the website of South Ashford Community Forum
Smoking is expensive and you might be surprised at how it all adds up. On average, most people who quit save around £250 each month.
That’s nearly £3,000 a year going up in smoke. What else could you spend that money on?
Read more at www.nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/cost-calculator
E-cigarettes are a great way to help combat nicotine cravings and carry a fraction of the risk of cigarettes.
An e-cigarette is a device that allows you to inhale nicotine through vapour rather than smoke. E-cigarettes come in a variety of models and work by heating a solution that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings. E-cigarette vapour doesn’t contain tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke. Using an e-cigarette isn’t completely risk-free, but it carries a small fraction of the risk of smoking and can help you quit.
E-cigarettes are particularly effective when combined with support from local stop smoking services – people who choose this route have some of the highest quitting success rates. E-cigarettes aren’t currently available on NHS prescription, but they can be bought in vape shops, pharmacies and other retail outlets.
Speak to your GP, pharmacist, find out more on the Smokefree website, or
Contact Local stop smoking services for free advice and support
By telephone on 0300 123 1220,
fill in an online form,
text ‘quit’ to 87023,
or call at the One You Shop in Park Mall Ashford
Discretionary Rate Relief – Autumn 2017Ashford Borough Council
Opens: 25 September 2017
Closes: 6th November 2017
The revaluation of business rates by the Valuation Office Agency took effect on 1st April 2017. This has led to some businesses, including some in the Ashford borough, seeing large increases in the rateable value of the premises they occupy.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has now stated that the government has put in place a £300m fund to enable local authorities to put in place a discretionary rate relief scheme. This is intended to help businesses apply for assistance if they have suffered from the impact of the first revaluation for seven years.
Ashford Borough Council has been allocated a share of the £300m funding pot to cover a four-year period, with £350,000 funding confirmed for year one and £175,000 for year two.
The government has issued guidance for local authorities and the council has put together a proposed scheme to help those business ratepayers who have suffered significant increases following the recalculation of the rateable value of the premise they occupy.
We are now consulting on our proposed scheme and invite you to comment. Please read the information in this summary document and then comment via this consultation portal.
You can respond to this consultation before 11.59pm on Monday 6th November 2017. Once the consultation has closed, an ‘output report’ showing all the responses received will be available on the council’s website from Friday 10th November.
Cabinet will meet on Thursday 9th November 2017 and consider the responses to the consultation. Full council will then consider the cabinet’s recommendations on 14th December 2017 and agree how the scheme will work for the remainder of the 2017-18 and then the 2018-19 financial years.
| Name | Discretionary Rate Relief – Autumn 2017 |
|---|---|
| Description | The council is consulting on its proposed discretionary rate relief scheme, following announcement of a funding allocation from government to help businesses adversely affected by the Valuation Office Agency’s revaluation that came into effect on 1st April 2017. |
| Dates | From 25 Sep 2017 at 00:00 to 6 Nov 2017 at 23:59. The results will be published by 10 Nov 2017. |
| Status | Open |
Ashford Borough Council 25 September 2017
https://haveyoursay.ashford.gov.uk/consult.ti/Discretionary_Rate_Relief/consultationHome
A bid by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) has led to the award of £ 167,000, as the first stage of a proposal for £ 3.2 million, from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund England’s Parks for People programme. The funds will be used toward the development stage of the Council’s Victoria Park and Watercess Fields Masterplan.
Chris Dixon, Arts and Cultural Industry Manager at ABC, commented to South Ashford Community Forum, when the application was submitted, “The priority for the programme is to conserve the existing heritage of the designated park, intending to make a significant difference to heritage, people and communities in the area. It is a two stage application process. The first stage is to develop a more detailed second round proposal. We are at the very earliest point, with no confirmed detailed plans, but have an ambition to:
The award follows the signing of a number of Section 106 agreements that allocate nearly £ 470,000, due to be paid on occupation of local developments.
Copycat websites are those which offer services from government departments or local government, but are not the official site and charge an often substantial premium for those services, often with no tangible benefit to the customer. They achieve this by using website tools to achieve high positions in search engines such as Google, often ranking them higher than the official site and making it appear as though they are ‘official’ or ‘authorised’. They also have website addresses designed to confuse with the official site, and often feature a similar look and feel and brand design.Google does not allow promotion of firms which charge fees for services that are free from an official site, yet the copycat sites persist. They are meant to prominently display that the service they are offering is available free of charge or for a lower fee, but this often displayed in small type at the bottom of the page, or not at all. At least one government agency has taken action with the Advertising Standards Authority against sites which have copied their official logo and branding.
Always be sure that you are using the official website, as copycat sites can occupy many of the top listings on your search engine page and end up costing you unnecessary money.
#scamaware
Get Safe Online
https://www.getsafeonline.org/shopping-banking/copycat-websites/
Anyone can be scammed. Scammers are intelligent, charming and persuasive – but feeling embarrassed or ashamed about falling for a scam can stop people from reporting them or getting the help they need.
Read Michael’s story to see how it could happen to anyone.
Play your part and share your experience on social media with #scamaware and help stop scams.
“I saw my dream car being advertised on Facebook. I had many conversations with the seller and it all seemed above board. All I needed to do was pay a deposit of £3,850 and when the car was delivered I would pay the balance.
“The next day I waited for my car and it didn’t arrive. I tried calling the seller but he never responded.
“I went to my bank and they said their fraud team would investigate. A few weeks later they got in touch, said they had retrieved my money and would be transferring it back to me.
“I will say that if you see something that seems too good to be true, then it probably is and if I am ever asked to do a bank transfer again I’ll decline as your money is not protected.”
Michael
Citizens Advice
http://scams.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Older people and those who are isolated in their community are often targeted by scammers. If you know or visit someone who might be a target you can support them by keeping an eye out for potential signs of scams.
Someone you know might be being targeted if they:
Citizens Advice
http://scams.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Reporting is really important in the fight against scams and fraud. It might help you to recover your losses and it helps the authorities to learn more about the tactics used by scammers.
The more we know about scams the better we can tackle them.
If you suspect a scam report it to Action Fraud – you can use their online reporting tool: www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud.
If you’ve lost money in a scam, tell your bank, finance company or pension provider.
For more advice call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06.
#scamaware
Citizen’s Advice
http://scams.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Scams are often hard to spot as they’re complex and use psychological tricks. You can keep yourself and others safe by knowing when it might be a scam.
If you’re not sure if something is a scam, get advice.
Talk to friends and family if something seems too good to be true, or call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06.
#scamaware
Citizens Advice
http://scams.citizensadvice.org.uk/
We’re taking part in Scams Awareness Month 2017 throughout July to help consumers stay #scamaware. Get involved:goo.gl/MMFqPo