundreds of people will be able to spend more quality New support plans for time in the city centre. Jill Hinde from Coventry Mencap, said: “Many people face a families and foster carers daily challenge to leave their home and Two new programmes to help adequate toilet and reduce the number of young people changing facilities in coming into care or custody and to public places is one support foster carers have been way to reduce the backed by the Council. barriers they face. Coventry has secured Government “We are delighted funding of £300,000 to implement Multi the Council is Systemic Therapy (MST) and Keeping supporting this Foster and Kinship Carers Trained and scheme and hope that I Supported (KEEP) from April next year. RTC programme director Simon Weatherbed, the new facility will Prof Alan Hunter, the director of Coventry add to the MST uses therapy to increase young University’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation people’s engagement with education and Studies and RTC peace and conflict advisor improvements in the training, reduce offending or anti-social Joan McGregor admire the prize (left), and city centre.” behaviour and increase family cohesion.