Please note that household waste will not be collected on Boxing Day, Monday 26 December, so that our crews can enjoy a Christmas break. All households will have their kerbside waste collected one day later than usual for the rest of the week, with bin crews working an extra day on Saturday 31 December to pick up bins usually collected on a Friday. There will be no changes to collections on the 2 January bank holiday. Garden waste members are reminded that the service will take its usual two-week break over the Christmas period from Monday 26 December. If you have not joined our garden waste service, you can take your old Christmas trees to your local Surrey County Council Community Recycling Centre.

This year White Ribbon Day and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence fall during the FIFA men's World Cup. Past studies have shown that incidents of domestic abuse reported to police were 38% higher on days when England lost a World Cup match than on days when England weren't playing and 26% higher when the team won or drew.There has never been a better time for us to come together and start playing as a team to end violence against women and girls. Anyone can show their commitment by making the White Ribbon Promise - never to use, excuse or remain silent about men’s violence against women. Whether you're a football fan or not, make the White Ribbon Promise today: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/promise

Residents have begun moving into their new homes at Wheatley Court on Cromwell Road, Redhill - Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s new £7m landmark social housing development. The 32 homes – a mix of one and two-bedroom flats – are all for affordable rent and have been allocated to households on the Council’s housing register. The scheme was supported by funding from Homes England. 

A major refurbishment of the skatepark in Preston Park, Tadworth, is due to take place in the new year. Responding to feedback from local young people, the new, bigger skatepark will be a sociable and safe space for a variety of users, including skaters, BMXers and wheelchair motocross. Exciting new obstacles and features, grind ledges, rails, jump boxes and quarter pipes, have been designed to appeal to different ages and abilities. The £150,000 refurbishment is funded by our Preston regeneration programme. We haven’t finalised the design yet but here’s an idea of how it might look. 

With prices on the rise you can still have a green and planet friendly celebration. The Surrey Environment Partnership has ten money-saving ideas that won't cost the earth this Christmas. The best way to make sure your cards and wrapping can be recycled is to avoid anything with batteries, glitter and a foil or plastic lining. Other tips include choosing LED fairy lights, which use far less energy than filament light bulbs and are cheaper, and planning your festive food shopping to avoid food waste.

Our community centres in Banstead, Horley and Woodhatch are part of a network of warm hubs in the borough. These are places where you can drop-in, get warm and be in the company of other people. For information about all the local warm hubs visit Surrey County Council's online welfare hub

As the weather gets colder more people will be worrying about higher energy bills. If you need support with the cost of living there is help and advice available and benefits you may be entitled to, including from the government's Help for Households schemes. For a round up of help available visit www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/cost-of-living

The Council’s three community centres in Banstead, Horley and Woodhatch will be closed for Christmas and New Year from 23 December and will reopen on Tuesday 3 January. The Town Hall building in Reigate will be closed over the same period, although council staff and services will be operating as usual except for 23 December and the three bank holidays. During these times the out of hours service will be available for emergencies:

• Telephone: 0151 221 2938 (out of hours only)
• Contact us by email (24 hours)

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 13 December. Email leadersurgery@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to book.

This week ‘Borough News’ is being delivered to your doorstep. Discover how our community centres are changing with great activities for all ages, hear from a Ukrainian host family, and find out if volunteering is for you. With energy, food and other prices increasing, you can also read about help with the cost of living, and our partnership work to provide more affordable homes. Plus, so much more. 

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. Two of the roles we're currently recruiting for are a Licensing Officer and a Programme Management Office Coordinator.

Join us for a family fun day on Saturday 10 December at Horley Community Centre. There will be Christmas activities for all, along with live music, a mince pie and free mulled wine! You can have a go at some of our activities, such as line dancing and indoor bowls and you can keep the kids entertained with stay and play, festive face painting and there's a guest appearance by Father Christmas. The Open Day runs from 11am to 4pm - why not combine your visit with the Horley Association of Traders' Horley Christmas Fair and lights switch on?

With the lights switched on at the Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill, there's no better time to enjoy shopping local. Supporting our local town centres is good for local business, good for the local community and benefits the environment too! If you're looking to get into the festive spirit, here are the dates for for switching on the lights and Christmas events in the remaining town centres:

❄️1 December - Christmas Community Event at High Street, Banstead, 5pm to 8pm

❄️3 December - Reigate Guild's Christmas Fayre at Church Street, Reigate, 11.30am to 5pm

❄️10 December - Horley Association of Traders' Christmas Fair at Horley High Street, 10am to 5pm

There will be free car parking in council car parks in Reigate and Horley on the day, but we encourage you to walk or take public transport if you can. 

Join us at The Harlequin Theatre & 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.

We are consulting on our budget proposals for the year ahead (April 2023 to March 2024). Our proposals include some changes in the way the Council charges for and delivers services, that may affect you. Like all local authorities, we face continuing and new financial pressures due to a combination of factors. These include no central government funding since 2017, the current economic crisis including high-cost inflation, increasing energy costs and some remaining financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of our service review and budget work to meet these financial challenges, we need to reduce costs and increase the amount of income we generate, so that we can continue to deliver our high-quality services efficiently. The consultation closes on 16 January 2023.

We’re seeking the views of visitors to two of our most popular beauty spots. We want to understand how people use the commons - including how often they visit and their favourite activities - as well as attitudes to protecting biodiversity. The feedback will inform a management plan to look after Earlswood and Redhill Commons for visitors and wildlife, and to help manage flooding. To have your say you can complete an online survey by 23 December 2022.

Surrey County Council wants your help to ensure that the Future Bus Network is ready to meet new levels of passenger demand and is financially sustainable. Take the survey to give your views on proposals for bus route and supporting infrastructure investment; maintaining or changing bus services where relevant to increase use or better reflect existing patronage; and expanding the number of Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) services for a more flexible transport offer to residents. The public consultation runs until 6 January 2023.

Could you buy a gift for an adult or child escaping Domestic Abuse this Christmas? Survivors of domestic abuse and their children who come into refuge usually arrive with very little, sometimes in only the clothes they are wearing. Once at the refuge it may be the first peaceful Christmas they have had for many years, free of fear, but it can be a lonely time. Each year refuges strive to give families the best Christmas they can.

Families in the borough are supported in the community by our domestic abuse outreach services - I Choose Freedom and East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services. Find out how you could help bring some festive joy and treats to Surrey families, by donating a gift. Thank you.

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.

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.

The Boundary Commission for England has listened to feedback and published new proposals for constituency boundaries. There's still time to take part in the final consultation before the closing date of 5 December.