The Council

Rugeley Market Hall is hosting a free fun day this February half term.

On Tuesday 18 February from 11am-2pm at Rugeley Market Hall there will be free face painting and balloon modelling and free art and craft sessions for local children.

The fun day coincides with the official opening of the Rugeley Area Office, which has recently re-located inside the market hall from Anson Street in Rugeley.

Councillor Gordon Alcott, Deputy Leader and Town Centre Regeneration Portfolio Leader said “I would urge families in Rugeley and the surrounding areas to come along to the free fun day at Rugeley Market Hall and support your local market. There are some great activities for children and they won’t cost you a penny.”

Rugeley Market Hall offers a range of products and services, current stalls include: Tearoom, hairdresser, butcher, sports trainers, mobile phone accessories and watch repairs, confectionary stall, household products, floral arranging accessories, personalised gifts including image transfer, charity stalls.

The fun day will also see some additional charity stalls.

Rugeley Market Hall is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 9am-4:30pm.

If you are interested in becoming a market trader, traders offering the following services would be welcome at Rugeley Market Hall:  Bakery, clothing, baby, vintage, cake decorating, Polish deli, jewellery, homebrew, school wear, framing wools, garment repairs, key cutting, carpets and rugs, slippers and footwear and luggage and upholstery to name but a few. Please contact the Markets Officer on 07813 458729 or 07896 691762 to discuss your proposals.

Cannock Chase Council are supporting the ‘Make Your Metals Matter’ campaign which encourages people to recycle all the metal packaging found around their house, including food and drink cans, foil trays, empty aerosols and household aluminium wrapping foil.

When it comes to recycling, metal is hard to beat. That’s because it’s endlessly recyclable - every last bit can be turned into something else. And it’s a cycle that can go on forever.

The food or drink cans and other metal packaging items you recycle at home could end up being transformed into any one of a wide number of new products, from a designer watch or a smartphone, to a washing machine or even a new bus! 

Every time metal is recycled it saves energy, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and saves on landfill space – so it’s good news for the planet.

Best of all it doesn’t take a lot of effort on your part to make a big difference. All you need to do is drop your cans, empty aerosols, tins and foil in your blue (dry recycling bin) – not the rubbish bin. It’s as easy as that!

So by recycling your waste metal packaging at home, you can reduce your carbon footprint and prevent valuable materials ending up in landfill.

How is waste metal transformed?
The empty can you recycle today could be back on the supermarket shelf as another can in as little as 60 days!

From your household recycling collection, the cans, foil and empty aerosols you save are taken to a state of art recycling facility in Aldridge.

Metal packaging is made of either aluminium or steel.  At the materials recycling facility the latest technology is used to separate the different metals before they are baled and sent for reprocessing.  The process involves melting the metal; it is then cast into ingots which are sent on for manufacturing. The recycled metal is then used to produce all sorts of everyday items like cameras, irons and kettles as well as more food tins and cans.

That’s why it’s so important to do your bit – every piece of metal packaging you recycle will be used again and again for years to come. And every time it’s recycled we save energy, cut emissions – and reduce landfill areas and costs.

What can I recycle?
All metal is endlessly recyclable.

Please put the following items in your blue recycling bin:

• Drinks cans
• Food tins
• Pet food tins
• Empty aerosols
• Metal lids from jars and bottles
• Kitchen foil (clean)
• Foil trays (clean)
• Sweet / biscuit tins

Please make sure your aerosols are empty and foil and foil trays / food tins have been wiped or rinsed before adding these items to your recycling. Don’t worry about removing labels on food tins and just pop the metal lid inside, if there is one.

Some household metal items cannot be collected with your kerbside recycling, such as those listed below – BUT they can still be recycled! Please take such metal waste to your nearest Household Waste and Recycling Centre.  https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/residents/recycling-waste/household-waste-recycling-centres-tip-opening-times-bring-site-locations

These items can be recycled at your Recycling Centre:

• Empty paint tins & lids
• Garden tools
• Pots and pans
• Crockery
• Nuts and bolts
• Door handles
• Bikes
• Electrical items

Cannock Chase Council are celebrating equality and diversity and has raised the rainbow flag for LGBT History month.

This follows a motion at the Council meeting on Wednesday 8 January, where members voted to support LGBT History month and the LGBTQ+ community by flying the Rainbow flag for the month of February.

LGBT History month is intended as a means of awareness and to combat prejudice against the LGBT community, whilst celebrating its achievement and diversity making it more visible.

Cannock Chase Council’s Managing Director Tony McGovern said “This is the first time that the Council has raised the rainbow flag.  The flag will fly above the Council offices for the whole of February, as a gesture to support the LGBTQ+ community in Cannock Chase.

“The LGBTQ+ community is an important part of Cannock Chase District and nobody should be disadvantaged or victimised for their sexuality.”

The Council updated their Equality and Diversity Policy in April last year, which was subsequently approved by Cabinet.  The Council’s policy explains our commitment to equality and respect for diversity in our role as a service provider to the people who live and work in Cannock Chase.

The first Cannock Chase Pride event will take place in June 2020.

Cannock Chase Council has taken the difficult decision to close Cannock Indoor Market Hall. It follows a consultation with stall holders and the public in October 2019.

Cabinet members confirmed their view at their meeting yesterday that it would be more viable in the long term to use the space occupied by the indoor market to support the Council’s ambitious plans to redevelop the town centre.

The Indoor Market Hall will therefore close in November 2020. In the meantime the existing 16 traders will be offered the chance to relocate to a vacant stall either in the current Prince of Wales Market underneath the theatre building or take a stall in the street market which from November will be held on both Tuesdays and Fridays. There is also the possibility of some stallholders relocating to Rugeley Market Hall.  Furthermore, Cabinet did not commit to any refurbishment work to the Prince of Wales Market.

The consultation took place last October following concerns that the indoor market had become increasingly financially unviable and expensive to maintain despite regular promotions to attract customers, reviews of trading times and improvements to the market entrance to raise its profile within the town.

Over 400 surveys were completed by the public as part of the consultation. This resulted in 190 people believing the Princes of Wales Market was a good alternative, 158 preferring street markets and 39 wanting a combination of the two. Thirteen respondents said they would no longer shop in the markets if the Indoor Market Hall closed.

Councillor Gordon Alcott, Deputy Leader and Town Centre Regeneration Portfolio Leader, said: “As a Council we do not like closing facilities used by the public but the reality is that the Indoor Market, sadly, no longer has a long term future although markets generally are popular with the public who shop in the town centre.

“The reality is that we currently have a vacancy rate of 42 stalls in the indoor market while the number of people using the facility is modest, meaning it is simply no longer fit for purpose.

“We will now offer assistance to traders who want to explore the alternatives we have provided and are giving stallholders time to consider their options.

“The fact is that Cannock is not immune to changes in shopping habits which are happening across the country. Our challenge is to find the best way forward for the town centre, which we are doing through the Cannock Town Centre Development Prospectus we launched last autumn and with it our proposals to test the market for a new cinema and eating outlets scheme. We hope to launch a procurement exercise as part of this, later this year.”

Cannock Indoor Market Hall is located in Cannock Shopping Centre in a building owned and maintained by Cannock Chase Council. As a market facility it began trading in the early 1970s. It currently opens Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet have approved the proposed Economic Prosperity Strategy (EPS) for the District.

The ten year strategy sets out the Council’s vision and ambition to develop the District to be a better place to live, work, invest and visit.

Its purpose is to set out the direction of travel for the economy in the District; identify how the District can support industrial and town centre strategies and provide a clear focus for Council investment in economic development projects as well as bidding for external funding and to have influence on the plans of partners and key stakeholders.

To support the delivery of the vision, five themes have been identified within the strategy aligned with a set of ambitions which reflect where the District aims to be by 2030, these include:

• Destination Cannock Chase
• A more productive economy
• Boosting resident skills
• Enterprising Cannock Chase
• Town centres driving change

The Council already has a very pro-active economic development agenda and is currently working to deliver a high number of projects; this strategy builds on this work.  Projects include:

• Establishing a £6m District Investment Fund and £12m Housing Investment Fund;

• Implementation of the Section 106 obligations listed in the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands planning agreement, including improvements to Cannock Town Centre and a Retail Skills Academy;

• The regeneration of the Rugeley Power Station site, at 139 hectares, the largest brownfield site in the West Midlands;

• Delivery of a Skills and Innovation Hub in Cannock Town Centre, focused on higher level Apprenticeship opportunities and also incorporating an Engineering Skills Academy;

• Preparation of a Development prospectus for Cannock Town Centre;

Councillor Tony Johnson, Portfolio Leader for Economic Development and Planning said “I welcome this document that sets out the direction of travel for the District for the next 10 years.This strategy builds on existing activities and also identifies immediate and short term opportunities.Major investments in the District such as McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and Rugeley Power Station are also identified.Cannock Chase already has a very active economy and our employment levels are lower than the national average.This strategy will also help the Council achieve their commitment to carbon neutrality in this District by 2030.”

Cannock  Chase Council’s Cabinet have approved at their meeting tonight to spend £10,000 to undertake a feasibility study in respect of the toilet facilities located within Elmore Park.

The feasibility study will look at the practicalities and costs for a potential toilet refurbishment scheme to upgrade the facilities.

Councillor Christine Mitchell, Portfolio Leader for Culture and Sport said “The toilets at Elmore Park are in a very old building with poor access, no running water or adequate baby changing facilities.The feasibility study will look at costed options for upgrading the facilities for this park, which has consistently received a Green Flag Award since 2009.”

The next stage will be for the Council to undertake the feasibility study and options appraisal for the toilet facilities.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet have approved at their meeting tonight to implement a new district-wide health improvement programme, ‘Cannock Chase Can’ to tackle obesity and its wider health impacts..

The Council will work closely with the Community Wellbeing team at Inspiring healthy lifestyles and other partners to develop an exciting new health programme which will focus local efforts on supporting the Government’s Child Obesity Action Plan.

Public Health England (PHE) data indicates that 74% of adults in Cannock Chase aged 18+ were overweight or obese in 2017/2018. This was close to the highest rate of excess weight across the West Midlands in 2017/18 and above the England average (62%).

Excess weight (overweight and obesity) among children in Reception school year (aged 4-5) saw a fall in 2017/18 but remained above the England average of 22.6% with 26.4% of Reception age children overweight or obese in the District.

Overweight and obesity increased among Year 6 children aged 10-11 during the same period to 37.1% during 2017-2018. Whilst this is not the highest in the West Midlands, it is again above the England average of 34.3%.

Councillor Gordon Alcott, Deputy Leader of the Council said: “I am pleased to announce the new Health Improvement Programme, ‘Cannock Chase Can’ which will launch across Cannock Chase District later this year and will include the development of a health improvement/prevention plan. This plan will include various methods of promotion and engagement to encourage participation and behaviour change.

“The focal point for the programme will be the ‘Cannock Chase Can’ online portal which will enable residents to sign up to the programme and create personal profiles including target weight, personal goals and individual health journeys. It will also provide information about healthy eating, physical activity and advice about how to make healthier lifestyle choices. It will host a variety of challenges which can be undertaken as an individual, group or family.

“The programme will include education projects with local schools as well as customised initiatives with local businesses including fast food takeaways and supermarkets.”

Councillor Christine Martin, Leader for Health and Wellbeing said “The Council is committed to improving the health of its local residents and has allocated £61,500 towards the development and implementation of this new health programme.

“The aim of ‘Cannock Chase Can’ will be to help tackle poor health and obesity by changing behaviours and attitudes towards healthy eating and physical activity and making healthier choices easier to make”.

“The programme will launch later this year with a promotional campaign and event to encourage as many local residents as possible to sign up and change their lives”.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet have agreed to adopt a new approach –‘Health in All Policies (HiAP)’ to help the Council identify how best to tackle health inequalities within Cannock Chase District.

Gordon Alcott, Deputy Leader of the Council said: “Health in All Policies recognises that the biggest influences on the population’s health are ‘root causes’ or social determinants of health, rather than health services.    These social determinants include living conditions and wider social, economic, environmental, cultural and political factors.  By considering health in all we do as a Council we believe, with our partners, we can make a real difference to peoples’ lives.”

Councillor Christine Martin, Leader of Health and Wellbeing, said: “Health outcomes within Cannock Chase District, including life expectancy, levels of obesity, alcohol related hospital admissions and long term illnesses, are amongst the poorest in the Midlands.  The Council is determined to play a full part in tackling these very difficult challenges.   By adopting “Health in All Policies”  the Council will ensure  it takes into account the health implications of the decisions it makes,  targets the key social determinants of health, and most importantly focuses policy and services on  improving  the health of our local residents”. 

Cannock Chase Council’s Environment Team has been delivering environmental awareness sessions in primary schools across the District as part of a new engagement programme addressing environmental issues.

Officers from the Environmental Protection and Street Cleansing teams have been visiting schools and delivering a fun and informative session to raise awareness of the importance of looking after the environment and disposing of waste properly. Each school receives a 2 hour interactive session which includes a presentation, games and quizzes.  The Council’s Community Hero has also been surprising the children and making a guest appearance!

Over the next few weeks the team will be visiting a total of 17 primary schools and will be engaging with over 1,200 children aged between nine and 11 years old.

This forms part of a wider environmental engagement project, ‘Binworld – 10 years on!’.

This eco-musical experience offers a great opportunity for using theatre to promote the messages of recycling `REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE ` as well as wider environmental issues such as climate change and more local issues such as littering, flytipping and dog fouling. It will reflect current issues as well as telling tell the story of Binworld, 10 years on!

The Council has commissioned Split Mask Theatre, a local drama group led by the Head of Year 7 at Kingsmead Academy to adapt and update the original Binworld script (2008) which was written by Majella Turner. 

Working closely with Split Mask Theatre, the production will be rolled out across theatres in Cannock and Rugeley. Participating schools will be attending a performance in March.

Children attending the performance will also take part in a voting game which will introduce them into local democracy and the voting system.

Cllr John Preece, Leader of the Environment, said: “This environmental engagement programme will not only bring recycling and the way we dispose of waste to the forefront, but will also challenge people’s behaviour towards the environment they live in. It is also an ideal opportunity to help kick start residents into thinking about the climate emergency.

“The environmental awareness sessions are a great way of educating our young children about the importance of the environment as well as encouraging them to spread the message among their family and friends.

“The special musical will also enforce these messages with characters MC Crisp Rapper and Professor Poop taking the nine to 11-year-olds on a musical journey where they will learn more about issues like recycling, fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling.

“It’s great to see the number of schools that have signed up to this free initiative and it is hoped they can take some of their learning and embed it within their own schools”.

Taxi drivers in the Cannock Chase District were subjected to a taxi test purchase operation last month.

A small number of five taxis were tested over one evening in December last year.  The purpose of a taxi test purchase operation is to ensure that licensed drivers in the District are not overcharging, refusing fares without reasonable cause and are using the meter appropriately.

Councillor Christine Martin, Portfolio Leader for Health and Wellbeing said “We are pleased to say that of the drivers tested, 80% passed the test.  We hope that will give members of the public confidence in our taxi drivers in the District.

“Cannock Chase Council’s licensing team now intends to carry out these tests on a regular basis, starting in the coming months.”

If  anyone in the District has a complaint about any licensed drivers or vehicles these can be made by contacting the Licensing Unit at Cannock Chase Council 01543 462621.