A £5 million countywide package of support programmes for small businesses and apprentices has been launched through a partnership of Councils’ in Staffordshire, involving Cannock Chase Council.

The Council’s Cabinet approved to allocate funds from the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund to participate in this initiative being led by Staffordshire County Council, to support additional skills and training initiatives across the District in their meeting on 4 March.

A free online awareness session is being offered to parents, carers and guardians across Cannock Chase District to highlight the warning signs of criminal exploitation.

The Council’s Community Safety Team has commissioned Loudmouth Education & Training to deliver two virtual sessions which will focus on county lines, knife crime and criminal exploitation.

Cannock Chase Council officers are busy preparing for the elections on Thursday 6 May.   

Elections will be held across 13 Cannock Chase District Council wards, 6 Staffordshire County Council divisions (7 seats), and for the Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. There is also a by-election for a seat on Rugeley Town Council.

Candidates and their agents for the District and County Council elections are being invited to a virtual briefing via Zoom on Tuesday 16 March at 5pm.

Safety will be paramount throughout the election period.

The Council’s Cabinet have agreed to the allocation of S106 monies to the value of £22,877 for cycle storage and CCTV facilities in Market Street in Hednesford.

The S106 monies are linked to previous agreements with Tesco and Aldi.

At its meeting yesterday, Cabinet approved a new Local Development Scheme (LDS) for the next three years, which informs residents and stakeholders of each stage of the Local Plan review and opportunities to participate. At the same meeting the Cannock Chase Local Plan Preferred Option was also approved for consultation.

Households across Cannock Chase are being asked to take part in Census 2021 this Spring.

The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

Census 2021 will be the first run predominantly online. The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity.

Micro businesses, with one to four workers in Cannock Chase can benefit from 12 months’ free business support to help and guide them, following the pandemic.

The Council is pooling resources with Staffordshire County Council and other borough and district councils to offer free 12 month membership places with (FSB).

Membership will give free advice and guidance on issues such as legal and tax, employment legislation, health and safety, cyber protections and insurance.  This is available thanks to a partnership with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). 

Businesses in Cannock Chase that remain closed due to the pandemic will receive a new grant payment, following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 22 February.

The Council is allocating over £2m, to businesses in the District that remain closed due to the Covid-19 restrictions. 

Businesses that have previously received the ‘Local Restrictions Support Grant’ and the ‘Council’s Additional Restrictions Grant’ will automatically get the payment by 5 March, at the latest. The new grants will cover the period from 16 February until the end of March.