Swale Borough Council - Council Tax Energy Rebate Payment

As part of its targeted response to rising energy bills, the government has introduced a council tax rebate payment to help residents with rising energy costs, known as the Energy Rebate.

We have been working in line with government guidance to deliver the payments to residents as quickly as possible. We would have liked to do this earlier, but we had to be sure the new payment system works - we’ve seen instances elsewhere where there have been mistakes which we obviously want to avoid.

The revenues and benefits team have been working tirelessly to make sure we can make the payment by the end of April, and we’re grateful for their efforts.

We have made 33,563 payments today to those who are eligible for the government's £150 Energy Rebate payment and who pay by Direct Debit. This should appear in people’s bank accounts next week.

A further 21,000 households who do not pay their council tax by Direct Debit will be able to claim the rebate through a form on our website next week, and we will be writing to let them know where to find the form.

Please remember that we will not call you and ask for bank details - so please pass on this message ‘do not give out any details to anyone claiming to be calling from the council'.

Updates will be available on our website, and we will be issuing further messages throughout the process.

Cllr Alan Horton - Swale Borough Council

Ward Councillor serving Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

Borden Heritage Group Presents The Train that Jumped the Gap

Borden Heritage Group welcomes Richard Emmett, Chair of the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne, to Borden Parish Hall on Wednesday the 11th of May, 2022, for his talk, 'The Train that Jumped the Gap'.

Open to all, Richard's talk begins at 10:30am.

www.hrgs.co.uk

www.bordenheritage.org.uk

Upchurch Matters

Kent Association of Local Councils Community Awards Scheme 2022

Congratulations to John Arnold, this year's very worthy winner of the Kent Association of Local Councils Community Awards Scheme 2022 in the community of Upchurch.

The annual KALC Community Awards are to acknowledge and give recognition to those who have made a significant contribution to their local community.

Upchurch Parish Council Chairman Tyrone Ripley presented John with his award at this year's Annual Parish Meeting, held in Upchurch Village Hall on Thursday the 26th of April 2022.

John says he became more involved in village life when his wife Val became one of the volunteer dusters at St Mary's Church, alongside the late Evelyn Veale.

John went on to serve as Vice Chairman of Upchurch Parish Council for many years, and as a parish councillor, he oversaw our village highways, reporting and chasing repairs to faults when they occur.

He has lit up the village Christmas tree, installed important defibrillators, and taken the lead on the recent street light upgrade. John has also carried out work to Upchurch Village Hall.

John's electrical expertise and team of helpers have powered and made possible many of the village's most loved and well attended events over recent years.

Val and John were both involved in bringing back the Village Fete to the Paddock in 2014, and John's work with Upchurch Scout Group helped ensure their popular family fireworks display could go ahead safely each year.

The number of projects John has volunteered his spare time to during the family's time living in Crosier Court is too long to list.

John's certificate reads:

“Awarded in recognition of his dedication and service to the community, in particular for his tireless work to make the streets of Upchurch brighter and safer by modernisation of our street lighting.”

Thank you, John, for everything you have done for our village 👏🏼

Upchurch Matters

Mental Health Awareness Week - Lift Someone out of Loneliness

Mental Health Awareness Week

9th - 15th May 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week is the annual event run by the Mental Health Foundation that focuses on improving good mental health across the nation.

This year, the week will run from 9th - 15th May 2022, with the theme of exploring the impact of loneliness and how we can tackle it.

This follows recent research that showed many people have increasingly been suffering from feelings of loneliness which has led to harmful consequences. They also discovered an increased demand from the public for loneliness to be addressed as a serious topic requiring urgent action.

Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and can have a huge impact on our wellbeing.

Sometimes admitting we feel lonely can be hard but it’s important to remember that many others experience feelings of loneliness too, and that this feeling can pass.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, people are being encouraged to reach out to others to help someone who may be feeling lonely, which might in turn help you feel less lonely too.

Help

Find more support and advice for ways to lift someone out of loneliness on the Every Mind Matters - Loneliness webpage. 

This Mental Health Awareness Week, search Every Mind Matters for more support and advice for ways to lift someone out of loneliness.

Take the Mind Plan quiz to get a personalised mental health action plan with practical tips to help you deal with stress, anxiety, low mood and trouble sleeping. Plus advice on how to cope with feelings of loneliness.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will continue to encourage people to ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ as part of the Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign.

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

#EveryMindMatters

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

New Leader for Swale Borough Council

Councillor Mike Baldock.

Cllr Mike Baldock has become the new leader of Swale Borough Council.

Cllr Baldock was elected at an extraordinary council meeting held last night, and he replaces Cllr Roger Truelove, who announced he was stepping down as leader last month.

Cllr Mike Baldock, said:

“It is a great honour to be elected as leader of Swale, as I care deeply about the whole borough.

“Roger has set a very high standard to follow but he also showed that differing groups could work constructively together. 

“The move towards a new committee system is an exciting opportunity to make sure that every elected councillor - regardless of party-affiliation, or location in the borough - can be genuinely involved in issues affecting their residents.

“We all have serious challenges ahead, and I believe the best way for us to approach them locally is by working together and making sure that our debates and decisions are fully informed and focussed on supporting local people and our local communities.

“I look forward to now working with my fellow councillors to drive forward further improvements across the whole borough.”

The leader confirmed his deputy will be Cllr Monique Bonney, and the cabinet will be:

• Climate - Cllr Tim Valentine
• Finance - Cllr Roger Truelove, with Cllr Derek Carnell as deputy
• Health - Cllr Angela Harrison, with Cllr Hannah Perkin as deputy
• Housing - Cllr Ben Martin, with Cllr Ghlin Whelan as deputy
• Planning - Cllr Mike Baldock, with Cllr Alastair Gould as deputy
• Community - Cllr Richard Palmer, with Cllr Elliott Jayes as deputy
• Economic development - Cllr Monique Bonney, with Cllr Sarah Stephen as deputy
• Environment - Cllr Julian Saunders, with Cllr Eddie Thomas as deputy

Swale Borough Council

Theft from a Carport - Newington

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/74158/22

Between 14:00 and 14:15 on Thursday the 14th of April, somebody stole items from a carport at a residential property in Hop Garden Crescent, Newington.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging