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Suffolk adults urged to take up potential life-saving opportunity
People across Suffolk aged between 40 and 74, who don’t have a pre-existing health
condition, are being encouraged to take-up a potentially life-saving opportunity.
The call to action comes after Suffolk GP Federation were awarded a contract to deliver
over 23,000 NHS Health Checks in the county annually.
Suffolk County Council have also become one of 45 local authorities in England to receive
funding from the government as part of the national Workplace Cardiovascular Disease
Health Check Pilot. Working with Suffolk GP Federation 2,000 additional NHS Health Checks
will be delivered in workplaces in the county by March 2025.
NHS Health Checks play a really important role in preventing disease and helping people live
healthier lives for longer. They can be lifesaving as they help spot increased risk of stroke,
kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia early, before the conditions
develop. They also give people an opportunity to talk to a health care professional about
how to reduce their risk.
For more information about the Suffolk NHS Health Check Service visit the Suffolk GP
Federation website
Uncertainty looms for 177,000 Suffolk residents currently eligible for
winter fuel payments
As many as 177,000 Suffolk residents are currently eligible for winter fuel payments and
should be protected from Government plans to cut the allowance, Suffolk County Council
has warned.
According to 2023 mid-year population estimates from the ONS, around 177,000 people
over the age of 66 in Suffolk are eligible for these crucial payments, leaving them potentially
vulnerable if they are withdrawn.
In response, Suffolk County Council’s leader, Councillor Matthew Hicks, has written to all of
the county’s MPs – urging them to vote against the proposed changes. The council is
particularly concerned that rural areas, like much of Suffolk, will be disproportionately
affected due to reliance on expensive oil heating and the added burden of rural deprivation.
Rural homes are statistically less energy efficient compared to urban homes, meaning they
require more energy to maintain a healthy temperature. Furthermore, many rural homes
are not connected to mains gas, forcing households to rely on more costly heating sources
like wood, canister gas, or oil. The price of heating oil has now risen to 66p per litre, a 12p
increase since 2020.

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Energy projects and the wellbeing of communities
Suffolk County Council has produced guidance to help protect the wellbeing of local
communities impacted by large Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
The new document – Community Engagement and Wellbeing Supplementary Guidance –
complements the council’s Energy and Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Policy, and is aimed
at project promoters, parish councils and local communities.
Research by Suffolk Mind, and the experiences of the county council, show that the
wellbeing of local residents and communities suffers when NSIPs are proposed in a local
area, especially when multiple projects are on the table.
Feelings of fear, mistrust, anger, and frustration are all reported, along with impacted sleep,
and inability to plan for the future, due to the uncertainty created by the proposed
development.
The new guidance stresses the importance and value for project promoters of an NSIP to
collaborate with local communities from the early proposal stages, through to life after
construction, to protect the wellbeing of those local communities.
The cumulative effect of NSIPs has resulted in considerable impacts on the wellbeing of
individuals, the overall wellbeing of the community, and has also led to feelings of lost
identity.
One member of the public described how the association with the energy projects has
“created a perception that the nature of our village and parish… has been completely altered,
and is now one to be defined by the presence of large industrial complexes, rather than what it
actually is, a rural community… it remains a small rural village, with living breathing people, who
strive to protect its unique quality.”
The document provides a framework for promoters to follow, to help them understand
their project’s impact on the wellbeing of local communities, and what they can actively do
to mitigate it.
Window now open to apply for primary and secondary school places
Parents and carers can now apply for a place in the normal year of entry at a primary
(including infant and junior) school and secondary school for September 2025.
The deadline for applications to secure a place at a secondary school is Thursday 31 October
2024 and for primary school places, including infant and junior schools, the deadline is
Wednesday 15 January 2025.
All applications received by the relevant closing date are processed at the same time using
the schools’ oversubscription criteria to prioritise applications when necessary. Late
applications are processed after all of those received on time.

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Last year, Suffolk County Council received just under 15,000 on time applications for pupils
wishing to start at a primary or infant school, or to transfer to a junior school, or into Year 7
at a secondary school from September 2024.
94.7% of applicants received offers for their first preference school and 98.5% of applicants
received an offer for one of their top three preferred schools.
Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and
SEND, said:
“Parents and carers need to carefully consider which schools to apply for on behalf of their child.
To make sure they have the best chance of getting a place at one of their preferred schools, they
need to make sure they complete and submit their application by the relevant closing date. We
recommend that parents and carers apply for more than one school, and they can list up to three
schools on their application.” “I would strongly advise that parents and carers think about how
their child will travel to school before they apply for a school place. It is important that parents
and carers check which is their child’s nearest suitable school on our Nearest School Checker
because this might not be their catchment area school. This can be found at
http://nearestschool.suffolk.gov.uk/.”
Further information on SCC’s School Travel Policy can be found
at www.suffolkonboard.com/schooltravel.
Parents and carers should apply online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions as they will
receive confirmation that their application has been received. If for any reason they are
unable to apply online they should apply on a paper application (CAF1). Suffolk County
Council is unable to acknowledge receipt of paper applications and therefore suggest that
proof of posting is obtained.
If families are planning to move house or think their circumstances may change before next
September, it is still important to make an application on time using the current address. It
is recommended to apply for schools based on the current address in case the proposed
move falls through. Advice and guidance about this process is available
at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.
Families who apply online will be able to log on to the Online Service on the National Offer
Day, which is Monday 3 March 2025 for secondary school places and Wednesday 16 April
2025 for primary school places, to see their offer of a school place, and they will receive an
email to confirm this offer on the same day. Offer letters will be sent by second class post to
applicants who made a paper application.
Information to help parents and carers make their application is available
at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions