A FAIR amount of wittering may be expected of the proposal to give MPs a salary increase of ten per cent. All of it would be justified as public sector pay increases have been pegged at one per cent and plenty of private sector employees have had shorter shrift from their own guv'nors.

Of course, we no longer have the unseemly spectacle of MPs making their own collective pay award. The words noses and trough sprang readily to mind.

But even though these things are now decided externally, by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, a rise from £67,060 to £74,000 will not go down well with the long-suffering electorate.

It's a point understood in the wholesome reaction of right-stuff local MPs Lilian Greenwood and Vernon Coaker. And, of course, it is entirely possible that their declarations that they will give their pay rises to local good causes will be remembered next May.

Putting political cynicism aside, it would be artless for MPs to accept such an award not because of its size, but because of its timing. Notwithstanding the choruses of "Happy days are here again" wafting from the piano rooms of 10 and 11 Downing Street, the economic recovery is a gradual one.

Finding work, never mind long-term work that keeps a car on the drive and a holiday in the family diary, remains difficult for many people. They won't want crocodile tears from politicians who have just folded an extra seven large into their handbags and wallets.

However, if we remove the current political and economic context from the debate and ask if £74,000 is a reasonable reward for diligent MPs working in their constituencies' and the nation's interests, and especially bearing in mind the hours, I would say no. It should be more.

It's hard to be exact on what is a fair sum. We don't want it so low that we only get chimps. We don't want it so high that people stand for the wrong reasons.

But if you measure £74,000 against the earnings of a secondary school headteacher or a modestly successful barrister (or, to judge from my last car service, a garage mechanic) you could argue that MPs are under-paid.

Of course, that would not apply to the bone-idle, but it would be up to constituency parties to decide if they were getting value and de-select the lead-swingers as necessary.

If my MP is doing a £100,000 job, that is what I would wish him to receive.

However, times remain tough. The last seven years have been hard on most people in the labour market, many of whom have had pay freezes for year after year.

Like the rest of us, MPs should be made to wait for a fair deal – but when the country can afford it, a fair deal is what they should have.

THE last of Nottingham's new trams is to be delivered next month.

Twenty-two new vehicles will run alongside 15 existing trams that have serve Hucknall since Line One opened.

The final new tram is set to be delivered from Alstom's Barcelona factory to the Wilkinson Street depot on October 6.

Meanwhile, further test runs of the new trams will be carried out over the coming weeks on the section of line between Nottingham Station and Wilford Lane.

INSPECTORS have praised a school for the improvements it has made.

Earlier this year Ofsted gave Top Valley Academy the "requires improvement" rating, which triggered a series of regular monitoring inspections by the Government watchdog.

After the first of these, just before the summer break, inspector Ian McNeilly said big strides had been made.

In a letter to principal Peter Brown, which has just been made public, Mr McNeilly said: "You are raising the aspirations of students. This was best seen during this visit through 30 Year 6 pupils taking part in the 'Flying Start' programme – a week of engaging activities which aim to help these pupils settle in to the academy."

DERBY County are hoping Jamie Ward is passed fit to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Rams are waiting on the results of a scan to determine the extent of the hamstring problem Ward suffered while playing for Northern Ireland last weekend.

He limped off after 66 minutes of their victory in Hungary – but has not yet been ruled out.

"We are hoping it is more of a nerve issue with the hamstring than a strain," said Derby first-team coach Paul Simpson.

"If it is just a nerve issue there is a possibility he could be fit. The injury is something Jamie has had before."

Ward has scored three goals in Derby's last three matches and has been a thorn in Forest's side in the past.

"Of course it would be a blow if Jamie is not available," said Simpson. "But we are not a team for excuses. We find an answer to whatever problem we have. If Jamie is not available then it will open the door for somebody else."

WHEN doctors advised Nicky Gray to take wheat out of her ailing daughter's diet, little Kyla at first reacted well.

"On the seventh morning she was a completely different child," her mother recalled.

"The swellings went down and we thought we had solved the problem."

It looked like the gluten allergy known to people with Coeliac disease. But it wasn't as simple as that.

"Gradually Kyla started showing intolerances to other foods – dairy foods, eggs, tomatoes, fructose."

Kyla was vulnerable to body rashes, skin sores, tiredness, headaches and stomach cramps.

And if feeding her daughter was not enough of a challenge, Nicky's son Kaan started showing similar symptoms.

"With him it's just wheat and gluten – and not all tomatoes but cherry tomatoes," said Nicky, 34, a single mother from Wollaton.

"Until they became ill I didn't know anything about allergies but I found out that multiple allergies are actually very common, especially if you suffer things like asthma and hayfever."

The first priority was to get things right in the kitchen.

"Bread, pasta and cereals are a problem but they're OK with rice, potatoes, vegetables, meat and fish," said Nicky.

"For pizzas I'll get a gluten-free base and spread it not with tomato but a roasted red pepper sauce and top it with dairy-free cheese.

"Then I began to educate myself on food allergies and I also learned how it could affect young children at school. Because my daughter would become bloated, children at school would call her fat.

"She couldn't have birthday treats that other children enjoyed so I would give her 'Free From' treats, which other children also found odd."

Determined to do the best for her children – and eager to promote understanding in youngsters who are more fortunate – Nicky changed career.

Her experience of working in a city council team dedicated to improving life for disabled children would have stood her in good stead as she took her ideas into a Dragons' Den-style competition at the University of Nottingham.

"It was a competition for creating a business plan," recalled Debbie, who has no allergies of her own.

"I pitched my idea and won the competition and £5,000 worth of funding."

The prize enabled Nicky to study and gain qualifications in the field of allergies and intolerance and to set up Food Freedom – a training agency and consultancy.

She is an Ambassador for Allergy UK and her fund-raising activities will include a first half-marathon later this month for the Allergy Nurse Appeal.

She has already made her mark with awareness pilot workshops at schools like Netherfield Primary.

"It's mainly for children who do not have allergies because I want them to understands that friends who do have allergies are actually no different from them.

"The information could be useful later in life, especially if they decide on careers in catering."

On which subject, Nicky and Food Freedom are now at the forefront of the drive to get local restaurants complying with EU's Food Information for Consumers Regulations which come into force on December 13.

It will take rules on allergy information several stages beyond the "may contain nuts" warning to be found on restaurant menus.

As Nicky explained to 20 local chefs at her seminar yesterday at Riverbank Bar and Kitchen, Trent Bridge, the onus is on restaurateurs to provide the dining public with much more information on the 14 prime allergens to be found in kitchens (see panel below) – and to ensure staff are trained to be compliant with the regulations.

For instance, customers have the right to know that chicken korma contains milk and almonds; that carrot cake contains milk, egg, wheat and walnuts.

This information will have to be displayed on menus, or on chalkboards, or with references to an easily accessible handbook of recipe ingredients, or it will have to be communicated to diners by waiters. The spoken information, however, will have to be consistent and accurate – and may be tested and noted if the diner happens to be an undercover trading standards officer. The regulations also include exacting requirements for the labelling of ingredients within kitchens.

Delegates at the seminar included prominent local chefs including Peter Kirk of the Dog and Duck, Clipstone, and Riverbank's own Mark Osborne. Both said the event was a useful lead-in to the new information regime.

"It went really well," said Nicky afterwards, while preparing tea for her two children, now aged seven and four and pupils at Firbeck Academy.

"A couple of the chefs said they might want to contact me again for guidance and this is on top of contracts I've got with three colleges for training hospitality students. I think the company is taking off."

And the view from the kitchen table? Said Kyla: "I think mummy should be proud of herself and the work she is doing."

For more information about Nicky's business, visit www.food-freedom.co.uk

CHILDREN could see a private gig with a hit band – as a reward for going to school regularly.

Girl band Neon Jungle – whose song Braveheart reached number four of the UK charts – will perform at a secret location for classes with the best attendance records at seven city schools.

The unusual move is part of a Nottingham City Council drive to cut high truancy levels, which were criticised by Ofsted inspectors who gave the seven schools "inadequate" ratings late last year.

Councillor Sam Webster, executive assistant for schools at Nottingham City Council, said: "We're really excited to be trying something new to encourage better attendance in our schools.

"Most already offer some form of reward system, but this is the first time we've joined together to create a combined incentive that we hope will create a real buzz of excitement among our pupils."

The council is working with Capital FM to run the scheme.

The schools – Bulwell Academy; Big Wood School, Warren Hill; Bluecoat Beechdale Academy and Nottingham University Samworth Academy in Bilborough; Farnborough Academy, Clifton; Djanogly City Academy, Forest Fields; and Ellis Guilford School, Basford – will measure attendance over the current term.

The best class or tutor group from each school will then join up for the concert.

The scheme is being called Get In:volved to Get the Gig.

It is part of a wider drive by the council to improve school attendance in the city.

In June this year, the council launched a zero tolerance approach to unauthorised absences, with a week of action, community patrols and councillors visiting every school in the city.

Students with the best attendance records and those that had turned things around were recognised for the first time at the Lord Mayor's Attendance Awards in July.

Sally Coulton, head teacher at Ellis Guilford School, said: "This will sit alongside the in school activities that we are running to boost attendance, such as pizza parties and shopping vouchers.

"Students responded really well to these incentives last year and we achieved our best attendance ever."

Liz Parry, senior vice-principal at Bulwell Academy, said: "This is an exciting campaign which shows a good understanding of the students in Nottingham and, having significantly increased student attendance at The Bulwell Academy in recent months, this is this exactly the boost we need to build on our success."

Meadows: Police are asking the public to come forward if they know anything about the man pictured. Officers think he may have information about a sexual assault in The Meadows.

A 20-year-old woman was groped by a man while travelling on the 48 bus from Nottingham city centre to Clifton. When she exited the single-decker bus on the A453 at Clifton the man followed and propositioned her. The woman was able to escape uninjured, but was left shaken by the ordeal.

The incident happened at around 4pm on Friday, May 30. You can call police on 101 if you have more information.

Nottinghamshire: People are being told to be vigilant for jewellery thieves after a spate of crimes across the county.

Homes in Lilac Crescent in Beeston, Melton Road in Stanton-on-the-Wolds, Plains Road in Arnold, Brewsters Road in St Ann's were broken into on Friday, September 5 and items taken.

Detective Inspector Kev Broadhead said: "There are obviously people out there who are burgling specifically for gold."

Alfreton: Police have charged a woman after suspected heroin was found in her home.

Donna Miles, 41, was arrested when police raided her home in Milton Avenue, Alfreton.

They found a quantity of what was suspected to be heroin.

The raid happened on Monday, April 7. Miles has now been charged with possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.

She is due to appear before magistrates in Chesterfield on September 19.

Nottingham: Douglas Kirkman, 43, of Edinburgh Drive, Bingham, was found guilty of using threatening behaviour in Nottingham on February 26. Magistrates in the city fined him £125 and ordered he pay a £20 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

Radford: Lukasz Kuchta, 24, of Cinderhill Walk, Bulwell, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman in Radford on July 2. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court he was handed a community order with unpaid work of 40 hours, to be completed in 12 months. Kuchta will be supervised by the probation service for 12 months. He was ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

Hucknall: Elise Bills, 33, of George Street, Hucknall, has been fined £72 for stealing various packets of fresh meat, valued at £114.52, from Co-op, Forest Town, on June 1. Magistrates in Mansfield ordered Bills, who pleaded guilty to theft, pay £114.52 compensation and a £20 victim surcharge.

Warsop: Emily King, 20, of Robin Hood Avenue, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman in the town on July 14. She has been bailed to attend Mansfield Magistrates' Court on September 29 at 10.15am.

Sutton-in-Ashfield: Jonathan King, 23, of Pepper Street, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour on July 26. He was fined £75 by JPs in Mansfield. He was ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and costs of £45.

Sutton-in-Ashfield: John Shaw, 34, of Frederick Street, denied theft. He allegedly stole a Samsung mobile phone and charger belonging to Nottinghamshire Police on August 24. Shaw was bailed to attend his trial at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on October 23 at 2pm.

Ravenshead: Darren Cox, 38, of Meden Crescent, Sutton-in-Ashfield, denied theft. He allegedly stole various antiques, valued at £5,000, from Longdale Lane Craft Centre, between July 16 and July 18 this year. Cox is in custody to attend Nottingham Crown Court on September 22.

A WOMAN has had to fork out £215 for failing to check if the person removing her household waste had a licence.

Emma Brown of Bentinck Street, Mansfield, was ordered by magistrates to pay a fine of £40, plus legal costs of £100.

Mansfield District Council was also awarded £75.23 in compensation for clean-up costs.

The rubbish had been fly-tipped in an area off Newgate Lane, Mansfield.

NOTTINGHAM'S rich heritage of football and appetite for the game should earn it the status of England's first City of Football.

That's the message from Sherwood Football Club chairman Simon Buttenshaw.

But it is not just the past that merits success for Nottingham in the battle against Portsmouth and Manchester, says Mr Buttenshaw. The present and the future, particularly in regard to women's football, should bring the city success, he believes.

"The thing we are most excited about is promoting women's football," he said.

"We are starting in a position of strength in Nottingham with the number currently playing but there's so much potential there and, with the right investment, we could see a big change in the area. That's one of the highlights of our offer as a city."

He added: "There's a great appetite for football in Nottingham and we can harness that and do even more with it."

As a mum and a football enthusiast Lisa Fox is passionate about the city's bid.

The secretary of Arnold Town Under 11s thinks success could make a huge impact for people of all backgrounds.

She said: "I think it could be very good for Nottingham.

"Obviously, there's a big thing made out of children not being out on the streets and staying in and playing on their consoles. If we do win the bid, there's going to be more money available to get the kids out there doing stud.

"There are a lot of people out there who don't traditionally access football and that could change. The bid could give us a chance to build something. Both Notts County and Forest have got good female teams, it would be great for girls to have more opportunities."

A BINMAN has been cleared of damaging a parked car, driving off and then making threats.

Carlton Dowell, of Hyson Green, had been accused of crashing into a car in Brindley Road, Bilborough, leaving the scene, threatening the friend of the car owner, and then returning the next day to make further threats.

But this last charge was thrown out at Nottingham Magistrates Court yesterday before the verdict was given because a tracking device fitted to bin lorries proved that the 54-year-old had not stopped for as long as prosecution witnesses said he had outside the address when he returned.

Mr Dowell was then found not guilty of failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and threatening behaviour. In court, Mr Dowell's barrister, Makham Shoker, claimed witnesses had collaborated. Mr Shoker said: "Witnesses have been caught out by independent evidence. That could not be confusion or exaggeration, it's a down-right lie by three witnesses."

Magistrates heard car owner Jonathan Rice, 20, of West Bridgford, had parked across the narrow road while visiting friend Anthony Pearson, 26, of Brindley Road. Neither claimed to have seen the alleged incident on August 6 last year but Nigel Pearson - a neighbour and Anthony's father - said he saw the lorry scrape the side of Mr Rice's car.

The two friends followed the bin lorry in Mr Pearson's car, where an exchange took place between them and Mr Dowell, of Plantation Side.

Giving evidence in court, Mr Dowell said: "He banged on the door of my cab and shouted at me that I had hit his car. I asked him 'where is it?' [the car] and he pointed up the road. When I went to walk towards it he pointed the other way. I thought he was trying to get one over on me. That's when I got a little upset. I did swear, I told him to leave me alone, then I got in my lorry and that was the last I saw him." Mr Dowell's colleague Mark Burrell told the court no threats were made.

Steve Taylor, prosecuting the case, refuted the suggestion that the witnesses had lied. He said: "Nigel Pearson has no reason to make this up and no reason to lie about it. He didn't even know this vehicle belonged to a friend of his son. That would be less credible if they lived in the same house, but they don't. He lives across the road."

Magistrates concluded that there were "too many inconsistencies" in the case.

A lorry and bus blocked traffic in Old Market Square, after an apparent collision. 

The Nottingham City Transport bus and the lorry blocked off Friar Lane just after 10.30am on Wednesday.

A tweet from NCT said the lorry broke down on the street and the bus had got stuck. 

Navy Line buses will stop at Maid Marian Way whilst the incident is cleared.

Due to a broken down lorry on Beastmarket Hill, Navy Line buses to Clifton will use Maid Marian Way, stop M2, as a terminus.

— Nottm City Transport (@NCT_Buses) September 10, 2014

A MAIN road is blocked and an air ambulance has been deployed after a crash near Newark.

The A46 is blocked northbound at East Stoke and there is a three mile block on the northbound carriageway.

Police have said a driver is trapped in a vehicle and officers have set up diversions at Eden Hall, and the old A46 at East Stoke. 

TRAFFIC in Old Market Square ground to a halt on Wednesday after a collision between a mini bus and a lorry.

The incident happened shortly after 10.30am when the vehicles collided on the corner of Friar Lane and Beastmarket Hill.

Nottingham City Transport said its bus had not been involved in the crash, but a double decker got stuck when coming round the corner afterwards.

A spokesman from the company said: "Our inspector is on the scene and said it was not an NCT bus involved.

"He spoke to the driver who said it was a small mini bus involved with the initial collision."

The driver of the lorry told The Post he was carrying out a delivery at the time of the crash.

He said: "The loading doesn't work at the back now so I can't move the van. No-one was hurt, so it could have been a lot worse."

A witness, who did not want to be named, said: "I can't believe how much chaos it caused. It seems the lorry driver can't move, but at least the bus has managed to get free."

Navy line buses to Clifton were having to terminate on Maid Marian Way to avoid the incident, but a lane was freed up for traffic by 11am. 

FOUR days of events to celebrate the county's heritage begin today.

Libraries, museums, Nottingham Castle and 21st-century eco-homes are among 89 sites that will open their doors for Heritage Open Days.

Also among the events is a chance to find out what archaeological gems have been uncovered during the tram extension.

Dr Gareth Davies, of Trent and Peak Archaeology, is giving a talk on finds uncovered at Lenton Priory and the Clifton park-and-ride.

He said: "We have bits of the priory itself and some medieval pottery. Then we have pre-historic flints and pottery from excavations in Clifton."

Dr Davies will talk guests through his team's findings at Barton House, in High Road, Chilwell, from 1pm on Saturday, with an exhibition starting at 11am.

"Before these finds, it was not known to what extent Lenton Priory survived below ground because it was later demolished," he said.

"In Clifton, it's no surprise to find there were prehistoric settlements because the A453 was a Roman road. But we can now show that someone was living here in the Bronze and Iron ages."

Heritage Open Days is a European scheme designed to encourage buildings and monuments with historic relevance to open their doors to the public.

While the tramworks have offered inspiration for some, Barton's of Chilwell says the firm's historical bus tours have had to be cancelled due to the ongoing construction.

But an exhibition of buses is still going ahead between 10am and 4pm on Saturday at the 106-year-old company's base in High Road, Chilwell.

Managing director Simon Barton said the rise of buses led to the end of the Nottingham Corporation Tramway in 1936.

"I am truly embarrassed to have to cancel these very popular trips," he said. "Beeston, Chilwell and Nottingham are reeling from horrendous disruption.

"That they converted their obsolete tram system to buses, copying us but nearly 30 years late, shows how far behind the curve the authorities can sometimes be."

Mo Cooper, heritage officer at St Ann's Allotments, said the weekend was a great chance to admire the range of heritage sites in Nottinghamshire.

Guests can visit the 75-acre allotment site, which contain 670 plots and is the largest Victorian Allotment site in the country, today.

The visitor centre is open all day and walks to the heritage garden in the afternoon and an illustrated talk on the site's history takes place from 6.30pm.

"You can see from the list how many interesting things are going on in Nottinghamshire," said Mo.

"It's about celebrating, even showing off the range of heritage destinations in the area.

"Normally, we do talks for history groups but this is an interesting opportunity for everyone."

Joyce Brown, of Beeston and District Civic Society, helped organise some of the events in the area.

She said: "It's easier to be proud of where you are from if you understand about it.

"We are so pleased and proud that we've got all these places open and encourage people to come and join us to show off what Nottinghamshire has got."

Joyce is looking forward to seeing the unveiling of a blue plaque to commemorate the Ten Bell in Beeston, which will ring in the heritage weekend at 11am today.

"It's a great way to kick off the weekend," she said. "We have over 30 blue plaques in Beeston, which shows how much history we have here." (See Page 29).

Tomorrow, Debbie Bryan Studio and Shop, in Saint Mary's Gate, in the Lace Market, has invited Boots lace expert Judith Wright to showcase examples of the fabric that put Nottingham on the industrial map.

Joanne Strutt, of the shop, said: "The Lace Market has changed so much to what you see today, with all its restaurants, bars and shops. Its important to get a sense of how hard people worked in those days."

NOTTINGHAM Forest are 6/4 favourites to beat Derby at the City Ground.

Leading odds comparison site Oddschecker.com have Derby County are 11/5 to win, while the draw is best priced at 5/2.

Britt Assombalonga is the in-form striker in the Championship with four goals to his name already.

It's little surprise he is best priced at just 5/1 to open the scoring.

Another of Stuart Pearce's summer signings Michail Antonio has hit the ground running and he's 13/5 to score at any time against the Rams.

When these sides met at the City Ground last season, the match was decided in Forest's favour by a solitary goal from Jack Hobbs.

The Reds to win 1-0 again this time, with Hobbs the scorer, is available at a whopping 350/1.

NOTTS County Council's new chief executive will be paid less than their predecessor.

Mick Burrows, the current chief executive, will step down next summer when he reaches his 60th birthday.

A council report which will be discussed next Thursday says the new chief executive will get a salary of £170,000 – £14,410 less than Mr Burrows.

The council is looking to recruit someone into the post by the end of the year and discussions have begun with consultants to support the recruitment search.

NOTTINGHAM Forest and Derby County fans will come together to honour Brian Clough at the City Ground on Sunday.

While their teams will be battling it out on the pitch, supporters of both clubs are expected to rise to their feet ten minutes into the derby in applause to mark the tenth anniversary of Clough's death, which is on September 20.

Clough brought glory to both clubs, winning back-to-back European Cups with Forest after leading Derby to the First Division title in 1971-72.

Forest will also be staging a remembrance of Clough when the Reds take on Fulham on home soil on Wednesday, September 17.

And they are inviting season ticket holders to take part in a guard of honour before the match.

Twenty will be chosen and any season ticket holder who wants to take part should email faceofforest@nottinghamforest.co.uk with their name, age and client reference number.

Forest will also be producing a special edition of the matchday programme and a video paying tribute to Clough will be played at half-time on the big screens inside the stadium.