Category Archives: Parish Council

Bledlow Household Recycling Centre reopens next week

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Press Release from Buckinghamshire Council

09 January 2023

 
Next Monday, Buckinghamshire Council will officially be reopening the Bledlow Household Recycling Centre (HRC).

From Monday 16 January 2023 the site will be open five days a week, closing every Wednesday and Thursday. It will open 9am-4pm in the winter (Oct-Mar) and 9am-6pm in the summer (Apr-Sep).

The site will look and feel very similar to other household recycling centres in the county. Buckinghamshire residents can visit free of charge, but there will be costs for disposing of any non-household waste. 

Bledlow is a rural site so residents are asked to consider the local area when travelling. The site is most suited for small trips and residents with lots of waste are encouraged to use the larger sites such as Aston Clinton and High Wycombe.

To minimise disruption in nearby villages, residents are asked try to avoid visiting at busier times, like school drop off. Visitors should drive slowly and safely and take care of cyclists, farm machinery and other road users when entering and exiting the site.

Before visiting, residents are encouraged to check the webcams online to see how busy the site is and for the quieter times to visit. All sites are currently open 9am-4pm however during busy periods, especially at weekends, last entry may be before 4pm to allow those already onsite to unload their waste and exit before the site closes. Residents are asked to consider coming back at another time if the site is busy, especially if there are queues outside the site.

Bucks residents are being reminded to bring proof of address when visiting, such as a:

  • council tax statement
  • utility bill
  • passport
  • driving licence

Waste permits will be needed if residents are visiting in vans, or want to use trailers. Trade waste is not allowed on site, please find an alternative site.

Oxfordshire residents, for example those living in the Thame and Chinnor areas, must pay to visit the site. Charges start from approximately £20 per trip for a small car, and nearer £50-60 for a medium-sized car. Alternative household recycling centres in Oxfordshire are available on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change commented: “The reopening of Bledlow Household Recycling Centre will benefit local residents needing to make a small trip to the tip.

“We’d like to ask users of the site to be considerate of neighbouring communities and villages by driving slowly and being mindful about the impact of queues on traffic congestion. Please check the online webcams to see how busy the site is before visiting Bledlow HRC. If necessary, consider spreading your visits or visit the Aston Clinton or High Wycombe sites for larger trips.

“Based on other recycling centres in Buckinghamshire, we expect the site to be busiest on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and quietest on Tuesday mornings. To manage potential traffic outside the site, some temporary traffic management will be in place with no access turning right into the site from the south. All users are asked to approach the site from the north via Wigans Lane. Please check the website for more information and remember to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for your trip.”

For more information visit www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/bledlow-hrc   

An update from Martin Tett, Leader of Buckinghamshire Council

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9th January 2023

Dear resident,

I’d like to start by wishing you a very Happy New Year and hope that you enjoyed a good Christmas with friends and family. We start the new year facing significant global challenges, all of which continue to directly impact our lives but I’m hopeful that we are entering a phase of more stability during the coming year.

This leads me onto the subject of finances and the council’s costs in the coming financial year. This week I and the other members of the council’s Cabinet considered our plans for spending and council tax rates for 2023-24, and I wanted to write to you to explain the proposals and what they mean for households in Buckinghamshire.

We know that next year, due to high inflation and a rise in demand for our services, we have to find an extra £63 million to cover our costs, before a penny of next year’s budget is even allocated. This represents a significant challenge for us and even though we have already made savings of over £27 million since becoming a single council in 2020, we are working hard to find another £10 million savings across all departments next year so this can also help towards balancing our books in 2023/24. Making these extra savings will help us to close this gap alongside other measures we’re putting forward in the budget, including our proposed council tax rates.

In order for us to balance the books next year and to be able commit enough money to our core services like social care for vulnerable children and adults, and continue to invest in our roads, schools and other priority areas we are proposing a rise in the base rate of council tax of 2.99% from 1 April 2023. We also have to fund huge adult social care costs and are acutely aware that relieving pressures in the social care sector will in turn help the NHS during a period of considerable demand. It means we are also taking up the government’s proposal for a social care precept of 2%, meaning an overall rise in bills of 4.99%.

I do not want to put up council tax by a single penny but the reality is that we cannot achieve a balanced budget next year without doing so; last year’s council tax increase was well below inflation and now, with inflation running at more than 10% (and even higher at around 20-30% for some of our costs), even with substantial savings, this is the only way we can pay for the services we provide whilst shielding residents from the bulk of the cost increases.

I want to highlight that there is a significant level of support available to residents facing particular hardship and I urge anyone worried about debt or paying the bills to look at our dedicated Cost of Living webpages for initial guidance and support. If you have specific concerns about paying your council tax, please contact our team directly to discuss further options.

I want to close this section by highlighting that while we are in a sobering position, we are still in a financially stable place and I am determined that we will continue to be a very efficient and value for money council. While it’s difficult proposing a 4.99% council tax rise, I am still pleased that we can still commit considerable funding to key areas that matter to our residents. We had nearly 2,000 responses from residents to our budget survey in the autumn that have helped us form the following plans around allocating funding. We’re proposing spending:

  • more than £125 million fixing and maintaining roads
  • nearly £143 million for improvements to schools
  • £20 million on housing and tackling homelessness
  • more than £14 million to tackle Climate Change and prevent flooding
  • and, investing more than £20 million in our waste and recycling facilities

We have seen a rise in the number of councils issuing what are known as ‘Section 114 notices’ – where they are effectively ‘bankrupt’ and simply unable to set a balanced budget. We are not in that situation here in Buckinghamshire and I’m pleased that we can still set aside expenditure on the above areas, such as roads, drains and helping the most disadvantaged within the 2023/24 plans.

Other cost of living support

The council’s comprehensive support is outlined at the link I’ve already mentioned above, in particular through our Helping Hand service which supports local households experiencing hardship. In addition, there is the ‘Help for Households’ webpages on the government’s website and I also want to mention the £2 bus fare cap that has started this month for many local bus services in Buckinghamshire, another strand of national support available to households during these challenging times.

It’s up to operators directly as to whether they take up this scheme and it’s good news that many are doing so here; you can see whether your local bus service is taking part by checking the list on the government’s website.

Bledlow HRC reopening

I also wanted to make a quick mention that – reflecting our overall stable financial position – we are continuing to invest in essential local services for our residents. Waste and recycling is one of the universal services that we all rely on, and I’m really pleased that we’re in a position to be reopening our Household Recycling Centre at Bledlow in a week’s time, to serve residents in that area with the continuing future expansion of Princes Risborough also in mind.

This site will be open five days a week (closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays) and operate on a slightly different basis to when it was previously open, in that it will be free to Buckinghamshire residents but people who want to use it from outside the county will have to pay a fee. To this end, we would ask visitors to bring proof of address and also to bear in mind this is a rural location, so to take care when driving to and from the site and check webcams to avoid busy times where possible.

I want to sign off with a reminder to you all to take care of yourselves and others. The dark and cold days post-Christmas, with the extra challenges we are all facing around the cost of living can take their toll so please be mindful of your own health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, and reach out if you feel you need any extra advice or support. A good starting point is our own Health and Wellbeing website which points to various useful bits of information, advice and how to seek help if you need it.

Yours,

Martin Tett,

Leader, Buckinghamshire Council

IMPACT OF RECENT WEATHER ON BUCKINGHAMSHIRE’S ROADS

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09 January 2023

IMPACT OF RECENT WEATHER ON BUCKINGHAMSHIRE’S ROADS

Statement from Councillor Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport
 

“The prolonged period of very cold conditions experienced before Christmas was the coldest in the region since 2010. Continuous freezing conditions like these can cause serious problems with road surfaces, both in the surface layers, where freeze-thaw action causes potholes and cracks to widen but affects the integrity of the underlying structure of the road if the frost penetrates deep enough.  This can cause sudden, fairly catastrophic failure in roads.  

This has then been followed by an extremely wet period, which also causes more rapid deterioration. This is exacerbated where road surfaces are already damaged, and especially through extensive use by HGVs, such as we are seeing in many parts of Buckinghamshire, most notably associated with construction works for HS2 and East West Rail.  As such, we are experiencing increased numbers of potholes and other related defects on the network and can expect this upward trend to continue over the next few weeks at least.

Where a defect is unsafe, repairs will be made as quickly as possible. Ideally this will be undertaken as a long-lasting repair, but at times, such as during very wet or cold weather, or when it is an emergency “out of hours” repair, this may be possible and a temporary “make-safe” repair will be undertaken.  In extreme cases the issue may require the temporary closure of the road. None of these temporary options are ideal, as this type of repair may not last very long in poor weather, particularly where the road is subject to large numbers of HGV movements.  The best time to fix roads defects properly is when the weather is warm and dry – which, of course, is the opposite of when the majority of the problems occur!  Transport for Buckinghamshire is working hard to assess and rectify defects as soon as possible.

The council continues to invest heavily in our highway network and the ongoing programme of local schemes and strategic road repairs/improvements continues.

Prudent financial planning has meant that severe weather reserves exist to help fund the required priority repairs to deal with the issues we are currently seeing.   Where the damage can be attributed either in whole, or in part, to schemes such as HS2 or East West Rail, the council will negotiate appropriate third-party payments to ensure Buckinghamshire residents’ are not footing the bill.

Regular inspections and repairs to our highways continue in line with our highways inspection policy, so that the travelling public can travel safely. With over 2,100 miles of carriageway across our county, the Transport for Buckinghamshire team welcome reports of potholes and other issues on our highways from residents. We urge residents not to repair potholes themselves – the best way to report a problem on the highway, so the council can repair the roads, is via Fix My Street:

Buckinghamshire.gov.uk/fix-my-street  

This allows a problem to be reported by postcode or a click on a map and is directed to the most appropriate team to deal with in an expedited fashion. Fix My Street also allows you to see if the problem has already been reported to save duplication and you will receive automatic updates on progress of the follow up inspection or repair.”

BEWARE OF SCAMMERS! Latest Scams, prevention and how to take action (Action-Fraud & Which?)

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What is fraud? Fraud is when somebody lies, or deceives you, in order to cause harm, usually by stealing your money.

What should I do if I’m a victim of fraud or cyber crime?
You can report fraud and cyber crime using the online reporting tool: http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

What is cyber crime?
This is when fraudsters target computers, tablets or phones or use the internet to swindle you. Our increased use of electronic devices for everyday
activities means that cyber criminals have a wealth of opportunity to commit crime.
What is Action Fraud?
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime. Members of the public, businesses and charities can report to Action Fraud
online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or on the phone.
Victims’ reports are assessed by specialists to see if they are suitable for further action and are then sent to the relevant law enforcement agency to investigate.
If you do not have internet access, or if you require more support, you can also contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to speak to an advisor.
Why do people in the UK report fraud and cyber crime to Action
Fraud instead of the police?
Action Fraud takes reports from victims nationwide providing a clear picture of the scale of fraud and cyber crime, allowing law enforcement to link crimes
which happen across the country. This kind of intelligence is the key to disrupting cyber crime.

Beware of the scam text below offering you fake government energy bill support

The latest energy scam capitalises on the fact that the government’s £400 energy grant is now being rolled out. 

If you get one of these texts, don’t click on the link. Your grant will be applied to your energy account automatically.

Notorious ‘Hi Mum and Dad’ scam spreads from WhatsApp to text message

Scammers impersonating your family members, particularly adult children, in order to ask you for money are now targeting you through text messages.

Earlier this year, Action Fraud warned that it had received 1,235 reports of criminals posing as loved ones in need on WhatsApp between 3 February and 21 June this year, amounting to a total financial loss of £1.5m.

How the impersonation scam works

The message will typically start with saying the sender has lost their phone, it’s damaged or they can’t access it.

The fraudsters will mostly go on to ask you for money by pointing out an imaginary difficult financial situation they’re in and playing on the close relationship you have to the person they’re impersonating.

The bank details they give will probably not match those of your loved one and it’s likely the scammer will tell you it’s because they can’t access their bank account.

If you receive a message like this don’t be tempted to transfer money immediately, enquire further by asking who specifically it is by name and by calling them or asking for a voice note. 

WhatsApp has warned that its users should ensure that two-factor authentication is set up on their account and never to share their six-digit pin code with others.

Reporting scam text messages

If you receive a suspicious text message, you can report it by forwarding it to 7726 before blocking the number.

If you’re concerned you’ve given money to a possible scam, contact your bank straight away and report the scam to Action Fraud.

You can report scam messages on WhatsApp by opening up the WhatsApp chat with the unknown number and selecting Block and Report.

ID theft: How bank account fraudsters may steal your identity

How do criminals steal your identity?

Impostor applications often take place in order to deposit the proceeds of scams, or as a ‘link within a mule network’.

They can also be lucrative for ‘acquisitive reasons’ such as raiding an account’s overdraft facility or associated credit card offers. Overdrafts can also be transferred to another account for easier access to cash.

Criminals have many ways of obtaining the details needed to apply for a current account in your name. Methods include stealing mail, through to hacking, obtaining data on the dark web, as well as persuading people to give up personal information by pretending to be from a bank, the police or a trusted retailer’.

Never give out your personal information over the telephone. If in any doubt, hang up and contact your bank or whatever company the Scammer is pretending to be from, directly.