Weekly News 237

This week’s news from around the Council.

Council News
• Change to Council News Round Up
The Parish Council News Round Up will be moving to our external communications platform (Gov
Delivery E-alerts system) from Friday 1 October.
Whilst you will still receive the Council News Round Up via email, it will now appear as an ebulletin. You will still be able to forward it on to other people, just as you would a normal email.
The significant change here, is that it will also go out to residents that are subscribed to the
‘Council News’ e-alert topic which currently has almost 9,000 subscribers and is growing every
day.
By changing to this platform, we will reach a wider audience and communicate with residents
directly. It will also enable us to see what is working well and what isn’t, as the platform reports
on the number of times each link is accessed.

• South Staffordshire Business Place Partnership Event
We are delighted to inform you about the first of our Business Place
Partnership Roadshow events.
Stoke and Staffordshire Growth Hub will be joining us at The Enterprise
Centre at Four Ashes on 29 September between 10am and 3pm.
The accredited Business Advisors are people who understand the day-to-day pressures of
running a business. They can work with you to overcome barriers, solve problems and develop a
strategy for growth. They all have specific knowledge of certain areas within Staffordshire and
work closely with the relevant local authorities and Business Support organisations to ensure
they are up to date on the variety of support options readily available to businesses.

The event will also be an opportunity for people to view the new development at Four Ashes
where we will be based in Unit 18.
Come along and meet representatives from the Councils Enterprise and Growth team who can
discuss your business needs.
Please register your interest via businessplacepartnership@sstaffs.gov.uk

• Waste and Recycling service disruption
As you will have no doubt seen in the news, there is currently a national
shortage of HGV drivers resulting in disruption across various sectors,
including Council waste services across the UK.
We have been feeling the impacts of this in South Staffordshire for
several weeks. As staff numbers begin to dwindle below
the minimum that we need to deliver a ‘normal’ service, unavoidable delays to a number
of collection rounds across the district have occurred. To date, the vast majority of delayed
rounds have been resolved within 48 hours of the normal collection date, although there are
some pockets of the district that have unfortunately been subject to longer delays.
To maintain a service which is as close to normal as possible, our collection crews are working
overtime every day, and a number of crews are also working Saturdays to catch up on collections
not completed during the week.
Biffa, our waste collection service provider, have issued the following statement:
“Biffa would like to apologise to the residents of South Staffordshire for the disruption to the
waste and recycling collection services. The national driver shortage has led to extreme problems
for Biffa in many areas and we are working hard to address the current 30% shortfall.

Unfortunately, the disruption will continue for a while yet and we kindly ask that if your bin is not
collected on its scheduled collection day you leave it at the collection point for up to 72 hours / 3
working days to allow us to collect before reporting it as a missed collection.

We thank all residents for their patience and understanding at this difficult time.”

Residents who have not had their bin emptied can report it to us after 72 hours by calling
Customer Services on 01902 696000.
We apologise for any disruption caused.

We encourage residents to sign up for our email updates

• National Fitness Day
#Fitness2Me #fitnessday #NationalFitnessDay
Wednesday 22 September marked National Fitness Day, a chance to highlight the role physical
activity plays across the UK, helping us raise awareness of its importance in helping us lead
healthier lifestyles through being physical active.
In celebration the council launched an offer on our online membership and had Love2Shop
vouchers up for grabs. Click here if you would like to enter our competition to win a voucher.

• Make a splash this Winter
Cheslyn Hay and Penkridge Leisure Centres have adult and junior swimming places available and
have an offer up for grabs to help you get started! If you’d like to know more, contact your local
centre for details:
o Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre cheslynhay@sstaffs.gov.uk or call 01922 417790
o Penkridge Leisure Centre penkridge@sstaffs.gov.uk or call 01785 714152
• Running Groups
Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres are holding Couch to 5k programmes which are: 9-week
courses, £15 per person, and open to people aged 14 and over for Wombourne and 8 and over
for Codsall. The course runs every Tuesday night at 6pm. Wombourne are also offering an
Improver Running session every Tuesday 7-8pm for people that want to do a continuous run. To
book contact:
o Codsall Leisure Centre – 01902 844032
o Wombourne Leisure Centre – 01902 898202

Regular News
• Council Job Vacancies
o Water Assistants, Cheslyn Hay, Penkridge, Codsall & Wombourne Leisure Centres, closing
midnight on 6 October 2021. Application Information
o Swimming Instructors, Cheslyn Hay, Penkridge, Codsall & Wombourne Leisure Centres,
closing midnight on 6 October 2021. Application Information
o Leisure Assistants, Wombourne Leisure Centre, closing 5pm on 29 September
2021. Application Information
o Customer Services Specialist Advisor (Fixed Term), closing 5pm on 28 September
2021. Application Information
o Homelessness Prevention Officer, closing midday on 30 September 2021. Application
Information

• Next week’s Council Committee meetings
o Overview & Scrutiny will be held on Tuesday 28 September at 6:30pm
o Standards & Resources Committee will be held on Thursday 30 September at 2:30pm
Members of the public can virtually attend meetings via Microsoft Teams – a link can be found in
the News Item section at the bottom of the Council’s website.
Partnership Updates

• Open Letter from Together We’re Better
Health and care is facing unprecedented demand across the whole system – GP surgeries, walkin centres, 111 helpline, ambulance services, hospitals etc. Click here to open a letter outlining
the current challenges across health and care in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The letter also outlines some of the actions that have been agreed to support a system-wide
response to the current urgent and emergency care pressures.
Page 5 of 7
Issue 237
24 September 2021
• Free Awareness Session – Spotting the Risks in Vulnerable People
Do you work with or support vulnerable people? Do you ever have concerns but are not sure
what they mean? Do you know how to support them? Click here for more information on the
free awareness session.

Covid-19 Update
• The Government’s Winter Plan for Covid-19
The Governments Plan for Covid-19
• COVID-19 Booster Jabs
A coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine dose helps improve the protection you have from your
first 2 doses of the vaccine and helps give you longer-term protection against getting seriously ill
from COVID-19.
• Who can get a COVID-19 booster vaccine?
Booster vaccine doses will be available on the NHS for people most at risk from COVID-19 who
have already had 2 doses of a vaccine. This includes:
o people aged 50 and over
o people who live and work in care homes
o frontline health and social care workers
o people aged 16 and over with a health condition that puts them at high risk of getting
seriously ill from COVID-19
o carers aged 16 and over
o people aged 16 and over who live with someone who is more likely to get infections (such
as someone who has HIV, has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer,
lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)
o People who are pregnant and in 1 of the eligible groups can also get a booster dose.
How and when to get your COVID-19 booster vaccine
You’ll be offered a booster dose at least 6 months after you had your 2nd dose. The NHS will let
you know when it’s your turn to have a booster dose. It’s important not to contact the NHS for

one before then. Once you have received your text/letter you can book through the NHS website
or by ringing 119. Click here for further information on COVID-19 booster jabs.
NHS COVID-19 Pass
The Government has stated that, at present, there are no plans to mandate the use of the NHS
COVID Pass and will keep it as a contingency to help manage a significant increase in transmission
if needed in the future. However, some high-risk venues can legally use the pass to reduce
transmission in their venue.
In addition to the NHS App, people can access their NHS COVID Pass via the NHS website
(England/Wales) or via 119 (England only). The NHS COVID Pass letter received will be in English.
Additional languages can be requested via 119 but people will still need to show the original
English letter to demonstrate their COVID status. The letter is also available in Easy Read, Braille,
Large Print, and an audio file on a CD. Click on this NHS website for further information on the
COVID-19 pass.

Helpful Resources
A range of on-going support resources are now accessible from South Staffordshire Councils Website
which will be added to regularly:
• Adults
Click here to find Support Resources for Adults
Including – Mental health, dementia, loneliness, domestic abuse, carer support, Parkinson’s, drug
misuse.
• Children and Young People
Click here to find Support Resources for Children & Young People
Including – Family Support, keeping children safe, keeping children safe online, keeping babies
safe, Teen mental health.