The Parish Council met online on Monday night, beginning with Open Forum when we were informed that a contractor’s HGVs had used Eddies Lane to access the field which is earmarked for development. The Parish Council had informed the Planning Department and would help to resolve this.

Planning applications were discussed –

• a new application to change the access and gateway which Lichfield District Council had refused at Elford Lowe Farm
• an application to demolish the former Clarke’s Depot garage and replace the rear buildings with others for storage and light industrial use
• The former application at the Social Club would be chased up as no progress had been made
• No further information had been received on the application for 25 houses on land off The Shrubbery

Brickhouse Lane remained in poor condition and discussions continued with Highways on a longer term solution.

Concerns were expressed about fast traffic in Church Road near the junction with The Beck, where a cat was recently killed. The Parish Council would help with signage encouraging drivers to slow down.

The Environmental Health Officer was patrolling regularly to encourage responsible dog ownership and reminders about dog fouling would be on Facebook and the website.

More details available in the Minutes on http://www.elfordparish.co.uk

Lichfield District Council has sent the following news release:

Prosecution for dog fouling offences

A man from Fazeley has been ordered to pay £1,852 after he was seen not clearing up after his three dogs.

On 9 December 2020 Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court found Rob Grice, from Victoria Drive in Fazeley, guilty of three dog fouling offences.

The case was brought by Lichfield District Council after Mr Grice did not pay the three fixed penalty notices issued to him after a council officer witnessed him not clearing up after each of his three dogs.

The court ordered Mr Grice to pay a fine of £1,320, costs of £400, and a victim surcharge of £132 – a total of £1,852. 

Councillor Angela Lax, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Housing & Health, said: “This sends a clear message to any irresponsible dog walkers, who don’t clean up after their pets, that we take this issue very seriously.” 

To tackle problem dog fouling, the council drops off reporting cards to local homes in hot spot areas to get intelligence from community members. 

This includes the location and the times when dog fouling appears, and a description of anyone seen not cleaning up after their dogs. 

Since the introduction of the cards the council has been able to do more targeted patrols. This has contributed to a reduction of more than half of reports of dog fouling that needs to be removed across the district.

To report a dog fouling location or problem area in Lichfield District, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/report.

Driving through the village? Please drive slowly and carefully! A much loved cat was killed last week in Church Road close to the junction with The Beck and The Shrubbery. Please be aware that pets or even children may be crossing the road and take care!

Crime prevention advice received from Staffordshire Police:

As we enter the middle of winter with much darker nights and terrible weather it's worth highlighting some crime prevention measures we can do at home: -

. Always make sure all your doors and windows are locked over night and when you leave your premises
. Think about leaving a light on when away from home.
. keep car keys in a safe place in your home away from easy access to the front door
. Double check all valuables are removed from vehicles and vehicles are locked at all times
. If you receive a call or visit from salesmen, be vigilant regarding handing over personal information without confirming who they are. Always ask for ID and if you're not happy then don't pass any information.
. Banks and Building Societies will not ask for account information over the phone.
. If anyone asks to enter your home you have the right to refuse entry.
. Think about investing in a home security system such as CCTV cameras.

If you suspect any crimes have occurred or you feel unsafe please don't hesitate to contact Staffordshire Police on 101, via 'digital 101' on the Staffordshire Police website or via Facebook/Twitter Messenger. In an emergency, please call 999.

Every week the County Council along with District and Borough Councils reviews the number of cases of Covid-19 and identifies hotspots with the highest numbers of infections in the previous 2 weeks. People in these areas are advised to take extra care to stop the spread of the virus. They are also advised to get a test even if they don’t have symptoms.

All residents who need to be out and about in Staffordshire during the lockdown are also being urged to have regular Covid-19 tests, even if they don’t have symptoms.

You can book a test only if you have no symptoms at Welcome to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Community Test Sites Appointment System (zipporah.co.uk)  You are allowed to leave home to take a test.If there is no availability, you can book a traditional test at one of the national sites at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus  and choose the option “my council has asked me to book a test”.

Anyone with symptoms should only book a national test. Anyone who is self-isolating as a close contact should only book a test if they develop symptoms and this should be through the national system only.Details of hotspot areas and community testing sites for this week are as follows:

Hotspot Locations

Lichfield – Alrewas & Fradley, Shenstone, Little Aston & Stonall, Chasetown, Summerfield & All Saints

Community Testing for Lichfield District is available  from tomorrow (Tuesday) until Saturday at Lichfield FC situated on Eastern Avenue in Lichfield. Tuesday 9-3, Wednesday to Saturday 10-4.

In light of the recent circumstances with COVID-19 Will Bridgen has recently launched a range of fruit and vegetable boxes delivery service that may be of interest to residents of Elford. Please see the link below for details of produce, prices and how to order

files/Purefield_produce.pdf

During lockdown starting January 5th the playground will remain open but please only use this with members of your own household or support bubble.

The outdoor gym equipment must not be used.

Although the Village Hall will be closed on most days the Post Office will continue between 10 and 12 on Tuesday mornings, please observe all the social distancing rules.

The taxi will not run on Friday mornings during lockdown.

Please follow the link for detailed government advice on Lockdown https://files/National_Lockdown_Guidance.pdf

Never miss out on Lichfield council news by signing up for a brand new email newsletter which is launching in 2021.

Hot on the heels of sending its community magazine - LDC News - to homes right across the district, Lichfield District Council is encouraging its residents to sign up to receive its new monthly e-newsletter in time for the first issue in January. 

Also entitled LDC News, the email newsletter will feature a roundup of council news, services, events and promotions, and anyone can subscribe to receive it at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/enews.

Councillor Ashley Yeates, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, said: “From activities and events in our parks and streets, to the not so exciting but very important changes to bin collections and community consultations, our monthly e-newsletter will help communities to keep up to date with what we are doing.

“LDC News will feature bite-sized stories every month as well as links to campaigns we are running, such ‘Save time, get online’, which encourages everyone to interact with us through our handy online forms. 

“It will be an easy way to stay on top of council news, and we hope all of our local residents, businesses, groups and stakeholders sign up to receive it and also join in by sending us your stories.”

To join the LDC News mailing list, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/enews. You can unsubscribe at any time.