Waste Collection & Recycling
District and unitary authorities are responsible for the collection of household waste and the frequency of the service is up to each individual authority's discretion. The majority of local authorities provide a weekly service, through tendered contracts with waste collection companies.
Many councils now also offer a recycling service. This is normally a weekly collection service of glass, cans, plastic bottles, and newspapers. Schemes are often 'opt-in', requiring customers to contact their authority to register and receive a recycling box. In more remote areas, collection services for recycling may be more basic - for instance of newspapers only.
Electoral Registration
The electoral register is the list of all local residents who are entitled to vote in the polling district. The register is compiled and maintained by the electoral registration office, which manages the election process. These offices may be based at district, borough, unitary, or metropolitan authorities.
A canvass of every household is conducted in September, October, and November of each year, in order to compile the register. Residents are requested to complete and return a form, giving the names of those individuals in the household on 15 October who are either old enough to vote or will be of voting age before 30 November of the following year. The electoral register is published on 1 December every year.
A rolling register scheme allows people to be added to the register monthly, so you can get your name on the electoral roll as soon as you move to a new area - ask your local council for a form. You can also ask to have your name removed from the register - perhaps you don't want to be approached by any of the political parties. And you can ask for the name of someone who has died recently to be removed, if you provide proof.
Homeless people are entitled to register and vote. The address of a local cafe, shop, or other business, close to the place where they usually sleep, where they can receive voting papers, can be used.
Registering Births, Deaths & Marriages
County councils and unitary authorities are responsible for the registering of births, marriages, and deaths.
- Births should be registered within six weeks of the birth. In addition to providing the baby's full name, birthweight, and place of birth, you will be required to give the parents' names, and their dates and places of birth, plus the date of the parents' marriage, if applicable. If the parents were not married at the time of the birth, they must both attend to register the birth in order to have the father's details put on the birth certificate.
- Deaths should be registered with the registrar within five days. You will be required to provide the registrar with a medical certificate or a coroner's certificate. Other information that will be required is the deceased person's date and place of birth, their occupation, the date of birth of any surviving partner, and, if the deceased is female, the occupation of the spouse.
- Application for a marriage licence costs £30 for each partner, paid in advance, plus £37.50 to be paid on the day, though this may be more if a registrar is required to conduct the marriage somewhere other than the registry office. Documents that you will be required to provide include a utility bill or bank statement to prove place of residence. If either of you is divorced, you'll need to show a certificate of decree absolute; if either of you is widowed, a death certificate for your spouse.
Trading Standards
Trading Standards services are designed to ensure that trading in the area is honest, fair, and safe. Services include enforcing and advising on trade and consumer protection laws covering areas such as: credit, prices, weights and measures, labelling of food, product safety, unfair trading, and animal health and welfare. If you have a complaint or comment on local trading in any of these areas you should contact your local office.
Emergency Planning
Responsibility for the coordination of an emergency plan lies with your unitary authority or county council, although district councils are also required to have plans in place that feed into the county's overall plan. The plans are generic and are designed as a set of steps that can be put into action in any emergency situation - flood, major accident, or war, for instance.
Emergency plans are drafted in partnership with local voluntary organisations, the emergency services, and any other key organization in the area. Contact your local authority for advice on measures to take if flooding in your area is likely.
