Your Coventry magazine - Print version

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Welcome to Your Coventry, the magazine delivered to your home, bringing you news, views and features about the work of the Council and life in Coventry. The magazine includes information about how you can get in touch with your local councillors and reports on the many events taking place in the city.   

We'd like to hear what you think about the things that matter to you and what you'd like to see in future issues of Your Coventry. So, if you see, hear or make news we want to hear from you! 

 

Communications team

Address: Council House
Earl Street
Coventry
CV1 5RR

Telephone: 024 7683 4848 [tel:02476834848]

Your Coventry Magazine - latest issue

Your Coventry – Winter 2024 edition

In this edition of Your Coventry [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/43751/your-coventry-magazine-winter-2024]:

Leader's message

Welcome to the latest edition of Your Coventry – the resident magazine which highlights the ways the Council is here to support and work for you as well as showcase the great things happening across our city.
Rightly the Council is here to provide help and advice to those who need it, and sadly more and more people are needing to for a variety of reasons. 
Although we deliver around 700 services a year, 80 per cent of our net budget is now spent on just three areas – children’s social care, adult social care and housing and 
homelessness.
As well as experiencing unprecedented levels of demand for these key services, the funding we receive has not kept up meaning we have been forced into making some difficult decisions recently to set a balanced budget which we are required to do by law.
As a Council, we also receive one of the lowest funding per head of the population in the West Midlands and indeed the country. There is more about that on page 11.
Although there has been some additional money in the recent autumn budget for areas such as social care, unfortunately 14 years of underfunding cannot be resolved 
immediately meaning, just like the residents the Council serves, we still have difficult financial decisions to make in the future.
But despite these challenges, the Council continues to work hard to support those who need it and deliver services and events that matter most to people.
Teams are ready to deliver a range of winter services over the coming traditionally colder months from gritting to keep warm keep well support and advice to name just two. 
I’m also pleased the Council, working with our police colleagues, have created Safe Spaces for young people. 
Details of all of these things, and more can be found in this edition.
There are also other updates on how Coventry is on course to become the UK’s first all-electric bus city and plans for Christmas inside. On that note, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a happy festive season and New Year.

  • Fly-tipping fines increased - The Council has increased fly-tipping fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to £1000 to further support its efforts to tackle fly-tipping in the city [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/5119/wall-of-shame-november-2024]. Until now it was £200 for an FPN and £100 for littering.
  • Council postal address set to change - From 1 January 2025, the new address to use when contacting the Council will be Coventry City Council, PO Box 7097, Coventry CV6 9SL.
  • Parks are open to enjoy all year round - Coventry City Council parks, open spaces, and woodlands [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/parks] are open 365 days a year, so whatever month it is, families can enjoy the outdoors and everything it has to offer.
  • Gritters at the ready for winter - A fleet of eight gritters [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/gritting] and a stockpile of 4,000 tonnes of rock salt are at the ready across Coventry as winter and the colder weather approaches.
  • Working for you - The Council is here for every resident in the city throughout their lives. A lot of what we do goes unseen until you need us – but we’re here to help from the moment you’re born, through your life in the city and when you need us in later life.
  • Sky’s the limit as giant Christmas wheel returns -  Also late night shopping, a cracking Christmas competition and exploring Coventry [https://visitcoventry.co.uk/] during the festive season.
  • Work approved to restore 19th century summerhouses - A restoration project is underway on a series of 19th century summerhouses on a Coventry allotment.
  • Sporting chance for parks pavilion [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/5098/friends-of-spencer-park-to-take-over-sports-pavilion-lease] - Community group and charity, Friends of Spencer Park, has taken over the lease at the park’s sports pavilion.
  • Neighbourhoods to benefit from thousands more trees - Coventry has successfully received funding towards a reforestation project for 13 sites across the city.
  • Most EV chargers of any UK city - The Times reported in October that Coventry has the most electric vehicle chargers per head of any local authority in the country and boasted the third highest numbers at just under 2,084.
  • Further boost in drive towards all-electric bus fleet - Coventry’s ambitious target to be the UK’s first city with allelectric buses by 2025 has received another boost, with the news that another 64 buses are being rolled out across the city by operator Stagecoach.
  • Coventry Funeral Service [https://www.coventryfuneralservice.co.uk/] - Since being established earlier this year, the service has grown to develop an excellent reputation within the city, focusing on delivering a high-quality, cost-effective service.
  • Venues encouraged to be a safe haven - The Council, working with West Midlands Police, has launched a Safe Spaces project [https://www.childfriendlycov.co.uk/safespaces], for children and young people with a variety organisations already involved.
  • Keep warm, keep well - Keeping warm [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/keepwarm] throughout winter is really important. Cold weather can bring many challenges to our health and wellbeing, especially if you need extra help during winter. There are lots of things you can do to get prepared for the season.
  • Support for people struggling financially - If you’re struggling financially or concerned about the future, getting help early can make a big difference. Lots of support is available at coventry.gov.uk/costofliving [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/costofliving]
  • Eyesore finally demolished - The Council has completed work to demolish an empty block of low-rise flats at 1 to 15 Jasmine Court, Stoke Aldermoor.
  • Coventry South improvement scheme works has started [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coventrysouthimprovementworks] - Work has started on the first phase of a fully segregated cycleway on London Road.
  • School streets rollout - A number of school streets scheme [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolstreets] trials are underway in the city.
  • Tackling climate change in Earlsdon - As part of the Earlsdon Liveable Neighbourhood scheme, brand new Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs) have been installed in the area, one at Hartington Crescent and the other outside Earlsdon Primary School on Earlsdon Avenue North. 
  • Fostering is...everything [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/fostering] - Fostering can mean everything to those involved. This is the message of a powerful new fostering film supported by Coventry City Council.
  • Helping children in care have a great Christmas - Children in care in Coventry [https://www.childfriendlycov.co.uk/] are being treated to a great festive day out.
  • City of peace and reconciliation - Coventry once again remembered [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/remembrance] and honoured those who lost their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts recently.
  • Look out for your neighbours this winter - If you have elderly or vulnerable neighbours, make sure you check in with them this winter [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/keepwarm]. The dark cold nights can encourage bogus callers to target older and vulnerable people.
  • Running services despite underfunding challenges - As a Council, we know that different services matter more to different people, whether it’s better roads, improvements to parks or support for carers, and we consider all these things and many more when we plan our budget each year [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/budget-202526/coventry-city-council-finances-challenges-face].
  • Christmas bin collection schedule - There will be some changes to scheduled bin collections [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/bindays] over the festive period depending on your usual collection day.

     

Your Coventry is written and designed by the Council’s Communications Team on behalf of organisations and communities in Coventry. Contact the Your Coventry newsdesk at communications@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:communications@coventry.gov.uk]. If you’d like to receive weekly e-mail updates visit www.coventry.gov.uk/newsemails [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/newsemails]

Previous editions

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Communications team

Address: Council House
Earl Street
Coventry
CV1 5RR

Telephone: 024 7683 4848 [tel:02476834848]

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