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BEACH UPDATE: A bid is being made for a fence to be installed at the end of Beach Road follow last month’s bout of erosion.

Borough and county councillor James Bensly said he was applying for chestnut paling to tidy up the edge and to stop people using the old gap to get down to the beach.

Members of the parish council  heard the message was that the area was still very much open for business but that the fencing would give visitors some clear guidance.

SEAL SEASON: Part of the beach at Winterton is to be fenced off for a second year to keep seal pups and the public separate during the busiest part of the pupping season.

And dog walkers will again be asked to head south towards Hemsby.

The fence was introduced last winter. It is due to make a return later this week and will be extended slightly to the north because some pups managed to get into the dunes at the far end, Cllr Marina Carr told parish council colleagues.

Councillors are gearing up for the winter and organising a rota to be on call to help deal with traffic issues. There are also hopes the borough council’s enforcement officers will make their presence felt on a regular basis.

Friends of Horsey Seals will be providing volunteer wardens on the beach and the car park will be open seven days a week over Christmas and New Year, with some of the parking charge money going to the charity.

For more information on the fence and the reason behind it follow the link here.

WILD WINTERTON: The In Bloomers have been given permission to plant a hedge along the edge of the village hall green to help stop the front wheels camper vans from going up onto the grass.

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the beach at Winterton is to be fenced off for a second year to keep seal pups and the public separate during the busiest part of the pupping season.

And dog walkers will again be asked to head south towards Hemsby.

The fence was introduced last winter. It is due to make a return later this week and will be extended slightly to the north because some pups managed to get into the dunes at the far end, Cllr Marina Carr told parish council colleagues.

Councillors are gearing up for the winter and organising a rota to be on call to help deal with traffic issues. There are also hopes the borough council’s enforcement officers will make their presence felt on a regular basis.

Friends of Horsey Seals will be providing volunteer wardens on the beach and the car park will be open seven days a week over Christmas and New Year, with some of the parking charge money going to the charity.

For more information on the fence and the reason behind it follow the link here.

WILD WINTERTON: The In Bloomers have been given permission to plant a hedge along the edge of the village hall green to help stop the front wheels camper vans from going up onto the grass.

The 2ft 5ins tall hedge will follow the line of the kerb, bearing catkins in the summer and berries in the winter. Wildflowers, grasses and lavender will be planted in front of it to attract insects.

Members of the village environment group have also identified four areas where it believes  wildflowers can be encouraged to grow.

The group plans to return to the council when it is clear who is responsible for the sites for a formal plan to be agreed.

SEASON’S GRITTINGS: The parish council’s bid to have the gritting route extended in Winterton in time for this winter melted away to nothing because the borough council officer who had been emailed with the request left the authority.

But councillors were told it probably wouldn’t have been agreed anyway because of insufficient resources.

“It’s incredibly disappointing,” Cllr Marina Carr said at the full council meeting on October 27. “We’d only asked for a little bit extra.”

Cllr Nigel Coe asked if the council could apply for a change in the route next year. “All we are asking for is for a lorry to go about a hundred yards.”

The parish was hoping the gritters could cover down to Kings Corner and Beach Road and made the request because of several incidents last year when residents fell on the icy roads, including someone collecting their prescription from the Church Room.

The borough council has said the route can be assessed next year and in the meantime the parish is looking for volunteers to help spread grit in problem areas when needed. It is to investigate what tools would be needed, including manual gritters, wheelbarrows and shovels.

Anyone willing to volunteer can speak to Cllr Carr at the next councillor open surgery session in the village hall on November 13 between 11am and noon.  

VIRGIN BUILDING DEVELOPMENT: Borough council planning officers have told the parish council they will monitor work to convert the former Virgin Media hub in Low Road into a holiday let.

The parish had expressed concern at access arrangements for contractors to the site, which was given planning permission some weeks ago.

Storm damage at beach

BARRIERS and warning signs have been put up at the end of Beach Road after the North Sea took a chunk out of the dune.

Borough and county councillor James Bensly, who visited the scene with police today said: “It is a shock to the system how much has gone on Friday morning.”

The damage was done by a combination of a change in the wind direction to a north westerly with strong gusts and a Hunter’s Moon leading to high tides.

“The big concern is the landslips,” he said.

There was a sharp drop down to the beach and over the next new days the edge of the dune was likely to settle, leading to slippage. “We don’t want people getting caught in it.”

He praised Norfolk County Council’s highways team and police who had responded quickly to make sure the area was safe.

And he stressed the car park and Edge Airstreams were open for business as usual.

Drivers are no longer able to turn around at the head of the road and should use the car park instead. There is access to the beach through the dunes to the north and south of the car park.

What day is bins?

Waste collection day is due to change later this month.

The borough council has written to householders warning bins will be collected in Winterton on Wednesdays from October 20. The first collection will be green recycling bins followed on October 27 by black general waste bins.

The schedule for garden waste brown bins is not changing.

If a householders’ collection is delayed by the change the council says as a one-off it will collect black sacks tied up and left beside wheelie bins on the first black bin day.

Food vouchers for children to continue for October half term

Food vouchers for children eligible for free school meals will continue for October half term after Norfolk County Council received additional Household Support Funding from the Government.

It means the vouchers, which are worth £15 per child per week, will be provided for a week, supporting around 28,000 children in the county.

Schools and colleges will be able to order vouchers on behalf of all families who are registered eligible.

The vouchers are available to families in receipt of certain benefits whose children would normally receive free school meals during term time.

Cllr Daniel Elmer, Deputy Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, said: “We welcome this extension of Government funding to help families still facing hardship as the economy continues to recover following the Covid pandemic.

“We are pleased to be able to use the funding to extend the food voucher scheme over the autumn half term.

“Tackling the legacies of the pandemic and revitalising our economy to support recovery continues to be a top priority for us.”

Schools can order the food vouchers for pupils using an online service. Families can then either redeem their vouchers via an online code or receive a printed voucher by post, collection or delivery if they don’t have internet access.

Families who do not receive free school meals but who are struggling can contact The Norfolk Assistance Scheme (NAS) for support. The scheme can help those on reduced hours or who have been made redundant because of the pandemic.

NAS can support with food, paying bills and money for essentials for families struggling to meet everyday needs. It can also help with household items like white goods or beds. The support is for two weeks to begin with but anyone requiring more long-term help can work with NAS to access further support. To find out more and apply visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/nas

Children are eligible for the vouchers if their family receives one of the benefits listed below:

     •     Universal Credit - with an annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax

     •     Income Support

     •     Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

     •     Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

     •     Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

     •     The guaranteed element of Pension Credit

     •     Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

     •     Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual gross income of no more than £16,190

Children in Reception, Year One and Year Two who receive Universal Infant Free School Meals are not eligible as part of the scheme, unless they have registered their eligibility for pupil premium funding.

For more information and to make a new application for free school meals, visit the Norfolk County Council free school meals page.