Swale Borough Council - Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service Starts in Swale

People needing extra support this winter can now reach out to Swale Borough Council’s Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service for help and advice.

Householders will be able to get advice on how to effectively manage energy and water use in their homes, installing low cost measures such as draught proofing and radiator reflector panels, and helping those who are eligible to apply for grants.

The service will be managed by Swale charity Children and Families who provide support services to families around the borough.

Residents can refer themselves to the service, and housing officers, health workers, family finance workers, housing associations, food banks and other charities are able to refer people on their behalf.

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for the environment, said:

“We are committed to helping the most vulnerable in our community and made it a priority in our climate and ecological emergency declaration last year.

We hope this new support service will reach those most in need and help them to achieve a better standard of living.

“Helping people with their energy consumption will also help us reach our net zero carbon targets for the borough.”

Cllr Hannah Perkin, deputy cabinet member for health and wellbeing at the council, said:

“Many of our residents are struggling to pay water and energy bills.

This service will help people get onto the best tariff and will also show people simple ways of saving both water and energy in their homes.

The link between cold homes and poor health is well known and we hope helping people to have a warmer home will also improve their health.”

Ian Townsend-Blazier, Business Development Manager at Children and Families Ltd, said:

“We are really pleased and excited to be delivering the Fuel and Water Home Adviser project in partnership with Swale Council.

We are a local charity with a keen interest in the environment and it’s great to see the council leading this initiative.

Our project is designed to partner with local organisations, energy providers and water companies to support these households in understanding and accessing green initiatives, switching energy providers to get access to the best available tariffs, supporting households to become water efficient and helping residents implement cost saving measures which can reduce CO2 emissions across the borough.”

To make an appointment with Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service, contact Steve Pettit on spettitt@children-families.org or 01795 889233.

Swale Borough Council

Dates for Local Swale Borough Council Deep Cleans

Contractor Biffa, working on behalf of Swale Borough Council will be carrying out several deep cleans around our area at the request of ward councillors.

If your road is due a deep clean, Swale will put no parking signs up beforehand and post letters through affected residents doors.

Residents will need to find somewhere else to park while the deep clean takes place so the team can sweep near the kerb and remove any weeds or litter.

Due to there being no footpaths along some sections of the road, and no safe distance for the contractor to undertake the litter picking, the team can only litter pick with traffic management, usually being a lane closure in place.

30th November 2020

The Street, Lower Halstow

Breach Lane, Lower Halstow

1st December 2020

Wardwell Lane, Upchurch

Spade Lane, Upchurch

TBA

Oak Lane, Upchurch

For more information about deep cleans, visit: www.swale.gov.uk/deep-cleans

Upchurch Matters

Changes to Chalkwell 326/327/328 Bus Timetable Announced

Bus operator Chalkwell Coach Hire has announced timetable changes to the 326/327/328 bus service that links Sittingbourne to the Medway Towns via the villages of Newington, Upchurch and Lower Halstow starting from Monday 12th October 2020.

Journeys with an 'S' before the bus number are for school children and students only.

The new timetable can be found at >> https://bit.ly/33G2iMY

Upchurch Matters

Become a COVID-19 Community Champion for Kent and Medway

Medway Council, Kent County Council and NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are encouraging residents to sign up to become COVID-19 Community Champions.

The community champions will share the latest government advice and coronavirus guidance with their local community, friends, family, neighbours, in their workplaces and on social media to advise others about how to stay safe during the ongoing pandemic and reduce the spread of the virus.

They will receive regular updates and fortnightly calls from Medway Council and Kent County Council’s public health teams to keep them informed of the latest guidance and the support available for vulnerable residents.

Medway Council, Kent County Council and the Kent and Medway CCG are working together to encourage residents to sign up.

Anyone can volunteer to become a champion and the councils are keen to recruit champions who are in contact with the residents who are at the highest risk of coronavirus including older residents and representatives from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Alan Jarrett, said:

“We have all been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and I have been proud to witness the strong community spirit that our residents have shown over the last six months. Now, as we head into winter, we must all continue to follow the latest government advice and guidance and do our bit to stop the virus from spreading. I would encourage residents to sign up to become COVID-19 Community Champions and help share advice and guidance to protect your loved ones, and your local communities.”

James Williams, Director of Public Health at Medway Council, said:

“We are doing all we can to stop the spread of coronavirus in Kent and Medway and it is crucial that we all work together to protect our loved ones. Becoming a COVID Community Champion will empower residents to remain up to date with the latest advice and guidance and share clear information to help their local communities. I would encourage residents to find out more about the scheme by Emailing abmchampions@medway.gov.uk.”

KCC Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark said:

“While we thank Kent’s residents for playing their part and following social guidelines to keep the rate here lower than other parts of the country, we know that Covid is still a severe health issue for vulnerable people in our communities and this is an opportunity for people to get involved in helping to keep their family, friends and relatives safe.”

Dr Navin Kumta, Clinical Chair at NHS Kent and Medway CCG, said:

“As well as sharing messages around the latest guidance to combat COVID-19, we really want to hear feedback from our champions. We need to know how the pandemic has affected specific communities and suggestions of how we can do things better. This is all about working together to manage coronavirus as best we can - it’s very much a two way process.”

To sign up to become a COVID Community Champion, and attend fortnightly meetings and receive regular updates, Email abmchampions@medway.gov.uk for Medway and phworkforcedevelopment@kent.gov.uk for Kent.

Medway Council

Free Online Training Sessions for Community Organisations and Health Volunteers in Swale and Medway

Understanding the NHS - Free online training sessions for community organisations and health volunteers in Swale and Medway.

The NHS in Kent and Medway is changing. ‘Primary Care Networks’ and ‘Integrated Care Partnerships’ are shifting the way health care services are delivered for local communities.

Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, Medway Voluntary Action and the Public Engagement Agency are offering two further online information sessions for community organisations and health volunteers in Medway and Swale.

The purpose of these interactive events is to understand the different parts of the NHS and how they fit together.

The online sessions will be held on Thursday 15th October 15:00 - 16:30 and Tuesday 20th October 18:00 - 19:30. Places are limited.

To book a place, please Email Lisa at: involvingmedway@mva.org.uk as soon as possible.

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Poolside Bar & Courtyard Christmas Party Night with P’ZAZ at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

A night not to be missed!

Ticket only - £10.00 per person

7:30pm start

Food served until 8:00pm - Non-members welcome

Tickets available now from the Poolside Bar

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626