Nobody likes to pay too much for anything and in particular energy and Warwickshire residents can save big on their gas and electricity bills by signing up to the County Council’s Switch and Save initiative. Many residents are still paying too much for their energy.
Sometimes they don’t have the ability to switch, are afraid of switching, don’t have the time, or simply think that it’s just too much hassle.
Then why not join the thousands of residents across Warwickshire who have already saved a sum total of £1,071,736.
YOU may think you have already a great deal if you have than that's great but for the time it takes you will know  either way so why not give it a go by signing up today by following the link below...…
www.warwickshire.gov.uk/switchandsave

The more we have involved and signed up the buying power we have and Last time, a large percentage of those who registered were eligible for an average saving of £228 on their bills
​What's not like.

s we move slowly out of lockdown and our businesses and communities start to reopen, Warwick District Council is encouraging groups and individuals to plant a tree to help the climate and wildlife and as a sign of new beginnings following the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
‘Trees for our Future’ is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to the environment, health and wellbeing and has a target of planting 160,000 trees, one for every resident living in our district.
 
Working in partnership with the Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission, Warwick Tree Wardens, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, businesses, schools and community groups, the Council’s project team will be facilitating a number of schemes to encourage both small and large scale planting on Council and third party land; from private gardens and community spaces to multi-hectare sites, including the new Tach Brook Country Park and Newbold Comyn.
 
Warwick District Council’s newly appointed Programme Manager for Climate Change, Dave Barber commented;
 The ‘Trees for our Future’ scheme is something that everyone in our community can get involved with. In the coming months we will be working with a number of national and local groups and organisations on a multi-pronged campaign to encourage and support a variety of tree planting projects. This will include identifying land, unlocking grants and funding or helping to supply free Woodland Trust tree packs to local schools and groups. We hope the scheme will provide an opportunity for people to play a part in improving the District’s environment and at the same time tackling the impacts of climate change.”

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive, Ed Green commented;
 
The planting of the right trees in the right places with the right care is one of the many ways which we need to respond to the climate and ecological crisis. We therefore welcome the commitment to a major programme of woodland creation in Warwick District brought about by tree planting and natural regeneration.
Information and contact details on the ‘Trees for our Future’ scheme can be found by following the link 
www.warwickdc.gov.uk/info/20830/tree_planting 
 
For information on the Woodland Trust free tree pack scheme for community groups and schools visit or grants for tree planting visit;
 www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/large-scale-planting/
or
treecouncil.org.uk/
 
 

Warwickshire has been awarded funding to offer vouchers to residents who use a pre-payment meter and are struggling to afford their energy costs in the current time.
The scheme is live and they are ready to take referrals.
There is various levels of support through various routes and it is important that those mostly affected are aware of this support available.
They are able to offer a stock of vouchers to partner organisations to distribute to their most vulnerable clients providing residents meet the eligibility criteria.
There are two kinds of voucher available, single occupants are eligible for a voucher worth £28 and couples or families are eligible for vouchers worth £49.
Qualifying criteria

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit.

Or

• have a gross annual household income of less than £16,190. – If someone’s income is slightly higher than this but they are saying that their outgoings have gone up due to the Covid situation i.e. having to feed lots more people, electricity use is higher etc.

• Other criteria would be then applicable:

-          Recently been made redundant
-          Furloughed and are waiting to receive first payment and don’t know when this will be.
-          Self- employed and income is unpredictable and/or they are waiting to apply for payment from the government
-          Any referral from a Foodbank. 

If you want further information go to 
actonenergy.org.uk

Or Contact 
Joe Brookes
Project Officer
Act on Energy
 Tel: 01789 333169
Mob: 07367 156148
e-mail:   Joseph@actonenergy.org.uk

The Stratford on Avon District Council Cabinet met informally with the Executive from Warwick District Council to explore ways to work together for the benefit of the people of South Warwickshire and indeed the wider County.
The purpose of these discussions was to consider the best way for our local government to evolve for the benefit of our residents ahead of an expected white paper in relation to devolution scheduled to be released by government later this year.
We already have successful experience of working together, through the South Warwickshire Health Improvement Partnership; the South Warwickshire Crime reduction partnership and Shakespeare’s England, our destination management organisation which we jointly founded to promote our local tourism offer around the World. The two authorities share a number of characteristics and a large proportion of our residents live in one authority area and travel to work in the other.
As we look to the future of our communities across South Warwickshire now is the time to capture the lessons learnt from the current COVID crisis and review the way our Councils could better meet the needs of our residents, taking advantage of new opportunities that are emerging for our communities and businesses.
Local government is playing a significant role in positively addressing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our way of life. Supporting our businesses and communities as we adjust during this period of uncertainty, has required our Councils to embrace changes to the way we work.
Like so many other organisations at this time, our Councils are looking to be more agile and efficient, to address the emerging economic challenges and capitalising on the issues around the climate emergency, all the while providing the best possible services to you. There are also a number of opportunities which could be developed quickly including jointly procuring contracts; addressing a number of vacancies at senior officer level that could lead to the possibility of sharing posts across the two management teams, as well as the possibility of producing a joint Core Strategy / Local Plan for our communities to secure long-term benefits.
These initial discussions are at an early stage and would need to be subject to formal decisions at both authorities. However, our discussions will hopefully pave the way for a wider dialogue with other local government partners with the view of forming a common position for debate with central government as the anticipated devolution white paper comes forward, which is expected in the Autumn.

Warwick District Council will be marking Armed Forces Week by sharing a number of events and celebrations virtually through its online and digital platforms.
The virtual celebrations will begin on Monday 22 June when the Armed Forces Day flag will be raised at the Royal Leamington Spa Town Hall.
Throughout the week the Council will throw a spotlight on the lives of members of the Armed Forces past and present from the innovative STEM training programme undertaken by soldiers at Kineton Barracks to the work of the West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association and the support given by military planners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the public will also be encouraged to salute our veterans and remember those who have lost their lives serving their country and post their pictures online.
Warwick District’s Armed Forces Champion Councillor George Illingworth commented;
“Although there will be no official events this year, it is still important that we join together this week to remember our Armed Forces Community and say thank you for their dedication and service to our country. It is particularly appropriate at this time to draw attention to the support which the Armed Forces are giving in many different ways in dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our local communities.”

YOU CAN BECOME INVOLVED #SaluteOurForces is a simple way for anyone to pay tribute to the British Armed Forces community for their hard work, dedication and efforts to and keep us safe in the UK and across the globe.
​To join in, simply send us a photo or video of yourself or your friends and colleagues saluting 
You can submit your images in several ways:
· Tweet @Warwick_dc using · #SaluteOurForces. 
Comment on one of our Facebook posts,
 Or email 
Bernadette.Allen@warwickdc.gov.uk
For more information visit 
www.armedforcesday.org.uk/get-involved/saluteourforces/

Information on the Kineton Barracks STEM training programme can be found by visiting 
www.experientiallearning.org/library/defence-munitions-kineton-stem-case-study/