Don’t forget to register to vote for elections this year.

You must be registered by midnight on April 16th to be able to vote on May 2nd.  

You can apply online at Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Working at a polling station or unable to get to the polling station on polling day?

Apply for postal vote by 5pm on April 17th online at Apply for a postal vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or proxy vote by 5pm, April 24th at Apply for a proxy vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you are planning to vote in a polling station, remember you need to bring Photo ID to vote. If you don’t have any photo ID don’t worry you, can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate online at Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If you have any questions about voting please speak to a member of the elections team.

South Staffordshire Council recently organised, in partnership with the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Skills Hub and the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub and successfully hosted the highly anticipated Business Partnership Networking Event – inspiring tomorrows workforce.

The event, held at the picturesque Weston Park, proved to be a resounding success with a sold-out crowd of industry professionals and educators.

Following the values of our Business Partnership; the event aimed to bridge the gap between local businesses and the future workforce, providing a platform for meaningful connections and insightful discussions. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with influential leaders, industry experts and innovators, gaining valuable knowledge into various careers paths.

The Business Partnership unites businesses and public sector partners to network, share knowledge and best practice.

Featuring an impressive line up of speakers, who shared their experiences, providing inspiration and guidance to the next generation of professionals and how we can implement this as business providers. The event also included a mini market, which provided an open network for all guests to get further guidance on potential employees, to discuss career prospects and establish valuable connections.

Click here to watch the full video.

As South Staffordshire Council continue to support growth and development of the local business community, be sure to keep up to date with our latest events by joining our Business Partnership.

To find out more about joining our Business Partnership, please email: businesspartnership@sstaffs.gov.uk. 

Leisure centre users can now sign up and enjoy savings of up to 10% off on individual activities. Non-members can sign up at their nearest leisure centre at a nominal cost of just £5 for an adult and £2.50 per child with savings then available for an entire year.

For full details, click here.

If you are aged 16 years+, why not train to become a pool lifeguard.  Penkridge Leisure Centre is holding a week-long training course during May half term.

National Pool Lifeguard Qualification: Penkridge Leisure Centre, May 27th – June 1st , 9am-5.30pm

The cost of the course is £280 (£100 deposit required on booking).

For more information go to https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/sports-and-fitness/training-and-courses

To check availability and book onto the course, email trainingacademy@sstaffs.gov.uk

Funded Local Training Available:  See if you’re eligible for funded training - call 01902 696228 or email peopleandskills@sstaffs.gov.uk

Hello, I’m Tim Norbury, your Local Policing Commander for South Staffordshire.

I have been within the Police service for 15 years and have experienced a multitude of differing roles at various ranks, in a number of different locations across Staffordshire. The opportunities I have enjoyed have provided me with experience and skills that I believe will be of benefit to South Staffordshire.

I am very passionate about Policing and my ambition is to improve in all areas of our business.

My current priorities for South Staffordshire are:

• Reducing violence and protecting vulnerable people within our communities
• Preventing the theft of motor vehicles and bringing offenders to justice.
• Maintaining excellent standards of investigation and victim care.

These priorities are identified from early discussions I have held with partners, community representatives and our community safety partnership, all of whom have been extremely welcoming and are keen to continue working with our service so that we can collectively provide an outstanding service to the general public of South Staffordshire.

I have already been out and about in many of the parishes in South Staffordshire and will be attending various events over the coming weeks and months. If you see me ‘out and about’ don’t be shy and feel free to say hello or have a conversation about concerns or good news in your area.

I will continue to keep you informed and will hopefully see some of you soon.

On Monday, April 9th and Tuesday, April 10th Bilbrook Green Group carried out an anti-idle campaign outside of Lane Green Primary School between 2.30pm and 3.30pm each day. 

The council's lead officer in air quality, Wendy Green, joined them on Tuesday to see how things were going.  Several people were there to support the campaign ranging from volunteers, parents, PCSO’s and local Councillors Gary Burnett and Fiona Hopkins.

Monday was clearly a success as by Tuesday the group went from having to ask 15 car drivers to switch off their engines to 5.  In addition, there were no dangerously parked cars that had to be moved on by the PCSO’s on Tuesday.

The air quality throughout the district of South Staffordshire is of a good quality.  However, there is always room for improvement and campaigns such as these really help focus the public attention on simple things that can be done to help everyone. 

If you would like to know more about the benefits of anti-idling and the legislation in place to support it, click here.

Staffordshire Library services have updated their mobile library route.

For fortnightly dates to Shareshill, Featherstone, Pattingham, Essington and Coven, click here Route 7 (Week 2- Tuesday) - Staffordshire County Council

For fortnightly visits to Wheaton Aston, click here Route 1 (Week 1- Monday) - Staffordshire County Council