Yate Wildlife Adventures Writing Competition

Deadline 

Want a chat? Happy to chat facebook page launched

Happy to Chat

Back in January Yate Town Council launched its ' Happy to Chat' benches across town to help tackle loniness and isolation. Now it has launched a Happy to Chat facebook page for anyone who just wants a natter.

The Town Council posted an explanation on facebook page yesterday "Our Happy to Chat Page is always sharing good news stories, fun games and all things positive✨🌈

The aim of the page is to keep us all connected in these uncertain times 🔗

Yate Town Council started our Happy to Chat Bench initiative earlier this year, as the current situation has brought social distancing to our lives we have come up with the Happy to Chat Page to keep us all chatting and connected virtually.

Please Like and share The Happy to Chat Page

Lets get as many people as possible involved 🗣

https://www.facebook.com/happytochatpage/

Easter Bonnet competition reminder

Its forecast to rain on Easter Sunday (so some traditions continue) - so why not use the time to enter the Kingsgate Park Easter Bonnet Competition. This is an annual event, run by the Town Council and Friends of the Park - this year it is on one, so get your photos uploaded by 10am Monday 13th......

Yate gives grants to Green Community Transport for their COVID work

Remember the Battle Fund Yate Town Council set up. One of the grants from it has gone to Green Community Transport:

The Town Council has pulled all the money it can together for the fund, and is looking to see if there is any other money it can transfer. It means some things planned for later in the year won't happen, but the town councillors from the focus team reckon it is vital to get whatever we can to the local front line now.

Town Council launches COVID-19 Battle Fund.

Are you involved in a group working in our community to tackle COVID isolation? Yate Town Council has found some money it can divert and set up a Battle Fund. Local groups can apply for emergency cash to help their work. Just go to http://www.yatetowncouncil.gov.uk/council-news/covid-19/ for the form and guidelines. Councillors and staff will turn applications around as quickly as they can. This is on top of the £4000 the Town Council has given to the foodbank so far. Town Councillors and the finance officers are working through every item of spending planned, to see what can be postponed to next year and the money freed up for the fight.

If organisations are looking to use some of their club balances to help the fight, either give it direct to the foodbank, or you could give it to the Town Council Battle Fund.

Yate Town Council and COVID19

A network of local groups including churches, voluntary groups and the town council are trying to provide support to the vulnerable. Please, being careful about social distancing, check on your elderly or vulnerable neighbours, Contact the town council if you need help. 

Job Vacancy cleaning up Yate

Want to be paid to help clean up Yate?

Applications close Tuesday 10th for a job in the estates team at Yate Town Council 📱 01454 866506 📧 vacancies@yatetowncouncil.gov.uk 💻http://www.yatetowncouncil.gov.uk/your-council/vacancies/ 📍 Poole Court, Poole Court Drive, BS37 5PP 📆🕛 DEADLINE: Tuesday 10th March 2020 - midday Paper copies are available at Poole Court

Declaration of climate and ecological crisis

At its meeting on 25 Feb Yate Town Council adopted a "declaration of climate and ecological crisis and commitment to action" - and agreed its action plan. The action plan covers every aspect of council work to deliver net zero carbon by 2030 - but with an emphasis on doing as much as possible as soon as possible. As a very simple first step the Council is abolishing paper at meetings. Just by doing that a whole box of paper was saved by not printing papers for Tuesday's meeting - so as a symbol of the commitment councillors gathered round the box of paper that had been saved. Of course that is one small step on what is a very big scale of change. But building the future we want has to start somewhere.

Here is the text of the declaration:
 

Zero Tolerance to Graffiti in Yate: Graffiti Busters

• 
  Led by the Focus Team, Yate Town Council  has launched a new, FREE graffiti removal service to residents. Call 01454 856506
  
  
  Lead Councillor on graffiti, Alan Monaghan has made it clear that graffiti is not something the Town Council or residents are willing to accept in Yate.  
  
  
  The Council is proud to launch our own Zero Tolerance Scheme offering FREE graffiti removal for householders - any resident in Yate can use this service. 
  
  
  The Town Council has purchased specialised steam cleaning equipment and has introduced a ‘One Stop’ graffiti reporting service.
  
  
  To try to prevent the problem, the council is working with South Glos’ Anti-Social Behaviour and Community Safety Team and The Local Beat Team, who have created an active Problem-Solving Plan.
  
  
  Detached youth workers are working with young people to highlight the problems graffiti causes.  The council are also working with Virgin Media and BT Openreach to identify and clean the green and grey communication cabinets that have been attacked by spray can vandals.
  
  
  How can you help?
  
  
  You can help by reporting graffiti attacks, but we’ve identified that some of the graffiti tags round here are from groups based in Bristol.   Do you know who your younger family members are hanging out with?  Involvement with graffiti often leads to more serious crime.

Can't wait? Looking for a loo

Have you ever encountered that moment when you are desperate for the loo and there isn't a public look around? The Can't wait scheme is designed to tackle that.

If you spot this sign, it means the shop or building has agreed to make their private toilets available to disabled people with an urgent need. with have a 'can't wait' card. 

The Focus Team has  got all Yate Town Council's buildings to join the scheme  - so you can use their loos if you're a card holder.

If you run a business or community building in our town, could YOU sign up and display a postcard in your window to support the scheme.

If you would like to support the scheme or need info on how to get a Can't Wait card, following the link below:
http://www.sgden.org.uk/can't-wait/

Rodford Way and Shire Way Speeding

Residents who came to the town council meeting  and their councillors

Residents from the Rodford Way and Shire Way areas met with Town Councillors from the Focus Team to identify a 6 point action plan to try to tackle  speeding, particularly late night speedsters, and other problems on Shire Way and Rodford Way. Since then we've taken advice from other communities who have encountered similar problems, the police have been out doing speed checks. Residents have been advised to call the police when they get late night problems - if we don't log the problems then the police won't allocate resources to sort it.

Play area and 'pavilion' plans behind Meadow Mead

Developers have put in plans for a play area and 'pavilion' right behind the houses in Meadow Mead to be used for community events. 

Two years ago, when developers first put in plans, they included an aerial cableway. Residents got a promise it would be removed. But it is back in on the latest plans. And on top of that they have added a wooden ' Pavilion' for public events, right behind houses. It will not be locked, will not have doors or windows, but will be flat roofed (ideal for climbing on). The Focus Team have written to residents alerting them to the plans, so they can comment. We've put the plan for the play area and the pavilion drawing below to give you an idea of what they propose. You can see where the existing Meadow Mead houses are at the bottom of the plan (number 6, is 6 Meadow Mead).

 Yate Town Council has objected, saying the play equipment should be in the park, in the existing play area within yards of this, not right behind houses.  Residents have been lodging objections. If you want to see what is planned and add your comments go to  the S Glos planning site:

https://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/ and put in the application number PK18/0529/RM

Work starts on Abbotswood's new play area

Work has started on doing up the grass  and paved area at Abbotswood. Yate Town Council is doing the work  with money the Focus Team won. Here's the master plan, but what you finally see on site might be a bit different, as some changes are being agreed on site as works progress, eg to make sure there is still plenty of room for the Christmas Tree and  reindeer. We need to ensure these important December visitors have the space they need. If you have any comments about what is being done, or questions, contact Tony Davis - who is on the town council group who are organising the improvements and funding them.

Here's a photo of the work taken by Abbotswood Action Group through the fencing.....