Becky Hodgetts
Posts by Becky Hodgetts:
Weekly News 352
Council and district news
A new Chairman takes office
| On Tuesday May 7th, Councillor Meg Barrow passed over the chains of office to the new Chairman, Councillor Dan Kinsey.
Over the year, Councillor Barrow has raised a fantastic £6,763.63 for Motor Neurone Disease Association through her very successful charity events such as Bingo Night. This year, Councillor Kinsey will be supporting three charities: PAPYRUS, Staffordshire Blood Bikes and South Staffordshire First Responders. In August, Councillor Kinsey will be performing a sky dive in aid of these three charities and would be grateful for any donations. Please find a just giving link as follows : www.justgiving.com/councillordankinseyskydive |
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 now halfway through our consultation on 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 consultation runs until midday, Friday, May 31st, 2024. The Publication Plan, FAQs and supporting documents can be viewed at Local Plan Review | South Staffordshire District Council (sstaffs.gov.uk) We have been speaking to residents at our in-person consultation events and the next one is being held at Brewood Library on Wednesday, May 15th and you can book a slot by calling 01902 696423. We also have our second online Q&A session on Monday, May 13th, starting at 6pm. There is no need to register, anyone can join the meeting, just click on the link under the Consultation Events tab here: 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 new garden waste collection year is set to begin.
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: |
Vacancies
- Waste Management and Customer Support Officer – closing May 15th
- Relief Leisure Assistant (Penkridge Leisure Centre) – closing May 13th
- Planning Solicitor – open closing date
- Relief Receptionist (Penkridge Leisure Centre) – closing May 17th
- Senior Planning Officer (Development Management) – closing June 3rd
- Senior Planning Digital Development Officer (2 yr fixed term) – closing May 15th
All vacancies can be viewed in full and applied for on our recruitment site: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/vacancies
Leisure latest
International Learn to Swim Week
| South Staffordshire Council’s leisure centres are proud to be supporting the STA’s International Learn to Swim Week; a global campaign joined by 40+ countries who are carrying the importance of learning to swim this week.
From Monday, May 13th to Sunday, May 19th the leisure centres will be promoting key messages as part of the campaign to promote and educate people around water safety. Follow the leisure centres on Facebook and help us to share hints and tips on how children can enjoy water safely this summer. #LoveWaterSafely #ILSW24 |
Temporary pool changing room closures
| The swimming pool changing rooms (including the disabled changing area) at Wombourne Leisure Centre will be temporarily closed from Monday, May 20th to Friday, May 24th (inclusive).
The swimming pool changing rooms will be closed at Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre from Tuesday, May 28th to Friday, May 31st. The closure is necessary to facilitate a short programme of work being carried out to rectify defects following the recent refurbishment works. During this period, the swimming pool will remain open for all programmed sessions, including swimming lessons, however we will be adopting a ‘Robe and Go’ policy for the duration of the week. Customers will be required to arrive swim-ready, with swimwear worn underneath their clothing. All personal belongings should be left on poolside, therefore please leave valuables at home. 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. We apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued support and cooperation. |
Enjoy savings with the new Leisure Advantage Card
| Leisure centre users can now sign up and enjoy savings of up to 10% off on individual activities.
Non-members can sign up at their nearest leisure centre at a nominal cost of just £5 for an adult and £2.50 per child with savings then available for an entire year. For full details, click here. |
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 we recommend customers allow extra time to travel as routes in and out of the centre may be temporarily affected. For full details visit: codsallroadclosure |
Wolves Soccer Schools
| Wolves Soccer School are holding sessions on Tuesday evenings at Wombourne Leisure Centre; Thursday evenings at Penkridge Leisure Centre; and Friday evenings at Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre.
For more information please email footballdevelopment@wolves.co.uk, or click here to make a booking. Wolves Soccer Schools will also be running during May half-term providing 2-day sessions for children in reception to year 7. For full details and to book click here. |
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, we appreciate it! |
Job Opportunities
Casual/Relief Ranger Baggeridge Country Park
Salary: £12.18 per hour
Hours of work: Primarily to support the ranger team at evenings and weekends during school holidays and the summer months. You may also be asked to provide cover during when the rangers are on annual leave.
Location: Baggeridge Country Park
Baggeridge Country Park is a beautiful 150-acre nature reserve between Wombourne and Sedgley on the outskirts of the Black Country. This Green Flag Park, which attracts in the region of 200,000 visitors a year, has woodland and meadow areas with several miles of paths, pools, picnic, and amenity areas. The children’s play area is a very popular attraction, along with a miniature railway, high ropes adventure course and community space for indoor activities. Located nearby is a 5.5-mile linear walk on a former disused railway track, which is also managed by the Ranger Team.
The Role
The park is looked after by a small team of Rangers who take great pride in the park. We are now looking to build a pool of relief/casual Countryside Rangers to support the team with the day-to-day management and maintenance of Baggeridge Country Park and the South Staffordshire Railway Walk.
The Individual
Whilst you will be required to be involved in all aspects of ranger work, we are particularly looking for someone with practical skills and the ability to engage with the public. Applicants must have experience of countryside and related recreational challenges (paid or voluntary employment), have good communication skills and be in possession of a valid full driving licence. Full details of the role are provided in the Job Description and Person Specification
If you would like to discuss this role further, please contact Steve Gallis on telephone number 01902 882605.
Closing Date for Applications: Sunday, March 24, 2024. (We reserve the right to close this advertisement early where we receive a high volume of suitable applications). Interview Date: Dates will be agreed with candidates if they are successfully shortlisted.