Friday, 21 June 2024

Featured news

Attending Glastonbury Festival? Stay safe

With Glastonbury Festival opening its gates in less than a week, Somerset Council’s Public Health team and the UK Health Security Agency are reminding visitors to stay safe and be aware of possible risks to their health when attending the world famous festival between 26-30 June this year.

Festival-goers are being reminded to be aware of health risks including those associated with alcohol and drug use, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), diseases such as measles, and weather related illness.

Bins out by 6am, as weather and Glastonbury Festival traffic heat up

Somerset Council is asking residents to put their recycling and rubbish bins out the night before collection and by 6am at the latest, if their collection falls between Monday, 24 and Wednesday, 26 June.

Crews will be starting early to help them cope with the forecast hot weather and to help beat the extra traffic on the roads due to Glastonbury Festival. This should limit any disruption to recycling, rubbish or garden waste collections across the county.

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Staying safe during the heat

Image courtesy of the UKHSA

With warm weather forecast to develop more widely from early next week, the UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is encouraging those who struggle to cope in the heat to take precautions.

At this time of year most of us look forward to some warm, sunny weather and the chance to spend time outdoors and by taking a few simple steps, we can all enjoy the hot weather safely and help people who might be more vulnerable as the temperatures rise.

Speak up for babies

Last week was Infant Mental Health Awareness Week with the theme for 2024 being ‘Speak up for Babies’. Infant mental health is an often overlooked and misunderstood subject; the world around them is key to their mental health and wellbeing. Support in the first 2 years is arguably more influential than at any other time, because the infant’s brain is developing so rapidly.

To continue support for the campaign, Somerset Council’s Public Health Nursing Team is asking parents and guardians to fill in a brief survey on behalf of their infant(s) before 12 July 2024, to help make Somerset a healthy place both physically and mentally, for infants to live.

The information gathered will help the team to get a better picture of infant provision across the county and help to encourage service providers to think about whether their services are inclusive of infants.

Trading Standards safety message for e-bike or e-scooter owners or buyers

HotSW TS YouTube video: Stay safe on your e-bike or e-scooter

Trading Standards is advising consumers and businesses to ensure that e-scooters and Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (e-bikes) are safe and compliant with the correct safety regulations before they are purchased, sold or hired out.

The warning follows a market surveillance operation on electronic vehicle safety by the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and a recent safety message by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) which highlights the steps people should take when owning or thinking of buying an e-bike or scooter.

Nationally there have been well-publicised incidents where electric vehicles have caught fire in peoples’ homes.

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Don’t forget you need photo ID to vote on 4 July

Time to apply for free voter ID ahead of the general election on 4 July is running out. The deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. For the first time at a general election, voters will need to show photo ID to receive their ballot paper in polling stations. Those without an accepted type of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online or by printing and completing a paper form to be submitted to the Council's Electoral Services team via GOV.UK’s Apply for photo ID webpage.

There’s still time to receive your postal vote

Worried about not receiving your postal vote for the General Election on 4 July? Don’t be, they are still in the process of being sent out. Some residents will have already received theirs, but with increased numbers of people asking for postal votes, Somerset Council are still working through the requests. So, there is no need for concern if you haven’t received yours yet.

Please use Royal Mail if voting by post

Residents need to be aware that the way postal votes are received at Somerset Council offices has changed in line with national legislation. New laws mean that when someone hands in a postal vote at a reception point or at a polling station, a Postal Vote Return form must now also be completed. This could be time-consuming. Therefore, voters are being encouraged to use Royal Mail and post their vote in good time for it to be counted.

Flag raising in support of Armed Forces

Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council will once again be showing their support for the Armed Forces by holding a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, 24 June. The Armed Forces Day flag will be flown at all Somerset Council’s main offices leading up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday 29 June.

Council wins appeal against rogue landlord

Last year, Somerset Council successfully prosecuted a Taunton landlord for breaching Housing laws by failing to licence their various properties. The landlord since appealed the conviction and sentence, but earlier this month at Worle Crown Court, a judge dismissed the appeal.