Capt Smith Memorial Day

Captain Smith’s Memorial Day at the Mitchell Arts Centre, City Centre on 15th April. http://bit.ly/HaAWMk

Easter Holiday activities from Sporting Ventures.

From Sporting Ventures: fantastic easter holiday programme at Harpfields primary school, Hartshill for kids aged 5-13yrs. Its starts monday April 2nd and finishes on Wednesday April 4th (10.00am-3.00pm). We have football, dodgeball, kwik cricket, street hockey, rounders and athletic events all coached by our ecellent UEFA and level 2 coaching staff. Admission is only £5.

Boxing for 11-16 year olds in Blurton.

Sporting Ventures Presents; Boxing with Pro Boxer Nathan Russo professional coaching for all abilities.

sessions take place every Thursday 6.30-8.30pm for 11-16 yrs, £2. Per session at Blurton Community Hub.

For more information contact Rob Simms on 07939906116 or Email: info@sportingventures.co.uk

 

FUN DAY

From Blurton Community Centre: Fun Day at Blurton Community Centre, Oakwood Rd, Blurton. Saturday 14th April.

Street Dance Sessions

From Sporting Ventures: Street Dance Sessions, for 11 to 16 Yr olds. Every Monday 6.30pm – 8.30pm, Main Hall, Blurton Community Hub. £2 Addmission fee per session. Professional Street Dance Coaching for all abilities with Shanice Harris.

For more information please contact Rob Simms on 07939 906168 or email: info@sportingventures.co.uk

Rat Run Danger

Resurfacing work on Blurton Rd, Blurton is turning the Hollybush Estate, into a dangerouse place especially for children coming home from school.

The work contracted out by @SOTCitycouncil is due to last two weeks.
But many impation drivers are speeding through the estates streets to try and beat the tempory traffic lights.

These people are putting pedestrians especially young children of the estate.

Some Residents are scared someone will get knocked down or killed, and want drivers to be more patient and Waite for the lights to change.

One resident said “I’m pleased to see the work being done, but concerned by the danger its brought onto the estate.

Blurton Incident Update

Staffordshire Police have arrested two people, a 20 year old male and a 16 year old youth in their investigation into the death of a male on Hollybush Estate, Blurton.

An altercation took place on Sunday between the 43 year old male and a group. The male went home after the incident, but was taken to hospital on Monday morning where he was pronounced dead.

Police are investigating weather the altercation had anything to do with the males death.

Police Appeal After Hollybush Incident

 

Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident in Stoke-on-Trent which may have contributed to the sudden death of a man.

Earlier this morning, Monday, police were alerted to the matter after the man had been taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire where, sadly, he was pronounced dead.

At this time his death is being treated as unexplained and a Home Office post-mortem examination is due to take place tomorrow, Tuesday.

It is believed the man, who has yet to be formally identified, was involved in an altercation with a number of other men in the Blurton area between 9.30pm and 10pm last night, Sunday.

The 43-year-old man returned to his home in Blurton but was admitted to hospital earlier today.

A possible scene for the altercation has been identified and a police cordon is now in place on Meaford Drive, at its junctions with Brookside Drive and Roundway.

Inspector Chris Harrington, from Stoke-on-Trent South Local Policing Team (LPT), said: “A detailed investigation into last night’s incident is now underway and I ask anyone who may have seen, or heard, anything suspicious to get in touch.

“Officers are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry to determine the exact circumstances of what happened, and whether or not this contributed to the man’s death earlier today.

“As a result of the investigation there is increased police activity in the community, and high-visibility patrols are being carried out by local neighbourhood officers to reassure residents.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 90 of January 16, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Community Disgrace

For a number of years now the Swallows Nest Public House on the Newstead in Blurton, has laid empty and derelict.

Residents who live near to the derelict pub have had to put up with fly tipping, windows being smashed, kids hanging around the building and fires.

The Swallows Nest Public House, Newstead.

 

In 2009 then Councillor for Blurton Roy Naylor was contacted after things got worse with the number of fires at the premises growing and break-ins. Not only were residents fed up but so were local community police officers and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service.

He was advised that the building had been left empty for a number of years and that eventually the land had been sold to someone who wanted to use the shell of the former pub and the land to build a number of apartments, planning permission was granted by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. But nothing ever came of the application after residents in the area objected.

That was when the building became a target for vandalism.

In 2009 Councillor Naylor arranged for all the rubbish to be removed from around the site, the windows to be boarded up with metal and the roof removed. Emails were sent to all the local School’s Head Teachers asking for their assistance in letting both Children and parents know the dangers of being on the site.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service went into each school to give a talk on the dangers the building posed and showed photographs of the inside with floors missing and joists burnt through. Councillor Naylor also arranged for the Council to serve a legal notice called a Section 215 Notice on the owner of the building requiring him to either bring the building up to a safe standard or demolish it.

The 215 Notice expired in March 2011 and at that time nothing had been done to the premises, therefore in a meeting with the Local Enforcements Officer Councillor Naylor requested the file be forwarded to the City Councils Legal Team in Stoke for Legal Action to be comenced against the owners and ask the Court for permission to demolish the building.

In May Councillor Naylor stood down from the Council, and nothing was heard, now just as a member of the public he tried in July 2011 to find out what was happening, but nothing was forthcoming so on the 2nd August he made a Freedon of Information Request to Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The request should have been answered by 31st August but that came and went, he twice had to contact the Council to remind them, on one occassion he was advised that the information was with the Audit Department checking the information was correct. After some weeks of still not hearing anything he again contacted them asking about the information.

On the 17th October Mr Naylor received a response in relation to just two of the four questions he had asked, responses were in relation to if the Legal Department had received the file, it confirmed they had on the 3rd June and that they had opened it on 7th June.

In relation to the question how much had it cost the  City Council in securing thebuilding and legal costs they responded, that so far it had cost £367.50 in legal costs and apparently further costs for securing the property and call outs are yet to be invoiced.

In relation to the questions; Has a decission on the case been made and if so what is that decission and the question; If a decission has been made could they advise what action is to be taken and when it is likely to happen, they wouldn’t answer stating the following.

 Section 42(1) of the Act allows us to withhold information where a claim
to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.
It is considered that the public interest in withholding the information
is stronger than the public interest in disclosing it. This is because the
public interest is not best served by restricting an authority’s ability
to take and provide legal advice. 

It is my opinion that the Council dont intend to take legal action in relation to this due to the costs that would be incurred, and the fact that no one is now there to push them on the matter. So sadly it would look as if the residents of Newstead who have to look out on this mess daily they will be doing so for some considerable time to come.

Possibly the only way that the residents will now get anything done is by setting up a petition calling on the Council to take the action required to have the building demolished and get the local MP involved.

School Crossing Petition Update

Back in June we launched a petition for a school crossing patrol outside the Ormiston Sir Stanley Mathews Academy, Blurton.

This came about after a local girl died after she was in collision with a bus as she crossed the road.

Nearly 1000 People signed the petition which was handed in to the Full City Council meeting on 8th September.

A formal response was due on the 7th October, but as of now we have not received this.

Yesterday we sent a formal complaint about this to Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

We did contact the officer dealing with the petition at the Council Paul Gerrard a few weeks ago. We have to say his email response at that time was not promising at all stating that not enough traffic was using the road for it to require a school crossing patrol. We don’t feel that this can be correct as there is a crossing patrol less than a quarter of a mile away at Sutherland Primary School which is on the same road.

We will now waite for the formal response to arrive.