90 Sutton residents take pledge to reduce food waste

barbara_LFHW

North Cheam resident Barbara enjoys a chat with the Love Food Hate Waste advisers.

90 Sutton residents made public pledges to reduce their household food waste on Friday 18 December at a Love Food Hate Waste event offering advice on ways to reduce food waste and save money.

Pledges were made by attaching cards to two large display freezers at the event on the High Street. London Borough of Sutton residents who made a pledge either at the event or via Twitter were entered into a prize draw where they could win a Nutribullet – the two lucky winners will be informed on 22 January.

Over 300 passers-by took the opportunity to talk with Sutton Council LFHW advisers and take part in a range of quirky, thought-provoking activities aimed at raising awareness of how much wasted food costs households in the UK each year.

A shopping trolley filled with produce also served as a visual aid to emphasise the startling fact that the average household throws out nearly £60 of food a month – that’s nearly £700 a year.

Carshalton Central’s Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment & Neighbourhood Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“These great activities show that it is possible to spread the message about reducing food waste in a fun and engaging way. I’m really pleased to see so many pledges from our residents and have every faith that they will manage to keep them. And it’s not just residents who have made pledges. I’m going to make an effort to reduce my portion size– it’s so easy to cook too much and end up with leftovers.  It’s not only households that will benefit from reducing food waste. Reducing this waste will result in reduced costs for local authorities which can be then be invested in essential services for residents. It also helps Sutton achieve its One Planet Sutton objectives.

Sutton resident Laura Luthers makes a food waste reduction pledge. Laura Luthers of Sutton makes her food waste reduction pledge.

James McGowan, Campaign Manager for London Love Food Hate Waste, said:

“We all waste food at home and we all need make an effort to reduce the amount of food we waste at home. The benefits are massive on so many levels, both locally and on a global scale. I am delighted to see the positive steps being taken in Sutton and with their continued support I am confident we can continue to make further progress. As part of the Sutton Love Food Hate Waste campaign, Sutton Council are also asking residents to sign up and take part in the Food Waste Diary Challenge. The activities take place over three weeks in January 2016 and set out to help highlight ways to save money and make the most of food. For details of the challenge and how you can take part visit www.sutton.gov.uk/fooddiary

The Sutton Love Food Hate Waste campaign is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) after Sutton Council’s successful bid for funding.

West Street Pedestrian Crossing Works Update

A letter is in about the delayed crossing works in West Street….

Dear Residents / Traders,

West Street Carshalton – New traffic signal controlled pedestrian crossing outside St. Mary’s Nursery and Infants School

I am writing to let you know about the highway works that will be taking place in West Street in the coming days to install the new pedestrian crossing outside the school. There will be works to disconnect and remove the existing zebra crossing on 16th and Thursday 17th December. It will be necessary to close West Street between the zebra crossing and at the junction with West Street Lane on Thursday 17th December between 9.30am and 2.30pm.

The closure is necessary to allow the contractor to lay the new textured / coloured surface at the crossing point and to replace the junction table at the junction with West Street Lane. The Contractor will try to keep access open to residents at all times.

Once the zebra crossing has been removed there will be a temporary push button traffic signal controlled pedestrian crossing in operation over the Christmas period.

On the 4th January 2016, the contractor will be back on site to install the new traffic signal controlled pedestrian crossing. This work may require the use of temporary traffic management but not a road closure. The new crossing will be completed and in operation by 8th January 2016.

I apologise in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause but I will be working with the contractor to undertake the work as quickly and safely as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Lynn Robinson, Highways and Transport Section

Sutton Council’s innovative approach to budget cuts sees increase in resident satisfaction

Sutton Council

Sutton Council

Almost 8 in 10 people feel Sutton Council (run by the Liberal Democrats) is doing a good job and 9 in 10 are satisfied with their local area as a place to live, an independent borough-wide survey has found.

The data comes from an independent bi-annual survey commissioned by the council to analyse public perception of the borough. This year the survey was carried out by M.E.L Research, which surveyed 1,022 residents aged 16+ with quotas set on age, gender and work status to match the profile of the population of Sutton.

The percentage of respondents satisfied with how the council runs services in the borough has risen two percentage points in the past two years to 78 per cent. The satisfaction rate for the local area as a place to live has been maintained at 90 per cent compared to 2013.

This is despite the council having to save £74m from its annual budget between 2011 and 2019 due to unprecedented Government cuts to its annual budget.

So far the council has saved £43m from its annual budget, with the majority of the saving (£32m) being made without frontline services being affected. However the remaining £31m will result in services being changed, reduced and in some cases stopped which is likely to have an effect on future surveys.

The council launched the Sutton’s Future campaign in July 2013 to involve residents in making the savings. So far there have been more than 10,000 responses to date.

The campaign looks to have had an effect with a rise in:

·        the percentage of people saying they feel informed about how council tax is spent (48 per cent in 2013 to 65 per cent in 2015)

·        the percentage of people feel informed about council services and benefits (49 per cent in 2013 to 64 per cent in 2015)

·        the percentage of people that they feel they can influence council-run services (44 per cent in 2013 to 51 per cent in 2015)

Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, said:

“These results show our residents appreciate just how hard Sutton Council is working to continue to provide high-quality services at a time when we are having to make major savings in all areas.

“Since 2010 we have saved £43m from our annual budget but we have tried to protect frontline services as much as possible by being at the forefront of new ways such as sharing services with other councils.

“We will continue to find new and innovative ways of working with measures such as setting up our own housing company to build affordable homes, a decentralised energy network and our plans to create the world’s leading centre for cancer treatment and drug development.

“Unfortunately, with the continued budget cuts many services will have to reduce and stop. It will become more difficult to maintain these kind of results but we will always do our best for the people of Sutton.

“What is particularly pleasing is that more people feel informed about services and more people feel they can influence services. As the public sector reduces in size, there is an opportunity for those people to get more involved in looking after their borough, especially in those areas where our residents want to see improvements.”

Other survey results included:

·        Most residents (98 per cent) feel safe walking alone during the day in their neighbourhood. After dark, three-quarters (75 per cent) feel sale, compared with 71 per cent in 2013. The level of worry for burglary and antisocial behaviour has continued to decrease since 2011 (48 per cent and 41 per cent respectively to 37 per cent and 35 per cent in 2015).

·        More than half of residents want to know what the council is doing but do not wish to be involved beyond that, with only 13 per cent wanting to be more involved or have a say in what the council is doing. Of those who want to be more involved or have a say, just over a third (34 per cent) would be willing to complete a questionnaire, 25 per cent to submit their views through an online channel and 28 per cent to attend a public meeting arranged by Sutton Council.

·        The satisfaction level with Sutton Council has risen consistently since 2009, when just under three-quarters (72 per cent) of residents thought the council was doing a good job. Just over six in 10 (61 per cent) agree that the council provides value for money, up from 54 per cent in 2013.

·        Residents on the whole appear to be reasonably satisfied with council services. Since 2013, resident satisfaction has increased for services such as borough theatres, the arts and events, historic places and museums, playgrounds, sport and swimming facilities, and pavement and road maintenance.

·        However, resident satisfaction has decreased in recycling, down from 85 per cent in 2013 to 77 per cent in 2015, street cleaning from 76 per cent in 2013 to 69 per cent in 2015, refuse collection from 88 per cent in 2013 to 82 per cent in 2015, and parks and open spaces, from 87 per cent in 2013 to 82 per cent in 2015.

·        But resident satisfaction remained the same in 2013 and 2015 in parking (46 per cent), libraries (73 per cent) and street lighting (81 per cent).

To see the full report click here.

Holiday recycling collections in Sutton

Carshalton college students' recycling tree at Rosehill

Don’t worry if you can’t make a tree from your recycling – find our Christmas collection times below.

Sutton Council will be making refuse and recycling collections over the Christmas holidays – but advise residents to be aware of revised collection times.

Refuse and recycling collections on Friday 25 or Saturday 26 December will now take place on Monday 28 and Wednesday 30 December respectively*. Collections on Monday 28, Tuesday 28, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 are unaffected. Collections on Friday 1 January will take place on Monday 4 January*. Normal service will resume on Saturday 2 January.

Garden Waste collections expected on Friday 25 or Saturday 26 December will take place on Thursday 24 December instead.

Residents are also encouraged to think about items that can be recycled as they begin the post-Christmas clean up. The festive season can be an extremely busy time and recycling can easily drop to the bottom of priority lists.

Many household items can be recycled. From plastic food and drink packaging to cardboard boxes and wrapping paper**, most packaging can go into your recycling bin.

Plastic drinks bottles, pots, tubs, and trays can go straight into the recycling, but remember to give them a quick rinse in washing up water beforehand. The same is true of glass jars and bottles. Egg boxes, cardboard sleeves for food packaging, and biscuit selection boxes can all be recycled too.

We might spend a little extra time getting ready for Christmas and New Year nights out. Remember that toiletries such as plastic shower gel and shampoo bottles, deodorant and shaving gel aerosols, and moisturiser tubes can all be recycled.

Anyone with a ‘real’ Christmas tree will be pleased to know they are 100% recyclable. Christmas tree collections will begin on Monday 11 January for two weeks.

A full list of what can and cannot be recycled in Sutton can be found here.

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

“Here in Sutton we know our residents work hard to make sure they recycle as much as possible but there is still more that could be done.

“The hectic Christmas season can become overwhelming. It’s easy to forget about recycling. Making a that small extra effort to recycle will make a real difference to Sutton and the environmental health of our planet, along with contributing to the achievement of our One Planet Sutton targets.”

Sutton currently recycles 37% of its waste – above the London average of 34%. The council wants to build on this through a recycling campaign that launched in November 2015 including a series of recycling roadshows, posters, a booklet drop to all households with information about what people can and cannot place in their bins as well as bin stickers for households with kerbside collections.

As 23% of waste placed in brown bins could be recycled there is still opportunity to make Sutton’s recycling figures even better.

On top of the many environmental benefits of recycling, it is also far more cost-effective for the public purse to recycle materials rather than dispose of them. These savings can then be used to fund other important council services.

The Sutton recycling campaign is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Resource London after Sutton Council’s successful bid for funding.

Garden Waste collections

Scheduled collection date Revised collection date
25 December (Christmas Day) 24 December
26 December (Boxing Day) 24 December

Refuse & Recycling collections

Scheduled collection date Revised collection date
25 December (Christmas Day) 28 / 29 December*
26 December (Boxing Day) 30 December
28 December Usual collection
29 December Usual collection
30 December Usual collection
31 December Usual collection
1 January 2016 4 / 5 January 2016*

*We will endeavour to make catch-up collections as quickly as possible – residents are advised to leave their bins out on the revised date and leave them out until collections can be made.

**Wrapping paper with foil or glitter detailing cannot be recycled.

Diners urged to check food hygiene ratings before eating out over Christmas

A restaurant interior, with glasses and plates laid out on the table.

Check the Food Hygiene Rating tool before eating out to ensure you dine in cleanliness and safety.

Sutton Council and the Food Standards Agency are encouraging residents to check the hygiene rating of dining establishments and restaurants before choosing where to eat.

Sutton has a great range of restaurants and eateries to enjoy, but diners can be doubly sure they have made the right choice by checking the Food Standards Agency’s website and using their Food Hygiene Rating Scheme toolkit.

753 establishments in Sutton are rated by the toolkit and over 320 of them have achieved the maximum score of 5 stars, with another 200 receiving a ‘Very good’ 4 star rating. Nearly 85% scored a ‘Good’ 3 star rating or higher.

Enforcement Officers aim to protect public health and work with establishments that receive lower ratings to help them improve hygiene standards. A food business operator can also request a re-rating visit after three months.

Click here to see the full breakdown of eating establishments in Sutton borough.

Cllr Nick Emmerson, Lead Councillor of Trading Standards at Sutton Council, said: 

“As we move toward the festive season more and more people will take the opportunity to enjoy a meal out with loved ones and friends. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a great tool which the public can use to plan their visits to restaurants and eateries, safe in the knowledge the venue they choose will be clean and hygienic. “

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has been running for five years and provides diners with an impartial guide about how clean an establishment is.  The scheme covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland with over 455,000 ratings listed. Establishments are rated from 0, meaning ‘Urgent improvement necessary’, to 5 meaning ‘Very good’. The Food Standards Agency consider several criteria when assigning a rating. Hygienic handling of food, cleanliness of facilities, and business management are all taken into account before an establishment receives a grade.

In 2013, more than 500,000 people suffered from food poisoning in the UK. Poultry was the biggest cause of illness, accounting for nearly half of the cases.

West Street Pedestrian Crossing Works Update

Jill, Alan and Hamish received this update recently…
 
 
Dear Councillor
 
Further to your enquiry regarding the Pelican crossing on West Street, Carshalton please see the officers response below in bold;
 
Sorry for the delay in replying.
 
Subject to confirmation the work will be completed during week beginning January 4th 2016. Unfortunately TfL were unable to connect the lights during the planned works in October. We understand that this will be at the start of school term and that the timing is not ideal, so we will have to ensure safe crossing facilities during the works. 
 
I hope that this answers your enquiry. 
 
If you have any further queries or concerns regarding this matter then please feel free to contact the officer in charge, Alan Eastwood on alan.eastwood@sutton.gov.uk.
 
Kind Regards
 
Traffic Postbook
Highways & Transport
Kingston & Sutton Shared Environment Service
London Borough of Sutton
24 Denmark Road | Carshalton | Surrey | SM5 2JG
Contact Centre Telephone: 020 8770 5000020 8770 5000 | Email: traffic.postbook@sutton.gov.uk

Free Grit

Please see the poster below about the free grit on offer to Sutton residents and businesses. Winter is one of the most dangerous times for older people as ice and snow make the ground slippery – if you live near a vulnerable person please enquire as to whether they need grit and if possible make the collection for them.

key_grit.jpg
Kind regards,

Councillor Ruth Dombey
Leader of Sutton Council

PS. You can find more about Sutton Council’s free grit service here: www.sutton.gov.uk/gritting

Sutton Council offers free Christmas parking to support traders and shoppers

December parking times in Sutton borough

Full details of free parking over the next few weeks in Sutton.

Sutton Council will not charge for using its car parks over weekends in the run-up to Christmas.

The council’s decision will be a shot in the arm for the local economy as shoppers gear up for the festive season.

The Gibson Road multi-story car park in Sutton town centre will offer free parking between 6am and 11.30pm on Saturday 5 December, otherwise known as Small Business Saturday. Several other car parks across the borough are involved in the initiative, including Carshalton High Street, Kingsway Cheam, and Wallington Library.

But that’s not all. Free parking will be available at all of these facilities over the following two weekends, 12 & 13 December and 19 & 20 December giving shoppers three weekends of free parking and traders three weekends of consumers with extra money and time to spend in their shops.

Cllr Simon Wales, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council & social enterprise champion, said:

“We’re proud that Sutton has so many great independent traders and it’s really important we support them to thrive. By allowing free parking in our car parks people will be able to shop for longer without having to rush back to their cars. There’s never been a better time to support your local high street.”

The full details of which borough car parks will be offering free parking, their opening times, and details for drivers can be found below:

Gibson Road multi-storey, Sutton, SM1 2RF
Open between 6am – 11.30pm Saturday 5, 12, & 19 December and 9.30am – 6pm Sunday 13 & 20 December.

Carshalton High Street car park, Carshalton, SM5 3AP
Open between 8am – 6.30pm Saturday 5, 12, & 19 December and Sunday 13 & 20 December.

Kingsway car park, Cheam, SM3 8SD
Open between 8am – 6.30pm Saturday 5, 12, & 19 December and Sunday 13 & 20 December.

Wallington Library, Wallington, SM6 0HY
Open between 8am – 6.30pm Saturday 5, 12, & 19 December and Sunday 13 & 20 December.

Westmead Care Home – Monitoring Construction

A message is in from Sutton Council about this development….
Dear Cllr….

I held a Site Meeting with Metnor Construction’s Site Agent / Project Manager Mike Sanderson today, after first visiting the site yesterday, following receipt of your enquiry below.

Yesterday’s Site Visit established the validity of xxxx’s complaint, and I was able to convince Metnor’s Mr. Sanderson that we would not hesitate to take enforcement action against the site and its workers if he did not take steps to ensure that his site was run in compliance with the General Logistics Overview and Method Statement which they submitted to us at Planning stage.
At today’s meeting, Mr Sanderson explained the steps he had taken in the last 24 hours to control the nuisance of construction-related traffic on the neighbouring roads of Cowper Avenue, Kingsley Avenue and Byron Avenue (East).
Metnor Construction held a “Tool Box Talk” Meeting with all its sub-contractors yesterday, where 26 of the 28 sub-contractors signed to confirm their consent to comply with Instructions emailed to them by the Site’s Contracts Manager, Shaun Kent. 
Evidence from those attending the meeting suggests that many are bricklayers and plasterers. Mentor informed me today that the bricklaying and plastering operations would end this weekend, removing up to 20 sub-contractors from the site, many of whom currently seem to drive to work.As a result, it is anticipated that the on-street parking demand will be further reduced from Monday.
Metnor have also introduced a construction-related parking scheme, whereby they will henceforth issue a Metnor Parking Badge to all their staff parking on-street, to indicate how many of the vehicles parked on-street at any one time, are related to the site.

Mr Kent also emailed  xxxx yesterday, and copies of the documents referred to above are attached herewith, and I have agreed with the Site Agent that we will monitor the parking situation on a weekly basis, to ensure that it no longer deteriorate to the level observed yesterday.
Please contact me if I can be of further assistance on this matter.
Regards,

Don Anyiam, M.Sc., CMIHT

Principal Engineer & Management Consultant
Highways and Transport
Kingston & Sutton Shared Service
London Borough of Sutton
Denmark Road | Carshalton | Surrey SM5 2JG
Tel: 020 8770 4979020 8770 4979

Still time for Sutton residents to have their say on future of library services

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Sutton Council is reminding residents they can still take part in the public consultation on the future of the borough’s library service.

Around 2,200 people already have voiced their opinions in the 12-week consultation, which runs until Wednesday 16 December 2015. A public meeting at Sutton Central Library on Saturday 14 November saw residents discuss issues with councillors and find out more about the proposals.

Sutton Council is being forced to look at changes to the library service due to unprecedented government cuts to its annual budget. As a result, it has to save £74m from its annual budget between 2011 and 2019. The council’s annual revenue budget is currently £148.4m (2015/16).

So far the council has saved £43m from its annual budget, with a further £31m to go.

As part of the cost-cutting measures, the council has identified £1m of savings from the annual libraries, heritage and art budget, which currently stands at £4.4m. It launched the campaign through its Sutton’s Future campaign to ensure that residents can have their say in the future of the service.

Options for consultation include the closure of Beddington Library and the discontinuation of the Mobile Library service, considering a community library model that increases the number of volunteers and volunteer roles, and sharing services with a neighbouring borough.

An enhanced housebound library service to cater for vulnerable residents is already being provided in partnership with Sutton’s Old People’s Welfare Committee, who provide Meals on Wheels services for the council.

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

“We have had a tremendous response to our consultation so far and there is still time to have your say. While we have to reshape our library service because of Government cuts to our budget, we want to maintain the quality and customer standards that people expect.”

The library consultation is through the council’s Sutton’s Future campaign, which was launched last year to involve residents in helping to make savings due to unprecedented government cuts. It includes an online survey, available here, and an independent telephone survey of 1,000 residents.

In January 2015 Sutton Council adopted a Library Strategy for the borough’s library service, setting out the strategic and operational direction for the service to 2019. It has four key aims:

  • Literacy: growing the readers of the future.
  • Meeting the needs of an aging population.
  • Narrowing the digital divide.
  • Creating a viable, sustainable and quality service within available budgets.