• Chill – make sure your fridge is running below 5 degrees.
• don’t Cross-contaminate – avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
• Clean – your hands with soap and warm water between handling ready-to-eat and raw meat, then dry thoroughly before handling any food
• Cook – food thoroughly so it’s steam-hot throughout. Always stir microwaved food to spread the heat throughout.

The way you register to vote is changing. In Reigate & Banstead around 12,000 residents may need to take action to join the new electoral register, even if they were registered in the past. We will be writing to you about the changeover this summer. It’s important that you look out for the letter as it will tell what action you need to take.  

About the change

The voter registration system has changed in June 2014 and is known as Individual Electoral Registration. Previously, the ‘head of household’ was responsible for registering everyone who lived at an address, but now every individual is responsible for their own registration.

Register online

The new system means that for the first time you can register online, making it much quicker and more convenient. To register, you will need to provide a few more details, including your National Insurance number and date of birth. This is to help make the electoral register more secure. Most people who are already registered will be transferred automatically to the new register. However around 12,000 people will need to re-register, for example if you have just moved home. There are also people in the area who are not registered to vote at all and so need to register to have their say in elections.

As well as not being able to vote, it can also make it more difficult to get things like credit, a mortgage or a mobile phone contract. To find out more and register online visit the government's Your Vote Matters webpage.

Interested in discovering your local countryside and exercising at the same time? Our guided walks might be just the thing. Or, find out about the 10 Minute Shake Up for children, new from Disney and Change4Life.

Led by our Countryside Rangers, our varied walks programme includes:

• bat walks at Earlswood Lakes and Priory Park
• discovering Nork Park’s history
• Priory Park via Reigate Heath circular walk
• Stagbury Down butterfly walk
• Priory Park tree trail
• … and more.

All our guided walks are free to take part in. More details feature in our Guided Walks and Events programme, available on our website.

We have beautiful and diverse countryside locally – join our Countryside Rangers in discovering them at the same time as experiencing the health benefits walking brings.

Keeping your children active this summer

If you have school-aged children, your challenge could be keeping them active during the school holidays. If so the new Change4Life and Disney campaign – the 10 Minute Shake Up – could be the answer.

The 10 Minute Shake Up brings a little Disney magic to families, with the aim of getting children across the country to move for an extra 100 million minutes this summer.

Sign up for a free 10 Minute Shake Up pack containing a stopwatch, activity cards and a wall chart as well as reward stickers and a host of Disney inspired fun ideas for short bursts of 10 minute activity. There are also loads of other ideas online, to help keep families active throughout the summer.

Visit the Change4Life website and register for your free pack with a stopwatch.

From 6 July, Transport for London buses, including those operating in our borough, will no longer take cash. If you still buy your bus tickets with cash, you will need to join the 99% of travellers who have already gone contactless.

Many bus routes running through Surrey are operated by Transport for London, including buses S1 and 405 which go through Reigate & Banstead.

It’s easy to go contactless

Travelcards, Oystercards and contactless payment cards can all be used for Transport for London bus travel. Contactless payment cards are debit, credit, charge or pre-paid cards featuring the contactless symbol and can be used to make quick, easy and secure payments for purchases under £20. There’s no need for a PIN or signature. Why not check your credit or debit card to see if it has the contactless symbol.

One more bus journey to get you home

A new feature already on Oystercards enables you to make one more bus journey if you don't have enough credit to pay the £1.45 fare. And if your Bus & Tram Pass or Travelcard has just expired, you can now make one more journey on a bus. You must then top up your pay-as-you-go credit to clear the negative balance before you can use your Oyster card again or before you can renew a Travelcard or Bus & Tram Pass.

Transport for London will invest the £130 million it expects to save through going contactless in improving transport.

Find out everything you need to know about cash free bus travel, including how to get an Oystercard, at www.tfl.gov.uk/waystopay

The team

The Joint Enforcement Team (JET) is made up of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council staff who already have powers of enforcement, such as Borough Community Officers, Environmental Health Officers, Civil Enforcement Officers (traffic wardens) and Planning Enforcement Officers, and Surrey Police Officers from the Reigate & Banstead Safer Neighbourhood Team. The team will be located at the Town Hall, Reigate.

What the Joint Enforcement Team will tackle

The team will tackle a whole range of issues, many of which we already deal with like:

• fly tipping and litter
• fly posting and graffiti
• dog fouling
• noise 
• problems with licensed premises  
• problems with taxis.

Council enforcement officers have also been given extra powers by Surrey Police and undergone additional training so they can deal with a wider range of issues, including cycling offences, highway obstruction, sale of alcohol and dangerous dogs, among others.

The joint team will carry out targeted work to deal with particular issues too, working with other agencies like Surrey County Council.

Greater visibility

When out on patrol, council enforcement officers will wear high-visibility uniforms to make them more recognisable to the public and provide an extra deterrent to would-be offenders.

Education and engagement

Cllr Victor Broad, Leader of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, said: “We live in one of the safest counties in England but we know that the inconsiderate and antisocial behaviour by a minority is a serious concern to our residents. Working even more closely with Surrey Police and sharing some powers will enable us to deal with issues more effectively when they arise.

“It’s not just about enforcement though. The team’s work to engage with the community and educate people about the consequences of their behaviour will also play an important role to make the borough even safer.”

Following feedback from the public that they wanted more to be done – and done more quickly – about antisocial behaviour, Surrey’s elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Kevin Hurley, has been working with councillors, council officers and senior Surrey Police leaders over the last few months to develop this project.

Report it

You can report a problem online to the JET team, or call 01737 276300. In an emergency, always dial 999. For more information about what the team will deal with see the Joint Enforcement Team page.