Suffolk Trading Standards warn of more scams

https://mailchi.mp/4d4a96567653/beware-of-doorstep-traders-offering-garden-furniture-1554662?e=9c67373f48

BABERGH AND MID SUFFOLK DISTRICT COUNCILS MEDIA RELEASE  

We’re rooting for new parents during COVID-19 and beyond

For immediate release: 29 May 2020

A Tree for Life scheme in Babergh and Mid Suffolk which offers a free tree for new parents, is now open for 2020 applications allowing families to apply from home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Recognising that new parents may be feeling more isolated than usual, and looking for something to look forward to with their new arrival, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils have now opened their Tree for Life applications.

It is open to all families in the districts who welcome a new arrival between 1 January and 31 December 2020, in addition to parents who may have lost a child during the same period to apply for a remembrance tree.

The initiative offers parents with a new born or newly adopted child the chance to mark their arrival by planting a tree.

It aims to benefit families, communities and the environment by boosting tree coverage across the district.

This year’s relaunch follows a bumper 2019 scheme with over 400 trees given away earlier in the year, ahead of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tree collection events were held in Stowmarket and Hitcham, where expert help was on hand to advise families on their tree choice and aftercare at home.

Open to all including those without a garden, a selection of trees were also planted with families at key locations in the districts including Needham Lake, Shotley Golden Wood, Broom Hill in Hadleigh, Gallowsfield Wood in Haughley and Sproughton Millennium Green.

Mid Suffolk saw a total of 274 successful applications in 2019, a 53% increase in take up compared to 2018.

In Babergh, where the Tree for Life scheme launched for the first time in November last year, there were 196 applicants.

According to the Office for National Statistics, that means around 30% of families with newborns in our districts applied for the scheme, but now the councils are encouraging even more people to claim their free tree this year.

Cllr Elisabeth Malvisi, Babergh District Council’s cabinet member for environment, said:

“While we are in uncertain times, I hope that by opening applications now we can give our new families something to look forward to over coming months.

“I’m proud that in just a matter of months, Tree for Life in Babergh has blossomed beyond expectation providing a unique opportunity to benefit our environment and support the county-wide climate ambitions, while also giving families a reason to spend time in the garden planting and nurturing their tree for the years to come.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to claim their free tree.”

Cllr Jessica Fleming, Mid Suffolk District Council’s cabinet member for environment, said:

“I hope that while we face so much uncertainty during the coronavirus outbreak, this news brings our residents some joy to see the smiling faces of families collecting their trees earlier this year.

“The scheme looks to continue to grow year on year in Mid Suffolk, but of course we still want even more families to take up the opportunity and give back to our communities by making sure our environment can be enjoyed by future generations.

“I’d encourage any new parent to apply online before 17 January next year.”

Families can apply for their tree on the councils’ website with 2020 applications closing on 17 January 2021.

Any applications and queries received about the scheme will be processed and responded to later in the year.

The trees must be planted within the two districts and eligible applicants will be invited to choose and collect their tree at a tree giving event expected to be in early 2021.

ENDS

The PC is pleased to welcome Janet Elnaugh as a Councillor.  Janet and her family moved to Drinkstone in 2016 and now keeps a small holding including bees and alpacas.  She has a background in early years education and is very interested in the environment and the preservation of the countryside for all to enjoy.  Janet will be taking on a portfolio of community engagement and planning.

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https://www.babergh.gov.uk/news/we-know-youve-bin-waiting/

Drinkstone is in Area 2 so our brown bin collection will start again on Thursday 14th May. 

You can find below the important information you need to support our residents:

• Residents should double check their collection day and or area on our website first, and make sure their bin is out on the right day at 6:30am
• We have also included an excel (attached) for you, to help support with residents’ queries, however, we ask that you don’t forward this on to residents.
• Only the bin(s) should be put out for collection – residents should not overfill them and must be able to close the lid.
• Any additional waste should be emptied into their bin(s) over several collections, or temporarily stored as we will only be collecting the bins.
• We continue to encourage residents to keep composting, as well as reduce their waste to ease pressure on services. Composting offers can be found on the Suffolk Recycling website.
• No residents will be out of pocket from the stoppage – no new invoices have been issued since the collections were forced to stop and subscriptions will be amended to reflect the missed collections with more details on our website.
• To prioritise collections of missed garden waste bins, we are currently not accepting new subscriptions until further notice.
• Residents should check for any unplanned delays on the councils website first, before reporting a missed bin or calling customer services, to help reduce pressure on services at this time.

Please do encourage residents to share information (safely of course) with neighbours and friends.

In Suffolk there are still a large number of houses that do not have a central heating system with a boiler and radiators. Cold homes are not just uncomfortable to live in, they can also have a negative effect on health. Within your town / parish there will be residents who could qualify for a grant towards first time central heating either oil or gas depending on availability.

The funding comes from National Grid and Community Interest Company, Affordable Warmth Solution’s Warm Homes Fund and is available across Suffolk until 2021 or until funding runs out.

Additional Council funding is available to cover up to 100% of the costs so residents could get a free system although landlords are required to contribute.

Residents must own their property or be privately renting (i.e. not a council house or housing association property) and must not have an existing central heating system (a boiler and radiators).  Eligibility criteria apply – For more information see www.greensuffolk.org/whf

Anyone who would like to know more about the scheme can contact us by:

• Calling the Suffolk Warm Homes Healthy People service on 03456 037 686 (local rate)
• Completing the online enquiry form at www.greensuffolk.org/seaenquiry or
• Emailing whhp@eastsuffolk.gov.uk quoting the ‘Warm Homes Fund’.

BABERGH AND MID SUFFOLK DISTRICT COUNCILS MEDIA RELEASE  

Coronavirus update from Babergh and Mid Suffolk

  For immediate release on Tuesday 24 March 2020

 Following the statement by the Prime Minister last night (23 March 2020), Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils have introduced further changes to their services in order to protect the public and staff, and to help prevent the spread of the virus, in line with Government guidance.

 These are as follows:

 We are closing our play parks. This will be done where possible by locking gates and putting up signage.

Customer Access Points in Ipswich Street, Stowmarket and Sudbury Town Hall have closed for ‘face to face’ enquiries and visits. Residents with council enquiries are now asked to go online wherever possible at www.midsuffolk.gov.uk or www.babergh.gov.uk.

If customers can’t resolve their query online, they should email us at Customer.Services@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk in the first instance.
The customer services team are also available on 0300 123 4000, however, this should only be used by those who do not have access to the internet, as high volumes of calls may mean it takes us longer to respond to individual queries over the phone.

Customers are encouraged to make payments online only, as we are currently unable to process post/scanning.

Repairs to our council housing stock are now absolutely essential items only until further notice.

Garden waste collections have now been suspended. This is to allow the council to prioritise essential collections.

The councils will not be invoicing for garden waste, or trade waste during this period.

We have further limited access to our headquarters at Endeavour House, with staff, where possible and if not already, working from home.

We will continue to review the delivery of our priority services and the redeployment of staff to directly support the most vulnerable; who are of course now on greater lockdown, at risk of isolation and not being able to access their vital medication and food.

This is in addition to the measures already introduced by the councils over the last few days.

The councils will continue to regularly communicate about individual issues and changes to services, as required, over the coming days.

ENDS

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MSDC have suspended the collection of garden waste to divert manpower to the recycling and household waste collection rounds.

Dear Councillors

 All Suffolk Recycling Centres be closed from today (Monday 23 March) until further notice. The safety of customers and staff is very important, therefore in accordance with current government Coronavirus guidelines of avoiding non-essential contact and preventing a risk of infection to others, the sites will be closed. It is essential that we do all we can to slow down the spread of the virus.  

 We will shortly put out public information announcing the closures and advising residents:

 That much of the waste that goes through the Recycling Centres is bulky waste (large items such as furniture, wood and metals) and garden waste.  People should hold onto these items until the sites reopen. Do not put any electrical items in any of your bins at home.

Where possible people should compost grass cuttings and hedge trimmings and if you can’t do that keep your garden waste until we reopen. For more information on how to compost at home please visit https://suffolkrecycling.org.uk/reduce-your-waste/home-composting

Please do not leave any waste outside the Recycling Centres – staff should concentrate on delivering waste services and leaving waste outside the centres is classed as fly tipping and is a criminal offence for which people will be prosecuted.

FCC Environment staff, who operate the Recycling Centres on behalf of Suffolk County Council, may be redeployed to assist other essential services across Suffolk if needed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A series of tweets will also be sent out by the SCC corporate communications team.

For further information please visit www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk 

As concern about COVID-19 increases, so does the chance of residents being susceptible to becoming victims of related scams.

Opportunistic traders and scammers are taking advantage of the vulnerability of those panicked by the coronavirus – since February The National Fraud and Intelligence Bureau has identified 21 victims of fraud linked to the coronavirus, with more than £800,000 being stolen nationally.

The sale of fraudulent health products is one of the tactics used by scammers in an attempt to deceive the public. Fraudsters are sending messages or creating websites containing information about ‘miracle’ products, including convincing personal testimonials or a conspiracy theory backstory. These testimonials are easy to fabricate and are not a substitute for scientific evidence or government guidance.  Currently, there are no approved vaccines or drugs to prevent coronavirus, although treatments are in development.

This isn’t the only retail scam that victims can fall prey to, as the coronavirus outbreak worsens, there have been numerous reports nationally about scam websites claiming to sell face masks online. Phony shop fronts have also been set up selling other highly sought after items such as anti-bacterial hand sanitiser. To protect themselves consumers should only make purchases from reputable stores and websites. The best way to avoid getting scammed is to buy directly from a seller you know and trust.

If you are making purchases from an online store you haven’t used previously, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase.  Always ensure the company is legitimate and has working contact information before you share personal details such as your name, address and card information. Should 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.

Fraudsters are also capitalising on the public’s good nature – there has been an increase in fake charities being set up, with scam emails claiming to be a government programme developing a coronavirus vaccine, being sent to persuade people to donate to fake fundraising efforts. A charity’s authenticity should always be verified with the Charity Commission before making donations.

Phishing emails, in which con artists impersonate the World Health Organisation, is another tactic used by scammers. These messages claim to have news about the disease and prompt readers to download malicious software. The best way to combat falling victim to this is to only use trusted sources – such as legitimate government websites for up to date, fact based information about COVID 19. Be wary of e-mail attachments and avoid clicking on links in unsolicited e-mails. Do not reveal personal or financial information in e-mail, and do not respond to email requests for this information. You can protect your devices from the latest cyber threats by always installing the most up to date software and apps.

If you think you have may have been approached by fraudsters or fallen victim to a scam please report this to Suffolk Trading Standards, via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, on 0808 223 1133.