proportionalparking
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DEAL OF THE DAY Over 70s Free Breakdown Cover & Legal Expenses Call 01782 898188 2 THESENTINEL Monday September 12, 2011 PAGE 16:Fans pay tribute to Potters author PAGES 8&9: Same old songs are real turn-off PAGE 23:Clothing firm kits out cycling stars BY ALEX CAMPBELL BACK PAGE:No appeal over Vale skipper’s sending off PAGE 10: ‘We just hope justice will favour Wedgwood’ Print and redeem the voucher at www.thisis staffordshire.co.uk/vouchers [email protected]TRANSCRIPT
2 THE SENTINEL Monday September 12, 2011 SEN-eO1-S2 [P]NEWS
PAGE 16: Fans pay tribute toPotters author
ON MONDAY
N E WS
BACK PAGE: No appeal overVale skipper’s sending off
SP ORT
PAGE 10: ‘We just hopejustice will favour Wedgwood’
PAGE 23: Clothing firm kitsout cycling stars
ONLINE
PAGES 8&9: Same old songsare real turn-off
LETTERS
CO M M E N T
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DEAL OF THE DAY
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staffordshire.co.uk/vouchers
B U S I N E SS
New health organisation ‘will keep people out of hospital’A NEW NHS body formed in Stafford-shire to take over community healthservices from the primary care trustswill be a trigger for helping more illpeople live independently outside hos-pitals, according to patients’ l e a d e r s.
The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust bringstogether direct patient services
formerly run by the county’s threePCTs which will be abolished in twoye a r s ’ time under Government healthcare reforms.
The Newcastle-based organisationwith 5,000 staff caring for a 1.1 millionpopulation provides services inpeoples’ homes, nursing homes andcommunity hospitals – and its role will
be key to keeping patients out of theUniversity Hospital of North Stafford-shire and Stafford Hospital.
Pat Roberts, one of its patient coun-cil members, said: “I see the neworganisation as the catalyst for allother services ensuring that a patientremains independent whether that isin their own home or in a nursing or
care home. This will avoid unneces-sary hospital admissions and ulti-mately provide value for money forp at i e n t s.
“The development of an independ-ent provider like this should bringbenefits to patients, acting as the con-nection between all health services,helping to pull everything together.”
Meeting heldover plans toclose hospitalPLANS to close a century-oldhospital and transformmental health services weredue to be discussed at a publicmeeting today.
NHS Combined Healthcareofficials were holding theirlatest consultation meeting atNorth StaffordshireConferences, in Hartshill, thismor ning.
They are consulting overthe future of the area’s mentalhealth services until October28.
The proposed changesi n cl u d e :■ Closing Bucknall Hospital;■ Transferring dementiaservices from Bucknall toHarplands Hospital;■ Improving communityteams to help older people,who occasionally feelmentally or emotionallyunwell, in their own homes.
NHS Combined Healthcarewants to sell off the 12-acreBucknall Hospital site whichcosts £1.5 million-a-year torun. Four hundred staff workat the hospital.
NHS official Andy Donaldsaid: “This consultation isabout providing accessible,high-quality services whichmeet the needs of serviceusers in the right location atthe right time.
“These proposed changeswill not reduce or curtail ap at i e n t s ’ choice about whatcare they receive and where.”
A further consultationmeeting will be held atBentilee NeighbourhoodCentre, in Bentilee, from 1pmto 3pm on Monday, October 10.
Final farewellfor councillorTHE funeral was taking placetoday of a former councillor.
Dave Sutton died at theUniversity Hospital of NorthStaffordshire on Monday,August 29.
The 61-year-old, of AbbeyHulton, had developedepilepsy after suffering astroke in September last year.
Dave had been a councilloron Stoke-on-Trent CityCouncil for eight years from2003, serving voters in theTunstall ward and inNorthwood and Birches Head.
He had failed to winelection to the Goldenhill andSandyford ward in this May’slocal elections.
Dave had also served as agovernor at primary schoolsin Bucknall and Northwood.
His funeral was being heldat CarmountsideCrematorium at 2.30pm today.
‘Confusing’ parkingpolicy under review
Shoppers pay the price for not having exact money
FUNERAL:FormerStoke-on-Trent CityCouncilmemberDaveSutton.
BY ALEX [email protected]
A CAR park charging policy which delib-erately short changes motorists is set tobe scrapped to try to improve trade intown centres.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is review-ing parking charges at car parks whichdo not give motorists extra parking timeif they pay more than the hourlycharg e.
None of the city’s parking machinesgive change – but some award extra timefor over-payment.
For instance, it costs 80p to park for onehour at Kingsway, in Stoke.
But if a motorist only has a £1 coin, themachine will credit the over-paymentwith 15 minutes extra parking time.
At some other car parks – i n cl u d i n gTower Square, in Tunstall, and citycentre car parks – the only way to getmore parking time is to pay the exactamount for the next hourly payment.
Now the policy is under review – justsix months after consultant Buchanan’srecommended scrapping so-called pro-portional payment because it was “con-fusing”.
Tunstall councillor Lee Wanger, whosecomplaints prompted the council’sreview, said: “As a fundamental point,people should get what they pay for at carparks and not be making donations to thecouncil just because they haven’t got thecorrect change.
“There is inconsistency. On some carparks the payments are proportional, butnot on others.
“In those that aren’t, the council couldbe open to a challenge if someone has putextra money in the machine but is givena ticket because it hasn’t given themextra time.”
It costs 90p to park at Tower Square foran hour.
Trader Marion Taylor, manager atWrights, in Tower Square, said: “If the
council changes the rules then it could behelpful for trade.
“The traffic wardens come up severaltimes each day and give out tickets.Sometimes they are here three or fourtimes a day and it puts people off.
“And then they wonder why shopsare having to close down.
“Hopefully it will help get morepeople to stay a bit longer.”
Latest figures show the council took£813,106 from parking chargesbetween April and June this year,almost £150,000 less than the sameperiod in 2010.
It has led to projections that thecouncil will make £384,000 less than itexpected by the end of March.
Councillor Janine Bridges, cabinetmember for City Services, said: “Wegot rid of proportional payment onthe advice of Buchanan’s butthere doesn’t seem any rhymeor reason to this.
“We ’re having another look at pro-portional payment, or parking chargesper minute, so you’ll pay for howeverlong you’re there.
“We want to encourage people to staylonger. If we’re charging perminute, people will know theyhave the option of stayinglong er.
“It is being reviewed. We’retaking concerns on board.”
Are the current parkingrules fair? Email us [email protected]
TOWER SQUARE (90p an hour):The motorist only gets one hourof parking for £1.20 instead ofan hour and 20 minutes.
KINGSWAY (80p an hour): The motorist hasbeen credited with an extra 30 minutesparking after putting in £1.20.