Council and district news

Just released: The Review

The all-new Review magazine for South Staffordshire is now out.

Find out all the latest information about what’s happening across South Staffordshire – plus news from the council’s many services in our latest edition.

See pictures from the district’s summer of celebrations – from the Jubilee, to the Queen’s Baton Relay, to our official opening of Codsall Community Hub.

Find out the latest on waste and recycling, see the latest news from our planning and business teams, and others.

The latest Review also includes information on our leisure centre refurbishments, what the council is doing to mitigate the effects of climate change in the district – and much more.

To see the brand new edition of The Review, click here

The Hub Cafe is open for business

The Hub Cafe is under new management – and officially open for business.

Five-star rated food outlets

Our Environmental Health team has had the pleasure of awarding a number of food outlets the top rating of five stars for food safety over the last month.

The food hygiene rating reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of the inspection. The food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality.

Top five-star ratings went to:

• Codsall Spice, Codsall
• Sandhills Nursery, Lower Penn
• Eagles Diner, based at Kewford Eagles, Swindon Road, Hinksford
• 2 Peas in a Pod based at OCL, Hinksford Lane, Swindon
• Clickin It, Station Wors, Station Road, Four Ashes
• The Wright Family Dairy, Lower Drayton Farm, Penkridge
• Willenhall RUFC, Bognop Road, Essington

Council job vacancies

• Senior Income and Recovery Officer – closing 5pm on October 10th.
• Income and Recovery Officer – closing 5pm on October 10th.
• Relief Leisure Assistants at Codsall, Wombourne, Penkridge & Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centres – open application date.
• Biffa Class 2 Driver, Municipal Waste Collection – open application date. 
• Swimming Instructors, all leisure centres – open application date.

For more information on all South Staffordshire Council vacancies and for details on how to apply, click here

Warning: Scam energy bill support messages

People are being warned to look out for fake emails and texts claiming to offer discounts on energy bills, says the BBC.

A number of different scams have been circulating, including some that appear to be from the energy regulator Ofgem.

The Government has announced that a £400 energy bill discount will be available to all households.

But this will be automatic and people should not give away personal details in order to apply.

For more information, see the full article here

Face-to-face business advice

Stoke and Staffordshire Growth Hub will be providing direct advice and support to businesses.

The event, taking place at Codsall Community Hub on September 28th, is being run in partnership with the South Staffordshire Business Place Partnership.

Advisors will be on-hand to offer advice on a range of topics and provide information on the variety of support programmes available to support businesses – whatever your stage, size, or sector.

The drop-in session will run 9.30am to 1.30pm.

You can also can secure a one-to-one appointment on the day by emailing businesshub@sstaffs.gov.uk.

What’s on this weekend

Wheaton Aston Beer Festival

A three-day event starts today, raising funds for two hospice charities.

The Wheaton Aston Beer Festival, taking place at Wheaton Aston Sports and Social Club, starts today and runs until Sunday.

Profits raised at the family-friendly event will benefit Compton Care and Katherine House Hospice.

There will be numerous local artists performing live music, a variety of food choices, a children’s craft tent, bouncy castle, football, and face painting.

For more information, see facebook.com/wheatonastonbeerfestival/

Leisure latest

Leisure centre refurbishments: Cheslyn Hay

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre’s refurbishment works started this week with planned upgrades being done to the swimming pool and changing rooms, reception area and gym. 

As a result of the refurbishment, the leisure centre has installed a temporary reception which is located in front of the leisure centre, however centre users should be aware of the following before visiting:

• The leisure centre will remain open throughout however the refurbishment means some changes to services and provisions.
• The centre is only accepting card payments (no cash).
• The swimming pool and pool changing rooms are currently closed and wont re-open until the new year.
• Some exercise classes may be affected, with a few classes moving temporarily to our online platform.

For full details on the refurbishment programme, visit https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/leisure-centres-refurbishment-programme.cfm

For updates, follow the leisure centres on Facebook or subscribe at www.sstaffs.gov.uk/alerts

October half-term activity camps

Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres are providing full-day and half-day children’s activity camps for 5 to 14 year olds.

Competition: National Fitness Day

To mark National Fitness Day we have launched a competition – giving members and users the chance to win Love2Shop vouchers, fee-free months at our leisure centres, and free leisure centre activity passes.

New instructor-led walk at Baggeridge

Baggeridge Country Park’s walk-leader volunteers are increasing their new monthly ‘short walk’, to every week.

The walk takes place each Thursday at 10am and is free to join.

Car parking charges apply.

For full details on all of the instructor-led walks, which take place at various locations around the district, visit https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/good-life-health-fitness-in-the-community.cfm  

Resurfacing of Baggeridge driveway

Resurfacing works are now complete on the driveway in and out of Baggeridge Country Park.

We are pleased to say that the potholes and cattle grid are now gone.

Many thanks to the residents of Baggeridge Village and park visitors for their patience and cooperation whilst these essential works were carried out.

Partnership updates

IT Buddy

An IT Buddy will be available to anyone who needs assistance at Codsall Library.

Available at the Codsall Community Hub library on Tuesdays, from 2 till 4pm, he will be able to help with blue badges and general IT enquiries.

Those wishing to have his help should book an appointment with him through the library.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue: Advice to carers

If you are in a position where you care for others, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is here to support you.

A third of the people that die in fires every year are looked after by a carer, whether that is a family member, friend or a professional carer.

Older people, people with disabilities, people with visual and hearing impairments, and people who are vulnerable for other reasons all need careful consideration when it comes to fire safety. There are four main reasons why:

• They may not be able to respond to a fire quickly.
• They may not be able to escape a fire.
• They may be more at risk due to lifestyle factors.
• They may use healthcare equipment such as oxygen or emollient creams that are flammable.

For safety information please contact your local Prevent Team. Service is completely confidential.

Call 01785 898719 or email: wsdgpreventteam@staffordshirefire.gov.uk

In the event of an emergency get out, stay out and dial 999.

Seasonal vaccinations

Covid

If you have a weakened immune system, you can receive a further COVID-19 vaccination this autumn for extra protection.

Covid-19 is still with us and is still making people very ill. If you have a weakened immune system due to a health condition or medical treatment, Covid-19 may affect you more seriously.

Your protection from previous doses of the vaccine may now be lower and will continue to decline.

The next vaccination clinic in South Staffordshire this month is:

• Penkridge Fire Station: September 29th, 11.30am – 4.30pm

To book online, visit nhs.uk/get-vaccination

If you can’t book online, phone 119 free of charge, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday or 8am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday. You can ask someone else to do this for you. If you need an interpreter, use text phone 18001 119 or the NHS British Sign Language interpreter service at co.uk/nhs119

Alternatively, you can find a walk-in vaccination site near you at www.nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in.

Flu

Flu can be very dangerous and even life threatening for some, particularly people with certain health conditions.

The flu vaccine is safe and effective, and it’s offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu.

If you’re eligible, it’s important to get it every year because the viruses that cause flu change every year. This means the flu (and the vaccine) this year may be different from last year. It’s more important than ever to get the flu vaccine as fewer people will have built up natural immunity to it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on seasonal vaccinations, go to: www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination and www.nhs.uk/flujab.