 In this issue...
- England will move to Plan B in response to the risks of the Omicron variant
- Large cliff fall at Budleigh Salterton prompts warnings
- Winter car parking deal is perfect for high street shopping this Christmas
- Four tips to have yourself an energy saving Christmas
- Over 2.2million doses given as Covid-19 vaccination programme reaches anniversary milestone
 News and updates:
England will move to Plan B in response to the risks of the Omicron variant
- From 10 December, face coverings will be required by law in most indoor settings.
- From 13 December, office workers who can work from home should do so.
- From 15 December, certain venues and events will be required by law to check that all visitors aged 18 years or over are fully vaccinated, have proof of a negative test in the last 48 hours, or have an exemption.
Large cliff fall at Budleigh Salterton prompts warnings
 An East Devon District Council spokesperson said:
"We are aware of a substantial rock fall that took place in Budleigh Salterton, covering the whole beach area nearest to Jubilee Park, this Monday December 6 at around 2pm. We have already inspected the top of the cliff, and once the storm has passed we will be sending engineers to inspect the area further.
"There is a significant risk of further rock fall as there are some very large cracks that have appeared. We would like to warn residents to please stay clear of the cliffs.
"The risk of cliff falls is well signed in this area, so members of the public need to adhere to warnings.
"Cliff falls are a natural and unpredictable occurrence along the East Devon coast, this is because the rock from which the cliffs are formed is soft and therefore prone to rock falls and landslides, which can happen at any time, although heavy rainfall can trigger incidences.
"We recommend that people enjoy East Devon cliffs from a distance and do not climb or sit directly beneath them. Please always follow the warning signs."
Winter car parking deal is perfect for high street shopping this Christmas
Our winter offer is back: Park in any EDDC pay and display car park for the bargain price of just £2 all day. And there’s more – you can take that pay and display ticket to use in any other EDDC pay and display car park right up to midnight on the day of purchase for no further charge. So…. How about breakfast in Axminster, shopping in Seaton, Lunch in Sidmouth, more shopping in Budleigh Salterton and dinner in Exmouth?
Or – if you’ve now embraced the digital revolution you can pay for your parking in one simple £2 transaction using your smartphone – do it even before you leave the house if you so wish, your parking session will still be valid right through to midnight in all of our pay and display car parks. Download the RingGo app and choose location code “42973” for the winter offer.
East Devon extends Virtual Council Meetings until May 2022
 East Devon District Councillors have voted to extend its innovative ‘virtual’ consultative meeting programme until Annual Council in May 2022.
Whilst Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was announcing ‘Plan B’ on Wednesday evening, Councillor Ian Thomas, Independent Chair of the Council, who led the temporary reintroduction of ‘virtual’ consultative meetings for the period to January 2022, proposed their extension.
Four tips to have yourself an energy saving Christmas
'LED' your little lights shine
LED Christmas lights use up to 90 percent less electricity than standard incandescent lights. Not only do they cost 6x less to run, they last up to 10x longer. Also, LED bulbs are cooler to the touch than incandescent bulbs, posing less risk of fire.
It's all about timing
Use a timer for your lights. This will ensure that you don’t forget to turn them off when they can’t be enjoyed (i.e. late at night or during daylight hours). Leaving the lights on at night could cost you an additional £20.
It's getting hot in here...
£9.27 million is spent daily heating homes in the UK throughout December. Did you know you save around 3 percent of your heating bill for every degree you down the thermostat down? So instead of turning the heating up, put a cosy Christmas jumper on.
Let's talk turkey
When it comes to the cost of Christmas, cooking a turkey was found to be the biggest energy sucking activity, with the UK expected to spend £27.7 million on this alone on December 25th.
- To save on costs when cooking, try not to open the oven door too frequently.
- Try to cook multiple things in the oven at once.
- Don't bother pre-heating the oven hours before cooking - as the oven heats up slowly, the meat will cook more thoroughly, saving energy and money.
- Try roasting all vegetables in the same tray to reduce oven time and time spent washing up.
- Do the same with boiled vegetables - sprouts, leeks and carrots can all be cooked in one pot on the stove.
Watch this video and check out Recycle Devon's 21 Days of Christmas for more tips on keeping your house energy efficient this Christmas and beyond.
Over 2.2million doses given as Covid-19 vaccination programme reaches anniversary milestone
 Wednesday, 8 December is the anniversary of the Covid-19 vaccine programme. The Exeter Greendale site is opening late for the first time; accepting walk in and booked
appointments until 9:30pm.
In just one year more than 2.2million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been given across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay at 43 vaccine clinic sites and over 160 outreach clinics. Over the last year people have been vaccinated in sports grounds, pharmacies, pubs, hospitals, leisure centres and places of worship.
You can find your nearest walk-in clinic on NHS England’s site finder here. Appointments can be booked via the National Booking System.
You can also book your booster jab by visiting the NHS page here. Protect your families and stay safe this Christmas by boosting your immunity.
Christmas Jumper Day
Friday, 10 December is Christmas Jumper Day.
If you don't have a Christmas jumper, look out for one in your local charity shop instead of buying a new one, or try embellishing a jumper you already own.
To find out other festive tips, and to enter the Christmas hamper giveaway, checkout Recycle Devon's Facebook page.
To join in with the fundraiser, simply text our team code TeamDevon2021 to 70050 to donate £2.
Beware of fraudsters targeting you on social media
We have received an alert regarding Fraud in relation to the omicron variant.
Information is being circulated via social media that a new PCR test has been developed to identify the Omicron variant and a link is included to order the tests. An example is above.
Every effort is being made to removes the posts but please be aware that this is a scam. PCR tests are free and you will not be charged for them and there is not a PCR test that identifies the omicron variant, it is identified by separate genetic testing.
Business update
Join the #eastdevonly campaign
We have a unique opportunity to come together and shout with one voice about our wonderful district, if everyone works together we can create a much larger footprint to enable greater traction.
How to get involved:
- You can find out more about the campaign, here https://eastdevon.gov.uk/eastdevonly/ . This webpage will be kept updated with the latest campaign news.
- You can request ‘please shop/stop here’ window stickers by emailing Communications@eastdevon.gov.uk
- You can join our group here www.facebook.com/groups/eastdevonly/, where it is hoped we can share events, opportunities and activities. You can also share the video on Facebook
- You can also request an A board promoting the campaign – but these are limited to 1 or 2 per town and will need to be displayed outside during the day and be kept inside overnight
Future activities include highlighting our local produce and community spirit and how East Devon is not just for summer.
If you want to stay up to date with the latest news about grants for East Devon businesses, or other news about business opportunities, funding and training, you must subscribe to East Devon Business news
Latest news and newsletters
East Devon District Council also produce regular newsletters and news on different topics, in the last week we have issued the following which may be of interest:
 Council meetings dates
Over the next week the following East Devon District Council meetings are taking place. Any public meetings will be streamed live to the Council’s YouTube channel, and in the event of difficulties these will be streamed on our Facebook page instead.
Tuesday, 14 December
Wednesday, 15 December
 Recycling news
Battery Recycling
 Nights are closing in, check your torches! Please recycle your batteries.
When recycling your batteries, please put them into a clear plastic bag before putting them in your recycling box for collection; a sandwich bag is ideal. This helps our crews separate them out when emptying your recycling box.
Keeping batteries separate in our vehicles and at the depot prevents fire risk.
Please do not put your batteries inside a cardboard box or wrap them in paper, as they can get missed and mixed up with paper and cardboard in the recycling vehicle and at the depot.
Find out more: Recycling and Waste Information
Thank you for recycling.
The Recycling Team
#EDDCrecycling
Have you downloaded our free East Devon App yet?
Join over 30,000 people using our smartphone app and get simple personalised collection reminders, the latest collection updates and tell us about a missed collection.
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Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday, 17 December 2021.
Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it useful and encourage them to sign up.
You can also can share this update on social media and in any online groups you're part of by using the view it as a web page link at the top of the page.
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