Elections take place in May for Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey County Councillors and Reigate & Banstead Borough Councillors. You must be registered to vote to have your say. Polling stations will be safe places to vote but if you want to vote by post instead, please apply as soon as possible to receive your postal ballot in good time. The deadline for applying for a postal vote is no later than 5pm on Tuesday 20 April.

Keep the kids (aged 5-11) entertained with a range of virtual activities this Easter, such as a dance and drama workshop based on the World's Worst Teachers, a sign language session or a fitness class. Take a look at the schedule, prices and how to book on our website.

There's also an opportunity for the kids to unleash their creative side (and be in with a chance of winning a £50 Hobbycraft voucher) by entering The Mayor's Art Competition. Terms and conditions can be found on our website. Closing date for entries is 23 April.

We’re making great headway on our Marketfield Way development in Redhill, with the cinema starting to take shape and work to build the shops and homes beginning soon. Read the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter now - and sign up to receive future issues direct to your inbox - on our website.

You can also keep up-to-date by following VINCI’s dedicated project Twitter feed: @marketfieldway.

Outdoor sporting facilities including tennis courts, outdoor gyms, skate parks and multi-use games areas are back open, along with the Priory Park play area. Please continue to use these spaces safely and keep your distance from those outside your household.

We hope you enjoy using our parks and open spaces to catch up with friends and loved ones. Remember to take your litter away with you and if you’re taking the dog, please bag and bin any dog poo. You can use the litter bins for both so there are no rubbish excuses!

Our town centres are being cleaned and tidied ahead of the potential return of businesses and shoppers from Monday 12 April. We're also hoping to reopen our leisure centres in Horley, Tadworth and Redhill from this date, too, for individual exercise or with your household group.

Once we have received confirmation from the Government that this stage is going ahead on this date, we will communicate further information. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels. 

Our collection crews will be working as usual on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Please remember to put out your correct bins by 6am in the morning on your usual day. We make every effort to complete all scheduled rounds over the bank holidays, but if we cannot complete your collection, please leave your bins at the boundary of your property and we will return the next working day. You can check your bin collections dates here.

We are on the first step of the Government's four-step roadmap out of lockdown. From 29 March, the stay at home rule is lifted, although many restrictions remain in place. People should continue to work from home where possible and minimise the number of journeys they take. No domestic or foreign holidays.

Up to six people or two households can now meet outside, including in private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities, such as tennis courts and basketball courts, have reopened, and organised outdoor sports can take place. The advice to shield also ends on 31 March.

More than 450,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine as part of the Surrey Heartlands vaccination programme. If you are over 50, have a learning disability, are at high risk of getting coronavirus, or care for someone who is, then you can book your vaccine now. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family and your community.

If you need to self-isolate to help stop the virus, you may be worried about how you'll cope. Whether you need food or medication delivered, emotional support, or with your caring responsibilities - there is help available. If you are struggling financially, you may be eligible for a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment.

Around one in three people infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms but can still pass it on. Symptom-free tests are a good way to identify positive cases so people don't spread the virus unknowingly. Twice weekly tests are now available for anyone over the age of 16 who lives, works or studies in Surrey at one of the Targeted Testing sites (such as The Harlequin and participating pharmacies). If you’re in the same household, childcare bubble or support bubble as a pupil or someone who works in a school or college, you can also order a test to collect or be delivered.

Census Day has now passed but there is still time to be included. It's important all of us fill in our census forms and it's a legal requirement to take part. If you need help, there are support services to help you. Visit www.census.gov.uk or call 0800 141 2021.

Southern Building Control Partnership - a shared local authority service for Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge and Mole Valley - has been working successfully for over three years and has recently updated its website content for residents. The team are all local and work to ensure that relevant building projects are safe for our residents to live in, supporting them through the building control process from start to finish. To contact the team, email theteam@southernbcp.co.uk or call 0330 0249355.

This week the Council launches two new local Food Clubs – in Horley and Woodhatch – this week as part of its long-term commitment to supporting vulnerable communities and tackling food poverty. The clubs work alongside a package of other food and fuel focused initiatives including free meals for children and young adults in need over the school Christmas holidays; hampers and hot meals for vulnerable residents on Christmas day; and the launch of a pilot project to combat fuel poverty this winter. 

Surrey County Council wants to assure all residents that there is support and help available should you be struggling.

As the infection rate was rising rapidly across Surrey at the beginning of the year, Surrey’s Local Resilience Forum put additional measures in-place to support hospitals, social care, and other front-line services.

So that collection crews can enjoy a break with their families and friends there will be no bin collections in Reigate & Banstead on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Changes to the usual household collection schedule will start on Saturday 19 December and last until Monday 4 January.

It's been a challenging year for businesses. In the run-up to Christmas - and beyond - spread a little love by shopping locally. Many high street retailers are offering online, click & collect and home delivery options, while cafes and restaurants have a range of takeaway and eat-in options. Need some inspiration? We've been showcasing some of our festive high-street heroes on our Facebook and Instagram channels, so go take a look!  

The targeted community testing initiative, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, was first launched in parts of Surrey on 15 February. Eligible people can now get tested in Redhill, at the Harlequin Theatre & Cinema.

A planning application for a new crematorium and memorial garden in Woodhatch has been submitted by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council to provide a more local service for bereaved families.The Council is making the application because Reigate & Banstead residents who wish their loved ones to be cremated must journey to a facility out of the borough, usually as far as Leatherhead, Crawley or Croydon. Feedback from local funeral directors also suggests that bereaved families can experience longer than average wait times for convenient service times.

The Council's environmental health team has been visiting all the supermarkets in the borough to make sure they have the appropriate COVID-secure measures in place for customers to do their essential shopping safely. They were pleased to report they found generally good standards all round. You can help keep everyone safe by shopping alone where possible, wearing a face covering, washing your hands more often and keeping your distance down the aisles and at the checkouts.

A Horley property company has been fined over £16,000 for failing to comply with Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) legislation aimed at protecting tenants. The Council successfully took action against a private property management company for breaching the fire safety and overcrowding terms of its HMO licence for a two-storey property in Redhill. 

Our green spaces are important for everyone's health and wellbeing and continue to be busy. Please exercise in them responsibly, don't leave any litter and explore routes near to your home. The borough's skateparks, tennis courts, outdoor gyms, and multi-use games areas are closed in line with Government guidance. Please do not use them or let your children use them. If you are the parent of a teenager who is heading out to do their exercise, please let them know that these areas are closed. 

The outstanding achievements of local sports clubs, teams, people and coaches were celebrated at a virtual awards evening on 25 February. The nine inspirational winners were taken from a record 70 entries and you can watch the ceremony here.

A new employment website, R&B Works, developed by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in collaboration with the borough’s major employers, is now live. Residents who may be looking for a job, a career change or wishing to work closer to home can find information about the local employment landscape and opportunities.

The East Surrey Youth Hub aims to help target the significant increase in unemployment among 18-24 years across East Surrey since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The next opportunity to meet virtually with Cllr Mark Brunt to discuss local matters important to you is Tuesday 16 February. Appointments are offered to people who live or work in the borough. They can be via video conference or phone, and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. 

Sleeping rough is dangerous and difficult at the best of times but exposes people to additional risks during the winter months. This year the pandemic has put additional pressures on traditional emergency accommodation but Reigate & Banstead Borough Council continues its proactive approach to tackling homelessness this winter.

Reigate & Banstead has highlighted a raft of concerns in its robust formal response to the Government’s recent Planning for the future public consultation. The council is particularly concerned about the negative impact it could have in the borough over the loss of affordable housing, essential infrastructure and local democracy.

The Level Up project aims to provide 500 refurbished laptops to Reigate & Banstead pupils who need them for home study. With 350 laptops pledged to date, they need only 150 more to reach their goal. Laptops donated by the community are refurbished by volunteers and distributed to children and young people via local schools and charities. It is a partnership project that is being delivered by Raven Housing Trust with support from Voluntary Action Reigate & Banstead and Level Up Horley.

Census Day is Sunday 21 March. Look out for a letter from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) inviting you to take part online. There's lots of help available to complete your form if you, or someone you know, needs it.

YMCA East Surrey has been awarded a grant of £435,737 from the National Lottery Community Fund to take the role of lead provider in youth work which will benefit more than 1,000 local young people.

Now more than ever, it's vital that correct, consistent information about Covid-19 and wider health-related advice is communicated. Our new volunteer community champions receive weekly updates from us, which they then pass on to their families, friends, neighbours, community networks or workplaces.

The Council is asking local residents to share their views to make sure that the borough’s three community centres in Banstead, Horley and Woodhatch meet community needs, both now and in the future. The deadline for comments is 22 March. 

The second round of our residents’ survey, gathering views on a range of topics, is currently taking place. If MEL Research contacts you by phone, letter or email or you receive an email from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council about the survey, please consider taking part as we hope to hear from a representative sample of the borough’s residents. 

Look out for the Spring issue of Borough News dropping through your letterbox from 8 March. This issue highlights the steps we're taking towards making our borough more sustainable, provides an insight into local community organisations and celebrates the beauty of our green spaces. 

Spring is in the air and many of us will want to enjoy the borough's parks and green spaces. Please remember to take your litter away with you, or put it in the bin if there's room.