South Staffordshire Council was named Planning Authority of the Year – West Midlands at a prestigious event in Birmingham.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards, which took place at Millenium Point on Friday (June 30th), named South Staffordshire the winner of the accolade after it was among just two local authorities shortlisted for the award.

South Staffordshire Council was also awarded the Chair's Special Award on the evening for the way its planning team has worked to develop and nurture staff talent.

South Staffordshire Council has marked the 10th anniversary of Strawberry Lane Cemetery.

The special occasion on July 4th saw Councillor Kath Perry MBE, cabinet member for Community Services, plant a maidenhair tree at the Great Wyrley cemetery.

Talking about the ceremony, Cllr Perry said: “It was my absolute pleasure to be able to mark this occasion by planting a commemorative tree.  Our Bereavement team provides a helpful and considerate service to the community - and we will ensure this service is delivered in a dignified and caring way for the next 10 years and many more to come.”

First Homes, a government led policy, was introduced in 2021 as a new affordable housing product.

Designed to be a form of discounted market housing available to first time buyers, we can set local eligibility criteria to ensure First Homes work well in the district.

We are now consulting on local standards for First Homes in South Staffordshire. The consultation runs for 4 weeks, closing at 5pm on July 24th.

The standards are on our online consultation portal where we are inviting comments and feedback.

Or, you can send your comments to housingstrategy@sstaffs.gov.uk 

We are providing a range of sports-based holiday activities and schemes, with discounts on offer to increase opportunities for young people to enjoy sport and fitness.

The summer school holiday runs from Monday, July 24th to Friday, September 1st 2023. 

ASPIRE ACTIVITY CAMPS (5-14 year olds)

To find out more and to book, click here. 

HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES AND FOOD SCHEME (HAF)

• For more information and to register, click here. 
• To book a free activity camp and hot food parcel, click here. 

THE SPACE SCHEME (8-17 year olds)

Thanks to funding from Staffordshire Space Scheme, the leisure centres are providing discounts for young people aged 8-17 year olds.

How to sign up for The Space Scheme:

• Visit your nearest leisure centre and complete the short form on the reverse of a Space Scheme flyer;
• We'll then issue you with a membership card which will be valid for the duration of the summer;
• You can then book your activities at the leisure centre reception and pay as you go. 

For further details click here: School holiday activities South Staffordshire District Council.

A public consultation has begun, which will help shape the future of population and migration statistics.

The consultation covers the Office for National Statistics’ proposals to create a sustainable system for producing essential statistics about the population of England and Wales. This would make these statistics more flexible and responsive to unexpected change.

Moving away from reliance on a census every 10 years, timely administrative data – information that we all provide when we access public services like the tax, benefits, health and education systems – could be at the heart of the new system. This could be complemented by survey data, a wider range of other data sources and statistical modelling.

To complete the online survey, click here.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is inviting interested organisations to register expressions of interest for its Community Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Fund aimed at increasing the number of AEDs in public places

An estimated 1,000 new defibrillators are to be provided by the fund. As part of the grant award, applicants will be asked to demonstrate that defibrillators will be placed in areas where they are most needed, such as places with high footfall, vulnerable people, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site.

Examples could include town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks, to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities.

For further information, click here.

The countdown for the 2023-24 Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism & Good Food Awards is now on, with less than a month to go before the deadline for entries!

This year’s competition, organised by Enjoy Staffordshire in partnership with Staffordshire University and VisitEngland, closes for applications at midnight on Monday 31^st July, with 20 categories including the new Rising Star and Team of the Year awards.

The awards are free to enter, and any attraction, venue, accommodation business, restaurant, pub, café, or farm shop can apply – as long as they are in Staffordshire or Stoke-on-Trent.

They offer an opportunity for businesses to get recognition for their commitment and dedication to providing visitors with a great experience – as well as the chance to progress to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

For further information, click here: Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism & Good Food Awards - Destination Staffordshire

Participation People is conducting an audit to gather the opinions of young people who live in the Midlands and use NHS services. 

The audit findings will be shared with health organisations in Staffordshire to strengthen youth voice and engagement.

The survey will take 10-15 minutes. It is anonymous, and participants have a chance to win one of four £50 prizes: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/nhsmidssurvey

The survey can also be done through an SMS poll. This consists of 12 questions and takes about 15 minutes. Completing all questions entitles participants to a £5 voucher. If any young person expresses interest, please ask them to message: +44 7935 714646.

History is in the making at Kingswood Trust. The outdoor education charity is officially 100 years old this year and celebrating its centenary by inviting dignitaries, community leaders, schools and local businesses to join them for the occasion.

A time capsule will be buried by the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Mr Ian Dudson, with a clear display of instructions for it to be dug up in fifty years’ time.

To mark the occasion the local community and school children have created poems with the help of Wolverhampton’s first Poet Laureate, Emma Pursehouse. Children from Bilston Primary School will recite for invited guests, one of these poems. Guests will gather outside to witness the time capsule being buried in a significant location on the site of Kingswood Trust where a tree will also be planted. The capsule will contain the poems, a copy of the day’s newspaper, a letter from the Head Teacher and a tribute from the volunteers at Kingswood Trust.

After becoming a charity in 2014 it has taken the opportunity to add many family events to its educational offer throughout the year, a busy programme of volunteering activities on a weekly basis and now has several funded projects. Examples of these projects include Nature Connections to help older people living with dementia and Access2Nature to support families in need.

What a fantastic place to have within our district!

For more information about The Kingswood Trust; click here.

You can find out full details of family events and get tickets on Eventbrite www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/kingswood-trust-15880876381