Weekly News 353
Council and district news
Two new rare Black Poplar trees come to Oaken
Following the sad removal of a dead old Black Poplar tree at Oaken Lawn, Kingswood Common, our tree team sought to replace it with new trees to provide future benefits and enjoyment for residents and visitors passing through.
The Black Poplar tree (Poplus Nigra) is considered one of Britain’s most endangered rare species, with only approximately 7,000 remaining in the UK. The majority of these trees are male so reproducing these trees can be difficult, with very limited supply available. Black Poplar’s can grow to an impressive height of 25m and live for up to 200 years. They are very rugged in their appearance with deep fissured bark. They are deciduous trees, meaning they drop their leaves in autumn time. They have become rare due to excessive harvesting over the centuries and priority was given to planting other tree species due to the potential size of this tree resulting in their scarcity. Darren Allen, Tree Inspector and Tree Team Operational Manager, would like to give special thanks to Keri Lloyd, Chairman of the Friends of Bilbrook, for sourcing the trees and to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust for supplying the trees. |
Leisure latest
Leisure Centres Bank Holiday Closure
The leisure centres will be closed for the Bank Holiday on Monday, May 27th. |
Health and wellbeing in the community
Our leisure team want to encourage healthy aging and an active retirement!
Find out more about the free instructor-led walks and gentle exercise classes on offer at various locations across the district.
South Staffordshire Walking Programme
Exercise Classes in the Community
Better Health Staffordshire
Please share your views and help Staffordshire County Council shape walking routes in your community.
The survey will enable the Active Travel Team to understand what improvements are needed for each area to benefit local residents and will feed into the Local Transport Plan.
Have your say on walking routes in your community
Vacancies
- Planning Solicitor – open closing date
- Relief Receptionist (Penkridge Leisure Centre) – closing May 17th
- Senior Planning Officer (Development Management) – closing June 3rd
- Water Assistant (Codsall Leisure Centre) – closing June 7th
- Street Scene Operative Level 5 (Tree Surgeon) – closing June 14th
All vacancies can be viewed in full and applied for on our recruitment site: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/vacancies
Useful reminders
Planning applications
Are you interested in planning applications we have received in your area?
Did you know you can easily view plans, supporting documents and also make your views known by using our online Public Access system. You can see a list of the planning applications we have received by date, or you can search by address, application number, or key words. Using the online system means you can see key dates, and upload your comments without needing to email or write in. Just so you know, sometimes developers carry out their own consultation before they submit a planning application to us, but we will only have the details when they have made a formal application. You can check the weekly list to see if the application has come in, and that’s the time you can make comments. |
Have your say!
We are nearing the latest stage of our Local Plan review.
The Local Plan sets the planning framework for the district and includes sites for housing and employment, and policies to decide planning applications. The strategy has been revised following changes by the government to national planning policy in late 2023, and updated evidence. The Publication Plan, FAQs and supporting documents can be viewed at Local Plan Review | South Staffordshire District Council (sstaffs.gov.uk) All comments must be made in writing before 12 noon on May, 31st. |
Garden waste collections
The 2024/25 collection year starts on Monday, July 1st, 2024.
Please sign up before Monday, 24th June, 2024 to ensure your bin will be emptied from Monday, July 1st, 2024. Our waste collection crews will put a permit sticker on your bin when collections commence in July. Permit price is £45.50. If you have not done so already, you can sign up online now to continue having your green bin collected on the following link: |
Leisure latest reminders
Reminder: Temporary pool changing room closures
The swimming pool changing rooms will be temporarily closed from next week.
The swimming pools will be open as normal however the leisure centres will be adopting a ‘Robe and Go’ policy. Customers will be required to arrive swim-ready, with swimwear worn underneath their clothing. All personal belongings should be left on poolside. At the end of the swim, customers are to remain in their swimwear, towel-dry, and then put their clothing back over their swimwear before exiting the poolside area. It is imperative, for safeguarding purposes, that customers refrain from attempting to remove swimwear. |
Reminder: Planned road works
From Monday, May 20th to Tuesday, June 4th Staffordshire County Council will be carrying out planned road works which will cause some disruption, temporarily affecting Elliotts Lane, Sandy Lane and Bilbrook Road.
During this period, there will be diversions, temporary traffic lights, and periods where access may not be possible. Codsall Leisure Centre will be accessible however allowing extra time to travel is recommended as routes in and out of the centre may be temporarily affected. For full details visit: codsallroadclosure |
Partnership updates
Mental Health services
The NHS in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent has been working with local patients, staff, interested groups and partners to understand how mental health services could be designed.
Our priority is to deliver quality mental healthcare for patients in their own home or community whenever possible, rather than in hospital.
This model of care is the national ambition set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. It is based on the latest clinical evidence, which shows this approach gives patients the best possible outcomes.
This is not new. We have been working with partners and investing in our community mental health services for many years. We have enhanced our community teams and developed better ways of working that help us meet the national goals – like making community services easier to access and giving people more choice and control over their treatment.
We want to hear from people who have used mental health services in the last three years, as well as from people who work within mental health services.
We also want to hear from people who support people using mental health services as well as people who have no experience of mental health services.
You can find out more by joining one of our conversations by booking your space at an online event
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board
Stafford Education & Enterprise Park, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BF
Telephone: 0300 123 1461
Let us know your thoughts
How safe do you feel when out and about in South Staffordshire?
Please complete this short survey to tell the Community Safety Partnership how safe you feel living in South Staffordshire. The closing date for the responses is Friday, 31st May and if you choose to leave your email, you will be entered into a prize draw for a Streetwize Urban X Steering Wheel Lock. Please share this link with friends, family, neighbours and colleagues who live in South Staffordshire: https://forms.office.com/e/UdNigb64Eu” Thank you for your time, it is appreciated! |