A huge congratulations to all the 192 entrants in this year’s competition! Thank you so much for picking up your pens, pencils, paints and stickers and creating some truly amazing designs. Cries of “I just can’t decide!” and “Can’t everyone win!” were heard coming from the judges room but eventually, after many cups of tea, the results are in.
Drum roll, please…
As you can see, the standard was particularly high, so high in fact that the Chairman awarded ten extra Chairman’s Choice prizes.
In the run up to Christmas, Buckinghamshire Council is highlighting where families and individuals can seek emergency help and support if they need it over the festive season.
Any Buckinghamshire residents needing emergency support or help with food and/or energy should contact the council’s Helping Hand service using the online form or by calling 01296 531 151. This service is available during office hours but is closed at weekends and on the public holiday days over Christmas and New Year.
Anyone in immediate need of food who cannot wait until the next working day when the Helping Hand service is open – and has no other avenue to help – should contact the council’s Emergency Social Work Team on 0800 999 7677. They will not be able to provide food on Christmas Day when the shops are closed, but otherwise can provide immediate help and advice in an emergency.
Many foodbanks will be operating different opening days and times over the Christmas period – residents who need to access a foodbank will need a referral from the council’s Helping Hand service, or another similar support service, so please contact the Helping Hand service in the first instance if you or someone you know needs to use a foodbank.
If you see anyone sleeping out on the streets in Buckinghamshire, please contact StreetLink online or call 0300 500 0914. They will notify the council’s dedicated outreach workers. If you see anyone you believe to be under the age of 18 and/or are concerned about the health or welfare of anyone that you see sleeping rough, please call 999.
Residents who may be finding this time of year challenging or lonely or are experiencing difficulty with their mental health can find help and advice on the NHS Buckinghamshire Talking Therapies webpage. In addition, there are some top tips on mental health and being ‘kind to your mind’ during the festive period at Health and Wellbeing Bucks.
Information about additional support can be found on the council’s cost of living webpages.
Online advice is available 24/7 from Citizens Advice Bucks, plus the national advice line is available during office hours on 0800 144 8848 if you need immediate advice.
Arif Hussain is Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities. He said:
“While most of us look forward to the joy and excitement that the festive season brings, it’s important to remember that this time of year can be particularly challenging for some households in Buckinghamshire. There are individuals and families who may find themselves in need of additional support and assistance during this period.
“I encourage you to share the above information with your friends, neighbours, and local networks. You never know who might benefit from a helping hand this Christmas.”
The council’s offices will be closed on Wednesday 25 December 2024, Thursday 26 December 2024 and Wednesday 1 January 2025. They will remain open on other days during the festive period.
Buckinghamshire Council is preparing its spending plans for 2025/26 and is asking residents, businesses and other local stakeholders to give their views on which services should be prioritised. The ‘Money Matters’ survey is the opportunity for residents to have a say on what’s important to them and how you would like to see the council’s budget distributed. Councils across the country continue to experience significant financial pressures due to rising costs and added demand on services. In particular, Buckinghamshire Council has seen social care costs escalate even further in recent months due to more vulnerable residents needing help. With continuing pressures on household budgets after a period of high inflation and other turbulence, it’s important that residents tell the council how they want to see their council tax spent during the next financial year. Council tax is the main way that local council services are funded – from bin collections to road repairs to looking after adults and children who need care. The council has ongoing costs to provide these services and also draws up capital spending plans too – ‘one-off’ spends on particular projects or schemes such as extra money invested into the local road network for repairs and improvements. The money received from council tax covers 79% of the cost of providing our 700 services, with the rest of our funding coming from Business Rates (13%), the New Homes Bonus (1%) and other grants (7%). The council’s ‘Money Matters’ survey is now live –and takes just 10 minutes to complete. These views are then fed into the final budget proposals which are scrutinised after Christmas in a series of special meetings. The final budget will then be voted on during February ready to ‘go live’ on 1 April 2025. Martin Tett, Leader of Buckinghamshire Council, commented: “Budget setting in recent times has become extremely difficult for all councils, including our own. Since becoming a single unitary council we have made significant savings and efficiencies already, totalling £75.4 million to date, with a further £41.3 million of savings earmarked for this year. This means we’ve taken more than £100 million out of our budgets over the first five years as a council to deliver efficiencies and to pay for key services for our most vulnerable residents. The cost of providing these services – namely social care, temporary housing and providing school transport for children who need it – eats up around 71% of our entire budget, leaving us with less than 30% of our expenditure available to pay for everything else that we do. Therefore it’s never been more crucial for our residents to tell us where they want their money spent – please let your friends and family know too that they can have a say.” The survey is accessed via the Your Voice Bucks website. If you’re unable to complete the survey online, you can access a paper copy of the consultation in libraries and family centres. The Money Matters survey runs until 13 October 2024. |
Join us in Farnham Common Community Library on Saturday to meet representatives from Buckinghamshire Council and Farnham Royal Parish Council. Discuss your concerns, thoughts and aspirations for our villages.
