Cannock Chase Council members voted by a majority to lobby government following a motion debated at last week’s Council meeting, regarding the Government’s Trade Union Bill.

The Government proposals include ending the ban on employees bringing in agency workers to cover for permanent staff during industrial action; brings in new restrictions on pickets and protests during strikes, unions will have to give employers and the police the details of a lead picketer on every picket line, as well as submitting a campaign plan two weeks before any action.

'CT' Awareness Week is taking place from 23rd to 29th November and is being coordinated by the office of the National Coordinator Protect & Prepare (NCPP).

The key messages are

Residents are advised that the new waste and recycling calendars will be issued before the end of March next year.

The Council recently announced they were set to award the contracts for their waste collection service and organic garden waste disposal, which will have implications on the way recycling and waste is collected in the District.

Cannock Chase Council is seeking the relatives of 120 First World War heroes, whose names are engraved on the war memorial in Hednesford, in order to name roads on a new housing estate in their honour.

Planning permission has been granted for a housing development on land off Pye Green Road in Hednesford.

It has been requested by the Leader of the Council George Adamson, that the roads on the new housing development are named in memory of local war heroes from the First World War.

Cannock Chase Council is supporting Small Business Saturday in the District and encourages residents to ‘shop local’.

Small Business Saturday UK is a grass-roots campaign which exists to support, promote and inspire small businesses.  It also encourages consumers to shop local and support the independent shops in our town centres.  The day takes place on the first  Saturday in December every year, but it is hoped that the campaign will have a lasting impact for small businesses.

Cannock Chase Council is supporting the ‘Stay well this winter’ campaign and urging vulnerable residents in the District to protect themselves.

The campaign launched by Public Health England and NHS England aims to prevent admissions by encouraging people of 65, or those with long term health conditions to prepare for winter with advice on how to ward off common illnesses.

The NHS ‘Stay Well This Winter’ campaign urges the public to:

Following a long procurement exercise, Cannock Chase Council is set to award the contracts for their waste collection service and organic garden waste disposal.

Subject to the statutory 10 day standstill procurement requirements the Council intend to award the contract for the disposal and treatment of organic garden waste to Jack Moody Ltd; with Biffa Municipal Ltd being awarded the contract for waste collection; this includes residual and food waste, garden waste and dry recycling.

Cannock Chase Council is encouraging residents in the District to make sure they have the right to vote, after a number fail to respond to the annual canvass.

In July this year, as part of Cannock Chase Council’s annual voter registration canvass, all households in the District received a form asking residents to check whether the information held for those living at the address was correct.  Those who didn’t respond will have also been sent reminders and/or been visited by a canvasser.  However, there are a still a number outstanding.

Cannock Chase Council welcomes the return of the regular bus service to the Bevan Lee Estate.

Following lobbying by Cannock Chase Council, Arriva have reinstated a bus service to serve the redeveloped Bevan Lee housing estate of over 300 houses.

Arriva used to serve the estate prior to its redevelopment but on completion, the service was not reinstated. Following recent meetings between the Council, Arriva and the County Council, the Council raised the need to reinstate bus services to serve the redevelopment.

A recent survey of the District's town centres has shown that vacancy rates across Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford are currently half that of the national average.