Coventry City Council

The deputy chief executive of Coventry City Council is taking early retirement.

The local authority said Martin Yardley oversaw its Place Directorate, the department running most of its front-line services.

His exact leaving date has not been revealed, but the council says he'll still be looking after major developments "over the coming months".

It adds that the focus on Coventry being UK City of Culture in 2021 won't change.

Coventry City Council leader George Duggins has called on the owners of Coventry City football club to explain "what they are hoping to gain" by taking the matter of the sale of the Ricoh Arena to the European Commission.

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The club is making the move after being denied an appeal over the sale by the British courts, but owners Sisu claim the Ricoh was undervalued by £28m, and is asking the Commission to see if the deal breaks state-aid rules.

Coventry will play at St Andrew's in Birmingham next season after failing to agree a new deal with arena owners Wasps.

A council has been rapped by a government watchdog for failing a disabled man who was left struggling to maintain his hygiene for 16 months due to delays to home adaptations.

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The man, who struggles to walk upstairs, can only walk short distances, and uses a wheelchair outside, first requested adaptations to his home to the council in March 2016.

By law, the authority should have ensured works were carried out within 12 months of confirming the application, but the work was not signed off until November 2017 – a 16-month wait.

As a result of the findings, the council has agreed to pay £500 to the complainant “to acknowledge the distress and inconvenience caused to him”.

A spokesman for the council said: “We are aware of this case and the judgement. “As a result our systems for recording correspondence and information have already been improved.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found Coventry City Council had “failed in its primary duty under social care legislation” to meet the man’s eligible needs.

The new Mayor of Coventry has described her appointment as a “great honour and privilege”.

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Councillor Linda Bigham was sworn in at Coventry Cathedral today, watched on by her three children, three grandchildren, and husband Kerry.

The 71-year-old Labour councillor, originally from Birmingham, has represented the city's Longford ward since 2004.

“I cannot believe I am in this position and it is only now that you realise what a journey you have been on," she said.

The European Commission says it is currently assessing a complaint it has received in connection with the sale of Coventry's Ricoh Arena to Wasps.

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Coventry City's owner Sisu has taken its legal complaint to Europe after the Supreme Court threw out its appeal over a judicial review into the sale by Coventry City Council.

Sisu claims the Ricoh was undervalued by £28m, and is asking the European Commission to see if the deal breaks state-aid rules.

The European Union has rules on how much government money can be given to commercial enterprises to ensure one does not get an unfair advantage over another.

An EU spokesperson said: "The Commission has received a complaint regarding the sale of the Ricoh Arena to Wasps Rugby Club and is currently assessing it in line with its standard procedures."

Coventry City had been in talks to stay longer at the Ricoh Arena, but Wasps chief executive Nick Eastwood said the club had "entered such discussions in good faith" and that because the case had been taken to the EU, its conditions for negotiations hadn't been met.

English Football League clubs will discuss the issue on 29 May.

The former Conservative council leader in Coventry, Ken Taylor, lost his Earlsdon seat to Labour's Becky Gittins.

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The makeup of the council in the city remains the same after a Conservative gain in the Bablake seat.

Mr Taylor has represented the ward for 33 years.

Thanking him for his service, she said "regardless of party politics" it would be "a difficult role to fill".

"I would like to thank residents for voting for change in Earlsdon," she added.

A senior Labour councillor in Coventry has blamed the ongoing stalemate over Brexit for a "fightback" against the party.

Labour comfortably held on to its majority, sticking with its 40 seats to the Conservatives' 13.

But afterwards, Jim O'Boyle, who's in the council's cabinet, said some of the results were "somewhat peculiar", adding both main parties had seen a fightback from the electorate.

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He said: "We have to reflect on that and how we respond to the concerns our country is telling us. Everyone knows what it is, it is Brexit."

For those of you waking up, this is how the overnight election results have panned out in the West Midlands.

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One of the big results saw the Conservative Party seize overall control of Walsall Council, taking two seats off Labour.

However, the party couldn't make enough gains to take Dudley Borough Council as it tied with Labour for the number of seats, although, with a Tory mayor, it has a casting vote when it comes to deciding later this month who'll lead the authority.

Elsewhere, the Tories lost their majority in Worcester but held on to North Warwickshire, Rugby and Tamworth.

Labour, meanwhile, held on to Coventry, Sandwell, Telford and Wrekin and Wolverhampton.

We're still waiting for the final result from Stoke-on-Trent.