Coventry Telegraph

Bright future for Willenhall after cash help

THE Government has scrapped plans to postpone elections across 30 councils - including in Rugby this May after receiving advice from lawyers following a legal challenge from Reform UK. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed had approved proposals to...

THOUSANDS FINED FOR TAKING KIDS ON TERM-TIME HOLIDAYS

THOUSANDS of Coventry parents have been fined for taking their children out of school. More than 3,000 fines were issued in the city last year to parents who took their children on term-time holidays. In addition, 1,716 fines were issued to parents...

CITY ROAD WHERE POTHOLES HAVE POTHOLES

THERE are possibly a few contenders, but we think we’ve found the worst road for potholes in Coventry. Hillmorton Road is a busy stretch connecting Bell Green and Aldermans Green to Woodend - it is often used as a rat run through to Potters Green and...

‘KIDS STREETS’ TO HELP MAKE IT SAFER WALKING TO SCHOOL

A MAJOR project to give parents the confidence and peace of mind to allow their children to safely walk to schools is set to be launched. West Midlands Active Travel Commissioner Beccy Marston and Road Safety Commissioner Mat Macdonald will deliver...

CV POSTCODES WHERE HOUSE PRICES RISING

DATA from 2025 shows that the average house price for most CV postcodes is on the rise. While this reflects national trends, there is one area in particular where the average house price has jumped significantly. According to the Land Registry, there...

ACTION PLAN TO BOOST TOURISM IN THE CITY

hospitality, tourism and leisure industries are joining forces to help create a new Tourism Action Plan for the city. Destination Coventry, the destination management organisation for the city, has partnered with tourism consultancy Tomorrow’s Tourism...

TEACHERS AT COV SCHOOL SET TO STRIKE

DOZENS of ‘overwhelmed’ staff at school in Coventry are set to walk out for a week. The National Education Union (NEU) say that 40 members at Baginton Fields Academy will be taking 7 days of strike action both this month and next month. They say that...

MORE CASH TO FIX CITY POTHOLES

funding that provides money to six councils for repairing potholes and deteriorating roads is set to be doubled. West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has outlined plans to make £240 million available to Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and...

FESTIVAL SCRAPPED DUE TO RISING COSTS

GODIVA Festival in Coventry has been scrapped for 2026. Coventry City Council announced the annual event will be ‘paused’ this year amid rising costs and industry challenges. Tom Grennan, The Enemy, and Kasabian are among the major artists who have...

IMPROVEMENTS TO BUS SERVICES ARE STILL YEARS AWAY

BUS passengers in Coventry will have to wait years before they see any improvement to services even though Transport for West Midlands is set to take over the network. Routes across the city are currently run by National Express. A decision was taken...

COUNCIL BUILDINGS IN £1.8M UPGRADE

SIX Coventry buildings have received major energy efficiency improvements as part of a £1.8m project. Upgrades have modernised and decarbonised key community hubs across Foleshill, Henley Green, Coundon and Bell Green. Moat House Leisure and...

MEASLES: One in five not fully vaccinated in Coventry

than one in five Coventry children are not fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella by the age of five. UKHSA figures show the vaccine rate in the city - the proportion of children who have had both doses of the MMR by age five - stands at...

MONTH-LONG ROADWORKS WARNING IN CITY

Highways bosses have warned that drivers could face delays as a major closure comes into force in Coventry this weekend. The lights along the A46 between Coventry and Tewkesbury are being upgraded with new LED lights. As a result of this, there will...

THOUSANDS OF DOG BARKING COMPLAINTS

barking has sparked thousands of complaints to Coventry City Council over the past five years. Nearly 2,000 reports have been logged since 2020, highlighting an ongoing noise nuisance in Coventry. Complaints rose sharply from 188 in 2020 to 376 in...

HOSPITAL WAITING LISTS IMPROVING

lists at Coventry hospital are improving - but still lag behind the national average. The number of patients waiting less than 18 weeks to start treatment at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire stood at 56.3% last year - an improvement on...

SAFE AFTER DARK AWARD FOR CITY

night-time economy has been honoured with a significant international accreditation for the first time, marking the city as a safe destination after dark. The city has been awarded the prestigious Purple Flag status, spotlighting Coventry city centre,...

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Work started long ago on classroom phone ban in city

COVENTRY’S schools are among those leading the way when it comes to phone-free classrooms according to the city council’s cabinet member responsible for education across the city. Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu said work started long before this week’s letter...

‘NO WAITING’ BAN FOR COV STREETS

A NEW ‘no waiting’ ban has been unveiled for junctions at seven streets in Coventry. The plan has been revealed in a traffic order proposed for the city council. It states that the council plans to introduce ‘No Waiting at Any Time’ restrictions at...

SHOPLIFTING HOTSPOTS REVEALED

> RICHARD AULT REPORTS:

STATE OF PAVEMENTS IN THE CITY UNDER FIRE

MORE should be done to tackle the state of Coventry’s pavements according to councillors who are being inundated with complaints. The call comes despite the city council being granted a ‘green’ award for the way it has dealt with the area’s...

Colourful life of Cov market trader with ‘gift of the gab’

‘I HAVE the gift of the gab,’ says Terry Payne, flashing a grin as he proudly displays his vibrant collection of rugs at Coventry Market. Whether charming customers with his humour or mastering every twist of his business journey, his larger-than-life...

Planning row goes on after demolition of former city bank

FRUSTRATED Earlsdon residents who have been waiting more than a year for action to be taken following the unlawful demolition of a former bank have been told there is no end in sight to the planning saga. Scaffolding and hoardings hide the carcass of...

GAP BETWEEN COV’S RICHEST & POOREST IS GROWING

THE gap between Coventry and Warwickshire’s richest and poorest neighbourhoods is growing, with those at the top having over £21,000 more to spend a year than those at the bottom. Households in the Leamington West & Milverton neighbourhood of Warwick...

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SCHOOLS FACING FINANCIAL STRAIN

A MEETING is being set-up between concerned teachers and Treasury big wigs to highlight the financial strain facing schools across Coventry. Members of the city council’s cabinet were told of the plans after it was explained that staff at many schools...

PLAYING ON ICE WARNING AFTER TRAGEDY

chiefs have issued a Coventrywide plea about the dangers of playing on ice as wintry weather continues to grip our area. It comes following the still ‘real and raw’ tragic loss of four young lives at Babbs Mill Park Lake in Solihull back in...

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Figures reveal most dangerous streets in 2025

crime figures have shown where Coventry’s most dangerous streets of 2025 are. These are the areas of Coventry, ranked from least to most in terms of the number of ‘violence and sexual offences’ happening on their streets. West Midlands Police...

SHOCK LIST OF ITEMS SEIZED IN STOP & SEARCHES

AXES were among a shocking list of 1,400 items seized by police ‘stop and searches’ across Coventry and West Midlands. There were also imitation firearms and extendable batons taken off people across the region after officers stopped them. West...

THE MAJOR CHANGES TO COV IN 2026

BUDDING councillors keen on standing in May’s Coventry City Council elections can now pick up tips from a booklet aimed at guiding them through the process. The 20-page pamphlet explains everything from securing a nomination through to how the council...

COV’S MOST ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AREAS REVEALED

LATEST figures have shown where Coventry’s most “anti-social” areas are. West Midlands Police define antisocial behaviour as “behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household...

CITY PARKS TARGETED BY POLICE

POLICE have released a list of the parks they are patrolling across Coventry in a bid to stop any incidents from ‘escalating or happening.’ In their latest community update, the Stoke and Wyken local policing team have highlighted the areas where they...

HUNDREDS OF DRIVERS STOPPED BY POLICE

HUNDREDS of Coventry drivers have been stopped and checked by police to see if they had been drinking before getting behind the wheel. West Midlands Police launched a huge crackdown on drug and drink driving in a bid to improve road safety. Recently...

SEVEN AREAS COUNCIL PLANS TO TACKLE

COVENTRY City Council has outlined seven areas of priority to invest in in 2026. For the first time in 15 years the council believes it will be able to balance the books for the upcoming financial year. And with no cuts to services proposed, there is...

RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT OVER BUS GATE FINES

NEARLY 12,000 fines have been issued from a bus gate that’s only been in operation since October of this year - and some readers are angry at the confusion caused by recent changes to the city centre roads. The bus gate on Greyfriars Road came into...

£900,000 THROWN AWAY WITH THE TRASH

FINES of nearly £1m have been slapped on Coventry City Council because residents are putting the wrong rubbish in their bins. The matter was raised by Tory group leader Cllr Gary Ridley at this week’s cabinet meeting. In a finance report covering the...

NEW BUS GATE TRAPS 440 MOTORISTS EVERY DAY

COVENTRY has a new bus gate – and it’s already caught out thousands of drivers. The bus gate, on Greyfriars Road, has only been operational since October, with fines issued from Monday, November 10. But since then a total of 11,924 penalty notices...

COV’S MARKET TRADERS TO GET EXTRA HELP

COVENTRY’S market traders are to be given extra financial support from the city council who have also outlined a list of measures to improve the area that has been blighted by the ongoing redevelopment of City Centre South. The £450m scheme is set to...

GOLF COURSE TO BECOME NATURE RESERVE

BRANDON Wood Golf Course is set to become a nature reserve with rich wildlife habitats as part of a new project. Plans would see the 64-hectare site linked with surrounding land to create more than 350 hectares of natural ecosystems and...

HEARTBREAK OF HOMELESS ON STREETS

SHOCKING figures show that almost 150 people are facing Christmas on the streets in Coventry and Warwickshire. The latest government figures reveal that a record number of people are thought to be sleeping on the streets. And the situation is...

CITY STREET WHERE 56 DRIVERS A DAY ARE FINED

THE Coventry street with the most bus lane fines in 2025 has been revealed. Cameras at the city centre junction where Hales Street meets The Burges caught over 17,000 infringements in the bus lane - resulting in a huge cost of nearly £400,000. The...

COV STREETS TO GET NEW PARKING RULES

> CLAIRE HARRISON REPORTS:

SOLAR FARM NEAR COV GETS G0-AHEAD

A ‘LANDMARK ‘grey belt’ planning decision has been made for a solar farm on land on Coventry’s doorstep. Enviromena, the Uk-based independent power producer, has announced that it has secured approval for its proposed 40MW Fillongley Solar Farm. It...

CALLS TO TAKE DOWN CITY FLAGS

A NEW petition demands that flags are removed from the streets of Coventry. It calls on the city council to remove the England, St George and Union flags that have been raised across the city. In the petition, which has been filed with the local...

NEARLY 3,000 REFUGEES & ASYLUM SEEKERS IN COV

NEARLY 3,000 asylum seekers and refugees are currently living in Coventry, new figures have revealed. Data from the Home Office shows that the city ranks sixth in the UK for new arrivals, including those from Ukraine and Afghanistan. We uncovered...

£420,000Terms SPENT ON CITY SPEED CAMERAS

MORE than £420,000 has been spent on installing new speed cameras in Coventry. Councillors said the chosen city locations had a history of traffic collisions and high rates of speeding. Cameras were installed on Moseley Avenue, Four Pounds Avenue,...

OWNERS OF DERELICT STADIUM TO SUBMIT NEW PLANS FOR SITE

THE owners of a Coventry stadium which has sat derelict for almost 10 years say they are ‘committed to finding a viable future for the site.’ Brandon Estates, which owns Brandon Stadium - also known as Coventry Stadium - on the outskirts of the city...

HEARTFELT PLEA OVER E-BIKES AFTER BLAZE TRAGEDY

SHOPPERS are being warned about the dangers of modified e-bikes ahead of Christmas. Couple Natasha Johnson-mall and Karlo Bogdan were killed in a blaze caused by a faulty battery in November 2024. Natasha, Karlo, and their two dogs died when a major...

CALL TO HELP STRUGGLING MARKET TRADERS

COVENTRY City Council has come under further pressure to give more support to market traders who say they are struggling to attract customers due to the impact of the £450million City Centre South regeneration. Just days after a protest was held in...

GIGAFACTORY GO-AHEAD ON AIRPORT SITE

NEW PLANS FOR DERELICT COVENTRY STADIUM

THE owners of a derelict Coventry stadium are preparing to submit a new planning application, according to reports. It’s now been almost 10 years since Brandon Stadium closed permanently in 2016. Numerous planning applications have been submitted...

THE SCHOOLS CROWNED BEST IN MIDLANDS

SCHOOLS across Coventry and Warwickshire are celebrating being named among the best in the West Midlands. They have been named in the Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 Guide. A national title has been taken by St Mary’s RC Primary School, in Henley in...

Dozens of cyclists injured on roads over the last year

ALMOST a hundred cyclists have been injured on Warwickshire’s roads over the last year - more than one every four days - according to new figures. Data from Warwickshire Police shows that 99 cyclists were injured in the 2024/2025 financial year. Of...

CARS BANNED FROM CITY STREETS

A PERMANENT ban on cars at certain times of day in part of a new ‘pedestrian and cycle zone’ for streets by Coventry’s Broadgate and the cathedral has started. We previously reported that an ‘experimental traffic order’ was brought into force last...

DOZENS CLAIM OVER CITY POTHOLES

MORE than 180 drivers have submitted claims for potholerelated damage in Coventry. Thousands of pounds in compensation have been paid out by Coventry City Council. Since 2022, Coventry City Council has paid over £50,000 to motorists whose vehicles...

APPEAL TO CITY HOUSEHOLDS MISSING OUT ON COUNCIL TAX HELP

MANY households across Coventry are paying more council tax than they need to, according to the city council’s head of revenues and benefits. And although nearly 24,000 homeowners benefit from council tax support at a cost to the council of £28m every...

COV LEADS WAY IN MAJOR UK DRONE PROJECT

COVENTRY City Council is spearheading an initiative to prepare the way for drone and air taxi operations in the UK. Urban Ascent will bring together leading organisations in research and technology to design sustainable drone systems. Work is...

BOOST FOR SCHEME AIMING TO REVITALISE CITY PARKS & GARDENS

A SCHEME aiming to revitalise Coventry’s parks, create new community gardens and offer children the chance to get close up to nature through the creation of school allotments has been given a boost in plans announced by West Midlands mayor Richard...

FLAT BLOCK TO BE DEMOLISHED

of a Coventry flat block are set to be rehoused ahead of a major redevelopment project. Paradise House on Eden Street in Foleshill will soon be demolished. Citizen Housing, which owns Paradise House, announced that the building will be bulldozed...

MORE STRIKE ACTION TO HIT COV SCHOOL

MORE TRAFFIC FEARS AT CITY’S ‘DANGEROUS’ ROUNDABOUT

COVENTRY Council is working on ways to make a notorious roundabout safer - but admitted finding a solution was ‘challenging’ amid a potential increase in traffic. The spot in question, known locally as the Mount Pleasant roundabout, is at the junction...

COV TRAGEDY LEADS TO FIRE SAFETY PLEA

WEST Midlands Fire Service has launched a major safety campaign after a young couple died in Coventry. Natasha Johnson-mall and Karlo Bogdan were killed when a lithium-ion battery exploded at their home in Stoke Aldermoor. Now, the service has...

BIG RISE IN YOUNG OUT OF WORK

THE number of young people claiming unemployment benefits has soared across Coventry and Warwickshire since Labour came to power - even as the overall number of claimants has fallen. An estimated 24,565 people of all ages were receiving unemployment...

CALL FOR E-BIKE CRACKDOWN

need to be made aware of the dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters before buying them as Christmas presents. That is the message from Coventry councillors who are set to launch a PR campaign ahead of the festivities. The matter was raised at a city...

FULL STEAM AHEAD TO TRANSFORM THE CITY

BIG RISE IN ATTACKS ON COUNCIL STAFF

THE design, layout and location of a derelict hotel make it an easy target for vandals after Coventry City Council admitted there are ‘significant security challenges’. Allesley Hotel on Birmingham Road has been closed since 2022. Since then it has...

CITY ONE OF WORST FOR PAYING COUNCIL TAX ON TIME

COVENTRY is one of the worst areas in the country for people paying their council tax on time according to figures released by the city council. And some of that could be a hangover from the Covid pandemic when people got out of the habit of...

UNION ISSUES WARNING OVER EQUAL PAY BILL

THE GMB Union which represents workers across Coventry City Council has warned the authority could face an equal pay liability totalling tens of millions of pounds. They say that the council faces hundreds of equal pay claims from women after alleged...

You get chance to have your say on new housing plans

COVENTRY residents will get their chance to help shape a far-reaching blueprint that will set out where thousands of new homes and workplaces should be built in the West Midlands over the coming decades. A six-week consultation has been launched so...