The Local Data Company 2009 mid year shop vacancy report was out yesterday, see below for the regional one. Derby has been hit very hard it seems (worst in the country), mind you Leicester doesn't fare much better either.

http://www.localdatacompany.com/




Interesting (and also ironic when the Notts folk were just attacking the uselessness of statistics and painting a particular 'false' picture) ;)

The Leicester figure is slightly above the national average (13.4% v 12%), which, considering the sudden rise in available retail outlets in the city centre with the opening of Highcross (during the onset of a rescession), I actually find quite encouraging. I would suggest that the sudden surge in retail space in Derby with the opening of Westfield a major contributory factor for its high vacancy rate - although certainly not the only factor.

The trend across the country is a concerning one though, and you'd imagine would get slightly worse before it gets better.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/1137373217_7861ab45c4.jpg

Denial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. :lol:

Denial is a river running through Egypt...

Seriously, do you think that crime in the Nottingham area (I mean Greater Nottingham, the Nottingham conurbation - the area referred to on this map http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=6520&p=0 ) is higher than crime in comparable areas - say Leeds and Sheffield or Bristol?

If you do, on what evidence do you say that?

Interesting (and also ironic when the Notts folk were just attacking the uselessness of statistics and painting a particular 'false' picture) ;)
The Leicester figure is slightly above the national average (13.4% v 12%), which, considering the sudden rise in available retail outlets in the city centre with the opening of Highcross (during the onset of a rescession), I actually find quite encouraging. I would suggest that the sudden surge in retail space in Derby with the opening of Westfield a major contributory factor for its high vacancy rate - although certainly not the only factor.

The trend across the country is a concerning one though, and you'd imagine would get slightly worse before it gets better.

Yes maybe so but there is no harm posting them here and discussing them :)

The Local Data Company 2009 mid year shop vacancy report was out yesterday, see below for the regional one. Derby has been hit very hard it seems (worst in the country), mind you Leicester doesn't fare much better either.

Bit of a no brainer that one... Highcross Leicester/Westfield Derby + Recession. You only had Trinty Sq to fill, you don't seem to be finding that very easy yourselves. I wouldn't argue with the figures though.

The thing is I think we have stemmed the flow of loses now in the city centre. The impact of Highcross has softened (not that it has ever been as extreme as in Derby), we have completed the Streets & Spaces and I think the shops left in the city centre are pretty stable.

Nottingham has a better retail offering than Leicester, has done for years. But we have made some serious investment over the last few years and we have other plans on the table that will improve our offer. It has been tough but it will be rewarding when Highcross is booming and the city centre has filled up again... I think it will be sooner than many other places.

Even since this report you can add Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, 1573 Bar & Grill, Urban Pie, Almanack, Tom Wolfe & Powerplay all opened/opening in recent weeks.

To be clear, this is not a comment about crime rates. The level of burglary within the inner-city areas of Nottingham is too high, as with every other British city. But the figures do not show that the crime rate in Nottingham is higher than in comparable cities. (It shows that the crime rate in inner-city Nottingham is higher than the crime rate in the whole of Leeds or Sheffield or Bristol). But because the headlines say "Nottingham" has a higher crime rate than "Leeds" it gives a misleading impression of the relative levels of crime in those cities.

How is it helpful to, say, the people in the high crime areas of inner city Leeds or Sheffield that their cities are deemed to be OK for crime, whereas Nottingham comes higher in a table, when the rates are likely to be similar?

(Breaking down the figures into individual wards or postcode areas would be a far better way to target help where it is needed. I'm sure that's done, but it's not what grabs the headlines, and it's that which damages the reputation of Nottingham.

Denial is a river running through Egypt...

Seriously, do you think that crime in the Nottingham area (I mean Greater Nottingham, the Nottingham conurbation - the area referred to on this map http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=6520&p=0 ) i.e. is higher than crime in comparable areas - say Leeds and Sheffield or Bristol?

If you do, on what evidence do you say that?


I don't profess to be any sort of expert, so I'm sure someone will correct if I'm wrong!

The article originally posted refers to robbery so I'll stick with that. I completely agree that the issue of boundaries will have an effect on the positioning of a city when the stats are coverted into percentages, and in that case, Nottingham (and Manchester) will jump places in the table. And unfortunately this is what grabs the headlines, as Binge rightly says. This 'false' impression is what grates, and anyone with an IQ above 90 should be able to grasp the concept - even the Home Office acknowledge it on their report:

"Caution needs to be taken when considering crime rates of city centre areas, due to the very small population and household levels in these areas. The very high reported crime rates in city centres are partly due to the use of small resident population and household figures as the denominator of the crime rate. The 'transient population' that migrates into these areas on a daily basis, either for work or leisure, will not be reflected in the resident population figures. Changes in population estimates between years must also be borne in mind when comparing changes in crime rates."

However, what also can't be denied is that Nottingham does have one of the highest levels of robbery in the UK - even when comparing to Leeds, Bristol and Sheffield (which are apparently comparable). This is where I'm sure someone will help me if I'm incorrect, but surely the concept of 'underbounding' would actually improve Nottingham's position if we just took the absolute values / figures? (Since it won't include the areas on the outskirts of the city?)

Well, if you convert the table into a descending order of reported offences of robbery, Nottingham (1,554) only comes behind Birmingham, Manchester, and the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Westminster, Newham and Brent. Nottingham comes slightly ahead of Bristol (1,529) - which apparently has a wider boundary. I'm sorry, but whichever way you look at it, Nottingham does have an issue with crime; both perceived and real.

If you take regions / conurbations / counties, it doesn't look a whole lot better. Nottinghamshire for example (which I assume would cover the 'conurbation' to which Binge refers) has one of the highest levels of robbery offences outside of London. Excluding the London region, you have West Midlands, then Greater Manchester (as you'd kind of expect), then West Yorkshire, Thames Valley, Nottinghamshire, and Avon & Somerset - and in that order. When you convert these into 'Robbery offences per 1,000 population':

West Midlands - 3
Greater Manchester - 3
Nottinghamshire (covering Nottingham conurbation) - 2
West Yorkshire (covering Leeds conurbation) - 1
Avon & Somerset (covering Bristol conurbation) - 1
Thames Valley - 1

Edit - Leicestershire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire (covering Sheffield conurbation) are a little further down the list, and they also have a conversion rate of 1 offence per 1,000 population.

So from those, you could say that you're twice as likely to be a victim of robbery in Notts than West Yorks, Thames Valley, and Avon & Somerset? Or are there lies, damned lies, and statistics? Or is the truth probably somewhere in between?

I have sympathy for the way Nottingham is portrayed, because I think the impression skews reality to the wider populace. There are numerous things wrong with the way that statistics are produced, and even though they are presented 'in the fairest way possible', they never tell a full story. But Nottingham (and Nottinghamshire) still needs to work hard to improve its image, probably more than most.

Yes maybe so but there is no harm posting them here and discussing them :)

Completely agree! It's probably the only thing that keeps me reading this forum whilst there is this dearth of development happenings!

:cheers:

I'm confused Ruts. Which report are you talking about?

This one - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8174818.stm - posted earlier by Duane is about burglary (theft from property) not robbery (theft from the person i.e. mugging or pickpocketing).

And where is that Home Office passage from? It talks about city centre areas (i.e. Central Business Districts) where you would expect very little burglary (because there are very few residential properties) but a lot of robbery (because there are lots of people coming and going every day).

And then you are talking about numbers of reported incidents and saying Nottingham still has more, but in that burglary list we get Nottingham - 4367 total, Leeds - 9248 total. You'd expect Leeds to have more, of course, because it is covering a larger area, so that figure doesn't tell us anything about comparable burglary rates either, because it's not comparing like with like...

So, as I say - I'm confused??

I'm confused Ruts. Which report are you talking about?

This one - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8174818.stm - posted earlier by Duane is about burglary (theft from property) not robbery (theft from the person i.e. mugging or pickpocketing).

And where is that Home Office passage from? It talks about city centre areas (i.e. Central Business Districts) where you would expect very little burglary (because there are very few residential properties) but a lot of robbery (because there are lots of people coming and going every day).

And then you are talking about numbers of reported incidents and saying Nottingham still has more, but in that burglary list we get Nottingham - 4367 total, Leeds - 9248 total. You'd expect Leeds to have more, of course, because it is covering a larger area, so that figure doesn't tell us anything about comparable burglary rates either, because it's not comparing like with like...

So, as I say - I'm confused??


Apologies - I have indeed gone from the robbery figures rather than burglary. The comments on robbery (theft from the person i.e. mugging or pickpocketing) still stand. No need to be too confused Binge mate. ;)

The statistics (and the Home Office quote) are taken from the related link in the article duane posted (which is where the figures in the article come from) - http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/cdrptabsa.xls

You'd expect Leeds to have more, of course, because it is covering a larger area, so that figure doesn't tell us anything about comparable burglary rates either, because it's not comparing like with like...
- I thought you were claiming that Nottingham is comparable to Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol? :P

Anyways, following the same method I applied previously, the whole of Nottinghamshire (so covering the Nottingham conurbation, not just the 'underbounded' Nottingham City Centre) has a total 9,457 burglary offences - only slightly more than Leeds alone. Like you say, it's not comparing like for like, but an interesting comparison nonetheless. It is also a higher rate than both South Yorkshire (covering Sheffield conurbation) and Avon & Somerset (covering Bristol conurbation) - 8,693 and 8,613 respectively. And when you look at those conurbation figures in terms of Burglary dwelling offences per 1,000 population:

West Yorkshire - 10
Nottinghamshire - 9
South Yorkshire - 7
Avon & Somerset - 5

If it was in terms of Burglary dwelling offences per 1,000 households (like in the BBC article):

West Yorkshire - 22
Nottinghamshire - 20
South Yorkshire - 15
Avon & Somerset - 13

Interestingly, if you looked at counties / conurbations and Burglary dwelling offences per 1,000 households, only West Yorks (22) and Greater Manchester (21) come above Nottinghamshire. 'City / Town Centre' areas dominate that list, but the Notts conurbation is still feature relatively high on the list!

And then you are talking about numbers of reported incidents and saying Nottingham still has more, but in that burglary list we get Nottingham - 4367 total, Leeds - 9248 total. - Like I say, the list I used was for robbery, not the burglary figures you quoted.

Edit: Just out of interest - which of the following would need to be added to 'Nottingham' in order to make it a 'fair' comparison with the Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol figures? (or any other city for that matter?)
Ashfield
Mansfield
Broxtowe
Gedling
Bassetlaw
Rushcliffe
Newark & Sherwood

You'd expect Leeds to have more, of course, because it is covering a larger area, so that figure doesn't tell us anything about comparable burglary rates either, because it's not comparing like with like...
- I thought you were claiming that Nottingham is comparable to Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol? :P

I am quite happy to compare the whole of each city - that is, the entire built-up area - but those tables don't do that. We're back to square one - and underbounding.

The figures in that table for "Leeds" cover the Leeds City Council area. The Leeds City Council area includes not just the high-crime city centre and inner-city, but all of Leeds's lower crime wealthier suburban areas like and even some rural areas outside the built-up area of Leeds.

The figures in that table for "Nottingham" cover the Nottingham City Council area. The Nottingham City Council area includes the high-crime city centre and inner-city, but doesn't extend into Nottingham's lower-crime wealthier suburban areas like West Bridgford, Arnold, Beeston or Carlton.

You would expect there to be more crime, if you count actual incidents, in what the table calls "Leeds" because it is a larger area with a higher population.

You would expect there to be a higher level of crime in what the table calls "Nottingham" because it a tightly drawn area with a higher concentration of inner city high crime areas, whereas the higher crime areas of Leeds are averaged out by the lower crime suburban and semi-rural areas.

If you averaged out the crime in Nottingham's city centre, inner-city and suburbs then you could compare it fairly to Leeds. Maybe it would be higher. maybe it would be lower. The fact is, we can't tell from those figures, but people still use those figures to say Nottingham is a more dangerous crime-ridden place than Leeds.

Anyways, following the same method I applied previously, the whole of Nottinghamshire (so covering the Nottingham conurbation, not just the 'underbounded' Nottingham City Centre) has a total 9,457 burglary offences - only slightly more than Leeds alone. Like you say, it's not comparing like for like, but an interesting comparison nonetheless.

I don't see how it's that interesting when it's so hard to draw any meaning from it :). The county of Notts has a lower burglary rate than the city of Leeds? Well, yes, you'd expect so. One is a city and its immediate suburbs and surrounds, one is a whole county covering rural areas, small towns etc, as well as the city.

Edit: Just out of interest - which of the following would need to be added to 'Nottingham' in order to make it a 'fair' comparison with the Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol figures? (or any other city for that matter?)
Ashfield
Mansfield
Broxtowe
Gedling
Bassetlaw
Rushcliffe
Newark & Sherwood

You don't need to add the whole any of those council areas on to Nottingham City to get the whole urban area, just parts of Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, and Gedling. The area I believe should make up Nottingham is the built-up area, broadly as shown on this map:

http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=6520&p=0

This map shows which parts of town aren't aren't governed by Nottingham City Council.

http://consult.erewash.gov.uk/events/5016/images/web/789305_0_1.jpg

You can argue whether Hucknall, Ilkeston, Long Eaton should be included, but Arnold, West Bridgford, Carlton and Beeston should definitely be included.

I am quite happy to compare the whole of each city - that is, the entire built-up area - but those tables don't do that. We're back to square one - and underbounding.

Hence my little 'stick the tongue out smilie' - I'm just playing with you. You want to be compared to them, but as you keep saying, it's unfair to do so because the stats that we're presented with don't have the city of Nottingham represented in the way that you believe should be. Fair enough.

The figures in that table for "Leeds" cover the Leeds City Council area. The Leeds City Council area includes not just the high-crime city centre and inner-city, but all of Leeds's lower crime wealthier suburban areas like and even some rural areas outside the built-up area of Leeds.

The figures in that table for "Nottingham" cover the Nottingham City Council area. The Nottingham City Council area includes the high-crime city centre and inner-city, but doesn't extend into Nottingham's lower-crime wealthier suburban areas like West Bridgford, Arnold, Beeston or Carlton.

I fully understand what is referred to as 'Leeds' (or other cities you'd like to compare to) and 'Nottingham' - I'm pretty sure that was what started it all off? Hence why I 'removed' this barrier and tried to look at the counties in which the cities are based (in this instance Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Avon & Somerset since they cover the cities and conurbations you mentioned), thus including the lovely leafy low-crime areas that you want to be included in 'Nottingham'.

Of course comparing counties brings with it it's own set of problems, but with the figures we've got, I think it's the best we can get when comparing 'like for like'. And either way you look at it, for both robbery and burglary, Notts didn't compare too favourably. But you didn't seem to address those points....

You would expect there to be more crime, if you count actual incidents, in what the table calls "Leeds" because it is a larger area with a higher population.

Eh? Now you're just contradicting yourself surely. Due to the 'underbounding' of Nottingham, then the number of actual incidents would be much less than that of 'Sheffield' and 'Bristol UA' as they have wider boundaries - but it doesn't. They're near enough exactly the same. So, if you actually added the number of incidents in the areas you would like to be considered as Nottingham (West Bridgford et al) then it would actually pull Nottingham ahead of those two cities and the excuse of underbounding would be gone! What would you do then?! ;)

You would expect there to be a higher level of crime in what the table calls "Nottingham" because it a tightly drawn area with a higher concentration of inner city high crime areas, whereas the higher crime areas of Leeds are averaged out by the lower crime suburban and semi-rural areas.

No shit ;)

If you averaged out the crime in Nottingham's city centre, inner-city and suburbs then you could compare it fairly to Leeds. Maybe it would be higher. maybe it would be lower. The fact is, we can't tell from those figures, but people still use those figures to say Nottingham is a more dangerous crime-ridden place than Leeds.

Erm, ok, seems like we're going in circles somewhat here. We all know what 'underbounding' means, and as I said a couple of posts ago, I appreciate how this causes places like Nottingham and Manchester to rise some places. It's unfair as it grabs headlines - but underbounding isn't the sole issue why Nottingham features so highly, as I'm sure you are aware.

They are converted into percentages / figures per 1,000 'X', because it is the fairest way when comparing as they all have the same denominator. It's not perfect, and the Home Office clearly state that when releasing the figures.

Let's be frank, we're comparing high levels of crime with other high levels of crime, and whichever way you manipulate the table of crime statistics, there is no escaping that Nottingham (and/or Nottinghamshire) tend to feature towards the top end on a fairly consistent basis.


I don't see how it's that interesting when it's so hard to draw any meaning from it :). The county of Notts has a lower burglary rate than the city of Leeds? Well, yes, you'd expect so. One is a city and its immediate suburbs and surrounds, one is a whole county covering rural areas, small towns etc, as well as the city.

Ok, all I was saying that I found it interesting that there was more recorded crime in Leeds than there was in the entire Nottinghamshire county. It doesn't mean anything though, and was intended to be a passing comment - and I wasn't referring to 'rates', but the absolute totals / figures.


You don't need to add the whole any of those council areas on to Nottingham City to get the whole urban area, just parts of Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, and Gedling. The area I believe should make up Nottingham is the built-up area, broadly as shown on this map:

http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=6520&p=0

This map shows which parts of town aren't aren't governed by Nottingham City Council.

You can argue whether Hucknall, Ilkeston, Long Eaton should be included, but Arnold, West Bridgford, Carlton and Beeston should definitely be included

Don't know if any local authority has the figures for just Arnold, West Bridgford, Carlton and Beeston - maybe they could be added together? (If anyone can be arsed? :D )

This map shows which parts of town aren't aren't governed by Nottingham City Council.

http://consult.erewash.gov.uk/events/5016/images/web/789305_0_1.jpg

You can argue whether Hucknall, Ilkeston, Long Eaton should be included, but Arnold, West Bridgford, Carlton and Beeston should definitely be included.

I'd say yes to West Bridgford, Arnold, Carlton and Beeston since all four are clearly contiguous with the Nottingham city area. The rest, however, are only tenuously linked and one of them is in the wrong bloody county anyway

Where did you get that map from, anyway?

Eh? Now you're just contradicting yourself surely. Due to the 'underbounding' of Nottingham, then the number of actual incidents would be much less than that of 'Sheffield' and 'Bristol UA' as they have wider boundaries - but it doesn't. They're near enough exactly the same. So, if you actually added the number of incidents in the areas you would like to be considered as Nottingham (West Bridgford et al) then it would actually pull Nottingham ahead of those two cities and the excuse of underbounding would be gone! What would you do then?! ;)

In that case, then you have an example where, in that category, Nottingham's crime rate is higher than Sheffield and Bristol (though possibly lower than Manchester and Leeds - it's hard to say). I don't have a problem with that (well, I do have a problem with that, cos I live here! and I don't fancy getting robbed), but if there are figures that definitively show that crime in a comparable area of Nottingham compared to another city is higher then it would be wrong to ignore it. My problem is entirely that most of the time we are not able to make those judgements from the figures presented to us, and so the assumption that Nottingham is somehow significantly more dangerous, crime-ridden, violent than Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol or Glasgow seems to me to be based mainly on hearsay and received wisdom rather than documented fact.

Erm, ok, seems like we're going in circles somewhat here. We all know what 'underbounding' means, and as I said a couple of posts ago, I appreciate how this causes places like Nottingham and Manchester to rise some places. It's unfair as it grabs headlines - but underbounding isn't the sole issue why Nottingham features so highly, as I'm sure you are aware.

You see, I'm really not aware of a reason why Nottingham would feature any higher than comparable cities when compared like-for-like. Why would it? What are the other reasons, then??

By which I mean, I would probably expect Nottingham - as one of the country's top 6 or 7 big cities, to feature in the top 10 in most of these kind of categories. But I don't see why there is any reason to think it should feature on the top one or two, as the media - and some posters on here - buy unconditionally.

In that case, then you have an example where, in that category, Nottingham's crime rate is higher than Sheffield and Bristol (though possibly lower than Manchester and Leeds - it's hard to say). I don't have a problem with that (well, I do have a problem with that, cos I live here! and I don't fancy getting robbed), but if there are figures that definitively show that crime in a comparable area of Nottingham compared to another city is higher then it would be wrong to ignore it. My problem is entirely that most of the time we are not able to make those judgements from the figures presented to us, and so the assumption that Nottingham is somehow significantly more dangerous, crime-ridden, violent than Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol or Glasgow seems to me to be based mainly on hearsay and received wisdom rather than documented fact.

Completely agree - in fact that's why I tried to look at it from a 'county' perspective (which like I said brings its own problems) - but you didn't address those points. With the stats we're presented with, I believed it was the only way of comparing 'like for like' and removed the issue of 'underbounding', and each city in those counties were by far the dominant economy / conurbation within each county represented (bar probably West Yorks).

Nottinghamshire still featured highly in those stats in relative terms - why was that?


You see, I'm really not aware of a reason why Nottingham would feature any higher than comparable cities when compared like-for-like. Why would it? What are the other reasons, then??
By which I mean, I would probably expect Nottingham - as one of the country's top 6 or 7 big cities, to feature in the top 10 in most of these kind of categories. But I don't see why there is any reason to think it should feature on the top one or two, as the media - and some posters on here - buy unconditionally.

You kind of answer your own question there Binge. Nottingham features highly on these NATIONAL lists because it is one of the larger cities / urban conurbations - and it has a high level of crime (like many cities). You are a seemingly intelligent individual, so that's why I said that I'm sure you are aware that Nottingham is high in the crime statistics not just because of an 'underbounding' issue.

However, where you get 'one of the country's top 6 or 7 big cities' from I have no idea. Nottingham is only the EIGHTH largest 'urban area' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conurbations_in_the_United_Kingdom) and Nottingham is by no means in the 'top ten' cities by population. Even if we unscientifically added anohter 100,000 to Nottingham's recorded population (249,584), it would still only creep into the top 10 in terms of population.

I don't really understand why (well, I do) Nottingham continuously uses the 'underbounding card' as a reason for fetauring highly in crime statistics. I completely agree with you (as I have said times before) that Nottingham gets an 'unfair reputation' in terms of its standings because underbounding will push it further up the table. But how can you deny that, in relative national terms, Nottingham has a high crime rate / level? And Nottingham 'punches above its weight' not only in retail, but in crime too?

Nottinghamshire still featured highly in those stats in relative terms - why was that?

I've held my hands up - with those particular figures, you are able to demonstrate that Notts appears to have a higher rate of robbery than Sheffield or Bristol. I absolutely take that on the chin. That's what I mean - if there are figures that can be compared that show high crime, then let's have them. But most of the figures are not comparing like with like (and even those figures are far from straightforward - you are comparing county figures with city figures - not the same thing). And Sheffield and Bristol are both smaller urban areas than Nottingham, by the way.

You kind of answer your own question there Binge. Nottingham features highly on these NATIONAL lists because it is one of the larger cities / urban conurbations - and it has a high level of crime (like many cities). You are a seemingly intelligent individual, so that's why I said that I'm sure you are aware that Nottingham is high in the crime statistics not just because of an 'underbounding' issue.

I absolutely accept that we will be high on a list of crime figures because we

However, where you get 'one of the country's top 6 or 7 big cities' from I have no idea. Nottingham is only the EIGHTH largest 'urban area' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conurbations_in_the_United_Kingdom)

OK. my mistake - off the top of my head I thought we were maybe the seventh biggest city, when in fact you are telling me we are only the eighth biggest city. Please, please forgive me.:)

and Nottingham is by no means in the 'top ten' cities by population. Even if we unscientifically added anohter 100,000 to Nottingham's recorded population (249,584), it would still only creep into the top 10 in terms of population.

Oh come on, it's not difficult! THE WHOLE POINT ABOUT ALL OF THIS is that a true reflection of a what makes a city is not where the politiicains draw a local authority boundary, but its whole urban area. Please don't start on this "Actually, Leicester (and Wakefield and Coventry) are bigger than Nottingham" crap. Yes, but only if you also agree "London" has a population of about 10,000 (City of London).


I don't really understand why (well, I do) that Nottingham continuously use the 'underbounding card' as a reason for fetauring highly in crime statistics.

And I don't understand why our consistent pointing out that underbounding distorts our crime figures is somehow used as an argument against us. The figures are distorted by underbounding whenever they are released. The same thing happens time and time again. What should we say - "It's still distorting the figures, but we mentioned it last year, so you can forget about it now"?

You say you accept that underbounding distorts the figures, but then you try and use those exact figures to prove your points. You say "Well, OK, Nottingham is underbounded, but everybody knows it has a high crime problem." But how do they know that? Because they refer to the misleading statistics!

Again, I am not saying Nottingham has no crime problem. I see every reason for it to have just as high a crime problem as any of those other top 10 cities. But the distortion comes when the media and those who see the media believe Nottingham to be a particularly high crime area, over and above what you'd expect from one of our major cities. I don't think that has ever been proved, but it is alluded to time and time again.

I completely agree with you (as I have said times before) that Nottingham gets an 'unfair reputation' in terms of its standings because underbounding will push it further up the table. But how can you deny that, in relative national terms, Nottingham has a high crime rate / level?

Relative to what? Relative to the national average, of course we have high crime - we are a major city with all the urban problems that brings. Relative to other top 10 cities? Then, as you agree, underbounding pushes Nottingham further up the tables than it should be. You appear to suggest that that only explains some of the distortion, but you have no way of confirming that.

I've held my hands up - with those particular figures, you are able to demonstrate that Notts appears to have a higher rate of robbery than Sheffield or Bristol. I absolutely take that on the chin. That's what I mean - if there are figures that can be compared that show high crime, then let's have them. But most of the figures are not comparing like with like (and even those figures are far from straightforward - you are comparing county figures with city figures - not the same thing). And Sheffield and Bristol are both smaller urban areas than Nottingham, by the way..


Robbery AND burglary ;) I recognise that comparing counties brings other issues. And I know that Bristol and Sheffield have smaller urban areas - that's why stats are converted into rates using a common denominator such as 'per 1,000 households'.


OK. my mistake - off the top of my head I thought we were maybe the seventh biggest city, when in fact you are telling me we are only the eighth biggest city. Please, please forgive me.:).

I will of course forgive you Binge - I actually have time for you mate. But just don't keep guestimating, we're meant to be looking at facts here. ;)

Cities and urban areas are not the same thing though, but I'm pretty sure that's a whole other can of worms!


Oh come on, it's not difficult! THE WHOLE POINT ABOUT ALL OF THIS is that a true reflection of a what makes a city is not where the politiicains draw a local authority boundary, but its whole urban area. Please don't start on this "Actually, Leicester (and Wakefield and Coventry) are bigger than Nottingham" crap. Yes, but only if you also agree "London" has a population of about 10,000 (City of London)..

Woah, where have I mentioned Leicester / Wakefield / Coventry? I've stuck to the cities that YOU said we should compare Nottingham to. I looked at counties so as to cover the whole urban areas of the respective cities, and Nottingham(shire) still featured highly...

This isn't a Nottingham-bashing, Notts v Leic thing (well, I certainly don't intend it to be so I hope you're not reading it that way). I'm just trying to present a different side to the argument of 'Nottingham's underbounding'.


And I don't understand why our consistent pointing out that underbounding distorts our crime figures is somehow used as an argument against us. The figures are distorted by underbounding whenever they are released. The same thing happens time and time again. What should we say - "It's still distorting the figures, but we mentioned it last year, so you can forget about it now"?

You say you accept that underbounding distorts the figures, but then you try and use those exact figures to prove your points. You say "Well, OK, Nottingham is underbounded, but everybody knows it has a high crime problem." But how do they know that? Because they refer to the misleading statistics!.

I have no problem in the underbounding issue being raised. I also agree that the articles are misleading. The issue I have is that the 'underbounding' is used to excuse Nottingham's position (by some). Nottingham, like other cities, has a crime problem; and I don't think it's acceptable to say 'well, we're underbounded and that's why we feature highly on the stats'. The reason is because there is a high level of crime, and that can't be denied. (And I know you've said that you find the crime rate hard to swallow, I'm not having a go).

Nottingham is in no way unique in that mentality. I'm from Stoke originally, and live in Leicester now, and people in both cities have the attitude of 'well, we're no worse than other cities in the UK, so we'll brush those (bad) things under the carpet' and believe that that's a reason not to strive for improvement. Well, that's quite galling to me. Maybe I'm too idealistic, but I'd like more people to accept things and try to do something about it if it affects them / their reputation. Again, that's not aimed at you at all, just a general observation.


Again, I am not saying Nottingham has no crime problem. I see every reason for it to have just as high a crime problem as any of those other top 10 cities. But the distortion comes when the media and those who see the media believe Nottingham to be a particularly high crime area, over and above what you'd expect from one of our major cities. I don't think that has ever been proved, but it is alluded to time and time again.

Hmmm, I like to take much of the media articles with a big pinch of salt and try to look at facts and accept the flaws in the methodology in compiling such things. But Nottingham doesn't suffer any more than say Stoke, Hull, Bradford, Swindon, Bolton etc. (off the top of my head) when these types of national statistics and polls are released. People will make up their minds on a combination of what is real and perceived; it's human nature I guess. I mean, what makes Nottingham so special that it appears the locals can't take ANY criticism whatsoever? I travel around the UK fair bit with my job, and whilst most places naturally defend where they live, Notts folk do seem to have a more blinkered view than most (Leeds and Newcastle locals, and West Ham fans, fall into this category too from my experience). :D


Relative to what? Relative to the national average, of course we have high crime - we are a major city with all the urban problems that brings. Relative to other top 10 cities? Then, as you agree, underbounding pushes Nottingham further up the tables than it should be. You appear to suggest that that only explains some of the distortion, but you have no way of confirming that.

Erm, of course relative to national statistics, because that's what we're presented with. I never mentioned that underbounding explains 'some of the distortion', although I'm pretty sure I said it would push Nottingham (and other 'underbounded' cities) up the table. What I did say was that Nottingham is high in the table, and of course reasons like being a larger urban area is a factor for that. And so is having a high level / rate of crime.

So, to summarise, here is my position:

Why does Nottingham have a high crime rate?

Because it's a big city. Big cities have high crime rates.

Does Nottingham have a particularly high crime rate for a big city?

It's not clear. The general perception is that it does, but that perception is based on misleading statistics.

Shouldn't Nottingham be doing more to combat its crime problem?

Er, yes, of course. Like everywhere else.

Anyone pop down to the Riverside Festival over the weekend? I went down for the fireworks on saturday night. It wasn't as busy as it normally is but that was probably due to the fact that it rained all day. Luckily it was dry for the fireworks although the grasssy areas were like a swamp. My trainers are now brown from the amount of mud on them.

Today was great though the atmosphere down there was good, excellent music and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.
I bought a flash gun for my DSLR for £3! It's from 1970 but it works a treat :lol:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article6736808.ece

The Student Living Index, produced by Natwest, ranks 20 university towns and cities for cost-effectiveness by comparing average student earnings with the cost of living. Brighton, Liverpool, Glasgow, Reading and Manchester come top, while Newcastle, Dundee, Norwich, Nottingham and York are bottom.

Looks like wages are relatively low in Nottingham for students and expenses relatively high.

Or it may be because students studying at Nottingham and York are so rich they don't have to work, or work very few hours! This is the case for Exeter, which doesn't seem to feature in the survey. It's appeared in others before though and the authors have said that Exeter is a cost effective place to live, and that few students work. Few students work in Exeter because most are rich enough to not need to!

This survey seems to look at it from a diametrically opposed angle. Someone has posted a comment on the article that Brighton students have to work because it's very expensive to live there. The only real way to assess it is look at student expenditure- not at student wages. Students will be working in bars and shops, which generally pay minimum wage nationwide, or slightly above it.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article6736808.ece

Looks like wages are relatively low in Nottingham for students and expenses relatively high.

i can see what they're trying to do with that research... but they've really got it all wrong haven't they.

what the average student earns is meaningless. what you need to know is what the average student 'could' earn, if s/he wanted to. some of the living costs are fine... but looking at the price of textbooks is irrelevant... a textbook costs the same wherever you are, and if students in one city spend a lot more on books than students in another, it's likely a reflection of the mixture of courses delivered and the support that those students have to buy books. i spent very little on textbooks at university because i couldn't afford them.. friends who got generous parental contributions spent a fortune.

nottingham has one of the countrys top teaching hospitals... so the proportion of medical students is probably higher than most cities... they probably have to spend more on books than other students, and they have less time available to do part time work. they also tend to come from wealthier backgrounds and so are more likely to have parental support which allows them to spend more (on books and everything else) despite not doing part time work.

if you're a student looking for a cheap place to study then all you need to know is the cost of renting the average student room, the average price of a pint and a taxi home, and the availablity and value of part time work.

Interesting piece from today's Mercury, with many salient points

It's doubtful whether Richard Haswell is dangerous, but he is armed. "How are you?," he asks, wary smile pointedly juxtaposed with the big socket spanner dangling from his gloved hand.

There's an explanation for the spanner. The De Montfort Hall manager has been putting up fences for tomorrow's Summer Sundae festival.

Together with the workman's scruffs, it sends a message that here is a man pulling his weight to bring top music to Leicester.

It might also be a subliminal warning to tread carefully with the line of questioning.

That won't be easy and Richard knows it after our bumpy telephone conversation last week.

Who books the bands for De Mont, we asked? That one's not very good. You need to get someone else in.

After much exasperated sighing and a few choice expletives, Richard gave us an answer. He books the bands.

We agreed to talk again, face to face, in a few days. So, here we are, braced for round two in the DMH foyer.

The case against DMH is this: Summer Sundae is fantastic, one of the best boutique music festivals anywhere. You can't knock an event with more than 100 acts over six stages, featuring the likes of The Streets, The Zutons and The Charlatans.

But after the summer comes the winter of discontent. Look to DMH for a decent band in the run-up to Christmas and the cupboard is almost bare.

There's Massive Attack, Bowling For Soup, the pineapple-haired woman from M People, if we're being charitable, and, well, that's about it.

For much of the next three months, the house lights will dim to the crunch of Werther's Original on denture.

There's lots of good comedy and prestigious classical concerts, plus plenty of multicultural events, but the rock and pop bill has brittle bone disease.

This autumn, ladies and gentlemen, we'll party like it's 1939 with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (again) or tap a natty slip-on to the superannuated sounds of Memories Are Made of This, Dancing in the Streets, Spirit of the Dance, Jack Jones and the Billy Fury Story.

There's nothing wrong with any of those, but where's the music for the under 40s?

Nottingham's Rock City, a similar sized venue, has them in abundance and so does Wolverhampton's Civic Hall.

Under 40s pay their share of the £700,000 a year DMH gets from the council, but it looks as though they're being short-changed.

Richard's eyes do a barrel roll.

"The starting point for your comparison is wrong," he says.

"Nottingham has Rock City, the Royal Concert Hall, the Theatre Royal and the arena. They all do elements of what we do but we're trying to cram them all into one venue.

"We've been here before," sighs the DMH manager.

He's right, we have, but it's never been properly explained why the DMH can't shoehorn more bands into its schedule.

That question normally leads to calls for a new arena. But we're not talking about Oasis and Coldplay enormodrome acts here, we're talking the likes of Paolo Nutini and Lily Allen.

"I don't buy the view an arena is what Leicester needs," says Richard, breaking with the established orthodoxy.

"Nottingham, Birmingham and Sheffield all have major venues within 60 minutes travelling time. Big bands tend to play one regional gig.

"I don't think the potential for an arena is there in Leicester. What we need is the equivalent of an O2 Academy or Rock City."

Over at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, manager Mark Blackstock says booking bands has never been easier. With record sales in freefall, bands are desperate for lucrative live income.

"It's not for me to criticise other venues," he says. "Leicester used to be really good for bands."

The words "used to" speak volumes.

So why is Wolverhampton getting the likes of Ian Brown, Jet, Franz Ferdinand and Ray LaMontagne when Leicester isn't?

Having the Little Civic (capacity 120) and the Wulfrun Hall (capacity 1,134) helps a lot, explains Mark.

Wolverhampton can give emerging acts a leg-up at the smaller venues. By the time they're ready to play the Civic Hall, strong bonds have been established.

Getting gigs at DMH is made harder still as most of the major promoters now have stakes in venues and a vested interest in filling their own houses first, leaving the likes of the DMH fighting over the scraps.

Rock City, an independent venue, keeps its leverage with promoters because the owners have other nearby venues to bargain with and Nottingham is seen as too big a music city to miss off the map.

Promoter Tim Hill, of Outside Promotions, takes yet more of the heat off Richard.

Leicester suffers from a lack of venues and an audience that too often stays at home, he says.

Put on a half-decent band in Northampton or Wolverhampton and the place will be packed.

Do the same in Leicester and there will be enough empty space to hunt wild buffalo.

Consequently, if a band is going to do one East Midlands show, promoters will tend to look elsewhere.

"Richard is a good bloke," says Tim. "He'll do everything he can to help you out. I'm forever hassling him with bands, but there isn't the space."

Rock and pop bands are nearly always the last acts to become available to DMH, Richard explains.

By the time they do, perhaps at a couple of months' notice, that night has already been filled. The big musicals, which guzzle dates, are often booked 18 months in advance.

So why not remove some of the scheduling bed-blockers – Blood Brothers and the big Christmas show Scrooge – from the diary?

Why not let Curve handle those?

"Curve and here are different animals," says Richard. "Curve's smaller. It's not a place to see major West End musicals. If we don't do them, no-one will.

"Twenty-eight thousand people came through our doors to see Evita and Joseph last Christmas. They're hugely popular."

Okay, so how about leaving, say, 50 diary dates blank a year, for the last-minute booking of bands?

They tried that a few years ago, says Richard, and many of those "dark dates" in the diary never got filled. If that happened again, he points out, we would be banging on his door wanting to know why the closed signs were always up.

Ironically, Richard could save himself a lot of hassle by not bothering with bands at all.

Comedy, musicals and family-friendly kids' shows mean 44.8% of the DMH audience is aged between 16 and 44 – enough to justify continuing taxpayer support as an all-things-to-all-people attraction.

He doesn't want to do that because he's a music fan.

"I want more bands," says Richard. "I wanted Ian Brown and Franz Ferdinand and it would have been fantastic to bring The Specials here.

"You're asking the wrong question about why bands don't come here. The question should be why is Leicester so under-served for venues?"

Full Summer Sundae coverage in The Week today.

Interesting survey results I've jut found regarding the impact of the recession:

Edinburgh
The Scottish capital fared the best of the major UK cities studied. Just one family in five (20%) there have seen their income drop, according to Kleeneze. Those hit have lost around an eighth of their income (12.68%).

Cardiff
The second best place in the UK to ride out the recession so far has been Cardiff. The Welsh capital has seen fewer families than average lose income and those who have been affected have lost less money – at 18.75% of their earnings.

Brighton
Residents of the south-coast city of Brighton are the next best off. About one family in four (26.5%) has seen its income drop, the same number as Cardiff, although those affected have lost a relatively large amount at an average of £6,784.60.

Sheffield
In fourth position is Sheffield, where 28% of residents have seen their income fall. However those affected have lost only 10% (£3,291.01) of their income.

Belfast
Northern Ireland's capital has also fared better than most of the UK. Twenty-nine percent of families have been affected, losing an average of 23% of their income.

Glasgow
While not faring as well as Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast, Glasgow has ridden out the first six months of recession far better than the UK average. Some 30.8% of the city have seen their incomes reduced, losing on average 12.25% of their earnings or £4,015.43 a year.

Norwich
Kleeneze's study showed 31.7% of families in Norwich had been hit, losing on average 18.1% of their income or £5,933 a year.

Newcastle
Although some 32.4% of those living on the Tyne have been affected, they have lost a lot less than the UK average, at 15.64% of their income.

Manchester
Manchester, on the other hand, is a model of how the recession has bitten the whole of the UK. While 35.1% of all Britons have lost money in the last six months, 32.5% of Mancunians have lost out. And while the average amount of income lost is 19.74%, Manchester residents affected have lost 19.13% of theirs.

London
The biggest city in the UK has fared a bit better than the rest of the country on average. Kleeneze's study shows 34.1% of Londoner families have lost money, at an average of 16.97% of their annual income or £5,564 a year.

Leeds
The biggest city in the UK has fared a bit better than the rest of the country on average. Kleeneze's study shows 34.1% of Londoner families have lost money, at an average of 16.97% of their annual income or £5,564 a year.

Liverpool
Almost two families in five (38.2%) in Liverpool have seen their incomes fall in the last six months, and by an average of 21.73% or £7,123.

Southampton
Southampton is one of three southern English cities hit hard by the recession. Some 38.6% of its families have seen their incomes fall by almost a quarter (24.37%), making them on average £7,987 a year worse off.

Plymouth
Continuing the misery down south, 39.7% of Plymouth residents have seen their income fall. However, they have lost slightly less money than those in Southampton at 22.26% of their earnings or £7,297 a year.

Nottingham
A latter-day Robin Hood would find more poor people to give to and fewer rich ones to take cash from in Nottingham after the recession struck. Some 40.4% of residents have seen their income fall by a massive 27.31% (£8,952 a year) - the biggest fall in income of any of the cities studied.

Birmingham
Troubles with the car industry have affected the midlands badly and Birmingham is no exception. Kleeneze's study showed 43.1% of Birmingham's residents have seen their income fall in the last six months by an average of 20.94% (£6,865).

Bristol
Proportionately more people have been affected by the recession in Bristol than anywhere else in the study, according to Kleeneze. Almost half the population of the southern city (48.8%) have seen their incomes fall. Thankfully they have lost less than the average amount, at 17.43% of their incomes or £5,714 a year.

I wasn't sure where to put this so I posted it here from the BBC website today:


Plans to improve train services

Train bosses in the East Midlands have announced plans to improve the region's rail network.

It comes as figures show the number of passengers in the region is set to increase by more than a quarter over the next decade.

The improvements outlined by Network Rail include proposals to make trains longer, the addition of extra seats and more services.

A scheme to electrify the Midland mainline is already under way.

Network Rail - which is responsible for the infrastructure on which Britain's railways are run - said the improvements will boost capacity and shorten journey times.

Dyan Crowther, route director for Network Rail, said: "Demand for rail travel has grown significantly over the last decade, and while this success is welcomed, it brings with it the challenge of meeting this demand while improving services for rail users.

"It is essential that we have a robust strategy in place to build a bigger and better railway."

A three-month consultation period with train operators, passenger groups and the government has started.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8216728.stm

Not very drastic then. :|

It could be very drastic. If they increase the carriages on the large trains, I'm sure Leicester's station is too small. Surely this would need an increase in the length of the platform?

I am curious about the electrification though. The scheme is not under way in the slightest.

Leicester station's platforms are longer than average (so I heard somewhere) and could easily accommodate longer trains.

And that's what I was thinking about the electrification for the MML, it's no where near 'underway' rather it was merely suggested in a report.

Well I believe Leiecester's station isn't that big. The train goes right to the end of the platform when you have the large trains.

The length of the platforms are fine for even the longest of trains - I use them regularly from Leicester and have never seen a length issue.. as dodgy as that sounds ;)

The full length of the platform isn't covered from start to finish however, and that might give the illusion of them being quite short.

Leicester station does need expanding though - especially the main building (entraince/exit) - it gets very crammed in there and it looks like a dump!

It is not a very good impression at all. I hope the redevelopment plans for the station are progressing well as nothing has been reported about the latest developments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8221540.stm

High speed railway decision due

The UK currently has only one high speed railway line
Network Rail is due to announce its preferred route for a new high speed railway line linking London to the north of England and possibly Scotland.

There is speculation that the company which runs Britain's rail infrastructure will favour building the new line up the country's west coast.

This could mean rail journey times between London and Glasgow taking as little as two and a half hours.

However, any final decision will be made by the government.

That could depend heavily on how much it costs, said the BBC's transport correspondent, Richard Scott.

Easing pressure

The proposed new line would become the country's second high speed rail link after the line which runs from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, used primarily by Eurostar services.

Network Rail says the new line is required to ease the pressure on Britain's railways. It says passenger numbers have rocketed by 40% over the past decade, and that by 2024 many existing lines will be at full capacity.

Trains on any new line could travel at speeds of more than 180 miles per hour.

However, if it is built along the west coast via Birmingham and Manchester, it would mean cities like Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle missing out.

Network Rail's announcement is due at 0945 BST.



High speed line may still go through the East Midlands. I some how doubt this though.

Interesting to hear that actually the full report isn't due out until September next year of HS2's findings (who are actually responsible for the High Speed line to be next built). Today's 'announcement' will be the considered option from Network Rail. As the article above mentions, the likelihood is that they'll recommend HS2 follow the WCML route (quelle surprise).

Why do I get the feeling that the eastern half of England is going to be, increasingly, a second class citizen?

London and the home counties excepted :|

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8221540.stm


Well, as predicted. If everything is ratified and planning is consented over the next few years, it could have a major (negative) impact on the economies of East Mids and South & West Yorks.

Or maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way - perhaps if you can get to Liverpool and Manchester from London in roughly the same time it will take you to get to Leicester / Derby / Nottingham, the 3 EM cities will need to raise their game even further, and be even more ambitious???

The East Midland cities don't get the funding to raise their game much more. It is very bad news for the East Midlands economy. I'm sure the WestCoast Mainline has already been given stupid amounts of funding. I hope the government realise this and go against the recomendation. I think the Midland Mainline should be called the Great Midland Mainline and perhaps the stupid MPs would take notice.

Not many options left for the East Midlands then, what with the next phases of the electrification programme and HS2 set for the West Coast Mainline. :ohno:

Is the 2M option still possible, which proposed a route initially from London to Leicester to Birmingham and with later phases to include Nottingham and Leeds.

Could they stil go ahead with their scheme? If it were ever considered?

Nope. The East Midlands is just forgotten of again. I think it is about time I moved to where all the money is going. Atleast then I would see some of my tax. I believe this is the governments plan. Get people to move to the bigger cities and so keeps expanding these at the expense of others. Destroying the businesses in smaller cities and then leaving the people there will little choice but to move.

Anybody think the Labour government don't like the east midlands since it went blue?

Even in the main BBC news tonight it said that other cities would miss out - Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield. No mention of us 'lesser' cities of the East Midlands!

the east midlands is not on anyone else's radar at all. Almost like Bristol and that corner.

The East Midlands cities are not major UK cities the present service is ok.

Cutting the journey time from Leicester to London to an hour could be achieved with a track upgrade and tilting trains.

But cheaper travel is more important to me than higher speeds and quicker times.

That is the thing. There won't be cheaper trains anywhere with this improvement. The Midland Mainline will be one line used to subsidise the new line, meaning fares will go up. The government has got public transport majorly wrong. The UK is laughed at regularly because of this.

That is the thing. There won't be cheaper trains anywhere with this improvement. The Midland Mainline will be one line used to subsidise the new line, meaning fares will go up. The government has got public transport majorly wrong. The UK is laughed at regularly because of this.

Global free market money policies are to blame. The UK government no longer have the resources or the will to invest fairly in the UK using tax payers money.

Major investment is done by international firms wanting to maximise profits rather than the needs of it's citizens and individual towns and cities needs.

Is it a good idea anyway to have a 200mph railway in such a densely populated country ?

Virgin have only recently upgraded the WCML with terrible disruption.

WCML gets all the funding anyway.

WCML gets all the funding anyway.

Yes thats because are so called democratic serving the general public government are in bed with the dynamic international businessman Richard Branson.

Who has more power than your local MP

I once thought the market had all the answers but not any more.

I think the minimum that can be done is to at least electrify the MML (if and whenever that will happen!) and then we could at least achieve a hour or even less journey time to London from Leiceter.

^^^^ YES if they can electrify Cambridge to Kings Lynn then why not Bedford to Leicester and then beyond.

Not a fan of electric trains though rather boring i like a bit of noise from my trains. And the electric wires spoil the views.

So... I was in WH Smith's today and I happened to see a book called Recipes From The East Midlands. My curiosity piqued I decided to have a quick surreptitious browse and discovered two facts I was previously unaware of.

1: Apparently the East Midlands includes Bedfordshire.

2: The well known Mancunian expression "Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs" apparently originated in Leicestershire.

If anyone's interested, this is the Midland Mainline Route 'plans' 2009:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2009/Route%2019%20-%20Midland%20Main%20Line%20and%20East%20Midlands.pdf

Leicester Economic Forum 2009

http://www.insidermedia.com/event/leicester_economic_forum_2009/index.html

Leicester needs to market itself more efficiently – that was the message coming out of Insider’s Leicester Economic Forum at the Marriott Hotel in the city.

Over 100 people attended the event and questioned a panel consisting of: Charles Amies, East Midlands head of investment at the Homes and Communities Agency; William Presland, head of inward investment at Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Development Company; Shahid Sheikh, managing director of Clifton Packaging Group; Martin Traynor, chief executive of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce; and Vicky Vass, pro-vice chancellor at De Montfort University.

Traynor said: “I think for some years Leicester and Leicestershire has punched well below its weight. The difficulty we have in attracting businesses or government departments out of London is that Leicester doesn’t even come on the long list never mind the shortlist. A lot of that is to do with profile. A lot more needs to be done. The difference between now and a few years ago is that we’ve actually got something to sell.”

Presland, who is now part of the new Prospect Leicestershire inward investment agency, countered this by saying: “When we talk to businesses we always try to have the soft aspects as well as the hard aspects. We always like when we are talking to people to find out what they enjoy doing. It is not just about working but about living here. I do think the quality of life here is excellent.”

The panel went on to discuss how the city could keep its best people, and touched specifically on the role of the universities.

Vass said: “One of my roles is to develop the links between the business community and the university. The other aspect for us is to work with local businesses to help them upskill and, more importantly, to reskill.

“There’s more of a requirement for that because we need to diversify. We have a project at the moment to help SMEs to upskill and develop their businesses. We are going to spread that out to bring in the whole business community.”

Sheikh said the universities needed to show their worth to local businesses, adding: “The issue I have with universities is that they have got so much to offer but how can they demonstrate that they are actually giving benefit to businesses? Having to do research and development yourself is painful. Projects can take one, two or even three years.”

The event was sponsored by Business Link, Tenon and Coutts in association with the Leicester Marriott hotel



Nottingham Economic Forum 2009

http://www.insidermedia.com/event/nottingham_economic_forum_2009/index.html

More than 75 business people crowded into Nottingham’s East Midlands Conference Centre Hotel for Insider’s latest economic forum.

They heard a lively question and answer-based discussion chaired by Insider editor Andy Coyne and featuring local regeneration chief John Nicholls and Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) director Julian Healey.

The debate ranged from the city’s reputation as a place to shop, live and work to regeneration plans and Nottingham’s focus on the biotech sector.

Helen Sisson, tourism leader at Experience Nottingham, said the city is aware that regional rivals such as Leicester had raised their game in regard to their retail offering.

“We need to realise our potential by getting our retail sites up and running,” she said. “When that happens we can compete with our regional counterparts. It’s time for joined-up thinking and for people to work together to promote the city.”

Nottingham Regeneration interim chief executive Nicholls said: “I do feel the Highcross development in Leicester is a bit of a beacon regionally for what can be achieved. Contrast that with Broadmarsh which, frankly, is quite a dismal experience and Nottingham has got some catching up to do.”

Nottingham should also up the ante on the marketing front, the panel suggested. Healey at LSH said: “What has shocked me recently is the ability of Derby to market itself. I’m not convinced Nottingham is doing anything like that in terms of marketing itself.”

On the controversial plan to introduce a workplace parking levy, Nicholls said it is important the money made by the council should be put straight back into public transport in the city.

Steve Green, director of local firm Octavian Security, accentuated the positive from the parking levy debate. “If we want evidence that Nottingham is in the lead in the region, the fact it is having this debate now is very good evidence of that. If we want to develop as a city we have to invest in infrastructure and have to make hard choices about that,” he said.



From reading both the articles it looks like Leicester talks about punching below its weight and how it is trying to improve. The Nottingham one appears to talk about their concern about Leicester and Derby. I wonder if they are begining to feel a little threatened?

Also. The Nottingham one was less well attended than the Leicester one.

Complacency, apathy or both?

Or perhaps neither?

It is interesting to note John Nicholls ex Leicester regeneration Chief is the interim in Nottingham. He can at least speak from a position of knowledge having overseen the recent developments in leicester.

Traitor...

That Kay Cutts who doesn't want the new Gamston Farm Stadium to be built. Bit of a looker ain't she?

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46363000/jpg/_46363955_kaycutts.jpghttp://i.thisis.co.uk/274198/article/images/1055822/988445.jpghttp://i.thisis.co.uk/274198/article/images/1316585/1148290.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4nKDz357PZY/ShKETsvPPrI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/H0T8k94i4EU/s320/KayCutts.jpg

Christ, it's a manbeast.

To be honest I've never found Nottinghamshire women to be all that, anyway.

Now you're going to tell me she's from elsewhere. Aren't you :tongue2:

You're a sophisticated lot down there, arent you...

I've had a look at what Leicestershire County Council has to offer - and to be fair it isn't much better.

I mean this might be the best of the bunch...

http://politics.leics.gov.uk/UserData/5/8/3/Info00000385/bigpic.jpg

... and only because of the competition...

http://politics.leics.gov.uk/UserData/7/2/9/Info00000927/bigpic.jpg

http://politics.leics.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?

Middle aged English women in looking meh shock.

More at 10.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8287828.stm


Financial shadow cast by city apartments

Analysis
By Kevin Peachey
Personal finance reporter, BBC News, Leicester

Grey, concrete, 16-storey Thames Tower is typical of the newly-built or renovated apartment blocks thrown up across cities in the UK in recent years.

It dominates the skyline on the northern tip of Leicester city centre, overlooking the inner ring road and the edge of the shopping district.

But it has cast a much darker shadow over its developers and the investors who chose to sign up for one of its 112 apartments which were being revamped during the property boom.

Contracts were signed for all but one of the apartments, but today only 14 have been bought and are occupied. The withdrawals caused the collapse of the developer, Brampton Asset Management (Leicester) Ltd.

Now the administrator could pursue these buyers through the courts for broken contracts - and the law says that they could be forced into completing the sale.

City living

The fashion for "city living" accommodation paints a picture of the UK housing market in recent years.

During the housing boom, developers were scrambling to build city-centre apartments and the new breed of buy-to-let investors were falling over themselves to buy them.

Prices of flats shot up, peaking at an average of £175,776 in January 2008 in England and Wales, according to the Land Registry.

But then prices plunged. By May 2009, the average flat was worth £141,565, when values were falling faster than any other type of property. From peak to trough, the price of a typical flat had fallen by £34,211, or 19.5%.

It was a nightmare for buy-to-let investors who saw they would lose in the short term, rather than gain, from their investments. The banks were also rationing mortgages, leaving some without the funds to buy even if they wanted to.

It proved to be bad timing for Thames Tower.

"Some people can't get a mortgage now whereas 18 months ago they were offered a mortgage left, right and centre," says administrator Chris Stirland, of Vantis Business Recovery Services.

One-by-one, some of the would-be buyers missed their completion date on the restored apartments with laminate floors and fitted kitchens. As a result, the bills built up for the developer which was expected to repay bank loans and pay contractors.

"It is unfortunate that the recession hit when these flats' contracts were due to be completed. If all the contracts had have gone through the indebtedness to the banks would have been paid off in full," says Mr Stirland.

"If the completion dates were six months earlier, all those people would have paid. Mortgage products were still in hand then. The bank and creditors would have been paid and it would have been a completely different story."

The developer collapsed and the administrator came in to restore as much money as possible for creditors. The apartment block, Mr Stirland says, remains a good prospect.

Some of this comes from ground rent and service charges from the existing residents, and new laws mean that no business rates on the empty offices at the base of the property, or council tax for the empty apartments, is being levied by the local authority.

But a key reason why the administrator does not have to accept a quick sale - despite interest from at least 30 different parties - is the £100,000 income coming in from renting out the roof of the 190ft tower for telecommunication masts, such as mobile phone masts. The leases expire in 2019 and 2020.

But the administrator has also written to all those who have signed contracts and are yet to complete.

Mr Stirland says he wants to come to an amicable arrangement with them all, which could include completing or rescinding the contract and losing their deposit of about 10%.

However, while the financial benefits are obvious for the creditors, the would-be buyers could face legal action.

"You have a developer who has potentially lost out, and you have some contractors who were dependant on the developer getting paid," says Mr Stirland.

"You are affecting the lives of quite a few people, so you have to marry that with one or two individuals who wanted to make a profit and have been unlucky in the timing of their investment."

More and more of these cases are being heard in the courts, where profit-chasing buy-to-let investors are getting stricter treatment than homeowners during the recession of the early-90s, according to Jeremy Raj, head of residential property at City law firm Wedlake Bell.

Unlike most house buyers, buy-to-let investors have tended to exchange contracts and pay their deposit off-plan when apartments were being built.

That meant there was an unusually long wait before completion and payment in full - a period in which the downturn hit mortgage availability and house prices.

"Some of the decisions might be regarded in decades to come in the same way as we look at some of the blocks that blighted city centres in the 60s and 70s"
Jules Brown, North of England Civic Trust

But instead of just taking the deposit and selling the apartment to somebody else, some developers are seeking orders requiring "hundreds" of customers to keep to the contract and buy the apartments.

"There is a worryingly widespread and entrenched belief among buy-to-let investors that if they decide to withdraw from a purchase for which they have exchanged contracts, that only their deposit is at risk," says Mr Raj.

"The legal position is quite clear. They are legally obliged to complete on the transaction.

"Damages are not even restricted to the difference between today's market price for that property and the price they contracted to purchase at."

The legal term of this process of forced purchase is an order for "specific performance" - an injunction granted by a court which has fairly broad discretion.

Boom and bust

The buy-to-let boom and bust epitomises the rise and fall of the housing market in the last decade.

There is a chance that empty city-centre apartment blocks will be the legacy, not just economically but socially and architecturally too.

Jules Brown, planning co-ordinator for the North of England Civic Trust, says developments in cities such as Leeds and Newcastle might show that we have failed to learn from previous mistakes.

"They went up very quickly, and some of the decisions might be regarded in decades to come in the same way as we look at some of the blocks that blighted city centres in the 60s and 70s," he says.

"In a generation, we might ask what an earth were we doing."

Mr Brown says that the market will decide whether it will also be considered as a financial mistake as well. He says that prices will show if the "pile them high and sell them cheap" approach has led to an oversupply.

Jeremy Leaf, housing spokesman for the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors, says that - similar to the rest of the housing market - a shortage of the right flats in the right areas had meant prices had started to rise again since May.

Yet alternative uses were trying to be found for those flats - often on cheaper land - that nobody wanted to move into.

Back in Leicester, and the recession has not completely stopped the construction of new apartments in the city.

One example is the new Phoenix Square development in the city's cultural quarter, with cinemas in the basement and "individual" eco-friendly apartments upstairs.

Its location makes Peter Connolly, the complex's development director, confident that the apartments - selling at between £71,000 and £210,000 - will all be full in a year.

In his presentation, location is everything - but he must hope that the shadow cast by the economic downturn does not stretch this far.

On the brighter side good news for Leicestershire Tourism and the wider East Midlands.

Leicestershire’s Tourism Businesses Celebrate Awards Success


Leicestershire’s tourism businesses are celebrating after scooping a total of 17 tourism awards including four gold awards, seven silver and six bronze at the 2009 East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards.

BBC One Show host Des Coleman was on hand to oversee the festivities at Leicester’s Athena on the 8th October, and to present all of the winners with their accolades, which recognise those businesses that have excelled in providing a first class experience for visitors. Covering all areas of the visitor economy, the categories include visitor attractions, pubs, self catering, B&B and hotels.

Gold awards went to Imago in the Access for All category; the National Space Centre in the Large Visitor Attraction category; Bosworth Battlefield in the Small Visitor Attraction category and Kilworth House Hotel in the Small Hotel category.

Silver awards went to the Hunting Lodge for Best Pub Experience; Leicester City Tourist Information Centre for Tourism Information Service; Horseshoe Cottage Farm for Sustainable Tourism; Imago in the Large Hotel category and Hotel Maiyango and Maiyango Restaurant scored a hat trick and won three silvers for Taste of the Region, Small Hotel and Outstanding Customer Service.

Bronze awards went to Foxton Locks in the Access for All category; Leicester City Football Club for Business Tourism; Conkers in the Large Visitor Attraction category; Imago for Sustainable Tourism; The Grey Lady for Taste of the Region and Launde Abbey for Tourism Experience.

Leicester Shire Promotions supported all of the local applications for this year’s awards including consultation on the application process and hosting workshops to help businesses with the completion of their applications.

Martin Peters, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Promotions, commented: “This is a very proud achievement for the tourism industry in Leicester and Leicestershire. The destination’s performance in these awards goes from strength to strength and is further proof that our commitment to quality is being recognised by both visitors and our industry.”

Tourism Director at East Midlands Development Agency, Ruth Hyde added: “I would like to congratulate all of the Leicestershire 2009 tourism award winners. We had a record number of businesses entering this year and the competition was extremely high so it’s a great achievement to have reached this stage of the competition.’

‘In the current climate it is more important than ever to give customers good quality and good value, and these awards are about recognising those tourism businesses in the East Midlands that are prepared to go that little bit further, and really work to create a first class experience.”

Many of the regional gold award winners will now go forward to the national final next April, where they will compete against other regional winners from across England for the chance to be crowned ‘England’s Best’.

The winners of the 2009 East Midlands Enjoy England Excellence Gold Awards are:

- Access for All - Imago, Loughborough University, Leicestershire
- Bed and Breakfast/ Guest Accommodation - Underleigh House, Hope, Derbyshire
- Best Pub Experience - The Yorkshire Bridge Inn, Hope Valley, Derbyshire
- Business Tourism - Highgate House, Creaton, Northamptonshire
- Caravan Holiday Park & Holiday Village - Callow Top Holiday Park, Buxton,
Derbyshire
- Large Hotel - Whittlebury Hall Hotel and Spa, Towcester, Northamptonshire
- Large Visitor Attraction - The National Space Centre, Leicester, Leicestershire
- Outstanding Customer Service – Jackie Greaves at D.H Lawrence Heritage,
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
- Self Catering Holiday - Blakelow Farm Holiday Cottages, Winster, Derbyshire
- Small Hotel – Kilworth House Hotel, North Kilworth, Leicestershire
- Small Visitor Attraction - Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Sutton Cheney,
Leicestershire
- Sustainable Tourism - Poachers Hideaway, Horncastle, Lincolnshire
- Taste of the Region - Waggon and Horses, Halam, Nottinghamshire
- Think Family - Brackenborough Hall Coach House, Louth, Lincolnshire
- Tourism Experience – Go Ape, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire
- Tourism Information Service - Nottingham Tourism Centre, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire

Thames Tower is awful, they've just re-shited it for the modern age. But then again so is St George's tower...

From Dusk 2 Dawn Weekender & Oxjam.

If anyone's around, then come on down - is all for a great cause!

http://www.fd2d.com/events/2009/10/11/fd2d_weekender

http://www.fd2d.com/themes/default/images/weekender/fd2dweekender.pdf

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/fundraise/oxjam/index.php?ito=2415&itc=0

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144619439379

We came fourth...



Newcastle 'greenest' British city

Newcastle was praised for emerging from its industrial past to go green

Newcastle upon Tyne has been named as Britain's greenest city in a think tank's annual study.

Forum for the Future looked at the sustainability of the 20 biggest cities, measuring factors such as air quality, wildlife and quality of life.

Newcastle, which beat 2008 winner Bristol into second, performed well "on many measures of sustainability".

Brighton and Hove came third, with Leicester fourth and London fifth. Edinburgh was seventh and Cardiff 10th.

The study measured 13 indicators of environmental performance, quality of life and how well prepared the cities are for the future.

'Industrial heritage'

This involved looking at issues such as action on climate change and the vibrancy of the local economy.

BRITAIN'S GREENEST CITIES
1. Newcastle
2. Bristol
3. Brighton and Hove
4. Leicester
5. London
6. Leeds
7. Edinburgh
8. Nottingham
9. Sheffield
10. Cardiff

Newcastle topped the environmental rankings, which included measures on air quality, wildlife and residents' "ecological footprint" - the amount of land it takes to provide them with food, transport, housing, goods and services.

It also performed well in quality of life measures such as life expectancy and education, plus its planning for the future, to rise overall in the table from fourth last year and eighth place in 2007.

Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, said: "Cities with an industrial heritage face genuine challenges, but Newcastle's success shows that it is possible to overcome the legacy of the past and perform well on many measures of sustainability.

"We hope it will inspire other cities to redouble their efforts."

'Ecological footprint target'

Edinburgh slipped down one place in the rankings, compared with last year, to seventh overall. However, it came top in education, employment and air quality.

Meanwhile, Cardiff fell from fifth to 10th in the league table and dropped from third to 18th on environmental performance.

Plymouth fell from third to 12th overall.

Hull came 20th, but Forum for the Future said that on the sustainability table its best results had been in the areas of planning for the future.

It said this suggested improvements in other sectors could be close.

The report warned that there was still a need for cities to reduce the average "ecological footprint" from its current level of five hectares per person to two hectares in order to prevent Britain's biggest cities using up more resources than the planet could sustain.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8366711.stm

Oh bugger I just posted this elsewhere, hurray! :)

Good news is good to share...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/8390526.stm

Road may be called Lara Croft Way

Lara Croft was played by the actress Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider films
Derby could name its new ring road after the computer game and movie character Lara Croft.

The star of the Tomb Raider franchise was originally devised by a computer game manufacturer based in the city.

Members of the public were invited to suggest names for two stretches of Derby's new £36.2m inner ring road system, which is due to open next year.

People in the city will be asked to vote on eight shortlisted names, one of which is Lara Croft Way.

Other suggestions include Mercian Way, Griffon Way and Merlin Way while other possibilities are roads named after the legendary Derby County footballer Steve Bloomer, the astronomer John Flamsteed and the engineer George Sorocold.



Members of the public will vote on a shortlist of names for the road
The Tomb Raider games were created by Core Design, which was based in Derby, and featured the treasure-hunting British archaeologist Lara Croft.

The games became best sellers and were later made into movies featuring Angelina Jolie as Lara.

Councillor Lucy Care, cabinet member for planning and transportation at Derby City Council, said: "It's sad that there are only two roads to name, as there were many ideas which showed serious research and creativity.

"I hope that when people vote for their preferred names they think about which names people will enjoy using for many years to come, and which will help make Derby a more memorable place for visitors."

People have until 31 January 2010 to vote through the council website or in writing to Derby City Council.

This has got to be a wind up, they can't name a road after a computer game for heaven's sake :ohno:

Why not? Lara Croft possessed the most famous tits in Derby (until they signed Kris Commons and Robbie Savage).

:lol:^^

Pure speculation on my part, but looks like the bus driver didn't know about the bridge height...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8407988.stm

The perils of over-reliance on satnav.

As illustrated in the first episode of Paradox.

There was no sat-nav.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235502/British-Muslims-patriotic-best-integrated-Europe.html

British Muslims are the 'most patriotic and best integrated' in Europe

By Graham Smith

13th December 2009

Muslims in Britain are the most patriotic and best integrated in Europe, according to a new study.

An average 78 per cent of UK Muslims identified themselves as British, compared with 49 per cent of Muslims who consider themselves French and just 23 per cent who feel German.

The British average falls by six points to 72 per cent in east London, although it stands at 82.4 per cent in Leicester.

Integrated: An average 78 per cent of UK Muslims identified themselves as British

The results come in a report funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros and published in the Sunday Times.

Based on 2,200 detailed interviews conducted over a two-and-a-half year period, the findings suggest Muslims in Britain are substantially better integrated than in the rest of Europe.

Strength of religious belief made no difference to how patriotic Muslims feel, the report found.

The figures appear to contradict previous polls that concluded some Muslims felt increasingly marginalised and were failing to embrace British values. A Populus survey in 2006 claimed that seven per cent of British Muslims believed suicide attacks on fellow citizens could be justified.

More...'Our faith is being targeted .... and we've been thrown to the lions': the Christian hoteliers accused of insulting Muslim guest reveal

In Britain, researchers focused on Leicester and Waltham Forest in East London.

They found that second-generation Muslims were far more likely to have integrated into the British way of life.

In Leicester, held up as a beacon of successful multiculturalism, 72 per cent of Muslims born abroad said they felt British, compared to 94 per cent of UK-born Muslims.

Nazia Hussain, director of the Soros research project, said: 'There is a disturbing message that emerges from these findings. Even though Muslims overwhelmingly feel British, they're not seen as British by wider society.
'That said, there has been a policy of trying to accommodate difference here and it appears to be paying off.'

The Soros report found that 55 per cent of European Muslims believe that religious and racial discrimination have risen since 2004.

Researchers believe that the reason so many German Muslims feel less patriotic is because they have only been allowed citizenship in Germany since the 1990s, while France's divisive history with its colonies including Algeria explains the low percentage of national identity there.

As well as 2,200 in-depth interviews the report also focused on 60 focus groups across 11 European cities with large populations.


Patriotic prideThe percentage of Muslims in each European city who identify with their country of residence:
Leicester - 82.4%
London - 72.0 %
Amsterdam - 59.0 %
Marseilles - 58.0%
Antwerp - 55.1%
Paris - 41.0%
Stockholm - 41.0%
Copenhagen - 39.6%
Berlin - 25.0%
Hamburg - 22.0%


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235502/British-Muslims-patriotic-best-integrated-Europe.html#ixzz0ZahvBFO0


I'm really split on how successful multiculturism is in Leicester TBH.

I like the fact we have embraced certain festivals. Caribbean carnival. Diwali etc. I respect other cultures... to a point. I don't like all aspects of different cultures (including my own) and don't think it is wrong to say so.

I'm not a fan of printing leaflets in a million languages. I don't like the concentrated populations of immigrants. I also have big issues with faith schools.

Interesting subject... that normally ends badly when talking to anyone about it!

Is this stat a success for Leicester?

There are only about 5,000 Muslim people in Leicester. The fact that the majority of them feel comfortable with being British must be good for our city...It is a sign of the tolerance towards others in our city. This tolerance has been in Leicester for centuries. It was here that Saxons and Normans lived peacefully side by side and helped to create the English language...

There are more than that in Leicester, as there are of other religions, etc. See the link from the 2001 census:

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/council-and-democracy/city-statistics/demographic-and-cultural/#Rel

You will note from that census that the Hindu population has remained pretty much static at 14% the same as in the 1983 census but the Muslim population has increased from 4% to 11%. I think this has significantly increased further since then.

Multiculturalism is a strange concept don't you think. Respecting someone's right to practice religious freedom and respect their cultural heritage is great but the idea that every leaflet and document should be produced in 30 languages so as not to 'offend' is downright stupid and plainly patronising. My friends come from many different backgrounds, ethnicity groups and religions. What holds people back is lack of education and language skills. Leicester City council have perpetuated this by continuing to promote literature in native languages rather than provide free English language training which would be far more useful to help people integrate, get on and build a life. It is difficult to understand someone's culture if you cannot communicate with them.

Sorry, bit of a rant but I hate the liberal middle class pc word multicultural used by people who are well meaning but usually don't have a fooking clue.

Ah didn't realise the Muslim population had exploded so much in Leicester. I didn't realise my not so old figure was so out of date. I guess around 20,000 Somali Muslims in the last ten years have made an impact.

I agree about the stupidity of multi-language forms. Guess you could argue that they inform, where the message might not have reached people. Still it would be best to spend the cash on increasing English language lessons.

Alot of people don't want to learn English. They should be forced to go to mandatory training.

Respecting someone's right to practice religious freedom and respect their cultural heritage is great but the idea that every leaflet and document should be produced in 30 languages so as not to 'offend' is downright stupid and plainly patronising.

Which material is produced in a variety of languages "so as not to offend"??

Material is produced in different languages so that people who don;t speak English can understand it. It's not about offence.

Should money be put into English language training? Of course, and it is.

Should people be forced into learning English, like Duane says? How exactly would that work?

Alot of people don't want to learn English. They should be forced to go to mandatory training.

And there are a lot of people that do want to learn, but can't afford to! ESOL provision is very specialist, and in Leicester we are fortunate to have some very good people that deliver it - unfortunately provision can be limited, and at times can be prohibitively expensive to get a really good education. So most learn enough to 'just get by' - which is a real shame because it limits their opportunities to work and contribute to their local communities.

Wow looks like Siberia outside!!!

Are you sure you're not actually in Siberia?

Because where am I the snow has barely dusted the ground.

Oh yeah my mistake...

Seriously. You think that's a snowfall, how about a trip back in time to the 1970s?

Back then you were lucky if you managed to get through a winter without the snow being knee deep in much of the country. And not just for a few weeks either.

I remember it well...

To be fair though it was a good snowfall. It just didn't last very long.

The last bad winter I remember was 1982 I think?

If it snows really heavily I bet Nottingham will get extra funding to deal with the problems caused by snow and Leicester will run out of salt.

I thought it snowed all year round anyway there? Bloody freezing up north. I prefer our much milder climate.

Council Tax
Leicester/Nottingham
Band A) £920.45/£1010.18
Band B) £1073.86/£1178.55
Band C) £1227.27/£1346.91
Band D) £1380.68/£1515.28
Band E)£1687.49/£1852.01
Band F)£1994.31/£2188.74
Band G)£2301.13/£2525.46
Band H)£2761.35/£3030.56

To be fair the comrades in the Nottingham SSR do have a lot more to subsidise than us.

Just thought it worth a mention that Nottingham and Glasgow are apparently the only places to have seen snowfall today-it was snowing both in the early hours and a little while ago when I woke up. Nice.

Merry Christmas to all across the East Midlands! Wherever you are, have a lovely day and a prosperous 2010 (and no, I recieved no government grants for that, being a Nottinghamer! ;-) )

Nottingham gets a white christmas and Leicester doesn't. Government at it again?

:) Happy christmas everyone

*for all that didn't know, that was a joke*

We had a thin covering in Corby too. First white Christmas that I actually remember :D

We had no new snow, just old snow that was still on the ground. It was nice to have a white christmas though. My first one ever.

Looks as though the East Midlands could be in for a lot of snow tuesday and wednesday..up to 20cm possibly! Could be interesting!

Blizzard type conditions in my part of Leicestershire at the moment, and it's all settled again :)

Lots of snow for us in the EM this winter - between the three of our Cities I reckon we'll ride out climate change without breaking a sweat ;)

There's no snow at all in south Notts. I hope we get some more though.

The snow came and went without leaving a trace of its passing thanks to a prolonged rain shower earlier in the evening.

Mm, we got around an inch or two over night - it was pretty severe weather when I made that post in the small hours - but now it's all gone thanks to a morning load of rain!

Booo!

Some good news out of Iraq for a change. Local man Peter Moore has been released, alive and well :)

Has there been much snowfall in Leicester? There's about 2 inches here I reckon.

I drove down to Leicester last week to buy a car. It was snowing really heavily when I left Nottingham but there wasn't a single flake in Leicester.

Been snowing fairly heavily in my area for the vast majority of the day - including some overnight last night.

There is approx. 3-5inches here :)

Looks like Nottingham is getting fucked over for the funding of grit then aye Duane!

Hopefully we'll all get more snow overnight.

Don't think we've had any snow overnight here but listening to BBC Look East all the county council's school buses in Northants are cancelled. We must be the only place to have avoided snow overnight!

Leicester hasn't received that much snow. A good 2 inches I'd say. Compared to alot of the country we got away with it relatively lightly. I was on a bus that skidded into a lampost this morning. Then when I got to the Haymarket Bus sation my bus was stuck behind one that had broken down.

We ended up with around 5inches of snow in my part of Leicestershire - bear in mind i'm in the sticks on top of a big hill. That said, I heard the Enderby area got a good 3-4inches in places.

I do like a proper winter :D More snow expected for Leicestershire this weekend with what's already fallen unlikely to melt completely due to constant sub-zero temps.

If anyone has any further information please contact Leicestershire Police.:lol:


Warrant out for horse sex accused

An arrest warrant has been issued for a Leicester man accused of having sex with a horse and a donkey, after he failed to turn up to court.

Joseph Squires, 66, of Overpark Avenue, is charged with buggery of a donkey between February and April 1999 and buggery with a horse in March 2004.

He is also accused of criminal damage to the animals during the same dates.

He was due to appear at Leicester Crown Court earlier for a plea and case management hearing.

Mr Squires did not attend court and it was heard he had lost touch with his solicitors.

Judge Michael Pert QC issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

:lol: We've all heard of sheep shagging, anyone care to coin a phrase for this one?

It's not unusual for people to feel little horse around that time of year.

Sorry :(

Fantastic story though, almost as good as the guy who got caught shagging sheep by people on a passing train :D

Was that a goat?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article145635.ece

That's the bugger(er).. :D

He is also accused of criminal damage to the animals during the same dates

I think that statement is just as funny as the story

charged with buggery of a donkey between February and April 1999


Quite good stamina for an old bloke...

Quite good stamina for an old bloke...


Rumour has it he was a bit of a stallion.:colgate:

I wonder what the neighbours thought :D


BG

"Why the long face"

I heard the bloke and the horse were in a stable relationship.

And I thought it was just Leicester City that liked to hoof it.

Stop making an ass of yourself. These puns will saddle you with embarrassment.

So this is what happens then the regeneration stops, we all resort to making terrible puns.

Oh well, we might as well make hay while the sun shines, it makes a change from Nottingham and Leicester folk jockey-ing for superiority.

At least it might stirrup some debate.

The man was trialling a new method of horse riding

You lot should rein in the bad puns :tongue2:

Big names line-up for Leicester Comedy Festival 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 09:30
Comment on this story

Some of the biggest names in stand-up will be raising a laugh when Leicester Comedy Festival returns next month.

But for anyone who can't wait that long, De Montfort Hall this week serves up a taster of some of the talent performing.

Its annual preview show has garnered a reputation for being one of the comedy events of the year.

And with a diverse array of acts on the bill, ranging from old legends to up-and-coming acts on the brink of greatness, this Friday's show promises to be no different.

Legendary writer and performer Barry Cryer, a stalwart of BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, will be hosting the evening.

He said he was "looking forward to it immensely".

"I've been to Leicester many times over the years – I've got a lot of memories and I've always had a good time there.

"Of course, Edinburgh looms over everything but after that Leicester is not far behind – it's got a huge reputation. You stand and fall on the quality of the acts and Leicester has had some of the very best. When you've got the likes of Roseanne Barr performing, its quite amazing.

"I remember in the early days Willie Rushton and I played the festival – it must have been one of the very first ones."

Now in its 17th year, the festival is the longest running event of its kind in the UK. The festival preview show has been a sell-out for the past seven years, and this year looks set to follow suit.

One highlight is expected to be Nina Conti. The former BBC New Comedy Award winner may be familiar to some as Dylan Moran's girlfriend from the award-winning Channel 4 sitcom Black Books.

These days, she is captivating audiences with a ventriloquist routine that features a depressed monkey named Monk.

Last year's Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Seann Walsh is hoping for a triumphant return to the city that gave him his first award win. The 24-year-old is known for his shambolic ramblings, keen observations and penchant for grumbling about trains.

Also on Friday night's bill is rising star Shappi Khorsandi, Shooting Stars panelist Angelos Epithemiou, and Leicester's very own Jim Smallman, plus special guests, Marlon Davies, Rob Rouse and Patrick Monahan.

For the first time since its 1994 inception, the festival will be running for 17 days this year, taking in over 300 shows and 40 different venues.

It all starts on Friday, February 5, and the star-studded bill features the likes of Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock, Julian Clary, Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Stewart Lee, Pam Ayres and Sarah Millican.

Comedy festival director Geoff Rowe said expanding it from 10 to 17 days would create a more balanced programme. He said: "Extending it will also allow for more daytime shows over school holidays and make more sense in terms of the infrastructure installed to create venues and a festive atmosphere across the city."

For tickets, call the box office on 0116 233 3111 or go to:

www.comedy-festival.co.uk


Will be going to the Preview Show at DMH on Friday. The Comedy Festival in Leicester is great - have caught quite a few shows over the last 6 years and can recommend it to anyone. Can't believe it's not more widely known throughout the UK to be honest.

Already booked tickets for a couple of acts and will try and get to see more. Have a nosey through the listings folks - there's usually something for everyone.

Enjoy! :cheers:

"It all starts on Friday, February 5, and the star-studded bill features the likes of Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock, Julian Clary, Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Stewart Lee, Pam Ayres and Sarah Millican"

That's an awesome line-up, must try and get tickets! As for you questioning the national publicity of the festival though Ruts, i'm afraid that's Leicester summed up in one go.

Lee Mack's really good I like him,one of his previous jobs was looking after Red Rum for Ginger McCain who he used to get to ride up and down Ainsdale Beach,he's a funny lad.:cheers:

There must be a fair amount of national recognition of the Leicester Comedy Festival. Otherwise the line-up wouldn't be so good.

Leicester City Council is to make £19m of cuts, axe up to 270 posts and increase council tax by 8% over the next three years.

Yesterday, the council revealed its draft budget which includes proposals to reduce sports centre opening hours, cut bus routes and introduce charges for day care centres.

Libraries could be moved into leisure centres and the city will no longer take part in the Britain in Bloom competition.

In 2010/11, council tax will rise by 1.9%, with a 2.9% increase the year after and also in 2012/13. The 1.9% increase would mean the two-thirds of city residents who live in band A properties would pay £15 more each year.

The Labour administration said it need to make the cuts because of an anticipated 2% reduction in Government grants over the next few years.

Council leader Ross Willmott said: "I think we have come up with an exceptional budget considering the financial climate."

He said there would "be a few" compulsory redundancies, but that staff would be asked to reduce their hours alongside a recruitment freeze.

This would be on top of reducing the use of agency workers and consultants by £2m.

The budget includes provision for no pay increase for staff between 2011 to 2013.

Under the proposals, around 10 bus routes subsidised by the council could be dropped.

One example given was the Leicester-Anstey Martin route, which is jointly funded by the city and county councils. It costs the county £34,000 a year to run and is already under threat.

The adult social care budget of £81m would be cut by £8m.

This means some of the 275 people who use the city's six day centres could be charged to attend and eventually the centres could close to save on costs.

Leisure centres and museums will be reviewed to see where hours could be reduced – saving the council up to £143,000 by 2013.

Libraries could relocated at nearby council-owned venues to save on costs.

Cabinet member for leisure and culture, Councillor Andy Connelly, said one example would be selling off the Aylestone library site and moving the service to the Aylestone leisure centre nearby.

The library, in Belvoir Street, would also move to the reference library, in Bishop Street.

The Belvoir Street building would then be used as an advice centre for unemployed people.

In total, these library savings, which would involve staff redundancies, would amount to £376,000 by 2013.

Leicester would also pull out of the Britain in Bloom competition because it has axed the urban regeneration category.

This would save £75,000, but Coun Connelly emphasised this would not mean floral displays would disappear.

Gary Garner, of the Unison union, said: "The idea that there are an acceptable number of job losses is flawed and serves to detract from the real issues, which are about spending priorities."

The council plans to honour a manifesto promise of free laptops for primary school children in a £500,000 pilot scheme and spend £200,000 on a refurbishment of De Montfort Hall.

The city centre's Christmas decorations will also be replaced to the tune of £70,000.

The job cuts will come from across the council, with the majority being found among administration and financial staff.

Leader of the opposition Councillor Ross Grant said Labour had dipped into its cash reserves of £6.5m and was using it to pay for the low council tax increase for one year.

He said: "It is gimmicky and you can tell it's a General Election year."

Councillor Peter Coley, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "It's a political budget – it seems they are not making provisions for Government cuts."

The city council want to slice £19m, or 7%, from a £280m pot, removing up to 270 posts out of 7,000, excluding school staff, by 2013, with 177 of these gone over the next 12 months.

The city council's current budget is £271m and this will rise to £278m in 2010/11 and £280m in 2012/13.



Oh joy :ohno:

Why does the library need to move from Belvoir Street? How much will it cost to run the unemployment centre? Savings lost surely? If they are making staff redundant at the library, how much will the redundancy payments be? How much space is there in the Bishop Street Reference Library?

I wouldn't be too harsh on any costs associated with an unemployment centre. How much do the unemployed cost us is the real question.

Will be going to the Preview Show at DMH on Friday. The Comedy Festival in Leicester is great - have caught quite a few shows over the last 6 years and can recommend it to anyone. Can't believe it's not more widely known throughout the UK to be honest.

Already booked tickets for a couple of acts and will try and get to see more. Have a nosey through the listings folks - there's usually something for everyone.

Enjoy! :cheers:

The Guardian did a story on the six best comedy festivals in the world the other year. Leicester's was one of them. It seemed that I'm the only person involved in any kind of Leicester promotion who picked that one up.

The Guardian did a story on the six best comedy festivals in the world the other year. Leicester's was one of them. It seemed that I'm the only person involved in any kind of Leicester promotion who picked that one up.

Yeah, it's really strange. Obviously the comedy 'circuit' rate the festival highly as the quality of performers is generally very high. It is just the wider populace - I'd never even heard of Leicester Comedy Festival before I moved to Loughborough, and I'd guess that if you said to most people that Leicester has a 'renowned' Comedy Festival, they'd think that you were pulling their leg. Maybe it's because the Edinburgh Festival is SO huge in the UK and all-consuming, that it is embedded into people's subconcious and they can't see past it.

Or maybe it's the 'Leicester' bit that people fail to get their heads around!

Never mind - their loss really! :)

Interesting sporting table:

Which East Midlands club has done the best over the last decade?: http://mirkobolesan.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/end-of-a-decade/

If you consider spending three seasons in League One and none in the Premier League as having "done the best", then good luck to you!

Leicester spent four of the noughties seasons in the top flight and won a major domestic trophy as well...

If you consider spending three seasons in League One and none in the Premier League as having "done the best", then good luck to you!

Leicester spent four of the noughties seasons in the top flight and won a major domestic trophy as well...

Well, I am a Forest fan but I have to say, that table is a load of cobblers. This has been amongst the worst decades in our history, if not THE worst so the scoring system is clearly flawed. However, I am hoping that the next 10 years will be a lot better!

Centre for Cities 2010 report is out.

http://www.centreforcities.org/assets/files/10-01-15%20Cities%20Outlook%202010.pdf

Interesting read.

Nottingham is ranked as one of the worst 10 cities for private sector growth, losing 15,000 jobs between 1998 and 2008.

The employment performance of England’s largest cities is mixed, and there is significant variation in their employment rates. While London has seen strong employment growth, and Bristol has had strong private sector jobs growth, others, like Birmingham and Liverpool have weaker labour markets. In particular Birmingham and Nottingham have been overly reliant on public sector jobs in the last decade.

An interesting fact on there is that growth in the East Midlands is one of the slowest in the country. Only the North East is suffering from a lower growth rate.

Yeah, it's really strange. Obviously the comedy 'circuit' rate the festival highly as the quality of performers is generally very high. It is just the wider populace - I'd never even heard of Leicester Comedy Festival before I moved to Loughborough, and I'd guess that if you said to most people that Leicester has a 'renowned' Comedy Festival, they'd think that you were pulling their leg. Maybe it's because the Edinburgh Festival is SO huge in the UK and all-consuming, that it is embedded into people's subconcious and they can't see past it.

Or maybe it's the 'Leicester' bit that people fail to get their heads around!

Never mind - their loss really! :)

I think it's the general promotion of Leicester in general is shocking. One Leicester have done a bit, but frankly they're pretty terrible. I've found out more on this forum than their site ten times over. The Comedy Festival could be a major part of getting people into the city, combine it with other cultural events, get a few gigs in the Guildhall to make people aware of the history, Robert's yer father's brother... Did you also know that it came directly from a project at DMU, a world-class event created by a local university. Again, that's glossed over...

Nice one Lufbra! :okay:

http://www.prospectleicestershire.co.uk/news/loughborough-tops-student-experience-poll-for-4th-year-running

Loughborough tops Student Experience poll for 4th year running
For the fourth year in succession, Loughborough's students have voted their university experience to be the very best in the country, according to the latest student experience poll.
The league table, published in this week's Times Higher Education magazine, reveals the views of full-time undergraduate students on numerous aspects of university life, including the quality of teaching, student support, social life and student facilities.

Loughborough students voted the University top for its facilities, including its students' union, and also rated it highly for the environment on campus and the extracurricular activities.

Commenting on Loughborough's achievement, Professor Shirley Pearce, the University's Vice Chancellor, said: "To have topped this poll for the best student experience for four years running is absolutely tremendous. It is well-deserved recognition of the continued hard work of staff at the University and at the Students' Union in making sure our students have as rewarding and fulfilling a time as possible."

The top ten universities in the 2009 Times Higher Education Student Experience poll are:
1. Loughborough
2. Cambridge
3. Oxford
4. Sheffield
5. East Anglia
6. Aberystwyth
7. Leeds
8. Dundee
9. Southampton
10. Glasgow


Loughborough is one of the country's leading universities, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled sporting achievement and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-09 title, and is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in national newspaper league tables. In the 2009 National Student Survey, Loughborough was voted one of the top five universities in the UK, and was named winner of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Times Higher award for the UK's Best Student Experience. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group - a set of internationally recognised, research-intensive universities - and has a reputation for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently targeted by the UK's top recruiters.

Loughborough is also the UK's premier university for sport. It has perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the world and is home to some of the country's leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff. It also has the country's largest concentration of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports.




For anyone remotely interested (I'm guessing not many!), full table can be found here - http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Journals/THE/THE/14_January_2010/attachments/Student%20Experience%20League%20Table.xls

13: University of Leicester :D
19: University of Nottingham :lol:
34: University of Lincoln
35: Nottingham Trent University
54: University of Derby
62 DeMontfort University

I would like to point out that the DMU business department was ranked 7th in the country for student satisfaction. I got a letter the other day from them expressing their delight.

So it's the other faculties that are letting them down?

I strongly believe so. DMU is very good in some departments, but very bad in others.

Maybe they should concentrate on those areas they're good at rather than trying to be all things to all men (and women).

The Times good University guide is a bit of a sham these days to be honest. Universities are now manipulating the points scoring system and that is skewing the results. I myself have very close ties with several Universities in the region and some of them are just playing the system - they know where they can pick up points and boost their standing.

For me it's folly to compare Universities with medical schoools, law schools, etc. with ones that do not have them - it is not a level playing field. The London Schoool of Economics is a good example, how can it be compared with most other Universities?

Student satisfaction isn't really a good indicator of how good the university is, employment rates on the other hand...

Go Trent!

Nottingham city centre hit by black out.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/City-centre-hit-power-cut/article-1746624-detail/article.html

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47165000/jpg/_47165410_fire_castle_road.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8474000/8474978.stm)
In Pictures! (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8474000/8474978.stm)

Looking at the evening post's website, it looks like Lawrence House still has power, so I can still apply for my parking permit so they stop charging me £30 to park outside of my own house!

Is the looting still going on? Getting dark now too - ooh ya bleeda...

I drove through town at around 7 and the area around the Evening Post building was in complete darkness. Not even the traffic lights were working.
Also behind Trinity Square was in darkness too.

Not completely my cup of tea, but seems another good line-up is in store for Download again this year.

Rock giants AC/DC confirmed to play at Download festival
Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 09:30Comment on this story

Rock giants AC/DC and supergroup Them Crooked Vultures are among the first acts confirmed to play this year's Download festival.
Organisers of Britain's biggest rock weekend promised this year's event would go down in history.
To celebrate 30 years of rock at Donington Park, the capacity is being increased to make room for more than 100,000 festival-goers on each of the three days of the event – making Download the biggest music festival in the UK after Glastonbury.
Other acts confirmed to play at the award-winning festival in June include grunge rockers Stone Temple Pilots, thrash metal act Megadeth and metal behemoths Motörhead.
Deftones, Bullet For My Valentine, Wolfmother and Volbeat complete the first line-up announcement.
Download promoter Andy Copping said: "Download 2010 will be one for the history books.
"We had such a huge year last year so getting ready for 2010 I was thinking 'crikey, I've really got to step up my game now'.
"AC/DC are huge, absolutely immense, and we're talking about a band that don't do festivals, they only do they're own events.
"Now they've finally agreed to do Download and we're pleased as punch to have them.
"Them Crooked Vultures is a real coup as well. Everyone wants to see this band because of the people in it.
"They did a small run of dates in December that sold out unbelievably quickly but this looks like it could be their only show here in the summer, which is amazing."
He said the event would be a tribute to Maurice Jones, who started the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park in 1980 and died last year.
This year's Download is going ahead despite problems at the racetrack, after it failed to get investment to host the British Grand Prix.
Weekend tickets go on sale on Friday and more big names will be revealed over the next few weeks.
Andy said: "All I can say is there's big news still to come. AC/DC are headlining one of the nights so we've still got two headliners to come and let's just say they're going to fit in very comfortably."
AC/DC appeared at Monsters of Rock in 1981, 1984 and 1991 but 2010 will be their debut Download performance.
Them Crooked Vultures – featuring Foo Fighters and Nirvana hero Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones – are also playing Download for the first time after forming last year.
None of the band members has played at Donington.
John Probyn, spokesman for festival backer Live Nation, said: "The Donington site and its continuing flexibility should take some of the credit for the longevity and success of both Monsters of Rock and the Download Festival.
"We are thrilled that our 30-year association with the site will be marked not only with a superb line-up but also by the expansion of Download 2010 to accommodate more festival-goers than ever."
Download runs from Friday, June 11, to Sunday, June 13.
Weekend tickets for Download 2010 go on sale at 9am on Friday.
www.downloadfestival.co.uk

From today's Mercury

What have the Romans ever done for us? According to Monty Python's Life of Brian, the list includes medicine, education, public order, irrigation, roads and wine.

Now it turns out they also provided the oldest coin to have been found in Britain.

The silver denarius Roman republic coin dates from 211BC and, experts say, would have been the equivalent of a day's pay for a soldier.

The coin was found during excavation of a site near Hallaton that is thought to be a Late Iron Age shrine built by the Corieltavi tribe.

More than 5,000 Iron Age and Roman coins were found there.

Helen Sharp, Hallaton Treasure project officer, said: "How this coin came into the possession of the Corieltavi tribe is an intriguing mystery.

"The fact the coin is fairly worn perhaps suggests its preceding 250 years were spent on the Continent, only later arriving in Britain in the purse of an invading Roman soldier post AD43."

She said some archaeologists think Republican coins were finding their way into Britain before the Roman conquest and are evidence of exchange through trade or diplomacy.

She said: "If this is so, then the Hallaton coin is evidence of early Roman contact in the East Midlands – an area which was previously seen as something of a backwater during the Late Iron Age."

The coin shows the goddess Roma, wearing a helmet, on the front. On the other side are mythical twins Castor and Pollux sitting astride galloping horses.

Ms Sharp said: "This type of coin was first struck in Rome in 211BC, making the Hallaton coin a very early version.

"A soldier or unskilled worker living in the first century AD could expect to earn one denarius for a day's work."

She said this coin did not carry a mark of the person who minted it, making it four years older than the previous oldest known Roman coin, unearthed in Berkshire near the Ridgeway Roman road last year. It does have a moneyer's mark.

The coins have been catalogued by Ian Leins, curator of Iron Age and Roman coins at the British Museum.

He said: "It is an early, anonymous type, which lacks a moneyer's name and any issuer's marks beneath the horse or between the heads of the Dioscuri.

"The other coin has a crescent between the heads.

"The argument is that the types with the issue marks are slightly later."

It will go on display at Harborough Museum, alongside other coins found with it.

County council museums spokesman Councillor David Sprason said: "Leicestershire boasts the largest number of Iron Age coins ever professionally excavated in Britain in the Hallaton Treasure. To have the oldest Roman coin ever found is something very special."

That's interesting stuff. Maybe a few of the Romans were here around that time? I wonder if the coins were used at all for trading then.



BG

Derby are on fire against Newcastle!

Yep, astonishing result for Derby considering - two promotion chasing teams beaten in less than a week.

Coventry silenced Forest last night, and Leicester couldn't do anything to put Doncaster to bed - bit of another miss-fire for City, they really need to find better form and fast.

Still, my Geordie mate was devestated :lol:

Did you know Spinney Hill Park isn't marked on Google maps?

True fact.

That is bizarre - had to check. You can see the space it occupies...

The Street View man appears for Leicester now, but nothing is still available?

If you go into satellite mode you can see a large green area with trees that looks suspiciously like urban parkland.

You'd think someone at Google would be able to spot that :tongue2:

You would think that somebody might spot that relatively large urban expanse called Leicester and give it Street View...?

The Street View man appears for Leicester now, but nothing is still available?

Street View has been extended to lots of the major motorways, including the M1, so if your view of Leicester is wide enough to include that, that's probably why the Street View man pops up. It's only if he's orange that he works, though.

They are also working their way through the major towns and cities of the country in what I guess is order of importance. I see they've already done the likes of Coventry, Derby, Scunthorpe, Southampton, Dundee, Swansea, Norwich and Inverness, so you shouldn't have too long to wait, should you?

Did you know Spinney Hill Park isn't marked on Google maps?

True fact.

Neither is Humberstone Park.

They are also working their way through the major towns and cities of the country in what I guess is order of importance. I see they've already done the likes of Coventry, Derby, Scunthorpe, Southampton, Dundee, Swansea, Norwich and Inverness, so you shouldn't have too long to wait, should you?
Your tone entertains me.

It was noted, but he will claim he didn't mean to insult the city of Leicester...

As he is from Nottingham, I'm continually susprised that he has emerged from his cave and can manage to type, given the amount of drag he must have on his knuckles...

It was noted, but he will claim he didn't mean to insult the city of Leicester...

It was a joke. Lighten up.

I'm joking too...obviously...

Performing at the Comedy Festival this year?

Is that in Nottingham, or do you mean the major, nationally important one in Leicester?

Yes, I did indeed mean the The Leicester Comedy Festival. I had noticed it had generated a lot more major national mass media interest this year: namely, an hour of highlights ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00qm4z5) at 11pm on a Saturday night on BBC Radio 7.

A bitter sweet story from today's Mercury

Nine years ago, Leicester scientist Gerry Potter was making the headlines claiming to have a cure for cancer within his grasp.

It was a maverick belief and put the professor's credibility on the line. That drug is still in trials, but here is the news – another cancer wonder drug designed and built by Gerry has cleared clinical trials and been sold for a cool $1 billion

Experts say his prostate cancer killing smart-bomb – shown to shrink the most lethal tumours – could save, or prolong tens of thousands of lives a year.

His abiraterone drug has been hailed as the biggest breakthrough against prostate cancer in decades, one that may also bring new hope for breast and bowel cancer sufferers. Yet this moment of supreme vindication came at a hideous personal cost.

Gerry's relentlessly obsessive pursuit of medicine's holy grail shattered his sanity – and saw him sectioned for his own safety.

He read about his breakthrough, plastered over the front pages of the national press, while locked up in a mental health unit.

Today, we tell his remarkable story – the eureka moment that saw him imagine the blueprint for a $1 billion drug, how he built abiraterone in a fortnight, how it was so very nearly dumped, and how the desperate pleas for help from people dying of the disease pushed him over the edge...

Worth billions to the drugs companies, his discovery almost cost him his sanity

It was the day Professor Gerry Potter had waited nearly 20 years for. A triumph. Vindication. A cancer wonder drug – his drug – had finally cleared clinical trials. The newspapers were all over the story, writes Adam Wakelin.

"Could save the lives of 10,000 a year", bellowed the front page of The Times. Potentially the biggest prostate cancer breakthrough in decades, according to The Daily Mail.

That drug, abiraterone, had just been sold for a cool $1 billion. It was projected to earn perhaps 30 or 40 times that when it went into mass production, which could be as early as next year. He was going to be rich.

And yet, how's this for irony? No-one really wanted to know.

There would be no handshakes and popping Champagne corks for Gerry.

It was joy confined. For by the time he heard the glorious news, Gerry was a patient on a mental health ward in Leicester.

Of course, mental patients like him make "discoveries" like that all the time.

Delusions don't draw gasps in the topsy turvy world of Leicester General Hospital's Brandon Unit.

Gerry could see the disbelief in their eyes as he unfolded the Daily Mail clipping sent to him by his ex-wife.

Yes, yes, Gerry. Of course you did. You came up with a cure for cancer. Now take your tablets.

Except this was no delusion. This mental patient, locked up for his own safety, really had built a magic bullet. And Gerry knew something else too. It was that obsessive pursuit of cancer's holy grail that got him sectioned.

"I was spinning all these different plates," he says. "A few went wobbly and then, all of a sudden, they all went wobbly.

"It's quite painful to talk about. I've relapsed three times in the past year. Most of it has been spent in hospital."

You might remember Gerry Potter. He first made the pages of this newspaper in 2001. The Professor and his team at De Montfort University had invented a seek-and-destroy drug that obliterated cancer cells in laboratory tests.

That smart drug was named DMU 212 – and it appeared to work on all sorts of cancers.

Was this the elusive catch-all cure for the disease, we asked. The omens looked good, said oncology experts, but it was a question that only decades of drug trials would be able to answer.

The years have been kind since our first meeting. Gerry, just out of hospital, opens the door to his Clarendon Park home, in remarkably fine fettle. The lines on the face are a little deeper and there are a few more flecks of grey around the temples, but the boyish smile remains intact.

He seems calmer, less prone to maverick pronouncements.

"That's my medication," he says, inviting the Mercury to take a seat while he puts the kettle on.

A complicated honeycomb of hexagons and lines – it looks like a drug diagram – has been scrawled in pencil on the wall by the stairs. "Me thinking out loud," he explains from the kitchen. "I try not to do that any more".

It wasn't DMU 212 that had the national press babbling about medicine's new lethal weapon against cancer in 2001. That follow-up drug, and what happened to it, very nearly destroyed Gerry's sanity.

In 2001, it was his first drug, abiraterone, that was the promising discovery trapped in drug development hell.

DMU 212 is now in a similar limbo, but, despite everything, Gerry insists that it is the bigger deal, the one that will ultimately revolutionise treatment of the disease.

"Abiraterone was first drug I ever built," he says. "The De Montfort drug is far more exciting. It's the quantum leap and it's not out there.

"People are dying," he whispers. "They want these things now and I can't give them to them. I find that very hard."

The discovery of abiraterone was not usual. There was no slow trudge to enlightenment, no complicated mosaic of minor discoveries laboriously pieced together by specialists across the globe.

This was science as we see it in films; romantic, thrilling, done at a gallop by a brilliant young man in a white lab coat.

Spool back to 1990 and Dr Gerry Potter, having just finished his PhD, was in his first week of work at the Institute of Cancer Research in London's Royal Cancer Hospital.

His colleagues on the drug discovery programme, Prof Mike Jarman and Dr Elaine Barrie, wanted to target a male hormone-producing enzyme called CYP17.

Prostate cancer tumours feed on such hormones. Medicine could stop their production through chemical castration and radiotherapy, but these approaches was often ineffective. Rogue cancer cells seemed to make their own hormones.

A laser-guided bullet to target CYP17 was needed, Mike and Elaine reasoned. Block this enzyme and you took away the cancer's exclusive food supply.

"The idea was to starve the tumour to death, not attack it directly," explains Gerry, arriving with our mugs of tea.

They asked their new scientist to design a drug which jammed the lock of CYP17 – easier said than done.

To build a jamming key you needed to know what the lock looked like.

No-one did. You couldn't see it under a microscope. "You have to work it out from the inside," he says.

"It's a bit like a glove. To know its shape, you need to understand the hand that fits it. You have a palm and fingers and thumbs. You have to work out how they all fit together."

Gerry worked on hunches and hypotheses, using his knowledge of the enzyme's basic components to scribble down different possible structures.

And then he saw it. Or rather he imagined it.

"It was a eureka moment," he says. "You instinctively know when something is right."

Now he had the lock he had to build the key to block it. That took a fortnight – a heartbeat in the time scale of hard science.

"I developed a new chemical reaction to synthesise it," he says matter-of-factly. "What I was trying was really difficult and couldn't have worked at any stage. "Yet everything fitted into place. It worked first time."

Then came the boring bit, the making of "analogues" – a hundred near replicas – so no-one could make a copycat variant and claim the idea as their own.

"None worked as well as the first," says Gerry, still slightly awed by that fact. "Everything came so easy."

Everyone involved felt the hand of history on their shoulders as abiraterone astonished in laboratory tests.

The best prostate cancer drug on the market in 1990 – ketoconazole – had a cancer inhibiting activity of 10.

"You need that number to be as low as possible," says Gerry.

Abiraterone scored 0.001 – making it 10,000 times more potent than ketoconzole.

"It was the magic bullet," says the scientist.

He "scaled up" the drug, so it could be produced in kilogram quantities – a requirement for the patent.

The patent was eventually filed in 1994 through a venture capitalist company called BTG that had funded much of the supplementary research.

It then sold on the team's hard work to Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceuticals giant with the financial muscle to support the fledgling drug through the inevitable years of clinical trials.

Abiraterone was just another roll of the dice in a game of heavily stacked odds for Boehringer.

Endless safety checkpoints have to be cleared before a drug comes to market. Get through one and more investors can be lured on board to get it through another trial.

"The drug gets more and more valuable, which is okay as long as it doesn't hit a problem," says Gerry with a weary smile.

"Only one per cent get to market. Good drugs, life-saving drugs, fall by the wayside. Any chance of failure and they get dropped like a hot potato."

Boehringer got worried when trials of abiraterone suggested it caused cortisol depletion – a hormone vital to health.

The company cashed in its chips with abiraterone, selling the drug for $40m to Cougar Biotechnology, whose name sounds like the kind of outfit that Six Million Dollar Man Steve Austin used to go behind the barbwire to investigate.

That dream looked dead, so Gerry started chasing another.

DMU 212 was the discovery that brought Professor Potter on to the front page of the Mercury in 2001.

Like abiraterone, DMU 212 targeted an enzyme, but this one seemed to be prevalent in more cancers.

It appeared to be an even smarter smart bomb than abiraterone and its laboratory results were even more remarkable.

A few granules killed 80% of cancer cells within 24 hours. Within four days the rest had all but disappeared.

The news went global. It would be years, probably decades, before the drug was available at bedsides, we warned.

That didn't stop the begging letters, desperate pleas from the dying franked with postmarks from all over the world.

They came in a flood. All asking for a few of Gerry's magic pills. The scientist answered as many as he could, agonising over every reply.

How do you tell the mother of a dying seven-year-old girl you can't help her? How do you snuff out that last faint hope when you believe you have the biggest breakthrough since penicillin?

He never forgot those letters. They drove him on and they made him lose his mind.

We step outside for a cigarette break. Seeing Gerry spark up is a surprise. He never used to smoke.

"I started in the hospital," he says, puffing on an expertly made roll-up. "The only time you got to leave was when they escorted you outside for a smoke.

"The health risks don't bother me. I've got a cure for cancer, haven't I?" He laughs, but it's a hollow laugh.

De Montfort University set up a company called Spear Therapeutics, bankrolled by Cancer Research UK and others, to take DMU 212 forward.

American venture capital firm Advent International committed $8.5m to further develop the drug. It was a huge investment, but it came with strings.

All further work on DMU 212 would be done in the US.

"I lost control of my drug," says Gerry.

He tries to be philosophical. Gargantuan amounts of money are needed to bring a drug to market.

"You need the right partner or the drug doesn't fly," he says. "I found that hard to accept at the time. The deal left us powerless."

DMU 212 is going through pre-clinical development, inching along the same torturous path as abiraterone.

"They'll be trying to add to the package," he explains. "Every time you get a good result you go back to the market for more money."

Gerry had his first breakdown in 2006. The crippling weight of all that expectation got too much. He worked himself into the ground, doing 12-hour days in his lab before spending another eight in his office writing up research.

"I wouldn't get home until 5am and I'd be back at the university by 9am," he says. "Eventually, I just went ga-ga."

Diagnosed with manic depression, he had three relapses last year. Most of it was spent in the Brandon unit.

"Hell," he whispers. "Like being in a nightmare. "I met lots of interesting people and the staff were good, but not a nice place.

"They injected me with drugs to calm me down. I was a walking zombie."

His long-time girlfriend, Sarah, moved to France.

"We're on good terms. She wants me to go out to see her," says Gerry. "When you're up with manic depression you feel invincible. You're gripped by this mania. I can't have been easy to live with."

He took three books with him into hospital, setting himself the challenge of decoding DNA. For Gerry, it was like a crossword puzzle.

"Like a crossword puzzle, but in a whole new language," he laughs. "You have to learn the language before you can solve it.

"I still had to have a challenge. Even in there, as bad as I was, I couldn't just stop."

Ihaven't got cancer. Cancer's got me. And it's going to have to bloody deal with me. That was singer Ian Dury's brilliantly belligerent response when he was diagnosed with the disease.

It is a sentiment that perfectly sums up Gerry Potter's remorseless battle with the Big C.

Trials of abiraterone have shown that it can shrink tumours in 80% of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancers. The second biggest killer of men in Britain may become a manageable disease.

That's why pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson bought Cougar Biotechnology for $1bn.

Abiraterone has been proven to help patients whose cancers have spread to their bones, livers, even their lungs.

Survival rates will be boosted by many years just by taking four pills a day. There seem few side-effects.

Dr Johann de Bono, who steered the drug through clinical trials, has suggested that it could eventually make chemotherapy obsolete.

A study of 1,200 patients worldwide is now in progress and the drug could be licensed and available in the UK as early as next year.

Cancer has taken Gerry to the brink. The disease might not be beaten but, regardless of what happens to DMU 212, he's given it a hell of a bloody nose.

Abiraterone earned him £9,000 last year. When it goes worldwide the royalties may make him a millionaire.

"I suppose they will, yeah," he says, as if we're talking pennies. "It doesn't really matter because I'll put it all back into my research anyway."

He plans to be back at work in a few weeks, ignoring my advice to rest on his laurels for a few months. Sort your garden out Gerry, I tell him, get properly better, go on holiday, then go back to work – and take it easy.

"I will," he promises. Then he starts to smile a familiar smile. "There's such a lot to do. I've got to get my research up and running again.

"I feel good. Ready to tackle new challenges."

What a fantastic story ... true dedication. I wish him all the best. A good friend of mine works in the Mental Health services and I'm sure she's familiar with the Brandon unit, so will ask about this. Of course confidentiality is paramount, so I don't expect a full disclosure or possibly anything at all, but it would be nice to know if he is getting on OK now.

It's such a crime that the bollocks presented to us by the current HSE and resulting stranglehold (directly related to this) by the drug companies means these drugs, if ever made available, will be far too late for my Mum, who has only a few weeks to live. But there is hope for others, at least. I can see why the requests by the afflicted would overwhelm him. I'm sure all of us would be in the same boat in his position. I'd give him all the encouragement he could possibly need.


BG

Derby knocked in another 5. They are looking really good. Quite scary really.

Yeah, but they couldn't stop Preston scoring 3 in reply.

So maybe not that scary.

Yeah, but they couldn't stop Preston scoring 3 in reply.

So maybe not that scary.

Not forgetting that Preston are awful at the moment. Derby have improved since they beat us but they are still a mediocre side.

Most of the goals in that game were the result of woeful defending to be honest, good football had little to do with it!

As this article involves thw whole region I thought I'd post it here:
22-02-2010 | RAIL ELECTRIFICATION REPORT WELCOMED IN THE EAST MIDLANDS & SHEFFIELD CITY REGION


The campaign to electrify the Midland Main Line (MML) received a significant boost from the influential House of Commons Transport Committee which has published its report :Priorities for investment in the railways, Third Report of Session 2009-10, (HC 38),volumes I and II.



A number of Partners across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire including the East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA), the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and the Sheffield City Region (SCR) all submitted written evidence supporting the electrification of the Midland Main Line running through the East Midlands to Sheffield. These partners working with others including the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and a number of Local Authorities have also been active in raising the profiles of this investment which could deliver transport, environmental and economic benefits.

In the Transport Committee Select Committee Announcement of Feb 15th 2010 the committee said:

"Further electrification of the network - particularly the Midland Main Line between London and Sheffield - should also be given top priority. Electrified trains can offer economic and environmental benefits, such as faster journey times, more seats, greater reliability, improved air quality and lower carbon emissions than their diesel equivalents.Approximately 40% of the network is currently electrified."

Councillor David Parsons, Chair of EMRA, said "Our Partners have had several discussions at very high levels on this project which is recognised will bring benefits to all who use the Midland Main Line. In November 2009 we met with The Secretary of State, Lord Adonis, and I said at the time:

"I know that Lord Adonis is interested in long term investment in high speed rail links - but electrifying the Midland Main Line would be a quick win for everybody and complement any future developments. "I am glad that the Select Committee agrees with our Partnership on this project and look forward to work beginning as soon as possible."

Dr Bryan Jackson, emda's Chairman, said: "We strongly welcome the recognition by the Transport Select Committee of the potential value and impact of improving the MML. As a key strategic link connecting the East Midlands to London and Yorkshire, and connecting some of the region's main urban centres to each other, we see its improvement as an essential part of the region's future economic growth and development".



David Brown, Director General of SYPTE said: "Building on recent timetabling improvements between Sheffield and London is essential. The business and environmental case for electrification of the route is overwhelming. The SCR is fully supportive of this enhancement and we are delighted that the Transport Select Committee has given its full support to this key development"



EDITORS NOTE

The Midland Main Line Partnership has said electrifying the Midland Main Line would:
o Speed up journey times, putting Leicester within an hour of London, Derby and Nottingham within 90 minutes and Sheffield within two hours
o Allow for longer, more cost effective and reliable trains on a line where passenger numbers have grown by 87 per cent since 1997
o Boost the economies of the Leicester/Nottingham/Derby area and the Sheffield City Region by £15 million-£19 million per year, according to independent analysis commissioned by emda
o Relieve motorway congestion, complement future high speed rail links and create more capacity for freight trains
o Reduce carbon emissions, by replacing diesel trains and attracting passengers out of cars

Both volumes of the Report can be found on the Committee's website:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/transport_committee.cfm

Press release quoted above http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/transport_committee/transpn100215.cfm
From the Prospect Leicestershire website. See: http://www.prospectleicestershire.co.uk/news/rail-electrification-report-welcomed

Really good to see the support for the electrification. I am assuming it will follow the Sheffield to London route. Wouldn't this mean that Nottingham will miss out and will have to change over at Leicester? It would be good for Leicester as it would show the need for a larger train station here.

UK city of culture finalists revealed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/feb/24/uk-city-of-culture-finalists

(Don't worry, I'm sure all the judges are wrong, and that it is nothing to do with the quality of your bid...)

UK city of culture finalists revealed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/feb/24/uk-city-of-culture-finalists

(Don't worry, I'm sure all the judges are wrong, and that it is nothing to do with the quality of your bid...)


Leicester pulled out of the running months ago Binge.

What a Muppet!

Leicester pulled out of the running months ago Binge.

I missed that news. What was the reason given?

I missed that news. What was the reason given?

I think (if I remember rightly) the initial feedback given to Leicester's committee was that a lot of work would need to be done to make the City a strong contender - and probably much more money needed investing in the bid - and they decided not to pursue it. They've not ruled out going for it in the future though.

Did Milton Keynes apply? That would have got my vote. Or Plymuff...

I think (if I remember rightly) the initial feedback given to Leicester's committee was that a lot of work would need to be done to make the City a strong contender - and probably much more money needed investing in the bid - and they decided not to pursue it. They've not ruled out going for it in the future though.

So how come they submitted a bid in September last year, and why is there no story on thisisleicestershire or bbc.co.uk/leicester about this pull-out???

So how come they submitted a bid in September last year, and why is there no story on thisisleicestershire or bbc.co.uk/leicester about this pull-out???


I don't know why they chose not to report it - why not ask them?

How did you hear about it?

Does it really matter?

I can't believe Leicester pulled out, what with your cultural quarter and all that thought you would have been a shoe in :lol:

It would help me in finding out why exactly Leicester withdrew, and who gave them the feedback. When did this happen?

Stop argueing. The important issue here is that Leicester is going to have electrified rail travel and Nottingham will miss out. Those from Nottingham will have to change over at Leicester or use old diesel trains.

What makes you say that? There hasn't been any announcement, has there, apart from a Commons committee report about the benefits of electrifying the MML?

It would help me in finding out why exactly Leicester withdrew, and who gave them the feedback. When did this happen?


Just for you then, if it's that important! :)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=45791129&highlight=#post45791129

Hmm, so it was "expert" feedback, eh. That's useful!:)

Stop argueing. The important issue here is that Leicester is going to have electrified rail travel and Nottingham will miss out. Those from Nottingham will have to change over at Leicester or use old diesel trains.

Why couldn't / wouldn't they electrify the Nottingham to Leicester strecth too?

And don't worry duane, nobody was arguing mate (well, not from my perspective anyway!)

Hmm, so it was "expert" feedback, eh. That's useful!:)


Erm, yes, very. ('Useful' for what I have no idea, but I'm glad you think so!) :)

I just wondered where you would get "expert feedback" on something like this, and why you would get it after you'd submitted your bid, rather than when you could alter your bid to react to what they said. And also why you would "withdraw" from the process, rather than just not get picked?? It just all seems a bit odd, doesn't it??:)

I just wondered where you would get "expert feedback" on something like this, and why you would get it after you'd submitted your bid, rather than when you could alter your bid to react to what they said. And also why you would "withdraw" from the process, rather than just not get picked?? It just all seems a bit odd, doesn't it??:)


I don't really have any authority on the topic mate, so a big " :dunno: " from me.

If I was guessing (which I am) I would say that this "expert feedback" came from the Culture Secretary's office following the further guidance that was given to 'cities' on September 10th in Liverpool. The deadline for a formal bid was December 11th once an initial expression of interest was made in September / October. Obviously Leicester (and other 'cities') decided not to commit funding to the formal bid process and withdrew prior to that date. Leicester never submitted a 'bid' as such, rather an outline proposal on which they received feedback from an advisory panel, and they decided not to continue with spending more time and money on the bidding process. Not that odd really?


Edit: If it helps to contextualise it, the timeline for submission of bids was - Expressions of interest August/September; invite to seminar in Liverpool providing further guidance for 'cities' to be held on 10th September; Submission of outline proposal 16th October; Advisory panel feedback following proposal (which is the 'expert feedback' mentioned in the linked article I would assume); Formal bids made 11th December; Shortlist announced early 2010 (today); Shortlisted Cities have until 28th May to submit details on 'full and final bids'; Winner announced later this year.

Seems reasonable, but then again I don't feel the need to attack Leicester at every turn.

Here's a picture of me on an Elephant to lighten the mood
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs151.snc3/17862_571999573338_222704681_4718641_1498422_n.jpg

Incredible!

You managed to find India's last surviving hippy.

Or is that Sri Lanka?

I don't really have any authority on the topic mate...

You seem to have a much better idea about it all than either the local media (no information I can find either at the BBC or Mercury sites ) or Leicester City Council (I can't find any information about the City of Culture bid at all on their website!)

Has anyone heard anything about this?

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Medieval-Nottingham-8211-Texas/article-1866427-detail/article.html?cacheBust=xGnt3DJ7a15d&authid=RTtidnGq2V8yHTdPTEcEkPGwEa0XaxOL0bTypV5uXxR4Vrmo1267111102588&success=true#community

And that picture was taken in Thailand, right before that elephant walked down the tightest path next to a brook that would have had Health and Safety foaming at the mouths.

You seem to have a much better idea about it all than either the local media (no information I can find either at the BBC or Mercury sites ) or Leicester City Council (I can't find any information about the City of Culture bid at all on their website!)


The info I gave above is easily accessed by typing 'UK City of Culture 2013' into Google, and this link coming up - http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/6256.aspx/

As to why LCC or The Mockery haven't reported it, I have no idea! But, nor do I care really. They're both as useless as each other.

PerfectDark - nice pic mate! Very jealous.

The labour party is officially discriminatory and they are playing politics with our area.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/women-short-list-agreed-Ashfield/article-1869747-detail/article.html?cacheBust=tfqXY6fQxMGu&authid=RecPe5vPp5CaLjdXMoWPDlohqQFi1eh5L8WNARJtNT232XBPG81267188559469&success=true#community

The sad thing is, Ashfield as a Labour Stronghold is being used as a platform to further the careers of politicians. Because of this ruling Ashfield won't get a local politician, and this can only be bad for Ashfield.

Political party "plays politics" - shock!

I wondered whether anyone would explain the rapid growth in GVA per capita within Derby during the late 90s (1995 - 2001). It was the fastest growing city in the UK in terms of productivity.

Was the 90s a period of expansion in some of the engineering/manufacturing sectors within Derby? Any thoughts?

Incidentally, as this is the East Midlands Sykbar here are the figures (1995-2001 growth in GVA per capita)

Derby: 67%
Nottingham: 23%
Leicester: 34%

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Toyota?

Apparently Rolls Royce employ 11,000 workers in Derby, I doubt they have expanded as much as Toyota though.

AstraZeneca announces plans to close Loughborough site

The centre develops treatments for lung and breathing problems
One of Leicestershire's major employers is to shut its operation with the loss of almost 1,200 jobs.

Managers at AstraZeneca's research facility on the outskirts of Loughborough met staff to discuss their future on Tuesday.

The firm announced 8,000 worldwide redundancies in January, following more than 12,000 posts going as part of earlier efficiency plans.

Over the past 10 years more than £100m has been spent developing the site.

The centre has been involved in developing new treatments for conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

January's announcement said restructuring would include 3,500 research and development posts being cut worldwide.

Nick Carter, chairman of the union Prospect in Leicestershire, said, "This is desperately sad news for the workers of AstraZeneca and a grim day for Loughborough.

"We will be working with Charnwood Borough Council, other organisations and local Mps to see what can be done to minimise the impact on the local economy and to find new ways of bringing employment to the area."

Another 1,200 jobs gone.

Changing topic:

Wherever we live in the East Midlands, we've always been dealt a pretty shit hand as far as local radio is concerned. Radio Trent wasn't so terrible in its early days (or no more terrible than anyone else's typical 70s/80s ILR station) but Leicester's Centre Radio went bust in the recession of the early 80s, and had to be rescued by Trent with an identikit Leicester Sound service, and Derby didn't have its own service at all, just a roll-out of Trent in the late 80s, alter renamed as Ram FM. That's meant that all three East Midlands cities have had near-identical local radio stations, so you've never been able to tune around to hear something different, and as radio succumbed to focus groups and centralised playlists through the 90s and beyond, local content has been marginalised and the music played has congealed more and more about the central ground.

What's more, when other areas experienced more differentiated niche stations - like Kiss, Xfm, Kerrang etc, or new additional local city-based stations in everywhere from Manchester to Oxford to Birmingham to Bristol to Brighton, the East Midlands was the only region in the country where smaller new services were only licensed in the smaller towns rather than the cities, so places like Loughborough, Mansfield and Burton got further stations when the cities didn't. To cap it all, when we got regional stations, they went to two middle-of-the-road older audience stations, which plod on today as Heart and Smooth.

For me, the launch of digital radio - both online and DAB - has been the only place to find more interesting music than the banal crap put on on FM in our region. Stations like Xfm, Kerrang and Absolute are far from perfect, but they have a bit more life to them than the awful dancing-round-your-handbags music you get on Trent or Heart or Smooth.

Best of all, though, is BBC 6 Music which again, ain't perfect, but offers a far more diverse and distinct range of music than anywhere else on the dial.

So of course, as you've probably read, the BBC wants to close it.

If you have ever enjoyed 6 Music, and would like to see it continue, please think about making your views known to the BBC. The decision has to be ratified by the BBC Trust and the head of that has said today that a strong public voice in favour of the station could see it saved.

(There's an online form here: https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view

Or you can email here:
srconsultation@bbc.co.uk )

More generally, does anyone else think we got a pretty raw deal historically as far as radio is concerned in the East Midlands? As it happens, commercial radio is largely falling apart across the country now, anyway, but I can't imagine too many people in our region being too bothered - we've had it bad for so long.

Changing topic:

Wherever we live in the East Midlands, we've always been dealt a pretty shit hand as far as local radio is concerned. Radio Trent wasn't so terrible in its early days (or no more terrible than anyone else's typical 70s/80s ILR station) but Leicester's Centre Radio went bust in the recession of the early 80s, and had to be rescued by Trent with an identikit Leicester Sound service, and Derby didn't have its own service at all, just a roll-out of Trent in the late 80s, alter renamed as Ram FM. That's meant that all three East Midlands cities have had near-identical local radio stations, so you've never been able to tune around to hear something different, and as radio succumbed to focus groups and centralised playlists through the 90s and beyond, local content has been marginalised and the music played has congealed more and more about the central ground.

What's more, when other areas experienced more differentiated niche stations - like Kiss, Xfm, Kerrang etc, or new additional local city-based stations in everywhere from Manchester to Oxford to Birmingham to Bristol to Brighton, the East Midlands was the only region in the country where smaller new services were only licensed in the smaller towns rather than the cities, so places like Loughborough, Mansfield and Burton got further stations when the cities didn't. To cap it all, when we got regional stations, they went to two middle-of-the-road older audience stations, which plod on today as Heart and Smooth.

For me, the launch of digital radio - both online and DAB - has been the only place to find more interesting music than the banal crap put on on FM in our region. Stations like Xfm, Kerrang and Absolute are far from perfect, but they have a bit more life to them than the awful dancing-round-your-handbags music you get on Trent or Heart or Smooth.

Best of all, though, is BBC 6 Music which again, ain't perfect, but offers a far more diverse and distinct range of music than anywhere else on the dial.

So of course, as you've probably read, the BBC wants to close it.

If you have ever enjoyed 6 Music, and would like to see it continue, please think about making your views known to the BBC. The decision has to be ratified by the BBC Trust and the head of that has said today that a strong public voice in favour of the station could see it saved.

(There's an online form here: https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view

Or you can email here:
srconsultation@bbc.co.uk )

More generally, does anyone else think we got a pretty raw deal historically as far as radio is concerned in the East Midlands? As it happens, commercial radio is largely falling apart across the country now, anyway, but I can't imagine too many people in our region being too bothered - we've had it bad for so long.
Agree with that binge, and the rub salt into the wounds BBC Asian Network, which started in Leicester and is now national, will close too. This is a travesty as their morning and afternoon shows are brilliant in my opinion. I'm not sure where content like that will be found anymore cos sure as hell local asian radio stations won't be producing it.

Sad :(

All BBC have to do is close the sh*t bbc3 and that should free up enough cash to run both of these stations and more. Or sack wossy

You're a bit late on the sack Wossy front. He's already said he won't be renewing his contract when it expires.

You're a bit late on the sack Wossy front. He's already said he won't be renewing his contract when it expires.

Dammit, who else is prime sackable material. Seems that christian digby chap killed himself by mistake...

At the end of the day the BBC have to make cuts and the likely victims are always going to be the least popular shows/channels/stations.

Unfortunately moseeds BBC Three is more popular and indeed more important than Asian radio, so it was to be expected.

BBC3 is really good. That is why they are not getting rid of it.

BBC3 is really good. .Sorry - we've had some disagreements on here, but now you've really crossed the line... :)

BBC3 is really good? In what possible universe?

Family Guy, American Dad, Torchwood, The Real Hustle.

Family Guy, The Mighty Boosh and The Real Hustle are quality programmes, and there's a few others on BBC3 that are good viewing aswell. One of the most important roles of BBC3 is giving budding young stars a chance to shine, they invest in comedy and drama and that's worth keeping.. ignoring that twat James Corden.. urgh.

Family Guy and American Dad - two imports that could be picked up by any other channel.

Mighty Boosh - finished, probably going to be made as a movie next.

Torchwood - moved to BBC2 for series 2, moved to BBC1 for series 3, probably going to be a US co-production for series 4.

The Real Hustle? I'm not sure it's worth keeping a TV station open just so it can show The Real Hustle.

Meanwhile, as a counter-argument, I give you Coming of Age, Horne and Corden, Joe Swash on Ghosts, Snog, Marry, Avoid, and The World's Hardest Driving Tests with Will Mellor.

Good points Binge but the fact is they've brought us some good TV and launched many a career while stations like the Asian Network offer little more than what can be found online for free.

Don't get me wrong, BBC Three have broadcast a load of tosh, but I don't know what i'd do without the double Family Guy episodes! ;)

Guess the satellite (East Midlands edition):

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=52.6110130758037~-1.291150376200676&lvl=16&sty=h&eo=0&where1=Lichfield%2C%20Staffordshire

What on earth is this? Is it a tractor factory?

Haha, I live next to that, flare :p

It's the Caterpillar factory in Desford, Leicestershire. It's bloody massive, I believe that satellite photo is quite old as the site is larger now. It used to be the Desford aerodrome, an RAF airfield that was used for pilot training after WW1 iirc.

Thanks, big site really in the middle of no-where!

This might have been a clue:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lichfield,+Staffordshire&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=54.929606,120.498047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lichfield,+Staffordshire,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.608157,-1.297913&spn=0.001303,0.003677&t=h&z=19]

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Summer-Sundae-festival-announces-acts/article-1880718-detail/article.html


First acts announced for Summer Sundae festival in Leicester
Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 09:30

13 readers have commented on this story.
Click here to read their views.

Rapper Tinchy Stryder, indie-folk act Mumford & Sons and the Mercury-nominated Go! Team are among the first acts confirmed to play at this year's Summer Sundae festival.

The De Montfort Hall event celebrates its 10th birthday this year and organisers have promised a mix of "the hottest established names, legendary performers and new acts" to mark the anniversary.

The festival's Twitter site was giving away hints to keep internet fans guessing yesterday, but now we can reveal the first stage of the line-up in full.

Other bands announced by De Montfort Hall and partner music agency Coda include post-punk group The Fall, indie rockers The Sunshine Underground and the up-and-coming Local Natives.

Summer Sundae director Rob Challice has promised more line-up announcements in the next few weeks.
Click here for more

He said: "The sun is out and the bill is coming together. We're really excited about this one.

"It's already looking like one of our most vibrant years yet.

"Thank you to all those that have supported the festival over the past 10 years and made it possible. Expect more announcements before the end of March."

Rob, who is in charge of booking the line-up, added: "We are delighted to announce two huge success stories of the moment – Mumford & Sons and Tinchy Stryder.

"Mumford & Sons have become one of the most significant British success stories in recent years. They are a band on the verge of greatness.

"Tinchy Stryder, meanwhile, is quite possibly the hottest thing in British pop music right now and a real coup for the festival."

Summer Sundae veterans Laura Veirs and Lou Rhodes, the psychedelic Erland & The Carnival and 80s rock band The Woodentops are also on the bill, along with The Whip, Goldheart Assembly, Wave Pictures and A Genuine Freakshow.

De Montfort Hall marketing manager David Pepworth said: "De Montfort Hall and Coda have successfully developed the Summer Sundae Weekender for 10 years, growing it into the nationally and internationally-renowned event it is today. Its success is in no small part due to its eclectic programming and its willingness to innovate and collaborate with partners from the city and beyond.

"Even though this is just the first of the line-up announcements it is already mouth-watering enough to guarantee that the festival's 10th birthday is definitely going to be something to celebrate.

"We look forward to welcoming thousands to share the party."

Early bird tickets for the festival, from August 13-15, are available until Wednesday, March 31, at £95 for the weekend.

Visit: www.summersundae.com

I heard about this at work so I went to check it out and take a picture.

Driver fled Hockley crash scene

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/perfect_dark_2002/57112a0a.jpg

POLICE are searching for a driver who abandoned the car after crashing into a city centre building.

The black Volvo smashed into the Castle Exchange complex in Broad Street, Hockley, at around 3.40am yesterday.

The building had to be evacuated while a structural engineer checked to make sure it was safe and residents were not allowed back in until around 5.15am.

Two fire crews from central station and the special rescue vehicle from Highfields attended the incident.

No one was injured and the building only suffered cosmetic damage.

A Notts Police spokesman said: "The motorist fled and abandoned the vehicle at the scene. We are appealing for witnesses."


http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Car-crashes-Hockley-flat/article-1884610-detail/article.html?cacheBust=E4gAEAY1044k&authid=wAW8saaSsAp4jjz5WkcQPohS93ss3LcfqSnKc8Z4CxKegvwz71267729132553&success=true#community

That looks like more than "cosmetic" damage to me. What are those bricks made of? Chalk? :eek:

Really well built, that. Just like most modern buildings :lol:


BG

Just confirming what we already knew...

East Midlands 'most underfunded region in the UK'
By Allister Craddock
Politics Show, BBC East Midlands

Trains
East Midlands transport spending 46% less than national average

The East Midlands Politics Show reveals that based on need, the region is the most underfunded in the UK.

The regional select committee is about to publish a report in March highlighting some of the most glaring deficits.

A breakdown of Government figures by the East Midlands Regional Assembly shows the region gets just 46% less than the UK average for housing and community facilities - £114 a head compared with £212 nationally.

On transport, the disparity is almost as bad at 39%. And the amount the region gets for police and fire services is 20% less than the UK average.

The Conservative leader of Leicestershire County Council, David Parsons, is scathing.

"On the West Coast rail line, they spend more on car park renovation that they do on the whole of the Midlands Main Line. It's outrageous."

So how has it been allowed to happen?
Paddy Tipping
Mr Tipping believes region is 'too timid' at fighting its corner

The chairman of the regional select committee, Labour MP Paddy Tipping, tells the Politics Show:

"There are strong regional identities elsewhere. The North West or the North East have always argued their case.

"We've been a bit timid in the East Midlands when it comes to regionalism."

He is particularly concerned at the deficit on police funding.

"They have been underfunded for many years. We've made some progress, but there's a long way to go."

The chief executive of the outgoing regional assembly, Stuart Young, says he believes part of the problem is the Government's criteria.

He insists they're "too rigid and too complicated".

Andrew Pritchard, the assembly's director of housing and planning, says the region doesn't get anything like what it needs for affordable housing or improving existing homes.

Meeting targets for new homes is difficult enough, he says. But the funding deficit and the state of the economy makes it even less likely.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/regions/east_midlands/8552822.stm

Finally some figures to prove the fact. It was about time this came to light as it is a disgrace and a scandal. Taking from the East Midlands to give to other areas is an insult.

With a population only slightly less than Scotland and more than either Wales or Northern Ireland - we should have far more investment! We account for over 7% of the UK population, but get nowhere near a 7% return on investment...

Why do we pay our taxes when we get such a bad deal. A bit of investment would help every once in a while.

The fact that the West Coast Mainline had more funding on making car parks look nice than the Midland Mainline has had in total just goes to show the stupidity and arrogance that this government shows. This funding should be allocated evenly and fairly.

I am tired of paying my taxes and having to have high levels of student debt in order to have a transport infrastructure which is one of the most congested in the country, a rail network that is over crowded, an under funded health service and an under funded police force. Something needs to be done. I guess nothing can be done unfortunately. We don't have enough important political powers living in this area, so why will they fund anything?

One amongst the many efforts online that can help you make your voice heard...

http://www.democracyclub.org.uk/

I wonder what our councils could do if all the money they raised in rates and taxes stayed in their coffers rather than being sent to Whitehall for "redistribution".

Buy Rolex watches?

Let's break away from the UK and become are own democratic republic. We can set up tax incentives for big business to operate and bring them all in. Have our own parliament etc.

Dear Rolex SA...

So what they are basically saying is dont ask dont get. I can see that actually. I think lots of the councils and councillors in the East Midlands are heavily resistant to change, and love living in the 'good old days'. Trouble is that the rest of the country have moved on. You just have to see the dramatic changes to Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester to notice that.

We have been 'timid' as a region but then we didnt suffer the catastrophic collapse of industry and mass unemployment of parts of the north that has driven much of the cash to those regions.

We cannot blame the government if our own region wont actually get its act together and ask for the cash. I feel that Nottingham hasn't been too bad at getting some of the lion's share. Old Market Square, the Turning Point Project and some of Jubilee campus were all funded with EU money. Money that is there, you just have to bid for it, which seems to be something we are not that good at. As you say, we all pay taxes so we have the right to.

Hopefully reports like this will resonate with the authorities of the East Mids, as the whole region is slipping behind a bit.

We shouldn't have to bid for a share. It is an entitlement. We should only have to say where we want it to go...

of course you should have to bid for it, otherwise if u just got what u are 'entitled to' then areas like Windsor and Surrey would be just as entitled as St Anns, Moss-side or the Lozells! The money should go where its needed, and for that to be done, the area in question or the local authority need to make the case that it's needed.

You can't just expect money to fall from the sky.

Even if we do get less money for the police, our crime is not subsequently shockingly high in the East Mids, deprivation is far from the worst, education is rising rapidly (in Notts anyway, i dont know the figures for Leicester).

If the area doesnt make the case for investment then why should it get it? Cash and investment should go where it's needed. If Leicester needs it badly then elect a council that can do that for you as the current one obviously isn't strong enough to attract the government and EU funds you want.

So that way money can be arbitrarily divided up and given to the bad as well as the good regeneration projects? I think it should go on basis of need, giving a chance to bid gives all ideas a chance. Do these figures include the tram btw?

i agree entirely perfectdark.

Im not sure where the BBC got their figures from. if they are basing it on what the rail companies spend then I am not surprised there is a disparity since East Midlands Trains is a tiny franchise. The figures dont show what the region got for culture, sport, regeneration, transport (i.e. the tram, M1, A46), Industry or business support etc. There are lots of figures missing from this report.

Also, The East midlands along with the entire rest of the UK took a massive cut in funding to cover the cost of EU partners in the East joining, as we are not considered a deprived region compared to those now.

Spending in the UK is based on a formula depending on need. If the need isnt there, I dont see how we can justify the spend. Its not as if our region is falling apart without this money

I'm sure if the East Midlands as a region was given its fair share of cash, the appropriate areas would be targetted. We shouldn't have to bid for our fair share of cash. It should be an entitlement.

How do you determine our fair share? Who decides what is fair?

Yes, good point. Maybe some sort of bidding system...?

I'd suggest 7%, as we constitute 7% of the UK population...

Here is a nice little project looking at where our money goes...

http://www.wheredoesmymoneygo.org/prototype/

But simply matching expenditure to population size is incredibly regressive - areas and populations with greater needs clearly should have more money than wealthier areas.

OK so we need more than 7%!!!

I'd suggest 7%, as we constitute 7% of the UK population...

Here is a nice little project looking at where our money goes...

http://www.wheredoesmymoneygo.org/prototype/

This site confirms how under funded the East Midlands is. Please see attached picture. :nuts:

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/2474/image1jn.jpg



http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6250/image2t.jpg

Well when you put it like that, maybe we should be getting a better deal. The East Midlands is far from perfect with many deprived areas so maybe we need to be having strong words with our bidding team.

Take Nottingham for instance, there is a bad neighbourhood in every direction surrounding the centre. Money has been spent but nothing has changed, maybe our ideas are at fault?

At first I was happy, then I thought about the whole world being able to see the Belgrave Triangle. Is there anyway we can stop StreetView?


Leicester and Leicestershire go live on Google Street View - at last!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

It has been a long wait but from tomorrow internet users will be able to take a virtual stroll along our streets.

A year after Google launched Street View for many parts of Britain, the service is finally going live in Leicestershire.

The internet giant has sent its camera cars along every public road in the county, collecting photos which it has turned into 360-degree pictures online.

The images show homes, shops and takeaways, street signs, landmarks and football grounds.

In other parts of the country, potential house buyers have used Street View to check areas from the comfort of their homes.

Faces and number plates are painstakingly obscured for privacy.

For 12 months, the website provided Street View coverage of 25 UK cities – including Derby and Nottingham – as well as towns such as York, Scunthorpe and Norwich, but not Leicestershire, to the consternation of its proud residents.

Until now, only major roads such as the M1 were shown, as well as – by chance – Wymeswold.

Leicester City Council leader Ross Willmott wrote to Google last year to complain that the city had been omitted.

He said he was pleased people around the globe would now be able to familiarise themselves with city streets, attractions and businesses.

He said: "People are increasingly using Google to find out about places and there should be the same opportunity to do that here, as in any other place."

Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce managing director Martin Traynor said: "As well as being something to satisfy people's curiosity about what Leicestershire is like, it will offer many advantages from a business angle and put the county in a new shopwindow."

But Hazel Smith, Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator for Barwell, said: "It's going to feel like you've got Big Brother hanging over you.

"The problem is that you could get the wrong sort of people looking at it."

Shop assistant Abdur Rahman, 33, of Queen Street, Loughborough, was looking forward to seeing his road.

He said: "It will be interesting to see how it appears and it doesn't worry me too much that anyone in the world could take a look at my front door."

Student Lindsey Powell, 18, from Sileby, said: "Whatever people say, I can't imagine it will lead to a crime wave or anything like that."

Google said it was aware of concerns about loss of privacy.

As well as automatically blurring number plates and faces, it will remove properties from the images on request.

Spokeswoman Laura Scott said: "From about midnight on Thursday, there will new images available for the whole of Leicestershire, more or less.

"We have travelled down every public road, as far as we know.

"We are aware of the concerns expressed but there is nothing that cannot be seen should a member of the public walk a street themselves.

"If we get requests to remove houses, we will do it, normally within hours."


Still no explanation why we had to wait longer than Scunthorpe?

Probably some sort of government bias..

...oh no wait..

You make it sounds like some sort of conspiracy with your demands for an explanation as to why Leicester was so insulted by being uploaded after some smaller places, I imagine it's entirely logistical. They have allegedly covered over 98% of all public roads in the UK now, that's a hell of a lot of recruiting, planning, driving and processing, and of course the weather conditions have to be right. Too much glare, too dark, or wet, and they're not much use (though admittedly some have still been uploaded in this state). I'm not sure why the recent minor additions seem to have been taken in the summer of 2008 along with all the original images, no doubt something to do with the processing again given how many images from around the world have gone up since.

Ministers are tomorrow due to approve a new high-speed rail network through the East Midlands.
The network, which would have to be built from scratch, will have 140mph trains taking passengers from London to the region and further north.
However, ministers will not yet say whether the hi-tech trains would travel directly to Leicester, or serve it from a station outside the city.
The British Chamber of Commerce has estimated the link could bring £3.8bn of investment to the region.
Max Boden, policy director at Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "If the announcement comes then it's very good news. The East Midlands must have a good connection to the network."
Westminster sources said Transport Secretary Lord Adonis had approved a high-speed track running from London to Birmingham before splitting into two branches.
One section would head to Leeds via the East Midlands and the other to Manchester and the North West.
Lord Adonis is not expected to state the exact route the line will take through the East Midlands.
He will propose the Government drafts legislation detailing the route – with plans later voted on in Parliament.



THE Transport Secretary will tomorrow approve a new high-speed rail network running through the East Midlands.
The network, which will be built from scratch, will see 140mph trains taking passengers from London to the heart of the East Midlands and further north.
However, ministers will not yet make clear whether the high-tech trains will travel directly into Nottingham or serve it from a station outside the city.
Notts and Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce estimates it could bring some £3.8 billion of investment to the region.
Head of policy John Dowson said: "If this announcement comes and it provides better connectivity for the region then it could be very beneficial.
"We've conducted research across the region and there has been a lot of support for it and Nottingham also seemed to be the best location for the track to come to.
"We would urge the Government this side of the election and after it to take this forward as a long term project."
Westminster sources say Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has approved a high-speed "Y-shaped network'' – running from London to Birmingham, where it will then split into a two routes running north.
One section would head to Leeds via the East Midlands and the other to Manchester and the North West. Lord Adonis will make the announcement tomorrow but will not state an exact route. Instead, he will propose that the Government drafts legislation detailing the precise route – with plans to be voted on in Parliament at a later date.
However, Sir David Rowlands, the civil servant commissioned by Lord Adonis to come up with options for the network, has signalled that a new parkway station between Derby, Nottingham and Leicester may be the best option for the East Midlands.
Regional MPs have warned that, while the development is positive, it must not divert funding from planned upgrades to the existing rail system.
A high-speed line would have to be built on a new route from conventional track, which may have curves that are too tight for the speeding trains.
EU regulations state that stations, tunnels and other structures built for the network would have to be constructed to strict specifications. A new parkway station would need to have platforms 400 metres long to host the high-speed trains.
It is believed work could start on the London to Birmingham section by 2017, with a line to the East or West Midlands running in the early 2020s. The Y network is unlikely to be completed before 2030.

A stupid station in the middle of the East Midlands looks most likely. What a waste of time. It will take longer to get to the station and get the high speed train than it would to use conventional trains. Disgrace! Underfunded again

140mph? Is that it?! It barely seems worth it.

Well, I guess they have to justify that "waste of space" station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in some way.