 In this issue...
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Devon authorities pledge support to Ukrainians fleeing conflict and how to donate
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Council receives hundreds of repair calls following storm
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More than 100 East Devon council homes to become more eco-friendly
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This week is Empty Homes Week - find out what you can do to help
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Improvements works to Brixington Park, Exmouth, due to commence late summer
 News and updates:
Devon authorities pledge support to Ukrainians fleeing conflict
 Local authority leaders across Devon have spoken out in concern for the people of Ukraine and their families, following the Russian invasion.
Team Devon authorities, including Devon County and District Councils and the Devon Association of Local Councils, have pledged to work together to support Ukrainian refugees seeking sanctuary in the UK, and have each condemned Russia's actions.
They have agreed to give particular support to families in Devon whose relatives in Ukraine are fleeing the conflict.
Individually, councils have also taken steps to cut Russian links, such as through contracts for energy provision. And any few remaining investments within the Devon Pension Fund, linked to Russian assets, are being sold off quickly.
Devon councils have long worked together, alongside health and voluntary sector partners and local communities, to provide safe sanctuary and resettlement for refugees, most recently Syrian families and those fleeing conflict in Afghanistan.
East Devon District Council Chair Councillor Ian Thomas said:
"On behalf of East Devon District Council, I want to express horror at the unprovoked invasion and heinous treatment of the sovereign nation of Ukraine and its people by Russia.
These are uniquely challenging circumstances. Whilst movement of displaced refugees from the war zone is at an early stage, it is clear that an enormous level of support is needed.
I’m confident that East Devon Officers and Members will step up to the plate in response to this humanitarian crisis, taking an active role with our local government partners in support of wider refugee needs.
In the interim, we have joined with many across the globe in a statement of solidarity and support for Ukraine, by flying the nations flag at both Blackdown House in Honiton and Exmouth Town Hall.
It is unbelievable and heart-breaking to see this tragedy unfolding before us. We can only hope that sanity, humanity and kindness will soon be restored."
East Devon District Council Leader Councillor Paul Arnott added:
"The constructive and practical engagement of all the Devon districts, working under the Team Devon flag with the County, is absolutely essential. The challenges this crisis will inevitably provide need direct political solutions both nationally and locally, and East Devon, as part of Team Devon, will make sure that our response meets the expectations of our many concerned residents."
How to donate and support
Yesterday, the UK Disasters Emergency Committee launched its Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, drawing together funding and action across major charities and Non-Governmental Organisations to support people displaced through the conflict. The government has pledged to match up to £20 million of any donations from the public.
The fastest way to donate to a DEC appeal is by donating online.
Alternatively you can call 01204 770822, or use other ways to donate.
Council receives hundreds of repair calls following storm
One of EDDC's Home Safeguard team, which helped with the hundreds of calls received.
Hundreds of calls reporting power outages and other damages in need of repair were received by East Devon District Council (EDDC) the weekend of Storm Eunice.
On Friday, 19 February there were 603 calls, followed by 434 on Saturday, 20 February and 376 on Sunday, 21 February.
EDDC’s Home Safeguard Team has been working hard over the last week to check up on vulnerable residents to offer assistance after power outages meant they were not able to make hot food and drink, over the weekend of the storm.
There have also been a steady flow of repair calls about other issues that were referred to other agencies like Devon County Council for fallen trees.
More than 100 East Devon council homes to become more eco-friendly
 Photographed: Robin Brown, Area Business Customer Delivery Manager, P H Jones and Sophie Davies Housing Business and Customer Improvement Manager, East Devon District Council
More than 100 East Devon council homes are now more eco-friendly thanks to a special project that helped them upgrade their insulation, heating systems and much more.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) has been running a Green Homes Grant programme since 2020 – the Government scheme is designed to help councils fund the cost of reducing the carbon footprint and environmental impact of its housing.
The project has also allowed residents on low incomes to save energy significantly lower their utility bills.
EDDC has now installed a variety sustainable, eco-friendly technologies into the homes involved in this project - including air source heat pumps, solar panels, new radiators and pipework, upgraded insulation, smart controls, and intelligent hot water cylinders that harvest surplus energy generated by solar panels and store it as hot water.
This week is Empty Homes Week - find out what you can do to help
 East Devon has 100 long term empty properties. Our Environmental Health Private Sector Housing team support homeowners to bring their homes back into use.
During Empty Homes Week we are asking residents that are affected by the poor condition of an empty property; or may be unsecure; unsafe or verminous to report it to the Empty Homes Officer in Environmental Health Private Housing.
We mainly work on a voluntary basis with homeowners to bring homes back into use but will not shy away from using enforcement if it helps us achieve our end goals.
EDDC have a social media campaign this week, so please share and retweet to raise awareness: #Emptyhomesweek2022
With over 230,000 homes lying empty across the UK, Empty Homes Week is a national campaign raising awareness of the impact of these homes, and how to take action.
Improvements works to Brixington Park, Exmouth, due to commence late summer
 Works, costing £46,500, to improve the pitch at Brixington Park, in Exmouth, is set to take place in the summer, with the new goal posts expected in the autumn.
East Devon District Council has recently received a quote for the drainage works, for the entire pitch.
This will need to be carried out during late summer to maximise the germination window for the soil and seed on the newly levelled and graded pitch.
New goal frames and sockets will be added as the final touches afterwards.
No town council election to be held for Honiton St Paul’s seat
 A by-election for four Honiton Town Council seats, for the St Paul’s ward, will no longer be held.
Only three candidates have put themselves forward for the seats and therefore stand uncontested.
Joseph Furneaux-Gotch, Debra Hulin and Caroline Kolek will now be co-opted onto the town council.
A by-election will however still be held on Thursday, 10 March 2022, between 7am, and 10pm, for four seats in the Honiton St Michael’s ward. The relevant polling stations are Honiton Library and The Heathfield Inn.
Free online sessions to help parents support their teenagers
 A series of FREE webinars aim to help parents and carers understand and support their teenagers to navigate the challenges they might face as they grow up in today’s world.
‘Let’s Talk Teenagers’ is a three-part webinar starting with communities and family life (March 8) and followed by respectful relationships (March 15) and building stronger families (March 22), all at 7pm.
The ‘Let’s Talk Teenagers’ project is part funded by the Safer Devon Partnership in partnership with the South Devon Community Safety Partnership, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon County Council and Teignbridge Council, and is open to parents and carers from across Devon.
The 90 minutes sessions will be delivered on Teams, and a free booklet will accompany the webinar, which will be sent out to delegates after the event.
National No-Smoking Day is on Wednesday, 9 March
 It's never too late to quit smoking. No matter how long you've smoked for, or how many cigarettes you smoke a day, your health will start to improve as soon as you quit. Stopping smoking is good for your mental health too: it can improve mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.
OneSmallStep is our local service tailored to people in Devon. Take OneSmallStep to a 'smoke free you'. If you are a smoker who would like to cut back or even give up for good, OneSmallStep can help.
The Better Health Smoke Free campaign also has lots of support to help, so you can choose the combination of help that's right for you.
Three reasons to quit:
- Feel healthier: no matter how long you've smoked for, quitting can help improve your health straightaway
- Cash in: you'll have much more cash in your pocket. A smoker consuming the national average of 11 cigarettes a day could save about £1800!
- Protect your family: act as a role model, and quitting helps protect your loved ones from harmful second-hand smoke – reducing their risk of developing asthma, meningitis and some cancers.
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:
Meet the Funders – Tuesday 29 March 9.30am to 12pm on Zoom
EDDC Planning News - Issue 3 (March 2022)
Key applications received
Decision on key applications
 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, 8 March
Wednesday, 9 March
 Recycling news
Did you know even your recycling and waste bins and boxes are made of recycled material?
 Your recycling boxes and food caddies are made of 100% recycled material and your refuse bins are made of 70% recycled material.
All the unusable containers that we recover from households are sent to be recycled.
Please recycle as much as you can to help build a circular economy.
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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 Thelma Hulbert Gallery
New Honiton collection point for local food
 Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) is providing a new Honiton collection hub for In My Back Yard (IMBY) - East Devon’s local, ethical online Farmers’ Market.
IMBY online shop opens for weekly orders on Saturdays at 9am and closes on Wednesdays at 9pm. Orders can be collected on Fridays from THG, 3-5pm.
 Wild East Devon
Help create a woodland at the Clyst Valley Regional Park
 The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next best is now! Feel alive, meet new people, and turn your environment green.
Help us to plant a mixture of natural trees and shrubs to create a woodland and a new hedgerow close to Pinhoe, Cranbrook and Broadclyst in East Devon.
All ages are welcome.
It's all free and our partners Farming and Wildlife Group will show you how it's done.
Various times are available on Friday, 11 March and Saturday, 12 March.
To keep in touch with the Wild East Devon Team follow them on Facebook and Twitter
NALC calls on local councils to have a say on new parliamentary constituencies
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) calls on local (parish and town) councils to have their say on proposals for new parliamentary constituencies.
The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is holding a secondary consultation on its proposals for new parliamentary constituencies as part of the 2023 Boundary Review. The commission is required by parliament to undertake an independent and impartial review of all constituencies in England, to rebalance the number of electors in each constituency. The 2023 Boundary Review also requires that the number of constituencies in England increases from 533 to 543.
Residents and communities can respond to the consultation online, in writing or speaking at a public hearing.
The commission will analyse responses from the first and secondary consultations, who will then produce a report deciding on whether the initial proposals should change and detailing any suggested changes. If the commission’s recommendations vary, they will hold a further four-week written consultation on their revised proposals inviting views. Those comments will be published along with the commission’s final report, which will be sent to parliament by July 2023 and subsequently made law.
The secondary consultation is taking place from 22 February to 4 April 2022.
HMRC customers have one month left to switch their Post Office card account
 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding about 7,500 tax credits, Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance customers they have just one month left to switch their Post Office card account.
HMRC will stop making payments to Post Office card accounts after 5 April 2022 so customers must notify HMRC of their new account details, so they don’t miss out on vital payments.
In November 2021, HMRC extended the deadline to the end of the financial year. The one-off extension to the contract meant customers could temporarily continue to receive their payments into their Post Office account, giving them extra time to set up new accounts and notify the department.
Nearly 138,800 customers have already switched their accounts and provided HMRC with updated bank account details. Time is running out for the remaining 7,500.
Customers can choose to receive their benefit payments to a bank, building society or credit union account. If they already have an alternative account, they can contact HMRC now to update their details.
The early symptoms of a heart attack don't always feel severe.
 Heart and circulatory disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, causes a quarter of all deaths in the UK and is the largest cause of premature mortality in deprived areas. This is the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years.
The NHS has launched a new Heart Attack campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of a heart attack.
People act upon chest pain or symptoms commonly associated with cardiac arrests, however heart attacks can also show themselves in different ways. People may not recognise other symptoms such as general feeling of unease, feeling weak or lightheaded. Some people feel a tightness or squeezing in the chest, rather than pain.
The campaign encourages anyone experiencing these symptoms to dial 999, including people who may act as a ‘heart attack helper’ by dialling 999 on behalf of someone else.
Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday, 11 March 2022.
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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