Sutton Council is encouraging residents to play their part in keeping borough streets cleaner – and local charities and good causes will benefit by their doing do.

The council is taking part in an anti-littering project that was launched this week in four areas across England. It has joined forces with the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and The Wrigley Company in a bid to keep the streets of Sutton cleaner.

Carshalton High Street and Westmead Road are taking part in the three-month project, where litter bins will be transformed into charity collection pots, featuring a different charity each month. The three charities are The National Autistic Society (Sutton branch), Sutton ShopMobility and St Raphael’s Hospice.

The more litter that goes into the bins and the less on the ground, the more money the featured charity of the month will receive from an allocated budget.

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We are excited to be taking part in the Bin it for Good project in Carshalton High Street and Westmead Road. Sutton spends over £3m a year on keeping our streets, parks and open spaces free from litter. At a time when our budgets are being severely cut, any savings can make a big difference and save taxpayers money. We can’t keep cleaning up after those who litter and the only way to really tackle this is to alter the habits of people who drop litter without thinking. The Bin it for Good project supports Sutton Council’s One Planet goals to work to improve the quality of our local areas.”

A three-month pilot scheme in Rayleigh, Essex in 2014 saw a reduction of over 42 per cent in the amount of litter. At the same time, three local charities received more than £1,300 in donations and the project was also nominated for two Local Government Chronicle Awards.

In 2015, Bin it for Good was successfully extended to a further five locations to test the initiative in different locations. The project was well received by all partners and by the public, achieving on average a 30 per cent decrease in litter where it was successful, with Prudhoe town centre in Northumberland seeing a 52 per cent reduction in litter.

Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said:

“Bin if for Good is a win-win for communities. It cuts the amount of litter on the ground at the same time as supporting local charities. We are delighted to be working with Sutton Council as part of this rollout and look forward to seeing some more fantastic results.”

Sutton Council is working to reduce littering in partnership with borough residents of all ages, as well as local businesses. So far, 110 Sutton businesses have signed the #CleanStreetsSutton pledge to reduce the amount of litter around their shopfronts and business premises.

Local people have also been involved in sharing their litter loathes to encourage residents and visitors to take pride in the borough, helping to create an attractive and environmentally sustainable place to work, live, and play.

Mark Andrews, General Manager of Wrigley UK, said:

“After more than a decade of experience in supporting programmes to tackle litter it is clear to us that the challenge will only be solved through behaviour change, education and encouraging responsible disposal. Bin it for Good shows the huge potential in harnessing people’s support for local charities to change behaviour on litter and it is exciting to work with Keep Britain Tidy to refine the scheme so it can be used more widely. This is one of a series of new and deepened programmes that we are undertaking this autumn to help make a substantial difference on this issue.”

The CQC inspected the borough’s START (Short Term Assessment and Reablement Team) last month and rated the service Good in all five core areas – Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led.

The START team provides short-term care and therapy to assist people to maximise their independence in their own homes by supporting them to manage their personal care and other daily tasks including preparing meals, advice on food and hydration, and referrals to other services as needed.

In its report the CQC described START as a “well organised and efficiently run service” and that this “was particularly important given the complexity and short-term nature of this service, together with the level of demand for such a service in the community of Sutton”.

The report added:

“All of the people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals we spoke with as part of the inspection commented that the service was well-led. They felt that the managers took time to listen and would take action to make improvements when needed. People felt that management were approachable and had a visible presence in the operation of the service.

“We found that the registered manager conducted a range of checks to assess the standard of care. This included ‘spot checks’ and satisfaction surveys where people rated the service positively.”

“People’s needs were regularly assessed and they were involved in the assessment of their needs. Care plans were personalised and updated regularly as and when people’s needs changed. People’s views were always taken into account and they consented to their care.”

Cllr Colin Stears, Chair of Adult Social Services and Health Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“The START service is doing tremendous work with Sutton residents and we are delighted that the CQC recognises the professionalism of the staff and their caring and respectful approach when working at home with residents and with their families. The entire team do fantastic work here and deserve recognition for their high standard of care. All the relatives the CQC spoke with were told that their family members felt safe, that staff arrived on time and that they stayed the amount of time necessary to provide their care. One relative told the CQC: “The service to my Dad has stopped now, but they were brilliant”, while a resident said: “(The staff) are excellent, they really are so committed. They make me feel very safe and well cared for.”

The CQC report said:

“All of the people we spoke with… strongly agreed that the service was safe. They said they felt safe with the personal care provided, that staff had not missed any calls to their home and that they were not rushed with care provided by staff. People did not have any complaints about the service but knew how to complain if they had any concerns.”

Jumble Trail is coming to Sutton for the first time on Saturday 1 October, with the support of Recycle for London, the South London Waste Partnership and Sutton Council.

Residents who live in the Benhilton area are encouraged to clear out their cupboards and set up stall in their front gardens. As the saying goes, ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’.

A Jumble Trail is like a car boot sale but on your street.  Communities coordinate via www.jumbletrail.com to set up stalls outside their houses to sell bric-a-brac, toys, vintage clothes, cakes or whatever.  The aim is to encourage reuse and recycling at a grassroots level and to enhance community spirit.  The Sutton Jumble Trail will take place on Saturday 1 October between 10am – 4pm in residential roads in the Benhilton area.

Cllr Marlene Heron, Chair of the Sutton Local Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“I’m really pleased that Sutton is holding a Jumble Trail event – many thanks to the organisers for their hard work. Reusing or recycling our unwanted belongings rather than simply throwing them out makes a big difference to our environment. The Jumble Trail in Benhilton is a great opportunity for residents to make new friends in their neighbourhoods as they clear out some of their old items – and who knows, maybe even pick up a bargain or two in the process.”

The event wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for local Jumble Trail Champion Jacky Barker.  As a Jumble Trail Champion Jacky’s role is to encourage households in her local community to register their involvement in the event and set up a stall for the day.

Taking part in the event won’t cost you a penny as the usual stall fee is being covered by funding from Recycle for London. The Jumble Trail is part of their ‘Repair and Reuse’ programme of events taking place across London this autumn.

Even if you live outside the catchment area for this particular Jumble Trail, you can still get involved and support the event by popping along on the day and seeking out a bargain or two.

To check whether your address is inside the event radius and for further information visit the Benhilton Jumble Trail event page here.

Sutton Council’s Admiral Nurses service, which provides specialist support for borough families living with dementia, has been shortlisted for this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards.

The service has been shortlisted in the category of CCG and Local Authority Integrated commissioning for Carers. Judges had a tough job scoring and commended the high quality of entries this year.

The Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses who play a unique, caring role by working across different parts of the health and social care system. They ensure that the needs of family carers and people with dementia can be addressed in a co-ordinated way.

Sutton is one of a few local authorities in England to host an Admiral Nurse Service team. The service is a partnership between Sutton Council, NHS Sutton CCG and Dementia UK, the national charity that develops and maintains Admiral Nursing.

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council and a trained dementia friend, said:

“Sutton Council congratulates everyone in the Admiral Nursing Service team. Being shortlisted for this award is fantastic news and well deserved recognition of the valuable contribution they make to those living with dementia and their carers. The team is an inspiration to us all and I keep my fingers crossed for more good news when the winner is announced.”

Alastair McLellan, Editor of HSJ, said:

“With the NHS experiencing a tough time as funding fails to keep up with demand, the HSJ Awards are once again the best reminder of the excellence the service is capable of. Taken together the entries to the HSJ Awards represent work which, directly or indirectly, has saved thousands of lives and enhanced many times that number.”

The shortlisted organisations will complete presentations and interviews to a judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector.

The winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony on 23 November at the Intercontinental O2 in London.

That would be an estimated £660,000 cut for Sutton’s pharmacies or the closure of 11 pharmacies in our borough — or 1 in 4 of them!

Sutton residents will have the chance to explore some of the borough’s more unusual buildings during Open House London 2016.

The annual event, which takes place on the weekend of 17 and 18 September, will see the doors of heritage buildings in London opened to the public so that they can learn more about their fascinating histories.

Several Sutton Council-owned properties will be taking part in Open House London 2016. These include Carshalton’s Honeywood Museum, Russettings Register Office in central Sutton, and the state-of-the-art Sutton Life Centre on Alcorn Close, off Oldfields Road.

In addition, a number of privately–owned properties around the borough, including Carshalton House at St Philomena’s School, Sutton Police Station, and the pioneering bedZED eco-village in Hackbridge, will also be open for the public to enjoy.

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“The Open House events are a really important way to connect residents with the histories of their local areas. It’s a great chance to explore some buildings that aren’t usually open to the public, and learn more about them and the roles they have played in their communities. We’re really excited that Carshalton House and Sutton Police Station will be taking part in this year’s Open House London events. I encourage everyone to get out and visit at least one of the Open House venues – you won’t regret it.”

A full list of properties that will be open for the public to enjoy in the borough can be found on the Sutton Council website here. You can also find out what’s going on across the capital on the Open House London website here.

The Mayor of Sutton, Cllr Richard Clifton, said:

“I am sorry to inform you of the sad news that former councillor and Mayor John Dodwell has passed away after a short illness.

“John was a civil engineer who devoted most of his retirement years to community service in the London Borough of Sutton. He served for 12 years as ward councillor for Wallington North from 1994 to 2006 and was Mayor of Sutton in 2002-03.

“John had a particular interest in education issues, serving on a number of council education bodies and committees, and was Chair of the Education Committee in 1998-99.

“One of the highlights of his busy year as Mayor was his opening of the new Sutton Arena (now David Weir Leisure Centre) in which he emphasised the importance of the centre to the local community. On that occasion he played host to the official guest, world champion hurdler Colin Jackson.

“On his retirement from Sutton Council, John continued to play an active role in community affairs. He was Chair of the Friends of Beddington Park and played a major part in helping to secure £3m from the Heritage Lottery and Big Lottery Funds to restore and upgrade the park.

“John was very committed to the voluntary sector and also championed many projects to make improvements to the local area. An active Catholic, he took a keen interest in housing and homelessness issues.

“John will be sorely missed by his many friends in the voluntary sector to which he gave so much support. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Anne and his family at this sad time.”