Latest news with #communityneeds
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Walsall Council provides update on future of former Bloxwich Hospital
The deputy leader of Walsall Council has provided an update following speculation about the future of the former Bloxwich Hospital site. The premises, still owned by the Black Country NHS Trust, was last used as a psychiatric facility before its closure in February 2025. READ MORE: Nine Walsall councillors blocked from standing in 2026 elections amid Conservative branch chaos The sale of the Reeves Street site is part of an agreement that has allowed the trust to secure funding for the newly opened Older People's Inpatient Unit at Dorothy Pattison Hospital. Since its closure, social media has been flooded with unsubstantiated claims that the building will be converted into 'luxury' accommodation for 'illegals'. However the trust said it was committed to ensuring any future use for the site will 'align with the needs of the community'. Currently, the building has no existing planning permissions and no live planning applications are under assessment by the council for any alternative use. Ward member for Bloxwich West, Councillor Michael Coulson, asked for the update at full council on July 30. Deputy leader Councillor Adrian Andrew responded: 'The trust, after interventions by officers, myself and Councillor Flint, are committed to ensuring that any future use for the site aligns with the needs of our community. 'They are working closely with us now to support the disposal and deliver a scheme that meets local needs. 'Any forthcoming proposal will be subject to a planning application and associated formal statutory consultation process.' Council Andrew said he has been 'quite firm' with the chief executive of the trust about its responsibility to secure the building. He added: 'Organisations which own public property need to make sure it is secured and that they are not causing a problem to the communities they represent, otherwise it just passes the bill on. 'Whether that's to the fire service because of an arson attack, or the police, or the council because we have to start taking enforcement action. 'I've been quite firm about their responsibility as a public sector organisation to the people that we all represent.'


BBC News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Torbay housing plans fail to address local needs
Plans for a new housing development in Devon have been described by a councillor as being in a dangerous location and failing to address the area's Council said a planning application was submitted for 110 homes on the former Sladnor Park holiday camp site, at Maidencombe, in Pegasus Group said the site was currently derelict and it would be an opportunity to create "one of the best places to live in Torbay".But, councillor George Darling, Liberal Democrat for St Marychurch, said the location of the development was too isolated. "What is striking about this development is its isolation and complete absence of nearby amenity," Darling said."These are supposedly family homes, yet for a parent and child to walk to their nearest primary school in Watcombe, they either must brave a 20-minute wander down the accident hotspot A379 or take a two-hour round-trip along the coast path."He said bus services were few and far between, and there was no shop nearby to serve people living in the new homes.A proposal to create a retirement community on the site was refused in 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, because of its landscape impact, inadequate drainage and lack of affordable housing. 'Strong identity' Pegasus Group said: "Sladnor Park will be a highly desirable place to live for the 21st Century and beyond. The aim is to achieve a development with a strong identity and distinct sense of place."However, Darling said there was no social housing planned on the site, which the area was "desperate" for. "This development is dangerous, fails to address Torbay's needs, and does not provide for the needs of residents who would eventually live there," he those attending a recent public meeting on the proposals was former Torbay Conservative MP Kevin Foster, who said it had been a useful chance to hear the strong arguments prepared by local added: "It doesn't deal adequately with a number of issues and would set quite a precedent."

Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Research nonprofit reaching out to local LGBTQ+ community
A research fellow from the Center for Community Solutions is reaching out to Ashtabula County's LGBTQ+ population to understand what issues they're facing. Andrew Snyder is running the Greater Mahoning Valley LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment, which is focusing on Ohio counties bordering Pennsylvania. Snyder said the assessment is part of his Ph.D dissertation at Kent State University's College of Public Health. CCS is partnering with Equality Ohio, a nonprofit that researches policy issues, to do outreach, Snyder said. '[Equality Ohio] recently hired a Mahoning Valley organizer whose goals align closely with ours: to connect with the community, understand its needs and raise awareness about policies that impact LGBTQ+ Ohioans,' Snyder said. Part of the community needs assessment consists of a confidential 30-40 minute survey for members of or people with a meaningful connection to the LGBTQ+ community. Children 12 and older can also do the survey with a parent or guardian's permission. Allies to the LGBTQ+ community can also take the survey, but will be asked a different set of questions. Survey questions focus on issues like housing, education, safety and health, and can be skipped if participants do not want to answer, Snyder said. Snyder is seeking at least 700 responses to the survey, from across all four counties, he said. 'This is our big call to action,' he said. People can find the survey at Participants can enter a raffle to win a $75 Visa gift card. Winners will be chosen in January 2026. The community needs assessment will have a table at the Ashtabula Pride Festival June 21 at Walnut Beach. Alongside the surveys, it will have confidential focus groups. They will consist of a 90-minute listening session, where participants will be asked questions relating to their lives. People can sign up for focus groups at the community needs assessment website. Snyder said there will be a confidential focus group from 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 20. There are a total of ten spots open. 'It's us listening to the communities,' he said. Focus group participants will receive a $30 gift card. CCS has done similar assessments in the Cleveland and Akron areas. 'Eventually, we would like to do it state wide,' Snyder said.


CTV News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Police board public feedback survey launched
The Winnipeg Police Board is asking for input from the public to help shape the future of policing in the city. The board has launched a survey allowing the public to weigh in on policing priorities to create its 2026 to 2030 strategic plans. 'The board must ensure that community needs and values are reflected in policing programs and strategies and that policing is delivered in a manner consistent with those needs, values, and community expectations,' a statement posted online reads. The survey asks residents to describe their level of trust in the police service, what they want to see police accomplish, and what role police should play in contributing to public safety. The survey can be found online.


Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Brent Council's twinning with Neblus 'may risk compounding antisemitism' according to its own report
When Peter Davies ran for the office of Mayor of Doncaster in 2009, he made two notable pledges to his electorate. To slash his own salary by over 50 per cent to £30,000, along with getting rid of the mayoral chauffeur-driven car, and to put an end to the practice of twinning foreign cities to Doncaster (there were five). The first pledge was easy to fulfil. But the second required Council approval and the process – according to Mr Davies in an interview to the Guardian – 'was like wading through treacle', taking six whole months. Rumour has it that when the mayor of one of the twinned cities wrote to Mr Davies following his election, the letter ended up in the bin, unread. The new Mayor of Doncaster had done away with all the translation services offered by the Council and so nobody in his office could read the foreign note. The point Mr Davies was trying to make sixteen years ago is more pertinent than ever today: the function of local politicians and council officials is to respond to local community needs. Anything else is a distraction, taking time and precious resources away from mundane but crucial functions of rubbish collection and road maintenance to instead serve the ego of politicians struggling to come to terms with the fact that they've ended up at town halls rather than the UN General Assembly. Take Brent City Council for example. Last Wednesday, the Labour-led Council in North London voted to be twinned with Nablus, a Palestinian city. Council Leader Muhammad Butt declared, [t]his is all about making sure the diversity of Brent and its community is being recognised.' Concerns were registered by Conservative councillors who voted against the partnership, claiming that the decision to twin with Nablus could be seen as 'appeasing a terrorist organisation' as the city in West Bank is reportedly governed by a council 'the majority of which, including the Mayor, are members of Hamas', a proscribed terrorist group. Labour councillors refused to engage with what they dismissed as 'lies, misinformation and fear-mongering' as they extolled the virtues of the partnership of the two cities based on their 'shared values'. 'We will build real partnerships here and in Nablus, working to face shared challenges', said Labour Councillor Ihtesham Afzal, who originally tabled the motion last year. Council Leader Muhammad Butt declared, '[the twinning] is all about making sure the diversity of Brent and its community is being recognised.'