• Tonight’s meeting of the Review Committee scheduled to take place at 7.30pm In Committee Room 4, Civic Suite, 2 Hockley Road, Rayleigh, SS6 8EB has been cancelled.
• All services are as normal today except for the following change to our waste and recycling rounds:
• Collection of recycling bins will take place today as normal however, compostables collections are still suspended to enable the recycling collections to catch up.
• For more information on the burst water main in Hullbridge we recommend you telephone Essex and Suffolk Water on 0845 782 0999
• For up-to-date information about the weather, current travel conditions and staying safe please visit www.essex.gov.uk/winter or http://www.rochford.gov.uk/severeweather

The Council has to find efficiencies of nearly £1m over the next 12 months. This follows on from the £1.4m of efficiencies we were asked to find in 2011-12, representing a 20 per cent cut in our entire budget.

Every Councillor has been involved in finding efficiencies that will not adversely affect the front line services our residents rely on.

Among the plans that were approved were:

- That the 2012/13 Council Tax for Rochford District Council remains unchanged at £201.15 for a Band D property.
- That a detailed design and timetable for a Pet Memorial Park in Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park is formulated by April.
- That the Council introduces improvements to the layout of Hockley Woods car park and introduces a set of specific charges for Hockley Woods car park and the Freight House car park to discourage commuter parking.
- That the budget for the cost of the Pest Control Service is reduced by £14,000 as it appears residents are happy to go to our contractor directly.
- That the budget for the Summer Swim Scheme is removed, but the Council will still continue to hold all its other holiday activities as usual, as well as Wild Woods Day, the Rayleigh Arts Festival and the Rochford Art Trail.

The Council also agreed to invest in our Economic Development Team to further help local businesses that rely on our support and assistance during these severe trading conditions as well as invest in our Planning Enforcement Services, in response to increasing demand.

Following the meeting, the Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said: “I’m pleased to say that, thanks to the sound financial management the Council have shown, we have been able to achieve these efficiencies in a measured and fair way.

All Councillors from every party have discussed at length the various proposals and I think there is broad consensus on many of the issues.

We wanted to be as fair as possible, while at the same time maintain the high levels of frontline services that our residents expect.

In the last 12 months alone Rochford has been named as the top recycling authority in England according to DEFRA figures, our Revenues and Benefits Team have retained their prestigious Customer Service Excellence Award and the Council has become one of only a few organisations to have achieved the prestigious Investors in People Gold standard. These are just a few of the things we have excelled at to help make a difference to our community.

We pride ourselves on consistently achieving high standards and we think that, as a Council, this budget not only helps our hard-pressed residents and businesses in the short-term with a freeze on Council Tax increases, but also looks to the future by planning long-term initiatives such as the Pet Memorial Park in Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park to benefit our community in the future.”

Rochford’s Active Plus Games project has been given the accolade by the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Active Plus Games aim to encourage residents in both the Rochford District and Castle Point areas who are aged 50 plus to take part in sport and physical activity, by providing them with a voucher allowing them to take part in five activities completely free of charge.

Already more than 150 people have signed up and can use their vouchers for a variety of activities including swimming at Clements Hall, playing tennis at The Deanes Sports Centre or a Fit for Life session in Hullbridge or Great Wakering.

Anyone aged 50 plus who lives in either the Rochford District or the Castle Point Borough is welcome to join in and can get more information by calling Sports Development Officer, Mark Aldous on 01702 318121 or by email mark.aldous@rochford.gov.uk

The Active Plus Games are a partnership between activerochford, activecastlepoint and Essex County Council’s 2012 Legacy Team.

It’s the fifth project Rochford District Council is involved with which has earned the Inspire Mark. Last year, the Council’s Dreams and Memories project, which recorded local people’s Olympic and Paralympic memories and hopes for 2012 for use in a national archive, also gained recognition. Walking Your Way to the Games, Sparks Will Fly and SX Urban Games have also gained the accolade.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Tourism, Heritage, the Arts, Culture and Business, Councillor Keith Gordon, said: “It’s a privilege for another Rochford District Council project to have gained this level of recognition. With the Olympics only months away we want to involve as many people in our community as possible in the projects we are working on to promote the Games.

If you are over 50 years old and live in either the Rochford District or Castle Point Borough and want to get involved then please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we look forward to hearing from you and getting more people involved in the Active Plus Games.”

We are currently working to ensure that all sporting fixtures played on Council pitches and sports grounds go ahead as normal on Saturday and Sunday.

To this end we are asking for all clubs who are due to play sports on Council pitches this weekend to get in touch with us as soon as possible to confirm their bookings.

You can contact our Customer Services Team on 01702 318111 or email customerservices@rochford.gov.uk and we can help you from there.

Fountains were the Council’s contractors who provided the following services on our behalf:

• Maintenance of cemeteries
• Pavilions and sports pitch maintenance
• Emptying of dog and litter bins in our open spaces
• Maintenance of public open spaces and highway verges
• Maintenance and weekly checks of play areas.

Rochford District Council’s Head of Environmental Services, Richard Evans, said: “Since we were informed that Fountains would no longer be carrying out their services on our behalf we have been implementing the plan we have in place to ensure there is minimal disruption to services.

We are now in a position to say that, in the short term, we have ensured there is appropriate cover in place so that all the services Fountains used to provide will carry on as normal with no disruption.”

Once again Rochford has teamed up with the Essex Legacy Team at Essex County Council, along with Castle Point Borough Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council to bring you “Walking Your Way to the Games”.

The challenge is simple, there are five walks to complete around South Essex, each is divided into five colours and you’ll receive a free gift for any walk that you complete.

The challenge is; can you complete all five walks? Your quest starts in Southend with:

The Red Walk (shortest walk) at Priory Park

Distance: 1-1.5 miles

Date: 23 February and 25 October 2012 Time: 1.15pm

Meeting point: Meet outside the café in Priory Park, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6NB

The Green Walk along Canvey Sea Wall

Distance: 1.5-1.75 miles

Date:  2 May and 19 September 2012 Time: 10.30am

Meeting point: Canvey Sea Wall (meeting Labworth Car Park) SS8 7NQ

The Yellow Walk in Hullbridge

Distance: 2 miles

Date: 12 March and 23 July 2012  Time: 10.45am

Meeting point: Car Park, corner of Ferry Road and Pooles Lane SS5 6PA

The Blue Walk in Hadleigh

Distance: 4 Miles

Date: 20 April and 7 September 2012 Time: 10.30am

Meeting point: Salvation Army Car Park

The Black Walk (longest walk) Rochford District

Distance: 5 Miles

Date: Two dates in 2012 tbc Time: tbc

Meeting point: Contact Mark Aldous for more information

Please note that all details are correct at the time of print but are subject to change. Please check with event organiser to confirm details.

For more information contact, Sports Development Officer, Mark Aldous on 01702 318121 or by email mark.aldous@rochford.gov.uk

Ninety 8 to 14 year olds were joined by members of the world-famous Philharmonia Orchestra over the weekend with the challenge to compose, rehearse and perform a piece of music in front of a packed audience at the Fitzwimarc School.

The young musicians worked alongside workshop leader Tim Steiner and musicians from the Orchestra to prepare the piece, based on Holst’s “The Planets”, in just 48 hours, before performing it in front of friends, family and the Chairman of Rochford District Council.

The project was arranged by Rochford District Council and Rochford Extended Services and funded by Virgin Active, Orchestras Live, Essex County Council and Rochford Extended Services. This is the fifth year that the Philharmonia Orchestra has visited the District.

Following the concert, Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Tourism, Heritage, the Arts, Culture and Business, Councillor Keith Gordon, said: “These concerts are always a real pleasure to attend and I’d like to thank both the young people and the members of the Philharmonia Orchestra for the hard work they have put in over the two days.

Rochford District Council is always looking for ways to engage young people in music and the arts – especially in this Olympic year when we have a number of cultural events planned for the coming months.

I’d like to thank the Philharmonia Orchestra for their time in helping young people in the District to enjoy working together and putting on a great performance.”

Workshop Leader, Tim Steiner, added: “It’s always a pleasure to visit the Rochford District and help the young people here to develop as musicians.

This is our fifth visit to the District and each time we come we are always amazed at the skill, talent and dedication that the youngsters show when they are working with us. I’d like to thank them for having us and for working so hard to make the concert such a success.”

The Council is pleased to announce that it has installed the first of its WEEE recycling banks in Back Lane, Rochford.

WEEE banks (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) are there to take your broken, small electrical and electronic items such as toasters, kettles and shavers. The banks have a small opening and therefore are not able to take large items such as fridges, freezers and televisions.

The Council is working with May Gurney and the WEEE recycler Reclaimed Appliances to provide this service.

As well as offering you an easy and convenient way of getting rid of broken electrical items, by taking them to the WEEE banks, you’ll also be helping charity, for every tonne of waste collected, a £1 donation will be made to The Rainbow Trust.

The banks have been put in place to make life easier for residents. At the moment, small electrical and electronic items can’t be put in household bins so the WEEE banks give you a more convenient way of disposing of them.

As well as the WEEE banks, you can still recycle these items – and larger electrical items – at the Recycling Centre for Household Waste in Castle Road, Rayleigh.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Councillor Mike Steptoe, said: “Installing these new recycling banks shows that we are always listening to feedback and looking for new ways to make our recycling scheme easier to use for our residents.

We hope that the new banks will offer a convenient place to dispose of small electrical and electronic items as well as benefit The Rainbow Trust charity.”

With Christmas fast approaching plans are being made for the festive period. If you’re organising a gathering with family, friends or work colleagues at a local restaurant, pub or hotel don’t just check out the menu, check out the food hygiene rating as well.

Good food hygiene is getting easier to spot these days with the recent introduction of the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Restaurants, pubs, hotels, (as well as cafes, takeaways and other places that sell or serve food) are now being rated from 0 – 5 on their hygiene standards when a food hygiene inspection is carried out by Rochford District Council.

It’s easy to check out the ratings by looking them up online at: www.food.gov.uk/ratings   Christmas party goers can also look out for the distinctive green and black stickers that businesses are encouraged to display at their outlets to tell their customers the rating they were given.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Councillor Mike Steptoe, said: “When dining out, you’ll choose to go to a place where you like the food and you know you’ll have a good time. It makes sense to look before you book and check out the food hygiene rating as well.”

The Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the FSA, Catriona Stewart, added: “The FHRS is all about putting the consumer first, supplying people with useful information on which to base their choice of where to eat. The FSA is working in partnership with Rochford District Council and other local authorities to introduce this scheme nationally. It means that when you eat out – be it in the area you live or further away – you can easily compare hygiene standards of different food outlets.”

Recent research by the Agency has shown that nearly 17 million people suffer from stomach upsets in the UK every year   and many more instances go unreported. Nobody wants to have their Christmas festivities ruined and as far as food hygiene ratings go there’s safety in numbers – so it’s good to know.