Buckinghamshire Notices

Our Notices

Financial summer holiday support for eligible local families:

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Community Impact Bucks

Local Bucks charities, voluntary and community groups and social enterprises can access a wide range of free online resources and guidance: https://communityimpactbucks.org.uk/

Summer holiday security advice from Bucks Council

Summer holiday plans may be a little different this year, but if you are planning a staycation, please take a look at the below home security tips to prevent you from becoming a victim of crime:

Shut and lock all windows and doors

Keep car and house keys out of reach from windows and doors

Set timer switches to turn your lights on for when it gets dark

Avoid leaving valuables in plain view e.g. laptops and tablets

Set any house alarms

Lock side gates to prevent access to the rear of your property

Keep any tools and ladders stored safely away in a locked garage

Don’t advertise you are away from home by ‘checking in’ on social media

Resist uploading any holiday pictures to social media until you have returned home

To receive further tips visit: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/advice/home-security-guide/ and download the Thames Valley Police home security guide. And follow @Bucks_Safety on Twitter.

The Big Bucks Tidy Up

Buckinghamshire Council initative. Please see information, here.

Virtual Youth Event: #BetterFutures

Red Kite Community Housing is pleased to announce that we will be holding our first FREE two-day virtual event ‘Better Futures’ for 16-25 year olds:

Wednesday 24th – Thursday 25th March

10am – 2pm via Zoom

How our young people will benefit

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the wellbeing and career opportunities of many young people. We are working in partnership with local organisations to bring together exciting opportunities, motivational sessions and practical support to help our young people during these challenging times. The event will cover the following opportunities:

Apprenticeships

Further / Higher Education

Training

Internships

Employment

Funding

Volunteering opportunities

Wellbeing

Organisations attending

We have partnered with local and national organisations offering wellbeing support, career and employment opportunities as well as training packages.

Our partners include Bucks Mind, Transitions UK, Bucks New University, Tesco, Wycombe Youth Action, Building Future Projects, Independent and Work ready, Benson James (Fitness garden), Chiltern Rangers, Flux photography, GMB Productions, Cloudy Foundation (virtual academy and enterprise hub), local police, Wycombe Wanderers, Oasis Partnerships, Bucks Adult Learning, Business Funding for young entrepreneurs and many more.

We also have some amazing guest speakers lined up. You can see a list of these on our website. (opens external website in a new tab)

Be your own boss

Please click on the image to download a PDF of the flyer (which will open in a new window)

Bucks Business Grants

This is how eligible local businesses can apply for financial support if they’re suffering hardship as a result of this second lockdown.

Through ‘Bucks Business Grants’, eligible businesses can apply for funds from one of two grants. If they’ve had to close during this new lockdown they may be eligible for a grant via the ‘Local Restrictions Support Grant’. This is linked to rateable value and will offer financial support for the duration of the current lockdown period, including if it’s extended.

Firms that have suffered hardship as a result of these latest restrictions, eg suppliers to businesses that are currently shut, may be eligible for the ‘Additional Restrictions Grant’, a one-time grant payment, if they aren’t able to claim the Local Restrictions Support Grant. Applications for this grant – for businesses of any sector – open later this week until the run up to Christmas.

Local firms can apply for one, but not both of these grants, if they’ve been impacted by the new lockdown period.

For full details, see: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/coronavirus/coronavirus-business-support-hub/coronavirus-business-grants/local-restrictions-support-grant/?dm_i=5438,AEY3,30UKSC,16E72,1 (Opens in new window)

Free English and maths courses from Buckinghamshire Adult Learning

Do you need to improve your English or maths skills? Do you need a qualification?

There are now free part-time courses available in English and maths with Buckinghamshire Adult Learning and their experienced team of highly qualified and friendly tutors.

There are day-time or evening courses available to anyone who lives in Buckinghamshire. The courses are mostly free of charge and are based at centres in Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham and online.

The learners work towards a nationally recognised Functional Skills qualification at Entry level, Level 1 or Level 2. A Functional Skills qualification in English and/or maths may help them to progress in their career or to go to college for further study.

Visit the website at https://www.adultlearningbc.ac.uk/english-maths/ or telephone on 01296 674463. We welcome new learners all the time”.

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning offers a free and confidential pre-course assessment to all learners before they begin. This ensures that each learner is learning at the correct level.

Changes to services due to coronavirus

Visit NHS.UK for health information and advice about coronavirus or find specific local and national coronavirus guidance.

While we deal with the current outbreak of Covid-19, some council services may be affected. The most up-to-date information on each area is below:

Getting help or volunteering in Buckinghamshire

If you are at home and need additional help or wish to volunteer to help in your community, visit our community support hub.

Support for local businesses

Businesses in Buckinghamshire are being encouraged to make contact with Buckinghamshire Business First who are able to provide advice and support.

Schools

Find information about any school or other educational centre closures

Advice for educational settings is available on Buckinghamshire Schoolsweb.

School transport

Please see School transport FAQs for parents and School transport FAQs for suppliers

Transport

Latest on public transport including buses and concessionary passes

Libraries

The main county libraries are currently remaining open but with some changes to book borrowing, collections, and payment of fines.

Physical borrowing is now suspended. The Stokenchurch community library is now open.

Visit the libraries service status page for full details of the changes

Country parks

All the county parks will remain open as normal - the sites are large open spaces where visitors will be able to maintain social distancing.

In light of the current situation, parking charges have been temporarily suspended at all our sites until further notice.

Season ticket holders will be automatically compensated with additional time added to their passes when they are renewed.

Visit the Country parks website for more information

Fostering

Fostering Information Events are on hold for the time being. If you were planning to come to our event on Thursday 19 March in Aylesbury we'd like instead to offer you an appointment using either Skype, Facetime or a 1-1 phone call with a member of the fostering recruitment team. They will be happy to give you all the information you would receive at the events and will answer any questions you may have.

We will always need foster carers to come forward and are still here to talk to anyone considering fostering. Please do get in touch with the fostering team.

Visit our fostering pages for more information

Leisure centres

The leisure centre at High Wycombe is now open but see the Leisure Centres updates page

Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies

The centre is now closed to public access for the foreseeable future.

However, we are still open for remote enquiries via archives@buckscc.gov.uk and 01296 382 587.

Coroners service

The Coroner Service continues to operate as normal and can be contacted between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday on 01494 475505 or via coroners@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Thames Water

As a provider of life essential supplies, Thames Water work hard to ensure water never stops flowing but from time to time, things can go wrong. In these events, we try to deliver bottled water to people with water-dependent medical conditions (i.e. at-home dialysis) and to those with mobility issues, first of all.As key workers, we support the NHS, the councils, our carers and charities in order meet the needs of our customers in vulnerable circumstances.

You can benefit from our free priority services; we would like to know that we can add that extra layer of support to help increase your feeling of wellbeing and independence at home knowing that we are here for you when you need us.

If you have online access, you can find more about becoming a priority customer and register at thameswater.co.uk/extrasupport. If you have no internet access, we can register you over the phone (0800 009 3652 option 3) or send you a paper application form in the post with a free return envelope.

If you need help with paying your water bills, find out more at https://www.thameswater.co.uk/my-account/billing-and-payment/help-paying-your-bill (opens in new tab)

And last but not least, we developed some fun water testing games to pass the time: https://youtu.be/oJ5DIE-3SKI (opens in new tab) I hope you enjoy them.

Business Help Available

Coronavirus update from Buckinghamshire County Council: 05 March 2020

I am writing to reassure you that Buckinghamshire County Council is working closely with the NHS and Public Health England (PHE) in order to be prepared to deal with the new Coronavirus COVID-19.

Buckinghamshire County Council and the NHS have put in place measures to ensure the availability of services to local people and protect staff

I would like to ask you to share the following important information in your organisation or network. We will issue further communications when appropriate.

Handwashing - The most important thing that everyone can do as an individual is follow NHS advice on handwashing. This means washing your hands more frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This video shows the best way to wash your hands (Opens in new window).
New poster – please help us inform others by displaying the attached poster (document opens in new window) in your workplaces, public areas or in publications
NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service (opens in new window) that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.
Use this service if:
- you think you might have coronavirus;
- in the last 14 days you've been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus;
- you've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus.
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Contact 111 if you need to speak to someone

Travel risk - The latest information about Coronovirus symptoms and areas of travel risk can be found on nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
General advice - Like the common cold, coronavirus infection usually occurs through close contact with an infected person via cough, sneeze or hand contact. You can also catch the virus by touching contaminated surfaces if you do not wash your hands afterwards.

Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:

Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Jane O'Grady

Director of Public health

Buckinghamshire County Council

Alcohol and us – It's all about the units

Buckinghamshire's residents are being encouraged to think about their habits around alcohol and increase their understanding of safer drinking levels.

This year Buckinghamshire's Director of Public Health Annual Report takes a closer look at our relationship with alcohol in Buckinghamshire, as it is a crucial influence on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and sets out what can be done to reduce the amount of alcohol we drink in the county. It contains stories from Bucks residents about how alcohol has impacted on their lives as well as the facts about alcohol use in Bucks. In the report local professionals (including healthcare staff, police and voluntary sector) highlight the impacts on people's lives they see during the course of their work.

Many people in Buckinghamshire enjoy drinking alcohol – to celebrate, relax or just through habit, but may not be aware that they are drinking at levels that could be harming their health.

To keep the health risks of alcohol to a low level, the Chief Medical Officer recommends it is safest not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. This should be spread over several days with some alcohol free days in between.

The Chief Medical Officer also recommends that children should have an alcohol free childhood.

Whether you like the occasional drink, have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner most nights, regularly go out drinking with friends or drink at home, you can lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and dementia by taking simple steps to reduce your alcohol intake.

There are lots of apps that can help you keep track of how much you are drinking, give you tips to help cut down and point you in the right direction if you need one to one support. The Bucks Drink Checker website has a really good app – check it out for yourself at https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

However, if you're regularly drinking more than the recommended amount or you feel you can't manage without drinking alcohol, you may be experiencing signs of alcohol dependence. Please seek the advice of your GP or a local support service such as One Recovery Bucks to help you safely cut down on the amount of alcohol you're drinking.

More than 1 in 4 adults in the county (that's over 100,000 people) drink at levels above recommended guidelines. Unfortunately, drinking too much alcohol does not just affect the health of the individual who is drinking it but it can also impact on children and families and wider society. Higher levels of alcohol use can result in relationship and family breakdown, domestic violence and other violent crimes as well as loss of employment.

Jane O'Grady, Director of Public Health for Buckinghamshire said:

"Alcohol is part of many of our lives so it is important that people understand the facts about alcohol and then they can make informed decisions about their drinking.

"Due to different size measures and strengths it can be difficult to know how much you are drinking and people may be harming their health because they don't realise they are drinking too much.

"People may be surprised to know that drinking more than 14 units a week is highest in older age groups in Bucks. Drinking above the Chief Medical Officer's recommended level is also more common among more affluent people and men.

"Although fewer young people are drinking more than previously it is important to think about the messages we give our children about alcohol by what we say and equally importantly what we do as parental influences play a key role in young people's drinking habits."

To read the full Buckinghamshire Director of Public Health Annual Report visit http://www.healthandwellbeingbucks.org/jsna-dphar

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health said: "It is hard to change a habit that has possibly been a part of your lifestyle for years but with the research showing that more people are drinking at levels which are damaging their own health, it is important we all understand how much is too much.

"Being more aware of what you are drinking and having a clearer understanding of how much alcohol is in the drinks you are served in pubs, restaurants or clubs as well as the drinks you serve yourself at home will help keep your drinking at the safer lower risk levels and help you avoid the potential health impacts that drinking too much alcohol can have on you.

"Don't forget to try one of the apps such as www.buckscc.drinkchecker.org.uk to help you keep track of how you're doing."

For further information please contact: Melanie Chilvers, on 01296 382444 or out of hours on 07825430978

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