Burns Night Celebration

Last Friday, the Chairman Councillor Dr Matt Ewart and his Consort Mrs Kirstin Ewart hosted their Burns Night Celebration in aid of his two chosen charities Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.  

Personal guests, Civic Heads and other dignitaries from across Staffordshire enjoyed an evening of good food, music, repartee, recitation and banter in celebration of the life and works of Scotland’s famous bard.  The event was a great success with over £500 being raised for charity on the night.

The Chairman would like to thank everyone who has been extremely kind hearted in donating to his chosen Charities.

Neighbourhood plan

A Neighbourhood Plan is a way of helping local communities to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work. In South Staffordshire, Neighbourhood Plans can be made by parish councils, who are known as designated bodies. 

Plans are led and written by the community, not the district council. Neighbourhood plans must be in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and the overall strategic approach and policies set out in South Staffordshire’s Local Plan. 

Kinver Parish Council has reached an important stage in the preparation of their Neighbourhood Plan.  South Staffordshire Council is now running a 6-week period of public consultation on their draft plan.  The consultation, which is open to all, runs until 5pm, Monday March 6, 2023.   

Comments must be made in writing to South Staffordshire Council, at neighbourhoodplanning@sstaffs.gov.uk or by post to Community Hub, Council Offices, Wolverhampton Road, Codsall, WV8 1PX. 

For more information and to read the draft plan and supporting documents visit: Kinver Neighbourhood Plan South Staffordshire Council (sstaffs.gov.uk)

DEFRA fly tipping figures for 2021-2022 have been released, showing a 4% reduction in fly tipping nationally from the previous year.

In South Staffordshire, we are delighted that we have seen a 30% reduction for the same time period. More recently, we have seen a 16% reduction in fly tips in January 2023 from January 2022.

This means that households are being diligent in asking where their waste is going and checking waste carriage permits before any rubbish is taken from their homes by any waste removal contractor or tradesperson.

Elections voter ID: Are you ready?

The UK Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at some elections.

This new requirement will apply for the first time in England at the local elections on Thursday, May 4th, 2023.

Find out which forms of ID you can use and more information via this link

South Staffordshire Council – Digital Apprentices

National Apprenticeship Week takes place from 6-12 February, further information in the partnership updates below. 

South Staffordshire Council currently support 12 apprentices. To promote the benefits of apprenticeships we are featuring an inspirational story by two of our apprentices Lily Ford and Nathan Wilson.

This is an edited excerpt from what they wrote:

“When we came out of Sixth Form, aside from knowing that University wasn’t for us, we were clueless as to what our next step would be. When looking for jobs, we both believed that going into an apprenticeship was the best option.

 An apprenticeship offered us both an opportunity into the working world, while still allowing for us to further our education. Going into digital services, and technology was a great choice of ours, as it would set us up in the future for any career path we may take – teaching us vital skills in communication, workplace etiquette and the key abilities needed to excel in the industry…South Staffordshire Council has a smaller team – with only 15 members in the team. This has been great for our personal development, as we have been able to try a wide range of areas in digital services, allowing us to find the areas of digital services that we are most passionate about…we feel like starting in digital services and at South Staffordshire Council was the right choice for us, as it started our working life with a great example of a work environment and allows for us to develop our skills for whatever our future may hold”

It’s fantastic to read of Lily’s and Nathan’s good experience here at South Staffordshire Council and we wish them all the best as they continue to progress.

Council job vacancies

• Planning Solicitor, closing date 27th January, 2023

All vacancies can be viewed in full and applied for on our new recruitment site: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/vacancies

Leisure latest

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre’s newly refurbished swimming pool re-opened this week and we’re delighted to welcome swimmers back into the pool for general swimming.

Swimming lessons are planned to re-start from February 7^th however all Swim Academy members will be notified by email to help prepare for the return to lesson.

The swimming pool changing rooms remain closed whilst refurbishment work continues; this means that all swimmers must arrive ‘swim-ready’ and be prepared to ‘robe and go’ at the end of the swim.  Should works remain on schedule, the changing rooms should hopefully be back open mid-late February.

National Pool Lifeguard Course Coming Soon

Penkridge Leisure Centre are running a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification course from February 20th to 25th.

Candidates must be 16 years + and competent swimmers. The course will consist of a combination of theory and practical work, in and out of the pool. Places are limited.

For full details and to book call Penkridge Leisure Centre on 01785 714152.

Wolves Soccer School

Wolves Soccer School is coming to Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre from February 20th to 24^th, 9am-3pm.

The sessions are for children aged from reception to year 7 with 2-day, 3-day and 5-day options available. Prices start from £40.

For more information email Footballdevelopment@wolves.co.uk. 

To book visit Tickets.wolves.co.uk

February School Holiday Activity Camps

South Staffordshire Council’s leisure centres are working in partnership with @AspireActiveCamps to deliver sports-based school holiday activities for young people aged 5-14 years old.

The camps provide children with access to a wide range of fun activities in a safe and structured environment.  Active Camps are a safe, fun, flexible, and an affordable childcare solution.

Bookings can be made as full day and half day sessions (no block booking required) and are available from February 20^th to 24^th at Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres.

Aspire Active Camps provide discounts for early bird bookings, sibling and emergency service workers.

For more information and to book, click here

Partnership updates

National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week takes place from 6-12 February.

Running along with this is the Government’s Skills for Life campaign which offers information and advice for young people, adults and employers.

Get the Jump aimed at young people. This brings together information about all the education and training choices that are available to young people at post-16 and post-18 years of age, to help them make an informed decision about their next step. Click here to find out more information Get the Jump: explore your education and training choices | National Careers Service

Unlock your Potential. The is aimed at adults and the resources on this website helps adults find training, support and advice to gain the skills for particular jobs. Click here for further information Unlock your potential – Skills for Life.

Joint the Skills Revolution. A range of government programmes, are available for employers who are considering hiring employees, offering work experience or upskilling existing staff, some of which offer financial incentives. Click here to Find training and employment schemes for your business (education.gov.uk)

For general information on the Skills for Life campaign click here Skills for Life – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Free Training Sessions

Support Staffordshire is delivering a number of training sessions to help community based organisations.

These ‘Supportive Communities’ training sessions aim to help organisations support people to stay healthy and independent for longer.

The training sessions include:

• Strength-Based Conversations – Helping people to recognise their strengths
• Signposting and Supporting Mental Health
• Signposting, Safeguarding and Communication

Let’s Work Together Training

This includes training on:

• Supporting Carers
• Supporting Healthy Lifestyles
• Supporting Vulnerable Households
• Supporting Positive Mental Health

All sessions are free to attend and recorded versions of all the previous training sessions have been included on the website (if people would prefer to watch a video of the training, at a more convenient time).  Training certificates are still available via this route.

Click here to book training | Support Staffordshire

HIV Prevention

National HIV Testing Week starts Monday 6 February 2023. This is a campaign to promote regular testing among the most-affected population groups in England. Regular testing helps to reduce the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV and those diagnosed late.

• Testing is a key part in the efforts to stop HIV.
• Testing for HIV is quick, free, confidential and easy.
• People can live with HIV for a long time without any symptoms, testing is the only way to know your HIV status.
• If you have HIV, finding out means you can start treatment, stay healthy and avoid passing the virus onto anyone else.
• There are many ways to test – at a sexual health clinic, your GP, through HIV and sexual health charities, or by ordering a test online.
• Anyone diagnosed with HIV in the UK can access free treatment and support.

For further information, click here Get ready for National HIV Testing Week 2023 – HIV Prevention England

Additional information and to order a free test, click here It Starts With Me