Author: Lesley Webb

PILATES CLASSES.

FRIDAYS  7PM – 8PM

TIMBERSCOMBE VILLAGE HALL

SUITABLE FOR ALL ABILITIES.

£6 PER SESSION. FIRST TRIAL SESSION FREE.

Just come along and give it a try. Bring a mat, or rug for floor work.

With the festive season in full swing, Somerset Council is reminding everyone to put recycling the Christmas tree onto their list. The best option is to compost it at home or turn it into a wildlife corner, though we appreciate that will not be possible for many people.

Garden Waste Service subscribers can leave their decoration-free tree out with their first collection of the year, so long as its smaller than 2 metres (or 6ft). The service will resume from Monday 8 January.

Trees will not be collected from the kerbside unless you subscribe to the Garden Waste Service.

Many charities, community organisations and groups are running tree collection or drop-off services, raising money for good causes.

These include St Margarets Hospice and Dorothy House Hospice Care. Please check online for details.

Trees can also be taken to any of Somerset’s recycling sites and put it in the garden waste skip.

Recycling sites will be closed on Bank Holidays but will be open for their usual hours at other times, check online for details: www.somerset.gov.uk/waste.

For more tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle at this time of year visit: www.somerset.gov.uk/SeasonalWaste

A public consultation on the Council’s budget has been launched. It will offer a chance for people to have their say in light of the financial emergency, which was called in November. It’s open to all, and we are encouraging our Somerset communities, residents, businesses, stakeholders, and partners to take part.

The consultation highlights several discretionary services which could be redesigned, reduced, or even stopped.

It goes live from 11 December and will close on 22 January.

The link can be found at: https://somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/comms/budget-consultation-2024-2025/

It can also be completed in libraries and council offices across Somerset.

Financial Emergency

The in-year overspend for 2023/24 is £27m. The projected budget gap for 2024/25 is £100m.

To close the gap and balance the budget next year a series of service reductions, efficiency savings, and increases to fees and charges, including Council Tax, will need to be considered. It is clear that this alone will not close the budget gap. Plans to fundamentally change the council’s systems and processes to streamline its operations will need to speed up to reduce the size of the council in future.

Communications Lead – Members and Stakeholders

Ally Laing , Somerset Council

+447989 078188

ally.laing@somerset.gov.uk

……………………………………..

Response from Katy Attwater, Chair of Timberscombe Parish Council

Part of the strategy of Somerset Council to make up their £100m budget shortfall for 2024 is for the Parish Councils to take on provision of some of the services that the Council currently provide. To pay for taking on these services we would need to raise the Timberscombe precept for this coming financial year. This will be reflected in a rise in your Council Tax.

Timberscombe PC’s initial response when this was announced at the last Exmoor LCN meeting in November 2023 was;  “We do not have the resources (people and time), or the skills to manage the contracts and services the Council are proposing we could take on. We also do not want to raise our precept or use our reserves for this purpose”.

You may want to comment on this in the Consultation.

I would encourage you to participate in the Consultation which closes on 22nd January.

Katy Attwater

Somerset residents will soon be able to dispose of some DIY waste free of charge at Somerset recycling sites – but they will need to book ahead. Following a recent change of legislation, from 1 January 2024, current charges for disposing of construction and demolition materials including: asbestos, plasterboard, hardcore and rubble from household DIY projects will be removed. Each calendar month every household will be able to bring up to eight, 50 litre sacks (or equivalent 2m sheets of asbestos or plasterboard) free of charge to a recycling site over a maximum of four visits in a month. For example, two visits bringing four bags each time, or a single visit bringing eight bags. Households will need to pre-book trips to dispose of this DIY waste, telling the council: ·     the amount of material they are disposing (up to 8×50 litre sacks per month) ·     the number of times they will need to visit (up to four visits per month) If residents need to dispose of asbestos, plasterboard, or hardcore/rubble in excess of their free allowance they can pay for this online through the Somerset Council website. Should residents need to dispose of asbestos and/or plasterboard before 31 December 2023, they can still do so by paying online using the ‘Do it online’ section. Disposal of hardcore/rubble can be paid for on site until 31 December. Bookings can be made online from 2 January (through the waste and recycling section of the council’s website). Anyone who cannot access the online form can call Customer Services on 0300 123 2224. Not all sites accept asbestos and/or plasterboard, residents should check online to find what is accepted at each site. Free disposal is only available to the Somerset householders. Construction and demolition waste from trade is classified as industrial waste and this is not entitled to any free disposal. Biffa can accept trade construction and demolition waste (excluding trade asbestos) and a charge is payable to Biffa at the site. Please note not all sites accept plasterboard. All of Somerset’s recycling sites will be closed on Monday 1 January, they will reopen on Tuesday 2 January (as per their usual opening days). The current charges for disposing of these types of domestic DIY waste are: Prices are per 6ft x 3ft sheet, or equivalent; rubble sack up to 26 inches x 24 inches, or equivalent. Asbestos – £15 each Plasterboard – £5.10 each Hardcore – £3.67 per bag Minimum charge of £15 and £5.10 respectively Photo: Rubble in a skip at the recycling site

For more information, please contact the Press Office on 01823 355020 or email pressoffice@somerset.gov.uk.

A large number of small denomination coins were left on the village green. If the person who left them and wants them back please reply to this email, describing where they were left.

If nobody claims them by January I will donate them to the Play Area fund.