Charity Theatre Trips- 274 trips run, £67,362 donated to charity, and counting! To start off 2023 we are looking forward to the critically acclaimed Lincoln Theatre production of My Fair Lady at Bristol Hippodrome on Tuesday 21 February. Payment will be due in early January but the earlier you book the better your seats. You can cancel until the date … Read More
Join Team St Margaret’s for an unforgettable fundraising experience.
3-14 November 2023
The recent Highway Code changes are largely focused on ensuring the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. However, there’s a growing concern that drivers aren’t getting the information they need about the new changes. There are also occasional updates to the rules. To help you understand what’s changed in the Highway Code recently, what you should be doing as a driver, … Read More
A39, Bath Road to Main Street, Walton, Somerset:
Night working 21 November 2022 – 2 December 2022 6.30pm-7.30am under full road closure
Dear local member/stakeholder,
This briefing is to inform you of some key resurfacing works which we are planning to deliver as part of our busy maintenance schedule next month.
In order to minimise disruption the work will be carried out at night time under a full road closure.
Background
Somerset County Council, as the Highway Authority, has a statutory duty to maintain the roads in Somerset, except for the motorway and trunk roads. There is over 4,000 miles of highway network in total, all of which require some form of maintenance at some time in its life.
The A39, Bath Road to Main Street is showing signs of failure. There are numerous cracks in the road and settlement across the carriageway width.
This location has been subject to many visits to undertake repairs in the past, clearly this is unsustainable and larger scale works need to be carried out.
Proposed works
The proposed maintenance works will include minor works to the existing drainage systems, siding back of verges, where they are encroaching onto the carriageway and cutting back of selected areas of vegetation. The whole length of road from 20m west of the junction with Bramble Hill, westwards to the Pipers Inn will be resurfaced. (see plan on the last page of this Information Sheet).
The Resurfacing will take place over two weeks (21 November – 2 December) – it will be necessary to fully close the road between 6.30pm and 7.30am during Monday-Friday. The Road will be open to traffic at the weekend and daytimes. An alternative route will be signed (plan of alternative route attached).
We will of course maintain access to any households and businesses within the closure and will work closely with those affected by the works by liaison with on-site operational staff. Every effort will be made to keep the duration of the works to a minimum.
Works Programme.
Any changes to the works programme will be displayed on site information boards.
Questions and answers…
Why is the road closed for the resurfacing?
Put simply, the road is just too narrow to allow us to keep it open during the surfacing works. We must comply with the National Code of Practice for road works. We would be breaking the law if we ignored this and clearly it would not be safe for either the travelling public or the workforce.
Will the road be open during the daytime?
It’s our intention to open the road during the daytime, but the use of temporary traffic signals may be required.
Why have you chosen those dates?
There is no perfect time to carry out major works like this, but we have tried to avoid key dates and local events for example the carnival season. We accept that it will still have an impact on the travelling public, which is why we are giving advance notification of the works.
More information
We recognise this will inevitably have a big impact on the community and we will do our very best to keep the community and the travelling public updated.
Roads locally which are unsuitable for diverted traffic will be signed during the closure period. Also advance signing will be put in place at appropriate locations warning of the closure to minimise excessive use of minor roads. In the meantime, if you have any questions, queries or observations on the works, please use the contact details below:
Call 0300 123 2224 or
Email [email protected]
Extent of Works and Diversion Route
All Hallows’ Eve and bonfire night are great opportunities for every family in Somerset to waste less and save money, cut plastic and recycle more, stay safe and eat better, and to even reduce their all-important carbon footprint.
Dodge the horror of bills, full rubbish bins and supermarket plastic tat for recyclable outfits from cardboard, old sheets, charity shop bargain clothes and plenty of childish creativity, and take the smart step to reject shop-bought sweets for cheaper and healthier (but always allergy-aware) home-made treats.
Check recipes – savoury pies to sweet cakes – from lovefoodhatewaste.com and hubbub.org.uk/how-to-eat- pumpkin to use all that pumpkin flesh and seeds for tasty snacks (and keep a few seeds to grow free future ghoulish
gourds). Add all waste food – every last scrap – and the sagging pumpkin itself, to your food waste bin to go off to make electricity and farm compost at Somerset’s anaerobic digestion plant. Or add your pumpkin to your compost bin.
Caution is vital for November’s bonfires and fireworks to help noise-nervy pets and shelter-seeking wildlife, and to protect your home and family from a highly dangerous bin blaze. Drench or allow embers and ash to completely cool. Soak spent fireworks then add them to your rubbish bin. Soak misfired fireworks overnight and seek disposal guidance from maker or supplier.
Recycle site winter hours mean they are all now operating 9am-4pm weekends and, when open, 9am-5pm weekdays. More: somersetwaste.gov.uk/allatall.
The Fixy reuse van is criss-crossing the county to visit towns and villages, businesses, festivals and schools to promote fixing, support repair cafes and collect smart tech for reuse. Find Fixy at:
Upcoming repair cafés include:
On Sunday 30 October clocks go back one hour, a good excuse to check smoke detectors, batteries, bulbs, plugs and Christmas lights. All electrical items, low-energy bulbs with unbroken glass and batteries can go to recycle sites.
With kerbside recycling, put out small electrical items in carrier-size bags, and household batteries in small clear bags.
Great deals mean a 220-litre bin for just
£16.00, and you can buy-one-get-one- half-price, plus £6.99 delivery per order. Order at: getcomposting.com.
Start or restart a garden waste collection on any date for a full 25-collection 12- month service. For orders until 31 March 2023, a 180-litre bin service is £57.20, and a 10-pack of 90-litre garden waste sacks is £28.30, both via “Garden waste” on the My Waste Services menu at somersetwaste.gov.uk.
Waste less time, do more online With My Waste Services 24/7 at somersetwaste.gov.uk, you can:
Question: how do you reduce? Somerset’s first Reduce Week is coming up fast; it takes place from Monday 21 November to Sunday 27 November (yes, around Black Friday’s overspendfest and Buy Nothing Day). We want to hear your ideas on how to reduce waste, from tips on using up food to hints about buying better for Christmas and ways to cut out unnecessary packaging. Share them on facebook.com/somersetwaste or NextDoor when you see “how do you reduce?” posts or email them to [email protected] by 27 November. Your best ideas will be featured on our website, social media and beyond, and go into a free prize draw for a refurbished tablet or laptop.
Next time: Reduce Week, Christmas trees, festive dates and waste priorities.
Keep your birds housed. If it is impossible to house them keep them in a fully netted area with feed and water undercover. Do not allow birds in netted enclosures to mix with fully housed birds.
Remember, anything you bring into your birds’ housing could introduce disease!
If your birds look unwell or you are worried about their welfare call your vet immediately.
If bird flu is suspected report it to the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301.
Find out what actions you need to take at GOV.UK/Bird-Flu
Each year, we ask communities about the amount of council tax we receive as your fire and rescue service.
You can tellus what you think by completing the survey
This consultation finishes on 30 November at 12 noon
If you require this in another format please contact the Communications and Engagement Team on 01392 872354
The first Somerset Recycling Week starts today Monday September 26 to promote recycling across the county.
At more than 56%, Somerset’s recycling rate is higher than it has ever been, with improvements across the board in both the growing amounts residents recycle and the reduction in rubbish tonnages.
Of course, there is always more to do. So, until Sunday 2 October, Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) will be sharing information, highlighting progress and promoting top tips to help make great recycling part of Somerset’s vital DNA.
And today sees publication of the latest Somerset Recycling Tracker, showing how much families recycled, where it went, what it became and the carbon saved. Image above; details overleaf.
Find more Recycle Week advice and news at SWP’s dedicated web page somersetwaste.gov.uk/22recycle–week and at Facebook.com/somersetwaste.
Look out for new guidance on what and how to recycle, plus an online Talking Café Q&A on Wednesday 28 September, hosted by the Community Council for Somerset, all about your recycling: facebook.com/talkingcafesomerset.
SWP’s new Recycling Tracker report shows residents’ remarkable support for the expanded Recycle More collections.
The Recycling Tracker – full report:
somersetwaste.gov.uk/recycling–tracker
– monitors every tonne of your waste to identify location, firms and likely use. It shows that all recycling is recycled; none is burned, dumped or ends in the sea.
Somerset recycled and reused 149,980 tonnes with a recycling rate of 56.2% – a jump from 52.4% – and so saved 133,663 tonnes of carbon, and sent 108,428 tonnes of refuse to generate power and just 12,567 tonnes to landfill.
SWP and its contractors share a commitment that, if there is reprocessing capacity and demand here, all recycle materials will stay in the UK.
So 97.2% of your recycling stays here, including 99.4% of plastics, and 51.4% stays in Somerset. Most of the 2.8% exported is card and paper going to make cardboard boxes for our imports.
With a slight dip for glass bottles and jars, the figures show a rise in recycling for green waste, plastics, batteries, cans, food, card, electricals, paper and more.
Somerset’s impressive recycling rate puts it among the best for recycling, and among the very best for carbon saving. All due to the simple kerbside systems – no costly, messy single-bin recycling – that ensure low-contamination, high- quality materials that the market wants.
Where’s Fixy reuse van? Everywhere! The Fixy reuse van is busy touring Somerset to promote reuse, support repair cafes, encourage volunteers, and collect smart tech to pass on. It will be at the Eat Burnham-on-Sea festival 10am- 4pm Saturday 22 October, while future repair cafes include those in Porlock, Chard, Glastonbury, Wootton Courtenay, Taunton and Ilminster. For more details of Fixy and Somerset repair cafes, go to: somersetwaste.gov.uk/fixy.
Recycle sites go to winter hours … All recycle sites switch to the winter timetable Saturday 1 October to Friday 31 March. Weekends stay 9am-4pm; weekdays when open are 9am-5pm.
… while Yeovil goes into reverse Yeovil Recycling Centre will reverse its traffic flow from Tuesday 27 September. Signage and staff will assist customers.
You can start or restart a garden waste collection at any time for a full 25- collection 12-month service. Until 31 March 2023, a 180-litre bin service is
£57.20, and a 10-pack of 90-litre garden waste sacks is £28.30 via the “Garden waste” tab on the My Waste Services menu at somersetwaste.gov.uk.
