2021

Staffordshire Moorlands, along with the rest of Staffordshire and many other areas of England, is now subject to the highest Tier 4 restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus

Play equipment specialists Kompan Ltd have been appointed to supply and install the exciting new play area at Brough Park in Leek

With lockdown 3 now in force across England people in the Moorlands are being urged to follow the rules and stay at home as much as possible.

Moorlanders without Covid symptoms can now book testing slots at Biddulph Leisure Centre which opens as a community testing centre on Monday 18 January.

Parking charges at Wharf Road car park in Biddulph are being suspended on the days when Covid vaccinations are taking place at the Town Hall.

Lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and Chinese lanterns could be banned to help prevent wildfires at high-risk locations in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Every action counts as we all work together to protect each other from the spread of coronavirus - and in the Moorlands our Covid Ambassadors are playing a key role in supporting local businesses to ensure they are operating safely.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has prioritised transforming Cheadle as part of its commitment to creating safer and healthier environments for communities to live and work in and to creating a strong economy by regenerating towns and villages.

Fly tippers are being warned that the Staffordshire Moorlands is not the place to dump their rubbish - and the Community Safety Partnership has them in its sights.

As the Moorlands looks forward to a greener future, detailed maps showing the opportunities to create and improve natural spaces and develop walking and cycling routes have been published.

Leisure centres and their staff play a critical role in helping us maintain active, healthy lives at all times - a role that's now been extended to include efforts to combat Covid.

Residents and businesses are being asked to share their views on how parking can be improved across the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Plans to improve community safety by introducing orders to restrict on-street drinking in Biddulph, Cheadle and Leek town centres are under consideration.

Share your love for the special places in your area and celebrate the local businesses that have been your lockdown lifelines by nominating them for a Staffordshire Moorlands Lockdown Award.

New Covid hardship grants to support Moorlands businesses who aren't eligible for help from the mandatory or discretionary schemes have been launched by the District Council - as latest figures show over £31m has now been paid out to local businesses.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has set its budget for providing essential services at £10.4m for the coming year.

Planting community orchards is just one of the ways the District Council is improving natural spaces as part of its commitment to a greener future - and the first five of a planned 30 orchards are now in the ground.

As the roadmap for easing Covid restrictions in England is published, 25 micro-businesses in the Moorlands are being offered a year's free membership to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to help them plan for the future.

Demand from local residents and businesses for improved rail transport has long been heard - and joint working between two local councils and four local MPs has moved this dream a little further down the tracks.

Consultants to carry out public consultation on plans to regenerate Cheadle Town Centre are now being sought by the District Council and the Stakeholder Panel for the project.

Census 2021 is taking place on 21 March and households across Staffordshire Moorlands are being encouraged to make sure they complete the survey.

Work to install new play equipment and a multi-use games area in Leek's Brough Park is in full swing - with facilities set to be open in time for the longer, warmer days to come.

South Moorlands Leisure Centre in Cheadle today (Monday 15 March) joins the centres in Biddulph and Leek as it opens as a community testing centre for people without Covid symptoms.

Following the announcement today of the death of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Chairman of Staffordshire Moorlands, Councillor Keith Flunder, and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Sybil Ralphs MBE, have paid tribute.

Residents in Staffordshire Moorlands are recycling more of their waste than any other district in Staffordshire.

Lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and Chinese lanterns has been banned to help prevent wildfires at high-risk locations in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Being active and spending time outdoors has proven benefits for our physical and mental wellbeing - and a new scheme set to launch in the Staffordshire Moorlands has the added bonus of helping to keep local neighbourhoods clean

Businesses across the Moorlands are opening their doors once again as Covid restrictions ease further.

Moorlanders are being urged to keep up the good work for a few more weeks to help curb the rise in transmission of Covid cases locally.

With plans to ban the sale of peat compost to gardeners in England from 2024, the District Council is already ahead of the game in the Moorlands.

Covid surge testing and a focus on vaccinations in Leek and Cheddleton has seen the number of positive cases fall sharply after a 'fantastic' response from the local community.

A £25,000 grant has been awarded to Werrington Parish Council for the installation of a new pump track at Meigh Road playing fields, after a successful application to British Cycling's Places to Ride capital grants programme.

Monday 5 July will see the nation come together to say thank you to NHS, social care and frontline workers on what will be the first of an annual day to show our gratitude to them and to remember all those who have lost their lives to Covid.

Children and young people are at the heart of a new grant funding scheme to support Moorlands communities who are tackling the climate emergency.

Clear measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to Council activities across the Moorlands have been published in the Climate Change Action Plan.

Eight new homes are set to be built on the site of a former public house which has fallen into disrepair in Cheadle.

Plans to deliver one of the Moorlands first Green Travel Corridors along the disused rail line between Cheadle and Cresswell are on track after the Council agreed to start the process of taking ownership of the route.

Footballers looking to emulate their national and local sporting heroes will soon be able to hone their skills all year round on the first state of the art 3G pitch in the Moorlands.

Biddulph could be amongst the first towns in the country to allow the replacement of shop fronts without the need for planning permission if new proposals are approved.

With Covid restrictions set to end on Monday, people and businesses across the Moorlands are being urged to minimise their risks of infection.

Progress with re-opening a road and businesses in Cheadle is to be reviewed by the County and District Councils following their closure after a land slip in September 2019.

It's national Love Parks Week this week and with green spaces offering so many people a lifeline during Covid, the District Council is calling on visitors to help keep them special places.

Natural flood management and nature reserve improvements along the River Churnet have been given the green light after Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the District Council won funding of £176,000.

Community consultation on the regeneration of Cheadle starts this week.

Illegally dumped rubbish blights our environment and costs local taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds to investigate and clear up - so the District Council and its waste partners at AES are going to W.A.R on fly-tipping in the Moorlands.

Hundreds of people have already shared their views on the five key themes the District Council believes should underpin plans to regenerate Cheadle - and there's still two weeks to share your views before the first phase of consultation closes.

The Council Leader, Councillor Sybil Ralphs, who has recently taken on responsibility for the markets within Staffordshire Moorlands as part of her portfolio, has instructed that Leek's outdoor market be returned to its traditional home on the town's Market Place.

Work to repair pot holes and broken surfaces is set to start at Cheadle's Tape Street car park next month.

The consultation period for people to return surveys seeking views on the regeneration of Cheadle town centre has been extended to allow people sufficient time to respond.

Exceptional times call for exceptional people and this year's Staffordshire Moorlands Community Sports Awards will celebrate the volunteers who have gone above and beyond to keep activities going and support their local communities despite the challenges of Covid.

With the first stage of the consultation on Cheadle's future still open, the Council is reassuring residents, businesses and visitors that no-one has missed the chance to have their say.

It's Recycle Week this week and the District Council has joined forces with Recycle Now to ask residents to 'Step It Up' by taking action to protect our environment through even better recycling habits.

Traders and shoppers will be able to enjoy traditional market scenes in Leek once again when stalls return to the historic Market Place next month.

With Christmas celebrations back on the agenda this year, the Council has announced the very welcome return of Leek's festive Twilight Market this December.

In November the eyes of the world will be on the UK when it hosts COP26 - the United Nations climate change conference - and here in the Moorlands the District Council is working to support everyone who lives and works locally to do their bit to help.

Primary school pupils from across the Moorlands took famous faces and other well-known vehicles as their inspiration when they were asked to help name the new fleet of waste and recycling collection vehicles.

One of the hot topics world leaders attending the UN's climate change crisis in Glasgow will discuss is how to reduce carbon emissions - and here in the Moorlands the Council has set a target of being net zero by 2030.

Plans to re-open the rail link between Leek and Stoke remain on track after the Chancellor announced £50,000 of funding to explore the options and develop the business case in this week's budget statement.

Replacing older, less efficient waste and recycling collection vehicles with new ones featuring the latest engine technology has helped Staffordshire Moorlands save 141 tonnes in carbon emissions - the equivalent of taking three refuse collection vehicles off the roads every year.

As the Royal British Legion marks 100 years of the poppy appeal, Staffordshire Moorlands is once again showing its support for our Armed Forces past and present this November.

More than 20 new orchards will take root across the Moorlands this tree planting season as part of the District Council's plans for a greener future through improved natural spaces.

Staffordshire Moorlands has joined a global coalition of regions and cities aiming to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.

As the Green Flag Award marks 25 years of excellence, Ladderedge Country Park and the volunteers who help maintain it have once again been honoured - one of a record number of 2,127 parks and green spaces to be recognised.

With the advent of December the countdown to Christmas starts in earnest - and the Moorlands is the ideal place to shop, socialise and tick off the other seasonal essentials on your list.

Nine Staffordshire councils have pledged to work closer together and pursue a County Deal with Government under its 'Levelling Up' agenda.

There's enough to do at Christmas without having to remember any changes to bin collections so we're making it easy to keep on track this festive season.

Options for potential uses of key sites in Cheadle town centre are being developed following public consultation in the summer.

As the Chancellor announces extra funding to help the hospitality and leisure industries, the District Council has launched two new grants to help local businesses.