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Ashford Borough Council have received notice that the payphones at Victoria Park and Christchurch are among eight further payphones that BT intend to remove.

There is an opportunity for a local community group to adopt the payphones. BT would like to hear the view of the community on the proposal.

Please comment on this post – we will feed your comments back to ABC.

BT’s letter to ABC says:

Dear Chief Planning Officer,

We’re continually reviewing the demand for our payphones and we’ve identified 8 public payphones in your area that aren’t being used enough. We’re proposing to remove them under the 90 day consultation process. The list of payphones is attached.

To make sure that the local community are fully informed, we’ve placed consultation notices [including the posting date] on these payphones. A sample notice is attached.

Why do we want to remove payphones?

Overall use of payphones has declined by over 90 per cent in the last decade and the need to provide payphones for use in emergency situations is diminishing all the time, with at least 98 per cent of the UK having mobile coverage. This Is important because as long as there is mobile network coverage, it’s possible to call the emergency services, even when there is no
coverage from your own mobile network provider.

Also, Ofcom’s affordability report found that most people no longer view payphones as essential for consumers in most circumstances.

How can a community keep a red phone box?

This is a great opportunity for local communities, councils and charities, to adopt their red phone box and make it an asset for everyone to enjoy. People across the country are using them for everything from defibrillators to foodbanks. It ‘ s really simple to do and costs just £1 – http://bt.com/adopt

What we’re asking you to do

We’d welcome your feedback on whether the payphones are still needed and we’d appreciate your help.

Ofcom’s statement following their 2005 review of universal service in the telecommunications market gives the responsibility to the local authority to consult with the local community on the removal of payphone service. They would normally expect these consultations to involve other public organisations such as parish or community councils and work within the terms of the Communications Act 2003.

What to do next

Please complete and return the attached annex with your decision on each payphone by email to btp.authorisation.team@bt.com. Please retain proof that the email was sent or apply a read receipt.

Just select agree if you’re happy for us fo remove it.

If the local community wish to adopt, please provide their contact details and we’ll do the rest.

If you decide to object, you’ll need to complete the last column with your reasons. You must be able to objectively justify your decisions based upon telephony needs. Annex 1 in Otcom’s fullguidance about removing phone boxes states that BT’s Universal Service Obligation applies to the telephone, not the phone box. The guidance also details the appeals process we must follow for unreasonable objections. It would, for example, be inappropriate for a local authority to object to removal of a public call box because it is a local landmark or on ‘heritage’ grounds.

We’ll assume you have no objection to the removal of a payphone if information on the form is incomplete or an adoption does not proceed.

The full list of payphones that are proposed for removal are here

Those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) should be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.

This group includes those who are:

• aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
• under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (ie anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
  • chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
  • chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
  • chronic kidney disease
  • chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
  • chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
  • diabetes
  • problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
  • a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
  • being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
• those who are pregnant

Note: there are some clinical conditions which put people at even higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. If you are in this category, next week the NHS in England will directly contact you with advice the more stringent measures you should take in order to keep yourself and others safe. For now, you should rigorously follow the social distancing advice in full, outlined below.

People falling into this group are those who may be at particular risk due to complex health problems such as:

• people who have received an organ transplant and remain on ongoing immunosuppression medication
• people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia who are at any stage of treatment
• people with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma (requiring hospital admissions or courses of steroid tablets)
• people with severe diseases of body systems, such as severe kidney disease (dialysis)

Public Health England
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

Wednesday 19th February 2020
10:00 – 11:00 Halfords
11:30 – 12:30 Victoria Park (Playground)
also:
13:00 – 14:00 Sk8side
14:30 – 15:30 Stanhope (Ball Court)
16:00 – 17:00 Bockhanger (next to old library)

Security marking your pushbike could help to deter thieves as well
asmaking it easier for Kent Police to reunite you with your bike should
it be lost or stolen.

Simply bring along your bike and Kent Police will mark it for FREE.

This ls done by placing a unique code onto the frame and use of a tamper proof sticker. The bike wll also he registered onto a national database allowlng it to be identified even if it gets recovered in a different County.

For further details please follow Kent Police social media feeds on Twitter or Facebook or visit www.kent.police.uk

• Do a home energy check to find out about savings of up to £130 a year on household energy bills. Visit the Simple Energy Advice website and get personalised energy savings advice.
• Visit your local Citizens Advice office to get advice in person about how to reduce your energy bills.
• If anyone in your household is receiving benefits, contact your energy supplier and see what support they can provide. They should be able to tell you what help is available through the Energy Company Obligation.
• If you need a little extra help from your energy company – including large print bills or more support during a power cut – you can apply to be added to your electricity network priority services register.
• Check if you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount. Energy suppliers can provide rebates to households on certain benefits. The rebate is £140 for 2019/20 and you should contact your electricity supplier directly to see if you qualify

Use your power to make a BIG difference!

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Citizens Advice, Energy Saving Trust
’20 Ways to Save Easy, expert-approved, energy-saving actions’
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/campaigns/BESW%202020/20%20ways%20to%20save%20(1).pdf

There are things you can do to protect yourself from being scammed online.

Check you’re buying from a real company

It’s important to check you’re buying from a real company. If you’re buying something on a site you haven’t used before, spend a few minutes checking it – start by finding its returns policy. The company’s address should have a street name, not just a post office box.

Check to see what people have said about the company. It’s worth looking for reviews on different websites – don’t rely on reviews the company has put on their own website.

Also, don’t rely on seeing a padlock in the address bar of your browser – this doesn’t guarantee you’re buying from a real company.

Don’t click on or download anything you don’t trust

Don’t click on or download anything you don’t trust – for example, if you get an email from a company with a strange email address. Doing this could infect your computer with a virus.

Make sure your antivirus software is up to date to give you more protection.

Be careful about giving personal information away

Some scammers try to get your personal information – for example, the name of your primary school. They can use this information to hack your accounts. If you come across sites that ask for this type of information without an obvious reason, check they’re legitimate.

Check if your details have been shared online

Sometimes your log-in details can be made publicly available when a website is hacked. This means that someone could use your details in a scam. Check whether your accounts have been put at risk on Have I Been Pwned.

Make your online accounts secure

Make sure you have a strong password for your email accounts that you don’t use anywhere else. If you’re worried about remembering lots of different passwords, you can use a password manager.

Some websites let you add a second step when you log in to your account – this is known as ‘two-factor authentication’. This makes it harder for scammers to access your accounts.

Find out how to set up two-factor authentication across services like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Outlook and iTunes on the website Turnon2fa.

Pay by debit or credit card

Pay by card to get extra protection if things go wrong. Read our advice on getting your money back after you’ve been scammed.

Know how your bank operates

Check your bank’s website to see how your bank will and won’t communicate with you. For example, find out what type of security questions they’ll ask if they phone you.

Citizens Advice

#scamaware

Development of a light maintenance depot including the demolition of existing structures, the provision of a two storey 500sq.m workers accommodation block, 36 parking spaces and associated works for the movement in, and stabling of, railway rolling stock and associated equipment at the former Bombardier Depot, Chart Leacon

18/01842/AS

Start of Consultation: 2 Jan 2019, End of Consultation: 26 Jan 2019

Related Application

18/00003/EIA/AS Screening Opinion : Proposed reinstatement of a railway siding facility for the movement in, and stabling of, rail cars and associated equipment  Posted on 11 August 2018