Two tenants have recently been evicted from their Council homes by Cannock Chase Council after making their neighbours’ lives a misery.

A Council tenant from Devon Road, Cannock was convicted on 22 August last year for drug related offences for ‘possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply’. Based on these offences which occurred at the Council property, Cannock Chase Council sought possession at Walsall County Court and the eviction was subsequently carried out on 31 January.

The tenant was required to pay costs totaling £1,834.40.

Councillors from Cannock Chase Council  took a tour of the new look Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock on Monday prior to it being fully opened to the public in 12 days time following a major refurbishment.

The £1M development of Chase Leisure Centre will be complete and opened on Saturday 30 March and it is promising to be a hit with fitness fans.

Refurbishments, which have been taking place in phases since last November, will soon be complete with a host of new workout opportunities including immersive cycling.

The Chairman of energy regulator Ofgem, Martin Cave, has been in Cannock to find out about an innovative community solar installation scheme that feeds surplus energy into the national grid, so reducing the bills of Council tenants who could otherwise be facing fuel poverty.

He was joined on his fact finding visit by Ofgem’s Executive Director for Consumers and Markets, Mary Stark.

The Solar PV installation is managed by Chase Community Solar, one of the largest community energy projects in the UK managed entirely by volunteers.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has approved the spending of £200,000 on a car park refurbishment and improvement scheme across the District.

Following inspections carried out in 2017/18, an estimated programme of planned works has been drawn up over the next five years (2018-23) and 10 years (2024-28) to bring the 35 council owned pay and display car parks to a satisfactory standard with regards to their operation, aesthetic condition, and health and safety requirements.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has agreed to allocate £231,000 of Council funding towards the cost of producing a business case to upgrade Cannock Railway Station. The decision was taken at its meeting held yesterday (13 December).

The total cost of the outline business case is £400,000 and will be met from three sources; £129,000 from the joint investment fund (agreed with Staffordshire County Council), £40,000 from West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and West Midlands Trains, with the balance of £231,000 coming from Cannock Chase Council.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has agreed that the current policy on the Commercial Use of the Highway which affects the display of A boards, chairs and tables in Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford town centres should be retained.

But after taking into account the views of the Promoting Prosperity Scrutiny Committee, who were asked to review the existing policy introduced in April 2018, it believes the policy should be modified to recognise some of the concerns expressed by businesses and the needs of the wider community.

Cannock Chase Council’s support for the McArthurGlen designer outlet in Cannock has been recognised as runner up at the prestigious Institute of Economic Development (IED) Annual Awards 2018.

The Council’s Economic Development Team was shortlisted for the IED’s awards for the McArthurGlen project. The awards ceremony took place at BMA House in London last week (6 December). The Council was named as runner up behind Maidstone Borough Council.

The limited company which operates Lea Hall Social Club in Rugeley has been prosecuted after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, having allowed one of its members to use an unsafe ladder.

At Cannock Magistrates Court today, District Judge Strongman fined Lea Hall Social Club Limited £20,000 and ordered the company to pay costs of £17,000.

Cannock Town Centre is supporting Small Business Saturday by hosting in Cannock Shopping Centre a FREE local craft and artisan market on Saturday 1 December, with 30 plus stalls.

Stalls have been offered to local people to support creative and budding entrepreneurs to showcase their talents and products for Christmas shoppers.

This arts and craft market will complement the normal Saturday street market and will be open for business from 10am until 4pm.

Cannock Chase District played its part in the national Remembrance Day commemorations yesterday (11 November) with a Beacon Lighting outside St Luke's Church in Cannock (pictured here) - one of 1,000 beacons lit at different locations across the UK at 7pm last night to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. Church bells rang out after the lighting.