We’re celebrating more great results in this year’s South & South East in Bloom competition. The Council achieved nine awards again, with all entries succeeding at the same high levels as last year. A grand total of four golds, four silver-gilts and a silver.

Grants of up to £25,000 are now available for eligible households to help make their homes warmer and more energy efficient. People living in hard to heat homes and on lower incomes, could receive grants between £10,000 and £25,000 to improve insulation and install renewable technology - helping to save energy, reduce emissions and combat rising energy prices. Improvement measures include loft insulation, cavity and external wall insulation, underfloor insulation and renewables, such as solar electricity panels.

Thanks to all the guests who came to support a special celebration of Syrian food and culture at The Harlequin, Redhill, on Friday 21 October. The cooks, who come from Syrian families resettled in the local area, served up a sensational three-course feast and the event raised funds for future projects to support resettled families with increasing their skills, work experience and job opportunities.

The latest edition of the Reigate & Banstead Recycling and Refuse Guide will be coming through your letterbox soon. Thank you for all your recycling efforts over the last year. Reigate & Banstead currently recycles 55.6% of its waste but we want to aim higher to help the environment and save money, so please keep going. If you’re unsure about an item you want to recycle, you can check the Surrey Recycles search tool or download the app. It’s tempting to try and recycle everything but putting the wrong items into your recycling bin could cause part, or even a whole, lorry load of recycling to be rejected.

We know that more and more people in the borough are facing financial challenges with their household bills due to the rising cost of living. If you need support there is help and advice available - from the government's Help for Households schemes to Surrey County Council's Health and Welfare hub or our own Money Support service, we want to help you access the support you need and check the benefits you're entitled to. Look out for Surrey County Council's Cost of Living directory of support, which should be dropping on your door mat next month, or visit our Cost of Living web pages. 

If you’ve received a reminder to respond to important electoral registration details that we sent out over the summer, make sure you follow the instructions we’ve sent so you can have your say in future elections. We’ll soon be calling or visiting households that are yet to reply. The annual canvass allows us to keep the electoral register up to date and invite people to register if they aren’t already. With Borough, Town and Parish Council elections taking place in May 2023, this is an opportunity to make sure you can take part.  

Have a question about the borough? If you live or work in Reigate & Banstead you can put your questions about local issues to RBBC Leader, Cllr Mark Brunt. The next Leader's Surgery is 15 November. Email leadersurgery@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to book.

If you or someone you know is looking for a new career challenge, why not take a look at the varied opportunities available at the Council. We’re currently recruiting to roles in our Community Safety and Intervention teams, as well to support the delivery of our sustainability objectives.

On Sunday 13 November 2022 there will be civic remembrance services at Shaw’s Corner, Banstead and Horley war memorials and services at local memorials around the borough to remember those who served to protect peace and freedom.

Join us at The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema, Redhill, this Christmas season for a dose of festive family fun for the whole family. This year’s panto, Cinderella stars Olympic ski jumper Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards as Cinderella’s down-on-his-luck father, Baron Hardup, in his pantomime debut. Alongside panto this year audiences can also enjoy The Night Before Christmas in The Harlequin’s Waller Studio. This charming family show promises an unforgettable adventure full of magic and mischief! There are special discounts available if you book both shows.

Come along to a family fun day on Saturday 26 November and discover what’s on at this much-loved venue in the heart of Banstead. There will be lots of activities and games for everyone to try and you can keep the kids entertained with Stay and Play, face painting and a visit to see Santa. Treat yourself to some festive bakes and check out the Christmas stalls. The Open Day and Christmas Fayre runs from 10am to 3pm.

We want our Horley Community Centre to be a place for everyone and we are looking at options for refurbishing the centre to meet this ambition. Your views will help shape the future design of the building and the programme of activities available. The consultation runs until 7 November so there's still time to complete a short survey to tell us what you think about the type of activities and food that the centre should offer and the range of spaces local people would be interested in hiring. 

It's estimated that 39.9 million pumpkins will be bought for carving this year but around 22 million will be thrown away without being eaten. The good news is that pumpkins are cheap, nutritious and delicious - so why not join the pumpkin rescue? Hubbub has plenty of recipes to inspire you - from a traditional pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds, to a more adventurous coconut pumpkin cake! Any bits you really can't eat (like the stalks) can be put in your food waste.  

On the 5 November remember remember these 5 tips to help you stay safe and within the legal guidelines:

1. It is much safer to attend an organised display rather than hosting your own
2. If you are purchasing fireworks then please only buy from reputable suppliers and look out for the UKCA mark
3. Store fireworks and sparklers safely in a sealed tin
4. Before setting off fireworks at home, speak to your neighbours and keep all pets and livestock inside if possible
5. Stand well back when lighting fireworks and never return to a lit firework as it could still explode

By signing up to a Priority Services Register you can get extra support to keep vital utilities going in the event of a problem with your gas, electricity or water supply. If you or someone you know is vulnerable, requires additional assistance or has additional communication needs then you can sign up to the free Priority Services Register for each of your utility providers. Other benefits include advance notice of planned power cuts or interruptions to water supply, help accessing prepayment meters, receiving bills in an alternative format and more.

All households should have started to receive a £400 discount off their energy bills through the government's Energy Bill Support Scheme. For direct debit customers, the discount should be applied automatically to your monthly bill for six months, starting from October. Traditional prepayment meter users will get equivalent vouchers that you will need to redeem - see If you have a traditional prepayment meter (GOV.uk) for more information. If you have not received your first instalment by the end of October 2022, you need to contact your supplier.

Eligible households on means-tested benefits are also set to receive the second part of the government's £650 Cost of Living Payment in November.

If you are a family member or friend of someone who lives in a care home – Healthwatch Surrey would like to hear from you. Your views and opinions will be used to identify and share good practices and, if required, help suggest improvements to care homes across Surrey. You can complete the survey online or request a paper copy of this form.

With the continuing rise in the cost of living food banks across the borough are struggling to keep up with demand. Food banks rely on donations to provide food and essential items to people referred to them by local agencies. If you’d like to donate to a food bank they update their websites regularly with items that are in demand and we have included links to the food banks operating in the borough on our website.