Good afternoon,
This week we have been putting in place all the necessary arrangements to ensure we comply with the national restrictions coming into force from 6pm today.
The 16-day ‘fire-break’ will impact on many of our services.
Recycling centres, leisure centres and customer service centres, as well as libraries, museums and galleries are amongst the facilities that will close for the duration.
Parks and playgrounds will remain open, although people are advised to only visit for exercise and to stay as close to home as possible.
Our indoor markets will also remain open for people to carry out essential shopping.
Other services such as social care, kerbside waste collections, bulky waste collections and emergency housing repairs will continue, and our staff will continue providing other services by working from home as per the national rules.
Our customer services team will be on hand Monday to Friday to answer queries and provide advice and information about sources of support.
Up to date information, as well as an at-a-glance directory of open, closed, restricted or online services, is available on our website. Please follow this link for further information.
We are of course hopeful that people will work together to give the fire-break a chance to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.
We will be using every means possible to encourage people to follow the rules - a press release has been issued today with a plea from our Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole for people to protect each other and our NHS. Cllr Dole has also praised the actions of the people of Llanelli, who have proven that restrictions can work - cases in the health protection zone are now 112.4 per 100,000 of the population, a drop from when the local restrictions were introduced on September 25. Please follow this link for further information.
We sincerely hope that this fire-break will help drive down the number of cases across Carmarthenshire too. The rate of infection for the county as a whole is currently 74.7 per 100,000 of the population.
Whilst quite rightly the priority is to protect people’s health, we are very aware of the affect these restrictions will have on our local businesses.
Our economic development team is providing as much support as possible to help our businesses get through this period, signposting to sources of financial support as well as offering information and advice.
Our economic development team is providing as much support as possible to help our businesses get through this period, signposting to sources of financial support as well as offering information and advice.
Our business pages also offer plenty of advice and guidance on our website including financial support & funding, handy templates for you to download on risk assessments and signage, a wealth of advice and information about managing queues, cleaning and more. Please follow this link to view the business pages.
This weekend we look forward to the first autumn rugby international as Wales take on France. Once again, home-grown rugby talent from Carmarthenshire and several Scarlets feature strongly in the line-up, and we wish them all the very best.
Of course, with the fire-break in place, people are being encouraged to enjoy the match from home - that message will come across strongly from us tomorrow. We are also working with Dyfed-Powys Police to ensure that licensed premises are adhering to the closure rules, and will not hesitate to take robust action if needed.
Ash dieback is a fungal disease which is affecting all species of ash trees across Carmarthenshire, as well as the rest of the country.
A Europe-wide problem, the fungus attaches itself to the leaves of ash trees and spreads through to the branches, causing the tree to die. Dead branches and entire dead trees can become very brittle and fall, posing a serious risk to the public.
Ash dieback is a serious issue for councils and landowners across the UK; it is estimated 90% of ash trees could die from this disease with currently no known treatment.
Please follow this link for further information.
Carmarthenshire County Council is working with Dyfed Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade to ensure everyone stays safe this Halloween and bonfire night.
Covid-19 restrictions mean the autumn festivities will be impacted.
The council will also be sharing safety messages from its partners as part of the annual Op Bang campaign over the next few weeks. Please follow this link for further information on Op Bang.
Please follow this link for further information.
Nature Notes are produced by the biodiversity officer on behalf of the Carmarthenshire Nature Partnership to encourage people to take a closer look at the natural environment around them. Please follow this link for further information.
We are looking for people/communities/schools to send in photos that could be used in future issues - or even to create and promote their own local ‘Nature Notes’.
For those with a duty under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 producing your own Nature Notes could be a useful way of recording and promoting your local nature, especially if you send your records to the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre. Please follow this link for further information on the centre.
