Since 1974 applications have been welcomed each year around this time from residents of Folkestone to apply to the Town Mayor of Folkestone's Christmas Fund for assistance with their winter expenses.

Prior to 1974 this was known as the Mayor's Coal Fund and gifts of coal were distributed to those eligible. Each year local businesses and individuals make donations to the Mayor's Christmas Fund and payments are then sent in January to residents aged 75 and over who fall within a certain financial criteria, as agreed by the Town Mayor of Folkestone's Christmas Fund Committee.

I get (and reply to!) a lot of email each week, and some is easier to deal with than others.

This morning I received an email about fireworks from a local resident generated from an RSPCA campaign. The email said:

Dear Councillor,

I am writing to you as I am an extremely concerned resident in your council area. My concern is about the misuse of fireworks and their impact on animals. According to a recent poll 52% of UK Adults will be having displays at home with friends and family, a 23% increase on 2019 polling results.

Article on the front page of today's Folkestone and Hythe Express on bin collections being discussed at last week's Folkestone & Hythe District Full Council Meeting. It quotes Cabinet Member for Waste Stuart Peall responding to a question from Councillor Jackie Meade on bin collection problems saying:

97% of households across England and Wales responded to Census 2021 to ensure they count when it comes to local services - and almost 90% of them did so online.

Initial findings out today show online take up of the first digital-first census far exceeded expectations, with more than 22 million responses submitted using the web questionnaire.