News From Millmead

Published on: 2 Feb, 2020
Updated on: 2 Feb, 2020

A round-up of news news from Guildford Borough Council

 £300,000 funding boost to help rough sleepers off the streets

More support for Guilldford’s rough sleepers with mental health conditions and substance misuse issues has been boosted by the borough council’s successful bid for a £300,000 government grant.

The application went in to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. For the next year the council will:

Expand the specialist mental health and drug and alcohol outreach work;

Support the town’s night shelter in improvements including extended opening hours; and

Provide comprehensive training and expert support to help agencies working with rough sleepers.

New homes at Siren House help meet social housing need

Siren House, Ladymead, Guildford.

Twelve new flats at Siren House on Ladymead in Guildford have welcomed their first social-housing tenants.

Several other sites are in progress or under consideration for new social housing, from Westborough to Guildford Park Road in the town centre.

The Siren House homes have also been awarded the Secured by Design Gold Award from Surrey Police, for their excellent security measures.

The Mayor’s Award for Access – nominations required

Guildford’s Mayor Richard Billington

The Mayor’s Award for Access recognises those who make a positive contribution to the lives of disabled people in the borough.

The Guildford Access Group is looking for the people and places which make a real difference to the lives of disabled people and need your suggestions.

This year the categories are: Services to the community; Access through the arts; Access through sports; Customer services awards; and Accessible Premises for public use (bronze/silver/gold).

Go online to make your nominations.

Alternatively, contact Gemma Roulston or Diana Lockyer-Nibbs of the Guildford Access Group via Sophie Butcher on 01483 444056 by no later than Friday, May 29.

The Mayor’s Award for Access presentations will be held on Wednesday, October 14, in the council chamber from 7pm.

Openness and collaboration to combat climate change

The agenda packs and minutes of the council’s new Climate Change and Innovation Board (CCIB) are now available.

The leader of the council, Caroline Reeves (Lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas), said took the decision to publish these documents in response to requests from residents and the local media.

She added:  “We all have a responsibility to ‘do our bit’ to protect our environment for future generations and the council, while leading by example, cannot solve everything on its own.

“We must make informed decisions and balance the current and future needs of the borough, its residents, visitors and businesses, while we prioritise combating climate change.

“By working with partners from government, Surrey County Council, the Highways Agency, the Environmental Agency, and neighbouring district councils to the University of Surrey, Guildford Environmental Forum, Surrey Environmental Partnership, Surrey Wildlife Trust and many more, we will tackle and positively influence the causes and effects of climate change together. We need to think global and act local.”

Over the past 13 years to protect the environment, the council has invested £8 million. In November, councillors agreed to pledge £250,000 to deliver its climate change objectives and energy management plans.

Most of this (£217,000) will be match-funded by Salix Finance, a company providing government funding to the public sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills.

Measures include developing better Co2 emission analysis, generating income from renewable energy feed-in tariffs (FITS) and renewable heat incentives (RHI) claims, promoting Passivhaus standards for new build homes, plus greener travel through the Easit network scheme.

Other projects and services the council have initiated, provided or been involved in include:

Transport:
Encouraging people out of their cars with new, safe pedestrian and cycle lanes that provide rapid, reliable routes into the town (known as the Sustainable Movement Corridor);
Reducing town centre congestion by introducing early-bird rates to Farnham Road car park;
Proposed £800,000 electric bike scheme investment;
New railway station for Park Barn; and electric fleet of park and ride buses (largest outside London).

Energy:
Public campaign to promote the introduction of renewable and low carbon energy with partners Guildford Environmental Forum;
£8 million invested since 2007 on insultation, boiler replacements, LED lighting, air source heat pumps and solar PV panels;
Solar panels provide two-thirds of the electricity used at our new Guildford crematorium, and heat from the cremation process itself is used to heat the building; and to develop an energy management plan for the borough.

Waste:
4,400 tonnes of food waste recycled every year (a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions come from food);
201 tonnes of textiles recycled in 2019; and 44 tonnes of small electrical equipment in 2019.

Trees and green spaces:
Working closely with rural communities to promote sustainable agriculture; and stop using pesticides and herbicides and encourage reduced mowing and hedgerow pruning.

Water:
Flood management strategy with Environment Agency; and Guildford first town centre water refilling station installed.

Procurement:
Create and adopt a sustainable procurement policy; and green first policy to energy and food.

Influence and education:
Initiate and develop two forums, business and public, to work with residents and business communities to advise and help each other become more energy-efficient in their day-to-day lives;
Engage with Third Sector;
Work with businesses and Experience Guildford to develop sustainability and emissions programmes;
Promote local tourism and ‘staycations’; and TedX Guildford sustainability talk.

Agenda pack and minutes can be found on the council’s website.

For advice for residents on help saving energy see here.

Price freeze in most town centre car parks

The Castle car park in Sydenham Road, Guildford.

The council’s Executive has agreed a price freeze in most Guildford town centre car parks, more electric vehicle charging-points.

Contactless payment is now available at one of the busiest multi-storey car parks, Bedford Road. Contactless payment will be available at more locations later this year.

Story based on Guildford Borough Council press releases.

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