We’ve been sent a new list of what can be recycled – take a look at the FULL LIST HERE
We have a village collection point just outside the Methodist Chapel.
You can also visit the project website – CLICK HERE>
West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) has been made aware of a potential Parking Charge Notice (PCN) scam text message going around which leads to a copycat government website.
Copycat websites aim to earn your trust by mimicking official organisations and known brands, often government bodies, transport companies or couriers.
Typically, these scams charge you a fee for something you can do for free or tell you you’ve done something wrong and need to pay a fine to avoid further payments or even legal action.
Please be advised that WDBC will NOT notify residents of a PCN via text. A PCN will be either attached to your vehicle or sent to you via post. More information can be found on the WDBC website.
For your safety, avoid clicking on any links from unknown numbers. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a text or letter, please contact WDBC for confirmation.
If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, report the matter to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040.
As schools close their doors for the summer holidays, Devon County Council (DCC) are aware that the financial challenges facing some households in Devon will be intensified over the next few weeks.
Increased costs such as food and activities, particularly with the current cost of living, and reduced incomes due to childcare, mean that this year’s break could be especially difficult.
That’s why DCC is reminding people of the support available through the Government’s Household Support Fund, which is planned to run until Monday 30 September.
Earlier this year DCC was allocated a little over £5 million from the Government to help households struggling to pay higher bills for energy, food, water, and other essential items.
DCC has used just over £2.2m of the fund to send children who receive benefits-related free school meals supermarket vouchers worth £105 to spend on replacing the meals they would have had at school during the day. It’s the equivalent of £15 per week of the one week May half term and six-week summer holiday and has been distributed in one lump sum now to allow families some flexibility on how they spend the vouchers and try to help with the additional pressure the summer period puts on household budgets.
We’ve already sent these supermarket vouchers to families whose children currently receive free school meals, so please check your inbox and redeem them. If you were expecting to receive the vouchers, but didn’t, get in touch with our team as soon as possible by emailing freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk or calling 0345 155 1019.
People’s circumstances change all the time, so if you didn’t previously qualify for free school meals but your income has recently reduced or stopped, please apply via DCC website. It’s the quickest and easiest way for your eligibility to be assessed and you will get an instant decision. You can find out more about the free school meal holiday voucher scheme on the DCC website.
Funding for financial support for food, energy and other essentials to eligible low income households with children and young people is also available through the DCC Early Help service.
Our colleagues at Devon’s district or city councils have been busy proactively identifying vulnerable and in-need households, making contact with them and offering ‘one-off’ financial assistance. Households can also apply for short-term help if they are experiencing financial hardship, for example, those struggling financially to secure food, water, energy, essential and exceptional (for example, rent arrears prior to being in receipt of appropriate housing benefits) provisions.
Visit the cost of living and support pages on your district council’s website to find out more about support in your local area: West Devon
If you are struggling to afford energy, Citizens Advice Devon can help. We’ve allocated them £150k of the Household Support Fund money to provide fuel support for electricity and gas. You can contact any local office for this support and to discuss your situation. In many cases they can offer additional energy and financial advice that may actually save you far more.
The Household Support Fund is just one part of the support that councils across the county are making available to households. For more information about the range of support available, visit the DCC website.
Please note: to allow us to assess numbers for catering, please register if you will be coming –
contact the Parish Clerk on petertavypc@hotmail.co.uk or call 01822 211075
You may have seen national news reporting that cases of measles are rising in England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has shared a blog that provides information for parents about measles, including a description of the symptoms and what parents should do, with regards to going to school, if they are worried that their child may have measles.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, so it is important for everyone, children and adults, to catch up any missed doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.
To find out if you or your child is up to date with MMR vaccinations, you can check your NHS app, your child’s Personal Child Health Record (red book), or check with your GP.
Doctors in Devon are reminding parents to consult the free HANDi app if they aren’t sure what to do when their child is unwell this winter.
The award-winning app, available to download onto any Apple or Android device, was launched specifically with children in mind and is loaded with expert advice, support and guidance for parents with concerns about their children.
It covers a range of common conditions such as high temperatures, chestiness, abdominal pain, headaches and rashes, which can cause concern to a parent or carer if they are not sure what to do.
The app asks a series of questions about the child’s symptoms and then advises the best course of action to take, whether to treat the condition at home, consult a pharmacist or GP, and if it is serious directing users to their nearest hospital.
Hundreds more free training places are being offered through the Train4Tomorrow Skills Bootcamps after we secured an extra £900,000 for our programme which helps employers bring the right skills into their business and to upskill existing staff.
Aimed at adults aged 19-years-old and over, the flexible, short courses run for up to 16 weeks, delivering skills training across a variety of priority sectors including digital, technical, construction, green skills, health and social care, and professional services.
More than 30 courses are currently recruiting for learners, including Data Analysis, Construction Skills, Digital Marketing, Welding, Electric Vehicle Technician, Regenerative Farming, Working in Health and Social Care, Cyber Security, Project Management, Hospitality, Web Design and many more. Find the full course list at Skills Bootcamp Courses.
The courses have been designed with the help of employers to meet skills gaps and fill open vacancies within the region. Throughout the last three years, Train4Tomorrow has enabled over 2,000 adults across Devon and Cornwall to kickstart a new career, upskill or change roles.
Bus passenger numbers across Devon are on the up and it’s hoped that the recent Government announcement to extend the £2 bus fare scheme could encourage others to get on board.
Devon County Council and its bus operators have all welcomed the £2 single fare cap which has now been extended until the end of 2024.
The move will be applauded by passengers as the cost of living crisis continues. Stagecoach, who operate the majority of bus services in Devon, have announced an increase of 3% in patronage since the DFT funded scheme has been running.
Not only are more people catching the bus, but passengers are happy with local services too, according to a survey carried out in the summer as part of the delivery of Devon’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
What’s the ‘Household Support Fund’?
The Government has made funding available to local councils so they can offer direct support to those most in need in their area. It’s called the Household Support Fund.
There are conditions on how the money can be allocated. It must be used to help people who are struggling to pay for food, energy, water bills and other related essentials, and specifically those households that may not be eligible for other support that is already available from the Government
With winter approaching, Devon County Council is working with its Team Devon partners (District and City councils) and other community organisations to provide our most vulnerable residents with rapid short-term financial support through a number of different schemes to help them over the coming months.
All primary and secondary school-aged children in England will be offered a free flu vaccine from September for the 2023 to 2024 season, alongside younger children aged two and three years old.
Earlier this year the Government announced that all primary school children and infants aged two and three years old will be offered the flu vaccine. Now it has been confirmed that the programme will expand to pupils in secondary school years 7 to 11, who will be offered the vaccine as a nasal spray through their school’s vaccination programme from Friday 1 September.
It means that pupils receiving the vaccine will have direct protection from the flu. More vulnerable groups will also be indirectly protected by reducing the spread of the virus.
Anyone eligible for the flu vaccine is encouraged to take up the offer from September before the flu season begins, to give themselves the best possible protection in winter and reduce the spread of the virus.