If a salt bin near you needs refilling, call 03000 260 000.

You can also report it by completing an online form at durham.gov.uk/saltbins quoting the number on the top of the bin or Contact Us.

Would you like to contribute to the creation of Slow Ways – an ambitious crowd-sourced, community-verified national walking network that connects all of Britain’s towns, cities and national parks.

Do you want to help boost walking and wheeling. Slow Ways is a great resource to help achieve that goal.

Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, their mission is to make it easier for people to walk and wheel between places. Having a network of recommended and trusted routes is key to unlocking this – and you could help.

Contributing to the Slow Ways walking network will help your community across multiple agendas including:

• Health and wellbeing
• Connecting people and communities
• The Climate Emergency
• Active Travel
• Tourism, Leisure, Culture, Heritage
• Accessing Nature
• Planning
• Levelling Up
• Cost of Living
• Happiness and joy

Residents from across the country have already drafted 9,000 routes that stretch for over 80,000 miles.

Now these routes need checking on the ground to make sure they are good enough for people to follow.

So far 1 in 5 Slow Ways have been checked and verified by people across the country.

They now need your help to scale-up their national effort and verify the whole network. Each route requires at least three positive reviews and a survey for it to become part of the Slow Ways trusted network.

The aim is for every place in the network to be 100% checked. Once that’s happened you will have helped to create a national network that everyone can use. Every place in the network has a place page like Kimberley does, why not search for a local town here to see how it’s getting on?

Can you help check your local part of the network?

Learn more – Download our toolkit to discover how and why to help.

Walk the walk – Choose a suitable route from the Slow Ways website or iPhone app, walk it and then leave a review. You can do this on your own or organise a day for the wider community to walk all of the Slow Ways in your area.

Share this message – Do you know people or groups in your community who would like to get involved? Please share this opportunity by forwarding this message and posting it online.

Stay in the loop – Would you like to be kept up to date with the progress of Slow Ways? Sign up for the Friends of Slow Ways newsletter.

To find out more information please visit the Slow Ways website.

Durham County Council has been running a contamination campaign and there has been many questions with regard to greasy pizza boxes. Please note these cannot be recycled kerbside.

Pledge2Recycle Plastics are working with Durham County Council to help reduce residents’ confusion on plastics recycling, what to recycle and how.

www.durhamrecycles.co.uk has hints, tips and guidance on single use plastics packaging. There are a number of key hints and tips including;-

• Make sure all plastic bottles are empty, and lids replaced before recycling.
• Make sure you recycle plastic bottles from the bathroom as well as the kitchen such as shampoo, conditioner bottles, domestos and cleaning trigger spray bottles.
• Although black plastic containers cannot be accepted for recycling in County Durham all other colours can.
• Plastic bags and wrappings should go to front of store recycling schemes. Check out recyclenow.com/recyclelocator for more information.
• Items that CANNOT BE RECYCLED and should go into your GENERAL WASTE BIN include toothpaste tubes, compostable and biodegradable packaging, kitchen roll and tissues, food, nappies, and textiles.

It is important to remember the golden rule of recycling – Clean, Dry, Loose.

Items inside other items or inside carrier or black bags cannot be recycled as these cannot be opened at the Materials Recovery Facility.

More detailed information on plastics can be obtained from www.pledge2recycle.co.uk.

There is a questionnaire on recycling at www.durhamrecycles.co.uk – complete for the opportunity to win a £50 shopping voucher.

Seaton with Slingley Parish Council is putting civility and respect at the top of its agenda and is committed to treating Councillors, Officers, employees, members of the public, representatives of partner organisations, and volunteers, with civility and respect in their roles.

At the Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 19 October 2022, Seaton with Slingley Parish Council signed up to the Civility and Respect Pledge set out by The National Association of Local Councils, the Society of Local Council Clerks and One Voice Wales.

Seaton with Slingley Parish Council has registered and agreed to the following statements:

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council has agreed that it will treat all councillors, the Clerk and all employees, members of the public, representatives of partner organisations, and volunteers, with civility and respect in their role.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council has committed to training Councillors and staff.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council has signed up to Code of Conduct for Councillors.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council has good governance arrangements in place including, staff contracts, and dignity at work policy.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council will commit to seeking professional help in the early stages should civility and respect issues arise.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council will commit to calling out bullying and harassment if, or when, it happens.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council will continue to learn from best practice in the sector and aspire to being a role model/champion council e.g., via the Local Council Award Scheme.

·   Seaton with Slingley Parish Council supports the continued lobbying for the change in legislation to support the Civility and Respect Pledge, including sanctions for elected members where appropriate.

Civility and Respect Pledge Certificate

For more information from the National Association of Local Councils please visit https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work/civility-and-respect-project

Our commitment to ocean recovery

Overview

Seaton with Slingley Parish Council made an Ocean Recovery Declaration on 16 March 2022. This means we are committed to take action to improve the health of the ocean.

A healthy ocean is vital for our:

• climate,
• health and wellbeing
• our future prosperity.

At present the ocean is not in good health because of human activity and climate change. We are committed to playing our part, but local government can’t solve the ocean crisis alone. You can also take action to improve the state of the ocean.

What we are doing – Our commitment to ocean recovery

We have declared an Ocean Recovery Declaration and support a global Motion for the Ocean campaign. We have committed to doing all we can to recover the health of the ocean.

This is to:

• protect our beautiful coast and precious wildlife.
• improve residents’ health and wellbeing and reduce pressure on the NHS.
• boost the local economy and create new jobs for local people.
• reduce the inequality in who can access the ocean and support the most disadvantaged in our community.
• provide the best future we can for our children and grandchildren.

What we have already done

Taking action to protect our ocean is new to the Council, and we acknowledged that we want and need to do more. We recognise the value of the ocean in helping us to protect our beautiful coastline. We recognise and acknowledge the work of the SeaScapes scheme, the first of its kind in the UK, which is better connecting our local communities with the ocean.

What we will do

As a result of our Ocean Recovery Declaration, we will take action, wherever possible to assist with ocean recovery. As a small Parish Council we are limited in what we can do but moving forward we pledge to enbed ocean recovery in everything we do from our strategic decisions, budgets and planning. We will also work with partners to assist in ocean recovery. We are committed to playing our part, but local government can’t solve the ocean crisis alone. 80% of marine litter comes from the land and we all have a role to play to reduce this.

What you can do

Below are some examples of what you can do to make a real difference.

What businesses can do

You can:

• end the use of balloons for promotion and don’t get involved in any balloon releases.
• reduce the use of single use items such as plastic knives and forks.
• reward customers, such as providing them with an incentive if they bring their own reusable containers or cutlery.
• pick up litter in and around your business.
• encourage or support local community activities such as litter picks.
• reduce your carbon footprint.
• ensure that the correct items go down the drain – i.e. no cooking fat or wet wipes.
• sell only sustainable seafood, ideally caught locally and in season.

What residents can do

Residents can make a difference to our environment and our towns and neighbourhoods.

Please try to:

• put all your litter in a bin or take it home with you.
• recycle your waste – there’s lots of items you can recycle.
• join an organised beach clean or litter pick.
• don’t release balloons or sky lanterns, they can harm or kill birds and marine wildlife. Instead consider a memorial or celebration event that includes an activity such as bubble blowing.
• shop local and buy only sustainable seafood ideally locally caught and in season.
• reduce single-use items at home or when you are out and about. For example, if you’re going for a picnic take your own reusable containers or cutlery with you.
• ensure only the correct items go down the toilet or drain – no cooking fat, wet wipes or other items.
• walk or cycle to reduce your carbon footprint.
• don’t light fires on beaches or in parks – only have BBQs where signs say it is allowed.
• bag your dog waste and put it in the bin (any litter bin will do) – never hang a bag on a tree or leave it on the ground.
• volunteer with an organisation such as SeaScapes. Individuals, community groups or schools can get involved.

Even if you don’t live at the coast your actions will have an impact. For example, litter dropped anywhere (even as small as a cigarette end) can eventually end up in the sea.

What visitors can do

If you are visiting the coast you can help protect the beautiful coastline and countryside by following the Countryside Code.

• put litter in the nearest bin or take it home with you – if you brought it, take it home.
• don’t feed or harm the wildlife.
• follow any guidance messages about the use of disposable BBQs.
• leave only footprints on our beaches.

You can also encourage your council to make their own Ocean Recovery Declaration and to take action to protect the ocean. For more details, see Ocean Conservation Trust: Motion for the Ocean.

What we want the government to do 

We have asked the government to:

• properly fund Inshore Fisheries and Conservation authorities.
• develop national policy in collaboration with coastal communities.
• appoint a dedicated Minister for Coastal Communities.
• produce a national Ocean Recovery Strategy.
• stop plastic pollution at source.