Community News

To mark World Plumbing Day next Saturday (11 March), WaterSafe, the UK’s register of approved contractors working with drinking water, is warning people in The Midlands not to ignore a leaky loo. Even a small trickle can waste up to 400 litres of water every day and cost the bill payer up to £400 extra per year, meaning homes and businesses are throwing money and water down the drain.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has asked Transport for London (TfL) to look into using ULEZ cameras to charge car users in a 'pay-as-you-drive' scheme in the capital after facing a backlash over the expansion to Outer London. He feels that it could mean millions more into the orbit of paying £12.50 a day for using polluting from August.

AutoFlight, the global eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) pioneer, today announced it had achieved the world’s longest eVTOL flight in history with distance of 250KM/155miles on a single charge of the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries.

The flight, which took place at AutoFlight’s eVTOL testing facility, consisted of 20 circuits on a predefined flight track, with the plane remotely piloted from the ground by AutoFlight’s Flight Test team.

Shocking new statistics from the charity show that 10,483 calls were received about animals impacted by litter over 2020, 2021 and 2022.

With an average of almost ten reports per day taken by the charity about animals found severely injured, trapped, mutilated, choked or even dead from carelessly discarded litter of all kinds, the RSPCA is urging people to do their bit to protect animals this year and get involved in Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean’s ‘Big Bag Challenge’, starting on Friday 17 March. 

The Ealing Central and Acton MP, Rupa Huq, has been reinstated as a Labour MP, five months after she lost the whip for comments she made about Kwasi Kwarteng.

She described the then-chancellor Mr Kwarteng as "superficially Black", at a Labour Party fringe event in September. Labour suspended the whip, which meant she had to sit as an independent MP.

Twenty-three of 33 councils will raise bills by 4.99%, the maximum increase normally allowed without seeking permission through a referendum. Residents in Croydon will see even bigger rises with the government previously approving a 15% increase.

The council tax portion the mayor sets is expected to rise by almost 10%. Council tax, which is based on the value of a property, funds council-run services such as libraries, refuse collection, youth clubs and street lighting.

The Pension Dashboard Programme launch has just been announced by The Department of Work and Pensions. With this in mind, Lily Megson, Policy Director at My Pension Expert, commented: “The Pension Dashboard Programme is an incredibly ambitious project. And I applaud the government for not rushing to push out an inadequate project; it must be done right.

Celebrate ordinary Brummies doing extraordinary things at the star-studded ceremony on 6 March at the University of Birmingham’s Great Hall. The BirminghamLive Pride of Birmingham Awards with TSB will be hosted by presenter and actress, Kym Marsh.

This year’s awards ceremony will see winners of all ages and from all walks of life being celebrated for their awe-inspiring achievements; whether they have performed outstanding acts of courage, fought seemingly hopeless battles against the odds, displayed boundless compassion, or inspired everyone with their tireless campaigning for others.

Ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD), on March 8, new research has been released the on priorities for female professionals in 2023, with one of Robert Half’s most tenured female leaders now available to share key strategies to help working women advance and employers better support and retain the women in their organization.

A woman who forged her medical qualifications to obtain senior positions within the NHS as a hospital Psychiatrist has been sentenced to seven years at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of 20 offences including fraud and forgery.

In an investigation led by Cumbria Police and supported by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, Zholia Alemi was found to have fraudulently obtained in excess of £1million from the NHS during the twenty-two years that she worked within a number of UK health bodies posing as a qualified psychiatrist.

Followers of the old gold and black are being urged to get behind a new beer that is being launched to raise more than £1000 for ‘The 1p36 Family Trust.’ Stourbridge-based Green Duck Brewery has joined forces with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ fans Jason Guy and John Woodward to create a 4% session IPA - called ‘Wet Your Wolf Whistle’ in homage to the well-known Wolves podcast that has more than 100,000 downloads.

Milton Keynes-based plumbing and heating company, Grand Union Plumbing & Heating, has announced that it is offering free energy saving advice to people in the local area and will host a workshop early next month to share money saving tips to anyone worried about the cost of heating their homes. 

McDonald’s franchisee Douglas Wright, who owns and operates 23 restaurants across the West Midlands, has received his MBE from Prince William who awarded him at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace last week.

Doug was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list following the Platinum Jubilee with an MBE for ‘Services to the Economy and Charity in the West Midlands’.

Fantasy Forest, a unique festival celebrating the fantasy genre, is returning to the magnificent grounds of Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire from 14 - 16 July 2023 with a weekend of lively entertainment, fantasy-themed experiences and exciting new features.

Each year, Fantasy Forest has continued to attract more and more visitors of all ages from across Gloucestershire and beyond to enjoy a fun-filled, magical summer’s day out for all the family.

WomeninTech.co.uk, a platform dedicated to growing women in technology, has released the results of its recent survey of over 500 women working in technology.

The survey aimed to gain insights into their experiences, thoughts, and opinions on gender diversity in the tech industry. The results are alarming and highlight the ongoing challenges faced by women in the tech sector. The key findings show:

As we start to emerge out of the depths of winter, before we know it, spring will have arrived on our doorsteps. For many homeowners this means that the annual ‘spring clean’ will commence and tidying and organising the home will be a top priority.

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to organising the home. However, clever storage renovations can help to create order within every room, whilst enhancing and maximising your living space into a clutter-free haven.