South Cambridgeshire District Council issues a lot of press releases during the year – sadly, we are only able to feature a few of them. But to round off 2013, here are five recent ones – they include advice on what to do with redundant Christmas wrapping paper, bin collection days over Christmas and the New Year, what the latest Government grant means to SCDC and how the Conservative run Council's B&B bill has dropped by 70%.
School children help feed families in need this Christmas
School children in Cambourne have given up their pocket money and raided kitchen cupboards to donate food which will help people in need this Christmas.
The campaign for food bank donations at The Vine Inter-Church Primary School was inspired by a collection point being set up in the village at South Cambridgeshire District Council’s offices in September.
The youngsters, aged between 6 and 7 years old, have donated around 1,000 items of non-perishable dried and tinned food with others donating pocket money to buy goods.
Morrisons supermarket in Cambourne has also backed the campaign with a 20% discount on purchases by the school.
Cllr David Bard, Chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We have been really pleased with the level of support for the food collection point since it launched and it is fantastic to see school children also digging deep to help someone who is less fortunate than themselves this Christmas.”
Full story on the SCDC website.
‘Tis the season to be green and jolly
South Cambridgeshire bins are the heaviest of the year, with an extra 750,000 tonnes of waste in England alone compared to the rest of the year – an increase of around 30%.
Around 4,500 tonnes of waste and recycling is typically collected from homes across South Cambridgeshire during the festive break – equivalent to the weight of around 60 Concorde jets – and the waste team is urging residents to help make it a bumper season for recycling.
Each tonne of waste sent to landfill costs £72 in taxes so by recycling more waste this Christmas residents will help protect the environment as well as the taxpayers’ pound.
To help people slim their black bins and recycle the extra waste created this Christmas, South Cambridgeshire District Council suggests:
- Wrapping paper Put wrapping paper in your blue bin, but not in the paper caddy.
- Greeting cards Can go in your blue bin – or you could be super green and cut them up to use as gift tags next year.
- Greeting card envelopes Can go in the paper caddy.
- Real Christmas trees Can be put in your green bin once they have been cut up in to small pieces or taken to local household recycling centres at Milton and Thriplow for composting.
- Food waste Don’t throw food in your black bin – instead create delicious meals, home compost it or put food waste in your green bin. Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for ideas. Oddly, the SCDC release doesn't suggest putting it out for the birds or animals which pass in the night.
Cllr Mick Martin, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for environmental services, said: “I would like to thank all our residents for the fantastic and continued effort they put into recycling year on year, placing us among the top performing areas in the country.
"We’re keen to continue to improve our recycling rate and to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill so please keep up your efforts over the festive period."
Full story on the SCDC website
Christmas and New Year bin collections
A reminder about changes to the day you bins will be collected over Christmas and New Year – all bin collection dates for three weeks as follows:
- Monday collections: one day later than usual between Christmas and New Year.
- The collection due on 31 December will be two days later on Thursday 2 January.
- Wednesday and Thursday collections: two days later than usual between Christmas and New Year and for the first week of 2014.
- Friday collections: three days later than usual between Christmas and New Year and for the first week of 2014.
- All collections due between 6 and 11 January will be one day later than usual.
Collections will return to their regular pattern from Monday 14 January.
Full story on the SCDC website.
Government grant settlement means less funding than expected for SCDC – but councillors warn more details still needed
SCDC's leaders have warned the 'devil is in the detail' as information has begun to be released about the Government’s grant funding for local authorities next year.
Information released by the Department for Communities and Local Government has confirmed South Cambridgeshire District Council’s grant settlement for 2014 / 15 will be cut by 24% – a reduction of around £870,000.
Figures released for 2015 / 16 suggest a similar cut will be imposed, but senior councillors have said that more information is still needed before the full effect of the reduction in grant is known.
In agreeing the budget for this year, councillors pledged to deliver a package of efficiency savings equivalent to £12 for every average band D home in the district. These are in addition to round £4 million of savings that have been made over the last three years.
Information about additional grant funding, known as New Homes Bonus, has also been released which shows the Council could receive up to £3.2 million during 2014 / 15. This funding is provided to high growth areas to help deliver new homes, facilities and infrastructure.
Cllr Simon Edwards, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: “We have a fantastic track record of delivering efficiency savings to protect the services that people need and rely on, but as our funding continues to be cut the challenge for us becomes more and more difficult.
“With all funding announcements the devil is in the detail and it will be a number of weeks until we have all the information needed to be able to see exactly how much of a shortfall this latest cut will leave us in our budget in 2015 / 16.
“What I can promise today is we will continue to work as hard as possible for our residents and make sure every penny of funding we receive is spent on providing the best possible services we can.”
Full story on the SCDC website.
South Cambridgeshire's B&B bill plummets following temporary accommodation push
A strategy to provide better quality temporary accommodation for vulnerable people in South Cambridgeshire who find themselves without a roof over their head has seen SCDC’s B&B bill plummet.
Along with a range of initiatives to keep people in their homes, South Cambridgeshire District Council has purchased ten former empty homes in the district to increase the amount of temporary accommodation available.
The housing strategy agreed earlier this year aimed to half last year’s £8,000 monthly bill the Council had to pay housing people in B&Bs on a temporary basis while permanent accommodation could be found – but efforts this year has seen the bill fall by 70% to an average of just under £2,400.
Since September the Council has only used B&Bs on two occasions which has pleased housing bosses, but they have reiterated that finding better alternatives remains a priority to provide people with the best service and keep the bill as low as possible.
The Council has invested in helping prevent homelessness, which has also contributed to the reduction in the use of B&Bs, as well as offering assistance accessing the private rented sector and a money advice service.
Building work has also just begun on redeveloping a former hostel in Waterbeach to improve temporary accommodation facilities along with the first new Council homes as part of the biggest building programme since the 1950s being completed in Linton.
Cllr Mark Howell, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “It is excellent news that we have seen such a huge drop in the amount we spend on B&Bs for temporary accommodation and credit must go to our officers who have been working very hard to achieve this.
“We won’t rest on our laurels and further work such as the hostel redevelopment at Waterbeach will make sure we can continue to lead the way in this area.”
Full story on the SCDC website.
South Cambridgeshire District Council
T 03450 450 500.
F 01954 713 149.
E scdc@scambs.gov.uk.
W www.scambs.gov.uk.
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