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Thursday 31 January 2019

Village Hall Games Night

VILLAGE HALL GAMES NIGHT
Saturday 16th February


This will consist of teams competing in simple games such as 
Table Top Bowling, Hoola Hoop, Darts, Skittles plus more.

There will be a Ploughmans Supper but bring your own drinks. 
Only £10.00 per person.  All ages welcome.

If you are interested please contact Jill on 02476462070.
.
Please come and join in the fun, either as a team of 6 or join with others to make a team.

Start time 7.00pm

Sunday 27 January 2019

Minutes of Residents' Association Committee 23rd January 2019



Present
Hilary Cox; Paddy Deeley; Andy Gibbs; Helen Hehir; Judi Hibberd; Janet Hickinbottom; Bron Putnam; Faith Ward; and Mary Webb.


1. Apologies and Minutes of the last meeting

Apologies had been received from Dianne Adams and Rona Taylor.

Summary of actions following the meetingResponsible
Resident to be contacted about overgrown hedgeRona
Progress Red Lane shelter projectMary and Faith
Invite Fiona Anderson to next meetingRona
Treasurer’s Report to be re-sent and Dianne updated on circulation listJudi
Note when Cala Homes site office openedPaddy
Keep Cala Homes site office on agendaJudi
Inform Westwood Heath Residents’ Association about Santa Sleigh collection next yearMary
Communication with PC regarding the preceptPaddy, Mary and Rona
Seek advice on ways to deter litter and arrange litter pickMary
Peter Hallam to be informed of blocked drainsMary
Further details to be sought regarding Street Watch or other measuresMary
Response to resident regarding measures discussed after break-ins to shedsRona


Minutes of the last meeting and Matters Arising

See Minutes of December 11th

The minutes of the December 11th meeting were approved.


Matters Arising from the previous minutes

  • Red Lane lamppost - this was now working.
  • Hodgett’s Lane overgrown hedge - Rona had not yet managed to contact the resident. Action: Rona
  • Presentation date for Canley Community Centre cheque - had been contacted.
  • Red Lane shelter project - Details would be placed in the March edition of the Bugle to ask for volunteers to help with this project as funding was available. Faith would also speak to her neighbour, a builder. Action: Mary and Faith
  • Invite to Fiona Anderson - Rona still to contact. Action: Rona

All other matters arising had been covered or were to be agenda items.


2. Treasurer's Report

A report had been circulated. Not all committee members had received this and so Judi would send round and would also send Dianne an updated contacts list. Action: Judi

Dianne had applied for internet banking.


3. Residents' views/concerns

  • A resident had expressed concern at the number of empty houses in the village as a result of HS2 purchases. This matter was to be taken up by the Parish Council.
  • Rubbish on the exterior of the CALA Homes site had been pointed out and Cala Homes had agreed to clear the boundaries of litter.


4. Update on and discussion of Residents' Association initiatives and issues

Cala Homes update
There was now a site office. Contact would be made when the sales office opened to enquire if we could leave Welcome Packs. Paddy would monitor this, and Judi would keep it as an agenda item. Action: Paddy and Judi

Review of Santa Sleigh evening
This had been a successful event though fewer people were at home so only £500 was collected this year. It was suggested that information was sent in advance to the Westwood Heath Residents’ Association as a number of residents said they were not told that Santa would be visiting. Action: Mary

Storage in the new Village Hall
Mary was storing many items on behalf of BGRA. She would liaise with Deirdre regarding the need for storage facilities in the new hall. Action: Mary

Precept and subscriptions collection
Rona had discussed with the PC replacement of the collection of BGRA subscriptions by funding from the precept.

It was agreed that a letter would be sent to, the Parish Council agreeing to their suggestion that the precept would include a sum of approximately £1200 (amount to be finalised) to cover BGRA annual expenses. This would remove the need for the onerous task of volunteers going house to house collecting subscriptions.

Paddy agreed to find, the current number of properties within Burton Green and Mary would pass on a breakdown of current costs. This would be checked against what the PC was allowed to use precept monies for, and Tracey Gate of the PC would be asked for her advice on restriction. Mary would include details in the Bugle. Action: Paddy and Mary


5. Village Hall

HS2 had informed the Village Hall trustees of a further delay so a date of the end of 2020 looked more likely for the new Hall. HS2 had agreed to extend the lease on the current Village Hall accordingly.


6. Parish Councillor's Report

A Neighbourhood Plan meeting was scheduled for the following week. Once the Plan had been updated a public meeting would be held. It was hoped a date could be included in the next Bugle.


7.  Any Other Business

  • Poppy collection tin had raised £20
  • A question was asked about signs to deter people from littering the village. A competition at the school to create posters had been suggested. Mary agreed to seek advice from our contact at Warwickshire County Council.
  • A community litter pick would be arranged for early Spring. Action: Mary
  • Blocked drains were again a problem. These were identified and Peter Hallam would be contacted. Action: Mary
  • A resident had made contact with concerns about break-ins to sheds in which the police showed no interest.  Various measures were discussed including the employment by Westwood Heath residents of a security firm and the use of Street Watch community patrols. Mary agreed to make further enquiries about this. Action Mary
  • Rona would reply to the concerned resident. Action Rona
  • Paddy would find and re-circulate on the email loop details of how to receive alerts now that there was not an operational Neighbourhood Watch system. Action Paddy
  • A breakfast was to be held in support of Kenilworth Helping Hands on Sunday March 24th or Sunday April 28th (date to be confirmed)



8. Date, time and venue of Next Meeting

The next committee meetings were scheduled for

March 13th, May 15th, July 17th, Sept 11th, AGM Sept 30th, Nov 27th

Pull the Plug on HS2

There is yet another editorial in The Telegraph this morning (27th January) urging the government to abandon HS2.



Extracts:

It’s hard to imagine a more costly, unattractive combination guaranteed to infuriate British voters: HS2 plus onshore wind turbines. But, amazingly, tone-deaf officials are considering putting the two together. A strategy document seen by this newspaper proposes powering the High Speed rail line with wind farms lining the route. The document suggests prices be pre-agreed with energy firms – described by one analyst as a sweetheart deal – at rates that could lead to passengers and taxpayers paying what effectively amounts to a hidden wind farm subsidy...

HS2 is turning into a case of corporatism at its bloated worst. Its current budget is around £56 billion; it’s now feared that it could cost over £100 billion. The price tag, for example, of buying land between London and Birmingham has tripled in six years. Speaking in Parliament last week, Sir Terry Morgan, the former chair of HS2, said “everyone has their own guesstimate” of the final cost but “nobody knows, actually, the number”. HS2 is considering running fewer trains and – wait for it – at lower speeds to rein in the finances...

Full report:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2019/01/26/please-pull-plug-hs2/


A separate report in the same edition describes the new controversial wind farm plan.



Extracts:

Wind farms could be built along the route of HS2 in a major resurrection of onshore turbines in Britain, under confidential Government-commissioned plans. An official strategy document seen by The Sunday Telegraph proposes powering the controversial rail line using lucrative onshore wind farms spanning the equivalent of 19,000 football fields...

The document indicates that the move would require more land being purchased by developers along the route of the line, and could tip the scheme over its £56 billion budget.

The plan is likely to spark fury among MPs and residents who already fear the line will blight landscape...

The disclosure comes amid growing calls for the project to be scaled back or scrapped. Earlier this month The Sunday Telegraph revealed that HS2 Ltd, the Government-owned firm behind the scheme, had raised the possibility of slashing the number of trains in order to keep control over its budget...


It recognises that onshore turbines could lead to "a degree of resistance at the local level as onshore wind turbines have been considered an 'eyesore' by communities."

Full report:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/26/wind-farms-could-built-along-route-hs2-confidential-government/

Monday 14 January 2019

Crime Prevention

The link immediately below is to a 45-page booklet produced by the Metropolitan Police giving advice on avoiding scams. You can download the PDF file, or read it online...

https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/the-little-book-of-big-scams.pdf

Topics covered include:

  • Online Crime
  • Wi-Fi Hotspots
  • Online Shopping and Auction Sites
  • Computer Software Service Fraud
  • Romance and Dating Fraud
  • Recruitment Fraud
  • Ticketing Fraud
  • Courier Fraud
  • Door to Door Fraud
  • Investment Fraud
  • Scam Mail 
  • What to do if you get scammed - Contacts and Reporting Advice




Additional topical advice about cyber crime here:
https://www.cybersafewarwickshire.com/