www.southglos.gov.uk March 2020 Supporting our children’s mental health Free swimming for pregnant women Investment in our highways Enjoy the great outdoors  INSIDE South Gloucestershirewww.southglos.gov.uk2 Contents Contacting the council You can contact us online at  www.southglos.gov.uk/ contact You can report a range of issues online from abandoned vehicles to fallen trees at  www.southglos.gov.uk/ reportit Alternatively, our contact centres are open during office hours. You can call us on  01454 868009 or visit our One Stop Shops in  Yate, Patchway and Kingswood For news  follow us on Twitter @sgloscouncil  like us on Facebook www.southglos.gov.uk/ facebook For the latest news, visit and subscribe to the South Gloucestershire Newsroom  www.southglos.gov.uk/ newsroom If you would like this document in another format please contact 01454 868009 4 11 13 4 Supporting our children’s mental health 5 Reuse and recycle 5 Remembering VE day in South Gloucestershire 6 Grants available for community projects 6 SEND Local Offer 7 Loving our high streets 10 Investment in our highways 11 Free swimming for pregnant women at Active Centres 11 Spring Clean 2020 12 Improving our environment 12 Enjoy the great outdoors! 13 Education Awards 14 Improve your health & wellbeing 14 Volunteering 15 Welcome to South Gloucestershire This publication has been printed on sustainable paper using vegetable based inks. The printer has ISO14001 environmental accreditation.www.southglos.gov.uk3 syoumightexpect,attheheartofourbudgetistheclimateemergencyaswetakeimportantfirststeps inour10-yearjourneytobecomecarbonneutral.Weareinvestingnearly£8msupportingworkto encouragegreenschools,greencommunitiesandgreentransportaswellasbolsteringourenvironmental enforcementteamtokeepourstreetscleanandgreen.Youcanreadfurtheroninthisnewsletteraboutour successfulTreeWeekearlierthisyearandourambitiontodoubleourtreecoverby2030. Our highest ever level of investment in South Gloucestershire schools continues as we deliver a £78m programme of new and improved school buildings. The focus for this year includes an expansion and new site for Frenchay Church of England Primary School; expansion of New Horizons Learning Centre special school to provide additional places for children with social, emotional and mental health needs, and several significant maintenance projects. To support our most vulnerable residents, we are recruiting additional social workers, to improve the service for residents and reduce our dependency on agencies. Also, providing additional funding to care for those leaving hospital, so our residents can come home knowing they will be supported by us, and reducing the demand on our colleagues in the NHS. Regeneration of our local high streets is another top priority and you can read more on page 7 about all the great work in progress in Kingswood which we are looking to expand to other high streets, with the aim of boosting our local economy, thanks to funding from WECA. Residents and commuters will be aware of the significant investment we are making to improve our highways and make sustainable travel choices a more attractive option as well as future proofing our roads to keep South Gloucestershire moving. We appreciate your patience while the road works are in place. And finally, I am delighted that we are able to support the 75th anniversary of VE day with a special grant for local voluntary groups and town and parish councils to help fund celebrations, bringing the community together and commemorating this special day. All of this has once again been achieved whilst delivering a balanced budget, investing in a better future and continuing to deliver value for money. Welcome to the latest edition of South Gloucestershire News. I am pleased to inform you that in February, we agreed the council budget for the year ahead with a continued commitment to invest your council tax wisely and fairly and to ensure we are always delivering good value for money services for you. For a typical Band D council tax, the South Gloucestershire Council charge is £1543.37* which will be invested in the following services: £657.32 Adult social care £283.53 Children and young people (excluding schools) £233.65 Central support, welfare and property costs £129.13 Waste collection and disposal £112.78 StreetCare and transport £50.05 Capital financing / interest £36.99 Safe and strong communities £31.53 Other environment, community and people services £8.39 Public health *Note this excludes the Police, Fire and Parish Council charges. Councillor Toby Savage – Leader of South Gloucestershire Council A Value for moneywww.southglos.gov.uk4 Education Supporting our children’s mental health avinggoodemotionalwellbeing andmentalhealthcanplayabig partinhelpingchildrentohave thebeststartinlife-whichis whyit’soneoftheprioritiesofour“Mental WellbeingAwardforSchools”scheme. As part of this initiative, we have been working with schools to help them provide a whole school approach to improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of students, staff, parents and carers. Three schools in South Gloucestershire have achieved this award so far, Longwell Green Primary School, New Horizons Learning Centre and Sir Bernard Lovell Academy. In addition, South Gloucestershire libraries have launched the ‘Reading Well’ programme, which is a national book on prescription scheme that provides helpful reading to support children’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. One of the priorities of our “Mental Wellbeing Award for Schools” scheme. Cabinet Member for Public Health Cllr Ben Stokes with students at Sir Bernard Lovell Academy All of the books are available from South Gloucestershire libraries and can be reserved at  www.librarieswest.org.uk Find your nearest library at  www.southglos.gov.uk/libraries If you would like to know more about the emotional wellbeing and mental health advice and support available for children and young people in South Gloucestershire, please visit  www.mindyou.org.uk H New Horizons Learning Centrewww.southglos.gov.uk5 Communities Reuse and recycle fyou’replanningaspringde-clutter,reusingandrecyclingwill helptopreventyourunwanteditemsgoingtowaste.Reusing itemslikeclothes,books,DVDs,CDs,furniture,toolsandtoys keepstheminuseforlonger,savingenergyandreducingwaste. Every year, an estimated 300,000 tonnes of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK, so think before you throw away reusable items and look at: • donating them to charity shops • giving them away to friends and family or places like Freecycle • selling them online or at a car boot sale • taking them to the Sort It recycling centres, where they’ll be sorted and then sold in our Revive reuse shop at the Thornbury Sort It centre. Recycling materials such as metal, plastic and paper, saves energy and raw materials. You can recycle many items through your recycling collection at home; the Sort It recycling centres and recycling schemes at supermarkets and other organisations. Terracycle arrange collection points specifically for items that can’t be included in council recycling schemes, such as pet food pouches, cosmetics packaging, contact lenses, water filters, dental products and crisp packets. Find out more at  www.terracycle.com Don’t forget if you are planning a trip to one of our Sort It recycling centres, you need to register first, or if you have registered but changed you vehicle, you need to let us know at  www.southglos. gov.uk/recycling It will also help if you can sort your items into groups of recyclable, reusable and waste items before you go to speed up your trip and recycle more. If you are clearing out your garden, don’t forget you can subscribe to our garden waste collection service for £30 per annum (or £15 if you meet certain criteria) at  www.southglos.gov.uk/ gardenwaste Cllr Rachael Hunt, Cabinet Member for Communities Remembering VE day in South Gloucestershire n8May2020,itwillbe 75yearssincetheguns fellsilentattheend of the war in Europe. Tocommemoratethisimportant date,weareprovidingfundingto voluntary,communityandsocial enterprise(VCSE)organisationsand townandparishcouncilstohelp themholdlocalcelebrations. The anniversary marks a key moment in our country’s history and there is a range of events planned that will not only remember the veterans who served during the Second World War, but will also help educate the younger generation. For more information about VE day events in South Gloucestershire visit  www.southglos.gov.uk/VEday O IMember Awarded Funding available for community projects reyoualocalgroupplanningactivitiesor initiativesforthebenefitofyourSouth Gloucestershirecommunity?Couldyoudowith someadditionalfunding?Iftheanswerisyes, thenyoucouldapplyforourMemberAwardedFunding (MAF)scheme. Each of our councillors has a MAF budget of £3,000 which they can award to community groups for projects that will benefit residents in their ward. Depending on the project, councillors can also come together to work across ward boundaries to offer greater funding. So far this year, councillors have already contributed funding to the ‘Men in sheds’ project; a youth hub and a lunch club for elderly people. Any local voluntary community group, social enterprise organisation, or town/parish council can apply for funding for projects, events and services that will benefit the residents of South Gloucestershire. If you have an idea for, or are planning an event, activity or service that will benefit your local community, please contact your councillor to discuss your plans and to request an application form. If you are unsure who your local councillor is, you can find all our councillors and contact details here:  www.southglos.gov.uk/councillors For advice, support or to register for the scheme contact our Grants Team by emailing  grants@southglos.gov.uk or calling  01454 865865. For more information see  www.southglos/MAF SEND Local Offer – Information on help and support for families of young people up to the age of 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. aveyouheardaboutournewSEND LocalOfferinSouthGloucestershire? Thecouncilhasrecentlylaunched ahelpfulnewwebsitetogive parentsandcarersofyoungpeoplewithspecial educationalneedsanddisabilitieseasyaccessto information about: • early years and childcare • education and learning • advice and support for parents • health and social care • how to support a young person preparing for adulthood. The website is designed to help you understand and navigate the system of help and support available for young people with SEND and their families. It has been produced working closely with our health and partners including local parents and carers and provides the latest updates on services, consultations and support for children with SEND and how you can get involved.  www.southglos.gov.uk/SENDlocaloffer also includes lots of information about non-council services, including independent groups and organisations who provide services and support. We would like to encourage any local organisations who run activities, or provide services or support for children and families with SEND to email  CAHIAG@southglos.gov.uk to register their details so we can include them in the Local Offer. Our website has been carefully designed thanks to in depth user engagement and testing, but just like our SEND Local Offer, it is a continuous work in progress, and we are always looking to improve. If you find the online resources helpful or would like to see something more or different, please let us have your comments and ideas through the Have Your Say section on the website. www.southglos.gov.uk6 Education Alison Ford, Head of Children & Maternity (NHS); Hilary Smith, Head of Education, Learning & Skills; Cllr Erica Williams, Cabinet Member for Schools H Awww.southglos.gov.uk7 Economy L  ving our high streets earedelightedthat Kingswoodhasbeen namedasoneof50high streetstogothroughto thenextroundofbiddingforthe Government’sFutureHighStreets Fund(FHSF).Ifsuccessful,wewill usethisadditionalfundingtofurther developthe‘LoveourHighStreets’ projectwehaverecentlystarted withtheWestofEnglandCombined Authority(WECA). One of our master planning priorities is the restoration of the Whitfield Tabernacle and WECA recently approved funding of £682,000 for works to reinstate the structural stability, stabilise key features, re-roof the building and provide services that will enable the building to be re-opened to the public. Urgent work has been commissioned and a Listed Building application is being prepared. The Whitfield Tabernacle Trust is proposing to create a performing arts centre at the historic venue and this injection of funding will enable the first events and productions to take place. Achieving full restoration and community use will be a feature of the FHSF bid and will complement the conversion of the Masters Church into 19 flats and transferring the graveyard to create a new public park. The ‘Love our High Streets’ funding has enabled us to purchase an Ecosweeper for Kingswood High Street as well as solar compaction bins. Promoting and providing access to green space is another key objective of our master plan approach and £20,000 of funding has been invested in developing improvements and activity options for Kingswood Park and the preparation of a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. This is only the start of the work in our high streets, we have an additional £400,000 to expand this successful project to other high streets in South Gloucestershire. For more information visit  www.southglos.gov.uk/ loveourhighstreets Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council; Russell Bird, StreetCare operative and Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor Let us know what you think of South Gloucestershire News If you have a spare five minutes, please feedback your thoughts on this newsletter to help us provide the news you would like to read about. You will find a short online survey at:  www.southglos.gov.uk/ SGnewslettersurvey If you would prefer a paper copy please visit one of our libraries or call our contact centre on  01454 868009. WFuture Bright offers free career coaching, training and support to progress at work and increase your pay. We’ve helped local people secure promotion, develop new skills and increase their income by around £400 per month. What is Future Bright? This FREE service can help you with: l Advice and support: a dedicated coach will help you create a personalised action plan to reach your goals. l Developing skills: with help to access support and training, and look at ways to get more from your current role. l Personal budgets: to help you pay for the training and equipment you need to progress. All conversations are free, confidential and fit around your current commitments. The service is managed by the West of England Combined Authority and delivered by your local council. Who is it for? Future Bright is for residents in the West of England (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire), aged 19 and over who are in paid work and receive benefits or tax credits. Take your next step today! Visit www.futurebright.org.uk to sign up for an initial, informal chat.98% of participants would recommend Future Bright We’ve worked with over 1,000 local people to improve their careers and increase their incomes. Here’s what three Future Bright participants from South Gloucestershire say: “The support I’ve received from my career coach has been huge. It has boosted my confidence and helped me to take steps to improve my career – I finally feel like a role model for my son.” Katie, Kingswood “There were things I wanted to do with my life, but I found it hard to believe in myself. With the support of Future Bright and my coach, I’ve gained more confidence.” Sean, South Gloucestershire “My career coach Charlie has been awesome. She’s so supportive and has helped me to overcome my fears and work towards my goals.” Nicola, South GloucestershireNext >

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