Audio recordings of issue 10 of the magazine
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Welcome
Our overriding aim remains to protect the essential frontline services on which you rely. Despite high inflation, we have kept the increase in our share of the Council Tax for 2023/24 to a minimum while protecting those services.
We continue to provide financial support for the hardest hit. If you are struggling with the high cost of living, please remember support is out there for you. Citizens Advice
Dorset offers advice and can be contacted on freephone 0800 144 8848. If you feel you are struggling to pay your council tax, call us on 01305 221000 or see our Problems paying your Council Tax page.
We recently secured £19.5 million of the government’s Levelling Up funding to regenerate Weymouth’s harbourside economy, as well as other successful funding bids. Our work with government to secure more funding for Dorset is starting to pay off.
Looking ahead to the coronation of King Charles III over the May bank holiday weekend (6 to 8 May), it will be a time to celebrate with residents and communities coming together to mark this historic occasion.
Our communities make Dorset the special place it is, and we remain committed to getting the best for every one of you.
Spencer Flower
Leader of Dorset Council
Thanking our outstanding volunteers
Seventy fruit trees were planted in Weymouth, Sherborne, Bridport, Dorchester and Wimborne to thank and honour volunteers who worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
100 people were thanked for their selflessness and commitment after we asked people to nominate their heroes through the Dorset Volunteer Heroes Award scheme.
Thousands more residents offered support by volunteering - a heartfelt thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do.
A safe haven for young women
A new pilot project has launched to help keep young women safer when out and about.
The Pineapple Project gives young women a safe haven, perhaps by stepping into a local shop to put some distance between them and the person bothering them.
The businesses are supported so they can recognise signs that a young woman could be at risk of harm and know how to offer them help.
Custom House Quay transformed
The wonderful harbourside in Weymouth now embraces café culture, has cleaner air and is safer for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users. Local craftsmen made the seating and the working harbour is thriving once more.
In early 2020 we secured funding from government to remove the disused railway tracks along the quay and took the opportunity to rethink its layout, making people the priority.
Easier customer service for BSL users
We have launched a new service to support our Deaf community using British Sign Language (BSL). Available online, and at our customer service access points in our libraries and at County Hall, Dorchester, customers will be connected to a fully qualified BSL interpreter. Find out more our our Contact us using British Sign Language page.
Be ready for emergency situations
Make decisions based on information from us, the emergency services and government departments like the Environment Agency and Met Office.
Get extra help if you are vulnerable:
- sign up to Priority Services Registers via your water, gas and electricity providers
- stay well by keeping stocked up with prescription and over the counter medicines you use regularly
- stay warm and keep hydrated
- be safe at home, know how to turn off things like your water mains
- be prepared for power cuts with a wind-up torch and radio, or torch and spare batteries to hand
- call 105 free of charge for help and advice
Borrow an iPad for up to 6 weeks
To help with job hunting and training, free iPads are available at some of our libraries.
The devices are easy to use with an instructional video and support from volunteers and staff.
The libraries are:
- Blandford
- Bridport
- Ferndown
- Swanage
- Weymouth
If the scheme is successful, we hope to increase the number of libraries able to offer this service.
Ten years of helping people get online
Our volunteer digital champions have been helping residents learn essential digital skills since 2013.
A national survey recently revealed 10 million people lack basic digital skills, and people who are offline find it difficult to access essential services like the NHS.
If that sounds like you, or someone you know, book an appointment with one of our friendly digital champions at your library. Call 01305 221048 Monday to Friday
Money saving offers for people caring for others
If you regularly support someone with everyday tasks due to their mental or physical health, disability or substance misuse, you can access discounts and other benefits from businesses when you register for a free Carers Card.
You don’t need to live with the person you support, and it doesn’t matter if they also receive professional support. Sign up today by calling 0800 368 8349
Money saving offers for people caring for others
If you regularly support someone with everyday tasks due to their mental or physical health, disability or substance misuse, you can access discounts and other benefits from businesses when you register for a free Carers Card.
You don’t need to live with the person you support, and it doesn’t matter if they also receive professional support. Sign up today by calling 0800 368 8349.
Sign up to support people affected by domestic abuse
Do you have regular contact with people in your town or village? Perhaps you work in a shop or library or are active in your community. You could train to become a Dragonfly champion, supporting people affected by domestic abuse.
Once trained, you will:
- receive material identifying you as someone who is safe to approach
- have access to support and guidance
- be invited to attend events
All workshops are free and take place online. Find out more and book a place.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, call the council’s partner Paragon on 0800 0325204 for confidential support. In an emergency, always dial 999.
Help to develop your child’s communication
A free website for parents and carers supports children and young people’s speech, language and communication development. If you need a little extra support for your child, you can develop a pathway of specially tailored help. Find out more about developing your child's communication.
We’re hiring!
Kickstart a new career with your life, parenting or care skills, supporting adults with additional needs. You’ll have time to build quality relationships and work flexibly at
home.
Arrange a chat with us today, call 01305 221393.
A support network for foster care families
Did you know that as a Dorset foster carer, you can get support from a network of like-minded foster care families?
Thanks to the award winning Mockingbird programme, hubs of fostering families support each other like an extended family.
A hub home family at the centre organises at least one social event every month, offers emotional and practical support and can even have the children for sleepovers.
Find out more about fostering, with no commitment to apply
or call us on 01305 221000.
Our budget explained
Councillors’ overriding aim in setting the council’s budget for 2023 to 24 is to protect the essential frontline council services on which residents and businesses rely.
A balanced budget has been set without the need for service cuts. This was achieved within a challenging national picture of extreme financial pressures for councils, with high inflation increasing the cost of delivering council services.
We provide around 450 different services to 380,000 residents. Waste collection, road maintenance, planning, housing, libraries, and adults and children social care are just some of the vital services which support the smooth running of our local communities.
Since becoming a unitary council in 2019, savings of £76 million have been made. This money has been reinvested into frontline services, including funding the growing need for adult social care.
Council tax has increased by just under two per cent and the adult social care precept by two per cent to bring in the required funding to maintain services.
This equates to £1.40 extra per week for a Band D property, and is below the maximum five per cent increase the government has allowed councils to make, and below the current rate of inflation.
Keeping you moving
We regularly inspect our roads and pavements, but sometimes problems arise between inspections. These could be potholes or other road surface issues, damaged streetlights, overgrown trees, blocked drains, abandoned vehicles, dead animals in the road or fly tipping and graffiti.
Report on our website or call our 24-hour highways line on 01305 221020 to report hazards, obstructions and dangerous situations that could cause damage or injury.
We have a duty of care to ensure that all bridges, whether one of the 2,500 we own, or those associated with public rights of way, are in tip-top and safe condition. Work may be a simple repair or a larger scale refurbishment.
Find out more about rights of way and walks
Not all roads are maintained by us. If you need to report a problem on the A31, A303 or the A35 west of Bere Regis, please visit the National Highways or call them on 0300 123 5000.
Live a healthier life
Giving up smoking or managing our weight, can feel overwhelming.
LiveWell Dorset, your council-funded health and wellbeing service, can make a difference.
They support adults looking to manage weight, become more active, stop smoking or reduce drinking. They can build a personal action plan with access to the tools to succeed and it is free of charge.
Register by phone on 0800 840 1628 (freephone) or on the LiveWell Dorset website.
Mental health support for young people
The following provide free, confidential mental health support:
Connection, a Dorset helpline for all ages, call free on 0800 652 0190
Samaritans, on-hand 24/7 to talk, no matter how big or small the problem, call free on 116123
Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 at any time for free confidential support, wherever you are
Kooth: online wellbeing community. Visit the Kooth website
There’s more about mental health support and activities.
Think home not hospital
NHS hospitals continue to be extremely busy, so everything you can do to ease the pressure helps make sure services are there for people who need them most.
If you, a family member or friend are being admitted to hospital, start to think about what will happen when it is time to be discharged. Do you need to make changes at home or look for extra care?
When someone is ready to leave it can help with recovery to be at home or in the care of a loved one.
You may be offered a care package or support, please consider the offer carefully and accept it if it fulfils individual needs.
Investment in Weymouth
We secured £19.5 million of the government’s Levelling Up funding to regenerate Weymouth’s economy. Weymouth was chosen as it met the government’s strict criteria.
This funding allows us to deliver transformational change at North Quay, the Peninsula and in the town centre, by repurposing the high street and expanding leisure and recreational facilities in the town.
Supporting businesses and communities
We will receive around £4.5million of government funding over the next two years
through the UK Shared Prosperity fund, which replaces EU funding. This will help us to:
- continue energy advice to businesses and organisations through Low Carbon Dorset
- expand Healthy Homes Dorset which installs loft and cavity wall insulation and offers free, impartial energy advice, call freephone 0300 003 7023
- develop affordable sustainable transport, especially for younger people
- offer a programme to support business growth and business advice
- offer courses to help people enter the jobs market and secure better paid employment
Have your say on housing
Our vision is for everyone to have access to affordable, suitable, secure homes where they can live well as part of thriving communities, so we are forming a plan to support this vision.
It will outline how the council aims to tackle issues across our area. This includes how we plan to reduce homelessness, provide more affordable homes and support housing initiatives to tackle the cost of living crisis and improve the energy
efficiency of homes.
We will be inviting you to have your say later in the summer.
Keep an eye on our website, the local press and social media for more information on how you can take part.
Calling all landlords
Do you want to make a difference to a young person’s life?
Could you provide a home for a young person leaving our care?
We’ll guarantee the deposit, rent up front and rent payments for the first 12 months.
We provide the young person with practical and financial support and help them with essential life skills, such as being a good tenant and neighbour and budgeting.
You will both have access to a dedicated worker to ensure the tenancy is a long-term success.
For a no obligation chat, call our care leavers team on 01202 868257.
Hosts wanted
Register with us if you can offer help to Ukrainians in Dorset needing a new home.
Hundreds of people across Dorset have already offered a place of safety and sanctuary to Ukrainian guests under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. There has been a fantastic response and we are now looking for more hosts to help our Ukrainian guests.
As a host you’ll receive a monthly thank you payment. Local community and voluntary organisations will also provide you with help, support and advice.
We currently need homes with two bedrooms or more for families with children, in towns or near schools, shops, employment and transport.
Find out more about being a host or register as a host.
Protecting our natural environment, climate & ecology
Dorset’s natural environment is one of our most defining and valuable assets. That’s why we are investing £10 million over the next few years to strengthen our work to protect and restore it.
Investing in sustainable transport
With BCP Council, we’re using government funds to transform travel options in the southeast of Dorset. This includes new cycling and walking routes, bus improvements, and safe and healthy travel options, helping reduce pollution and improve air quality.
Protecting and managing our greenspaces
To encourage wildlife, we’ve changed the way we manage our greenspaces. This includes cutting hedgerows less, planting more trees and shrubs, and helping wildflowers to thrive on our roadside verges.
Improving electric vehicle infrastructure
Emissions from petrol and diesel powered vehicles can have a negative impact on our environment and our health. Switching to electric alternatives can help tackle this.
To support residents and visitors to make the switch, we’re increasing the number of public chargepoints across Dorset.
Supporting farmers and land managers with nature recovery
Grants are being provided to farmers and land managers to help create wildlife rich habitats and help lessen the impacts of climate change, through Dorset AONB’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
Helping businesses and communities reduce their carbon footprints
Through our Low Carbon Dorset programme, businesses and community groups can access free advice on reducing their carbon emissions and saving on energy costs.
Reducing the environmental impact of our highways
We are using a new environmentally friendly road surface material. The asphalt is made at lower temperatures and laid more quickly, saving energy and time.
With government funding, we’ve installed solar panels at our Charminster highways depot.
The free electricity generated provides power to buildings and tools and charges the depot’s vehicles.
We are reusing old road surfacing when we can instead of buying new, thanks to new low energy recycling processes.
Saving energy from our streetlights
A programme is underway to replace 9,000 streetlights with LEDs. This is expected to save energy and money and improve lighting levels.
Read about the steps we’re taking to create a greener, cleaner Dorset,
and action you can take.
What can be recycled
We hope you find our kerbside bin collection scheme simple to use. Sometimes it’s not obvious what can be recycled and what cannot, so please note the following:
Non-disposable glass like drinking glasses, candle pots, Pyrex, window panes and mirrors – is treated with chemicals, helping it melt at higher temperatures. These chemicals mean it cannot go in your glass recycling box, so please wrap it tightly with paper and place in your rubbish bin.
Not all plastics are the same, toys, flower pots, and other hard plastics are made of different materials that we can’t recycle at the kerbside. Plastic food and drink pots, tubs, bottles and trays of any colour (not polystyrene) should go in your recycling bin.
Nappies and medical sharps should NEVER be placed with your recycling. Nappies go in the rubbish bin, while needles should be kept in a sharps box and returned to your GP or a needle exchange service.