From 27 November, we'll be introducing food waste collections to the majority of households across Swindon. If you live in a property with a communal bin store, these changes don't affect you at this time.

Ahead of the changes, get to know what can be recycled and which container items should be placed in. For instance, as Seren says in the video above, tea bags can go in your food waste – just pop them in your food waste caddy when the new service rolls out.

Check what other items can be recycled by using the Waste Wizard. 

Want to know more about the upcoming changes? Read the full list of FAQs.

Eligible parents will receive their Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme voucher from their child's school from 13 November. This voucher code will unlock four free activities for you to book for your child over the Christmas holidays.

Thousands of children in Swindon are eligible to take part in this programme, which also provides them with a hot meal each day. Those who are eligible include children in receipt of specific benefits, children in care or working with a social worker, and young carers.

Dean’s two children, who are young carers, recently took part in the Summer Holiday Activities and Food programme and he said: "The HAF programme was very helpful to us as a family and we really appreciated being invited due to the 2 children being young carers. Life is pretty difficult at home so it made the summer holidays less daunting, especially where other school children were away on holidays.”

Since last summer, 426 slow cookers, 85 health grills and 24 kettles have been given to local families in need.

These were purchased using a portion of the Household Support Fund, which is money given to us by the Government to help households with the cost of food, energy and wider essentials.

This year, 83 residents have also been given a payment from a pot of £13,100 to help them with essentials.

If you’re struggling to afford essentials, apply for funding from the Household Support Fund.

Residents who are in a crisis and need food, heat or other essentials, can apply for the Emergency Assistance Fund. So far, £17,520 has been used to support 182 residents with emergency costs.

Couples who are married or in a civil partnership are being urged by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to spend just 30 seconds to see if they can claim Marriage Allowance and boost their finances by up to £252 a year.

By using HMRC’s online Marriage Allowance calculator, couples can find out instantly if they’re eligible. Couples who may be unaware that they could claim include those where one partner is working and the other has income less than their personal allowance of £12,570, including those who:

• have retired
• have given up work to care for children or elderly relatives
• are unable to work because of long term health conditions
• have a part time job
• have a low paid job

It’s quick and easy to claim Marriage Allowance for free – it’s worth taking a look.

A plan has been put forward which could see the Oasis Leisure Centre fully refurbished and open in three years.

SevenCapital, which owns the site, has identified a proposal which would see it maximise the development value of land around the Oasis, to offset the considerable costs of bringing the listed leisure centre back into use.

In order for the regeneration to take place, the Council would sell the vacant North Star site, which used to house the former Clare’s factory, and the land around the outside of the leisure centre for a minimum of £6m.

The proposal would be subject to SevenCapital obtaining planning permission, entering into a building contract, completing the refurbishment of the Oasis and securing a new operator to run the leisure centre.

The Council’s Cabinet will discuss the proposal at its meeting next Wednesday (15 Nov).

Read more about the proposal.

A public event is taking place at the UTC from 6pm on 27 November to discuss the town’s historic buildings and hear what you want to see in the future.

This first event will mark the start of our consultation process to form a plan that we, and partner organisations, will use to regenerate and restore the town’s heritage. 

As well as representatives from the Council and partner organisations, the event will also feature guest speakers, including Dr Cassie Newland, Director at the Cultural Heritage Institute.

Let us know you’d like to attend the event by completing this short form.

Tomorrow (11 November) marks Armistice Day, and there will be a national two-minute silence held at 11am to pause and reflect on the service and sacrifices the Armed Forces make on our behalf.

There will also be a national two-minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Sunday (12 November) and in Swindon, a British Legion parade with the armed forces will take place at 10.35am, going from the Granville Street car park to the Cenotaph (Regent Circus, SN1 1QF).

The parade will end at the Cenotaph at 10.45am where a service will be held and laying of wreaths. Everyone is welcome to attend.

There's also a Field of Remembrance at Lydiard Park, open every day from 10am to 3.30pm until 19 November.

One of STEAM’s most popular events of the year is just a few weeks away.

Christmas at STEAM is taking place on Saturday, 2 and Sunday, 3 December and visitors will have the chance to buy festive treats and discover unique gift ideas as they step into a wonderland of over 55 artisan market stalls.

Santa will also be making an appearance over the weekend with the return of his popular story-time sessions. Children can enjoy a Christmas story and wrapped gift in an atmospheric fire-place setting.

Find out more and book tickets.

As we head into the colder months, our gritting team is ready to tackle the adverse weather of the coming months.

We have around 2,000 tonnes of salt in storage ready for when temperatures drop, and we need to treat the roads.

It’s also important to make sure you’re prepared too, whether that’s checking the location of your nearest salt box or making sure that you keep yourself and others warm during the cold nights.

Find out what roads are treated and where your nearest salt box is.

People living and working in the Marlowe Avenue and Greenbridge Road area will be able to have their say on what their neighbourhood could look like in the future.

We’re hosting a drop-in event at Swindon Rugby Football Club in Greenbridge Road next Thursday (16 Nov) between 3pm and 7pm to give local residents the chance to provide feedback on an initial draft masterplan for the area.

The masterplan will make sure that new development is planned in a way that enhances the local area and will be informed by key principles so it brings a number of benefits to the local community.

The area covered by the proposed masterplan covers the WH Smith distribution centre, Greenbridge Road industrial estate, Greenbridge Road itself and the land around and including Swindon Rugby Club.

To give your feedback, pop along to the event or you can have a look at the emerging proposals and submit your views before 4 December.

Would you like to hear about plans for tree planting, share your views about Stanton Park, and what you’d like to see improved?

Come along to an engagement event at the park next week to speak to our head ranger about the future of the park:

Thursday,16 November 10.30am to 2.30pm

Saturday,18 November 1.30pm to 3.30pm

The UK had 40% more rain than average in what was provisionally the joint-sixth wettest October on record, according to the Met Office. In the future, climate projections for the UK indicate that in October, November and December, areas of the UK will likely see more days with rainfall totals over 50mm. With last week’s heavy rains in Swindon linked to Storm Ciarán, our pothole repairs team had to reprioritise helping the highways team respond to incidents of flooding and sandbag requests.

Even if we had more resources available, heavy rain brings a double whammy for road maintenance. It’s far from ideal conditions to try to repair potholes because moisture can get trapped in the repair which can reduce how long it lasts. At the same time, the heavy rain can enter cracks in the road, creating new potholes. During the heavy rain we received 32 public reports of potholes in just nine days, compared to 67 potholes reported in the entire month of September, which the team have been busy following up.