Page 4 of 5 pages « First < 2 3 4 5 >
Council’s cash incentive to encourage young people
As part of its Putting Litter in its Place campaign, Lancaster City Council is challenging school pupils to come up with ideas to combat litter in the district.
As part of a new competition, launched this week, the council is offering £1000 prize money to the high school that comes up with the best idea that they can put into practice
The prize money can be spent on whatever pupils choose for their school, from new books, to sports areas or equipment.
Coun Jon Barry, cabinet member with responsibility for waste and cleansing said: “Litter around schools is often a problem and we want young people to come up with their own ideas as to how to sort this out. Not only that, we also want to see that these ideas implemented and we’ll
be judging things on results. So if your school could do with some extra dosh and you want to improve your environment at the same time, please sign up to this competition.”
To submit an entry for this year’s ‘Putting Litter in its Place’ competition, pupils should use their imagination. But as a guide entries should be -
* Specific - tell us exactly what your proposal is, how it will make a difference, where and who it will make a difference to.
* Measurable - tell us how you intend to measure the effectiveness of the proposal
* Achievable / realistic - tell us exactly what resources you are using and how you are using them
* Timed - tell us for how long you intend the proposal to work.
Entries will be judged by a panel consisting of councillors and waste and cleansing staff, and the entries with the three best ideas will be invited to put their schemes into action and we will monitor how well they do this for three months in the autumn.
The winning school will win £1000, with second prize £500, and third £250. Schools will be free to spend the money on whatever they choose.
Entries should be sent to Dawn Groundsell, Lancaster City Council, Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PJ by Friday 6 July, 2007. Telephone 01524 582041 for more details.
COUNTDOWN TO A SMOKEFREE WEST END
From 1st July, new legislation means that virtually all workplaces and enclosed public places throughout England will be smoke free. This will include cafes, restaurants, pubs, offices, leisure centres, factories and even include vehicles used for work purposes such as taxis and work vans.
This legislation in response to the well-known ill health effects caused by second-hand tobacco smoke.
Surveys have demonstrated that the majority of the English population does want smokefree bars and restaurants. Even a large number of smokers have stressed that they welcome the legislation.
The City Council are also very concerned about the number of children who start smoking in their teens. Officers visit most junior schools each year to present the Home Safety Quiz and children are also tested on their knowledge of the health effects of smoking and passive smoking.
There are a few exemptions from the legislation but these are quite specific. Individual prison cells, individual bedrooms and smoking rooms in care homes and designated hotel bedrooms will be exempt. So will domestic premises but there will be a growing reluctance in the future amongst trades persons and carers, for example, to carry out duties in homes of heavy smokers.
Stop Smoking for Good and Save
A 20-a-day smoker spends nearly £40 a week on cigarettes and over £2000 in a year. This is enough to pay for a family of four to go to Disneyworld, Florida. So it is not just for health reasons that smokers are being encouraged to stop.
In this area we have an excellent Stop Smoking Service who have a wide variety of ways of helping people such as nicotine replacement. They provide one to one or group sessions and results are very positive.
“I managed to stop smoking after using the Stop Smoking Service. I have been a 20-a-day smoker for 26 years and I did it without the need of patches, gum or drugs. The money I am saving is helping me to purchase my first new car after driving around in a banger. If I can do it, so can you!” Keith aged 42, Morecambe
You can contact Stop Smoking Service on 845145 or via your GP’s surgery. The service is completely free of charge.
What the Legislation Means for Businesses
Although your business will benefit from a cleaner and fresher environment and décor will stay cleaner for longer, you still have responsibilities.
You must ensure that your staff or customers do not smoke in your premises or vehicles. An A4 ‘No Smoking’ sign must be displayed at the main entrances and a smaller one at other entrances. There are heavy fines if you ignore these regulations.
You do NOT have to provide smoking shelters or even allow smoking breaks (although staff working 6 hours or more must still be given at least 20 minutes break). Smoking rooms, apart from in care homes will not be permitted.
In the case of hotels, you must designate which rooms are smokefree and those in which smoking is permitted. Self-catering accommodation is presently treated as domestic premises and will be exempt subject. There is nothing to stop owners from designating all there accommodation as smokefree.
Individuals
Persons who smoke in smokefree premises can be fined or issued with a fixed penalty notice. In addition persons who regularly smoke are likely to be barred from the premises since they may also place the operator a risk of a heavy fine. In licensed premises, similar action will be taken to that for anti social behaviour.
Litter
We realise that customers, particularly of pubs, will smoke outside. It is important therefore to ensure that the litter problem from discarded cigarette ends does not get any worse. The City Council have provided additional ashtrays on existing litter bins in urban areas but owners will soon be responsible for litter resulting from their premises.
The City Council will be distributing re-usable pouches for cigarette stubs. These should be available in pubs and public buildings throughout the area.
The use of chewing gum, particularly nicotine gum, is likely to increase and this causes a real litter problem. The pouches can also be used for gum and the general message is ‘Dispose of your gum thoughtfully and don’t mess up the streets’.
Enforcement
The legislation will be enforced where necessary but the main aim is for Environmental Health staff to work with businesses and explain what they have to do to comply without the need for legal action. They will be visiting businesses in the area but you can call for free advice by ringing 582731/2. Additionally, there are several other useful sources of information on the Internet:
http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/smokefree
http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk
http://www.gosmokefree.org.uk
http://www.smokefreenorthwest.co.uk
‘Put it Out. Right Out’
Nearly a third of all households in England include a smoker and these households are nearly 35% more likely to have a fire than non-smoking homes.
The ‘Put it Out. Right Out’ campaign shows how easily fires can start from just one cigarette and how quickly they can spread with tragic results.
Taking a few simple precautions can prevent fires caused by cigarettes:
Don’t leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down, land on a carpet or newspaper and start a fire. When you put it out, make sure it is really out.
Always use a proper ashtray and make sure it can’t be knocked over.
Never smoke in bed.
Take special care when you are tired or when you’ve been drinking.
Keep matches and lighters away from children.
Make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each floor level in your home
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service will provide and install FREE smoke alarms where necessary, offer life saving advice in the event of a fire in your home, including how to make a fire escape plan for you and your family and practical advice on identifying fire hazards in the home.