Your Coventry magazine

Your Coventry Magazine - latest issue

Your Coventry – Spring 2025 edition

In this edition of Your Coventry:

Leader's message

I hope you have enjoyed a happy and healthy start to 2025. It has certainly been a busy few months for Coventry and its continuing development as a leading city for the region and country, and a wonderful place for all who live, work and study here.

One key piece of work saw us set the budget for the next financial year. Coventry, like others, has seen funding reduced over the past 15 years, despite a rise in demand and population, and although we deliver hundreds of services, 83% of our net budget is now spent in three areas – children’s social care, adult social care and housing and homelessness.

Thanks to our lobbying, that situation has improved this year, and we have not had to make some of the cuts we first feared – in fact, I am delighted to say we have even been able to invest an additional £2.2m in tackling issues such as fly-tipping and potholes. However, we still receive £17m less funding than the national average, and the fight for a fairer system will go on. You can read more of our budget plans in this issue.

There is also news of another priority for us as a Council - to stop speeding traffic. I know this is a concern for many, and we are extending our network of Average Speed Enforcement Cameras. This is not about generating revenue, it is about saving lives.

The data shows these cameras really work and I am delighted that the network will now cover three more areas and keep even more people safe. Another fascinating story tells how we have adopted drone technology to cut down heat loss from homes – a great example of how our city of innovation is adapting for the future to help residents and the planet. This is a part of our work through the Strategic Energy Partnership we have with E.ON that over the coming months and years will revolutionise energy usage in Coventry for the benefit of local people, the environment and the wider economy. There really are some exciting times ahead! I hope you find this latest edition informative and helpful, and my best wishes to you all.

 

  • Budget plans for 2025/26 better than feared - The Council’s budget plans for April 2025 to March 2026 are better than expected after improved funding from the government.
  • Fairer funding - Although this year’s funding settlement from the government was better than it has been in recent years, the Council’s lobbying is ongoing as Coventry receives significantly less funding than the national average.
  • Cracking down on fly-tippers - The Council is spending an additional £500,000 tackling fly-tipping and investing in cameras.
  • Reporting a pothole - An additional £700,000 is also going on roads and pavements. To report an urgent issue, please contact our Customer Services Team. When reporting a pothole please tell us exactly where it is.
  • Financial pressures still facing the Council - Approximately 83 per cent of the Council’s net budget is spent on three areas – homelessness, adult social care and children’s social care – up from just over 50 per cent in 2010.
  • Improving road safety - The Council is getting ready to extend the Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) network by introducing three more ASE camera locations in a bid to improve road safety.
  • Streetlights upgrade planned - The Council is investing £10m in new, LED streetlights that are more efficient than the halogen lights they will replace.
  • Parking problems and improving traffic flow - Need to report an issue with parking somewhere in the city?
  • Highlighting best bars and restaurants - Coventry’s bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs have been urged to achieve a leading industry accreditation scheme called Best Bar None which demonstrates excellence in providing safe experiences for visitors.
  • New children's home open - A new children’s home has been opened in the city to help children and young people in need of care, st
  • Restoration of Victorian Summerhouses  - Work is almost finished to restore three 19th-century summerhouses in Coventry.
  • Building family homes on disused garage sites - Former garage sites or areas of underutilised or disused land are being transformed into family homes in Coventry.
  • Low-cost courses - The Council's Adult Education Service offers more than 500 low-cost courses.
  • Very Light Rail to trial in city centre - The Council will be constructing an on-road test of its ground-breaking Very Light Rail (VLR) track and electric vehicle for four weeks during summer 2025.
  • 600 solar panels installed at community leisure centre - Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre is benefiting from work that has meant it is saving on its running costs and using renewable energy throughout the venue.
  • Fast way to measure energy efficiency of homes - A pilot scheme is also using the latest technology to improve energy efficiency by measuring heat loss from city homes.
  • Coventry Job Fest - A new initiative bringing job opportunities to local communities is coming to a neighbourhood near you on Monday 28 April.

Your Coventry is written and designed by the Council’s Communications Team on behalf of organisations and communities in Coventry. Contact the Your Coventry newsdesk at communications@coventry.gov.uk. If you’d like to receive weekly e-mail updates visit www.coventry.gov.uk/newsemails

Previous editions

Download and print previous editions.

View a print version

Communications team

Address: Council House
Earl Street
Coventry
CV1 5RR

Telephone: 024 7683 4848