People who register and pay for the green bin collection service before 31 March 2012 will reduce their payment for the first year to only £21.70 for each green bin ordered rather than the standard charge of £31.

Residents who have not had the green bin service will be guaranteed to have their collections start at the beginning of March 2012 provided they sign up for the service by 31 December 2011.  People who miss that deadline have until 31 March 2012 to benefit from the 30% discount but will not see the service start until June 2012.

The fortnightly service will run from the beginning of March 2012 to the end of November, an extension of two months to the current service.

Payment lines opened on 1 December and residents can pay for the service online at boroughofpoole.com/apply/garden-waste or contact 261700. More than 500 residents have already signed up since lines opened.

Residents with an Access to Leisure and Learning (ATL&L) card will receive an on going 50% discount on the regular £31 annual charge, making the cost £15.50 for the first bin ordered per household. Additional bins will be charged at £21.70 before 31 March.

Cllr Xena Dion, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: "This is a very popular service and I would encourage people to sign up by 31 December to ensure they receive collections from the beginning of March. People in areas with small gardens or who generally do not generate a large amount of garden waste could consider sharing a bin with neighbours. The most carbon neutral or environmentally friendly option, of course, is to compost at home."

Those currently with a green bin will benefit from collection from the beginning of March but will need to have paid by 31 March in order to continue with the service for the rest of the year.
From March 2012, garden waste will no longer be accepted in large black refuse bins. If you choose not to take advantage of the service you can compost at home, use the Mobile Recycling Points or Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Borough of Poole is introducing a chargeable collection service due to significant reductions in Government funding for local services unfortunately we cannot afford to extend the garden waste service to all residents without introducing a charge for collections.

To register and pay for your green bin, visit boroughofpoole.com/apply/garden-waste or contact 261700. A letter, explaining the garden waste collection service, is being sent to every householder.  Please visit boroughofpoole.com/gardenwaste for the latest information.

Jo Clements has been elected as councillor to represent the Newtown ward in Poole following a by-election.

The results of the by-election, held on Thursday 9 September 2010, are:

Candidate                       Party                                   Votes
Diana BUTLER                UK Independence Party        114
Jo CLEMENTS                Liberal Democrat                  809
William KIMMET             British National Party            66
Tony REEVES                Conservative                        481
Jason SANDERSON        Labour                                205

The official turnout for the by-election was 17.86 per cent.

Other councillors for the Newtown ward are Cllr Brian Clements and Cllr Graham Wilson (both Liberal Democrat).

The by-election followed the resignation of Cllr Michael Plummer (Liberal Democrat)due to work commitments.

The result means that Poole Council remains in Conservative overall control. There are 23 Conservative, 17 Liberal Democrat and two Independent members.

Borough of Poole is made up of 42 councillors from 16 wards.

Annual performance ratings issued by the independent regulator today said Borough of Poole was performing ‘adequately’ in its overall provision of social care services for adults.

The annual performance assessment (APA) includes performance ratings based on seven key outcomes. The CQC judged that Poole was performing ‘well’ in four of the seven categories, ‘adequately’ in two areas and ‘poor’ in one.

As a result of the assessment, the CQC has identified adult social services in Poole as a ‘priority for improvement’.

The APA follows an inspection of adult social services in Poole by the CQC in March and April 2009. An inspection report, published by the CQC in July 2009, found that while preventative services for older people were good and the delivery of personalisation services was adequate, the practice and management of adult safeguarding was poor.

The CQC recognised that the council had already identified and begun work on these issues prior to the inspection. Borough of Poole implemented an action plan in response to the recommendations made in the inspection report.

The council also committed a further investment of more than £200,000 to ensure the full implementation of the action plan, which is being monitored by CQC inspectors.

As a result, actions already being taken include the introduction of new specialist staff in adult safeguarding and other key areas; additional training and support for managers and frontline staff; and strengthening of management arrangements.

The council also arranged for independent monthly audits of safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable adults. These audits have demonstrated significant and sustained improvements with all safeguarding work audited to date assessed as being adequate, good or excellent.

In addition, a new safeguarding board with an independent chairman has been established to oversee work to protect vulnerable adults in Bournemouth and Poole.

The APA and inspection report both identify key strengths in adult social services for local people, including swift access to occupational therapy services, effective support to help people when they return home from hospital and good access to treatment for people with depression and anxiety.

Cllr Elaine Atkinson, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Social Care and Equalities, Borough of Poole, said: "The council acted immediately and effectively to address the recommendations outlined in the CQC inspection report in July.

"The council’s action plan has already led to significant improvements in frontline services and we will continue to work with the CQC inspectors to ensure that this progress is sustained. The council has invested significant additional funds to achieve the required improvements and we welcome the announcement of practical support from the Department of Health.

"We are fully committed to delivering all the improvements set out in our action plan and are making very good progress to achieve these aims."

Easter cards together with the cardboard from Easter egg packaging can be recycled in Poole using the kerbside blue recycling bin.

Almost 10% of annual chocolate sales take place at Easter resulting in a lot of eggs and a lot of packaging, therefore, the council is encouraging residents to take time to consider the three R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reduce: choose Easter eggs and other products with less packaging, or if entertaining, choose loose fruit and vegetables and only buy what you need to reduce the waste.
Reuse: if you are a bit arty you could save all your foil and cellophane wrappings and turn them into greetings cards.

Recycle: break up your Easter egg packaging and recycle the card in the kerbside blue recycling bin. Tins, cans, plastic bottles, paper, glass bottles and jars can also be put in the blue bin.

Cllr Don Collier, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Borough of Poole, said: "Every year around 80 million chocolate eggs are sold in the UK generating about 4,370 tonnes of card and 160 tonnes of foil waste. We also send and receive over ten million Easter cards in Britain each year. We would like to encourage residents to buy eggs with minimal packaging, recycle any cardboard packaging and Easter cards in their blue recycling bin to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill."

Residents planning to work on their gardens over the Easter period can recycle clippings and mown grass using the council’s fortnightly green bin garden waste kerbside collection.
Householders without a green waste kerbside collection are encouraged to compost at home. Composting kitchen and garden waste at home is not only a great way to help the environment, but spreading the compost on your flowerbeds will improve the quality of your soil and help your garden thrive.

In addition, those planning a spring clear out can take unwanted small electrical items, cardboard, textiles and garden waste to the Mobile Recycling Points at Rossmore Leisure centre and Harbourside 2 Car Park.

A mobile recycling point will be held on Saturday April 18 at Rossmore Leisure Centre, Herbert Avenue, between 9am and 12pm, and at the Harbourside 2 Car Park, Baiter, from 1pm to 4pm.

Mobile recycling point dates, information on locations of the aluminium foil banks and the latest offers on home composting bins are available from boroughofpoole.com/recycling.
The Mobile Recycling Points are in addition to the Nuffield Household Waste Recycling Centre, where garden waste and much more can be recycled seven days a week between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm.

This service is only available to residents of Poole. Commercial waste or waste from non-Poole residents will not be accepted. Please bring proof of address, such as your council tax statement or a driving licence, to use the mobile recycling points or the Nuffield Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

Keely Campbell, Environmental Comms Co-ordinator
Tel: 01202 633041