Category: Latest News (Page 8 of 18)

Residents can join local singers for an off the scale musical celebration in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

The Council organised ‘Big Community Sing’ will showcase the talents of local choirs, quartets, schools and singing groups of every description and all ages, genres and abilities.

The event takes place at the Stag in Sevenoaks on Tuesday 7 June 2022 from 7pm and all the money raised from the night goes to support local mental health services for young people.

Sevenoaks District Council’s Chairman, Cllr Avril Hunter, says: “After a break, we’re delighted to be holding the Big Community Sing again. It’s a great opportunity for a diverse range of singing groups to perform in front of hundreds of people whilst raising money for local mental health services.

Cllr Hunter adds: “Singing as part of a group is a great way to get involved in the local community and improve health and wellbeing.”

Tickets to watch the Big Community Sing cost £5 and are on sale at the Stag Box Office. Visit www.stagsevenoaks.co.uk or call 01732 450175.

Residents’ waste collections will take place on their usual day over the Spring and Jubilee bank holidays.

Sevenoaks District Council refuse collection crews will be working as usual on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 June 2022. Anyone who has a collection scheduled on these days should put their sacks out as normal.

There will be no changes to garden waste collections over the two bank holidays either.

Residents should put their black and clear sacks out at 7.00 am and garden waste out at 6.30 am on their collection day.

Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says: “Our waste collection crews will be going the extra mile by working the two bank holidays so no one misses a collection. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, we’ve kept our bank holidays collection arrangements simple – residents just need to put their sacks and garden waste out on their usual day.”

For more information visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/refuse.

Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) will be making payments to eligible residents, who pay their council tax (Bands A to D) by direct debit, during next week. The guidance relating to the rebate scheme applies to those liable for the council tax from April 2022, in addition the rebate should only be payable once the first payment, or installment, of council tax has been made in relation to this financial year.

As those circumstances are now being met, SDC aim to get payments out to everyone that is eligible (and pays council tax by direct debit) during May.

For those council tax payers that do not pay by direct debit, SDC will begin contacting them from 23 May with details about how to claim.

Information for residents is available on the council website at https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/info/20005/council_tax/624/council_tax_rebate

A unique draft 25-Year Environment Plan written by South East Water now needs feedback from local residents on its strengths and weaknesses before it is published.

South East Water is the first UK water company to produce such a plan, following an intensive period working with its customers, employees and other environmental organisations to shape it. The appeal for feedback from local communities is the final stage before it is published in summer-2022.

Not only does the plan set out how the company will limit its own impact on the environment, but more importantly, how it will improve the overall health of the environment and increase its resilience to the effects of drought, flooding and growing demand for tap water.

Supplying drinking water to 2.2 million customers across the south east, the company maintains 83 water treatment works and 9,000 miles of underground pipes, as well as 33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, two local nature reserves, Lullington Heath National Nature Reserve and numerous Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The water supplier also works with farmers, landowners and other water users to protect the quality and quantity of the rivers and underground aquifers which are used to produce an average of 520 million litres of tap water each day.

The company is now looking to expand the work of its in-house team of environmental experts to work with other local companies and individuals to improve the environment within a generation.

The consultation runs from 1 to 30 April.  Read the plan and have your say on South East Water’s website – southeastwater.co.uk/25YP.

Easter refuse collections

Following the Easter bank holidays, there will be changes to rubbish, recycling, garden and commercial waste collection days across the District.

Revised collection days are:

Good Friday, 15 April – this collection will take place the next day, Saturday 16 April

Easter Monday, 18 April – all collections this week will be one day later than usual until Saturday 23 April.

Residents are asked to put their sacks out at 7am on their collection day to help prevent attracting animals and the build-up of litter.

Garden waste customers will need to put their bin or sacks out by 6.30am on their collection day.

We have been asked by the Kent Resilience Team if we could circulate the message in blue below to residents:

Local communities should prepare for potential disruption on the roads this weekend (8-10 April) as the Easter getaway gets underway.

With P&O Ferries cancelling all services this weekend and potential for poor weather conditions, tourists and hauliers using cross-Channel services from Dover and Folkestone are being advised to allow extra time for their journey and to be prepared for long delays.

Traffic management is in place for cross-Channel freight traffic which must join the queue on the M20.  HGV drivers are advised that enforcement is in place across the Kent network to deal with queue jumping and they will be sent to the back of the queue.

Inevitably, this is having a major impact on local traffic. Local diversions are in place, but please allow extra time for your journey.  Arrangements are also in place to filter HGVs making local deliveries

The final Minutes from the January meeting and draft Minutes from the March meeting are now available to view.

2022 03 09 Minutes draft 

2022 01 11 Jan 22 Minutes – Final.docx