Cannock Chase Council and Stafford Borough Council have announced plans to make it easier for people on low wages or benefits to apply for help with their Council Tax. The councils are asking for opinions about their plans to bring in  a Banded Discount Scheme from April 2020.

A Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge has concluded in its final report that Cannock Chase Council “appears more confident than in 2016, with the cloud of an uncertain future resulting from the news of the closure of Rugeley Power Station now lifted”.

Cannock Chase Council is giving its full backing to the HS2 rail project following the Government`s announcement of the Oakervee Review, led by former HS2 Chairman Douglas Oakervee.

Councillor Tony Johnson, Economic Development and Planning Portfolio Leader, said:

“Although Cannock Chase District is not directly impacted by the route of HS2 which is due to come through our neighbouring districts of Lichfield and Stafford, the Council is acutely aware of the economic potential and benefits the high speed line will bring to the wider West Midlands region.

A public meeting will be held in Cannock on Monday to discuss current performance issues on the Chase Line which connects Rugeley, Hednesford and Cannock with Walsall and Birmingham.

Ongoing concerns about the reliability of rail services on the Chase Line from Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham New Street has prompted the Leader of Cannock Chase Council, Councillor George Adamson, to ask Council officers to call an urgent meeting of the Chase Line Stakeholders Group.

The group, chaired by Amanda Milling MP, comprises partners who have an interest in promoting and developing the Chase Line. It includes Cannock Chase councillors and officers, as well as representatives from Staffordshire County Council, Network Rail and service operator West Midlands Trains.

Cannock Chase Council in conjunction with Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce is offering businesses in the District free training to help them prepare for Brexit

The free workshops will cover topics such as customs procedures, export documentation, duties and tariffs, customs compliance. It will help businesses that export regularly to prepare as far as possible for a ‘no deal scenario’ Brexit. 

Businesses in Cannock Chase are being invited to attend a free business health check ‘clinic’ with a Growth Hub Advisor next week.

More than 70 small and medium enterprises have so far benefited from help and support from one of three Growth Hub Advisors who have been tasked with helping businesses across Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and East Staffordshire to overcome barriers to growth and reach their potential

An informal partnership has been announced between Cannock Chase Council’s Labour Group and its Green Party Group following the recent District Elections where no single party was able to take overall control.

It was formally announced at the Council’s Annual Meeting held on 29 May when positions for the Cabinet were also announced.

The Council has 41 councillors. After the elections Labour held 18 seats, the Conservatives 15, the Greens 5, the Liberal Democrats 2 and there was 1 Independent.

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet has agreed that nominations from its housing list can be submitted to occupy 48 dwellings owned by Walsall Housing Group that have been unoccupied since Axil Integrated Services raised safety concerns about their proximity to its hazardous waste site at Walkmill Lane in Bridgtown, Cannock.

Garden House Express Limited, the company which operates the China Garden restaurant at High Green Court in Cannock, and a company director, have been found guilty of seven breaches of food hygiene law by Cannock Magistrates Court at a hearing held on 10 June. 

This followed inspections carried out on 17 January this year and on 1 March 2018. Garden House Express Limited was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,220 towards Cannock Chase Council’s costs.