A message from Cllr Michael Wilson, Leader of Havant Borough Council

Christmas is traditionally a time for celebration and as we come to the end of a second national lockdown, I sincerely hope you will be able to enjoy time with family and friends.

This time last year, no one could have predicted the months ahead: this has been a turbulent and surprising year, affecting all aspects of our lives.

There has been tragedy for those who have lost loved ones, but there have also been extraordinary acts of public spirit and kindness as the nation has pulled together to help one another come through the pandemic.

In the borough we were overwhelmed with the support groups and volunteers who have kept our community sustained.

As a council, we are determined to continue to support you and our businesses to survive and rebuild over the coming months.

May I wish you a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Coronavirus: help is at hand

If you need food or medicine, and you don’t have friends or family to rely on, you can call the Hampshire Coronavirus Support and Helpline on 0333 370 4000.

The helpline is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and until 4.30pm on Fridays.

A lot of work has gone in to making sure everybody is looked after and no one is left without the support they need.

More information can be found on our website: www.havant.gov.uk/vulnerable-people

How to contact us over Christmas

From midday Thursday 24 December to Monday 4 January please contact 023 9244 6019 or visit www.havant.gov.uk/outofhours for emergencies relating to Havant Borough Council services.

If you need Hampshire County Council's adult services call 0300 555 1386, children’s services is on 0300 555 1384 or the county council's out of hours service is 0300 555 1373.

A message from the Mayor

I would like to start in the only place that is appropriate, by extending the most heartfelt thanks to every single volunteer, business, charity and organisation that has stepped up during the lockdown to support others when they most needed it.

Having created and led the voluntary group Waterlooville Helping Hands, being joined by a team of more than 100 amazing volunteers, I saw first hand the goodwill and empathy of so many which was abundant across the borough.

As we all know our keyworkers have been an inspiration to us all, enabling us to continue our way of life in the toughest of times, you are all incredible. Across Havant, we have adhered to government guidelines and done all we can to help protect those we love and care for, we have to continue and persevere in this same way so that we can defeat this virus together.

As we head into the Christmas period, I urge you to stay safe, follow the guidance and to continue the fight against this virus together as one.

Cllr Prad Bains, Mayor of Havant

Helping to house the homeless

Havant Borough Council has been awarded government funding to provide longer term accommodation for rough sleepers.

The funding from The Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP) will help to purchase and refurbish three new homes, initially for rough sleepers who have been housed during the coronavirus.

Also in the borough, once refurbishment on Brent House in Middle Park Way, Leigh Park, is completed it will provide 29 temporary homes for families and single people who are in need of housing.

No one needs to sleep rough during the winter.

If you need urgent housing advice and assistance, please call 023 9244 6379 or visit www.havant.gov.uk/housing-advice.

Looking for landlords

Are you a landlord who can help those facing homelessness?

If so, please contact us at Havant Borough Council to see how we can work together to provide homes for those who need them.

We can offer support and assistance to both landlord and tenant to ensure your tenancies run smoothly.

For more information please contact Darren Hillier on 0777 580 3618 or email darren.hillier@havant.gov.uk

Food for thought

Even before the coronavirus crisis, some people spent every day worrying about how they were going to feed their families.

Food banks, for many, are a means of survival - now more than ever.

For information on where your nearest food bank is and how to access it visit www.havant.gov.uk/ foodbanks

You can also find a huge range of information from Citizens Advice www.citizensadvicehavant.org or speak to advisors by calling 0344 411 1306.

If you would like to support the local food banks, you will find donation points in many of the local supermarkets, you can drop food directly or you can make an online financial contribution to help them purchase essential supplies.

Get help with your living costs

Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs.

You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work.

Universal Credit claims must be made online.

To get help with making a claim or to request support with managing your Universal Credit online account please call 0800 328 5644.

For more information about Universal Credit please visit www.havant.gov.uk/universal-credit

We are Serving You, online

Get the latest on what Havant Borough Council is doing for you by signing up to our regular email bulletins.

Information on bin collection schedules, elections, grants or the latest advice on coronavirus are all available – including a monthly edition of Serving You.

You can pick and choose what’s relevant to you and unsubscribe whenever you want.

Go to www.havant.gov.uk/email-alerts

Attend a council meeting - virtually

Would you like to see how decisions are made that directly affect you?

All our council meetings are now held virtually, making it easier for you to attend from the comfort of your own home or workplace.

Simply visit www.havant.gov.uk/councilcalendar to find out when meetings like full council, scrutiny committee or development management committee meetings will take place so you can tune in to watch and listen to the debate.

Most committees allow deputations to be made and public questions can be asked at full council meetings.

Details on how to address meetings can be found on our website at www.havant.gov.uk/address-meeting

The website is a hit!

Over the last few years, the Havant Borough Council website has excelled as the main form of communication for the council.

Five years ago, the website averaged 350,000 visits a year.

The most recent year showed a record 800,000 visits to the website.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the website has been in huge demand as residents and businesses look for key information such as service updates, business support and help for vulnerable people.

Shaping our future

Havant Borough Council plans to become more efficient and effective in the coming years by strengthening ties with our neighbours East Hampshire District Council.

The councils already share a chief executive and management team as well as several other services, including parking, human resources and waste collection.

Now the councils are looking at new ways of working more closely together, including having one, flexible team.

The new plan is called Shaping Our Future and it aims to create two financially and environmentally sustainable councils that can deliver the best possible service for their residents.

The two councils would share a workforce but remain as separate entities with separate councillors.

There is still a lot of work to do and plenty of detail to be decided but it is hoped the transformation will be complete by October 2022.

What are the benefits?

• More efficient and effective services with less bureaucracy.
• Community engagement and collaboration with partners in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
• A ‘digital first’ approach to our services.
• Getting the best financial, environmental and social value in all that we do.

Parking plea

Motorists are being encouraged not to park their vehicles on grass verges, pavements and grassed areas in the borough.

These areas are not designed to take the weight of cars or vans and can cause damage to the services that are below the ground, such as water and gas pipework.

It also leaves the area unsightly and uneven making it difficult for wheelchair and pushchair users.

Please consider alternative parking options.

Shop local this Christmas

If you're looking for the perfect Christmas gift, why not start by shopping locally?

Many local shops will also have online stores, so look out for local businesses to buy from.

There is more information about how shopping locally can help local people and jobs on our website. 

Make a lotto difference

In a time of shrinking budgets and increased community need, Havant Borough Community Lottery enables residents to support the causes they care most about, while being in with a chance of winning up to £25,000!

The lottery operates on the principle of raising money within the community for the community.

Tickets cost £1 per week and 60p will go directly to a local good cause.

Are you interested in signing up, but not sure how?

Visit the Havant Borough Community Lottery website or call 023 9319 0011 to play.

Your support will help make a real and lasting difference to local charities and community groups.

There are more than 780 players supporting 104 good causes across the borough!

All things neutral for nature

A phased long term project to develop Warblington Farm into a nature reserve, will help to offset excess nutrients, which cause algae to grow in the water.

You may have seen the thick green algae when the tide is out, it grows on the mud and looks like seaweed.

This can be extremely harmful to the thousands of protected birds that migrate here to feed.

These excess nutrients can come from a number of sources including agriculture and our wastewater treatment plants.

All new development needs to be ‘nutrient neutral’ in order for the council to approve it and this innovative way of returning areas of the farm back to its natural habitat will help to address this.

We’d like to thank the local farmer, who has worked with us to achieve this. The farm will continue to provide a valuable service and we ask that you continue to support it – along with all local small businesses in the borough.

More information about this long term project can be found on our website. 

Local Plan

The Havant Borough Local Plan is now at an advanced stage.

Following nearly five years of work it is almost ready to be submitted to the government for its examination.

Full council approved several changes and new policies in September, looking to address
recent case law and some of the comments made during the last
consultation.

The issues raised will be summarised and this summary, the plan, the consultation
comments from 2019 and 2020 together with supporting studies and assessments will then be
submitted to the government.

The examination of the plan will take place next year.

Council welcomes climate change champion

Havant Borough Council has appointed its first Environment and Climate Change Champion, Cllr Julie Thain-Smith, to its cabinet.

Focusing on reducing the council’s own carbon footprint as well as influencing a programme of interventions across the borough, the role will develop the council’s new climate change and environment strategy and action plan.

Plans submitted for Havant Thicket Reservoir

Portsmouth Water has submitted plans to build Havant Thicket Reservoir on land it owns between Rowlands Castle and Warren Park and lay a pipeline to connect the reservoir to springs in Bedhampton.

The reservoir would secure vital water supplies for the South East, protect Hampshire’s world-famous chalk streams and provide a new green leisure hub, benefiting local people and wildlife.

The company has updated its proposals, after listening to feedback during a public consultation earlier this year. See these plans on our dedicated webpage or find out more on the Portsmouth Water website.

Recycling around the Christmas tree...

Have a happy holiday!

After the presents are unwrapped and the food is eaten, the Christmas holidays often leave us with a lot of rubbish – or is it recycling?

Here’s a guide to making sure it all ends up in the right place.

Don’t be fooled by the recycling triangle - Not all items that have this symbol are recyclable in Hampshire. So, if an item or bag says “please recycle” it doesn’t mean it can go in your recycling bin.

Paper - Avoid shiny, glossy or laminated wrapping – this cannot be recycled.

Boxes - Fold down boxes to ensure they fit in your recycling bin – pizza boxes must go into your rubbish bin.

Bottles up - Milk, squash or fizzy drink bottles (and lids) can be put into your recycling bin. Glass bottles can be taken to your nearest bottle bank.

Think beyond the kitchen - Other items around your house, such as clean and empty shampoo bottles, empty toilet rolls and aerosols can be recycled.