County October Report
County Report for the parishes of Hoxne & Eye - October 2024
Suffolk adults urged to take up potential life-saving opportunity
We are urging people across Suffolk aged between 40 and 74, who don’t have a pre-existing health condition, to take up a potentially life-saving opportunity. The call to action comes after the Suffolk GP Federation were awarded a contract to deliver over 23,000 NHS Health Checks in the county annually.
Suffolk County Council have also become one of 45 local authorities in England to receive funding from the government as part of the national Workplace Cardiovascular Disease Health Check Pilot. Working with Suffolk GP Federation 2,000 additional NHS Health Checks will be delivered in workplaces in the county by March 2025.
NHS Health Checks play a vital role in preventing disease and helping people live healthier lives for longer. They can be lifesaving as they help spot increased risk of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia early, before the conditions develop. They also allow people to talk to a health care professional about reducing their risk.
For more information about the Suffolk NHS Health Check Service visit the Suffolk GP Federation website.
Uncertainty looms for 177,000 Suffolk residents currently eligible for winter fuel payments
We believe that as many as 177,000 Suffolk residents are currently eligible for winter fuel payments and should be protected from Government plans to cut the allowance.
According to 2023 mid-year population estimates from the ONS, around 177,000 people over the age of 66 in Suffolk are eligible for these crucial payments, leaving them potentially vulnerable if they are withdrawn.
In response, the council’s leader, Councillor Matthew Hicks, has written to all of the county’s MPs - urging them to vote against the proposed changes. The council is particularly concerned that rural areas, like much of Suffolk, will be disproportionately affected due to reliance on expensive oil heating and the added burden of rural deprivation.
Rural homes are statistically less energy efficient compared to urban homes, meaning they require more energy to maintain a healthy temperature. Furthermore, many rural homes are not connected to mains gas, forcing households to rely on more costly heating sources like wood, canister gas, or oil. The price of heating oil has now risen to 66p per litre, a 12p increase since 2020.
Energy projects and the well-being of communities
The council has produced guidance to help protect the well-being of local communities impacted by large Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
The new document - Community Engagement and Wellbeing Supplementary Guidance - complements the council’s Energy and Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Policy and is aimed at project promoters, parish councils and local communities.
Research by Suffolk Mind, and the experiences of the county council, show that the wellbeing of residents and communities suffers when NSIPs are proposed in a local area, especially when multiple projects are on the table.
Feelings of fear, mistrust, anger, and frustration are all reported, along with impacted sleep, and inability to plan for the future, due to the uncertainty created by the proposed development.
The new guidance stresses the importance and value for project promoters of an NSIP to collaborate with local communities from the early proposal stages, through to life after construction, to protect the wellbeing of those local communities.
The cumulative effect of NSIPs has resulted in considerable impacts on the well-being of individuals and the overall well-being of the community. This has also led to feelings of lost identity.
The document provides a framework for promoters to follow, to help them understand their project’s impact on the wellbeing of local communities, and what they can actively do to mitigate it.
The window is now open to apply for primary and secondary school places
Parents and carers can now apply for a place in the normal year of entry at a primary (including infant and junior) school and secondary school for September 2025.
The deadline for applications to secure a place at a secondary school is Thursday 31 October 2024 and for primary school places, including infant and junior schools, the deadline is Wednesday 15 January 2025.
All applications received by the relevant closing date are processed at the same time using the school’s oversubscription criteria to prioritise applications when necessary. Late applications are processed after all of those are received on time.
Last year, Suffolk County Council received just under 15,000 on-time applications for pupils wishing to start at a primary or infant school, or transfer to a junior school, or into Year 7 at a secondary school from September 2024. 94.7% of applicants received offers for their first preference school and 98.5% of applicants received an offer for one of their top three preferred schools.
Further information on SCC’s School Travel Policy can be found at www.suffolkonboard.com/schooltravel.
Parents and carers should apply online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions as they will receive confirmation that their application has been received. If for any reason they are unable to apply online they should apply on a paper application (CAF1). Suffolk County Council is unable to acknowledge receipt of paper applications and therefore suggests that proof of posting is obtained.
If families are planning to move house or think their circumstances may change before next September, it is still important to make an application on time using the current address. It is recommended to apply for schools based on the current address in case the proposed move falls through. Advice and guidance about this process is available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.
Families who apply online will be able to log on to the Online Service on the National Offer Day, which is Monday 3 March 2025 for secondary school places and Wednesday 16 April 2025 for primary school places, to see their offer of a school place, and they will receive an email to confirm this offer on the same day. Offer letters will be sent by second-class post to applicants who made a paper application.
Information to help parents and carers make their application is available at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.