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News
roundup
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Somerset Council is reducing the number of its Lead, Shadow and Associate Member roles, resulting in significant savings for the Local Authority.
The Executive will be reduced from eight Lead Members to seven, Associate Lead Members will be reduced from 10 positions to six, and there will be one less Opposition Spokesperson.
 Somerset Council and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK will be providing another peek behind the scenes at a recycling facility in Somerset.
Evercreech Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) will be open to the public for a series of free tours over one day in September. Each tour allows residents to find out what happens after the colourful trucks collect their recycling.
Somerset Council’s innovative work to provide care in a more efficient way without compromising on quality has been recognised nationally.
The practice, known as Optimal Handed Care, uses equipment and specific techniques to assist care workers when they are providing moving and handling support, meaning that caring activities which may previously have required two or more care workers only require one.
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Almost 40 staff from Somerset Council plan to lace up their trainers to help raise awareness of fostering and the urgent need for more foster carers in the county.
Most of the council runners entering Bridgwater Half Marathon, 10k and 5k, are from a variety of teams in Children’s Social Care, joined by staff from Libraries, property and surveying.
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Residents and visitors to Brean Leisure and Brean beach can now have access to a Changes Place Toilet, thanks to Somerset Council working with strategic partners Brean Leisure and Muscular Dystrophy UK, using grant funds from the former Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (now known as Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government).
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Wellington Library will be heading back to its permanent location in Fore Street next month after being refurbished.
The move means the library will have to close at its temporary home in North Street from 1pm on Saturday 7 September and reopen on Monday 30 September at 9.30am.
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Vital preparation and resurfacing works are being carried out on West Street in Bridgwater.
The Council’s highways team is doing the work between the A39 junction with West Gate and Durleigh Road, which includes preparation work, followed by resurfacing. For the safety of the public and workforce, a closure is currently in place between 7.30am and 6pm until 2 September.
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Essential maintenance works are being carried out on the A38 in Bridgwater next week.
The Council’s highways team will be resurfacing a section of the A38 from Express Park to the Bridgwater Self Serve garage just before the A39 junction from Tuesday 27 August to Wednesday 18 September.
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Somerset Council is empowering businesses to reduce their carbon emissions by registering for the Go Green Scheme.
Part of the scheme will enable businesses to take advantage of a free carbon reduction plan, which will improve energy efficiency and is likely to reduce running costs.
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Stock image by haiberliu from Pixabay
Businesses are being warned that they are putting their livelihoods at risk by not asking for identification when selling age-restricted goods such as vapes, tobacco and alcohol.
It follows the prosecution of a shopkeeper from Bridgwater who has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 after being caught selling vapes to a 15-year-old girl.
Stock image by Naassom Azevedo from Pixabay
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding all higher education and university students – freshers and returning students – to make sure they are up to date with their free NHS childhood and adolescent vaccines against meningitis, measles and HPV ahead of starting the new academic year.
With lots of people newly coming together in confined environments and close mixing, universities and higher education can be hot spots for COVID-19, flu, measles, mumps and meningococcal disease as they present the perfect opportunity for infection to spread.
 Starting to get ready for the new school year?
If your teen is staying in education or training, you’ll need to extend your Child Benefit claim.
Don’t miss out on up to £1,331 next year – let HMRC know online or in the HMRC app today.
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