TRIBUTES FOR CITY'S FALLEN HERO

TRIBUTES have been paid to a Coventry hero who died in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal James Fullarton was killed in a Taliban blast while on foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province.

The 24-year-old, of Dudley Street, Bell Green, was among three men killed on Sunday. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Coventry MP and defence secretary Bob Ainsworth said he was “truly sorry for the loss”.

James’ twin sister Samantha Fullarton revealed the terrible moment family and friends learned about his tragic death

She said: “What shocking news we woke up to: a knock on the door and our world falls to pieces.

“Words can’t describe the pain, the heartache and the loss we are feeling right now.

“A true hero, my twin brother, a big brother to Natalie, a very proud son of Jan and Pete and a fiancé to Leanne.

“James died doing what he loved best, protecting each and every one of us.

“I never thought this day would come, not in a million years, not to us.

“I want somebody to bring my brother home to me to tell me this is all one big dream.

“James will be so sadly missed, dearly treasured, I hope he is looking down on us knowing how proud we all are of him.

“Our wonderful courageous soldier is gone, but never forgotten.”

Paying a further touching tribute to her brother through social networking website Gone Too Soon, Samantha added: “You are one in a million bro, a true hero.”

A Facebook tribute site was also set up for the young soldier. Just two days after his nearly 600 people had already joined to pay their respects.

One tribute read: “RIP mate, was an honour to have known you, a great soldier and very good friend. Always in everyone’s hearts, my thoughts go out to friends and family.”

Another read: “James you were and always will be one of my best friends, you always knew how to make me laugh and cheer me up when I was down, I looked up to you because you were a hero and you died a hero and will go down in history a hero.”

Mr Ainsworth, Coventry North East MP, offered his condolences to the family but defended troops still fighting in the Middle East.

Speaking to the Times, he said: “I don’t know if I know his family personally, I knew a Fullarton family that lived in Wood End many years ago, but my deepest condolences go out to the family and I’m truly sorry for the loss. He was a brave young man and he died in the service of his country.

“We have suffered some heavy losses and it is such a tragedy for families and friends and I would like to pass condolences to those locals who have now been affected.

“The mission that we have is of vital importance for this country’s national security and international interest.

“If it wasn’t then it would not be worth the suffering and losses that we have. This is now becoming more personal to us. I really, sincerely believe we have to persevere so we can succeed in this mission.”

Two other local soldiers - Fusilier Louis Carter, aged 18, of Nuneaton, and Sgt Simon Valentine, aged 29, of Bedworth - died in Afghanistan over the weekend.

A total of 204 British servicemen and women have now died during the battle since 2001.

MORE HOMES IN COVENTRY ON GREEN BELT LAND

MORE than 3,000 extra homes could be built on land thought protected by Coventry City Council after a government inspector overturned the decision.

Since Core Strategy plans were announced in 2006, consultation with the public has been taking place to discuss the suitability of all potential new home sites.

As part of government plans, 26,500 new dwellings have been earmarked for Coventry by 2026, some on greenbelt land.

Consultations ended in June this year and the government was told which sites could be built on and which had been taken out of the plans following discussions with concerned residents.

But now the city council has been forced to make a u-turn and consult on sites that had been ruled out after Jean Jones, a government inspector, requested they be put back on the table.

The move will cost taxpayers thousands of pounds extra in consultations and could see Coventry house around 30,000 homes.

Initial consultations had cost the council £160,000.

A campaign to stop development in Eastern Green was undertaken by the resident’s association in the area.

They came back with a 2,000-strong petition - but now this area is one of ten that could potentially be built upon.

Council bosses, who fear residents will be confused by the sudden reversal, expect the new six-week consultation to start this week.

The inspector will consider arguments for and against the developments, before reporting back to Whitehall.

Public hearings will then begin in November, following a September briefing.

It is understood there will be no right of appeal on the decisions.

Councillor Gary Ridley, cabinet member for city development, said: “It must be very confusing for the public. As far as they’re concerned we’d carried out thorough consultations, and listened to representations. But now we have to do it all again.”

UNEMPLOYED UP BY 2.3 PER CENT

MORE than 11,000 people in Coventry are unemployed and relying on benefits - up by 2.3 per cent on last year’s figures.

Men in the north east part of the city have been particularly hard hit, with one in ten out of a job.

They alone represent nearly one-third of all unemployed people in Coventry’s three parliamentary constituencies, the Office for National Statistics revealed.

Women in Coventry’s north west and south constituencies seem to be fairing more favourably.

Combined, they make up less than 15 per cent of everyone claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance in the city.

Alan Durham, a director at Coventry and Warwickshire’s Chamber of Commerce, explained the gender unemployment divide: “I think that reflects, particularly, the jobs in engineering of automotives and construction.

“Certainly all sectors have been affected by the recession. We’ve seen a jump in unemployment partly down to the nature of our industries. But having said that Coventry has diversified a lot over the past 20 years. That will help.”

Mr Durham expressed concern at the number of young people out of work.

“What we’re seeing, and it’s very bad news, is a big rise in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds unemployed,” he added. “Unemployment has risen to 19.1 per cent.

“I’m not sure that we’re any worse in this area than anywhere else but it is a worry that young people can’t seem to get into the job market, especially those leaving school or university.

“These are just figures, and behind each one is an individual with a job loss and all sorts of things to worry about.”

The overall rate of unemployment in the city of 5.7 per cent is lower than the national average of 7.9 per cent. And unemployment figures in the region have fallen slightly from 11,188 in June to 11,176 in July.

PENSION INCOME: START SAVING ASAP

THE key to having a good pension, is to start saving as early as you can.

That’s the advice Pension Expert Don Newman, Project Manager of High Point Community Services, is giving, following a Government announcement that the State Pension age could rise.

Mr Newman said: “People think pensions are very complicated, when in fact they are not.”

Currently men receive a state pension when they reach 65 and women 60.

But earlier this month Lord Adair Turner, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, published a report into the future of Britain’s pensions system.

It calls for the state retirement age to rise to 68 by 2044.

Mr Newman, who is also hoping to become the Chairman of the newly-formed Older People’s Group, added: “People can retire at whatever age they like, but it depends on their income.

“The main mistake made by the working population is that they don’t plan to fail when it comes to saving, but fail to plan.”

The Pensions Regulator supervises both the pension industry, and employers who administer pension schemes.

Chairman, David Norgrove, said people would “undoubtedly” have to work even longer, to make ends meet in their old age.

He added: “Given recent legislation, increasing the retirement age progressively to 68...I think it will end up higher than that.

“People are going to have to work longer. We, as a nation, are not going to save as much for retirement as we did in the past.”

He said there was a lack of knowledge about how to save, meaning the ability of the current working generation to pay for the retirement of the previous would be “a real issue for the next 30 years.”

“The evidence is that people generally are frightened of saving for pensions,” Mr Norgrove added.

This has been echoed by Mr Newman: “It is almost impossible to retire at 50 because people will not have made an adequate income, and this is my main concern.

“If you don’t have a private or company pension, then according to national statistics, around 15 to 20 per cent of older people are living below the poverty line.

“But I think over 50s will struggle to get a job because there is a feeling that once you reach that age you are over the hill, and we have no value for them in this country.

“Ideally you should start saving from when you’re 30, in order to have a good pension fund when you do retire.”

CITY HOMES SET TO GET A THIRD BIN

A THIRD bin will be rolled out to households in Coventry in a bid to help people recycle.

The £3million scheme will see blue-lid bins delivered for paper, card, glass and plastic over the next few months.

It brings the total number of bins to three at each address.

The new bins – made of recycled plastic – cost £2.4million and the scheme will cost £460,000 to run annually.

The council has been awarded £250,000 from government-funded waste organisation Wrap to publicise the scheme and fund two recycling champions who will give one-to-one help to anyone struggling with the new system.

Figures revealed by Coventry City Council show 26 per cent of household waste is currently recycled in the city.

It is hoped the new bins will see this figure rise to 32 per cent next year and 38 per cent by 2011-2012.

Councillor Hazel Noonan, cabinet member for city services, said: “We have listened to the citizens of Coventry and they are saying that people want to recycle more.

“This extra bin will make it easier for people to recycle more materials from their home.”

Current black or blue boxes used for recycling can either be re-used or handed back to the council.

Homes that have refuse collected on a Wednesday or Thursday will receive their new blue bin during September.

Households that normally have their rubbish collected on Tuesdays and Fridays will receive their wheeled bins from mid-October.

The first collections of the new recycling service will take place on Wednesday October 14 and Thursday October 15.

The second phase collections dates are Tuesday November 24 and Friday November 27.

Leaflets explaining the new bins will be handed out to 60,000 homes this week.

For more information visit www.coventry.gov.uk/recycling.

UNDERAGE BOOZE SALE LEADS TO LICENCE LOSS

A CITY off-licence has lost its right to sell alcohol after it was caught selling booze to under 18s.

U Kondzia, a Polish food and drink store in Wheelwright Lane, sold alcohol to a 15-year-old-boy in February.

The area has suffered from anti-social behaviour and nuisance caused by youths – some of whom had been caught drinking.

Coventry Trading Standards carried out test purchase exercises at six stores in the area. U Kondzia was the only one that sold alcohol illegally.

The seller and owner, Piotr Zeno, was called before a licensing committee as it was felt he had not taken sufficient steps to prevent the sale or introduce adequate steps since the sale.

As a result his alcohol licence was revoked.

Councillor David Smith said: “Mr Zeno did not co-operate with the police following the sale and had made no effort to rectify the situation.”

At a separate licensing meeting, a sub-committee heard that the Flying Standard, in Trinity Street, city centre, had also sold booze to teenagers.

A test purchase in September last year saw two bottles of WKD Blue sold to a boy aged 15 and a girl aged 16. A fixed penalty notice was issued to the seller and the premises placed on an action plan.

But in March 2009 a second test purchase was attempted at the pub, which is owned by chain J D Wetherspoons, and two bottles of Budweiser were sold to two boys aged 15.

A further fixed penalty notice was issued to the seller.

The owners were interviewed and a review of the licence was called for.

Councillor Dave Chater, chairman of the licensing sub-committee, said: “We were satisfied that the premises, and in particular the owners, were now taking the matter seriously.

“By imposing the conditions we have, such as requiring them to challenge anyone who appears to be under 25 for identification, it is hoped that no underage sales will occur in the future. If they do, they may well face stronger action.”

If local residents have concerns about a pub or shop they believe may be selling alcohol, cigarettes, fireworks, or any other age-restricted product, they should report their concerns to Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

END OF THE ROAD FOR LANDMARK FACTORY

COVENTRY’S landmark Courtaulds factory is to be demolished.

The factory, called Little Heath Works, in Old Church Road, Little Heath, will be torn down on Monday August 17.

With it will go the iconic 200ft cooling tower and a number of offices.

The site clearing is expected to take eight months. All that will remain is the gatehouse.

The building, which dates back to the 1920s, has been disused since 2007 and parts of it have been out of use for more than 20 years.

Courtaulds manufactured a range of products including, fabric, clothing, artificial fibres and chemicals.

The decision to demolish it has been taken following an unsuccessful attempt by owners, Acetate Products Ltd (APL), to sell the site for redevelopment due to the economic downturn.

Wayne Currie, project director for APL, said: “The factory has come to the end of its useful working life and we need to move forward with a new plan for the site.

“Clearing the site will help its future saleability, and depending on how it is redeveloped, it will hopefully once againhelp bring prosperity to north Coventry.”

The factory began life more than 80 years ago, as part of the wider Courtaulds development.

In its production heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Little Heath Works employed around 5,000 staff from in and around the city.

But the factory’s fortunes waned in the 1980s and by 1992 its workforce had dwindled to just 450.

Courtaulds was then split into two parts – textiles and chemicals - with the latter half of the business merging with European chemicals company AkzoNobel in 1998.

Today only a small group of maintenance and security staff are left on site.

It has not been decided what the 40-acre site will be used for, but it could be developed to include homes and job opportunities.

Do you have memories of working at Courtaulds or the factory? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

MP ADDS SUPPORT TO FIGHT ON HOMES PLANS

FINHAM residents fighting housing plans have received backing from their MP.

Members of the Finham Residents Association (FRA) met with Jim Cunningham, Labour MP for Coventry South, and handed him a petition with around 3,700 signatures against proposals for new homes to be built on green belt land bordering the city.

Residents fear the extra homes, around 3,500 properties earmarked for Kings Hill, just over the border in Warwickshire, will put pressure on Coventry’s infrastructure including schools, jobs and transport.

Mr Cunningham is concerned the development is being “plonked on the doorsteps” of his constituents. He might present the petition to the House of Commons.

He said: “I want to support the residents – this is the third time I have visited here because I know people are concerned about these housing plans. I have had a good look around and if they build houses then the area will be desolate and create environmental problems.

“I have a copy of the petition, which I might present at the House of Commons, but I also want to ask Warwick District Council if they are looking at any alternatives.”

As part of the government’s Core Strategy, 82,000 homes need to be built in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull. It has been suggested Coventry could house 32,000 of these.

After consultations, Coventry City Council declared it could only accommodate 26,500, leaving a shortfall of several thousand homes.

Warwick District Council might pick up some of the shortfall with the 3,500 homes on the site of King’s Hill, as the site shares a border with Coventry, but this has left Finham residents up in arms.

A council meeting took place on Wednesday.

Residents, who were not allowed to speak in the meeting, lobbied councillors as they entered the council house in the city centre.

They wore stickers opposing the plans and held placards with messages protesting against the houses.

Bob Fryer, chairman of the FRA, said: “There is a lot of opposition from people in Finham and we feel ignored because of the lack of consultation from either council.

“But we don’t agree with these plans and want to ensure our voice is being heard. We have handed our petition to both councils and now an MP.”

PARKING CHARGE 'TAX ON THE ILL'

IN just one year Coventry’s University Hospital raked in a whopping £2.7 million in car park charges.

It was the second-highest amount taken from patients and visitors across the country.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the super-hospital, in Walsgrave, came second only to Addenbrooke’s, in Cambridge, which made £2.8million between 2007 and 2008.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) signed a Private Finance Initiative in 2002 to private company ISS Mediclean – it manages the car park and is in charge of the associated income and expenditure.

Since 2007, patients, visitors and staff have had to fork out between £3 for one hour’s parking to £10 for the day.

Councillor Susanna Dixon (Con, Wyken) has fought the plans. She even dressed up as highway robber Dick Turpin to highlight the fees.

She brands the high charges “a tax on the ill” and thinks they should be scrapped.

“It is indefensible on every level to charge on supposed free health care,” she added.

“It is a licence for some private company for people who have no choice about being in hospital for treatment and a complete indictment, and the people in charge should be ashamed of themselves.

“It is a tax on the ill and the company can get away with it because they know they have a captive audience.”

Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson also wants to see a reduction in the fee.

The Coventry North West representative said: “It is a huge amount of money and it is the second-highest amount in the country so it needs to be reviewed and reduced.

“We don’t want any money to be taken from the medical services.

“What we want is for the private company to scale down the costs quite considerably and make a reduction so that members of the public don’t have to pay so much.”

The NHS in England made a whopping £111million in parking charges altogether.

Charges have been abolished in all but three hospitals in Scotland and are being completely phased out in Wales.

A UHCW spokesman said: “ISS Mediclean receives all of the income generated by car parking, but also takes on board all the costs, including full repairs and maintenance over a 35-year period.

“We do our best to help a large proportion of our visitors and patients by having our own concession scheme in place which includes free parking for patients who attend regularly for intravenous chemotherapy treatment, renal dialysis patients and for the parents who need to stay in hospital overnight to accompany their sick children.

“We also operate an NHS travel concession scheme for patients on income support and patients are well supported by public transport routes onto site.”

Earlier this year ISS announced it would abolish parking fees for Christmas Day in 2009, 2010 and review the scheme for 2011.

What do you think? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

11-YEAR-OLDS BEING GIVEN NICOTINE PATCHES

KIDS as young as 11 are being offered nicotine products to wean them off smoking.

The Times can reveal that Coventry schools are taking part in a £10,000 pilot scheme to help children kick the habit.

Five city schools took part in the project and the stop smoking scheme will now be rolled out across eight schools in total.

Figures from NHS Coventry show one in four 11 to 16-year-olds have tried smoking, with three per cent describing themselves as regular smokers.

The NHS School Nursing Service and Coventry’s Stop Smoking Service have been holding 12-week workshops at the selected schools in a bid to cut back on the number of young smokers.

The meetings, which take place in private on school premises, offer support, advice and education to pupils about the dangers of smoking.

But those who are addicted to cigarettes may also be offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) such as inhalers, patches and gum.

Of 22 pupils who put themselves forward for the sessions during the pilot, half dropped out.

Of the 11 that remained, two have quit cigarettes while the others have “cut back significantly”.

One 15-year-old girl, who wished to remain anonymous, cut back from a 24-a-day habit to four cigarettes a day.

Liz Little, school nurse team leader, said: “Parents were informed these sessions were going to happen.

“They started because there weren’t any stop smoking services attracting that age group in terms of helping them to quit.

“A lot of young people just need support and someone to listen.

“We encourage pupils to talk to their parents and inform them of what’s
going on.

“After assessments if we think it appropriate we use NRT such as patches and in a few instances we have used gum - but just a few.”

The service takes regular carbon monoxide readings that show if a person has cut back on smoking.

Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for children, learning and young people, said he would encourage prevention over cure.

He added: “I think it is quite disturbing that so many young people are smoking. You just wonder how they manage to acquire the habit in the first instance.

“They should never have started, but this is the world that we live in and we need to do as much as we can to get pupils off the habit.

“Kids must be educated on the dangers of smoking to ensure they do not start in the first place.”

Earlier this year an NHS survey found almost 1,000 youngsters admitted smoking at least once a week.

Natalie Hinsley, Stop Smoking Service manager, said: “We see this as an important service. Early intervention means young people can soon begin to reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle from being smoke-free.

“The scheme was well-received by both young people and schools, so much so that it has now been included into the core role of school nurses working in the city.

“Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of ill health and accounts for around one in six deaths in Coventry, or about 500 deaths per year, which is why it is so important that we work with young people and their families to encourage behavioural change.”

For more advice contact the school nursing service on 024 7624 6211 or the Stop Smoking Service on 0800 051 1310, or visit www.coventrysmokefree.nhs.uk.