COVID 19 - Stay at home: guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection21/3/2020
Proposals for continued investment in welfare benefit, housing, debt and money management and employment advice services are being presented to West Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet next week.
At the meeting on Wednesday 18 March, councillors will be asked to approve the award of a contract to Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire to continue providing the district with expert support services. Cllr Toby Morris, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “We’re committed to supporting those in need across the district and this contract will allow us to offer residents specialised expert advice and support services. “Each year, Citizens Advice helps millions of people by providing advice, education and support to those in need. The Council provides many core services to residents and by working with organisations that are experts in support services, residents will experience less signposting to other organisations and receive improved first contact support.” On behalf of West Oxfordshire District Council, Citizens Advice will continue to provide residents with advice and support on a range of issues, from budgeting and financial support to help with application forms or employment guidance. More information on benefits advice and support, visit: https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/residents/council-tax/benefits/ For further information on the range of services Citizens Advice provides, visit: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ West Oxfordshire businesses are being advised that business rates bills they are receiving this week do not take into account changes announced in Wednesday’s Budget.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed a range of discounts for retailers and hospitality and leisure businesses including pubs for one year as a result of the potential impact of the Coronavirus. The changes are set to be introduced on 1 April but have to be ratified by Parliament and as a result, eligible businesses should continue with the current payment schedule until they receive further instructions. They will then be reimbursed by the Council in due course. Jon Dearing, Group Manager for Resident Services, said: “By law we have to issue the letters now so businesses can have 14 days’ notice of what they will be charged. “It is bad timing but affected businesses can rest assured that any overpayment on their part will be refunded as soon as possible.” The changes announced in the Budget include: · For retail businesses with a rateable value of under £51,000 the discount will be increased to 100 per cent and expanded to include hospitality and leisure businesses for 2021. · Pubs with a rateable value below £100,000 will enjoy a discount of £5,000 rather than £1,000. The government is launching a “fundamental review” of business rates to report in the autumn. West Oxfordshire District Council has promised to stamp out the unavoidable use of single use plastics as it ramps up its battle against the effects of climate change.
A Statement of Principles has been approved by full Council which pledges to minimise and remove single use plastics (SUPs) across its offices and catering services. It is also designed to encourage contractors and residents and businesses in the wider community to minimise their use of SUPs. The Principles also outline the development of staff and community volunteering groups to collect litter and minimise plastic pollution in parks and open spaces. They also propose the promotion of recycled plastic materials as an alternative to SUPs along with the development of innovative projects to cut SUP waste. A ’12 Days 12 Ways’ campaign highlighting how to avoid SUPs and suggesting alternatives has now been launched on social media. Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We must do all we can to cut out single use plastics which can go on to pollute our countryside and waterways for decades. “As a Council we are taking responsibility for our use of SUPs as well as setting an example for others in the hope of reducing the appalling effect they have on our environment.” For more details on the 12 Days 12 Ways SUPs campaign, follow the Council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. West Oxfordshire District Council has delivered a Budget “for the future” costing residents just £2 a week.
A meeting of the full Council confirmed council tax for 2020-21 will rise by £5 which is within Government guidelines. It means the council’s charge for the average Band D property in the District will be £104.38 or £2 a week, making it the second lowest rate of council tax among shire councils in England. The move was approved along with the Council’s Budget for 2020-21 at the meeting on Wednesday (26/2). At the meeting, Cllr James Mills, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, stressed how almost 500 affordable homes had been delivered in the District in the last year and emphasised the continuing success of homelessness projects such as Our House which supports single under-35s who are in housing and employment need. He also highlighted the recent opening of the £8.4m Phase Two of the Carterton Leisure Centre, improvements to waste and recycling services and the roll-out of high speed broadband to 5,000 properties with a further 5,000 planned for this year. Grants to the community and voluntary sector will also be maintained at current levels along with free car parking, while new priorities such as tackling climate change will also receive investment. Cllr Mills said: “We want to deliver the best possible facilities for residents, continue to meet housing need and support business investment in the District “We will continue to modernise our services with our partners which allows us to obtain better value from our investments despite cost pressures from outside.” ![]() A major campaign to raise awareness of the problem of fly tipping is being launched in West Oxfordshire. Nationally, fly tipping is on the rise and this is reflected in the district with council operatives regularly called to investigate and clear unsightly rubbish that has been dumped illegally, often on farmland or roadsides. Created by the Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group, the SCRAP Campaign has been run successfully in other areas of the country using know-how and resources sourced from many local authorities. The Council’s aim is to raise awareness of the issue and inform residents and businesses about the law and their obligations around fly-tipping. This will include:
Residents are encouraged to follow the Council on Twitter @WodcNews and Facebook at @westoxfordshire to find out more about the campaign. Cllr Norman MacRae, Cabinet Member for the Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We all have a responsibility for our local environment and protecting it from the harm caused by fly tipping. This campaign enforces the message that no corners should be cut when it comes to disposing of waste responsibly and that anyone caught doing so can expect high penalties if successfully prosecuted.” Unfortunately you may have seen that we are once again facing high winds and bad weather this weekend (15 & 16 Feb) as a result of Storm Dennis.
Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can damage overhead power lines resulting in some customers losing their electricity supply. Where this happens we work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, and we have organised for additional staff in our contact centre and more engineers on the ground to be available to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather. Both you and your constituents will be able to find regular updates on our website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and social media @UKPowerNetworks throughout this period. Anyone experiencing a power cut should:
We provide extra help to customers on our Priority Service Register during a power cut. Households with older or disabled people, those with children under five, or where someone uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity as well as other reasons can join the register. You can find out more information about our Priority Service on our website: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority . If you would like to share information about preparing for the storm or the priority service register on social media you might like to use the following: As a result of #StormDennis, heavy rain and high winds are due to arrive again this weekend. @UKPowerNetworks has extra field engineers and call centre staff on hand. Call 105 to report a powercut or visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut #ukpnnews Do you, or someone you know, need extra support during a power cut? @UKPowerNetworks provides free services to customers in vulnerable circumstances during a power cut. Visit ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority for more information. #StormDennis #ukpnnews Residents have given their backing to a proposed increase in council tax.
An online consultation covering the Council’s Budget saw the majority (55 per cent) in favour of a £5 rise. In general, 64 per cent of the 157 respondents said they felt the District’s council tax level was “about right” with 25 per cent saying it was too low. About 60 per cent added that they would not prefer to see lower spending on services in return for a reduced council tax bill. Respondents also remained supportive of maintaining grants to the voluntary sector with strong support for inflationary increases to fees and charges for core council services such as planning. In the longer term, the vast majority of residents want to see the Council identify innovative ways to generate additional income while working with service partners such as Ubico, GLL and Publica to deliver efficiency savings was also popular. Significantly, 49 per cent said they only wanted to see the council move away from investments in fossil fuels if the same return could be achieved in other areas. Cllr Toby Morris, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “The feedback we have had through this survey is invaluable and will shape how we develop our financial strategy going forward. “We have had an excellent response and look forward to delivering a balanced and fair Budget which continues to deliver benefits for our community.” The Budget will be considered for recommendation by the Council’s Cabinet on 12 February before going before full Council on 26 February for final approval. From Friday 7 February, residents will be able to sign up for this year’s garden waste collection service. The service will run from 1 April to 31 March 2021. The price remains at £30 per bin per year.
Existing customers can expect to receive an email reminding them to sign up, and all other households will be sent a letter. Please can I ask you to display the attached poster where beneficial. Any questions regarding the service can be directed to [email protected] or by calling 01993 861000 |
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