Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Crucial Crew comes to Haverhill
Nearly 1000 children will learn how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations when they take part in this year’s St Edmundsbury’s Crucial Crew initiative, which is being held in Haverhill for the first time.
Students aged 10 and 11 from schools across the borough will attend the Crucial Crew sessions at Samuel Ward Upper School, facing challenging scenarios ranging from fire and hazards in the home to road safety or antisocial behaviour.
Kicking off on Tuesday 5 July, the programme uses role play settings to raise awareness of
personal safety. The realistic scenarios are staffed by experts who show children how to deal
with potentially dangerous situations to protect both themselves and others. This year the
scenarios will be put together by the Police, Fire Service, Risky Rubbish (substance misuse),
EDF Energy, the Red Cross, Local Health Partnership, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and
Suffolk County Council.
Nearly 1000 children will learn how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations when they take part in this year’s St Edmundsbury’s Crucial Crew initiative, which is being held in Haverhill for the first time.
Students aged 10 and 11 from schools across the borough will attend the Crucial Crew sessions at Samuel Ward Upper School, facing challenging scenarios ranging from fire and hazards in the home to road safety or antisocial behaviour.
Kicking off on Tuesday 5 July, the programme uses role play settings to raise awareness of
personal safety. The realistic scenarios are staffed by experts who show children how to deal
with potentially dangerous situations to protect both themselves and others. This year the
scenarios will be put together by the Police, Fire Service, Risky Rubbish (substance misuse),
EDF Energy, the Red Cross, Local Health Partnership, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and
Suffolk County Council.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Recycling - the facts . . . £10 administration fee, enforcement and
THANK YOU TO 92% OF OUR POPULATION!
Cabinet members will hear tomorrow (22 June) that the overwhelming majority of the Borough's residents - 92% - are correctly sorting out their rubbish for recycling. But action needs to be taken to help the minority understand the need to use each bin properly - otherwise hundreds of tonnes of rubbish could end up in landfill, at a cost to the Council Tax payer.
Cabinet will be looking at recommendations from the Policy Development Committee which recently recommended getting tougher with those who deliberately choose to contaminate their blue bins with waste that cannot be recycled. The occasional wrong item in the blue bin doesn't cause a problem, they can simply be picked out.
But contamination such as dogs' mess or dirty nappies means the whole recycling process grinds to a halt while everything is hand-cleaned. And to make sure that such potential contamination is spotted at source - before it gets into the recycling system - people are being asked to ensure all the rubbish in their blue bins is unwrapped. This also helps to speed up the process, because everything has to be taken out of carrier bags or bin liners before it can be sorted into the different piles - metal, paper, plastic and so on.
Members of St Edmundsbury's waste management team will visit people who have a problem recycling to help them understand the need for it and explain what goes into which bin. If they still continue to refuse to use the correct bins the council can take enforcement action (which could include taking them to court).
Contaminated bins - or blue bins that have wrapped rubbish inside which could be hiding contamination - will not be collected unless the householder removes the contamination. If they then want to have their bins emptied before the next scheduled collection they can choose to pay a £10 administration charge for a refuse freighter to be sent out again.
As some people have said they don't have enough room in their blue bins Cabinet is being asked to agree that extra sacks could be made available, for a nominal 10p each - which covers the cost of the sack and also supports local shopkeepers by giving them the chance to make a small profit.
And because by law we have to cut the amount of biodegradable rubbish going into landfill - we get fined if we send too much to be buried - we are reminding people to use their brown bins for garden and uncooked green kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings. The black bin is still available for such waste if people do not have a brown bin or sack.
Cabinet member for Environment, Cllr Jeremy Farthing said:
"I have to thank the overwhelming majority of people in our borough who conscientiously take the time to recycle as much of their rubbish as possible and use their bins correctly. If we don't get that message across to everyone else then that tiny minority could be responsible for hiking up the Council Tax for everyone as we will all have to pay the cost of having our refuse freighters turned back."
THANK YOU TO 92% OF OUR POPULATION!
Cabinet members will hear tomorrow (22 June) that the overwhelming majority of the Borough's residents - 92% - are correctly sorting out their rubbish for recycling. But action needs to be taken to help the minority understand the need to use each bin properly - otherwise hundreds of tonnes of rubbish could end up in landfill, at a cost to the Council Tax payer.
Cabinet will be looking at recommendations from the Policy Development Committee which recently recommended getting tougher with those who deliberately choose to contaminate their blue bins with waste that cannot be recycled. The occasional wrong item in the blue bin doesn't cause a problem, they can simply be picked out.
But contamination such as dogs' mess or dirty nappies means the whole recycling process grinds to a halt while everything is hand-cleaned. And to make sure that such potential contamination is spotted at source - before it gets into the recycling system - people are being asked to ensure all the rubbish in their blue bins is unwrapped. This also helps to speed up the process, because everything has to be taken out of carrier bags or bin liners before it can be sorted into the different piles - metal, paper, plastic and so on.
Members of St Edmundsbury's waste management team will visit people who have a problem recycling to help them understand the need for it and explain what goes into which bin. If they still continue to refuse to use the correct bins the council can take enforcement action (which could include taking them to court).
Contaminated bins - or blue bins that have wrapped rubbish inside which could be hiding contamination - will not be collected unless the householder removes the contamination. If they then want to have their bins emptied before the next scheduled collection they can choose to pay a £10 administration charge for a refuse freighter to be sent out again.
As some people have said they don't have enough room in their blue bins Cabinet is being asked to agree that extra sacks could be made available, for a nominal 10p each - which covers the cost of the sack and also supports local shopkeepers by giving them the chance to make a small profit.
And because by law we have to cut the amount of biodegradable rubbish going into landfill - we get fined if we send too much to be buried - we are reminding people to use their brown bins for garden and uncooked green kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings. The black bin is still available for such waste if people do not have a brown bin or sack.
Cabinet member for Environment, Cllr Jeremy Farthing said:
"I have to thank the overwhelming majority of people in our borough who conscientiously take the time to recycle as much of their rubbish as possible and use their bins correctly. If we don't get that message across to everyone else then that tiny minority could be responsible for hiking up the Council Tax for everyone as we will all have to pay the cost of having our refuse freighters turned back."
Thursday, June 23, 2005
New CCTV cameras are up and running
New digital Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras have now been installed throughout the borough making it easier to keep a check on potential trouble areas.
St Edmundsbury has spent £258,583 on replacing the whole CCTV system in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill (the money has not come from Council Tax but comes from a special account funded by income from car parking fees over a number of years). Digital cameras, although less obtrusive in design, provide higher quality pictures, records of incidents can be found much more quickly than on video, images can be reviewed immediately by police so action can be taken more quickly (police can also monitor the cameras themselves) and the images are also easier to show in court as evidence. The cameras can also be used to help with traffic management.
Cllr Frank Warby, Cabinet member for Housing Health and Crime, said:
"As a Cabinet one of our priorities is tackling crime and disorder and this substantial investment in CCTV shows our commitment to delivering on our promises. Although we live in an area with the lowest crime rate in the country, people feel safer with CCTV cameras in place and this new system is operationally much faster and more efficient than before. This means trouble can be tackled more quickly and the new cameras will also add an effective deterrent in more areas."
New digital Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras have now been installed throughout the borough making it easier to keep a check on potential trouble areas.
St Edmundsbury has spent £258,583 on replacing the whole CCTV system in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill (the money has not come from Council Tax but comes from a special account funded by income from car parking fees over a number of years). Digital cameras, although less obtrusive in design, provide higher quality pictures, records of incidents can be found much more quickly than on video, images can be reviewed immediately by police so action can be taken more quickly (police can also monitor the cameras themselves) and the images are also easier to show in court as evidence. The cameras can also be used to help with traffic management.
Cllr Frank Warby, Cabinet member for Housing Health and Crime, said:
"As a Cabinet one of our priorities is tackling crime and disorder and this substantial investment in CCTV shows our commitment to delivering on our promises. Although we live in an area with the lowest crime rate in the country, people feel safer with CCTV cameras in place and this new system is operationally much faster and more efficient than before. This means trouble can be tackled more quickly and the new cameras will also add an effective deterrent in more areas."
The 48 old CCTV cameras have already been replaced and cameras in seven new locations are due to come online within a couple of months. These will be at:
Lawson Place, Moreton Hall
Stamford Court shopping precinct, Bury St Edmunds
behind Chalkstone Community Centre, Haverhill
junction of Risbygate Street and St Andrews Street North, Bury St Edmunds
junction of Tayfen Road and Station Hill, Bury St Edmunds
Christmas Maltings, Camps Road, Haverhill
Eastgate Street, Bury St Edmunds
The current analogue system was installed in 1995
With the new cameras there will be 55 cameras and one mobile camera in the borough.
They are all monitored from the CCTV control room in Bury St Edmunds.- The system has one operator during the day and two at peak times, late evenings and weekends.
The location of cameras reflects the fact that Haverhill has a lower crime rate than Bury St Edmunds.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
The formality of the council chamber will be swapped for a marquee at an air display in August when St Edmundsbury's councillors meet to award the Freedom of the Borough to veterans who served in the British and Commonwealth forces during World War II.
The Rougham Air Display, on Sunday 21 August, will be the stage for the ceremonial event which will see the honorary Freedom given to all those fought for freedom and who now live in the borough. The award recognises the contribution the veterans made from 1939 to 1945 and is one of several events taking place to commemorate the war's 60th anniversary.
After the special council meeting, which will take place during the morning, veterans will be able to enjoy their own hospitality area and the entertainments the air display offers. Among them will be a display of historic and classic aircraft, including those flown by the Battle of Britain heroes, the Hurricane and Spitfire. St Edmundsbury's Mayor, Cllr Stefan Oliver, will be taking a look at the Hurricane that will be coming to the air display when he visits the Imperial War Museum at Duxford on Monday (27 June). For more information contact Howard Cook, Community Projects Officer, on 01284 757097, email howard.cook@stedsbc.gov.uk
The Rougham Air Display, on Sunday 21 August, will be the stage for the ceremonial event which will see the honorary Freedom given to all those fought for freedom and who now live in the borough. The award recognises the contribution the veterans made from 1939 to 1945 and is one of several events taking place to commemorate the war's 60th anniversary.
After the special council meeting, which will take place during the morning, veterans will be able to enjoy their own hospitality area and the entertainments the air display offers. Among them will be a display of historic and classic aircraft, including those flown by the Battle of Britain heroes, the Hurricane and Spitfire. St Edmundsbury's Mayor, Cllr Stefan Oliver, will be taking a look at the Hurricane that will be coming to the air display when he visits the Imperial War Museum at Duxford on Monday (27 June). For more information contact Howard Cook, Community Projects Officer, on 01284 757097, email howard.cook@stedsbc.gov.uk
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Protecting our bee orchids in Haverhill
If you've spotted a few verges in Haverhill that haven't been cut this spring, chances are they've been left alone for a reason: to protect the beautiful bee orchid.
The bee orchid is a scarce local plant so named because its flower looks like it has a bee disappearing into it. The plants are very transient as their seeds are fine like dust, so they blow in the wind and their settling sites can vary. That means we have good years and bad years but Haverhill may be one of the best areas in Suffolk to see them because they like the poor chalky soil. It takes four to five years for these delicate plants to eventually flower but when they do they can look spectacular. The plants can range from about 6 inches tall to almost two feet with the largest ones having up to a dozen pinky-purple flowers up the stalk.
Robin Crowther, Parks Operations Manager at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, says:
"This is just one example of our Parks and Landscape teams working together for the good of the environment. We don't just ruthlessly go ahead and mow down everything in sight when we are cutting the grass. We are sensitive to the areas we maintain so if we see anything that looks interesting we call the rangers in to have a look and then vary our grass cutting accordingly.
Simply by allowing the plants to flower and seed before we tidy the area up again we are helping promote biodiversity in our borough and keeping it an interesting an attractive place for people to live and visit."
If you've spotted a few verges in Haverhill that haven't been cut this spring, chances are they've been left alone for a reason: to protect the beautiful bee orchid.
The bee orchid is a scarce local plant so named because its flower looks like it has a bee disappearing into it. The plants are very transient as their seeds are fine like dust, so they blow in the wind and their settling sites can vary. That means we have good years and bad years but Haverhill may be one of the best areas in Suffolk to see them because they like the poor chalky soil. It takes four to five years for these delicate plants to eventually flower but when they do they can look spectacular. The plants can range from about 6 inches tall to almost two feet with the largest ones having up to a dozen pinky-purple flowers up the stalk.
Robin Crowther, Parks Operations Manager at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, says:
"This is just one example of our Parks and Landscape teams working together for the good of the environment. We don't just ruthlessly go ahead and mow down everything in sight when we are cutting the grass. We are sensitive to the areas we maintain so if we see anything that looks interesting we call the rangers in to have a look and then vary our grass cutting accordingly.
Simply by allowing the plants to flower and seed before we tidy the area up again we are helping promote biodiversity in our borough and keeping it an interesting an attractive place for people to live and visit."
Friday, June 17, 2005
Club night and summer fun for under 18s
Young people in the Haverhill area under the age of 18 have the chance to enjoy a club night just for them at The Hangar on Friday (24 June) from 8-11pm.
Admission costs £4 - tickets are available on the door - and there's a free cloakroom. As it's specifically for under 18s, it will be an alcohol, drugs and nicotine-free event.
Two more under 18s events have been lined up as well - there are summer dance nights planned for 29 July and 26 August, also at The Hangar (at the Community Education Centre, next to the library in Camps Road.
The events have been organised in partnership by St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Community Education.
Young people in the Haverhill area under the age of 18 have the chance to enjoy a club night just for them at The Hangar on Friday (24 June) from 8-11pm.
Admission costs £4 - tickets are available on the door - and there's a free cloakroom. As it's specifically for under 18s, it will be an alcohol, drugs and nicotine-free event.
Two more under 18s events have been lined up as well - there are summer dance nights planned for 29 July and 26 August, also at The Hangar (at the Community Education Centre, next to the library in Camps Road.
The events have been organised in partnership by St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Community Education.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Taking football into the future in Haverhill
Cabinet is being asked to agree a funding package of £1.5 million at its meeting in June to help create a brand new £2 million community football facility in Haverhill. In a report to Cabinet on 22 June members are asked to approve the £1.5 million, with the remaining amount coming from football funding organisations.
The Haverhill Football Community Project would see the construction of pitches, including a senior team pitch, spectator stand, club house, function, meeting and changing rooms, which could be used by a wide range of football groups from junior through to senior teams for men and women. The brand new facility would be built at either Chalkstone or Puddlebrook and would see Haverhill Rovers Football Club relocating from their present home at Hamlet Croft to the new community football site.
St Edmundsbury has been working with a range of partners to get the project off the ground, including the Football Foundation, local football clubs and Haverhill Town Council. Discussions are being held with a number of football groups in Haverhill in order to look at the best possible site for the scheme. Currently Chalkstone is the preferred site as it has strong links with the community sports facility being developed at Samuel Ward Upper School, which the council has helped to fund.
Portfolio Holder of Arts, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Andrew Varley, said:
“This is an exciting project that promises to make a huge difference to community football facilities in Haverhill and demonstrates our continuing commitment to develop the town.”
If Cabinet agree to the funding it will go to full Council for the final decision in June.
Cabinet is being asked to agree a funding package of £1.5 million at its meeting in June to help create a brand new £2 million community football facility in Haverhill. In a report to Cabinet on 22 June members are asked to approve the £1.5 million, with the remaining amount coming from football funding organisations.
The Haverhill Football Community Project would see the construction of pitches, including a senior team pitch, spectator stand, club house, function, meeting and changing rooms, which could be used by a wide range of football groups from junior through to senior teams for men and women. The brand new facility would be built at either Chalkstone or Puddlebrook and would see Haverhill Rovers Football Club relocating from their present home at Hamlet Croft to the new community football site.
St Edmundsbury has been working with a range of partners to get the project off the ground, including the Football Foundation, local football clubs and Haverhill Town Council. Discussions are being held with a number of football groups in Haverhill in order to look at the best possible site for the scheme. Currently Chalkstone is the preferred site as it has strong links with the community sports facility being developed at Samuel Ward Upper School, which the council has helped to fund.
Portfolio Holder of Arts, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Andrew Varley, said:
“This is an exciting project that promises to make a huge difference to community football facilities in Haverhill and demonstrates our continuing commitment to develop the town.”
If Cabinet agree to the funding it will go to full Council for the final decision in June.
