News from the November Parish Council meeting

Now that the Parish Council meetings are being held online, various residents have watched recent meetings from the comfort of their own homes and have spoken at Open Forum about issues in the village. If you’d like to comment or just observe, the link to the next meeting on December 14^th will be on the agenda on our website, and villagers are welcome to join.

During the November meeting a resident attended to comment on the state of Brickhouse Lane. One of the organisers of help for residents during lockdown spoke about how the volunteers can assist and said that leaflets would be delivered around the village giving contact details for those who need help with deliveries or just a friendly word.

During the meeting matters such as local planning applications, playground maintenance, a plan to install a canoe platform on the River Tame, and planting of saplings at the Sportsfield were discussed. Details of a Christmas Lights switch on event for residents were given, and the Parish Council agreed to assist with co-ordinating this.  An update was given on the traffic concerns raised at the last meeting, matters had now improved and a meeting would be arranged with the farm.

Councillors raised further issues including an on-going issue about dog waste on the grass at The Avenue, due to a few owners who did not clear up after their pets.

For further details please see the draft minutes via the Parish Council tab

Residents urged to #LoveLocal this Christmas

Communities across Lichfield district are being encouraged to support local businesses this festive season.

In the lead up to Christmas, Lichfield District Council is running a #LoveLocal this Christmas campaign, which is about encouraging shoppers to do as much of their festive shopping locally as they can.

With government restrictions coming into force from Thursday 5 November, and non-essential shops closing temporarily, there are still a number of ways to support Lichfield and Burntwood high streets.

This includes buying from local businesses online, checking to see whether shops are offering click and collect, and using takeaway services.

Another way to ‘love local’ this year is to delay buying for friends and family until local shops come out of lockdown, hopefully from Wednesday 2 December.

Councillor Liz Little, Cabinet Member responsible for Economic Development, said:“Our city and town centres are the beating heart of our communities and we hope everyone will take this opportunity to show their support and shop locally.

“From independent shops to high street stores, the district is packed with plenty of places to buy presents for family and friends.

“Shopping for food and gifts in the district will help support the local economy, boosting the area during these challenging times.”

The #LoveLocal this Christmas campaign is supported by the Reopening High Streets Safely project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

To find out more go to www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/lovelocal.

Lichfield District Council Services during national lockdown

We are really pleased that nearly all of Lichfield District Council services will continue to operate as normal during the national lockdown but there are some changes that we have had to make

·       Waste collection services will continue to operate as normal and Staffordshire County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres in Lichfield and Burntwood will remain open.

·       Streetscene and grounds maintenance teams will continue to work to ensure the district remains clean, tidy and well presented.

·       Parks and playgrounds will remain open to support physical activity and mental wellbeing but visitors must adhere to social distancing guidance.

·       Organised sports – football, tennis, golf, bowls etc. cannot now take place. Outdoor gym equipment and skate parks cannot be used during the lockdown.

·       Face to face sessions organised by Active Lichfield including the Getin2it project have been suspended but the Healthy at Home programme has been re-launched - www.activelichfield.co.uk/healthyathome/

·       Burntwood and Friary Grange Leisure Centres will be closed. More details regarding the closure arrangements can be found at: www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/lockdown-2.0/. Burntwood Leisure Centre will re-open as soon as permitted by government but Friary Grange will remain closed throughout December to allow for repair works to be continued.

·       The Visitor Information Desk at St Mary’s will be closed. More information is available at - www.visitlichfield.co.uk/

Support for businesses and residents will continue throughout the national lockdown.  The Council’s customer service reception is closed to visitors but the majority of council services can be accessed online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk.

The telephone contact number for customer services is 01543 308000 and for council tax and housing benefit 01543 308900.

Covid-19 information and guidance is also available at https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/coronavirus. Regular updates will also be provided on social media.

Lichfield District Council has sent us advice on the 28 day national lockdown for the UK. Please see below guidance regarding which businesses must close and those that can legally stay open.

We are hoping to have details of the business grants available to businesses very soon, we are still awaiting government guidance for this.

Please also check the gov.uk website for updates.

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close or restrict how they provide goods and services. These include:

• Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services

   

• Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (before 10pm; and not including alcohol), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery

   

• Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites. Except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where they cannot return home, for homeless people, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes

   

• Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, golf courses, fitness and dance studios, climbing walls, archery, driving, and shooting ranges

   

• Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, soft play centres and areas, circuses, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks, theme parks. Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open

   

• Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. It is also prohibited to provide these services in other peoples’ homes

   

• Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities as set out below Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services - for example for people who do not have it at home - and for click-and-collect

   

• Places of worship, apart from for the purposes of independent prayer, and service broadcasting and funerals

   

These businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities, including:

• education and training (including for schools to use sports and leisure facilities where that it part of their normal provision)

   

• childcare purposes and supervised activities for children

   

• blood donation and food banks

   

• to provide medical treatment

   

• for elite sports persons (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), professional dancers and choreographers (in fitness and dance studios)

   

• for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

   

• for the purposes of professional film and TV filming

   

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 Secure guidelines. This includes those providing essential goods or services, including:

• Essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, hardware stores, building merchants and off-licences.

   

• Petrol Stations, car repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses.

   

• Banks, building societies, post offices, loan providers and money transfer businesses

   

• Funeral directors

   

• Launderettes and dry cleaners

   

• Medical and dental services

   

• Vets and pet shops

   

• Agricultural supplies shops

   

• Storage and distribution facilities

   

• Car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas.

   

• Outdoor playgrounds

Public Services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:

• the NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists. We are supporting the NHS to safely carry out urgent and non-urgent services and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help

   

• Jobcentre Plus sites

   

• Courts and probation services

   

• Civil Registrations Offices

   

• Passport and Visa Services

   

• Services provided to victims

   

• Waste or Recycling Centres

There has been further clarification of government rules about the use of playgrounds and gyms during the current lockdown.

We have now been informed that outdoor gyms must be closed so please do not use the adult exercise equipment during the 4 week lockdown. 

The guidance for playgrounds states that they can be open with social distancing measures in place so please continue to limit the numbers at any time. We are not able to clean the equipment regularly so please ensure children's hands are sanitised before and after touching the equipment, gate etc.

It is permitted to exercise outdoors or visit an outdoor public place – with the people you live with, with your support bubble, or when on your own, with 1 person from another household (children under school age, as well as those dependent on round-the-clock care, such as those with severe disabilities, who are with their parents will not count towards the limit on 2 people meeting outside)

The Parish Council has been informed that the Post Office service at the Village Hall, 10-12 on Tuesdays, will continue during lockdown as this is an essential service. Please use masks, sanitisers and social distancing when visiting.

The playground will remain open, please sanitise hands before and after visiting, parents please supervise your children and no more than 6 should use the playground at any time.

The taxi for our residents who do not drive will not run until further notice as too few people wish to use it at this time.

Please contact Clare, Becky or Irene if you need assistance as during the first lockdown.

Lichfield District Council is a valuable source of advice on business grants, and other payments.

Residents reminded of duty of care after rise in fly-tipping

With a 60 percent increase in fly-tipping across the district, local householders are being asked to be alert to rogue traders who offer to remove waste for a fee, but then go onto dump it.

After seeing fly-tipping incidences steadily increase, Lichfield District Council is reminding local people that they have a duty of care around their waste.

Councillor Richard Cox, Cabinet Member for responsible for Waste, said: “It’s unacceptable and really disappointing that so much fly-tipping is happening on local roads throughout the district. It is both unsightly and expensive for our teams to clean up.

“Judging by the waste that we’re finding, we suspect rogue traders are going door-to-door and offering to remove household rubbish and then dumping it on local roads.

“Everyone can help us to keep the district free of fly-tipping by making sure they only use properly licensed companies to dispose of waste on their behalf.

“So, when employing a gardener, tree surgeon, builder or house clearance company, it’s important to check they have a waste carriers’ licence, which means they can legally remove your waste. If they cannot produce this paperwork, don’t use them as they could go on to dump your waste.”

As well as local household recycling centres in Lichfield and Burntwood, local households can use the council’s bulky wastes service to dispose of unwanted bulky items. It costs £15.50 for the first item and £6.40 for every subsequent item. The service can be booked online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bulkywasteor by calling 0345 002 0022.

People who may have seen rubbish being dumped locally are also being urged to come forward.

“We always try to gather evidence by going through fly-tipped rubbish and if we identify the culprits we will seek to prosecute. If you have any information, please report it to us as soon as possible to help us with our investigations,” added Cllr Cox.  

Useful information needed includes the date, time, location and type of waste being dumped, vehicle details, a description of the people involved, as well as any photographic or video evidence of the offence taking place.

To report fly-tipping or if you have information about a recent fly-tipping offence, please call Lichfield District Council on 01543 308999 or visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/report.

Tree surgeons will be at work in The Avenue from Monday 2nd November, trimming back overhanging branches, and this work may go for on for a few weeks.