Council and district news

New date: Make a difference – be a councillor

Interested in helping your community? Want to drive change and stand up for what you believe in?

Be a councillor in South Staffordshire and make a real difference.

Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, this event – originally due to take place on September 19 – was rescheduled.

> Our Be a Councillor event will now take place on October 17th, from 6 till 8pm.

For more information, click here

South Staffordshire villages scoop Best Kept Village awards

Brewood and Acton Trussell scooped the top prizes in the Staffordshire Best Kept Village and Community competition.

Richard Winterton, star of BBC television series Bargain Hunt, announced the winners of the competition at a ceremony in Stafford.

Brewood took both the Best Large Village and Community Spirit awards.

Acton Trussell took the Small Village award.

See the full article on the Express & Star here

Out now: 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

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:

• Sandhills Nursery, Heath Mill, Wombourne
• Sandhills Nursery, Maypole Street, Wombourne

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

Rail strikes

Please be advised that a number of strikes have been announced which may affect rail travel.

Dates for the industrial action are October 1st, 5th, and 8th.

Please check in advance if you are planning to travel by train on those dates.

What’s on this weekend

Kingswood Trust: Barn Dance

A barn dance is taking place tonight at the Kingswood Trust.

Running from 7 till 10pm, the event will see country music dance fans unite, with caller Jim Thomas and the Boys of Oakhill Band.

It takes place at Kingswood Trust, Holyhead Road, WV7 3AP.

For tickets, click here

Leisure latest

Leisure centre refurbishments: Cheslyn Hay

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre’s refurbishment work is now underway.

The leisure centre will remain open during the works, however the pool is currently closed for refurbishment.

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

Penkridge, Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres are providing children’s activity camps for 5 to 14 year olds.

Competition: National Fitness Day

Congratulations to leisure centre members and users who won a variety of prizes which were given out in celebration of National Fitness Day which took place last week.

Winners have received fee-free months, Love2Shop vouchers and free leisure centre passes providing access to the gyms, classes and pools free of charge.

Baggeridge: Seasonal opening times change

Please be advised that Baggeridge Country Park’s opening times will soon be changing due to the season.

Baggeridge Country Parks current opening times are Monday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm.

From Sunday, October 30th, opening times will change to Monday to Sunday 9am to 5pm.

Partnership updates

Stop smoking this Stoptober

If you smoke 10 cigarettes a day, did you know that by stopping, you could save over £120 a month?

Join Stoptober and set your quit date today:

Call: 0333 005 0095 or

Text: ‘QUIT’ to 60777

Or visit: https://bit.ly/3ciUJ1p

If you’re not eligible, visit  https://bit.ly/3hOZXTL for free tips and tools to help you quit.

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.

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.

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.

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