Monthly Update, October 2013

Cllr Sally Longford 07732 972 465

Cllr Sam Webster 07774 150 404

Dear Resident, Lenton Abbey Parking The long awaited verge parking ban on Woodside Road by the University is now in force, as is Phase 1 of the residents' parking scheme. Residents who live in the affected area but do not own a car are still advised to obtain a visitors permit so that they can provide one to anyone calling at their house. Once this has settled down we will consider whether it is necessary to extend it to other streets. This scheme has been partly funded by the Workplace Parking Levy and from our ward capital budget. Budget consultation The annual budget consultation is underway. The Council has again to make major cuts in order to keep within its budget. In the next two years the Council is facing huge cuts, forced upon us by Central Government, we have to cut a further 55 million, and, as we receive more than 50% of our income from Government, this will mean cuts in services. You can see a presentation about the pressures we face, attached. Please get in touch if you have any comments you would like to make about priorities for the future. You can complete an online survey relating to your priorities here: http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/yourcityyourservices Energy bills We know that many people in the ward find it hard to keep their homes warm, and with energy costs rising many will be looking to find ways to save money. Nottingham City Council has developed it's own "switch and save" website http://www.nottinghamenergytariff.com/ which is not sponsored by any energy supplier and can give a clear indication of how much you could save. We have asked for everyone on our update list to receive an email explaining more, so you should soon be receiving this from the Council soon. Also we can put people in touch with the team who will advise about ways of reducing bills. This might be in the form of financial support, or additional heating and insulation measures for your home. Please get in touch if you would like advice.

Preparations for Christmas We have arranged for the Christmas lights on Woodside Road Blossoms to be checked and preparations are underway for the lights switch on event. We offered funding to Wollaton Park Residents Association to help them extend their lighting, but they have decided to continue to raise their own funding. We have agreed to put some money into floral displays instead. Nottingham Promise Sally has been involved in the development of the Nottingham Promise in partnership with Nottingham City Homes, NCT and the Police. It was launched on 3rd October at the Council House. If you would like to know more, use the link. The Promise is the standards of customer service that the City Council and its partner organisations is trying to deliver. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/nottinghampromise Houses in Multiple Occupation The Council has decided to go ahead with additional licensing of HMOs, this means that landlords will have to maintain certain standards and pay a fee. This fee will be used to fund work relating to the regulation and management of HMOs, which should benefit tenants and local residents. Several residents have been reporting houses which they fear are being turned from family dwellings into HMOs in the Wollaton Park area. We have followed these up with the Planning Department and will continue to do so. So far no breaches of the Article 4 Direction have been found. If you have any concerns please get in touch. Wheelie bins There have been several reports recently of people rummaging through wheelie bins in parts of Lenton Abbey. We are working with the Police to investigate this. Please report any such incidents on the non-emergency Police telephone number, 101. University of Nottingham students Sally attended the "moving on" event, which was designed to give students moving into houses in the local area information to help them settle in. In particular the City Council stall focused on meeting their Councillor, recycling and voter registration. We are working with the Student Union to get our regular on campus surgeries organised as soon as possible. Sam also met with a group of students called "community reps" who want to volunteer to assist with community based projects in our area. This is a positive step in the right direction and if you have any ideas about projects where they could help, please contact us.

Friends of Wollaton Park - date for your diary Anyone interested in getting involved in this new group is welcome to attend the next meeting on 27th November 7.30pm Wollaton Park Community Centre, Harrow Road.

Yours sincerely,

Sally Longford

Sam Webster

City Councillors for Wollaton East & Lenton Abbey Ward

Contact us by email: sally.longford@nottinghamcity.gov.uk sam.webster@nottinghamcity.gov.uk Follow us on Twitter: @sallylongford @cllrsamwebster Follow our Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey Facebook page for regular updates: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wollaton-East-and-Lenton-AbbeyCouncillors/170575539668575