Council and district news

Neighbourhood plan

A Neighbourhood Plan is a way of helping local communities to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work. In South Staffordshire, Neighbourhood Plans can be made by parish councils, who are known as designated bodies. 

Plans are led and written by the community, not the district council. Neighbourhood plans must be in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and the overall strategic approach and policies set out in South Staffordshire's Local Plan. 

Kinver Parish Council has reached an important stage in the preparation of their Neighbourhood Plan.  South Staffordshire Council is now running a 6-week period of public consultation on their draft plan.  The consultation, which is open to all, runs until 5pm, Monday March 6, 2023.   

Comments must be made in writing to South Staffordshire Council, at neighbourhoodplanning@sstaffs.gov.uk or by post to Community Hub, Council Offices, Wolverhampton Road, Codsall, WV8 1PX. 

For more information and to read the draft plan and supporting documents visit: Kinver Neighbourhood Plan South Staffordshire Council (sstaffs.gov.uk)

Elections voter ID: Are you ready?

The UK Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at some elections.

This new requirement will apply for the first time in England at the local elections on Thursday, May 4th, 2023.

Find out which forms of ID you can use and more information via this link

Leisure latest

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre

Wombourne Leisure Centre 

Refurbishment work to Wombourne Leisure Centre's poolside changing rooms is progressing well.  The showers are now fitted and the lockers and vanity users have been delivered and are in the process of being installed. For ongoing updates on progress, follow Wombourne Leisure Centre on Facebook.

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre's newly refurbished swimming pool is now open and the centre is delighted to be welcoming swim academy members back to swimming lessons this week.

The swimming pool changing rooms remain closed whilst refurbishment work continues and the plan is for the changing rooms to be back open later this month. This means that all swimmers must arrive ‘swim-ready’ and be prepared to ‘robe and go’ at the end of the swim. 

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centres gym will be temporarily closed during February half term whilst refurbishment work is carried out to upgrade the facility.  The upgrade consists of the extraction of the old equipment, re-decoration, new flooring and air conditioning units, followed by the installation of all-new Pulse Fitness cardio, fixed weights and free weights.  For more information and full details, follow Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre on Facebook.

National Pool Lifeguard Course

Penkridge Leisure Centre are running a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification course from February 20th to 25th.

Candidates must be 16 years + and competent swimmers. The course will consist of a combination of theory and practical work, in and out of the pool. Places are limited.

For full details and to book call Penkridge Leisure Centre on 01785 714152.

Wolves Soccer School

Wolves Soccer School is coming to Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre from February 20th to 24^th, 9am-3pm.

The sessions are for children aged from reception to year 7 with 2-day, 3-day and 5-day options available. Prices start from £40. 

For more information email Footballdevelopment@wolves.co.uk. 

To book visit Tickets.wolves.co.uk

February School Holiday Activity Camps

South Staffordshire Council’s leisure centres are working in partnership with @AspireActiveCamps to deliver sports-based school holiday activities for young people aged 5-14 years old.

The camps provide children with access to a wide range of fun activities in a safe and structured environment.  Active Camps are a safe, fun, flexible, and an affordable childcare solution. 

Bookings can be made as full day and half day sessions (no block booking required) and are available from February 20^th to 24^th at Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres.

Aspire Active Camps provide discounts for early bird bookings, sibling and emergency service workers.

For more information and to book, click here

Partnership Updates

Better Health

February is heart month. Make positive changes to your diet, improve your health and avoid the risks associated with living with excess weight.

This month Better Health Staffordshire wants to help people understand more about the different fats that we eat and getting the right balance of treats with healthier foods. 

Click here to start your journey to better health - Staffordshire County Council

For those people that need more support, the Staffordshire partnership will be promoting the Everyone Health FREE weight management service. Everyone Health is commissioned by Staffordshire County Council to provide a weight management service. 

Click here to see if you meet the requirements for extra support - Weight Management - Everyone Health Staffordshire

Celebrate British Science Week

To celebrate British Science Week Perton Library and Wild About Perton are hosting a fantastic science fair for all the family on Saturday 18^th March, 10:00am – 3:00pm.

Following the great success of last year’s event, the library team have worked closely with the community and secured funding from Perton Parish Council, County Councillor Jak Abrahams, the Friends of Perton Library and Wild About Perton. The library is able to offer some fascinating science shows, exhibitions and things to see and do. The Library team are also working with friends from Wild About Perton and are again buddying up the event with their annual Spring Festival.

Medical Mavericks will be helping people explore how the body works, while Waste Savvy Staffs and the Climate Change team from South Staffordshire Council will help people learn more about climate change and the efforts in Staffordshire to reduce waste and carbon footprint.

Dr Phil Jemmett and his team of scientists from Warwick University will be running science experiments all day while Andrew Lound will be in full astronaut gear demonstrating a selection of meteorites. 

The library astronomy group will also be on hand with a selection of telescopes and a display about local famous astronomer Lord Wrottesley. 

Staffordshire Police will be demonstrating the science of fingerprinting and you can meet local Archaeologists from the Archaeology in Mind group, the RSPB, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the team from Forest of Mercia. 

And, don’t forget to say hello to the animals with Zoolab.

These are just a few of the workshops on offer which are free but places are limited.

People can click here find out more about the event or book places through the library on 01902 506050 or by emailing perton.library@staffordshire.gov.uk.

Staffordshire’s 180 village halls recognised for providing warm, welcoming, and inclusive spaces.

 Village Halls Week 2023 celebrated the many ways these volunteer-run rural community buildings support local residents, groups and businesses, particularly during difficult times.

 As the country endures a cost-of-living crisis, rural communities have come to rely on the humble village hall as a place to keep warm, access basic services and socialise without the expense of travelling elsewhere.

Aside from hosting a wide range of social and recreational activities for residents, they also host vital services such as post offices, doctors’ surgeries, polling stations and convenience shops, whilst supporting an estimated 50,000 people whose livelihoods depend on use of these buildings.