Archives: Local News

December 2017

Rural crime update from Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Ross

Reports of rural crime in the Thames Valley have increased by five percent between October 2016 and September 2017.

I would like to reassure members of our rural communities of my commitment to investigating reports of rural crime. We rely on information from our local communities and take such reports very seriously. Incidents are robustly investigated by our local policing teams who have dedicated Rural Crime and Wildlife Officers based across the Thames Valley.

Rural crime can take many different forms including burglary, robbery, theft, criminal damage, fly tipping, poaching and hare coursing. We are continuing to work with local residents, businesses and partners to raise awareness of crime prevention techniques while developing problem solving solutions to tackle rural crime.

There are often fewer witnesses to rural crimes and greater opportunities for criminals to target isolated properties and businesses. The impact of these crimes can also be greater, with people feeling more vulnerable due to their remote location.

You can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of rural crime by taking a few simple steps including:

• Keeping the boundaries of your land and property well-maintained and secure
• Fitting strong locks to sheds, garages and outbuildings
• Checking security equipment regularly to ensure it is working properly
• Locking equipment away in a secure building when it’s not in use
• Security marking your tools and equipment

For more crime prevention advice, and to see details of your local Rural Crime Officers, visit the Rural Crime page on the Thames Valley Police website at: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/advice/protecting-your-business/rural-crime/

If you become a victim of rural crime or suspect that a crime has taken place, you should always report it to police by calling the non-emergency number, 101. If an incident is in progress, or there is an immediate threat to life, you should call 999.

You can receive the latest rural crime news from Thames Valley Police and their partners directly to your phone or inbox by signing up to CountryWatch at: http://www.thamesvalleycountrywatch.co.uk/

The santa float is now confirmed for :

Monday 18 December from 6-8pm around the Castlemead estate

Tuesday 19 December from 6-8pm around the original part of Pitstone

December_Quarterly_Update_for_Great_Brickhill__Ivinghoe_and_Wing (1)

Don’t forget registering to Buckinghamshire County Council Collective switching scheme where you can make savings on your energy bill.

This national scheme will join our residents, families and friends with other people from around the country in a large pool and then invite energy suppliers to bid in an auction to provide energy to this pool of people at a preferential lower rate. Once the supplier has been confirmed they will write to everyone with a personalised quote. There is no obligation to switch.

In the last round of Auction:

• 41% of people who registered in Buckinghamshire were able to make a saving
• The average savings in the county have been around £130 per year.

We have a website www.buckscc.gov.uk/switchedon where people can find out more and also register their interest.

Winter Auction 2017-18 key dates:

• Auction – Tuesday 13^thFebruary 2018
• Offers – 26^thFebruary 2018
• Closure – 27^thMarch 2018

Deadline for registration is 12^th February 2018. The auction for suppliers will take place on 13^th February 2018. Please note that residents will need their existing energy bill(s) to complete your registration.

With the tell-tale signs of winter already here, the County Council and local NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have issued an ‘all you need to know’ web-based guide to staying safe and healthy over the coming months.

For the first time, both organisations have brought all advice together in their new ‘Ready for Winter’ webpages. Advice ranges from staying safe on the roads, the gritting routes and coping with winter weather to staying healthy, warm and preventing illness.

Noel Brown, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health said the webpages were the most comprehensive guide ever published for Buckinghamshire. “While I hope we get a relatively mild winter, it’s useful to have such a wide array of information at the click of a button. It’s easy to get caught out particularly with freezing temperatures or heavy snowfalls but equally, staying warm and healthy is just as important.

“Not only do the webpages contain advice from the County Council and the CCG’s, but you can also find helpful links to partner organisations like the Age UK and local utility providers. It’s well worth a five minute browse,” he added.

Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transportation also commented, “We’ve made sure our fleet of 25 gritters is ready for winter, and now the website is ready for winter too! These new pages give all the important transport information you might need this winter like the map of our salting routes, the daily salting decision and the gritter tracking map.”

Dr Dal Sahota, Director for Unplanned Acute Care at Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern Clinical Commissioning Groups, said, “The information on these webpages will not only help people look after their own health during the winter months, but will also signpost them to the most appropriate health service option if they should need to get treatment. Health services in Bucks are well-prepared for the winter months, but you can help us treat those in most urgent need sooner by using this information.”

To see all the webpages, visit www.buckscc.gov.uk and search ‘winter’.

County Council Deputy Leader Mark Shaw wants more residents and motorists to feed into the debate about the proposed South East Aylesbury Link Road.

His appeal comes a week before an online consultation survey http://bit.ly/2jaAnfH closes on Friday 8 December.

Around 150 residents, who live near the proposed route, visited an exhibition of plans at Stoke Mandeville’s Olympic Lodge earlier in November to discuss the proposal with County Council officers.

Now Mark wants to hear the views of people who experience traffic congestion in and around Aylesbury, as well as those who signed a petition calling for an Aylesbury bypass earlier this year.

The proposed dual-carriageway between the A413 Wendover Road and Lower Road, crossing the main London railway line, is designed to guide traffic from the planned Stoke Mandeville bypass to the main routes into Aylesbury.

This will form a segment in Aylesbury’s intended Orbital Route, connecting all the link roads – planned and built – around the town’s outskirts.

“This is an opportunity to invest in Aylesbury’s roads, to help deal with congestion, and to improve connections around the outskirts,” said Mark, who is also Cabinet Member for Transport. “It’s also a good opportunity to build another section of our Orbital Route.”

Mark said he wanted to hear from road users and residents alike to get a broad picture of public opinion.

Stoke Mandeville bypass – which will be provided through the HS2 Hybrid Act – and the link road, at just under a mile long, need to open simultaneously to allow traffic, diverted from Stoke Mandeville village centre, to reach the main Wendover Road route into Aylesbury.

The link road budget of £23 million is largely from a Local Growth Fund grant through Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, with contributions from HS2 and local developers.

Tis the season to soak up the sights and enjoy the delicious scents and festive ambience of Aylesbury at Christmas time. And on Sunday 3 December, one of the largest Christmas craft fairs in Buckinghamshire, boasting over 75 stalls, will take place in the town’s historic Market Square.
The Christmas Craft & Gift Fair Spectacular is a free event that has grown rapidly over the last two years. Between 11am and 3pm, it will be offering a huge assortment of items produced by local businesses. You can immerse yourself in an eclectic mix of stalls, while enjoying live music from a jazz band and festive tunes from local carol singers. Plus there will also be a delicious range of street food, including German Bratwursts, hot roasted chestnuts, Funky Elephant Indian cuisine, Ruby’s street food, fudge and homemade sweets.
Many traders will be there for the first time this year with Christmas decorations, jewellery, soft furnishings, children’s gifts, soaps, cosmetics, candles, Italian delicacies, cheeses, herbs, children’s handcrafted clothing, classic car memorabilia, collectable toy cars, accessories, homeware, craft beer and gin and much more.
Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership is delighted once again to welcome Young Enterprise representatives. The budding local entrepreneurs from Aylesbury schools have set up companies with the support of Young Enterprise and will be selling the products that they have created.
Diana Fawcett, Town Centre Manager, said: “This Christmas craft fair should be part of everyone’s shopping plans this year with a huge variety of stalls and street food traders, located perfectly between the town’s two indoor shopping centres.
“We’re also proud to continue to support local schools as part of this event, as it’s a great opportunity for these young people to learn from the more experienced stall holders, helping to develop the traders of tomorrow.
“It’s wonderful that our Christmas Craft and Gift Fair Spectacular is bigger than ever this year, and we’re sure visitors will find there’s something for everyone.”
Further information on Aylesbury’s Christmas events can be found here: https://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/events

Rennie Grove have confirmed that they now have sufficient volunteers to bring the santa float to Pitstone on Monday 18 December for the route around the Castlemead estate.

However, they are still short of volunteers for Tuesday 19 December for the route around the original part of the village – Cheddington Road/Vicarage Road/Marsworth Road and side roads.    If you are able to volunteer, please contact them by email on : community@renniegrove.org or telephone: 01442 890222

WITH THE COST of adult social care in the county increasing Buckinghamshire County Council is holding a seven week consultation about the charges made for some services. The consultation, which starts next week on Tuesday 28 November, is ONLY about increasing charges for people who pay the full cost of their care or contribute towards part of the cost. Typically those with £23,250 or more in savings and investments [around 25% of all adult services users] will be asked to pay the full charge for the care they receive.*

Residents directly affected by the changes will be sent detailed information about the proposed increases in charges, along with a postal survey to give their views.

Over 10 services are affected and include; Telecare Landline system [increase of 10p per week], Home Care [increase of 72p on two carer hourly rate], and Respite Care [increase of £50 per week]. Additionally two new service charges have been introduced; Telecare mobile care [£7.69 per week] and Telecare – Medication & Welfare call charge [£1.78 per call]. The cost of a Care Package Set-up remains the same at £250 but from 2018/19 will attract 20% VAT.

Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing, said: “Every year, we look at what we charge eligible customers for social care so we can be sure we receive enough money to pay the bills for these services. Most people [around 50%] who use these services do not qualify to pay any charges at all, and some [around 25%] only pay a small fraction of the actual cost as a contribution.

“For those that do pay we have tried to keep the increases as low as possible, as we know that incomes have to stretch much further these days. But like everyone else we too have to provide more with less. We need to manage our budgets very carefully in order to balance increasing costs with making sure the most vulnerable people in the county get the care they need to stay independent for as long a possible. Fortunately people are living much longer lives, as such the number of older people in the county is increasing, more than 98,000 residents are aged 65 years or over**. Not surprisingly a very large proportion [38%] of the council’s total budget is spent on adult social care.

“I would urge anyone who has a view, good and bad, or is concerned about the proposed changes to let me know by completing the survey.”

The survey will be live on the council’s ‘Have Your Say’ webpages from Tuesday 28 November and also available in an Easy Read format.

If you, a family member or someone you care for uses adult social care services in Buckinghamshire, you can let the county council know what you think about the changes to charging by going directly to the survey at https://www.research.net/r/ASCcharges2017BucksCC4
or visiting the ‘Have your say’ section on the council website www.buckscc.gov.uk

The consultation ends on Friday 19 January, after this date the council will use all responses received to help them to decide whether to make any changes and, if so, what these will be. Results of the consultation and any decision made will be published on the ‘Have your say’ page of the council’s website by the end of March 2018. Any new or increased charges will come into effect from April 2018.

In true Vale tradition Aylesbury’s Stoke Mandeville Stadium is set to play host to the Paralympic Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony, in the run up to the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea.
On Friday 2 March 2018 the Stadium will be lit up to bring Paralympic sport to the fore in a day of sporting demonstrations, talks and events.
With only 100 days to go, the organising committee including the British Paralympic Association (BPA), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC), Buckinghamshire County Council, Leap, the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Sport and Activity Partnership, and WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, are busy creating a flame lighting event which will fire-up the torch relay for the games in style.

The PyeongChang Paralympic Games Heritage Flame Lighting events in March represent the prestige, pride and passion of the Paralympic Games and puts Aylesbury and Buckinghamshire under the global spotlight. With an associated community programme, plus local, national and international visibility, the lighting of the Heritage Flame is more than a single, spectacular event – it’s the opportunity to celebrate our global Paralympic heritage.

AVDC Councillor Angela Macpherson, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “The Paralympic Heritage Flame events held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium to date have been world-class events which have elevated Aylesbury in the eyes of the sporting community and the world. This year’s events will continue this tradition: giving disability sport, and our Paralympians, the attention and send-off they deserve.”
The first ever sporting events for disabled people were hosted at Stoke Mandeville in Aylesbury Vale by Dr Ludwig Guttmann in 1948 and, from this spark, the global Paralympic movement was born. Now, the place that started the Paralympic movement continues to be at its forefront, providing an environment that supports new and inclusive standards in sport, culture, health and education. As the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, Stoke Mandeville is also recognised as the home of the Paralympic heritage flame, and will continue to host the heritage flame lighting ceremony for all future Paralympic Games

The Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership is delighted to announce the return of Santa`s Sunday Fun Day, which takes place on Sunday 26 November. This is a family favourite with a parade launching the day-long festivities.
This year, Santa will be joined by two unicorns pulling a beautiful carriage with Cinderella and Snow White aboard, jumping elves, Betty Twinkle, a fairy in a cage carried by a gorilla, real donkeys, a samba band, a marching band and a colourful array of music and dance groups.
The parade of characters and local groups will sing and dance their way through the town from 10.45am, starting from the Upper High Street by Hale Leys Shopping Centre and making their way into Market Square. After the parade, there will be a range of entertainment, including go-karts, a small funfair, donkey rides for the kids, a small eco-farm and an array of street food until 3pm.
Additionally, the ever-popular Santa’s Dash will start from Kingsbury at 9am and make its way through town. People wanting to join this worthwhile event should email duevents@outlook.com. Alternatively, booking forms are available from Dead Universe Comics, Bourbon Street, Aylesbury or the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, Walton Street, Aylesbury.
Aylesbury Town Centre Manager, Diana Fawcett, said: “There is a wide range of Christmas activities in Aylesbury town across November and December, both for families and for shoppers. And the Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership is thrilled to be hosting these enormously popular festive events.”
Visitors are encouraged to start their Christmas shopping on the day too, with the town hosting an array of national and independent shops.
Shoppers will be able to park for free after 4.30pm on Thursdays in AVDC town centre car parks in Aylesbury between 7 December and 21 December.
For more details about the events on offer over the festive period, please visit www.visitaylesbury.co.uk

IPNP Consultation

VALP Proposed Submission Consultation takes place 9am Thursday 2 November – 5.15pm Thursday 14 December 2017, and affects all local parishes.

We invite your views to introduce a Local Transport Plan (LTP4) for Hertfordshire.

By 2031 there will be 175,000 more people living in Hertfordshire using the transport system. With more people also travelling to and through the county, there will be a huge impact on congestion and journey times, particularly during peak travel periods.

We’re consulting on a new long-term transport strategy that sets out how we can manage this extra strain.

This new Local Transport Plan Strategy (LTP4) will provide a framework to guide all our future transport planning and investment. It highlights transport problems and issues and identifies ways we can deal with them.

We want to hear your views on this draft Local Transport Plan which will help define the ‘big picture’ direction of travel and transport in Hertfordshire.

A printable pdf version of the consultation questions is also available to download, to assist organisations and groups in preparing a consultation response for submission via the online survey.

There is a 2000 character limit for text box answers in this consultation. For further information regarding this consultation, or to submit an extended response via email, please contact LTP@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

In addition to the Local Transport Plan (LTP4) consultation report, we are also inviting comments on the Strategic Environmental Assessment, Habitats Regulation Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment of the LTP4 proposals.

All comments will be considered with the Local Transport Plan due to be adopted in Spring 2018.

This matter will also be discussed at the Pitstone Parish Council meeting on 4 January 2018, where residents are welcome to put their representations to the parish council during the public session, prior to the members debate.

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has been investigating initial proposals regarding new Parliamentary Constituencies.  All of the detail is on the BCE website https://www.bce2018.org.uk

Consultation on the revised proposals runs from 17 October 2017 to 11 December 2017.

This includes the following proposals relating to Pitstone:

 3.7 The inclusion of the 2 Borough of Milton Keynes wards in the cross county Constituency has led the BCE to transfer the District of Aylesbury Vale Wards of Edlesborough, Pitstone and Cheddington, Oakfield and Bierton, Watermead, Wing and Wingrave from the Buckingham Constituency to the Aylesbury Constituency.

3.8 The BCE acknowledges that these changes would result in an Aylesbury Constituency that is a slightly unusual shape as it wraps round the edge of the region, but feels that alternative boundaries would not result in a pattern of Constituencies that are within 5% of the electoral quota. 

There are hard copies of the BCE documents on deposit at the Council Offices, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury.  These documents cannot be removed from the offices.  However, the same documents can be accessed via the BCE website, where you can also submit any comments relating to the proposals.

The consultation will also be discussed at the Pitstone parish council meeting on 30 November 2017 where residents are welcome to attend and put their representations to members during the public session, ahead of the council discussion.

We are urging residents to have their say on the future growth of the borough. We are launching our initial consultation on the new Local Plan on Wednesday 1 November.

The consultation focuses on the ‘Issues and Options’ report, which looks at the challenges the borough is facing to 2036, and how these could be addressed.

Residents can find out more about these issues and options at public exhibitions across Dacorum from Monday 13 November to Friday 24 November.

A key role of the Local Plan is to establish the amount and location of new development in Dacorum over the next 20 years and to set out our approach to:

• How towns and villages might need to change to help accommodate new homes and jobs;
• The future role of the area’s Green Belt;
• How we intend to protect and enhance the built and natural environment;
• How infrastructure needs (such as schools, GP surgeries and roads) will be met; and
• How the local economy and town centres will be supported.

The consultation is also an opportunity for anyone wishing to promote a site for development within the borough to do so through the ‘call for sites’ process, which is running in parallel with the Issues and Options consultation.

The consultation closes at midnight on Wednesday 13 December 2017.

After considering the feedback received, and putting it in the context of technical work and Government guidance, a more detailed draft plan will be prepared for further consultation later in 2018.

Once finalised, the new Local Plan will replace the existing Core Strategy and Site Allocations DPDs and ‘saved’ polices from the 2004 Local Plan. It will become the blueprint for all planning decisions in Dacorum. The new Local Plan is scheduled to come into force in spring 2019.

The Issues and Options consultation and supporting information can be found on our new Local Plan page

The proposals include significant areas of residential development in Tring and near Tring station that may be of particular interest to Pitstone residents.

The consultation will also be discussed at the Pitstone parish council meeting on 30 November 2017, at which any resident may make their views known to the parish council during the public session prior to their discussion.

1st Ivinghoe and Pitstone Scouts are registered with the Vale Lottery so if you choose to buy tickets you can also choose to support the local scout troop.

If you are a local organisation interested in signing up, or are a resident interested in purchasing tickets, you can find out more information on https://www.valelottery.co.uk/

Last month the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley launched a Hate Crime awareness campaign to encourage people to come forward and report it.

Hate Crime is a crime or incident against you, your friends, your family or your property because of your actual or presumed sexual orientation, transgender identity, disability, race or religion. It can take many forms such as physical and verbal attacks, vandalism, graffiti, online abuse and threatening behaviours.

The ‘Let’s Hate Hate’ campaign is a continuation of the work of the Office of the PCC in supporting victims of hate crime and features 10 individuals from all walks of life who could be either a victim or a witness of hate crime, or both.  The campaign’s overall aim is to encourage both victims and witnesses of hate crime not to accept abuse as ‘normal’, but report it by calling 101.

The Office of the PCC also run a Third Party Reporting Mechanism for Hate Crime which allows victims and witnesses of hate crime who aren’t comfortable reporting directly to the police, to contact them instead. The service ensures that both victims and witnesses of hate crime have access to the support they need. Reports can be made by phone on 0300 1234 148 or online through its Victims First website www.victims-first.org.uk

Santa urgently needs your help!

Unfortunately, Rennie Grove hospice are struggling to bring the Santa sleigh to Pitstone this year. They inform us that they only have 3 volunteers for 1 night in the village and 4 volunteers for the other night, and they need 10 per night.

So if you have a couple of hours to spare on 18 December (Castlemead) or 19 December (Marsworth Road etc) to walk with the float, raise funds for the hospice, and bring a smile to the faces of many local children, please do get in touch with them on email: community@renniegrove.org or telephone: 01442 890222

Thank you.

Ivinghoe Parish Council provide the following additional information:

• The works will be from 09:30 – 3:30 on each day
• The traffic lights are likely to be there for 24hrs per day.
• The works will effect where the Marsworth bus will drop off and pick up
• Parking will be severely restricted especially on the Ivinghoe side of the works.
• The last time there was works in exactly the same position there were long queues of traffic on both sides, so if possible to use alternative routes.
• The queueing traffic will severely hamper the ‘school drop off zone’ so therefore allow more time.

Mobile Library Service Consultation Poster A4 Portrait

Mobile Libraries consultation 2017-1

Please find attached details of a Bucks County Council consultation on their mobile library service, including a proposal to discontinue the service from May 2018.   You are able to submit comments until 31 December 2017.

This consultation will also be discussed by Pitstone parish council at their meeting on 30 November 2017, where residents are welcome to attend and make representations.

Are you ready for winter?
As the nights get colder and darker, the chances of severe weather increase. Storms, floods and other extreme conditions can cause damage to
network infrastructure and disrupt your energy supply.
That’s why the UK’s gas and electricity network companies have come together to launch the Be Winter Ready campaign. The campaign aims to
help the public better-prepare for power cuts and gas emergencies that may result from bad winter weather.
To Be Winter Ready, you should:
• Know your free emergency numbers – in a power cut dial 105 or, for a gas emergency, dial 0800 111999.
• Prepare your home – keep a torch handy and get your appliances serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer to prevent carbon
monoxide poisoning. Vulnerable households can get extra support by signing up to the Priority Services Register. Contact your gas or
electricity network to find out more. Visit www.energynetworks.org to find out who your network operator is.
• Keep your eyes open – keep an eye on the weather forecast and, if you have a power cut or a gas emergency, check on your
neighbours.
In recent years the chances of unplanned problems with electricity and gas supply have reduced dramatically. Since 1990, network companies
have invested £80bn in improving the reliability of local energy networks in the UK. As a result, on average, electricity customers have a power
cut just once every two years and gas distribution customers will have their gas supply interrupted without advance notice just once every 40
years.
Despite this, our gas and electricity networks can be affected by natural events, with severe winter weather potentially causing significant
damage. The gas and electricity network operators are urging the public to Be Winter Ready. Make sure you’re prepared in case you have a
power cut or gas emergency.

AVDC VALP key facts Info Connect Poster – Final Oct 2017

Please click on the link below to read the latest ‘Inform’ magazine published by the Community Noise department at Luton Airport.

This edition includes info about their community noise monitoring, how to report aircraft noise issues and the delayed landing gear deployment trial.

Their Flight Operations teams will also be holding a surgery for the general public at Ivinghoe Old School Community Hub on 18th January 2018 – so if you have any queries about air traffic or noise, please make sure you pop along and speak to them.

Inform October 2017 Version 1

As the darker evenings approach, with trick-or-treaters preparing for Halloween, Thames Valley Police are offering tips for a safe and fun Halloween and are reminding residents to take basic home security measure to keep their home safe as the clocks go back on Sunday (29/10).

Detective Chief Superintendent, Richard List, said: “While Thames Valley generally has low crime rates, a house in darkness indicates that there’s no one at home and it could be an invitation to a burglar. There are a lot of simple measures you can do, which don’t have to be expensive, such as using a timer so that a light automatically comes on while you are out.

“Making sure your doors and windows are locked is a deterrent for an intruder. Many burglaries are opportunistic crimes, where the offender has identified an open window or insecure door and has easily let themselves into your home.”

Last year saw a 34% increase in residential burglaries in winter compared to summer (summer months include June 2016, July 2016, August 2016 and winter months include November 2016, December 2016 and January 2017).

“Many people only think about home security after they have been burgled. We want to encourage people to review this before they fall victim to crime. Similarly, valuables left on view on car seats provide an ideal opportunity for a smash and grab.”

Top tips to reduce the chance of your house being targeted:

• Invest in a timer light switch and vary the time it comes on each day to make it look more natural. It can also be used with a radio or TV to give the impression that someone’s home
• Consider installing a fake/simulated TV device which lights up a room like a real TV
• Keep valuables out of sight and mark them with your house number and postcode using a UV pen, or consider buying a forensic property marking system
• Register your valuables via immobilise and keep an inventory list. It’s free and takes just a few minutes
• If you have jewellery at home, photograph it for insurance purpose and consider storing it in a suitable safe
• Lock your doors and windows, if you have a UPVC door make sure you have double locked it by lifting the handle and locking it with the key. Make sure the key is removed from the lock and out of reach
• If you’re going away, remember not to post details of your holiday on social networking sites, cancel any milk or newspaper deliveries and if you have a burglar alarm, make sure it is set before you leave
• Look out for your neighbours’ houses, especially when they’re not at home and call the police if you see anything suspicious on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

Offering tips for a safe and fun Halloween, Detective Chief Superintendent, Richard List continues: “Whether you are a taking part in Halloween celebrations, or not, we want everyone to have a safe and fun evening.

“If you don’t want trick-or-treaters to knock at your door, you can put up a ‘no tick-or-treaters’ sign and close your curtains. Download a sign from our posters section of the Thames Valley Police website.

“If you don’t know who is calling at your door, you don’t have to answer it. Look through a spyhole or window before opening the door if you’re unsure, and have a chain in place if you do answer. If you feel threatened in your home, call 999.”

If your child is going out trick or treating, make sure they:

• Go out in a group and are accompanied by an adult
• Have a route planned and agree on a time they will be home
• Are respectful of other people’s property
• Have their mobile phone and a torch
• Are careful when crossing roads
• Know not to talk to strangers on the street or accept lifts
• Know not to go inside anyone’s house

You can also watch our Halloween safety video.

For further crime prevention advice, visit Thames Valley Police website.

http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/knowledge/news-read-latest-e-newsletter/

Council has approved the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP), paving the way for a final public consultation before it goes before a planning inspector.
The decision was taken at the council meeting held last night.
Prior to the vote, there were presentations by a planning and a legal expert who praised the officers’ and members’ hard work to achieve a plan that stands a good chance of being approved. The presentations were followed by a discussion and explanation of technical issues, and then deliberation by the councillors.
Cllr Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Growth Strategy, said after the meeting: “VALP is a vitally important document that will manage and direct growth in the Vale until 2033. Without it, we would be at risk of further uncontrolled growth.
“An enormous amount of work has gone into the plan, and this very welcome decision means we can move forward to the next stage and invite the public to comment, before submitting the document to government in the new year.”
The public consultation will run from Thursday 2 November to Thursday 14 December. In the new year the plan, along with any comments submitted in the consultation and all the evidence, will be sent to the planning inspector for examination.

Further information about the VALP and the consultation can be found at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/localplan
The council meeting was broadcast live and the recording can be viewed, for the next six months, by going to www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/webcasts

Rennie Grove hospice charity would once again like to be able to bring their Santa Float to Pitstone as they have done in previous years, but desperately need volunteer Santa’s, elves (donation collectors, no need to dress up) and drivers.   The float is always so popular with local children, so please help if you can.

The dates and locations are as follows:

The float will be out for around 2-2.5hrs depending on the route. Feel free to ask friends or family who may want to join in to help us to raise money and light up the faces of the local little people!

If you are able to offer your help, please contact:

The Community Team on the following email / tel number:

community@renniegrove.org

01442 890222

Rennie House, Unit 3, Icknield Way Industrial Estate, Tring, Herts, HP23 4JX

People across Buckinghamshire are being asked to help the County Council make important spending decisions about next year’s budget, in a consultation launched today (Wednesday 18 October).

The online consultation, which runs until Sunday 19 November, aims to get local people involved in helping to decide on which areas of the Council’s work future spending should be focused.

The short survey, which takes only a couple of minutes, can be completed at:  https://tinyurl.com/bucksbudget18

Noel Brown, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, said the Council’s services touched the lives of everyone in the county.

“It’s only right that we should want to ask residents to tell us what’s important to them, to help us decide where to focus our finite funding, and I’d urge people to take part,” said Noel. “Allocating our budget gets more and more difficult each year, with pressure on our vital services to vulnerable older people and children.

“Difficult decisions lie ahead. There are things we have to do, which mean there are more limited choices about the things we’d like to do.”

The coming year, 2018/19, will be the first in which the Government gives Buckinghamshire nothing in revenue support grant funding, putting further pressure on the budget, said Noel.

The amount the Government pays the County Council has fallen rapidly in the past few years, from £60.8m four years ago, to zero next year.  Along with Dorset, Buckinghamshire will be the first county to receive no revenue support grant from Whitehall.

Noel said the County Council would be submitting a consultation response about next year’s funding settlement and lobbying the Government for more money.

People who don’t have access to the internet or a computer can take part in the County Council budget consultation at any library, where staff can help them to complete the survey.

TfB work will continue on the Horton Road, Horton scheme during w/c 16/10/17. We have identified a requirement for remedial works further along the closed road, and rather than have to return early next year to carry out these works we are looking to minimise disruption to residents by carrying out this work  in the current scheme.

This additional work will be undertaken using a night time road closure between 19:00hrs and 06:00hrs until the 21^st October 2017.

The 24 hour closure currently in place will be lifted from this Saturday morning with the road open to traffic over the weekend,  and the night time closure will begin at 19:00hrs on the 16^th October 2017.

The diversion route will remain in place for an additional week, with the intention to route overnight traffic away from the villages.

Remembrance Day Service

Pitstone Memorial Hall

12pm Sunday, 12^th November 2017

On Sunday 12^th November 2017 at 12pm, following the service at Ivinghoe Church, the first Service of Remembrance for Pitstone will take place in the foyer at Pitstone Memorial Hall.  The Reverend Adrian Manning will conduct the service.

Wreaths shall be laid by: a member of the Royal British Legion, representatives of the Parish and County Councils and the Memorial Hall Board of Trustees.

All members of the community are invited to attend and remember those from Pitstone who have given their lives in the service of this country.  The flowerbed outside the Hall will be available to plant a cross to remember friends or relatives.

The Memorial Bar will be open immediately after the service for a reception and all members of the community are welcome.

Residents across Bucks are able to give their views on the Household Recycling Centres as the annual customer satisfaction survey is launched. The survey has is run annually in October to find out what works well, what could be improved, and how residents are using the Household Recycling Centres in Bucks.

Survey staff are on sites during October and talking to residents who use the sites, which gives Buckinghamshire County Council a snapshot of the service. Over 2,000 responses are sought across the ten sites asking residents questions which include which site they prefer, how often they visit, and whether they are familiar with the permit scheme.

For the first time ever, residents will also be able to complete the survey from the comfort of their own home. An online version has been created this year, to increase the number of responses, and capture the thoughts of those people who maybe do not visit the site as much. The survey is open until Tuesday 31 October and can be completed by any Buckinghamshire resident.

Once completed, the survey responses will be collated and reviewed to help the Council make the services offered at all ten Household Recycling Centres the best they can be, whilst keeping costs down.

County Council Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment Cllr Bill Chapple OBE said “The annual survey is a great chance for residents to have their say, and tell us what they like about the service. Last year 99% of those who responded to the survey were satisfied with the service, and we’d like to get to 100%. Millions of visits are made to our Household Recycling Centres each year, so we want to know where we can improve and how our residents are using the sites. Having an online option is a great chance to listen to more of our residents’ views.”

Link to online survey – https://goo.gl/AQ6zex. Closing date Tuesday 31 October.

Santa’s Parade set to bring festive cheer to Aylesbury

Aylesbury town centre’s hugely popular Santa’s Parade is back this year, taking place on Sunday 26 November.

Last year’s spectacular parade reached record numbers, with over 300 people taking part. The festive parade welcomes local dance groups, professional entertainers, bands, local businesses and organisations to escort Santa to Friars Square Shopping Centre. The parade gathers from 10am, and will make a start from 10.45am at Upper High Street. It will then travel through Market Square and onto the Friars Square Shopping Centre, bringing festive cheer to the town centre. The parade finishes by 11.30am, but the fun will continue with activities throughout the town until 3pm. These include go-karts, a small fun fair, a bouncy castle and donkey rides.

The Town Centre Team is now calling for local businesses and non-profit groups to join the parade.

Participants are encouraged to bring along balloons or goodies to hand out, and all attendees must wear Christmas fancy dress. (However, there can only be one Santa at the parade – so no Santa costumes are allowed.) Local business and non-profit groups can participate in various ways, such as putting on dance shows, handing out tasters, or running activity stalls. Non-profit groups can also participate in the parade for free.

Aylesbury Town Centre Manager Diana Fawcett said: “The Christmas parade is one of the most popular events in the town, and we are delighted to be hosting it again this year. We have lots of exciting professional acts lined up and we urge the local community to get dressed up and have some fun!”

Local organisations wishing to get involved in the parade should email Diana Fawcett: dfawcett@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Please find below a link to the new publication from the Police and Crime Commissioner outlining the five strategic priorities for policing and crime for the next five years in Thames Valley.

PCC_Plan_SUMMARY_2017_final

Aylesbury Vale District Council has launched an affordable, efficient skip hire service with 12 and 6 yard skip options.  They can collect recyclables, residential, industrial, gardening and building waste.

To celebrate the new service the first five customers to hire a skip in October will receive a £20 high street shopping voucher.

For more information or to book your skip call 01296 585353 or visit the website via this link:

https://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/avdc-skip-hire

The arrival of October means that Buckinghamshire County Council’s Household Recycling Centre services are moving to their winter opening hours of 9am-4pm, seven days a week.

All the Household Recycling Centre services usually on offer are still available seven days a week, which means residents can still drop off unwanted items to be re-used by the South Bucks Hospice Shops, or dispose of their garden waste and other items. All ten sites will see the opening hours change on Sunday 1st October and the sites will close at 4pm until April 1st when they go back to the summer opening times of 9am-6pm

A burglary has been reported on Windsor Road, Pitstone, between Wednesday morning (27/9) and Friday evening (29/9).

Offender(s) entered the rear garden, either by a side or rear gate and broke the glass in a rear door. They then unlocked the door, using the key that had been left in the lock.

A search was made of the upstairs of the residence. It is not yet confirmed what has been stolen, but is likely that jewellery is among the property taken.

DC Bruce Wilson from Aylesbury, is investigating this burglary. He would like to hear from anyone that might have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area between these dates.

If you have any information please call DC Wilson on the 24 hour number 101.

If you don’t want to speak to the police or give your details you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or report it online.

Householders in Aylesbury Vale are doing a great job recycling – and are being encouraged to do even better over national Recycle Week (Monday 25 September to Sunday 1 October).
Aylesbury Vale District Council residents recycle on average 52% of their waste each year – well above the national average of 44%.
Cllr Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: “I would like to say thank you to all of our residents who put in the effort and recycle regularly.
“For Recycle Week it would be great to see an even bigger effort, especially from those who haven’t really gotten into the recycling habit yet. Everyone doing their bit will help England reach its target of 65% by 2030.”
There are some handy hints about what (and what not) to recycle at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/section/recycling-and-waste

You said, we’re listening

We are now mid-way through our consultation on improving early help services for children and families. Thank you to those of you who have already replied. Feedback so far shows that more detail about the proposal would be useful. We have added further information about the current services and how these would change with the proposed new service.

If you have already responded but now wish to add more, please complete the survey again. Responses already sent in will still be included. The consultation will now close on 16 October to allow as much time as possible for responses.

We want your views on changes to services for children and young people aged 0 – 19, and their families in Buckinghamshire

We need to make changes so we can support the families who need it the most and build a service fit for the future. We want to hear from you to help us make the right decisions for the future of early help services for children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire.

To save the council money we would encourage you to give your feedback online. You can also complete the survey online in one of our libraries. However, if you do require a version of the consultation in an alternative format please contact communications@buckscc.gov.uk.

Complete online survey

The consultation closes on 16 October 2017

For full details, please click the link to the BCC website: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/care-for-children-and-families/improving-early-help-services-for-children-young-people-and-families/

Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) will be sending out annual voter registration reminder forms today and is asking residents to respond as quickly as possible in order to help save money.
All properties in Aylesbury Vale received a ‘Household Enquiry Form’ in early August, but so far over 27,000 households have yet to respond. Residents are required by law to confirm or update the details of anyone at their address who is eligible to vote in the UK.
The forms are pre-printed with the names of the occupants currently registered to vote at each address. A response is required, either to update their details if there are any changes, or to confirm that the information is still the same. Even residents who voted in the General Election will need to respond.
Peter Brown, AVDC Electoral Services Manager, said: “Although the canvass response rate to date has been encouraging, over 30 per cent of homes in the Vale have yet to respond. We have to undertake a number of prescribed steps to follow up on non-responding properties. Those households who do not respond to the reminder have to be personally visited, which is an expensive exercise. We are urging residents to help us save money wherever possible by responding to their reminder form promptly.”
Residents can respond online using a unique 14 digit reference number which is printed on the form. The online process also allows people to add the names of any new occupants as well as remove names of those who no longer live at the address, or request a postal application.
For further information, visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/canvass or call 01296 585701

This is the first of a series of quarterly bulletins that I intend to write as the local police area commander for Aylesbury Vale. I hope that these messages will offer a flavour of what Thames Valley Police has been doing, together with partners and often with the help of the community, to keep the district safe. I won’t be able to cover everything, but will focus on what I see as highlights and issues of interest.  I may sometimes focus on particular crime theme or to highlight a particular piece of work that we have been doing with our partners, and which they often lead on. I’m always open to feedback, so do let me know if you’d like me to change the focus, or include different things.

Key current issues can be summarised as follows:

• Drugs:

The pernicious impact of illegal drugs on society is well documented. Apart from the harm that drugs can cause people, and the associated health costs, a significant proportion of other crime is committed by people either to fund their habit or because of the chaotic lifestyles they lead as a consequence of addiction. Drug users are vulnerable to exploitation and are often the victims of crime, because of the positions they find themselves in and the people they come into contact with. This enduring challenge is a priority for my team and we are working hard with partner organisations to address this issue.

Drug dealers from outside the district persist in trying to develop and take over the local ‘drugs market’. This phenomenon is common to a number of other parts of the country and has come to be referred to nationally as ‘County Lines’ activity.  I’ve put additional resources into targeting this type of drug dealing, and we have arrested and convicted a growing number of dealers. We will continue to focus on that problem, and are particularly concerned by the fact that children have been approached to get involved in dealing on behalf of the groups, and that vulnerable adults have had their homes taken over so that drugs can be dealt from the premises. We have been very proactive in dealing with these issues as they arise, but I would ask for you to contact the police, either on 101 or direct to your neighbourhood policing team, if you have concerns about any individuals or families who you think may be being exploited (because that’s what it is) by drug dealers. We need to keep things in perspective and remember that Aylesbury and the Vale continue to be safe places to live, but we can never take it for granted, and must continue to work together to protect our most vulnerable people.

• Modern Day slavery

Modern day slavery is an insidious form of criminality that involves people from the UK and abroad being forced to live and work in squalid conditions and for very little, and sometimes no pay. This can involve incredibly long hours and can include a range of activities from car washes, fruit picking to prostitution. Many victims believe that they are being made legitimate offers of employment or accommodation only to find that they are forced to live and work in these dreadful conditions. Thames Valley Police and partners are committed to identifying and taking action against those involved in this criminality and safeguarding victims. Whilst we have not really seen this form criminality in Aylesbury Vale it is something that is very much a priority not only for the Force but also central Government. As such we regularly take part in initiatives to identify modem slavery, investigate and safeguard. If you suspect that this is taking place please do call us on 101, or in an emergency 999 as every piece of information is analysed to see if we can take action.

• Burglary

As most people will know, burglary remains a priority for Thames Valley Police. We have focused our staff and resources on preventing and deterring this type of criminality and have recently seen a number of successful outcomes. As a consequence, we anticipate a number of lengthy prison terms following a series of arrests. Whilst we acknowledge this good work we also recognise that burglary has slightly increased across Aylesbury Vale this year and we cannot become complacent. To this end, we ensure all of our teams, being emergency response, neighbourhood and investigation are well briefed and tasking to patrol in the right areas. I meet with my team daily to discuss burglaries and with senior officers from across the police area and partner organisations every fortnight to ensure we stay on top of this issue.

I urge everyone in Aylesbury Vale to ensure they make our area as hostile to criminals as possible by ensuring windows and doors are locked when houses are empty. It is also important to remain vigilant at all time both in terms of your property but also that of your neighbours. If you see anything suspicious then please call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

The prevention of crime is most effectively achieved through activity that involves residents, our local authority, local businesses and the police. Our neighbourhood teams will soon be starting a burglary prevention campaign to coincide with the darker nights so I would ask that you look out for this and consider any advice to help us all keep our property safe.

Lastly, if you want to take a more active part in crime prevention then please think about joining, or even forming a Neighbourhood Watch. If you need to contact your local neighbourhood policing team you can do this by visiting our website page: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh.htm

• Theft from vehicles

Unfortunately we continue to see a number of thefts from motor vehicles. These include property left inside vehicles, tool and sometimes number plates. I have recently commissioned some intelligence work to be done around this as I do not underestimate the impact this has on victims. This is an area of criminality that I will be asking your local neighbourhood team to focus on through high visibility intelligence led patrols and some less visible police operations.

Again however would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone to not leave personal items out on display. We will off course do what we can to prevent crime and catch those responsible however I would appeal to you to either secure personal items in your vehicles out of sight or to take them with you, we believe most of this crime is opportunist meaning those involved in car crime will target vehicles based on what they see when they walk past so please take a moment to move things out of sight or better still, remove them from the vehicle. It is of note that many of the thefts occur overnight from unlocked cars.

• Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) continues to be of high importance to both myself and my staff. I am fully aware of the blight that persistent ASB, caused by the few, can bring to a community. I am fully committed to ensuring that my locally based neighbourhood police teams continue to use their problem solving skills to address your concerns in these areas. I have an experienced and dedicated ASB police officer who is co-located with colleagues at Aylesbury Vale District Council who effectively employs the powers conferred to us under the Anti-social Behavior, Crime and Policing Act. This officer forms part of a wider Problem Solving Team whose work goes in hand with the local neighborhood officers and PCSOs. These local teams are committed to engage with and make themselves visible to local communities in an effort to develop the type of resilience that builds lasting foundations we can all feel really proud of.

To finish I would just like to say how happy I am to have been posted to Aylesbury Vale as the Local Police Area Commander. My priorities as your police commander will largely continue on from my predecessor, Superintendent Olly Wright, which are to safeguard the vulnerable, to prevent and reduce crime and to provide the best possible service to victims. I am passionate about policing which to me means keeping people as safe as we can.

Whilst there is always work to be done, I am reassured that whenever I look at our crime data or review the incidents that we deal with, I can see that Aylesbury Vale is a safe place to live, work and visit. And when crime does occur, we have teams of police officers and staff who work together to deliver the best possible service to victims of crime and do all they can to identify and then bring offenders to justice.

I look forward to the coming months and the challenges that policing the Christmas and New Year period will bring. Since arriving I have set time aside to meet not only those who work inside our police station but also partners who play their part in preventing crime keeping us all safe. In the coming months I’m hoping to be able to spend some time out on patrol with our teams and perhaps meet some of you in person.

Superintendent Tim Metcalfe

Aylesbury Vale Local Police Area Commander

Thames Valley Police