We were made aware of an incident at Cell Barnes Lane, yesterday, with armed police on the scene. Obviously especially at the moment residents were concerned. We were able to contact the police who confirmed the incident concerned people who were known to each other and resulted in Aggravated Bodily Harm and a stabbing. The armed police were passing through the area heard the call on the radio and attended the incident.

Whilst it is never good to hear of stabbings in the area it is slightly more reassuring that the people concerned knew each other and that firearms weren’t actually involved.

The update below includes new information on:

• Shielding constituents – new HCC phone line for care needs 
• Volunteer support from Communities First – information leaflet coming
• Self-employed – new package of support announced
• Citizens Advice Bureau – service changes 
• Age UK advice on staying safe at home – online and offline
• Which? Consumer rights advice – insurance, cancelled travel and events 
• Mental health – links for all, including young people 
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline
• DistanceSINGALONGfor adults with learning disabilities 
• Scammers now targeting by text message 
• Household Waste Recycling Centres – keep your bulk waste at home!
• How to get my e-newsletter

Shielding constituents – new HCC phone line for care needs 

If you are a vulnerable ‘shielding’ constituent you should receive a letter from the NHS this week with details on how to access help. In addition, if you need help with care (or if you know someone who does), you can contact Hertfordshire County Council Adult Care Services on this new helpline: 0300 123 7577

Volunteer support from Communities First – information leaflet coming

Later this week Communities First will deliver a leaflet to every household so that everyone in our area knows of their existence and has contact details. If you need help, they can help you. You can contact Communities First on 020 3559 3559. Every volunteer has a DBS security check, requires two references and must provide ID. This is a safe way of accessing volunteer support. If you are not vulnerable and don’t have symptoms, please volunteer without delay. Individuals can sign-up using: www.communities1st.org.uk/COVID-19-community-signup

Self-employed – new package of support announced

Today (Thurs 26^th March), the government has announced a taxable grant to some of the self-employed. It will be 80% of average profits over the past three years, up to £2,500 a month. The intention is to create the same amount of support as that already announced for furlough employees. The Government has also suggested that tax and national insurance advantages for being self-employment may be reviewed after the COVID-19 crisis. This support will be in place from the start of June, but can be backdated to March. Those who have not already filed their tax return for the last financial year will now have four weeks to do so. Those who cannot benefit from these measures, can apply for Universal Credit up to £1,800 a month. See here for details: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-gives-support-to-millions-of-self-employed-individuals

Citizens Advice Bureau – service changes 

Citizens Advice St Albans District has announced that face-to-face advice services in the St Albans Civic Centre, as well as outreach services in Harpenden, Redbourn, London Colney and Wheathampstead, will be suspended for the foreseeable future.

People who have already booked appointments should not attend and should call Citizens Advice St Albans District on 01727 811118 for a telephone appointment.

There are a number of ways people can continue to get advice during this time.

• Visit the Citizens Advice website at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ for advice and to chat online to an adviser 
• Get help with a new claim for Universal Credit by calling the Universal Credit Help to Claim line on 0800 1448444.
• Call Citizens Advice St Albans on 01727 811118 between 10am & 4pm to request a phone appointment with local advisers.
• Visit www.castad.org.uk for local webchat and email advice
• Seek general advice from the Hertfordshire Adviceline service, which people can reach by calling 03444 111 444, or 03000 3300 650 from a mobile.
• Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, or chat online to an advisor on our website, for advice on consumer issues (e.g. issues related to products or services you’ve purchased).

Waiting times for some of these services may be slightly longer than usual as we adapt to our new patterns of working.

Age UK advice on staying safe at home – online and offline

Being asked to stay at home can be more of a worrying time for some than others. For more information on safeguarding during this worrying time, information on how to avoid scams, and how to deal with an abusive partner, former partner or family member: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/staying-safe-and-well-at-home/staying-safe/

Which? Consumer rights advice – insurance, cancelled travel and events 

Which? has created a consumer rights hub to keep people updated with useful information and advice: https://www.which.co.uk/news/coronavirus/

It is completely free for anyone to access, and brings together all the latest news, updates and advice on issues related to Covid-19. This includes what people should do about cancelled travel arrangements, postponed events and insurance issues; right through to helping people to spot fake news and scams, how to manage their finances if they find themselves in an uncertain situation, and recommending technology to help them stay in touch with elderly and self-isolated friends and family. 

Mental health – links for all, including young people 

I know that many residents may be feeling anxious about the Coronavirus and how it could affect them and their families. 

Mental health charity MIND has practical advice and tips for looking after your mental health and wellbeing whilst staying at home, including a handy checklist to help manage this.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

They also have information specifically for young people who are worried about coronavirus and want to know how to cope with changes to their lives. 

National Domestic Abuse Helpline

The freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247

You can speak to a member of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline team atany time, day or night. The Helpline adviser will offer confidential, non-judgmental information and expert support. The team will provide a listening ear if you want to talk about your experiences and support you to work through your options in the short and long term. The Helpline can also help you to access refuge accommodation, or other specialist domestic violence services, if you need them. It uses the services of Language Line to provide access to interpreters for non-English-speaking callers. You can also leave a voicemail which tells them when a safe time to call you back would be. In an emergency, always call 999

Distance SINGALONG for adults with learning disabilities 

Electric Umbrella volunteers are running EU TV via Facebook Live and Zoom – four times a day so that anyone can interact musically from home or just listen eg. Social Distant-Sing  – see https://www.facebook.com/ElectricUmbrella. The team have set this up because the mission to prevent isolation for adults with learning disabilities has suddenly taken on new resonance in the current crisis. Please join the Facebook link if you are interested.

Scammers now targeting by text message 

Do not open Links on text messages from senders you do not recognise. There are scammers sending text messages which claim that you can get an HMRC goodwill payment by clicking the link. This is a scam. You should not click through to any links sent by text messages that you do not recognise. 

Household Waste Recycling Centres – keep your bulk waste at home!

Over 500 residents have tried to access our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) since the Government announced restrictions on non-essential travel. All HWRCs in Hertfordshire are closed and visiting an HWRC is not essential, please do not try to go to one.

Tim Farron has promised to take Britain back into the EU

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-06-26/lib-dems-we-will-take-britain-back-into-the-eu/

After much pestering I have finally secured a new date for the resurfacing of Drakes Drive.

This work will now be carried out on the 14 July. The County Council will send out notices to residents at the start of July advising them of the action they need to take to allow the work to be completed.

The question I have still not had answered is, “Why has it taken so long to fix probably the worst road in the district”.

St.Albans City and District Council Liberal Democrats Group started the New Year where they left off in 2012 when they won a second vote within less than two months last night against the ruling Conservatives. This decision should  benefit all new Council tenants if the Cabinet accepts the recommendations from this Special Council meeting.

Having inflicted one defeat on the Tories over the draft Strategic Local Plan and the protection of the Green Belt at the previous meeting, they suffered a second yesterday when the Lib Dems and Labour put forward a joint motion on the Tenancy Strategy which they won with the support of the Independents. It increasingly seems that the Tories are out of touch and can no long guarantee getting any of their major policies through Council without the support of at least one other opposition Group.

Commenting after the meeting Cllr. Rob Prowse said,

“This new form of tenure would no longer provide lifetime security as it always has done but would be replaced by a fixed term ‘flexible’ tenancy for up to a maximum of five years.  At the end of this period there would be an automatic review and if the tenant did not meet the Council’s housing criteria, including a new joint income threshold, they would have to leave their home and find alternative accommodation either renting or buying in the private sector locally or elsewhere if they could.”

“As I said in my contribution to the debate I am particularly concerned that the Conservatives had not thought through the unintended consequence of this proposed Strategy for example those with special needs and families with children. It could, for example, cause quite unnecessary stress and anxiety for couples with children at critical stages of their education if family incomes rose to anywhere near the set threshold limits and they had to find alternative accommodation locally.”

The average house price is now £371,131 in St Albans  (Halifax survey) and monthly private sector rents are also at a very high level, this policy could easily lead to increased homelessness in St .Albans. It could result in a new group of unscrupulous private landlords locally who seek to profiteer out of this situation and to an increase in substandard, overcrowded and overpriced private accommodation.

The Conservative cabinet must now look again at the tenancy strategy. Rob went on to say,

“This decision is good news for all new Council tenants who should now enjoy greater security of tenure than they would have done even when a revised Strategy has been considered more fully and introduced later this year. That is as long as the Cabinet now accepts Council’s democratic recommendations. If it does not I can assure our political opponents that Liberal Democrats will have no option but to carry on fighting their cause!”

Hertfordshire Council’s hugely expensive and inappropriate “Spin Machine” has spun out of control again.  Leader of the Opposition on Hertfordshire County Council, Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst has made further complaints, this time regarding press releases issued by the Council that are inaccurate and misleading.

During the Christmas silly season the massive County Council press operation issued a press release regarding a Conservative County Councillor’s locality budget and how they had spent it.  According to the statement issued by the Herts press team on 28th December one County Councillor had managed to provide a traditional 3 course Christmas meal, drinks, entertainment, transport and Christmas gifts for only one pound per head.   After reading the press statement Liberal Democrat Leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst said “The statement issued by Herts County Council was very badly worded. If the initial press statement was taken at face value anyone might think that there had been a Christmas miracle with loaves and fishes.  I have complained and have received assurances that misleading press releases like this won’t be issued again.  However with a team of 26 staff that cost £3,000,000 a year I don’t think this mistake should have been made at all.

“This is not the first misleading mistake the County Council communications team have made, they have sent out emails claiming that Lib Dem Councillors made decisions to turn street lights out in their Divisions when in reality Lib Dems sought local flexible schemes, where local people had a say. The Council press team also published links to the Conservative decision to build the giant Hatfield Incinerator on Lib Dem Councillors pages – causing some local people to believe that Liberal Democrats had supported this plan when this is clearly not true.

“This spin machine needs to stop spinning, and at the very least check their facts.  In these difficult times when the Council is re-examining all expenditure the Liberal Democrat Team will be looking at investing more money in protecting front-line services to Hertfordshire residents and spending a lot less money on spin”.

For the latest updates on plans for bad weather

http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/advice-and-benefits/winter/default.aspx

Posted January 5, 2013 Comments (0)