A Miscellaneous Update

Royal Mail at Christmas

The Royal Mail are running a scheme where they are offering a helping hand for people to post their Christmas cards if they are in receipt of certain benefits. 

From the 6^th November until Christmas Eve, anyone receiving the following benefits can buy 36 stamps at Christmas 2011 prices:

Which benefits are eligible?

·      Pension Credit,

·      Employment Support Allowance,

·      Incapacity Benefit,

·      Unemployability Supplement. 

A voucher leaflet will be delivered to their homes from the Royal Mail, which they can take to any Post Office with proof that they are in receipt of the above benefits to claim their stamps. 

If they wish to find out more about this offer contact Royal Mail Customer Services on 08456 016 248

http://www.royalmail.com/services/personal-delivery-options-uk/christmas-offer

Inquiry asks: What next for localism?

Parish councils have launched an inquiry asking the question: What next for localism? The inquiry is being coordinated by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), which represents the interests of England's 8,500 town and parish councils. It is asking key stakeholders in local government and beyond for their analysis, insight and advice on where localism needs to go next. Findings will be made available to the government, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Democracy and local councils themselves. The inquiry is being run in conjunction with the All Party Parliamentary Group on local democracy, which is chaired by Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and the Borders.  http://www.rsnonline.org.uk/politics/inquiry-asks-what-next-for-localism

Community Land Advisory Service

The Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) is an impartial, collaborative initiative that aims to increase community access to land across the UK, for activities such as food growing, gardening, wildlife and play. The service works in two ways; firstly by collaborating with stakeholder organisations to influence policy and legislation; and secondly by providing online information resources and through detailed technical advice given by our advisors. CLAS, which was set up in response to the huge demand in recent years for community-run green spaces (particularly for food), helps community groups, private landowners and land managers to gain satisfactory agreements on access to land by providing impartial technical guidance on lease agreements and related issues. CLAS is run by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, a charity which supports communities to manage their green spaces. http://www.communitylandadvice.org.uk/