|
Tuesday 13 September 2022
 Bank holiday announced for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral
The government has announced that Monday 19 September, the date of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral, will be a national bank holiday.
This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, if they wish to, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning.
Please visit the government's website for more information.
 National Moment of Reflection
The government has invited people to take part in a National Moment of Reflection, marked by a minute's silence at 8.00pm on Sunday 18 September, the evening before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral.
It's an opportunity for people across the country to come together, at home or with friends and neighbours, to mourn the passing of Her Majesty and reflect on her life and legacy.
The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils.
 Schools and colleges closed on Monday 19 September
Schools and colleges will close on Monday 19 September for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, the government's Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed.
King Charles III has approved an order for the funeral to be a bank holiday.
In guidance to schools and colleges, the DfE this week has said:
“This day will be a bank holiday and settings that are normally closed on a bank holiday should close on this day as a mark of respect. This will include schools and colleges.”
With the exception of the day of the state funeral, normal attendance is expected throughout the period of mourning.
 Book of Condolence at County Hall
The Book of Condolence at County Hall in Exeter is open to the public everyday this week, from 9am to 5pm up to and including Sunday 18 September.
The book will be closed on Monday 19 September, to mark the day of the state funeral, and will reopen for a further day on Tuesday 20 September from 9am until 5pm.
Devon's district councils also have Books of Condolence for people to leave written tributes to Her late Majesty. The opening times and locations for those Books of Condolence are available on the individual council websites.
Once closed, the Books of Condolence organised by local councils in Devon will be bound and submitted to the Devon Archives at the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter, and kept as a local record of condolence.
More information is available on our website.
 Changes to public services on Monday 19 September
The government has announced that Monday 19 September will be a national bank holiday for the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
So that our staff can pay their respects to Her Majesty if they wish to, our Customer Service Centre will be closed that day, and will open again as usual on Tuesday 20 September. You can find our usual opening times on our website.
If you need to contact our social care services urgently, you can call the Emergency Duty Team on 0345 600 0388.
Our Household Waste Recycling Centres will also be closed that day, and will reopen on Tuesday 20 September. You can find our opening times on our website.
Libraries across Devon will also be closed on Monday, and the Mobile Library service will not be operating on that day. Libraries will resume their usual opening hours from Tuesday 20 September. You can find your local library’s regular opening hours on the Libraries Unlimited website. Don't forget, you can still access eBooks, eAudiobooks, eNewspapers and eMagazines while the library is closed through the digital library.
Please also be advised that most bus services in Devon will be operating a Sunday timetable on Monday 19 September. Full details of Sunday timetables can be found in the Bus Times booklets on our website. We have been advised by First that Dartmoor Explorer, Exmoor Sun Seeker and Exmoor Coaster will not be operating.
Household waste and recycling collections could also be affected by the additional bank holiday, so please check your local district council's website for more information.
Like councils across the country, we are marking this period of mourning respectfully and are limiting our public messaging on social media.
However, for safety purposes, our @DevonAlert Facebook and Twitter accounts are continuing to provide essential information about our roads in Devon.
If you are travelling in Devon over this period, follow @DevonAlert on Facebook or Twitter.
 BBC announce TV Licence dispensation to allow communities to watch state funeral together
Many communities may wish to come together and observe the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, so the BBC is providing local communities a TV Licence dispensation.
The dispensation will allow any communal setting where TV is not usually watched, such as town halls, community centres and libraries across the UK, to screen the live programmes without needing to purchase a licence.
By law, if live television or BBC iPlayer is viewed on any premises, those premises must be covered by a valid TV Licence. However, in exceptional circumstances, the BBC can grant a dispensation for the temporary viewing of television, so long as the viewing is for the sole purpose of screening an event which is judged by the BBC to be of national importance.
The BBC's Terms of Use for screening live events at this time are published on the BBC's website.
|
