Kingstone & Thruxton Group Parish Council is holding local elections this year. If you are passionate about your community and want to help #MakeAChange, stand for election as a councillor! We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect their community to put themselves forward for election and #MakeAChange.

https://www.nalc.gov.uk/makeachange or emailclerk.ktgpc@hotmail.com for more information

Herefordshire Council Leaders Newsletter, January 2023 is attached:

Sponsored by Herefordshire Council  providing a wide range of information on organisations, groups, activities, events, advice and help available both locally and nationally to members of the public and professionals. 

"Talk Community are bringing Herefordshire together, by connecting people to services, groups, community hubs, events, and information to help them stay well.

We want our residents, businesses, community leaders and council to all play their part, to make Herefordshire a better place to live and work.

From little acts of kindness, like looking out for your neighbours, or volunteer-run community hubs across the county, offering information and signposting, to partnerships with the police and NHS."

Click here for the Talk Community website homepage.

With Spring on its way we start to think about getting out to walk in the beautiful English countryside again, but where to find new and interesting walks?

Walking in Herefordshire https://www.walkinginengland.co.uk/hereford has loads of walks to download and print, free, it also has books of walks, details of all the walking groups in the county and much more. Whether you want to walk on your own or with a group all the information is there in one place.

John Harris (who maintains the website) said ‘There is so much walking information on the web but it is difficult to find. Walking in Herefordshire (part of the Walking in England website) has brought it together in one place so whether you are walking from home, or away on holiday, you will be able to find a walk suitable for you’.

With walks from half a mile to twelve miles plus long, and a note of suitability for pushchairs and wheelchairs, everyone can find a walk to enjoy.

So home or away, check out the websites and get walking!

John Harris

www.walkinginengland.co.uk

john@walkinginengland.co.uk

Weekly Fraud update from West Mercia Police - Economic Crime Unit - 17/01/2023

BANK ACCOUNT FRAUD

Regular reports of bank account fraud are being received both locally and nationally.

The first sign that Bank Account Fraud has occurred is usually when transactions you have not made, show up on your bank statements.

Do not let criminals steal your identity, this may be done by taking personal documents thrown out with your rubbish, or contacting you by phone or email and posing as a legitimate organisation.

How do you protect yourself?

· Always shred any paperwork with your name, address , personal or financial details before throwing it out

· Beware of unsolicited emails or phone calls form callers claiming to be your bank or building society; most banks will not contact you this way

· Always hang up, wait 5 minutes and then ring back on a designated number on your bank statement or bank card to check; always check you have a dialling tone and where possible phone back on a different phone

· Check your bank statements regularly for unrecognised transactions

· If you move house make sure your post is redirected by Royal Mail

· Notify your bank immediately if you see any unusual activity on your bank account – you can call straight through to most major banks by dialling 159 as the fastest route

HMRC

A further short reminder as we approach the deadline for self-assessment returns. This is the key time to be aware of messages, or even phone calls, claiming to be from HMRC.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

· Scammers may text or email people to tell them they are due a Tax Rebate from HMRC; this may also include a link that asks for personal details which can be used for further scams

· Scammers are also using phone calls to gain people’s details

· Automated phone calls may be used to say people owe tax, and arrest warrants may be issued by HMRC unless they pay the outstanding tax

· Fake web pages have also been used which can copy the genuine HMRC website

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Before you give out any personal details first consider:

· Were you expecting to be contacted? Check it is HMRC really contacting you

· Are you being pressured? If the request is for an urgent money transfer or for personal details be very wary

· Are you being threatened with arrest? HMRC will never call you and threaten arrest

· Is it sounding too good to be true? Are you really expecting a Tax rebate?

· Is the website or email address genuine? Always double check these details if you are unsure. Some more refined scams may use official details and logos so be aware

· Check your personal tax account online to see if there are any genuine messages

· If you think it is a scam, report it to HMRC as soon as possible for further investigations

Please feel free to share this information with any relatives, friends or neighbours you think may be vulnerable.

Take Five To Stop Fraud

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

For further information visit:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

13th January 2023

Winter Service Update

Herefordshire Council, in partnership with Balfour Beatty Living Places, deliver a winter maintenance service every year, which covers 1000 miles of the county’s roads.

Overview

The service includes salting the roads with grit, which melts snow and ice and helps to prevent ice forming, snow ploughing and refilling grit bins across the county.

The UK is currently experiencing a deluge of wind and rain, with weather warnings in place across the country. Temperatures in Herefordshire may reach as low as -2 by Monday 16th January.

During periods of prolonged cold weather, you may see us out on the roads more frequently. We are regularly monitoring the forecast and will often grit multiple times each day to keep the roads safe and keep the county moving.

14th January to 22nd January 2023we’re preparing for another cold spell, and as there are road closures due to higher river levels, some priority routes may not be able to be treated by the gritters. There will be freezing temperatures with potential for some snow but we're monitoring forecasts as things may still change.

Forecast

A few days of continuous sub-zero temperatures is expected during a winter season, however a longer cold snap is uncommon and places a huge demand on resources and equipment. We allocate resources to ensure that the winter maintenance service, including any additional gritting, is carried out as a priority. This may have an impact on other scheduled projects or works due to take place in the county.

Impact on the Service

The current flooding and delivery of our winter service has an impact on the normal capital and revenue programme. This may result in projects and schemes being delayed or rescheduled. If you have any queries, please contact BBLP customer services on 01432 261 800.

We will continue to monitor the temperatures daily and grit when needed. The winter maintenance service will continue into March, when temperatures rise again. We will circulate further updates during the winter period as necessary.

Scan the QR code or follow the link below to view a map of the gritting routes:

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/roads-1/winter-gritting-routes/2

Community Engagement

Today officers from both the South Wye and Golden Valley Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) have been in the villages of Kingstone, Clehonger, Madley and Eaton Bishop conducting enquiries with regards the increase in reported crime which is believed to be connected.

If anyone has any information that can assist officers with their enquiries. Please contact either SNT via Tel No. 101.

Neighbourhood Watch Our News - January 2023

Click on link to see latest Neighbourhood Watch News Our News

Dear residents

Herefordshire Council would like to hear from you about how we can improve health and wellbeing in Herefordshire.

We are working with health services and other organisations to develop a strategy and actions to improve health and wellbeing in the county over the next 10 years, and we are asking residents for their views about the things that they think are most important.

From information already available we have identified a number of issues that are most affecting the health and wellbeing of residents in our county and from these we have suggested some potential priorities for action, or for additional action where there is already work being done.

But we really want to know what your views are and about the things that you think we should be doing.

Feedback from this consultation will be available to view early in 2023 and it will help decide the priorities and content of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy which is due to be published in the Spring of 2023.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we would greatly appreciate it if you could spare a few minutes to complete our survey which you will find by clicking the link below.

For more information and to share your views and ideas, see: www.herefordshire.gov.uk/hwbs

See details in the attached document from Herefordshire Council.

As part of Operation Snap, members of the public can report and submit digital footage showing potential traffic offences via a secure online form.

This can range from driving dangerously or carelessly to overtaking on solid white lines, using a mobile phone while driving, ignoring traffic lights or dangerous driving around other road users, such as horse riders and cyclists.

See the following link for further details and to submit a report. Operation Snap