Voter Registration

News Release

 

Don’t lose your voice – residents in Sedgemoor urged to look out for their voter registration details

Local residents are being warned not to lose their voice on decisions that affect them by making sure their electoral registration details are up to date.

The annual canvass ensures that Sedgemoor District Council can keep the electoral register up to date, identifying any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so.  People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages and check the details.

The Council is legally required to undertake this ‘Annual Canvass’ of all of the residential properties in the area, to ensure Sedgemoor’s Electoral Register is correct. This year the canvass is taking place during a challenging public health situation, but Council staff are confident communities will respond positively to the prompts.

 

From the 2nd August, letters will be going to an initial 11,000 households across the district. All other households will be written to later in the year so do not worry if you do not receive a letter in the coming weeks. The correspondence will be addressed to the occupier and includes full details of what steps to take.

 

If you tell the Council there are new people eligible to be registered at your address, they will receive an ‘invitation to register form’ either through the post (or via email, if this contact method has been provided).  They can also go online to register to vote at Register to Vote.

 

Any residents who have any questions can contact the elections team at Sedgemoor District Council by calling 0300 303 7804 or by emailing [email protected]

 

Somerset Waste Partnership

Round Britain Climate Challenge

The Round Britain Climate Challenge will be coming to Cannington on Thursday 29 July and Friday 20 July. Residents around Cannington might see Sacha Dench flying her paramotor. To find out more information about the challenge, visit https://www.conservation-without-borders.org/round-britain

Cannington Neighbourhood Plan

The Regulation 14 consultation has now been extended until 16th July 2021. We would welcome your comments. The plan can be viewed on this link; 1 (cannington-neighbourhoodplan.info)

If you would like to borrow a hard copy of the plan please contact the Clerks on 652642 or [email protected]

Notice of public rights and publication of unaudited annual governance & accountability return

Notice of Public Rights

Summer hours at recycling sites from 1st April 2021

All of Somerset’s 16 recycling sites switch to their summer timetables from Thursday 1 April – but for essential journeys only to start with.

When open weekdays, they will continue to start at 9am but close an hour later, at 6pm. Year-round Saturday and Sunday hours remain 9am-4pm at all 16 sites.

In line with government guidance, Somerset Waste Partnership is still advising residents to only make trips if they really have to, for example because waste at home is causing some kind of risk.

This advice will be reviewed as part of the national lifting of lockdown restrictions but will not change until 12 April at the earliest. On-site safety precautions continue including social distancing, no staff assistance with unloading, gloves must be worn.

Members of the public are asked to consider wearing a mask.

Please check government restrictions on travel and Somerset Waste Partnership safety measures before making a visit somersetwaste.gov.uk/allatall/

Latest site details including opening days can be found at somersetwaste.gov.uk/recycling/centres

With an impressive average recycling rate of well over 75%, Somerset’s recycle site network is open every day of the year except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to take dozens of materials.

Winter hours – 9am-5pm when sites are open weekdays – resume on Friday 1 October 2021.

To keep up to date with waste services, sign up for the SWP e-newsletter at somersetwaste.gov.uk or follow somersetwaste on Facebook or Twitter.

Easter collection day changes

All change for Easter waste

 

Every household in Somerset will have Easter waste collection day changes but recycle sites will stay open, Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) has announced.

With no pick-ups on Good Friday 2 April, these will take place a day later on Saturday 3 April.

No collections on Easter Monday 5 April mean that all the week’s kerbside services will be one day later, including Friday pick-ups on Saturday 10 April.

All 16 recycle sites remain on their summer schedules, open for essential visits with required safety measures and government restrictions.

On Good Friday 2 April, 10 sites will open 9am to 6pm: Bridgwater, Chard, Frome, Highbridge, Minehead, Somerton, Taunton, Wellington, Wells, Yeovil.

All 16 sites will open 9am to 4pm on both Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday.

And 12 sites will open 9am to 6pm on Easter Monday: Bridgwater, Castle Cary, Chard, Cheddar, Crewkerne, Frome, Minehead, Street, Taunton, Wells, Williton, Yeovil.

To keep up to date with waste services, sign up for the SWP e-newsletter at somersetwaste.gov.uk or follow somersetwaste on Facebook or Twitter.

Covid self-test kits: what to do with the waste

 

Press release from Somerset Waste Partnership

 

Families getting to grips with Covid self-test kits are being asked to make sure they dispose of them correctly.

Secondary schools across the county and country are providing the home Lateral Flow Testing kits for pupils, though exactly when and how may vary from school to school.

And as the kits come home, Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) is highlighting the Government guidance on disposing of them – once used, kit contents should go straight into standard rubbish bins.

Whether the result is positive or negative, the used items from each test – including the testing strip, swab and extraction tube – should be put in the small plastic bag that comes with the pack. This bag should then go straight into your normal rubbish bin.

The kits are not considered clinical waste requiring a special collection, nor should they be recycled.

If a test result is positive, as well as following the reporting instructions included in the test kits, people should make sure they then treat their personal waste appropriately.

The advice for any household with a confirmed Covid case or any symptoms is that tissues, disposable cleaning cloths, masks and gloves should be double-bagged and kept separate from other waste for 72 hours before going into your usual rubbish outside your house.

Full guidance on disposing of waste during Covid can be found online Coronavirus (COVID-19): disposing of waste – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In a household without any Covid cases or symptoms, if you need to throw away used face coverings or PPE, such as gloves, put them in your ‘black bag’ waste (or a litter bin if you are outside).

Do not put them into recycling as they cannot be recycled through conventional recycling facilities. You do not need to put them in an extra bag or store them before throwing them away.

Cloth face coverings should be washed and reused to prevent and reduce waste.

 

 

 

Unpaid carers invited for vaccination

Unpaid carers invited for vaccination

Unpaid carers are now being invited to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination, providing they:
  • Are eligible for a carer’s allowance
  • Are identified as a primary carer by their GP
  • Are receiving support following a carer’s assessment by their local council or from a local carer’s organisation
  • Are the sole or primary carer who provides close personal care or face to face support for an elderly or disabled person who is clinically vulnerable to COVID-19
Carers will be contacted in phases, starting with those carers already known to health and social care services. All eligible unpaid carers will be contacted by the NHS when it’s their turn to receive the vaccine and will be given information about how they should book their appointment. This will either be at a vaccination site in their local community supported by their GP practice, or at a large vaccination centre.

 

In some cases where caring responsibilities are shared, an additional person can be classed as a primary carer and receive a vaccination.

 

Every possible effort will be made to vaccinate eligible carers at the same time as the people they care for, such as when they accompany them for a vaccination.

 

If you are an unpaid carer and you are unsure if you are eligible, contact your local council or local carers organisation and they will advise you if you are able to receive your COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Vaccines are the way out of this pandemic. By getting vaccinated unpaid carers can help protect themselves from becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, so they can continue to be there for their family, friends, and the people they care for.

 

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/covidvaccine. Government guidance on how unpaid carers in England, who care for a person vulnerable to COVID-19, can get vaccinated can be found here: Coronavirus » COVID-19 standard operating procedure – COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme: unpaid carers (JCVI priority cohort 6) (england.nhs.uk)

Census 2021

From 22nd March 2021 our field census officers will be working across England and Wales, visiting households which have not yet completed their census.

All our officers will be carrying official identification cards. The card will have a photograph and the officer’s name. The officers will work through the day to make contact with residents but will not call before 09:00 or after 20:00.

Any member of the public concerned that the person on their doorstep is not a census officer can call the number on the critical workers letter that the officer can show them.

Census officers will never ask for any money or bank details at any point during the conversation with respondents.

Our staff in the field are classed as key workers. The law allows that where there is a lockdown people can leave their home for work if they cannot work from home. As their role cannot be carried out by working from home, they are allowed to carry out the duties of their role.

The health and safety of the public and the census field force is of the utmost importance to us. Field force routines in Census 2021 have been planned with the health and safety of both the public and field staff front and centre. All our officers will work in a socially distanced way; they will all be wearing PPE and they will not enter anyone’s home.

 

Jill Loader | Census Engagement Manager, Somerset |

Office for National Statistics | +44 07452 939451 |

[email protected]

www.census.gov.uk

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