County Council Update
from County Cllr Anne Wight
September 2019
Home to School Transport
I am very much aware of the recent issues this term with Home to School Transport, and of all the difficulties currently being experienced by families and students. BCC officers are currently actively engaged in helping to sort those out. If you are affected, please do keep checking the links below for more information over the coming weeks. You can also access the School Transport green box section on the top of the BCC homepage for more updates. Many thanks for your patience as officers work to handle all enquiries.
https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/news/update-on-home-to-school-transport/
https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/education/school-transport/find-a-school-bus-stop/
National Recycle Week
The theme of this year’s Recycle Week, taking place between 23 and 29 September, is to encourage local people to take recycling into their own hands and do whatever they can to protect the environment.
Fully supported by Buckinghamshire County Council, next week’s national campaign aims to build on the growing awareness and importance of protecting our fragile environment by encouraging people to recycle more than ever before.
Latest figures show that around two-thirds of UK households are recycling more that they were a year ago. And across Buckinghamshire, that extra effort has meant the County Council now has the second best recycling figure across all county councils nationally at 56.6%.
This means we are all getting better at recycling things like plastic bottles and containers, glass and metal tins and also learning more about what can and cannot go into our recycling bins.
Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, Bill Chapple OBE said his message was one of congratulations for the efforts local people are putting in.
“I’m so pleased Buckinghamshire is right up there with its recycling rates, but we can’t rest on our laurels quite yet. There’s over 43% still to go and that means everyone showing their commitment and playing their part.
“The more we can recycle, the better for our environment and next week’s campaign just helps as a reminder that recycling is everyone’s responsibility.”
Many people are still unsure what can be recycled and how. Across Buckinghamshire, the Waste Wizard can help. Simply by entering your postcode, you can make sure your items are dealt with in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The Wizard tool can be accessed at: www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/waste-and-recycling/what-to-recycle-where/
Bill continued: “It’s absolutely fantastic that more and more of us are recycling. Our next step now is to make sure we get things recycling in the best possible way. So, let’s all keep up the great work and get Buckinghamshire’s figures even higher next time round.
Bill added: “Across all its services, the County Council remains absolutely committed to reducing its impact on the environment. Only recently, I reported that the Council had achieved a 41% reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide it produces, significantly better than the 30% national voluntary reduction target set by Government.
“And, next Thursday (September 26) during Recycling Week, the Council will be debating a special notice of motion on what more it can do to reduce the impact of climate change. This debate will be available to watch live on webcast via our website.
For more details on Recycle Week, please visit www.recyclenow.org.uk
World Mental Health Day is 10 October 2019
World Mental Health Day is an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of mental health issues and advocate against social stigma.
The day provides an opportunity for you and your organisation to add to the wider conversation that will be occurring on social media, television and elsewhere. Highlight the fantastic work you’re already doing to address mental health stigma in the workplace, and introduce new and targeted activities anchored to the event.
The theme of this year’s event is suicide and suicide prevention.
Every year close to 800,000 people globally take their own life and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. It’s the leading cause of death among young people aged 20-34 years in the UK and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally
This World Mental Health Day, we encourage you all to consider how you can create learning opportunities for all your staff, raise their overall level of understanding of mental health, and specifically address the stigma around suicide so as to support those who might most need help.
More information on World Mental Health Day can be found on the Time to Change website below:
London Luton Airport Expansion Consultation and information
Luton Airport’s Statutory consultation for the proposed expansion from 18 to 32 million passengers per year will run from Wednesday 16th October until Wednesday 11th December.
Residents might wish to review expansion proposals and reports on the Future Luton website below in order to fully understand the key issues under discussion during the consultation.
https://futureluton.llal.org.uk