Archive for category: News

Bulky waste collections to restart

Wychavon is restarting its bulky waste collection service later this month.

From today (Wednesday 9 March) residents with furniture and large appliances to dispose of will be able to book slots for collections through the Wychavon website. The first collection dates available will be from 21 March 2022.

The bulky waste collection service has been unavailable since July last year when it was stopped due to the impact of severe labour shortages in the waste sector nationally on Wychavon’s contractor FCC Environment.

Councils up and down the country have been struggling with a lack of HGV drivers and difficulties attracting people to work in waste services. This has led to disruption to waste and recycling collections, with some councils being forced to stop separate recycling collections.

Wychavon took the decision to suspend bulky waste collections, so staff could be reallocated to protect the emptying of waste and recycling bins.

Wychavon and FCC Environment have been reviewing the situation on a weekly basis and are now confident the bulky waste collection service can be restarted without risking disrupton to waste and recycling collections.

Cllr Emma Stokes, Executive Board Member for Resident and Customer Services on Wychavon District Council, said: “I am grateful to residents for the patience they have shown while we took the necessary step to suspend our bulky waste collections, so we could protect the emptying of waste and recycling bins.

“I understand how inconvenient this has been as I recently bought a new sofa and have had to store it in my back garden while I wait for the service to restart.

“Thankfully the efforts made by FCC Environment are paying off and we are now able to take bookings for bulky waste collections again.

“Unlike some other councils, our crews have continued to empty waste and recycling bins as normal throughout the pandemic, despite the pressures in the labour market and the impact of Covid-19.

“I would like to thank all FCC Environment staff for their hard work, dedication and commitment to our residents.”

Brian Ashby, Head of Municipal Collections and Street Scene for FCC Environment, added: “Throughout the pandemic, FCC Environment has been focused on ensuring the residents of Wychavon continue to receive recycling and waste collection services but due to staffing issues, both in relation to long-term recruitment and Covid-19 absences, we had to be realistic.

“With Covid-19 restrictions lifting in recent weeks we now have flexibility to be able to reinstate those services which we had to withdraw temporarily, but we still need qualified drivers – and indeed loaders – to join our skilled team. So, if you are looking for a rewarding role, please do get in touch with us.”

Qualified individuals looking for a new career as a key worker in the recycling and waste sector, should email .

Wychavon residents are being urged to back a national appeal to help the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war in their country.

The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee is co-ordinating the efforts of 15 agencies to help people who have fled Ukraine or been displaced to other parts of the country, following the invasion by Russia.

All public donations will be doubled by the UK government, up to a total of £20m.

Cllr Bradley Thomas, Leader of Wychavon District Council, said: “All of us have been horrified at the scenes we have been witnessing in Ukraine caused by an unjustified and unprovoked invasion of their country.

“It’s heartening to see how our communities have swung into action to begin raising money and donations of items to support those affected by the conflict. I have asked our officers to work with our voluntary and community sector organisations to support those efforts.

“We also stand ready to do whatever we can to help resettle Ukrainian refugees, should we be asked to do so by the Government.

“I have also asked for the Ukrainian flag to be flown outside the Civic Centre as soon as possible as a token of our support and solidarity for the people of Ukraine.”

Several community groups and businesses are holding fund-raising events and appeals for donations of items to send to refugees. Some of these have been listed at www.wychavon.gov.uk/support-for-Ukraine.

Any other community groups organising events or appeals can add them to the page by emailing

 

 

The Fraud & Scam Bulletin February 2022   Your monthly update from West Mercia Police on the latest Scams and Frauds

ROMANCE FRAUDS Nearly 9,000 victims of dating scams were reported to Police in 2021 and the estimated loss to victims was nearly £100m. More concerning is the fact that this is only the tip of the iceberg, as many victims do not report the scams through embarrassment or shame, or even do not realise that they are victims at all. How does it work? Romance frauds involve a criminal engaging in a romantic relationship with the sole aim of manipulating their target in order to devastate them financially. Fraudsters will use any tactics they can to identify and exploit a victim’s vulnerabilities, hopes and romantic aspirations; engaging in emotional and psychological manipulation long before any financial exploitation takes place. By the time the fraudster asks for money, the grooming process means that the victim is unlikely to recognise their intentions as criminal, and believe that they are in a genuine romantic relationship, despite often not having met their “partner”. Many scammer approaches are happening outside of Dating Sites and Apps as well, including social media, poetry forums and even phoning wrong numbers to engage in conversation. Criminals go to great lengths to use fake profiles in an attempt to build seemingly genuine relationships, before appealing to your compassionate side to ask for money. Warning Signs   Criminals use fake identities to trick you into sending them money Is their profile inconsistent with what they tell you? Have they asked you for money before you’ve met in person? They may claim to be stuck overseas or pretend to need money for a personal or family emergency Take Five before making loans or giving gifts to someone you’ve never met   So beware of romance scams when looking for love online. Check if someone is really who they say they are by reverse image searching their profile picture (possible on the search bar of some image search engines). Sources: NFIB TakeFive   Take Five To Stop Fraud   Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe. Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. Protect: If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.   For further information visit: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/   https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

FREE FRAUD SAFETY WEBINARS   A new source of advice is now available online and is open to any persons interested in enhancing their knowledge, and understanding of the dangers of Fraud in the UK.   Please use the links below to sign up to any of these quarterly sessions.   Follow link to book place on webinar: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/215692711707   Follow link to book place on webinar: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/215697405747

Boundary commission review

New boundaries are being proposed for council wards in Wychavon District Council.

The Local Government Boundary Commission wants to hear what residents and local organisations think about the proposals. A 10-week consultation on the proposals will run until 21 March 2022.

The Commission is the independent body that draws these boundaries. It is reviewing Wychavon to make sure councillors will represent about the same number of electors, and that ward arrangements will help the council work effectively.

The Commission has published proposals for changes to Wychavon. It is proposing that there should be 26 wards, with 1 to 3 councillors per ward. Most wards are changing, four are staying the same. Proposed changes include:

• Creation of a two-councillor Hartlebury & Dodderhill ward, to avoid splitting the village of Cutnall Green between wards.
• Expansion of Harvington & Norton ward in order to ensure good electoral equality.
• The Orchards area moving into an Evesham-based ward, at the suggestion of a local councillor.

• The Commission has a dedicated section on its website where people can see the detail of the proposals and comment on the names of wards and their boundaries.

People can give their views by e-mailing  or write to:

Review Officer (Wychavon), LGBCE, PO Box 133, Blyth NE24 9FE

Have your say on the Wychavon ward boundary changes

Intelligently Green

The current Intelligently Green plan was adopted in July 2020 and covers the period to 2030. It presents an overall vision to lead the Wychavon district to be carbon neutral as quickly as possible and by 2050 at the latest. The plan sets out what we will do during the next ten years to reduce our own emissions and how we will encourage businesses and residents to reduce their emissions. The plan is framed around four priority areas: energy, low carbon travel, natural environment, and policy and resources. Under each priority sits a number of specific actions that will contribute towards carbon reduction. We monitor and report on the plan and produce an annual report at the end of the financial year which states the progress on the five key Intelligently Green targets, including: reducing our own emissions and those of the wider district, growing the size of the low carbon economy, increasing the amount of renewable energy produced in the district and capturing carbon through habitat restoration. The latest annual report can be read here. The annual report also provides details of progress on key projects and workstreams, it includes: Employing dedicated Carbon Reduction and Active Travel officers Attracting significant Government funding to assist with home energy efficiency Supporting business funding programmes to assist with energy efficiency Making the council offices more energy efficient and reducing emissions Planting more than 80 trees planted across our parks and open spaces We have also recently set up the Intelligently Green Challenge which aims to help people create a plan for reducing their own carbon emissions. We are asking people to sign up, calculate their own carbon footprints and choose from a list of carbon reduction actions that they are interested in doing. We will send regular email with tips and advice on different themes to help people along the way.

 

Find out more and take the challenge

Omicron business support funding

All three of the latest Covid-19 Omicron grant application forms are live on the business pages of our website here.  You will find full information about the qualifying criteria for each grant, and guidance on the application process.  Please note that you will not automatically receive a payment as happened with previous COVID schemes, you must apply for this funding

The grants are:

• Additional Restrictions Grant.
• Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant.
• Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF).

Read about the business funding available

Supporting Wychavon’s recovery from Covid-19

We have produced a Covid-19 Recovery Plan to help residents, businesses and communities to rebuild.

Read Wychavon’s Covid-19 Recovery Plan

Planning a village event

If you are planning a village event or a celebration then you may find these hints and tips from our Rural Matters Advisory Panel helpful.

 

How to plan a village event

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

This year mark’s The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a weekend of national celebrations set for 2 to 5 June. We have produced a special edition of this newsletter with information on the various ways you and your communities can get involved. If you’re already holding an event, then let us know by filling in our registration form so we can put it on our website and help to promote it. You can also find advice and information on our Platinum Jubilee web page which will be regularly updated. Read the Wychavon Platinum Jubilee newsletter for parish and town councils Tell us about a Platinum Jubilee event you are holding Visit the Wychavon Platinum Jubilee page

Changes to Wychavon’s Executive Board

Changes have been made to Wychavon’s top team as part of a renewed focus on customer service.

Cllr Bradley Thomas, Leader of Wychavon District Council, announced the changes to the decision-making Executive Board at a recent meeting.

Cllr Emma Stokes takes on a new role with responsibility for resident and customer services which includes waste and recycling collections, street cleaning, car parking and Wychavon’s Customer Contact Centres.

Cllr Martin King takes on responsibility for Wychavon’s finances and corporate projects, while Cllr Richard Morris keeps his role looking after the economy and tourism but will now also be focused on town centre regeneration and master planning.

Cllr Tony Rowley swaps planning for a new climate change, environmental policy and regulatory services role with delivering the actions in Wychavon’s Intelligently Green Plan top of his to do list.

Joining the board is Cllr Aaron Powell who takes charge of planning, infrastructure and urban design with the Review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan a priority.

Cllr Chris Day remains in charge of housing, health and wellbeing and Cllr Rob Adams keep his stronger communities, culture and sport remit.

The changes were prompted by the sudden retirement of Cllr Ron Davis from his role as Executive Board member for finance following a health scare just before Christmas. Cllr Davis remains on the council as a councillor for Eckington.

Land Drainage Enforcement

If you are aware of any issues with flow in ordinary watercourses that you believe may exacerbate flooding to properties in your parish, feel free to discuss with Ian White, our Land Drainage Enforcement Officer who works in Engineering Services.

We work with landowners to maintain proper flow where there might be an increased risk of property flooding (buildings rather than land). We prefer to do this informally where possible, but where it isn’t, we undertake enforcement action using powers under the Land Drainage Act 1991.

This is separate to problems of highway drainage/flooding from roadside gullies for example. If the road is adopted and therefore classed as public highway, enquiries relating to surface water flooding need to be referred to Worcestershire County Council Highways.

It may not also be appropriate to restore proper flow if the obstruction in the watercourse is holding back flood water and helping to alleviate property flooding downstream, as is the case with natural flood management interventions, but if there are any specific areas you believe require attention or if you have any queries regarding maintenance of ordinary watercourses, please contact Ian on 01386 565221 or

South Worcestershire Development Plan Review moves to final draft consultation stage

Progress with the review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) has been delayed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, work on the plan has continued over this time, and the three South Worcestershire Councils of Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon are now gathering the final evidence and formulating the draft version of the local plan. Subject to Council approval the final draft SWDP, or Reg 19 Publication document that identifies sites for housing and jobs, as well as policies for making decisions on planning applications, will be published for six weeks consultation from early July 2022.

The draft SWDP has been informed by responses to the last round of consultation in November 2019, as well as a series of updated evidence documents, including housing and employment requirements. Each of the three councils will take reports to Council meetings over June 2022, although the draft SWDP Review will be in the public realm late May 2022 the publication of papers to Worcester City Council’s Place and Economic Development Committee on the 6 June 2022. Once the consultation on the draft SWDP is complete the intention is to submit the plan and representations made to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in November. Over the course of 2023 the appointed Inspector will oversee the examination and report back on their findings. Once the examination is completed, and the Inspector’s report received, and if the plan is found to be sound, the intention is to adopt the SWDP Review by late 2023

Running in parallel the South Worcestershire Councils are also preparing a Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Policies and Site Allocations Plan. This document will be considered at the same Council meetings as the SWDP and the public consultation will also commence in early July at the same time as the SWDP and this plan sets out policies for making decision on planning applications and allocates sites across the plan area to meet the future identified needs of these communities.

More details on the upcoming consultation will be provided nearer the time to parish and town councils. Should you have any further queries on this please direct them to your ward member or officers in the Policy Plans team at Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon. Tel: 01386 565565; email:

Community Builder Vacancy

Do you enjoy working with people?  Do you want to help build vibrant communities?  Do you want to help find local solutions and empower communities to make a difference for themselves?  Wychavon District Council are looking to recruit a Community Builder.  The initial focus of the role is to research and establish a deep understanding of the area, working with local residents and existing organisations to uncover the key community assets and skills of local residents.

More details on the Community Builder vacancy