Community News

Councillor John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, writes about the work being done to support residents during the cost-of-living crisis...

‘As part of our response to the cost of living crisis – which has included the development of warm welcome spaces and financial support for food banks amongst many other things – we began providing extended opening hours at our Advice and Information Centres in Erdington and Northfield at the start of November.

As scores of children prepare to look to the skies this Christmas Eve, they will be relieved to know scientists are helping to clear a path for Santa in space. 

Space is becoming crowded as more and more satellites are launched into the Earth’s orbit. We have a space traffic problem – with junk from satellites, rocket bodies and other debris accumulating in the skies. Determined to tackle this problem, scientists at the University of Warwick are researching these growing threats to the spacecraft we rely on. 

Regulated rail fares in England will rise by up to 5.9% from next March, the Department for Transport has announced. The rise is being capped at a level well below inflation, "to help reduce the impact on passengers", the transport secretary said.

"This is a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them," Mark Harper said. Fares will officially rise on 5 March 2023.

As Christmas approaches and people across the country look for hiding places for their Christmas presents, NFU Mutual warns motorists to beware of thieves breaking into vehicles in search of newly purchased goods. For those with limited space or curious family members, the car can often seem like the only place to hide gifts, but this also presents an opportunity for thieves.

Charlie donned his own named hi-vis gilet and headphones before taking his seat on the top deck of the Birmingham Airport (BHX) air traffic control tower to line up aircraft for take-off and landing.  

The pint-sized aviation fanatic, from Walsall, West Midlands, loves nothing more than going to the end of the BHX runway to watch the planes when his parents, Kat and Darren, are able to take him.  

People have been thanked for taking the time to complete an important survey about the safety of women and girls in Wolverhampton. More than 2,000 people engaged with the survey, conducted by West Midlands Police and the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, and their responses will be analysed over the coming weeks.

The survey asked women and girls how safe they feel when they are out and about, and to share details of any issues they may have either witnessed or experienced anywhere in Wolverhampton, along with locations that are of concern to them.

B:Music, the charity responsible for Symphony Hall and Town Hall in Birmingham, is calling on the public to support its festive fundraising campaign to help enrich the lives of young and vulnerable people in and around the West Midlands through music. The donations raised will enable the charity to create 10,000 musical memories by supporting talent development, providing rehearsal and performance spaces, facilitating workshops, and making music accessible to all.

The Digbeth Estate (Oval Real Estate) is set to re-launch The Bond on Fazeley Street, Digbeth, as a home for the best creative talent in the West Midlands.

Oval, working with Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) and Create Central, has partnered with some of Birmingham’s best designers and architects to reimagine The Bond for the next generation.

The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will be extended by a year to the end of December 2023, helping people with 5% deposits on to the property ladder. Under the scheme the government offers lenders the financial guarantees they need to provide mortgages that cover the other 95%, subject to the usual affordability checks, on a house worth up to £600,000.

Today we are announcing the appointment of Joe Kennedy III as the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs.

In this capacity, he will focus on advancing economic development and investment opportunities in Northern Ireland to the benefit of all communities as well as strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Northern Ireland.

Care leavers will be having a Christmas to remember this year thanks to the generosity of the people of Wolverhampton.

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Reach Leaving Care Team would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated to this year’s Care Leavers Christmas appeal via their Amazon Wish list and drop-off donation point.

City of Birmingham chauffeur Kenneth Bond is 2022’s Professional Driver of the Year. He collected the gold award at the prestigious Professional Driver QSi Awards – having received the silver award 12 months ago. Professional Driver Editor Mark Bursa said: “Kenneth operates at a high level, chauffeuring dignitaries in Birmingham, including the Lord Mayor.

Leading Oxfordshire developer David Wilson Homes has crowned the first two winners of its specially designed award programme at a school in Abingdon. The developer’s Building Buddies Award aims to get children interested in the industry and raise awareness of the variety of roles available in construction.

Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security contractor that night died in hospital early yesterday.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, at the Brixton Academy, was cut short after people tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

Birmingham City Council has announced a new grants scheme to help enhance the growing network of Warm Welcomes across the city.

A £210,000 funding pot can be accessed by community, faith and voluntary groups to enhance existing Warm Welcome Spaces, by applying for a grant of up to £5,000. In addition, a limited number grants of up to £10,000 will be made available to establish a series of Warm Welcome Hubs, which will be larger sites offering a wider range of services and support.

This year's Orange Wolverhampton campaign came to a moving end on Saturday 10 December, 2022, with a minute's silence in memory of all the lives lost to, or affected by, the crimes associated with gender-based violence.

The safeguarding campaign is held annually between 25 November, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and 10 December, UN Human Rights Day, and supports the United Nations’ Orange the World campaign to end violence against women and girls.