Changes to sofas and armchairs being accepted at HWRCs
Some of Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) can no longer accept sofas, armchairs and other upholstered furniture, due to new regulations imposed by the Environment Agency.
From 1 December, all upholstered furniture must be stored and transported separately from other non-recyclable waste. This applies to all seating that contains leather, synthetic leather, other fabric, or foam. Examples include sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, recliner chairs (electrical or mechanical), dining chairs, padded stools and foot stools, office chairs, futons, bean bags, floor and sofa cushions.
Due to a lack of space at some of Cornwall’s HWRCs, the following sites will not be able to accept these items;
Bude
Newquay
Truro
Helston
Dudnance Lane, Pool
If you'd like to book a bulky waste collection instead, please book a slot via our webpages.
16 Days of Action against gender-based violence – support our campaign
Cornwall is uniting to combat violence against women and girls now and all year round.
16 Days of Action is an annual, international campaign which raises awareness of, and calls for an end to gender-based violence.
It is estimated that 25% of women have experienced some form of gender-based abuse before the age of 16. In England and Wales 3,000 offences are recorded each day, with 1 in 12 women a victim of violence every year, and the actual number expected to be much higher.
The campaign runs from Monday 25 November to Tuesday 10 December.
Safer Cornwall, Our Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Safeguarding Adults Board are working with our partners across Cornwall and the wider peninsula to deliver lots of free events and training activities across the 16 days.
“We are proud to stand alongside all those participating in the 16 Days of Action campaign to end violence against women and girls. Every instance of gender-based violence and each story shared by those with lived experience emphasises the depth and urgency of this issue. We must listen, we must believe, and, above all, we must act. This violence touches countless lives within our communities, and it demands our sustained and collective commitment. Together, through continuous action and the united efforts of individuals and organisations, we can strive to eradicate gender-based violence and create safer, more inclusive spaces for all.” - Simon Mould, Safer Cornwall Partnership Chair, Fiona Field, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Adults Board Independent Chair and Ben Deer, Safeguarding Children’s Partnership for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Chair.
“It is an opportunity to see and hear from the services that are out there offering support across Cornwall but it is also an opportunity for everyone to gain more of an understanding of the issue, its root causes and to realise that to solve this, everyone must play their part.” - Thalia Marrington, Chair of Cornwall Council’s Working group on Violence against Women and Girls.
Some examples include free training on how to be an active bystander, a webinar on Devon and Cornwall police’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), with a focus on stalking, and a wide variety of informative sessions to raise awareness of VAWG.
We will also be ‘popping-up’ in the community in Penzance (25 November), Truro (4 December) and Saltash (10 December) with our partners working in domestic abuse and sexual violence support services, health and policing to talk to the community and signpost to all of the amazing support services available to help people.
To find out more and how you can get involved, or to get in touch, search 16 Days of Action in Cornwall online, scan the QR code or visit our 16 Days of Action webpage.
Also attached is a poster and postcard which can be shared within your local communities, as well as a Microsoft Teams backdrop that you can use during the campaign.
Please note copyright restrictions: the 16 days digital assets are copyrighted and can only be used and shared as they are and must not be used for merchandising or creating additional graphics/assets.
Support is available for anyone who is concerned about domestic abuse or sexual violence. To find out more, visit our website https://safercornwall.co.uk/domestic-abuse-sexual-violence/
It’s never too late to take action, make changes or seek support!
The first sign of a stroke might not seem like much. Like not being able to raise your arm, or struggling to smile, or slurring when you speak.
Even if it doesn’t seem like it, any sign of a stroke is always an emergency. Call 999 immediately when you notice any sign of a stroke
Act FAST. Face or Arm or Speech, at the first sign, it's Time to call 999
Visit www.nhs.uk/ActFAST for more information.
Find support from the Community Gateway this winter.
Call the the free Community Gateway helpline on 01872 266383, 8am - 8pm, 7 days a week, to connect to a range of support services in your local community.
Find out more
StepAhead: Internships, Apprenticeships and Beyond
Join us for an Exciting, Interactive Career Event at The Eden Project!
Head to the first-ever StepAhead event on 4 December at the Eden Project from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm.
The event will be attended by some amazing education and support providers for young people, as well as local employers. If you want to participate in a fully interactive event that allows you to connect with companies and employers to plan your career next steps, or if you have no clue as to what is next for you, then this is the place to be!
To attend simply be a learner aged 16-18 years old or aged 16-24 years old with an EHCP, a parent/carer or a professional wanting to find out more.
Have your say on our draft budget proposals
A public consultation has launched for our draft budget proposals for 2025/26.
The draft proposals were approved by the Cabinet when it met in Truro on Wednesday this week. The meeting heard how, despite some increased funding announced in the Autumn Statement in Westminster last month, the financial challenges facing local authorities across the UK means difficult choices must be made in order to balance our books.
To address those challenges, measures in the draft proposals include:
• Increases in fees and charges
• Some reduction in workforce costs
• Reducing levels of some services
The proposed budget would see Council Tax rise by 4.99%, which includes a 2% adult social care precept.
Find out more about the proposals and have your say on the Let's Talk Cornwall website using the button below.
People with loan shark debts can now get free, confidential support.
A specialist advisor is visiting libraries to help those affected by illegal money lending.
Cornwall Council’s Library Service has teamed up with the England Illegal Money Lending Team to offer a series of talks and events raising awareness about the dangers of loan sharks and the help available to people who have borrowed from them.
The libraries tour runs across Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly - click here for dates and location and more information.
Explore Tamar Valley with Free Guided Walks
This autumn, Tamar Valley National Landscape invites you to join their free, weekly guided walks. These walks offer a fantastic opportunity to explore scenic routes while enjoying the health and social benefits of walking in nature.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, groups meet at various locations to discover beautiful trails like Churchtown Farm Nature Reserve, South West Coast Path, and Meavy Circular. Most walks include a coffee stop part way round or at the end, and many walkers agree that the social aspect of their walk gives them a real lift, in addition to the physical benefits.
No booking is required, so just turn up with appropriate footwear, a drink, and a snack. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome, and all walkers participate at their own risk.
Don't miss out on this chance to connect with nature and your community.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call firefighters
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call firefighters at 26 stations across the Duchy.
Cornwall’s on-call firefighters come from all walks of life. They include homemakers, shopkeepers, builders, farmers, office workers and directors of companies, as well as people who are not in work.
When the call comes, they drop everything and are trained to deal with a range of emergencies such as rescues floods, crashes and chemical spills.
Applicants must be at least 18 and live or work within five minutes of a station. There's no upper age limit. Pay varies based on availability and station activity, with extra pay for training nights and courses.
National Tree Week
Please share this with people in your area.
National Tree Week (23 November – 1 December) is coming up, and Forest for Cornwall have some fantastic events to get involved in.
It starts with Back Garden Forest tree giveaways, which will be held in Newquay Library (23 November 10.30am-12.30pm) and Camborne in Kehelland Trust Shop (30 November 10.30am-12.30pm). These will continue in January in Bude and Padstow, and February in Liskeard, Helston and Redruth. Each resident can collect a free tree – with a choice of native species including spindle, rowan, whitebeam, hazel, crab-apple, and dogwood.
Libraries are also taking part with tree themed information displays and materials to spark the interest for all ages and more tree giveaways – these include St. Austell, Camelford, Newquay and other towns to be announced. Look out for details for these and other events on the Forest for Cornwall website.
Forest for Cornwall has passed milestone of a million trees planted, and this winter there are a further 400 hectares planned, including hedgerows (over 20 kilometres), field corners, and orchards. Forest for Cornwall is helping to ensure that planting will work alongside current production on farms and will enhance Cornwall’s towns and villages.
Christmas waste collections
Please share this information with people in your area.
This year all household waste collections in Cornwall will change over Christmas and New Year and it's important that everyone checks the new arrangements.
The changes mean no one will have to wait more than a couple of extra days for a collection. Without the changes, some households could have waited over two weeks for a collection.
Collection timetable
What about Clinical Waste?
We’ll contact our customers who have regular clinical waste collections to let them know when we’ll collect their waste.
How are we communicating the changes?
Households in areas that have the new collection services will receive an Annual Service Leaflet which includes the Christmas collections. These will start to arrive in the post from Monday 11 November.
Households in the Area 5 for the new collection service will receive their first “Get Set” leaflet before Christmas which includes the Christmas collections. These will start to arrive in the post from Monday 21 October.
We’ll also be using our usual communication channels from mid-November to draw attention to the changes.
Food waste
This is the first year that we’ll be collecting food waste for recycling from most households. We’ll provide extra messages about the things residents can recycle after Christmas, including turkey bones, potato and sprout peelings and any leftovers. We will also be reminding people only to buy what they need and to try to avoid too much food waste.
We will collect extra food waste. If households have more food waste than will fit in their outdoor caddy, they can put it out for collection in a compostable liner on top of their outdoor caddy.
Extra recycling
Cardboard boxes, Christmas cards, envelopes and wrapping paper are recycled in your orange cardboard bag. Please remove decorations like ribbon, foil, glitter, plastic film, tinsel and bubble wrap, as these cannot be recycled. If you have more cardboard than will fit in your bag, please flat pack it and secure it near the rest of your recycling. If you have extra plastics or glass that do not fit in your bags or boxes, you can put these out for collection in a suitable container.
Christmas trees
We’ll only collect Christmas trees from people who subscribe to our garden waste collection service. Households with a subscription should put their tree out beside their bin or bag on their garden waste collection day. If households don’t have a garden waste subscription, they shouldn’t put their tree out for collection because we will not collect it.
Some local charities collect trees, please help promote any schemes you’re aware of in your local community or you can take it to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC).
Don’t put batteries out for collection.
Batteries in your rubbish or recycling can start fires if crushed or damaged in the back of rubbish lorries or at waste facilities. You can take batteries (including button batteries and battery packs) to a supermarket or HWRC for recycling.
Go to recyclenow.com to find out where you can recycle batteries locally.
Commercial waste – reminder that businesses shouldn’t use the household waste services.
The law says holiday lets, hairdressers and any other businesses run from home must pay to dispose of their commercial recycling and rubbish, not use household waste services. We offer value-for-money commercial waste collections.
For a quote visit: www.cornwall.gov.uk/commercialwaste
Volunteers sought for Norovirus vaccine trial
Help to see if we can protect people against symptoms caused by the norovirus stomach bug with an investigational mRNA vaccine.
Norovirus is one of the most common causes of stomach bugs in the UK. There is currently no vaccine to protect against norovirus infection.
Researchers at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) are recruiting people to take part in a clinical trial to see if an investigational vaccine (a vaccine that is being studied) may be able to protect adults against the symptoms caused by the norovirus stomach bug.
To take part in the Nova 301 Trial, you must be 18 years of age or over, be in good health and should not currently have a chronic gastrointestinal disease. Participants will be reimbursed for their trial-related time and expenses, for example, travel.
Low-income households to benefit from £4.5m Household Support Fund
Low-income households in Cornwall will once again receive payments to help with the ongoing cost of living crisis after we secured £4.5m from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), through the Household Support Fund (HSF).
Payments of £80 per person will be made automatically to those eligible, including pensioners receiving council tax support and vulnerable adults on a low income.
In a change to the way HSF funds are allocated, this latest round will see an £80 payment made to an additional 3,000 pensioners in receipt of council tax support – previously only those in receipt of pension credit received payments.
A payment of £80 per child will also be made to low-income households who claim council tax support.
The latest round of funding will run to 31 March 2025, and will provide urgent support for those most in need as living costs continue to rise.
What to put in your food recyling
We've started collecting food waste across most parts of Cornwall as part of our new waste, recycling and rubbish service.
Here's some tips about using your food waste caddy.
You don’t need to line it, but if you like, you can use compostable liners or old newspaper.
You can pop in things like:
tea bags,
veg peelings,
eggshells,
banana skins
Once it’s full, just empty it into your outdoor green food waste bin and lock the handle! Please don't put your silver caddy inside your outdoor food waste bin.
Find out more about the new food waste, rubbish, and recycling collections and when they’re starting using the button below.
Do a home fire safety check - it could save your life
Did you know there are around 35,000 house fires and over 300 fire related deaths in Great Britain each year?
You can now carry out a free online home fire safety check using your phone or tablet. It only takes 15 minutes and could save a life.
If you have vulnerable friends, relatives or neighbours you can do the survey for them.
Developed by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Fire Kills and Safelincs, the survey takes you through the home one room at a time. The simple questions will help you spot fire risks as you go.
If the property is identified as high risk, you will be offered a free home fire safety check by a member of staff from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.
Time to get your winter vaccines
Make sure you and your loved ones are protected this winter against the flu and COVID-19.
Protection from previous flu and COVID-19 vaccinations fades, and the viruses change over time. Getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines means you keep topping up your protection and therefore your symptoms should be milder and you should recover faster if you run into these viruses this winter.
If you are aged 65 and over, if you or your child has a long-term health condition, if you’re pregnant, or if you work in health and social care, make sure you get your free flu and COVID-19 seasonal vaccinations to help protect you and your loved ones this winter.
Check if you’re eligible and book now on the NHS website, with your GP surgery, your local pharmacy or via the NHS app or by calling 119 for free.
Free energy saving advice from Homewise
Please share this information with residents in your area.
Homeowners who want to improve the energy efficiency of their home, but aren’t sure where to start, can get free, impartial advice. The Homewise tool gives energy saving advice to help save money on energy bills and boost the energy rating of your home.
Once you know what improvements you’d like to make, a lower-cost loan is available through a Cornwall Council-backed scheme from Lendology CIC. The Green Home Improvement Scheme aims to fill the gaps for those who are ineligible for grants. Homeowners and private landlords can apply. The scheme is not open to properties used as holiday lets or second homes.
The Green Home Improvement Scheme has been part-funded by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Fund, which is managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Nominations for the 2025 King's Award for Volunteers
Is there a local voluntary group in your area that deserves to be nominated for the 2025 King’s Awards for Voluntary Service? Nominations are currently open and close on 1 December 2024.
Equivalent to an MBE, The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is awarded for life. Originally created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, and previously known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the Award has been shining a light on the work of voluntary groups across the UK for many years.
The nomination process is simple. There’s an online form that needs to be completed by someone independent of the group and submitted together with letters of support from two other individuals. See The King’s Award for Voluntary Service website for details and to make a nomination.
Reduce your risk of developing dementia
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, so throughout the month we’re sharing some top tips for reducing your risk.
There are a whole range of things you can do to lower your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease and all types of dementia in later life.
In this video Dr Vicky Brown, shares her top tip to avoid loneliness and isolation.
New chatbot to help you get information fast
Residents in Cornwall will get help from a new and improved chatbot which has just launched on the Cornwall Council website.
The chatbot nick named ‘Ker-Know' can answer questions on all the services offered by the council, from waste to education, and do tasks by responding to messages in real time.
It does this by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to search the website on behalf of residents, intelligently responding to their inquiries.
Ker-Know can now resolve almost three quarters of enquiries received by the council daily.
New Reuse shops open
Reuse shops are opening at some of Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Run by Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, which operates Cornwall’s HWRCs on behalf of Cornwall Council, Kernow Reuse Shops will stock a variety of pre-loved items including home and garden accessories, small electricals, sports equipment, books and DVDs, and everything in between. The items are sold at the shops for affordable prices.
Shops have already opened at Truro and St Austell HWRCs, with more due to open in the coming months.
People can donate pre-loved items for the shops at all of Cornwall’s HWRCs. Donated items will be sold at the reuse shops or given to charity organisations.
Kernow Reuse shops will be open between 9am and 4pm seven days a week.
Protect your baby from RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory virus that is most common over the winter period, typically October to February. While the symptoms are mild for many, for some it can have much more serious consequences. The new RSV vaccination programme launching this September will help to prevent thousands of cases of RSV, GP visits and hospital admissions.
Around 20,000 babies under 1 are hospitalised with RSV in the UK each year. Sadly we see 20 to 30 infant deaths as well. You can have the RSV vaccine from week 28 of your pregnancy. Having the RSV vaccination in pregnancy reduces your baby’s risk of severe RSV lung infection by around 70% in the first 6 months of life. Speak to your maternity service or GP practice to arrange an appointment
Saltash Tunnel Technology upgrade
Autumn 2024 to Autumn 2025
National Highways is starting the next phase of a major modernisation upgrade of
the A38 Saltash Tunnel in Cornwall this autumn.
This represents a £25 million investment from National Highways to improve
journeys between south east Cornwall and Plymouth, and maintain the safe
operation of the tunnel for many years to come.
The tunnel and its 'reversible' lane, which allows traffic to travel in either direction
depending on the time of day or conditions, rely on specialised technology to operate
and keep drivers safe.
The current ‘tunnel & lane control system’ is over 20 years old, approaching the end
of its life and is being replaced and upgraded as part of an extensive programme of
work. This will keep everyone using the tunnel safe, provide more reliable journeys
and reduce the risk of unplanned closures.
Forming a key route between Plymouth and south east Cornwall, any work on the
tunnel has to be carefully planned. National Highways is liaising with local
stakeholders and its construction team to refine how these essential renewals are
delivered with the least disruption to the south east Cornwall community and drivers.
Work is currently due start at the end of November with weeknight closures of the
tunnel. These will continue until the work is finished.
There will be speed restrictions and narrow lanes being installed westbound between
St Budeaux and the Tamar Bridge from early 2025 to allow work to be carried out in
the verges.
In early to mid-2025, the current control system will need to be turned off and
removed to allow installation of the new system. This means there will only be one
lane open in each direction for A38 traffic through the tunnel, which will be fixed as
the traffic can no longer be dynamically controlled.
The Tamar Bridge will retain its four traffic lanes. There will be one lane fixed in each
direction for A38 traffic, a lane dedicated for Saltash Town only in the westbound
direction and the eastbound cantilever open for local and ‘tag only’ traffic.
This work should finish in autumn 2025.
More details around the work and closures, including dates, will be available on the
National Highways webpage as the scheme progresses:
nationalhighways.co.uk/SaltashTunnel. And for any questions, you can contact the
National Highways Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 (open 24/7), who will direct
your enquiry to the team, or email: info@nationalhighways.co.uk.
New online tool for finding out care costs
Unlike health care, adult social care services are not free. We can work out a personal budget for the support you need.
If you have less than £23,250 in capital, you may be eligible for some help with the cost of your care. The amount you pay will depend on your:
capital
assets
income
savings
benefits
You may have to pay for all of the costs, or you may be able to apply for financial help.
There's a new online eligibility checker to find out if you may be able to receive financial help.
£3,900 for five minutes of your time?
Could you, or someone you know, be entitled to Pension Credit and be missing out on an average £3,900 extra a year?
Before bills go up this winter, spend 5 minutes using the government's online 'can I claim Pension Credit?' checker tool and find out.
You might be allowed to claim even if you:
have savings
own your own home
are working
are getting a small occupational pension
have been turned down in the past
Remember, you can report lots of things to us online like:
missed waste collections
fly tipping
full litter bins
graffiti
broken street lights
potholes
abandoned vehicles
Borrow a blood pressure monitor with your next library book
You can now borrow a blood pressure monitor free of charge from your local library, just like you borrow a book - all you need is a library card.
Around a third of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many don't realise it.
Known as the silent killer, high blood pressure rarely causes symptoms but, if left untreated, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The borrow a blood pressure monitor scheme launched as part of this week's Know your Numbers Week - the national campaign encouraging people to check their blood pressure at home.
How much do you know about dementia?
Our public health team want to learn more about people's understanding of dementia.
To help them, we'd like you to answer one simple question using our online poll. Use the button below to take part.
The 2050 Cornwall Plan
Uniting our efforts as Team Cornwall, we are collectively driven by the guiding light of the 2050 Cornwall Plan.
Launched in 2020, this visionary plan was shaped by input from approximately 4,000 residents, who voiced their desires for a fairer, more inclusive, and cleaner, greener Cornwall. The plan's resounding call to action is for Cornwall to lead the way in sustainable living, safeguarding the well-being of future generations.
With boundless opportunities on the horizon, from renewable energy to critical minerals and space exploration, we are unwavering in our determination to seize these prospects and realise our ambitious 2050 Vision.
The 2050 Cornwall Plan can be found here, it outlines our ambitious goals and roadmap for sustainable growth, innovation, and positive impact over the next three decades.
The annual residents’ survey captures valuable feedback directly from our community members, allowing us to better understand and address their needs and concerns.
Why are we seeing so many potholes?
We're responsible for around 7,300 km of Cornwall's roads, which laid end-to-end would stretch all the way from Lands End to Vancouver, Canada.
That's a lot of road to maintain! As part of their work, our highways crews have filled over 45,000 potholes during the last year - more than double compared with the same period in 2022/23.
Why are we seeing so many potholes? And what is the Council doing about it? Find out why in this short film
What happens when you report a pothole?
Our highways inspectors regularly check our roads for potholes and other defects, but did you know you can report pot holes and other road issues to us too through our website?
Find out more about what happens once you report a pothole by watching this short film. You can report potholes and a range of other issues on the 'Report it' page of our website, just hit the link below and scroll down to 'Roads and parking'.
Free Move More classes for over 65s
People in Cornwall aged 65 and over now have access to free classes aimed at helping them to build strength and balance and reduce the risk of falling.
Called Move More, the programme is provided by Falmouth-based company iCareiMove and funded by Cornwall Council's Public Health team.
West Cornwall Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre is there for you!
There are a range of locally provided places you can access health and care from every day of the week all without an appointment - from your local pharmacy, minor injury units and West Cornwall Hospital’s urgent treatment centre.
Some places are open late including the urgent treatment centre, which is open every day from 8am until midnight and there is no need for an appointment!
The urgent treatment centre and 10 minor injury units can help you with ailments or injuries that need attention urgently but are not critical or life-threatening. From sprains and strains, minor fractures to cuts that need stitches, insect and animal bites to suspected infections these locally provided health units are there to help you.
Remember - the Pharmacy First service can also provide you with advice and treatments for minor ailments.
New scheme to help residents fund green home improvements
Homeowners in Cornwall can now apply for lower-cost loans to fund energy saving home improvements through a new Council-backed scheme.
The Green Home Improvement Scheme aims to fill the gaps for those who are ineligible for grants. Homeowners and private landlords can apply, however the scheme is not open to properties used as holiday lets or second homes.
Cornwall Council has appointed Lendology CIC to run the pilot scheme, which has been funded by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Fund. The Green Home improvement Loans Scheme has received £518,254 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
To find about more about the loan scheme visit the Lendology website or call Lendology on 01823 461099.
Do you need a HUG?
Warm up your home with the Home Upgrade Grant Scheme
Are you tired of high heating costs and a cold home? The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) Scheme is here to help. This grant-funded energy efficiency scheme from the Government aims to improve the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of homes that do not use mains gas as their primary heat source.
We're working in partnership with OVO Energy Solutions to deliver this scheme across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. With a range of energy-saving measures, the scheme aims to reduce heating costs and improve general health and wellbeing.
The scheme runs until March 2025 and aims to help around 500 eligible homes.