The Council

Cannock Chase Council has successfully prosecuted three people for illegally evicting a tenant from her home in Rugeley.

Nigel Whorton from Lichfield, Jonathon Williams from Sutton Coldfield and Rebecca Brayshaw from Eccleshall were all found guilty of offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, after depriving a tenant in Rugeley from occupation of her home and committing acts likely to interfere with her peace and comfort.

At Cannock Magistrates Court on 9 December Mr Whorton and Mr Williams were each sentenced to 16 weeks in prison.  Ms Brayshaw was sentenced to 8 weeks.  All sentences were suspended for 18 months.  In addition, all three will have to undertake unpaid work and will each have to pay £1,000 compensation to the tenant, Kara Cox.  Between them, the 3 defendants must also pay Council costs of over £9,000.

On 2 October 2018, Environmental Health Officers found that Kara Cox returned home to her shared house in Rugeley to find the security code to her floor had been changed and a hand written note purporting to be her notice of eviction. She was unable to access her home or belongings, or look after her pet rabbit. She could also see the door to her room had been removed.

Ms Cox eventually accessed her room the following day and a series of events unfolded, including the removal of the fire door and later the heating and electricity to her room was switched off. Her window was nailed open and her fridge freezer unplugged which rendered her food inedible. 

Following action by Environmental Health Kara eventually was able to return to her room on 9 October 2018.   She was forced to stay in emergency accommodation over the period, arranged by the Council’s Housing Options Team.

Mike Edmonds, Head of Environment and Healthy Lifestyles at the Council, said  “Most landlords behave responsibly towards their tenants, but with those that don’t the Council will not hesitate to take action to ensure tenants in the district are protected.   In this case, the actions taken by the individuals concerned were aimed at forcing the tenant out of her home and this is totally unacceptable. 

“We are pleased the Court supported our response and hope that this sends out a strong message to landlords who are prepared to abuse their tenants rights.”

The Chase Community Safety Partnership is helping residents stay safe this Christmas with the launch of a new campaign ’12 days to a safer Christmas’.

The festive season can be a very busy time during which it’s easy to take your eye off the ball when it comes to crime prevention. The campaign will run from 5 December until 20 December and will remind people how to keep safe and within the law during the lead up to the festive period.

The Partnership will be delivering a series of crime prevention messages and useful tips through the use of posters, social media and online adverts. A different theme will be promoted on each day which will highlight community safety priorities over the festive season. The messages will be short and informative and include advice on online shopping, fire safety, counterfeit goods, drink and drug driving, purse dipping and many more.

As part of the campaign, the Partnership will be offering free purse bells which can be clipped to the zip on your purse or wallet. If someone tries to dip into your handbag the twin bells will jingle to alert you to any potential theft.

These charms are a simple but effective personal security item and are suitable for people of all ages. They are available from the Council’s Reception, Cannock Police Station, local charity shops and banks.

Kerry Wright, Partnerships, Community Safety & CCTV Manager at Cannock Chase Council said: “The aim of our campaign is not to try and spoil anyone’s enjoyment, but to encourage the public to be more aware of crime prevention by highlighting the types of incidents that are common at this time of year.

“Christmas is a time of celebration, but the highs can easily turn into lows. Unfortunately, some people take more risks leaving themselves vulnerable to becoming a victim or perpetrator of crime, including violence. For others, it may result in poor decisions, such as drink or drug driving, anti-social behavior or even serious assault.

“As a Partnership, we are urging everyone to have a fun but safe Christmas”.

Tony Shore, Trading Standards Manager at Staffordshire County Council said: “The build up to Christmas is one of the busiest times for shopping and we want to remind people of their rights and to be aware of potential pitfalls when they’re handing over their hard-earned cash.

“Unfortunately, shoppers (particularly online shoppers) are increasingly targeted by criminals and scammers and that’s why it is important people follow some simple safety tips when shopping. We want people to be able to shop with confidence and stay safe.”

Sgt Mark Burslem, Deputy Commander at Staffordshire Police said, “Staffordshire Police is committed to ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Christmas period. We are taking part in this campaign to raise awareness of issues that affect people over the Christmas period and would encourage people to use the information available to gain help where needed”.

For more information about this campaign visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/12daysofchristmas  

A lorry seized by the Council following its involvement in fly tipping is due to be auctioned next week. 

The lorry was seized by Environmental Health Officers within days of it being used to fly tip waste in the District in August 2019.  Although the driver ran from the vehicle at the time it was stopped, the offences continue to be investigated.

Mike Edmonds, Head of Environment and Healthy Lifestyles, said “Seizing vehicles that are used to fly tip stops further offences from being committed, disrupts criminal behaviour and hits the fly tippers where it hurts – their pocket.  The proceeds from the auction will go towards funding further activity to deter, disrupt and detect fly tippers”.

The blue Hino 700 8x4 hook loader will be auctioned by Euro Auctions in Leeds on 27 November 2019.  The lorry can be viewed online at:  http://www.euroauctionslive.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=486&itemId=677982&catalogLink=categoryName%3D%26ringAuctionId%3D%26keyword%3Dhino%26auctionId%3D486

The Council is continuing to offer a £100 reward to anyone who provides evidence that leads to the successful conviction of any person, business or other organisation involved in fly tipping waste in the District.

Anyone who witnesses fly tipping in the District is urged to report it to Cannock Chase Council by calling 01543 462621. Key information to pass on includes:

• The date, time and location of the incident.
• The make, model, registration number and colour of any vehicle used.
• A description of the people involved.

Three candidates will be contesting the Cannock Chase Parliamentary Constituency General Election on Thursday 12 December 2019.

The candidates are:

• Anne Hobbs - Labour Party
• Amanda Milling - Conservative Party
• Paul Woodhead - Green Party

Polling on 12 December will be carried out at 77 polling stations located around the District, with hours of polling being from 7am to 10pm.

There is still time to register to vote. The absolute deadline is Tuesday 26 November but potential voters are strongly urged to register a few days before this deadline to ensure their application can be considered in time.

To register please go to Cannock Chase Council’s website and follow this link:

http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/council/elections-voting/electoral-registration

If you are already on the register and would prefer a postal vote then you should contact the Council’s Elections Office on (01543) 464437 or (01543) 464754 by no later than Tuesday 26 November.

If you wish to nominate someone else to vote on your behalf you can make that person a proxy. Contact the Elections Office by Wednesday 4 December for information on proxy voting.

A General Election feature can be found on the home page of the Council’s website www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk where official documents relating to the General Election can be read.

The 2019/20 recycling calendars are on their way to residents in Cannock Chase. 

The new calendars will be distributed to over 43,500 households in the District over the next few weeks and include collection changes over the Christmas period.

The calendars which form part of an information booklet, include a recycling guide with easily understandable graphics of which item goes in which bin; in addition to collection times and requirements and maximum weight capacity for bins. 

Head of Healthy Lifestyles Mike Edmonds said “Look out for your 2019/20 calendar coming directly through your letterbox.  It is important that you keep these calendars handy as a quick reference guide throughout the year.  Not only as a reminder of when to put the bins out, but also as a reminder of what goes in which bin.

“You can also find out what goes in which bin by using our ‘click to search’ facility on our website: www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/whichbin.

“We anticipate that all calendars will be delivered by Monday 26 November.  If you don’t receive one or lose it you can also download and print replacement calendars from our website http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/residents/recycling-waste/waste-and-recycling-collection-calendars.”

As a lasting legacy to the World War 1 commemorative period, the Council in partnership with Inspiring healthy lifestyles has developed an educational toolkit which is available to access from the District`s official World War 1 website.

‘Cannock Chase Remembers’ not only gives visitors information on local campaigns and events commemorating World War 1, but also shares personal memories of wartime from family, friends and survivors.

It has a wealth of local information about local men from the area who lost their lives during the First World War and also highlights local wartime history. 

The educational toolkit compliments the website and highlights the role Cannock Chase played during World War 1 by including contemporary films on how to create wartime artwork, information on how to support or join local groups and showcases the District’s four year commemorative programme.

It is available online at www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/cannockchaseremembers  and as an interactive school workshop tour which can be delivered by veterans.

This Armistice Day, the District has a number of Remembrance Services and Parades. These are taking place across the District on Sunday 10 November. Further details of times and areas can be found on the Council`s website.

View the website by visiting www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/cannockchaseremembers 

Figures released by Sport England last month as part of its annual Active Lives survey show that Cannock Chase residents were both less `inactive` and more `active` in May 2018 – May 2019 than the year before.

The survey captures sport and physical activity levels among adults aged 16 and over. The results for Cannock Chase are based on 524 respondents.

In detail they reveal there was a significant decrease of 7 per cent in the number of respondents who did less than 30 minutes of physical activity in a week, with the figure falling from 33.6 per cent to 26.6 per cent, putting Cannock Chase just over the Staffordshire average of 26.4 per cent and slightly better than neighbouring East Staffordshire (27.3 per cent) and Tamworth (29 per cent). Stafford was 25.7 per cent. The England average was 24.8 per cent.

Cannock Chase’s decrease was the second largest annual decrease across the West Midlands, after Telford and Wrekin which recorded 11.2 per cent.

Meanwhile the proportion of active respondents in Cannock Chase – engaging in 150 minutes or more of physical activity per week – rose by 3.5 per cent to 58.6 per cent. Although this was slightly below the Staffordshire average of 60.0 per cent, the 60.3 per cent recorded for Stafford, 60.1 per cent for East Staffordshire and the 58.9 per cent for Tamworth, it does represent a move in the right direction.

Overall, Sport England noted that the highest ever levels of activity were recorded by this latest survey, with 1 million more people physically active in the country than when the survey began in 2015.

It takes the total number of active people – those doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week – up to 28.6 million. 

Councillor Chris Mitchell, Culture and Sport Portfolio Leader at Cannock Chase Council welcomed the new data. She said: “This is good news for the health and well being of our residents, particularly the decrease in inactivity levels. It is actually the first time we have seen positive increases from this annual survey since it began.

“As a Council we have invested a lot of money in leisure facilities across the District alongside our leisure partner, inspiring healthy lifestyles, so data like this is useful in determining that our combined investments are having an effect.

“Pleasingly, the survey went on to reveal that there was also a 7.9 per cent and significant increase in the proportion of respondents who volunteered to support sport and physical activity at least two times during the 12 month period surveyed.”

The Active Lives Adults Survey is commissioned by Sport England from Ipsos Mori and is published each October. It is based on responses collected for a 12 months period from May in one year to May the next year. The May 2018 – May 2019 survey involved data being gathered from 180,000 residents.

Photograph:

Councillor Chris Mitchell pictured with Terry Simms, General Manager of Chase Leisure Centre, during a visit to the centre in Cannock, last January.