New Boundary Commission Plan

The Boundary Commission for England have re-assessed their proposals published in 2016 for new boundaries for Parliamentary elections which are required to:

• reduce the number of MPs in the UK from 650 to 600
• reduce the number of MPs in the West Midlands from 59 to 53
• ensure every constituency has between 71,031 and 78,507 electors
.
Under the latest proposals Earlsdon ward, which is currently part of the Coventry South seat represented by Jim Cunningham, would become part of a new Coventry South and Kenilworth constituency.

However the other wards local to the ECHO area, Whoberley, Sherbourne and St. Michael’s, which under the 2016 proposals were in line to move from Coventry North West to Coventry South, will now remain in Coventry North West – the latter seat, held by Geoffrey Robinson since 1976, would have ceased to exist under the 2016 plan.

To see the proposals go to: here

You have until 11th December to make your comments.

More on this will follow in the December / January edition of ECHO.

Plan Submitted for ex Car Showroom

A planning application (ref. FUL/2017/2280) has been submitted to redevelop the former Albany Motors site at 75-77 Albany Road. (The city council has refused permission for the current use as a carpet showroom). The new proposal is for the demolition of the existing buildings, removal of the existing hardstanding and the erection of a three storey building comprising 8 two bedroom, 4- person, flats.

The proposed building would be positioned to the front of the site and a parking court to the rear would provide 14 spaces for use by the residents. Cycle parking and a bin storage area would also be provided.

The applicants claim to have designed the block of flats to fit in with the character of the surrounding area, but it is entirely modern in appearance and has a flat roof, unlike all the nearby properties.

Public consultation on this plan runs until 27 October.

Trading Standards Warning on Bogus Phone Calls

Residents are being urged to be wary of bogus telephone calls claiming to be from HMRC. There have been numerous reports of attempted frauds starting with a telephone call or recorded message rather than the more typical email or scam texts, and it seems to be aimed at elderly people in particular.

Recorded messages are being left telling residents that HMRC are filing a lawsuit against them and to press 1 to speak to an advisor otherwise it will result in serious legal consequences. The tone of the message has been reported as being aggressive, and some residents have been left upset and concerned that there were problems with their tax.

One elderly resident who received such a call was so concerned they did press 1 and as suspected, they were asked for their bank details on the pretence this was needed to make a payment for the arrears.

Debbie Morgan, Coventry Trading Standards Enforcement Officer, advised:
“HMRC, banks and the police will never ring people in this manner or ask for personal or bank details over the phone. If you receive a call of this type, we advise that you hang up immediately. If you have elderly friends or relatives who may be vulnerable to this scam, please talk to them and make them aware.”

Anyone who receives a call is urged to report these incidents on the Action Fraud website, or you can call them on 0300 123 2040 (charged at your normal network rate).

This latest scam is being investigated by HMRC fraud section. HMRC has published advice with genuine HMRC contacts and how to recognise scams which can be found on their website. HMRC also advise that if any details are inadvertently disclosed, contact them immediately on security.custcon@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 0300 200 3300.

Footbridge overnight closures

From today, Monday 25 September , Coventry City Council is closing the Central Six footbridge for part of each day. The bridge spanning the railway tracks and Central Six Retail Park, connecting Spencer Avenue / Park with Westminster Road, will be affected for one week to complete bridge maintenance works.

These works will involve the resurfacing of the bridge and to complete the work it needs to be fully closed to its users.

This closure will be in place overnight from 8pm to 6am. A diversion route will be signed.

New Bin System

Tomorrow, Tuesday 12th September, is the first day of the new bin collection system which affects not only the frequency of collections of the three different bins but also, for many people, the day of the week.

You should have had a printed calendar but if not you can check Here to see if your collection day has changed.

HiMO Appeal Concerns

The owners of the Beechwood Gardens care home at 73 Rochester Road have appealed against the council’s decision to reject their application to convert it into a 21 unit HiMO. The deadline for comments to the planning inspectorate is 31 August.

Neighbours are very concerned about the scale of this development and impact on traffic and noise on a quiet residential street and believe the application does seem to go against various council policies (losing employment sites, the need for more care homes and the parking needed for HiMOs).