This week saw the lifting of Plan B restrictions in England. Venues are no longer required to request the COVID pass, unless they choose to, and the legal requirement to wear a face covering no longer applies. However, it is recommended that you continue to wear one in crowded and enclosed spaces while mixing with people you don't normally mix with. Face coverings will be continue to be a requirement in health and care settings, such as hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes.

On the subject of care homes, restrictions in place to help prevent the spread of Omicron, such as limits on visitor numbers, will also be eased from Monday (31 Jan) at these settings. Read the latest advice.

Recent data shows that getting your booster vaccination provides high levels of protection against hospitalisation and significantly reduces your risk of death with Omicron. The findings show that around six months after a second dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines, protection against death with Omicron was approximately 60% in those aged 50 and over - this increased to around 85% two weeks after receiving a booster vaccine dose.

If you still need any dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, you can book an appointment or find a walk-in centre - it's never too late to come forward and get yours.

Restrictions may have been eased but the pandemic continues and we must continue doing our bit to protect ourselves and one another.

Important information about waste and recycling collections

Due to a surge in staff shortages because of heightened COVID-19 cases in our Waste and Recycling team and general staff sickness, we’re facing some disruption to our usual Waste and Recycling collection service.

Please continue to put your waste and recycling out for collection as you normally would on your usual collection day and if your waste and recycling is not collected by the end of the day, check our missed collections webpage to find out when the crews will be back to collect it. If your street is not on the list of known issues, you should go ahead and report it as a missed collection.

Don’t forget that if you have large amounts of waste and recycling that you want to get rid of, you can book a slot at the Household Waste Recycling Centre - new slots are added daily. 

A tree-mendous delivery

Yesterday (27 January), a tree-mendous 17,000 trees were delivered to Stanton Park.

The delivery came from six different nurseries and consisted of mostly native species of tree such as Oak, Birch, Alder, Aspen, Poplar, Hornbeam, Holly, Willow and Hazel.

These trees will be planted at multiple locations in and around Swindon as part of the Great Western Community Forest.

The new woodland areas will store huge amounts of carbon, playing an important role in not only our national mission to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but in our local mission too.

Now that we’ve got the trees, we need to plant them! If you and your family are interested in getting involved, contact the Community Forest team at CommunityForest@swindon.gov.uk

To find out what else can be done to tackle climate change visit the Be the Change webpages.

At a glance, how has the Highway Code changed?

From tomorrow (29 January), new updates to the Highway Code will see a hierarchy of road users and stronger priorities for pedestrians. Here is what you need to know:

H1: Road user hierarchy 

Drivers of larger vehicles and HGVs can do the greatest harm, therefore having the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger to other road users.

H2: Clear priorities for pedestrians 

Give way to pedestrians at junctions and at roads you're turning into.

H3: Drivers to give priority to cyclists in certain situations 

Drivers and motorcyclists are not to cut across cyclists, when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane.

For more information on these changes visit the GOV.UK website. 

Bring out the bunting for Platinum Jubilee celebrations

There is a rather significant event happening this year, which you may have already heard about.

Her Majesty the Queen will celebrate a whopping 70 years on the throne a week on Sunday (6 Feb) and a series of Platinum Jubilee celebrations will take place across the UK and the Commonwealth as part of a year-long programme of events.

To help you plan your own celebrations, advice and information is available on our website, including guidance on how to apply for road closures and temporary event licences. There is also information on the Big Jubilee Lunch, which encourages communities to come together to celebrate their connections and get to know each other better.

Various local activities to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee are currently being organised and further details will be announced in due course.

For more information about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee visit our website. Alternatively, visit the official Platinum Jubilee website for details of events that are taking place to mark the occasion and ideas of how you can get involved.

Swindon ready to bounce back

Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive, Andrew Carter, says Swindon’s strong economy will help it bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.

The leading national research and policy institute has just released its latest economic outlook report and, while it notes that stronger town and city centres like Swindon have borne the economic brunt of the pandemic, their higher levels of affluence mean they are likely to recover quickly when restrictions are lifted and workers return to the office. For full details, read more.

Our town centre has already shown it is beginning to recover from the economic shock of the pandemic. Over the last few months, a new community centre set up in the disused River Island store in Canal Walk, new restaurants and leisure venues have opened in Regent Circus, and Taco Bell joined a host of new independent shops in moving into previously empty units.

The next four years will also see over £100m of Council-led investment in the town centre.

You can find out how Swindon is responding to the increase in online shopping and the changing needs of the local community on our website. 

We want to see your photos!

Many people have used the pandemic as an opportunity to reconnect with nature and fit more daily walks into their routine. Swindon is blessed with some particularly beautiful green spaces, from Barbury Castle to Stanton Park, and everywhere in between.

Let us see your favourite Swindon park photos by tagging us on Instagram @swindonboroughcouncil

Plan your next winter walk with the Swindon Travel Choices website. 

Get fit for free in 2022 with the Active Swindon Challenge

The Active Swindon Challenge app is now available in the App Store and on Google Play. Download the app for free and earn points and prizes for leaving the car at home in favour of walking, running, cycling or taking public transport to get around Swindon.

If you want to know how active travel can save you money, slash your carbon footprint and improve your health, visit the Be the Change webpages.

Help us reduce rough sleeping in Swindon

We are inviting businesses, residents, service users and community and voluntary organisations to complete a short five-minute questionnaire to help us improve services and reduce rough sleeping in Swindon. 

The survey will close on Monday (31 Jan), so you only have a few days left to submit your views. We’ll then use the feedback we receive through this survey to inform our next Reducing Rough Sleeping Strategy 2022-2027. 

Should CCTV cameras be installed in Swindon's taxis?

We’d like to hear your views on whether CCTV cameras should be installed in all hackney carriage and private hire vehicles in the Borough. A consultation is currently running and will be open until Monday (31 Jan) - find out more on our website.

Overnight closure at Moonrakers junction

To allow our contractor to install sensors to detect traffic approaching the pedestrian crossing on Cricklade Road and apply anti-skid coating to the junction of Chestnut Avenue, we will be closing the northbound side of Cricklade Road and the junction of Chestnut Avenue on Monday (31 January) for one night. Diversion routes will be in place for motorists. Read more on our Facebook page. 

Monday 31 January

A Celebration of Colour at Civic Offices

Opening on Monday, A Celebration of Colour presents work by Gillian Ayres, Basil Beattie and Terry Frost. 

The Civic Offices will display a selection of paintings and studio ceramics from Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

The STEAM Museum, Highworth Museum and Civic Office exhibitions will be free to view during the venues’ opening times. As well as free Lunchtime Talks programme to accompany them. 

Find full dates & times. 

Art: Gillian Ayres, ‘Florestan’, 1986, Oil on canvas, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, ©Estate of Gillian Ayres