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Latest news from Spelthorne Council - 19 February 2010 |
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News
Open door to education with a difference Improvements at Hawke Park in Sunbury Business rate relief for small businesses Council wins enforcement appeal Mayor's Civic Concert Amazonian rainforest comes to the Council Chamber More news in brief Spelthorne Youth Awards 2010 Where unfound stars can shine! Do you know a special young person aged between 5 and 19 who is living or receiving education within Spelthorne and deserves recognition for his/her achievements? You may wish to nominate them for a Spelthorne Youth Award. The categories for these awards are:-
Due to popular demand, we have also added an extra category this year for outstanding achievement in performing arts. Anyone can nominate a young person for an award. A nomination form is available online or by telephoning Leisure Services on 01784 446433. The winners will be acknowledged at an awards ceremony during the spring of 2010. Staines 10k Road Race – Sunday 16 May 2010 If you would like to enter the Staines 10k Race go to www.staines10k.co.uk and complete your form online. The course is a single loop on public roads from Spelthorne Leisure Centre, Knowle Green. Changing facilities, showers, parking and refreshments are available at the finish. Minimum age to enter is 17. Memento to all finishers, trophies for 1st male and female and category prizes. Team prizes to 1st male and female teams. Entry fee: £12 standard, £10 discounted (for holders of competition licence and a member of a club affiliated to UK athletics). No entries on the day, maximum runners 600. General enquires: e-mail info@staines10k.co.uk Entry enquiries: e-mail staines10k@sportsystems.net New poster encourages Spelthorne women to attend breast screening A new poster has been produced to encourage women in Spelthorne to take-up their invitation to attend a breast screening appointment. Campaign poster (PDF 988kb) The poster was produced by the Spelthorne Breast Cancer Sub Group which was set up as part of the Spelthorne Health & Well Being Group because of the concern that, although the breast cancer rate in Spelthorne is lower than any other Surrey district, the outcome for Spelthorne women is poorer. This worrying statistic may be due in part to the fact that there is a lower take-up of breast screening in the Borough. The NHS breast screening programme provides free breast screening every three years for all women in the UK aged 50 and over. Around one-and-a-half million women are screened in the UK each year. Women aged between 50 and 70 are now routinely invited. In Spelthorne, breast screening is carried out at a mobile unit at Ashford Hospital. The screening takes just half an hour and early detection is shown to significantly reduce the need for surgery and improve the chance of a successful recovery. Ms Sunita Shrotria, Breast consultant at Ashford Hospital said: “It is important for women aged over 50 to have regular mammograms so that breast cancers are picked up early and dealt with swiftly. Younger women also need to be breast-aware and should report any new symptoms that do not settle after a period. The majority of women who are investigated will be given the all clear. For the few who are diagnosed with breast cancer it is important to understand that treatments are very effective and most women will continue to enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life. An invitation to have breast screening is one of the initiatives to help you stay healthy so please do not turn this down." Residents invited to have their say on Surrey’s future Surrey’s residents are being invited to a question-time event to have their say on the future of the county. The debate will feature a panel made up of key Surrey public and voluntary sector organisations and the business community. BBC Surrey’s ‘drive time’ presenter Mark Carter will host the event on the evening of March 25 at Dorking Halls. It will also feature the editor of the Local Government Chronicle, Emma Maier. Members of the public will have the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns on issues including schools, caring for the elderly, waste, protecting the green belt, bus services and antisocial driving and antisocial behaviour. They will be able to quiz panellists from Surrey County Council, Surrey Police Authority, NHS Surrey, Mole Valley District Council, Business Link and the voluntary sector. Dr Andrew Povey, Leader of Surrey County Council and one of the panellists, said: “When I was elected leader in June I pledged that everything we do will focus on what is important to residents. This event is part of that commitment. We face major challenges on a scale not seen before. A lot will have to change in Surrey as a result of the recession and the credit crunch, environmental concerns and the growing issue of how we care for the elderly. We want to hear our residents' views on these issues and any others that concern them.” To book a free place and submit a question go to www.surreycc.gov.uk/haveyoursayevent, e-mail haveyoursay@surreycc.gov.uk or call 03456 009 009 and select option five. The event has been organised by the Surrey Strategic Partnership, the umbrella organisation for Surrey’s public services. It includes the county council, Surrey’s 11 Borough and District Councils, Parish and Town Councils, Surrey Police, the Probation Service, NHS Surrey and the business, faith and voluntary sectors. Surrey residents Have your Say poster (Pdf 424kb) VAIS seek new links with organisations VAIS is looking for new and established organisations to host a variety of new opportunities for our volunteers. We have a database full of current volunteers with a diverse range of skills ranging from IT and website design, to flower arranging, higher education lecturing and many more. If your own organisation or any organisation you are aware of would be interested in advertising opportunities for volunteers please contact us. For more information contact Voluntary Action In Spelthorne on 01784 446358 or alternatively email: info.vais@spelthorne.gov.uk Partnership approach boosts public confidence The latest British Crime Survey* shows that public confidence in Surrey in how Police and councils are dealing with antisocial behaviour and crime is top in the country. The survey results show public confidence has increased 3.7 per cent to 58.6 per cent, which puts Surrey top of the national table, compared to sixth in June 2009. Chief Constable of Surrey Police, Mark Rowley, said: “It is excellent news that the partnership work between police, partner agencies and the community, which is at the heart of our policing model in Surrey, has led to such a high level of public confidence. Following our guiding principle of putting the Surrey Public First, we have encouraged our officers to use their discretion to focus on local needs and priorities rather than national targets. We remain absolutely committed to neighbourhood policing. “We enjoy considerable public support from our volunteers and partners, and we are working increasingly closely with Borough and District Council colleagues to secure the best outcomes for local people. I believe a combination of good local initiatives, countywide operations against antisocial behaviour and antisocial driving - Drive SMART - and a supportive public have made a real difference. We recognise that there is more to be done and we are determined to continue improving our service to the public." Surrey County Council leader Dr Andrew Povey said: "I welcome the news that thanks to joint working with the police, Surrey is ranked top in the UK. It is fantastic to know Surrey's residents have such faith in our efforts to make their towns and villages safe. This confidence is a reflection of the hard work we do together to make Surrey a great place to live, work or visit. One good example is our current Drive SMART campaign with Surrey Police to tackle the problem of antisocial driving on our roads." The British Crime Survey is a nationwide survey of people's experiences of crime, rather than just incidents reported to the police. Experts use both measures to try to get a broader picture. The survey shows public confidence in Surrey has increased 3.7 per cent to 58.6 per cent, which puts the county top of the national table compared to sixth in June 2009. The year-long Drive SMART campaign was launched in September to encourage people to drive more considerately. The campaign targets a range of driving behaviours that negatively affect the lives of other road users or local residents. These include tailgating, bad or inconsiderate parking, using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel, speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and generally thoughtless or reckless driving. * Results relate to figures published by the Home Office in “Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to September 2009' (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0210.pdf)”. The cost of unused medicines NHS Surrey is heading up a bus tour across North West Surrey to raise awareness about the true cost of unused medicines. It is estimated that Surrey alone disposes of over £8 million pounds of unused medicines each year which equates to over 30 tonnes in volume. This is financially wasteful for the NHS and it is estimated that 22% of the NHS carbon footprint results from the medicines cycle (manufacture, transport, collection, destruction etc). Previous research has shown that some members of the public are unaware of the best way to dispose of medicines safely resulting in some medication being flushed down the toilet with the potential risk of it entering food chains. If you would like to know more, Surrey NHS will be at the Two Rivers Shopping Centre in Staines on Friday 26 February from 10am to 4pm. What is the most costly NHS medicine? poster (Pdf 253kb) 'My Spelthorne' My Spelthorne allows you to find out about the services and facilities in our Borough. Simply set a location and use the My House, My Nearest or My Maps tabs to access a wealth of local information. Recent planning applications The provides a list of all the planning applications either validated or decided by us each week - View the planning applications Job vacancies Current job vacancies Events View the calendar of local events Calendar of Council Meetings View the Calendar of Council Meetings Publications Borough Bulletin Rubbish and recycling calendar Follow us on Twitter You can now follow us on Twitter, visit http://twitter.com/spelthornebc (external website) Find us on Facebook You can now find us on Facebook - visit www.facebook.com (external website) and search for 'Spelthorne Council'. Roadworks in Spelthorne Surrey County Council's website provides information on roadworks in Spelthorne. Useful contacts for those having difficulty in the downturn Money worries information page Age Concern (external website) - 0800 009966 Citizens Advice Bureau (external website) - 01784 444220 or 01932 765041 Revenues Team (Council Tax and Business Rates) - 01784 446490 Housing Section - 01784 446380 Housing Benefits - 01784 446374 Partner links Community web (external website) DirectGov (external website) Spelthorne Together Surrey County Council (external website) Surrey Alert (external website) Surrey Police (external website) Surrey PCT (external website) Media links Radio Jackie (external website) Star FM (external website) BBC Sussex and Surrey (external website) Eagle Radio (external website) Radio Wey (external website) Staines and Ashford News (external website) |
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