Fareham Youth Trust is sponsoring a Fun Event on the GEC Playing Field, Hillmorton Road, Rugby on Saturday 30 June 2018 from 11am until 3pm.

It's a free event and the Mayor of Rugby will be attending. There will be a climbing wall for youngsters along with other free activities including sumo wrestling.

Following the resignation of Portfolio Holder Councillor Heather Timms (one of the chief architects of the Local Plan) and the Head of Planning handing in his notice, Jerry Roodhouse has written to the local papers to express his concerns about whether there is a strong and clear vision at the Town Hall.

The Councillors' Grant Fund is aimed at community and voluntary organisations. The Fund provides each of Warwickshire County Councils' 57 Councillors with a pot of £6000 to support small-scale projects within their division.

This is now an online application process and the deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 31st August 2018.

At a recent full meeting of Rugby Borough Council, Paddox Ward Councillor Noreen New raised the issue of having a direct debit system for paying the green bin charge.

Councillor New raised the issue with the Portfolio Holder for the Environment and Public Realm after receiving several complaints regarding the time it takes to get through on the phones and the length of time it takes to get a sticker. Having a direct debit payment option would help to alleviate this problem.

With support from the Liberal Democrats the Second Reading of the Tenant Fees Bill was passed by Members of Parliament on 21 May 2018.

The Tenant Fees Bill sets out the Government's approach to banning letting fees paid by tenants in the private rented sector.

Liberal Democrats have campaigned relentlessly to get tenants' letting fees banned. The upfront costs of renting are far too high, pushing many people into debt just to pay the fees, and stopping others from being able to move into a rented home.

On 17 May 2018 Councillor Bill Lewis was elected Deputy Mayor of Rugby. He will take up office in May 2019 when the current Mayor, Councillor Tom Mahoney's year comes to an end.

Councillor Lewis represents Rokeby and Overslade Ward. He has an impressive track record of community involvement from his schooldays in Wales, through university and into his professional career. Bill has lived on the Hillside Estate for over 36 years and is a former Rugby Borough Councillor for Caldecott Ward.

On 22 May 2018, Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone hosted a talk with former President of the Geological Society Professor Peter Styles on the increased risk of earthquakes due to fracking.

Professor Styles is calling for the implementation of buffer zones and stricter regulations, forcing fracking companies to assess dangers and faults.

Commenting on Professor Styles' speech, Lynne Featherstone said:

"Fracking is an unnecessary, invasive and dangerous distraction from the very urgent need to move away from carbon-based energy and towards sustainable energy sources.

"There is a growing consensus that fracking is destructive to the environment and dangerous to the public. The Government must response to the increasing number of experts speaking out against the practice."

Jerry Roodhouse has written again to the local newspapers about his calls for the old St Cross building to be put back to use.

Dear Editor,

A few weeks ago I wrote about the old St Cross building and how we should seek to explore options to reopen it. I contacted UHCW about this and the silence since then has been deafening.

More rough sleepers have appeared in town since the Rugby Winter Shelter closed at the end of March - and some are more prominent than ever, having taken shelter in the doorways of vacant town centre shops.

The chair of Hope4, which runs the shelter, says supporting the charity is the best way to help them. The shelter faced huge demand last winter, providing beds and meals for 59 people across seven church venues.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable is calling on the Conservatives to bring forward side-lined plans to introduce tax breaks for employers who hire from disadvantaged groups.

In their general election manifesto, the Conservatives promised to introduce a 12-month exemption in employer's National Insurance Contributions when businesses took on people from groups that have found it difficult to find employment. These groups included the long-term unemployed, people with mental health problems, and those with a disability.