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Not for profit organisations in Telford were asked to submit applications last summer for a scheme which offers free materials and labour to help improve buildings and outdoor spaces.

Introduced last year, the Hands-on-Help scheme was launched by Telford & Wrekin Council, alongside development partners Nuplace, Wrekin Housing Group and Lovell, to assist not for profit and voluntary organisations with projects to improve run-down buildings and abandoned outdoor spaces.  

When it was launched, the initiative attracted applications from over 40 voluntary, community and not for profit companies. The successful applications were selected based on how much they would benefit local residents moving into a new mixed tenure housing development in Donnington Wood which is being brought forward by the partnership.

From the applications submitted, building partner, Lovell supplied the labour and materials to deliver the improvement work across four projects at Telford Sea Cadets, Donnington Wood Infant School, St Matthews Church and Donnignton Parish Council.

Building partner, Lovell supplied the labour and materials to deliver the improvement work across four projects at Telford Sea Cadets, Donnington Wood Infant School, St Matthews Church and Donnignton Parish Council.

Telford Sea Cadets benefited from painting and decorating work internally, including new kitchen flooring. As well as installation of new radiators.

At Donnington Wood Infant School new slabs were laid to the outdoor area of the school during the Easter holidays to improve accessibility for parents and children.

St Matthew’s Church have benefited from redecoration of the kitchen and toilet facilities and Donnington Parish Council received a new bespoke made to measure fire door as well as painting and decorating work throughout the building. 

Commenting on the news, Councillor Lee Carter (Lab) cabinet member for place, the economy and neighbourhood services said: ‘It is fantastic to be working in partnership with Nuplace, Lovell and The Wrekin Housing Group to bring forward this quality development in Donnington.

‘We work closely with developers to bring forward schemes like the Hands-on Help scheme because it’s not just about building new houses but it’s also about improving important local community facilities which will benefit residents living close to the new housing. We are very grateful to Lovell for the investment they have put into the four projects which have undoubtedly improved the community spaces we have here in the borough.’

In addition, Caroline Boddy, headteacher of the Infant School, said: ‘We are thrilled to have been chosen and with the work completed by Lovell, we now have a large, paved area which is fully accessible and can be used all year. This will make a big difference to our whole school community.’

Image: Ricardo Gomez Angel

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People in England and Wales are preparing to vote in the next local election – the biggest test of electoral opinion before the main event hits at the beginning of 2025.

Local elections are due to start on Thursday 2nd May and, arguably, this year’s event has been the most anticipated. Most of the seats up for grabs were last fought in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 elections. During this period, Boris Johnson was riding high from a successful vaccine rollout which made it the Conservatives best local election performance since 2008.

However, in three years we have seen two Prime Ministers take over from Johnson’s role, the country spiral into a cost-of-living crisis, controversial new legislations passed regarding immigration and NHS wait times hit record-breaking highs. These are just a mere handful of examples which could have contributed to Rishi Sunak’s party trailing 20 points behind Labour in the polls. The Conservatives have also endured several damaging by-election defeats involving massive swings.

Before voting begins, here’s all the information you’ll need regarding the local elections 2024.

How to vote

Polls for the local elections are due to open at 7am and close at 10pm and there are three ways to cast your vote.

These include:

• In person at your local polling station
• Postal vote
• Appointing somebody else to vote on your behalf

To vote you must be aged 18 or over and registered at an address in the area you wish to vote in. In addition, rules that were introduced last year mean you must take a valid form of photographic ID with you – the accepted forms of ID can be found here.

Where are the elections happening?

Local elections are happening across 107 English councils, including 31 metropolitan boroughs, 18 unitary councils and 58 district councils. As well as people being able to vote for the party they want to dominate their area, the public will also be casting their verdict on 10 metro mayors across the country.

There are nine mayoral elections for combined authorities. These are happening in the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, York and North Yorkshire.

Three of these mayoral posts in the North East, East Midlands and York and North Yorkshire are newly created and will be holding their inaugural election, which will use the first-past-the-post system that is used in general elections.

Moreover, Sadiq Khan – the current Mayor of London – is running for a third term and there will also be elections to the London Assembly with 25 seats available.

Overall in England, 2,636 seats are up for grabs – the smallest number recorded of any local electoral cycle. Likewise, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are also being elected across England and Wales, with 33 in the former and four in the latter. PCCs are vital to ensuring that local police officers are meeting the needs of community’s.  

How many seats are parties defending?

The Conservatives are guarding 985 seats, Labour 965, the Liberal Democrats 410, the Greens hold 107 seats, while independents have 112 and other parties the remaining 57.

As it stands, Labour has majority control in 45 of the 107 councils, the Conservatives control 18 and the Lib Dems 10.

When will the results come in?

In the morning on Friday 3rd May around 35 councils will declare their results – Broxbourne, a town located in Hertfordshire, will be the first to kick this off at around half past midnight.

Hartlepool, situated in the North East, will be next to follow at 1.30am, then Rochford at the same time and Sunderland at 1.50am, and Gosport and Newcastle-upon-Tyne at 2am.

By the time 6-7am rolls around, Lincoln, Southampton and Tameside will have announced their results and Winchester will follow at 8.30am.

At lunchtime on Friday, a further 48 councils will unveil their results with four mayors and 24 PCCs. Gloucester will be the last council to announce their results at 11pm.

However, it doesn’t stop there as the announcements trickle into the weekend. On Saturday, Liverpool, Manchester, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and London will declare who will be their next mayors.

Image: Elliott Stallion

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Today (30 April 2024), the Government is strengthening its trade border to better detect pests and diseases from imported products.

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The sustainable properties are the latest advancement on Redrow’s Oakwood Fields development which offers more than 100 new homes.

The UK government and various independent housing developers are currently working to address the major housing shortage in the UK. The latest piece of news in this field comes in the form of over 100 new homes being built in Lowton, Greater Manchester. What’s more, is some of these homes are also sustainable, helping to address the climate emergency as well as the housing crisis.

Located on Bainbridge Avenue via Hesketh Meadow Lane, the Oakwood Fields development is comprised of a mix of three and four-bedroom properties, all from Redrow’s award winning Heritage Collection.

A selection of the properties are gas-free ‘Eco Electric’ homes which feature air source heat pumps, as well as underfloor heating to the ground floor in detached designs, reducing homeowners’ energy use.

Steve Jackson, sales director at Redrow Lancashire, said the properties energy efficiency rating will be ‘among the best of the new build market.’

‘Not only do our designs feature traditional Arts and Crafts inspired architecture and a high interior specification, but their energy efficiency ratings will also be among the best on the new build market,’ Steve said. ‘Research by the HBF suggests that houses build to the latest building regulations, Part L, can save home buyers 74% on their energy bills compared to the average second-hand home, which equates to around £216 per month.’

Against this backdrop, pockets of green space are also planned for around the development, with footpaths and cycle-paths connecting to open land to the North and East playing fields to the South.

One of the homes available is a three-bedroom detached Amberly which boasts a double-fronted design. When walking in, to the left is a kitchen and dining room and to the right a spacious lounge. A handy cloakroom and utility complete the downstairs accommodation, while upstairs there is a family bathroom and three double bedrooms – the main bedroom has its own en-suite. Prices currently start from £375,000.

Image: Redrow 

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Carolina Padovezi de Oliveira, corporate project manager at Manningham Housing Association (MHA), could receive the win at this years Housing Hero Awards in Manchester.

To say Carolina is deserving of winning the inspirational colleague of the year award at this year’s Housing Hero event is an understatement. Originally from Brazil, she joined MHA in 2019 as an administrative assistant to the executive team and was promoted to corporate project manager within just four years.

Within her role, Carolina specialises in recruitment, training, IT and communications. In addition, she has placed MHA at the forefront of digital innovation and become a national speaker on the subject, specialising in AI.

She also leads on equality, diversity and inclusion with her work paving the way for MHA to become the first housing association in the world to achieve the global Standard for Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management.

Commenting on the news of her nomination, Carolina claimed that this isn’t just about her efforts, but about everyone’s at MHA.

‘I am deeply honored to be nominated as an inspirational colleague of the year for the Housing Hero Awards 2024,’ Carolina said. ‘This nomination by Manningham Housing Association is not only a personal accolade but a testament to our collective efforts to dive positive change within the community.’

Carolina added: ‘I share this recognition with my exceptional team, as it mirrors our shared commitment to excellence and innovation. Together, we are dedicated to fostering an environment where inspiration and collaboration lead the way.’

In addition, Lee Bloomfield, chief executive of MHA, said there is no one more deserving of the win than Carolina as ‘she is incredibly modest and never acknowledges the enormous impact she makes.’

Lee declared: ‘Carolina’s achievement in being shortlisted for this prestigious national award provides the wider MHA family with the opportunity to celebrate her contribution and showcase her achievements to an audience far beyond our locality, whilst inspiring others to follow her selfless approach to success. 

‘Her dynamic work on behalf of the organisation, our tenants, stakeholders and fellow staff members is always fully focused on delivering positive results for them and never about gaining recognition or praise for herself.

‘We wish her every success at the awards ceremony.’

The Housing Hero Awards are taking place alongside the Women in Housing Awards on 24th June at Manchester Central as part of Housing 2024 – the leading event for the housing industry to meet professionals and celebrate those in the sector making a real difference. 

Images: MHA

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