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Kidgrove Town Council to Increase Council Tax by £2000 |
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 We have been informed that Labour Controlled Kidsgrove Town Council is proposing to increase the Kidsgrove Part of your council tax to raise £2000 to pay for a Youth Council. No doubt this project has the backing of Kidsgrove Mayor and Astle family member Kyle Robinson, who is also an employee at Clough Hall Technology School. Kidsgrove Town Council appears to be really interested in this ideas of a Youth Council, despite the fact that taxpayers are already paying for the nationally recognised Youth Parliament programme that takes place in schools all over the UK. This scheme is exceptionally successful in Staffordshire and has a sound resource base behind it.
It is once again not clear how the vast £2000 sum would be spent on this project or what the actual intended outcomes would be? If these are not vastly different from those of the existing Youth Parliament scheme then taxpayers and students will all be asking "what is the point?". It is times like this when we should be expecting value for money, however it is becoming increasingly easy to find stories of how the Labour Controlled Kidsgrove Town Council keeps wanting to spend money and reduce the quality of life for all local residents of Kidsgrove.
Some other Councillors are worried that this money could be used to influence the political views of young people, something that will be increasingly hard to avoid if any programme like this is run by a council which increasingly controlled by one political party. |
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Kidsgrove Town Council Wastes £990 of Taxpayers Money |
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 It was reported last week that Labour Controlled Kidsgrove Town Council is wasting £990 of taxpayers money on a grant to the Friends of Talke Library group. Kidsgrove Town Mayor and member of the Astle family Kyle Robinson supports this plan to hand out £990 of your money to the Friends of Talke Library group, to spend on the reported vague plans.
Kidsgrove Town Council has reportedly handed out the £990 to be spent on two different projects for the Friends of Talke Library group. It is planned that £400 of taxpayers money is going to be handed to an author to talk to the group members. This is £400 of our money being handed out to a private individual. Would the Friends of Talke Library group spend this sort of money on an author if they had to invest their own private funds?
They will spend the remaining funds on holding five arts and crafts events. Again questions can be asked about why each event will cost over £100 in total, especially in tough times when many local residents are wanting to see Kidsgrove Town Council spending money to benefit the whole Kidsgrove area and not just a select few.
Many questions still remain unanswered about the award of this money from Kidsgrove Town Council to The Friends of Talke Library group;
- Who is the author who is costing £400?
- What benefits will this talk bring to the taxpaying residents of Kidsgrove?
- How many members does the Friends of Talke Library group have?
- Are any of the members of the Friends of Talke Library Group members of the Kidsgrove Labour Party or friends with member of the Kidsgrove Labour Party?
- How much money has the group raised pro-actively before this grant?
Supporting the Kidsgrove community can only be a good thing, however handing out such vast amounts of money to such a select few in the community, doesn't seem fair or a good way to spend Kidsgrove taxpayers money. |
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 Kidsgrove is currently experiencing high levels of snow fall, like many parts of the local area. Despite the efforts of Staffordshire County Council gritting teams it appears that many roads in the Kidsgrove area are snow covered this evening. We can only advise that people do not travel, unless they have to.
Staffodshire County Councillor for Kidsgrove Mary Maxfield informed us that the gritters were out 3 times in an 11 hour period yesterday. It appears that the drifting nature of the snow, combined with low traffic levels didn't help to clear the roads which had been salted. We can now report that all the main roads in Kidsgrove have now been cleared, which no doubt will the result of one further grit treatment.
I think we all have to expect travel disruption when it snows as salting only works when traffic is driving on it. |
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 It has been reported that today is the day that Newchapel Club has closed down. The Club which was known in its later years at The Club at Newchapel and for many years Newchapel Working Mens Club has been struggling for many years, mainly as a result of changing consumer habits. The previous owner purchased the site for a reported £250,000 and ran the business under its new name. It appears though that this was not enough to save the club and today it has been boarded up and the for sale signed placed outside.
Clearly this is a sad day for Newchapel Club and residents are naturally concerned about the anti social behaviour this may now attract. |
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Whitehill Road Parking Improvements |
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 Whitehill Online has learnt that Staffordshire County Councillor Mary Maxfield has been able to achieve something that many Kidsgrove Councillors have promised, but failed to deliver on for numerous years; improvements to Whitehill Road in Kidsgrove. Many people may know this as the road that runs from Whitehill Roundabout, through the village of Whitehill, however all residents will be aware of the parking problems that constantly plague Whitehiill Road. Residents of Whitehill Road for years have consistently parked their cars on the grass verges, causing considerable visual and structural damage to the grass verge.
Well now after hard lobbying of Staffordshite County Council it appears Staffordshire County Councillor Mary Maxfield has had some success. She has told Whitehill online that "within the next 28 days Staffordshire County Council will be digging out the grass verge and putting in recycled stone planings". She also went on to say "eventually I hope they will tarmac the verge. Whilst Staffordshire County Councils policy is not to provide off street parking, in this case there is nowhere for residents to park except outside their properties which often leads to difficulties when lorries use the road. They have to mount the grass verge thus churning it up."
Within the next 28 days SCC will be digging out the grass verge and putting in recycled stone planings which is a start. Eventually I hope they will tarmac the verge. Whilst SCC's policy is not to provide off street parking, in this case there is nowhere for residents to park except outside their properties which often leads to difficulties when lorries use the road. They have to mount the grass verge thus churning it up. |
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Kidsgrove Community Day 2012 |
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 The Annual Kidsgrove Community Day this year is on Saturday 24th March at the Victoria Hall, Kidsgrove. Top Table guests will include Kidsgrove Town Mayor Councillor Kyle Robinson accompanied by Deputy Town Mayor Councillor Gill Burnett and Mayor’s Consort Councillor Reginald Bailey, Rotary District 1210 Governor Barry Preen and Wife Dorothy, Rotary Club of Kidsgrove President John Howe MBE and Wife Christine, Probus Club of Kidsgrove President Peter Lowe and Wife Doreen.
Rotarians, Partners, Family & Friends will once again put on a show that should keep the expected audience of up to 200 senior citizens thoroughly entertained throughout the afternoon. It is hoped that the acts this year will include ABBA tribute band ‘Summer Nights City’, opera singer ‘Miss Joy Brooks’ and our MC singer/entertainer ‘Tommy Lee King’. There will be a break for a light buffet and refreshment at 3pm, this is followed by the usual game of BINGO before we return to the afternoon entertainment, please let us know beforehand if you would like to attend. |
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Kidsgrove Rotary Club Christmas Collection Success |
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 The Kidsgrove Rotary Club Annual Reindeer Collection this year was a far greater success than initially expected due to the present financial situation that the country finds itself in. A total of £8,483.66p was raised during the month of December from the 19 collections that took place, almost £500 more than the previous year.
The organisations who have benefited immediately from the collection include Kidsgrove Scouts, Newchapel Scouts, Kidsgrove Cricket Club, Kidsgrove Ladsndads, Potteries Paddlers and Kidsgrove Community First Responders. The Rotary Club fully appreciates the help that these organisations have been able to give throughout the campaign, for without their commitment to walk the various routes for 3 to 4 hours a day and night, the fundraising campaign would be virtually impossible to complete.
There are of course many other volunteers to whom we are most grateful, these include The Probus Club of Kidsgrove, Members and Honorary Members of the Rotary Club of Kidsgrove, Partners, Family and Friends, retired Firefighters and Patrons of the Royal Oak (Harriseahead).
Some of the collections have been held at the supermarkets and stores in Kidsgrove, Kidsgrove Rotary Club would like to thank management and staff of Tesco, Aldi and Home Bargains for their hospitality and patience, especially during this hectic period. |
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Kyle Noel Taylor Out on Bail |
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 Kidsgrove and Newcastle Councillor Kyle Noel Taylor has been granted bail following his conviction last week for 4 accounts of assault. Kidsgrove and Newcastle Councillor Kyle Noel Taylor was sent to a young offenders institute for 6 months following his guilty verdict. The Chairman of the Magistrates initially denied Kyle Noel Taylor bail saying that Mr Taylor had shown no remorse in the matter.
Kyle Noel Taylor has today been granted bail and will appeal the case at a crown court. Kyle Noel Taylor will continue to serve the residents of Kidsgrove as both a Kidsgrove Town and Newcastle Borough Councillor.
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Body Pulled from Kidsgrove Canal |
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 Emergency crews have pulled a body out of a canal in Kidsgrove. It happened at around 5.30 yesterday evening near Limekiln Lane. A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Crews arrived to reports of a man who was believed to be in the canal. The man was located and rescued by the fire service. Unfortunately, he was in cardiac arrest and received life support at the scene. Despite the best efforts of ambulance crews and hospital staff, nothing could be done to save the man."
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Kyle Noel Taylor Sentenced to 6 Months in Young Offenders |
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Kyle-Noel Taylor has been sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institution. Today he was sentenced to a custodial sentence for:
- Assault 24 March - 3 months
- Assault 22 January - 1 month
- Assault 6 January - 1 month
- Assault 25 January 1 month
The sentence will be served at a Young Offenders Institution.
The Chairman of the Magistrates in his summing up said that Mr Taylor had shown no remorse in the matter, encouraged the victim to lie, been involved with domestic violence and caused degradation to the victim.
At the end of the sentencing session his Defence Counsellor submitted an appeal against the conviction and sentence and asked that Mr Taylor be granted bail because he had not offended for a number of months and that it would interfere with his education. Bail was refused. The case will now be sent to the Crown Court at Hanley.
It is also believed that Kyle-Noel Taylor also announced his resignation from the Labour Party today as well. The Labour Party has now stated that he will not be able to be a member of the party for at least 5 years. What is concerning is how after this period it appears he could be welcomed back.
Kyle Noel Taylor will lose his place on Newcastle Brough Council if he does not win his appeal and get the sentence reduced to 3 months or less.
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Overwhelming Support for Kidsgrove Police Station Relocation |
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 The results from a recent poll on Whitehill Online show overwhelming support from the residents of Kidsgrove for the relocation of Kidsgrove Police to the Victoria Hall in Kidsgrove. These results are in stark contrast to the original poll which we ran in which the majority of Kidsgrove residents appeared to be against the proposals for Kidsgrove Police.
The main different in the results can ultimately be put down to fair and accurate coverage of the proposals. The initial poll was conducted when the plans were being talked about and used as political propaganda by the Kidsgrove Labour Party, which has been described as scaremongering by some local residents.
As a result of the actions of the Kidsgrove Labour Party, Staffordshire Police held a public meeting in Kidsgrove Town Hall, where they outlined current proposals and the cost savings that would be made from sharing the Kidsgrove Town Hall buildings, without impacting on the service that residents of Kidsgrove get from the Police. The meeting was marred once again by the actions of the Kidsgrove Labour Party who prevented Staffordshire Police from handing out a fact sheet presenting the facts regarding the relocation of the station.
Staffordshire Police and local inspector Martin Stevenson have worked hard to communicate with residents via this website and the print media such as Kidsgrove News and The Sentinel. As a result of knowing all the facts of the Kidsgrove Police Station proposals, it appears the Kidsgrove public overwhelmingly support the plans.
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Kidsgrove Rotary Club at Maryhill High School |
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 Kidsgrove Rotary Club have been at Maryhill High School in Kidsgrove this week talking to staff and students about the excellent work that they do in Kidsgrove and surrounding areas. Members of the Kidsgrove Rotary Club talked to students about recent events that they had held, such as the Kidsgrove Bonfire (which we already know was a huge success this year, taking a revenue in excess of £6,000) and the Santa Sleigh which will be touring the streets of Kidsgrove in the coming weeks. It is pleasing that the students at Maryhill High School are being educated about what people give back to the local area. Hopefully this will push more of them to give something back to Kidsgrove and surrounding areas in the future.
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