Notice of Uncontested Election – West Ward

Notice of Vacancy – Brandon & Byshottles (North)

An event is running this Autumn in Ushaw Moor as part of the Being Human Festival (the UK’s only national festival of the humanities) The Autumn Activity Trail.

To complete the trail, local families simply need an activity sheet (these can be downloaded from our website (Autumn Activity Trail), paper copies will be distributed through some local schools and they can also be collected from the garden on allocated Saturdays).

The September event has passed now, however it will be running again this month (with a drop-in craft workshop and craft packs available on Saturday the 23rd of October) and the 20th November when we will also be having a performance from a poet and storyteller. Everything is free.

In addition to these events, all autumn we are running a creative competition. The prize is £100 to spend at a local family-friendly business and to enter, all you need to do is create something (painting, sculpture, poem, photo, short story, etc. – anything goes!) which shows ‘what nature means to you’. More details can be found here: Creative Competition.

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/autumnactivitytrail/ and a Facebook event for the craft session: https://fb.me/e/16wJtRxj4

Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It’s paid monthly – or twice a month for some people in Scotland. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work. Universal Credit is being rolled out to replace Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment & Support Allowance and Income Support. The full rollout of Universal Credit is scheduled for completion in 2024.

Between March 13th 2020 and January 14th 2021 there were 4.5 million Universal Credit claims. Over a third of Universal Credit claims have been made since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Find out more about Universal Credit using our Universal Credit guide. It covers who can apply, how to apply, how much money you can claim, a glossary to help with Universal Credit terminology and more.

Here’s the Universal Credit guide https://www.jobcentrenearme.com/universal-credit/

It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

On behalf of the Parish of Brandon & Byshottles Parish Council, the Chairman, Members and Staff at the Parish Council send our deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family on this deeply sad occasion.

As a mark of respect flags throughout the Parish are flying at half mast.

What is the census?

The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The next census takes place on Sunday 21 March 2021.

Your answers to the census questions will help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services in your area, including transport, education and healthcare.

When to complete your census

Every household should complete the census on Sunday 21 March 2021 or as soon as possible after. If you’ve responded before 21 March and things have changed, you can let us know by calling for free.

The census should take about 10 minutes for the household questions and 10 minutes per person.

Visit the website to find out more: https://census.gov.uk/

 

Place2Be’s Mental Health

Teachers play a crucial role in helping to normalise difficult feelings and promoting positive ways to look after our mental
health, as well spotting the signs when a child might be struggling and need professional help. There has never been a more
important time for teachers to feel equipped and confident in their roles.
A Place2Be survey of 1,500 teachers across the UK found that only a third (34%) of teachers feel confident in being able to
recognise mental health and emotional wellbeing problems from the behaviour of their pupils, and more than a quarter (27%)
said that managing classroom behaviour feels stressful or causes them anxiety. Read more about the research at
place2be.org.uk/foundationlaunch
Place2Be is offering a new online training programme for schools on children’s mental health. Place2Be are
working with a number of funders to secure free access to the programme for 50,000 teachers across the UK. Teachers can
register at place2be.org.uk/foundation
We’d love your support to spread the word amongst your networks so we can reach and train as many teachers as possible.

The Parish Council office will be closed from today Friday 18th December 2020 until Monday 4th January 2021.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Members & the staff at the Parish Council.

Hoping you keep safe and well through the festive period.

Best wishes.

New housing measures will come into force in England, Scotland and Wales on 14 December.

It will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.

Public health advice is that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers, and it does not affect the consumption of poultry products including eggs.

Government Chief Veterinary Officers are encouraging bird keepers to enforce new housing measures, including taking steps to safeguard animal welfare, consult their vet and where necessary put up additional housing.

These housing measures build on the strengthened biosecurity regulations that were brought in as part of the Avian Influenza Protection Zone (AIPZ) on 11 November. The AIPZ means that all poultry and captive bird keepers need to take extra precautions, such as cleaning and disinfecting equipment, clothing and vehicles, limiting access to non-essential people on their sites, and workers changing clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures.

The restrictions will be applied across the whole of Great Britain.

A joint statement from Great Britain’s three Chief Veterinary Officers said:

We have taken swift action to limit the spread of the disease and are now planning to introduce a legal requirement for all poultry and captive bird keepers to keep their birds housed or otherwise separate from wild birds.

Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, from 14 December onwards you will be legally required to keep your birds indoors, or take appropriate steps to keep them separate from wild birds. We have not taken this decision lightly, but it is the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease.

Poultry and captive bird keepers are advised to be vigilant for any signs of disease in their birds and any wild birds, and seek prompt advice from their vet if they have any concerns. They can help prevent avian flu by maintaining good biosecurity on their premises, including:

• housing or netting all poultry and captive birds
• cleansing and disinfecting clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds – if practical, use disposable protective clothing
• reducing the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry and captive birds are kept, to minimise contamination from manure, slurry and other products, and using effective vermin control
• thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting housing at the end of a production cycle
• keeping fresh disinfectant at the right concentration at all points where people should use it, such as entrances and before entering poultry and captive bird housing or enclosures
• minimising direct and indirect contact between poultry and captive birds and wild birds, including making sure all feed and water is not accessible to wild birds

The new housing measures will be kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to protect flocks.

The introduction of the these new measures follows a number of confirmed cases of avian influenza in the UK.

In each case Defra has acted quickly to cull affected birds and to introduce movement restrictions to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

Bird flu is a notifiable animal disease. If you suspect any type of bird flu in poultry or captive birds you must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. In Wales, contact 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office. Failure to do so is an offence.

If you find dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, you should report them to the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77 – please select option 7)

 

https://www.bhwt.org.uk/news/tip-for-keeping-your-hens-safe-under-a-housing-order/?fbclid=IwAR3EPfdGJ1hk3EG_JynANhcBvaxbTLuB8ttDkcQYXERXQNUzit9oQS6UbQM

The Mobile Post Office Van will park opposite the Tesco car park entrance and will visit as follows:

Tuesday weekly 2pm until 2.30pm

Friday weekly 9.45am until 10.15am

These are the times during lock down and will change in due course.