WyredIn - News from Wyre Forest District Council - February 2019

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wyred in - news from wyre forest district council

February 2019

Welcome to the latest edition of our online newsletter for residents.

Ebilling promotional material

Get your Council Tax bill emailed to you

We are encouraging residents to switch to email billing. It’s quick and easy to do. Just fill in a short online form and we'll do the rest. You need a valid email address and your council tax account number (you will find this on the top right-hand corner of your paper bill). Receiving your bill by email means it is faster for you as you can see your bill as soon as it is ready. Signing up really helps the council too; it saves us printing and postage costs and saves paper, so it is better for the environment. 

Sign up here

Brinton Park bandstand

Brinton Park- the People’s Park

Please take a few minutes to complete our Brinton Park survey. It is to find out more about how people use Brinton Park and how you would like it to develop.  The survey is part of our project to restore the park for future generations. We have received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund of £217,000 to plan a restoration project at Brinton Park. We’ve also contributed £25,100 towards the project. Key to our success will be our partners in the park, we’re working with 21st WF (Brinton Park) Scouts, Emily Jordan Foundation and Warwickshire and  West Mercia Community Rehabilitation Company.

It’s an ambitious project and aims to reinstate the heritage aspects of the park, improve the use and enjoyment of the park through new facilities and activities. We will be submitting a full application for the funding in February 2020.

Complete the survey

Someone paying by phone

Payments made easy

Our new online payments system is now live. You can pay for many of our services from MOTs to garden work, from council tax to licence renewals – you can even pay the deposit for your wedding venue!   The new system allows you to create your own account and add numerous items to your “shopping basket” – and you only have to input your payment details once, making it quicker and easier for you to make payments. The system keeps track of your payments and you can receive receipts automatically via email.

Register now

Big Energy Switch promotion

Big energy switch – last few days

We have already had hundreds of people sign up for our Big Energy Switch. If you are looking to see if you can save a few pounds on your bills you need to be quick. You need to register by Monday 11 February and within a few weeks you will receive a personalised offer, telling you how much you could save by switching. When you receive the offer, you don’t have to switch, it’s up to you. People who took part last time saved £203 on average a year. Could you be saving too?

Big Energy Switch

Image of council webcast

Be a councillor

Are you interested in making a difference in your local community? This May all 33 seats on Wyre Forest District Council will be up for election and we start our new system of holding our elections every four years, rather than a third of the council being up for election each year. So if you want to be part of the Council, now is the time to find out more about what it involves and how you can stand for election.

Is it for you?

Bewdley Museum

Bewdley Museum reopens

Staff at Bewdley Museum are preparing for another busy year following a record-breaking 2018. The museum will reopen on Saturday 2 March with live music from the Hotsy Totsy jazz band and a children’s entertainer and a new exciting programme of exhibitions, tactile displays and events and attractions across the site, including its own herb garden. The museum’s cafe will also re-open under new management offering a delicious hot and cold menu. Last year a record-breaking 204,000 people visited the museum. But there’s no need to wait until 2 March if you need to buy a stylish gift or souvenir, as the museum shop has reopened today (Monday 4 February).

Museum website

Someone learning to drive a lorry

Fancy a career change?

Are you stuck in a rut at work? If you fancy a career out on the open road, then come and let us train you to become a professional driver. Our fully accredited RTITB registered instructors offer regular driver training courses in our 26 tonne purpose-built training vehicle. Tuition is 1:1 or 2:1 and includes a free pre-course assessment and digital tacho training.

Details and booking

Someone posting a letter

Renew your postal vote

If someone votes by post we have to check the signature on the postal voting statement against the one we hold on file. Signatures can change over time or due to health reasons so it’s really important that the one we hold is an accurate representation.  That’s why we are carrying out a postal vote refresh. Around 3,500 postal voters in the district will have received letters asking them to provide their signature. They have been sent to postal voters whose signatures we hold are more than five years old. There is a form to sign and return in a pre-paid envelope. If you don’t receive a letter you don’t need to refresh your signature this year.  Signed forms should be returned as soon as possible but by Wednesday 13 February at the latest.

More information