Council and district news

Coming soon: Brand-new website

We are excited to announce the arrival of our brand-new council website.

The fresh, modern online platform will make accessing information easier and quicker than ever, with a completely revamped design and layout.

The new website will also allow more people to access it, with new features put in place to ensure the pages are easy to find and simple to understand.

We have also introduced Recite Me, an accessibility tool which allows visitors to customise the site to meet their needs. This includes tools such as a screen reader, a language translator, and numerous customisation features - for example, giving users the option to increase the size of text, alter background display colours and more.

The new platform will also make transactions smoother than ever to complete – such as the payment of council tax and the registration for garden waste collections – and will enable users to complete these at any time which best suits them.

This is just the first step of an exciting new programme of works through which South Staffordshire Council is looking to improve the customer experience when members of the public or businesses need to access our information or get in touch.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

South Staffordshire Council is committed to being a Disability Confident Employer and has been granted Level 1.

We are now working towards Level 2 as part of our Employer of Choice and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion vision.

Parish Summit

On February 10th, South Staffordshire Council hosted a Parish Summit which focused on Community Wellbeing.  

The event was opened by the Leader, Councillor Roger Lees. Presentations were given by the Chairman of Staffordshire Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Mark Sutton, Councillor Victoria Wilson, and Tilly Flanagan, Lead Commissioner Supportive Communities.

IESE, a public sector transformation organisation, gave an update on their Cyber Security pilot. 

The focus on Community Wellbeing allowed delegates the opportunity to hone in on the issues that are particularly relevant to South Staffordshire, highlighting our ageing population, dementia, and obesity, and how by working together across the three tiers we can best tackle these issues. 

The event was well attended and delegates participated in a variety of workshops.

Local Skills Improvement Plan

Employers are been given the opportunity to have their say in the Local Skills improvement Plan.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is a government initiative aimed at bringing together businesses in Staffordshire and education providers to improve the skills of the workforce. This process is designed to ensure all employers have a bigger say in what skills are needed in the workplace for today and to help their business survive and grow in the future. 

This survey is conducted by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce In collaboration with South Staffordshire Councils Business Place Partnership. To find out more about the Business Place Partnership click here.

There are 2 options: 

1. Request a 1:2:1 discussion: answer questions - 1 - 7 (2 mins) and then someone will be in touch. This can be either a call/Teams or face-to-face meeting to discuss your personal needs and concerns. 

2. Complete the online survey (Less than 10 minutes) - answer all questions in the survey.

Should you wish to contact us before completing the survey or have further skills areas you would like to discuss please call/email us using the contact details below:

Suzanne Quinn - email suzanne.quinn@staffordshirechambers.co.uk  Tel No:- 07800 760631

Anne Jones - email:- anne.jones@staffordshirechambers.co.uk  Tel No:- 07895 578168

Vacancies

• Planning Solicitor, closing date February 27th.
• Leisure Assistant (full time), closing date March 1st

All vacancies can be viewed in full and applied for on our new recruitment site: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/vacancies

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

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre Gym Upgrade

Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centres gym is receiving a full refurbishment and will be temporarily closed from Monday, February 20^th. 

The upgrade consists of re-decoration, new flooring and air conditioning units, followed by the installation of all-new Pulse Fitness cardio, fixed weights and free weights.

The gym is scheduled to re-open at the end of this month.

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; places are limited.

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. 

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

#phonefree

Staffordshire Police is running the #PhoneFree campaign to support the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) weeks of action on mobile phone use when driving.

Here are a few facts about mobile phone use in Staffordshire:
• In 2022, 959 people were prosecuted for the offence of driving whilst
using a mobile phone.
• The peak age of offenders is 29 to 36, the oldest driver found
committing this offence was 78 and the youngest driver was 18.
• 46% of all offenders were driving a van, lorry or HGV.

For drivers between the ages of 29 and 36, the key messages are:
• You can’t focus on two things at once, any distraction whilst driving can
be dangerous.
• You’re best to put your phone out of reach when driving to avoid
temptation – be #PhoneFree
• If you’re using your phone for any reason e.g. sat nav, changing a song
etc you must do this before setting off so you’re not tempted to touch
the screen whilst driving.
• Using your phone whilst stationary at traffic lights is still an offence.
• Using your phone whilst driving puts your life at risk and can also risk
other road users.

For commercial drivers (van, lorry, HGV), the key messages are:
• Your employer supports the mobile phone campaign and needs you to
follow the law when driving.
• You risk 6 points on your licence which may lead to you losing your
livelihood.
• Complete all your tasks before driving and avoid touching your phone or
other devices to avoid possible penalties.

Water Safety

During half term more families are expected to visit areas near canals and rivers, and the Canal & River Trust have asked for support to reach as many parents, grandparents and carers as possible with their water safety campaign.

A video and other resources have been created for parents/carers and grandparents to view/download to support discussions with their toddlers.

Click here for further information on Toddler water safety | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)

Disability and Neurodiversity Plan for Staffordshire

The Whole Life Disability team at Staffordshire County Council have been and are still currently undertaking a number of public engagement events to further support the development of a new Disability & Neurodiversity Plan for Staffordshire.

These events are drop-ins only and people are not required to book on. People are been given the opportunity to share their feedback and views on how best the County Council develops a new strategy.

There are 2 remaining scheduled events in:

• Lichfield (Guildhall, Bore Street, WS13 6LU) –  February 27th, 2023 – 9am to 1pm
• Cannock (Aquarius Ballroom, Pisces Suite, Victoria Shopping Park, Victoria Street, Hednesford, WS12 1BT) – March 2nd, 2023 – 11am to 2pm and then 4pm to 7pm

Click here to find out further information and help us develop a disability and neurodiversity strategy for Staffordshire - Staffordshire County Council

https://www.facebook.com/events/871211383940738/871218017273408/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1244604509482961

Pancakes for the Planet at Perton Library