Friday, May 26, 2006
Celebrate National Barbecue Week safely
The sun may not be shining reliably yet but the summer is coming and National Barbecue Week has arrived.
Extra care is needed when food is prepared in the great outdoors as the risk of food poisoning is increased. Undercooked burgers, sausages and chicken can also be a serious health hazard.
So to coincide with National Barbecue Week, which runs from 29 May to 4 June, the Environmental Health team at St Edmundsbury has issued the following advice to people cooking outside. Following these tips will help make sure barbecues taking place this summer are safe as well as fun.
Food safety checklist for barbecues:
· Wash your hands before touching or eating food and after handling raw meat and poultry.
· Make sure all cooking and eating utensils and work surfaces are clean before use.
· Defrost frozen meat and poultry fully before cooking, either in the fridge or microwave.
· Light the barbecue well in advance and make sure you use enough charcoal. Wait until it is glowing red (with a grey surface) before starting to cook.
· Wash salads and raw vegetables well and do not prepare these foods too far in advance. You should keep salads, meats and other perishable food in the fridge until just before you are ready to cook or eat them.
· Keep food still to be cooked away from food which is ready to eat at all times and use different utensils to handle cooked and raw meats.
· Cook poultry, sausages, burgers and chopped or minced meats right through until the juices run clear. Never eat these meats rare.
· If food starts to burn on the outside while it is cooking, raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal by dampening the coals slightly or partially closing air vents.
· Keep serving bowls covered to protect food from dust and insects and eat the food as soon as it is ready.
· Store left-overs in a clean, covered container in the fridge and eat within 48 hours.
For more information, visit the Environmental Health pages of the borough council’s website at www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk
The sun may not be shining reliably yet but the summer is coming and National Barbecue Week has arrived.
Extra care is needed when food is prepared in the great outdoors as the risk of food poisoning is increased. Undercooked burgers, sausages and chicken can also be a serious health hazard.
So to coincide with National Barbecue Week, which runs from 29 May to 4 June, the Environmental Health team at St Edmundsbury has issued the following advice to people cooking outside. Following these tips will help make sure barbecues taking place this summer are safe as well as fun.
Food safety checklist for barbecues:
· Wash your hands before touching or eating food and after handling raw meat and poultry.
· Make sure all cooking and eating utensils and work surfaces are clean before use.
· Defrost frozen meat and poultry fully before cooking, either in the fridge or microwave.
· Light the barbecue well in advance and make sure you use enough charcoal. Wait until it is glowing red (with a grey surface) before starting to cook.
· Wash salads and raw vegetables well and do not prepare these foods too far in advance. You should keep salads, meats and other perishable food in the fridge until just before you are ready to cook or eat them.
· Keep food still to be cooked away from food which is ready to eat at all times and use different utensils to handle cooked and raw meats.
· Cook poultry, sausages, burgers and chopped or minced meats right through until the juices run clear. Never eat these meats rare.
· If food starts to burn on the outside while it is cooking, raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal by dampening the coals slightly or partially closing air vents.
· Keep serving bowls covered to protect food from dust and insects and eat the food as soon as it is ready.
· Store left-overs in a clean, covered container in the fridge and eat within 48 hours.
For more information, visit the Environmental Health pages of the borough council’s website at www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Labour Group Challenge Memorial Testing Policies and Procedures
Councillor Wormleighton, as Leader of the Labour Group.
The Labour Members wish to Call-In the decision of the Cabinet with specific reference to decision 3(a) that ‘the Council pay none of the costs of memorial repairs, excepting those monuments which are listed and require repair and where the deed holder cannot be traced’. The decision is called in for the following reasons: given that the Borough Council has a duty to test the memorials for safety, it was almost inevitable that it would cause distress and in some cases hardship for relatives faced with the cost of repair, which has occurred elsewhere in the country:-
(1) the Cabinet was aware of the Ombudsman’s commendation for Councils ‘to establish hardship funds to assist owners who cannot meet some or all of the repair costs’. This information was contained within Appendix 1 of Report W689 to the Policy Development Committee on 19 April 2006. A financial option (paragraph 4.3.1 (c)) contained within the options considered by the Policy Development Committee included ‘to pay for or contribute to the payment if the deed holder is unable to pay’;
(2) there was a minority report from members of the Policy Development Committee, the first time that this has occurred, indicating constructive dissent by some members to the Committee’s recommendation to Cabinet. The minority recommendation was ‘that assistance be provided to those deed holders who were unable to pay and are in receipt of a means-tested benefit’;
(3) the Cabinet’s failure to acknowledge ‘well-being’ as a factor for relatives in financial hardship;
(4) the consequences of the Cabinet’s decision will be to prolong the length of time that the environment of the cemeteries will be disturbed and further damage the reputation of the Borough Council; and
(5) paragraph 4.3.2 of Report W689 stated that ‘a contingency sum of £20,000 has been set aside for repairs to memorials’, which could accommodate a Hardship Fund should that option be implemented.
Councillor Wormleighton, as Leader of the Labour Group.
The Labour Members wish to Call-In the decision of the Cabinet with specific reference to decision 3(a) that ‘the Council pay none of the costs of memorial repairs, excepting those monuments which are listed and require repair and where the deed holder cannot be traced’. The decision is called in for the following reasons: given that the Borough Council has a duty to test the memorials for safety, it was almost inevitable that it would cause distress and in some cases hardship for relatives faced with the cost of repair, which has occurred elsewhere in the country:-
(1) the Cabinet was aware of the Ombudsman’s commendation for Councils ‘to establish hardship funds to assist owners who cannot meet some or all of the repair costs’. This information was contained within Appendix 1 of Report W689 to the Policy Development Committee on 19 April 2006. A financial option (paragraph 4.3.1 (c)) contained within the options considered by the Policy Development Committee included ‘to pay for or contribute to the payment if the deed holder is unable to pay’;
(2) there was a minority report from members of the Policy Development Committee, the first time that this has occurred, indicating constructive dissent by some members to the Committee’s recommendation to Cabinet. The minority recommendation was ‘that assistance be provided to those deed holders who were unable to pay and are in receipt of a means-tested benefit’;
(3) the Cabinet’s failure to acknowledge ‘well-being’ as a factor for relatives in financial hardship;
(4) the consequences of the Cabinet’s decision will be to prolong the length of time that the environment of the cemeteries will be disturbed and further damage the reputation of the Borough Council; and
(5) paragraph 4.3.2 of Report W689 stated that ‘a contingency sum of £20,000 has been set aside for repairs to memorials’, which could accommodate a Hardship Fund should that option be implemented.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Cleales car park
Work is about to begin on a long-awaited 110-space car park ideally positioned to ease parking problems in the heart of Haverhill town centre.
The Cleales car park will be created between Quakers Lane and the existing Town Hall car park. During construction, the Helions Service Road will be widened, lighting installed and drainage works carried out. A path for pedestrians and cyclists will also stretch across the site.
Cllr Jeff Stevens, Chairman of the Haverhill Area Working Party and Deputy Leader of the Council, said:
“This long-awaited project will help ease parking problems in Haverhill at a site which is perfectly located to provide convenience for people using the town centre. The exciting scheme again shows our commitment to investing in Haverhill and is one of the first in a range of initiatives planned for the town.”
St Edmundsbury is currently carrying out initial work to find out where utility services will go. From 1 June, parking will be banned in the Helions Service Road while the route is widened. Later in June, Quakers Lane will be closed between the Quakers Meeting House and Ex Servicemen’s Club to both pedestrians and vehicles while a sewerage system is installed. The completed car park should open in late October.
The car park will act as an extension to the existing Town Hall car park.
Work is about to begin on a long-awaited 110-space car park ideally positioned to ease parking problems in the heart of Haverhill town centre.
The Cleales car park will be created between Quakers Lane and the existing Town Hall car park. During construction, the Helions Service Road will be widened, lighting installed and drainage works carried out. A path for pedestrians and cyclists will also stretch across the site.
Cllr Jeff Stevens, Chairman of the Haverhill Area Working Party and Deputy Leader of the Council, said:
“This long-awaited project will help ease parking problems in Haverhill at a site which is perfectly located to provide convenience for people using the town centre. The exciting scheme again shows our commitment to investing in Haverhill and is one of the first in a range of initiatives planned for the town.”
St Edmundsbury is currently carrying out initial work to find out where utility services will go. From 1 June, parking will be banned in the Helions Service Road while the route is widened. Later in June, Quakers Lane will be closed between the Quakers Meeting House and Ex Servicemen’s Club to both pedestrians and vehicles while a sewerage system is installed. The completed car park should open in late October.
The car park will act as an extension to the existing Town Hall car park.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
By-election for Kedington ward
St Edmundsbury Borough Council is to hold a by-election in the Kedington ward on Thursday, 15 June.
Nominations must be sent to the Returning Officer by 12 noon on Thursday, 18 May.
Votes can be cast at two polling stations. One will be at the British Legion Hall in Haverhill Road, Kedington and the other will be in Barnardiston. In line with recent changes in the law, the stations will remain open for an extra two hours - meaning electors can now vote between 7am and 10pm.
Applications for postal votes must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, 31 May. People who wish to appoint a proxy have until 5pm on Wednesday, 7 June to apply.
For more information, contact Electoral Services on 01284 757131
St Edmundsbury Borough Council is to hold a by-election in the Kedington ward on Thursday, 15 June.
Nominations must be sent to the Returning Officer by 12 noon on Thursday, 18 May.
Votes can be cast at two polling stations. One will be at the British Legion Hall in Haverhill Road, Kedington and the other will be in Barnardiston. In line with recent changes in the law, the stations will remain open for an extra two hours - meaning electors can now vote between 7am and 10pm.
Applications for postal votes must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, 31 May. People who wish to appoint a proxy have until 5pm on Wednesday, 7 June to apply.
For more information, contact Electoral Services on 01284 757131
Monday, May 08, 2006
Save money and help the environment
Residents keen to save money on their Council Tax and annual heating bills while helping the environment can benefit from a new initiative backed by St Edmundsbury.
The scheme, run by British Gas in partnership with the council, will see anyone who takes up an offer of discounted cavity wall insulation handed a £50 Council Tax credit once work is complete. Insulation can also be provided free of charge to people on qualifying benefits.
The credits and discounts are funded entirely by British Gas at no cost to the council. Residents do not have to be British Gas customers, or heating their homes with gas, to take part.
To qualify for the credit, owner-occupier households must have subsidised cavity wall insulation installed by British Gas in their home. Research has shown around 30% of heat produced in the home is lost through its walls. Although the householder has to invest a minimum of £175* to get the insulation installed (discounted from £430), average annual savings on energy bills are around £110**.
Coupled with the credit of £50, householders could see their investment paid back within eighteen months, with savings on their energy bills continuing after that.
Residents keen to save money on their Council Tax and annual heating bills while helping the environment can benefit from a new initiative backed by St Edmundsbury.
The scheme, run by British Gas in partnership with the council, will see anyone who takes up an offer of discounted cavity wall insulation handed a £50 Council Tax credit once work is complete. Insulation can also be provided free of charge to people on qualifying benefits.
The credits and discounts are funded entirely by British Gas at no cost to the council. Residents do not have to be British Gas customers, or heating their homes with gas, to take part.
To qualify for the credit, owner-occupier households must have subsidised cavity wall insulation installed by British Gas in their home. Research has shown around 30% of heat produced in the home is lost through its walls. Although the householder has to invest a minimum of £175* to get the insulation installed (discounted from £430), average annual savings on energy bills are around £110**.
Coupled with the credit of £50, householders could see their investment paid back within eighteen months, with savings on their energy bills continuing after that.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Volunteers create new features at East Town Park
Volunteers who dedicate hours of their time to improving our prized open spaces have completed an attractive new project in Haverhill.
The group, who meet every Monday at East Town Park, spent the winter clearing scrub before beginning work on a new sunken path. The route, which stretches from Millennium Meadow to Railway Walk, was created using sustainable bark chippings and other locally sourced materials. Rustic post and rail fencing and three sets of steps with handrails were also installed.
Woodland flowers, such as foxgloves, primroses and red campion, have also recently been planted underneath some of the park’s mature conifers to add colour and interest.
Volunteers who dedicate hours of their time to improving our prized open spaces have completed an attractive new project in Haverhill.
The group, who meet every Monday at East Town Park, spent the winter clearing scrub before beginning work on a new sunken path. The route, which stretches from Millennium Meadow to Railway Walk, was created using sustainable bark chippings and other locally sourced materials. Rustic post and rail fencing and three sets of steps with handrails were also installed.
Woodland flowers, such as foxgloves, primroses and red campion, have also recently been planted underneath some of the park’s mature conifers to add colour and interest.
