Eastleigh Borough Council News and Info

Council supports national ‘selfish parking’ campaign Eastleigh Borough Council is supporting the stopping wheelchairs, buggies and national ‘Selfish Parking’ campaign and pedestrians using the pavements to reminding local drivers to make sure they annoying your neighbours. Complaints park properly and responsibly. about poor parking ranks as one of the most

Organised by the British Parking Association I encourage everyone to park responsibly and launched on 23 October, the Selfish and considerately.” Parking campaign is focused on tackling inconsiderate parking behaviour. The campaign highlights parking behaviours that have been identified in a nationwide survey and cause frustration for many of the public, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular:

• obstructing the pavement • on or blocking someone’s driveway • if the lines and signs say you can’t • in a designated bay you are not eligible to use • taking up more than one space

Cabinet Lead for Transport Cllr David Airey

said, “I would like to remind drivers of the

issues that can be caused by inconsiderate or selfish parking such as stopping access for emergency vehicles or refuse vehicles to frequent issues raised by residents with me.

Virtual Youth Conference goes ahead to explore ‘Keeping Safe during COVID’

The Council funded the eleventh annual Youth Conference to bring students from schools and colleges together virtually to explore the timely theme of ‘Keeping Safe during COVID’.

The event took place Wednesday 11 November and normally takes place in a local college or public building. This year, with Coronavirus government guidelines, the conference organiser Stacey Miller Consultancy, was able to facilitate an online version of the conference. Over 100 pupils and professionals were represented from all the schools and colleges and youth agencies operating in the Borough. They discussed subjects such as mental health, online safety, relationships and drugs in workshops. The conference received support from local organisations including Groundwork Solent, Solent Youth Action, No Limits, Yellow Door and Hampshire Isle of Wight Youth Commission. Stacey Miller, of Stacey Miller Consultancy, said

“More than ever, this event was important to prioritise about taboo subjects like mental health and to keep our young people safe.”

Lorraine Barkshire, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Head of Year at The Hamble School, said “I have been attending

the Youth Conference for a few years now, I love it, the students love it and we learn so much. I use the information and strategies I learn for my safeguarding role as well as my every day teaching role in school. Long may we have the Eastleigh Youth Conference.”

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Councillor Tonia Craig, said: “We are commit-

ted to ensuring the health and wellbeing of young people is supported in the Borough. An open and safe forum for young people to discuss and explore themes relevant to them is vital to ensure education and support is provided. Thank you to all the organisations who helped make this a successful event in a challenging year.”

Food waste recycling is back

Eastleigh Borough Council’s popular food waste recycling service, which was temporarily suspended during lockdown to ensure health and safety, returns from 9 November.

In a change to the previous service, food waste will now be collected by smaller, lower emission vehicles. The new vehicles will also enable staff to socially distance as they will require less crew members in each vehicle. Food waste will continue to be collected weekly, on the same day as residents’ usual bin collection. However, as it is now being collected by a separate vehicle, the brown food waste bin may not be collected at the same time as residents’ wheeled bin. At the same time as food waste recycling collections return, The Council is also launching a new recycling pilot with around households across the Borough. Residents can find out more about the pilot and if their road is included on the Council’s recycling pilot webpage. If the recycling pilot is successful, the new food waste vehicles will allow the Council to expand their recycling service to include fortnightly glass collections and food waste recycling for flats. The Council’s Cabinet lead for the Environment, Cllr Rupert Kyrle, said: “As the only council in Hampshire to operate

a regular food waste recycling service, we are very happy to see the service returning. The coronavirus pandemic presented the Council with some logistical barriers to getting the service back up and running whilst ensuring the safety of our crews. However, by investing in the new vehicles, we are also opening up new and exciting recycling opportunities for the future as part of our commitment to the Climate Change and Environmental Emergency. Eastleigh residents are among the best recyclers in Hampshire and I’m sure they will welcome the opportunity to be able to recycle more.”

Free parking introduced in Eastleigh town centre

Visitors to Eastleigh town centre can now The free extra parking is valid in the four pay benefit from free extra parking when they and display Council car parks in the town centre use the digital RingGo parking service on ; Wells Place car park, Hanns Way car park, their smart phone for the rest of the year. Romsey Road car park and Leigh Road car From Monday 5 October visitors will pay 1.50 park and the offer is initially valid every day of for a one hour stay (plus 20p convenience fee the week until 1 January 2021. as usual) and receive a two-hour stay instead so getting a free hours car parking i.e. getting Alternatively, for those people who don’t have two hours parking for the price of one hour -and the RingGo app you can book via a phone call it’s all contactless. using the number that is provided at each parking location.

Chair of Eastleigh Local Area Committee Cllr Tina Campbell said, “We are committed to

supporting our town centre through these difficult times and this is another way in which we to help encourage visitors into the town over the next few months and in the run up to the festive season.”

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