the website of South Ashford Community Forum
Statistics for crimes committed in the unparished area of South Ashford have been provided by www.police.uk/
Compare these statistics with previous months and years on our Crime Statistics page
https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/local-information/safety-and-security/crime-statistics/
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Stagecoach bus services and timetables are temporarily changing due to COVID-19
Following government advice to limit non-essential travel, we’re making changes to our South East services and timetables from Monday 30 March 2020.
The changes ensure that essential routes are maintained wherever possible. Please make sure you’ve got the most up-to-date information. At the moment, the latest information won’t be available on our journey planner but click below to download the temporary timetables:
If you’re a key worker and need to give us feedback on our temporary timetables across West Scotland because you’re concerned they don’t meet your needs, or you have comments about social distancing you can do so here.
If you need more information about our response to COVID- 19, please visit our Coronavirus webpage
We want to reassure you that our absolute priority is to protect the safety of our customers and employees. So, we’ve introduced enhanced hygiene measures across all our buses and are encouraging the use of contactless payment, which keeps us all a little safer. You can pay by contactless with your card or device on all our buses so please go contactless if you can.
We are compiling the latest advice about COVID-19. Use the links to find more information.
All of our information is taken from authorative UK sources.
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You will have seen/heard that the Government is planning to ask those over 70 to stop social contact for a prolonged period.
The Minister for Health has emphasised that the Government have not yet decided when this period should start. Starting too early will prolong the period that over 70s need to ‘self-isolate’.
Those with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic lung disease and some cancers may be more suscetible to more severe affects of the virus and should take extra care to protect themselves.
For more advice on Coronavirus see our earlier post
The Prime Minister, supported by the Chief Scientific Advisor and the Chief Medical Officer announced new measures to limit the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) this afternoon.
No new restrictions on events were announced. Schools are expected to continue to open as normal, unless advised otherwise by local public health officers.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild infection
Those self-isolating with mild symptoms will not be tested.
The Chief Medical Officer emphasised that the most important thing for individuals to continue to use good hygiene practice previously recommended.
Kent County Council has launched its Trading Standards Checked scheme for businesses in the home repair and improvement sector.
Trading Standards Checked helps protect Kent residents – especially those who are more vulnerable to doorstep callers – from criminal and rogue traders. It also supports legitimate businesses by giving them trusted accreditation to show consumers that they are legitimate and trustworthy.
Traders applying to be on the scheme are checked thoroughly. KCC has access to information and systems that no other scheme in Kent has, together with highly trained, experienced staff with a range of skills developed in their work supporting KCC Trading Standards.
Mike Hill, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, said: “Trading Standards Checked is a trusted accreditation like no other for Kent traders.
“It will set businesses apart and give customers peace of mind when dealing with Trading Standards Checked traders. It’s also a simple, hassle free trader scheme that offers value for money and provides businesses with all the support they need to trade with confidence.”
KCC currently has two special offers for traders, which are available until 31 March.
Kent members of Checkatrade are offered free membership for the first year, and non-members of Checkatrade can benefit from an “early-bird” discount of 50%, which means a fee of £249 plus VAT for the year.
Consumer advice is available at:
https://tschecked.kent.gov.uk/consumer-advice
Information for traders at www.kent.gov.uk/tschecked
Kent County Council, 10 March 2020
https://kccmediahub.net/kccs-trading-standards-checked-scheme-launched745
PayPal customers encouraged by sellers to make payments via its ‘friends and family’ option instead of ‘goods and services’ are unnecessarily leaving themselves without payment protection – and some are even losing cash.
PayPal’s system allows users to select between making a payment for ‘goods or services’ – which comes with Buyer Protection should something go wrong – or ‘family and friends’ which is essentially a money transfer and does not offer protection.
In the last two weeks alone, we’ve spoken to several MoneySavers who have been encouraged by sellers to make payments using the ‘friends and family’ option – in some cases by online scammers.
We don’t know for certain why scammers do this, but we believe it’s because it’s harder for shoppers who’ve paid via ‘friends and family’ to get their money back. Legitimate traders can also benefit from being paid via ‘friends and family’ because those who are paid via it aren’t charged a fee, unlike with the ‘goods and services’ option.
However, the message on this is clear and simple: if someone selling you goods or a service asks you to send a friends and family payment, you should refuse. Otherwise you won’t be reimbursed if something goes wrong.
Callum Mason
MoneySavingExpert.com 10 March 2020
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/03/paypal-scam-victims-warn-against-fraudsters-who-ask-for–family-/
Wangiri is a Japanese word meaning ‘one (ring) and cut’.
It’s a telephone scam where criminals trick you into calling premium rate numbers.
A fraudster will set up a system to dial a large number of random phone numbers. Each calls rings just once, then hangs up, leaving a missed call on the recipients’ phone.
A person finds a missed call on their phone. If the person calls the number back they will be re-routed to a premium rate number overseas and will be subsequentlycharged for the expensive call.
The call…
Since February 2020, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has identified 21 reports of fraud where Coronavirus was mentioned, with victim losses totaling over £800k.
Of the 21 reports, ten were made by victims that attempted to purchase protective face masks from fraudulent sellers. One victim reported losing over £15k when they purchased face masks that were never delivered.
We have also received multiple reports about coronavirus-themed phishing emails attempting to trick people into opening malicious attachments or revealing sensitive personal and financial information.
One common tactic used by fraudsters is to contact potential victims over email purporting to be from research organisation’s affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
They claim to be able to provide the recipient with a list of coronavirus infected people in their area. In order to access this information, the victim needs to click on a link, which leads to a malicious website, or is asked to make a payment in Bitcoin.
Reporting numbers are expected to rise as the virus continues to spread across the world.
Protect yourself
Watch out for scam messages:
Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.
If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases.
For more information on how to shop online safely, please visit: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/shoponlinesafely
Always install the latest software and app updates to protect your devices from the latest threats. For information on how to update your devices, please visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/securing-your-devices
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Action Fraud, 6 March 2020
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-scam-costs-victims-over-800k-in-one-month
The main precepting authorities for residents of the Borough have announced their proposed precepts for the year commencing 6 April 2020 as shown in the table below for a Band D property:
| Authority | 19/20 | % Rise | £ Rise | 20/21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCC | £1,299.42 | 3.99% | £51.84 | £1,351.26 |
| ABC | £162.50 | 3.08% | £5.00 | £167.50 |
| FRA | £77.76 | 1.97% | £1.53 | £79.29 |
| PCC | £193.15 | 5.18% | £10.00 | £203.15 |
| Total unparished | £1,732.83 | 3.95% | £68.37 | £1,801.20 |
The total Council Tax for each property band is shown in the table below.
| Band | Proportion Band D | % Band D | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | Rise pa | 2019/20 pm | 2020/21 pm | Rise pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6/9 | 67% | £1,155.22 | £1,200.80 | £45.58 | £115.52 | £120.08 | £4.56 |
| B | 7/9 | 78% | £1,347.76 | £1,400.93 | £53.18 | £134.78 | £140.09 | £5.32 |
| C | 8/9 | 89% | £1,540.29 | £1,601.07 | £60.77 | £154.03 | £160.11 | £6.08 |
| D | 9/9 | 100% | £1,732.83 | £1,801.20 | £68.37 | £173.28 | £180.12 | £6.84 |
| E | 11/9 | 122% | £2,117.90 | £2,201.47 | £83.56 | £211.79 | £220.15 | £8.36 |
| F | 13/9 | 144% | £2,502.98 | £2,601.73 | £98.76 | £250.30 | £260.17 | £9.88 |
| G | 15/9 | 167% | £2,888.05 | £3,002.00 | £113.95 | £288.81 | £300.20 | £11.40 |
| H | 18/9 | 200% | £3,465.66 | £3,602.40 | £136.74 | £346.57 | £360.24 | £13.67 |
Some authorities have yet to vote on their budgets.
References: