Staffordshire County Council

Staffordshire Libraries have taken a leap into the 21st century after the recent installation of new self service technology. Customers will now be able to make use of state of the art equipment installed in seven Staffordshire libraries, allowing users to carry out a range of transactions electronically including cash payments, borrowing and returning items, and accessing individual library accounts. County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture said:

People can find out more about the discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard at a talk at Newcastle Library on Monday March 15.

Parents applying for school places in Staffordshire will have good reason to celebrate today, since 95 per cent of applicants have been allocated their first choice of Staffordshire secondary school and 98 per cent have been allocated one of their top three preferred schools.

The report into Stafford Hospital by Robert Francis QC has reflected concerns raised by Staffordshire County Council’s administration. Matthew Ellis, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: [quote]“Robert Francis has today delivered an in-depth and robust report into failings at the hospital. The report, for the first time, nails the reasons for these failings. We must however never lose sight of the fact that people lost loved ones which is a very personal tragedy.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service’s Annual Day School next month will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the joining of the six pottery towns of Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke-upon-Trent, Fenton and Longton to form the new borough of Stoke-on-Trent. The popular Day School, now in its 12th year will take place on Saturday March 6 at Staffordshire University’s Stoke Campus from 10am to 4pm. A fascinating programme has been planned with a range of popular speakers.

Today, after months of frantic voting, Staffordshire’s top six teenage book titles can be revealed and young people are now being encouraged to vote for a winner. Since October last year, young people in Staffordshire aged between 11-14 years have been nominating their favourite book of the year as part of Staffordshire Library Service’s Young Teen Fiction (YTF) Award. Designed to encourage young people to enjoy books and share their enthusiasm with their peers, the award is now in its sixth yea

The Prince of Wales will today (Friday) become the first Royal to handle the Staffordshire Hoard in 1,400 years. His Royal Highness will be able to hold two artefacts from the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found – a highly detailed crumpled gold cross and a decorative gold stud with millefiori glass thought to be of Celtic origin.

A campaign to encourage motorists to park responsibly and legally outside a Newcastle school is set to be launched. Parents and teachers have joined forces to tackle the problems which have plagued the area around Langdale Primary School for some time. Staffordshire County Council’s road safety unit already runs a successful walking bus at the Langdale Road school and is supporting the initiative.

Staffordshire County Council is extending the rent freeze for companies at the council’s 13 business centres for another year. Businesses at Lymedale, Silverdale and Newcastle under Lyme, Cannock, Burton, Stafford and Uttoxeter will continue to benefit from the employer friendly measure. The move comes as Staffordshire continues to support the business community through the recession.

County Councillors have today accepted a freeze in their allowances for the second-year running. Councillor Philip Atkins, leader of Staffordshire County Council, called upon fellow councillors to lead by example in times of economic hardship. Speaking about the freeze, he said: “Two issues which have dominated the news in the last 12 months have been the financial climate and MPs who have abused their expenses.