Councillor Zaphne Stretton MBE was named Chairman for 2016/17 at the Council’s Annual Meeting on 25^th May, taking the chains of office from Councillor Maureen Freeman.

This is the second time as Chairman for Councillor Stretton who was previously Chairman at Cannock Chase Council in 1998/99.

Councillor Stretton has been a Councillor in the District for over 21 years, taking only 3 breaks during that time.

A student from Kingsmead Technology College has been awarded Cannock Chase Council’s Youth Endeavour Award for 2016.

Niall Toolan aged 15 was nominated by his Head of House, Amanda Evans in recognition of his achievements in and out of school.

Niall is a school prefect and as part of his role he is expected to act as a role model for other students.  He is also Wimblebury House Charity Ambassador, where he co-ordinates the work of house representatives.

Cannock’s Friday Street Market was re-launched on Friday 27^th May by operator’s E.G. Skett & Co.

The market saw attractively dressed stalls, with live music throughout the day and street entertainment.

During the celebrations newly appointed Chairman Councillor Zaphne Stretton MBE presented trader of year to Ben Roberts.

The trader of the year was chosen by the traders. Ben Roberts sells homemade pickles and preserves, eggs, scratchings, cakes and sweets.  Ben from Cannock has been trading at the Cannock Street Market for two and a half years.

Cannock Chase Council is urging people across the District to seek support if they are experiencing domestic abuse.

Research shows that incidents of domestic abuse rise sharply when England play in the tournament, by up to 25%, so the Council has teamed up with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Women’s Aid and a major discount retailer to deliver some important messages to those people affected in our area.

Over 350 jobseekers flocked to the jobs fair held at Cannock Chase Council’s Civic Centre in Cannock last month.

Around 40 exhibitors and local organisations attended the event with job and apprenticeship opportunities including Jaguar Landrover and Gestamp.

As well as organisations with vacancies, there were experts on hand to give information and advice on interview techniques and CV writing.

Friday 20th May marked a major milestone in the £78m Walsall-Rugeley electrification project, when an electrification mast was erected at a ceremony at Network Rail’s Walsall Training Centre.

Guests invited included Councillor George Adamson, Leader of the Council, Councillor Gordon Alcott, Economic Development and Planning Portfolio Leader and local M.P’s.

It was followed by an inspection of reconstructed bridge structures along the route to Hednesford that have been rebuilt or modified to allow the electric trains to operate.

Cannock's Friday Street Market super relaunch is planned for Friday 27th May, where the market will see a facelift of attractively dressed stalls and units.  It will be a day of celebration including street jugglers, fire eating and live music throughout the day. 

The Council’s Chairman will also be presenting an award to the 'trader of the year' chosen by the traders themselves.

Since November the market has gone from strength to strength, attracting new trades and guest food producers offering an array of delights. 

Cannock Chase Council has expressed their regret following the final confirmation by ENGIE that Rugeley power station will cease operations by the end of June 2016. This follows a period of consultation with employees and trade unions.

The closure is due to the deterioration in market conditions for UK coal-fired power generation. The policy context is the announcement in November 2015 of the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change of a policy proposal to close all unabated coal fired power stations by 2025.

Residents and businesses across Staffordshire are now able to receive free timely crime alerts and community safety advice.

The Staffordshire Smart Alert App and website is thought to be the first App of its type in the UK and is set to improve engagement between Staffordshire Police and the public.

Cannock Chase Council has successfully prosecuted residents who failed to remove an eyesore fence from their property.

Mr and Mrs Milakovic of Reservoir Road, Hednesford were found guilty of offences under Section 215 and 216 of the Town and County Planning Act 1990 at Cannock Magistrates Court on Tuesday 10^th May.

A notice was served by the Council in October 2015, asking the defendants to remove the unsightly fence from the boundary of their property.