Shrewsbury's Quarry leisure centre and swimming pool is not fit for purpose and needs updating, the towns MP has said.

Daniel Kawczynski said recent conversations with local swimmers have highlighted the need for the towns current facilities to be improved.

It comes as he asks county swimmers to contribute to a new report about the centre.

Mr Kawczynski has asked representatives of various county swimming clubs to provide him with statistics about how many people currently use the pool and what replacement facilities would be required.

Shropshire Council has earmarked the site as a potential location for a new 40 million five-star hotel.

Private investors are being sought to fund the building of a new 200-bedroom hotel, with the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre named as one location under consideration.

But the local authority revealed last week it has no money available to build a replacement swimming pool.

The report being drawn up by Mr Kawczynski will include details on how many clubs make use of the pool from across Shropshire, what the effect of the potential pool closure would be if there was no replacement and how facilities could be improved.

It will be sent to Shropshire Council bosses for them to take into consideration.

Mr Kawczynski said whether the hotel plans come to fruition or not, it is clear from his conversations with swimmers that the facilities are in need of updating.

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Call for debate on Shrewsbury swimming pool future

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STAFFORDSHIRE County Council has apparently gone to great lengths to consult on the future of Learning Disability Day Services initial briefings, questionnaires, focus groups for carers, one to one meetings, focus groups for service users and market place events over a period of three months.

We were told in the report that went to the county councils Conservative cabinet last week that the consultation adhered to the guidelines of consultation best practice, and all necessary steps were taken to gather as many views as possible.

The response rate of 750 was good, in addition to petitions signed by thousands of local residents.

But, as 80 per cent of respondents rejected the preferred option of the county council to close day centres for people with learning disabilities and farm out support for our most vulnerable citizens, the consultation has been totally ignored. The whole process has been a monumental scam.

What does this mean for around 460 people currently supported by Day Centres in Staffordshire? Their lifeline is being is being stripped away with nothing credible to replace it.

The day centres are a haven for users, giving them a social life and providing the only respite most carers ever get.

The centres have been characterised as taking people with learning disabilities away from their communities. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most clients do not attend the centres every day, and even when they do, the caring, trusted professional staff help them use local community facilities such as swimming, gardening and sailing.

Thirty per cent of all adults who currently use the day centres, around 140 vulnerable people, are likely to be assessed as no longer eligible for any support.

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Charlotte Atkins: Staffordshire County Council ignored public's ...

HENDERSON, Ky. The planned six-month-long closure of a section of Kentucky 136-East about midway between Anthoston and Niagara has been pushed back from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

A contractor is preparing to construct a new bridge over the East Fork of Canoe Creek at mile point 24.6. The site is approximately one mile southeast of the Pennyrile Parkway overpass, between Upper Delaware Road/Kentucky 520 and Kentucky 416-East.

The contractor has quite a bit of equipment to get into place before work can actually start. Delaying the closure until Wednesday will help avoid unnecessary inconvenience to the public and school bus traffic, according to the Transportation Cabinet.

There will be a marked detour for light vehicles using Upper Delaware Road/Kentucky 520 and Kentucky 416-East, as well as a marked truck detour using Kentucky 416-East and U.S. 41-South.

The closure will affect motorists traveling from U.S. 41-South to Niagara Elementary School, which is located just east of the construction site, for the remainder of the school year.

The Henderson County Schools Transportation Department suggested two alternate routes:

Niagara School Route 1:

From the city of Henderson, drive past Kentucky 136 on U.S. 41 South at Anthoston.

Continue south on U.S. 41 for an additional 3.5 miles.

Turn left on West T. Royster Rd.

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Ky. 136-East closure coming Wednesday; access to Niagara School to be affected

No public money is available to build a replacement leisure centre and swimming pool in Shrewsbury should a 40 million five-star hotel get the go-ahead in The Quarry, Shropshire Council has revealed.

Private investors are being sought to fund the building of a new 200-bedroom hotel, with one site under consideration being The Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre, which would be demolished to make way for the hotel.

It had been hoped the plans would include provision for a new leisure centre to be built elsewhere in the town centre.

But council bosses said today there are no public funds available for such a move.

Even if the hotel idea does not come to fruition, the council said the ageing leisure centre is coming to the end of its natural life. But they said there are no current plans to close the centre.

They said the current financial climate means there is no money available for a replacement, despite the scheme being identified by the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council as one in need of funding before it was replaced by Shropshire Council in 2009.

Councillor Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Councils Cabinet member for leisure, said: The Quarry swimming and fitness centre is coming to the end of its life and its replacement is something that has long been aspired to by both the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council (SABC) and Shropshire Council, subject to funding being available.

However, its important to make clear that no money was set aside by SABC for the replacement of the swimming centre.

He added: Shropshire Council wants to provide people with the best possible swimming and leisure facilities. Unfortunately in the current financial climate there is no money available at the moment for the replacement of the swimming centre in Shrewsbury, and we have no current plans to close the centre.

Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Councils cabinet member for business growth, has previously said it is estimated the hotel would cost 40 million to develop and build. He said: A number of possible sites in or close to the town have been identified, including the Quarry Pool site, and we are keen to talk to hotel operators and leisure developers about the options.

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No cash set aside for replacement Shrewsbury leisure centre

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UP TO 300 disabled adults will lose access to council-run day centres within two years following the approval of modernisation plans.

Staffordshire County Council yesterday rubber stamped the decision to close two day services for adults with learning disabilities as part of wider changes to provision.

Families have criticised the council's plans to encourage those with less complex needs to access non-council services in the community.

Campaigners heckled cabinet members throughout the discussion, claiming the proposals would result in vulnerable people being left to 'wander the streets'.

But Alan White, cabinet member for care, insisted the move from building-based facilities to community-based provision was 'best practice'.

He said the transition to the new model would take up to two years, and that no service user would be barred from a day centre without alternative services being available.

Mr White said: "In our experience, the outcomes from modernising services have been extremely positive.

"The consultation results show that people don't want change. However, the evidence from experts points towards the direction where we are proposing to go. A consultation isn't a referendum. If 70 per cent of people want no change, we will have to work doubly hard to implement the changes in the right way." Around 440 people currently use day services across the county, which cost 8.6 million to run.

Under the council's plans the centres in Kidsgrove and Codsall will close, while the facility in Leek will be downsized.

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PhilCorrigan published Hundreds of vulnerable adults to lose day centre access following...

Eleven months after former Small Business Administration boss Karen Mills announced her resignation, President Barack Obama is set to nominate a replacement today: Maria Contreras-Sweet, a native of Mexico with a background in small business financing and government service.

In addition to her banking experience, the 58-year-olds diversity is a quality being sought for Cabinet jobs. Her impending nomination, which is expected to come at a formal event in Washington, was first reported by the Washington Post.

Contreras-Sweet immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 and went on to achieve a number of firsts, including being the first Latin American woman to serve on the board of Blue Cross California (WLP), and first to hold a cabinet secretary position in California state government. (She was Californias secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing from 1999 to 2003.)

She is chair of the board at ProAmerica Bank (PMRA), a publicly traded Los Angeles community bank she founded in 2006. Before that, Contrereas-Sweet served as president of Fortius Holdings, a private-equity fund she co-founded specializing in California small businesses.

Those experiences should help her tackle the SBAs core function of helping small businesses find capital. Under Mills, the SBA has backed about $30 billion in loans in each of the last three years, up from $17.8 billion in 2009. The International Franchise Association and Main Street Alliance were among advocacy groups to issue statements touting Contreras-Sweets lending credentials.

Once nominated, Contreras-Sweet would have to be confirmed by the Senate, although that process would appear to be simpler under new Senate rules. Senator James Risch, the Idaho Republican who serves as ranking member for the Senates Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, did not respond to a request for comment.

Contreras-Sweets nomination would end a long wait for a permanent SBA chief, which has led to speculation that President Obama plans to eliminate the SBA as a standalone agency. If confirmed, Contreras-Sweet would take over from Jeanne Hulit, who has served as acting administrator since Mills left the SBA for Harvard University in August.

Contreras-Sweets experience as an entrepreneur will serve her well in the new role, says former SBA chief Hector Barreto, who once traveled to Israel with Contreras-Sweet on a mission for Hispanic business leaders.

Barreto, who now chairs the nonprofit Latino Coalition, says Contreras-Sweet was responding to a need when she decided to open ProAmerica. With all of the growth of the Hispanic business community in Los Angeles, she felt it was unacceptable that there werent Hispanic-owned banks, he says. So she founded one of the first Hispanic-owned banks in L.A. Thats the kind of vision and leadership that you need at the SBA.

Original post:
Obama Is Finally Picking a New SBA Chief

Eleven months after former Small Business Administration boss Karen Mills announced her resignation, President Barack Obama is set to nominate a replacement today: Maria Contreras-Sweet, a native of Mexico with a background in small business financing and government service.

In addition to her banking experience, the 58-year-olds diversity is a quality being sought for Cabinet jobs. Her impending nomination, which is expected to come at a formal event in Washington, was first reported by the Washington Post.

Contreras-Sweet immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 and went on to achieve a number of firsts, including being the first Latin American woman to serve on the board of Blue Cross California (WLP), and first to hold a cabinet secretary position in California state government. (She was Californias secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing from 1999 to 2003.)

She is chair of the board at ProAmerica Bank (PMRA), a publicly traded Los Angeles community bank she founded in 2006. Before that, Contrereas-Sweet served as president of Fortius Holdings, a private-equity fund she co-founded specializing in California small businesses.

Those experiences should help her tackle the SBAs core function of helping small businesses find capital. Under Mills, the SBA has backed about $30 billion in loans in each of the last three years, up from $17.8 billion in 2009. The International Franchise Association and Main Street Alliance were among advocacy groups to issue statements touting Contreras-Sweets lending credentials.

Once nominated, Contreras-Sweet would have to be confirmed by the Senate, although that process would appear to be simpler under new Senate rules. Senator James Risch, the Idaho Republican who serves as ranking member for the Senates Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, did not respond to a request for comment.

Contreras-Sweets nomination would end a long wait for a permanent SBA chief, which has led to speculation that President Obama plans to eliminate the SBA as a standalone agency. If confirmed, Contreras-Sweet would take over from Jeanne Hulit, who has served as acting administrator since Mills left the SBA for Harvard University in August.

Contreras-Sweets experience as an entrepreneur will serve her well in the new role, says former SBA chief Hector Barreto, who once traveled to Israel with Contreras-Sweet on a mission for Hispanic business leaders.

Barreto, who now chairs the nonprofit Latino Coalition, says Contreras-Sweet was responding to a need when she decided to open ProAmerica. With all of the growth of the Hispanic business community in Los Angeles, she felt it was unacceptable that there werent Hispanic-owned banks, he says. So she founded one of the first Hispanic-owned banks in L.A. Thats the kind of vision and leadership that you need at the SBA.

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Obama Is Finally Picking a New Small Business Administration Chief

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STOKE-ON-TRENT North MP Joan Walley has called on the Government to intervene to save a day centre from closure.

Mrs Walley raised the issue of Kidsgrove Day Service during this morning's health debate in the House of Commons.

Cabinet members at Staffordshire County Council are expected to confirm the closure of the day centre tomorrow as part of plans to modernise provision for adults with learning disabilities.

They say some service users with less complex needs would be more fulfilled accessing 'opportunities' in the community, but campaigners do not believe the same level of care would be available in the independent sector.

Mrs Walley asked Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt if he agreed that the county council should hold off making a decision so more information about replacement services could be published.

She said: "Tomorrow Staffordshire County Council is expected to confirm devastating cuts to services for those with special needs, including the closure of the purpose-built Kidsgrove Day Centre in my constituency. Does the secretary of state agree it's time for the council to wait and at the very least share its detailed needs assessment and future action plan before forcing these cuts through."

Mr Hunt said he would look into the issue.

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MP Joan Walley takes day centre fight to Parliament

One of President Barack Obama's longest serving advisers, who joined his team a decade ago when he was running for the Senate, is leaving the White House this month to work as a lawyer in private practice.

Danielle Gray will step down as White House Cabinet secretary after the president delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 28. She is looking to join a law firm and teach.

Gray is among a handful of Obama's aides to announce resignations in the new year, as fatigue sets in after five years of all-consuming work. Their departures are leaving the president without some of his most trusted advisers.

Gray, 35, has handled a variety of tasks for Obama, including helping to write his health care law to protect it from inevitable legal challenges. Obama said in a statement that he's grateful that Gray put her legal career on hold to work for him for a decade.

Gray wanted to leave a year ago, but Obama asked her to stay on as his Cabinet secretary to start his second term. Disputes over policy and communications can erupt between the White House and Cabinet members, such as the first term debate over the Afghanistan war effort that came to light from a memoir by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said Gray deepened interactions with members of the Cabinet and made sure their concerns were being heard by the president in the weekly reports. "We'll continue to prioritize that," McDonough said. He said her replacement has not been chosen.

Obama's statement said Gray has been instrumental in helping shape his administration's policy. "And over the past year, as Cabinet secretary and a close adviser to me, she has not only helped make sure every agency in the federal government remains focused on giving hardworking Americans a fair shot at opportunity, but that our policies reflect the values we have always fought for," Obama said.

Gray, like Obama, is a graduate of Harvard Law School who was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. One of her professors at Harvard was future Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, and Gray helped Kagan and fellow Justice Sonia Sotomayor through their confirmation process in the first Obama term. Some in the White House wouldn't be surprised if Gray, who also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, is a judicial nominee herself one day.

Gray, a native of Riverhead, N.Y., got a bachelor's degree from Duke and worked briefly at a New York law firm after graduating from Harvard in 2003. But she gave up that lucrative career path to work on Obama's 2004 campaign for Senate and was one of the early staffers on his presidential campaign as a policy adviser.

When Obama took office in 2009, she came to the White House counsel's office and later worked for the Justice Department's Civil Division. She returned to the White House in 2011 as deputy director of the National Economic Council.

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Long-Serving Obama Aide Is Leaving White House

By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - One of President Barack Obama's longest serving advisers, who joined his team a decade ago when he was running for the Senate, is leaving the White House this month to work as a lawyer in private practice.

Danielle Gray will step down as White House Cabinet secretary after the president delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 28. She is looking to join a law firm and teach.

Gray is among a handful of Obama's aides to announce resignations in the new year, as fatigue sets in after five years of all-consuming work. Their departures are leaving the president without some of his most trusted advisers.

Gray, 35, has handled a variety of tasks for Obama, including helping to write his health care law to protect it from inevitable legal challenges. Obama said in a statement that he's grateful that Gray put her legal career on hold to work for him for a decade.

Gray wanted to leave a year ago, but Obama asked her to stay on as his Cabinet secretary to start his second term. Disputes over policy and communications can erupt between the White House and Cabinet members, such as the first term debate over the Afghanistan war effort that came to light from a memoir by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said Gray deepened interactions with members of the Cabinet and made sure their concerns were being heard by the president in the weekly reports. "We'll continue to prioritize that," McDonough said. He said her replacement has not been chosen.

Obama's statement said Gray has been instrumental in helping shape his administration's policy. "And over the past year, as Cabinet secretary and a close adviser to me, she has not only helped make sure every agency in the federal government remains focused on giving hardworking Americans a fair shot at opportunity, but that our policies reflect the values we have always fought for," Obama said.

Gray, like Obama, is a graduate of Harvard Law School who was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. One of her professors at Harvard was future Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, and Gray helped Kagan and fellow Justice Sonia Sotomayor through their confirmation process in the first Obama term. Some in the White House wouldn't be surprised if Gray, who also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, is a judicial nominee herself one day.

Gray, a native of Riverhead, N.Y., got a bachelor's degree from Duke and worked briefly at a New York law firm after graduating from Harvard in 2003. But she gave up that lucrative career path to work on Obama's 2004 campaign for Senate and was one of the early staffers on his presidential campaign as a policy adviser.

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Long-serving Obama aide is leaving White House - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports