LAKENHEATH PARISH COUNCIL
School Travel Policy Changes
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Message from West Suffolk Council
Re-register now for housing waiting list
From today, people in Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury who are on the housing list, can re-register to carry on bidding on properties after 1 April.
Councils across the Cambridge Sub-Region including Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury are changing IT provider for the database it uses for its choice based letting scheme, Home-Link. This is because a contract with another IT supplier is coming to an end. The new register comes into effect from 1 April 2019.
West Suffolk councils has already emailed all 2500 people on its housing register to tell them about changes that are coming into effect. People have to give an email address when they register, and where those emails show as undelivered, letters have been sent to the postal address they registered with instead. The Council is also highlighting the changes via the media and social media.
As this is a new provider the Council can’t simply transfer the data held from one provider to another. The change of system will also ensure that the information we hold is up-to-date and reflects their housing needs and priority.
Cllr Sara Mildmay-White, Cabinet Member for Housing at West Suffolk councils said: “If people want to ensure that they are able to continue viewing and bidding on properties from 1 April without any delay or disruption, then they need to act now. If they re-register in February, we can process their application in time ready for the 1 April switchover. Of course they can still register after the end of this month but we won’t be able to guarantee that their application will have been dealt with in time for 1 April meaning they may experience a gap in being able to view and bid on properties.”
Anyone who hasn’t re-registered and their application hasn’t been verified by 1 April 2019 may lose their place on the housing register and may not be able to bid for properties.
The change in IT supplier does not alter how priority banding is decided because the Home-link scheme itself remains the same. People will still be assessed in line with the existing housing policy. It is only if there has been a change in their circumstances that their banding may change up or down.
People can re-register from today 1 February 2019 at www.home-link.org.uk
More information can be found on the Council’s website at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/housingregister
The following is a Police Connect message.
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Officers are appealing for information or witnesses after a serious collision in Lakenheath. |
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Police are warning residents to be wary of cold callers following incidents in the county. Officers have received around 100 calls this week from residents concerned about cold calls from scammers claiming to be from HMRC. In most cases, scammers have claimed to be from HMRC stating that the person is involved owes payment for a fine. Often this includes leaving a message on answer phones asking the public to call to make payments/ threatening arrest for non-payment and requesting i-tunes vouchers or bitcoins used to pay the debt - these then ask the recipients to call them to make payment or read the codes off the back of vouchers. Resident should put the phone down on these callers and no money/ vouchers should ever be handed over as these are scam calls. An HMRC spokesperson said: "HMRC takes security extremely seriously. We are aware that some people have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to be from HMRC. We have a well-known brand, which criminals abuse to add credibility to their scams. "These scams often involve people receiving a call out of the blue and being told that HMRC is investigating them. If you can’t verify the identity of the caller, we recommend that you do not speak to them. Anyone concerned about incidents should follow this advice: HMRC Advice: 1. Recognise the signs - genuine organisations like banks and HMRC will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password or bank details. 2. Stay safe - don’t give out private information, reply to text messages, download attachments or click on links in emails you weren’t expecting. 3. Take action - forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and texts to 60599, or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to report any suspicious calls or use their online fraud reporting tool. 4. Check GOV.UK for information on how to avoid and report scams and recognise genuine HMRC contact. 5. If you think you have received an HMRC related phishing/bogus email or text message, you can check it against the examples shown in this guide. Additional advice: · HMRC will call people about outstanding tax bills, and sometimes use automated messages, however this would include a taxpayer reference number. If uncertain of the caller we would advise customers to hang up and call HMRC directly to check – customers can confirm our call centre numbers on GOV.UK. For tax credits we do not include customer details in any voicemail messages. · HMRC Debt management teams do contact members of the public by phone about paying outstanding debts. · If a customer (or agent) isn’t confident that the call is from HMRC, we will ask them to call back. Depending on the circumstances and to give the customer confidence it is actually HMRC calling, information may be disclosed to the caller which only HMRC is party to. · Calls from the majority of HMRC offices will leave caller identification data, i.e. the number the caller has used to contact you from · For up to date advice on scam HMRC phone calls, visit GOV.UK -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phishing-and-bogus-emails-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples/phishing-emails-and-bogus-contact-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples#bogus-callers Help us keep our communities safe. Police advice on a variety of subjects can be accessed via https://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice To report something, or to otherwise contact Police, use the link http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us To report something anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org Alternatively call 101 for non-urgent matters. Always call 999 in emergencies, or if an immediate police response is required.
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There has been an increase in cold calls to the public from bogus bailiffs requesting payments for a “phantom” debt.
The fraud involves being cold-called by someone purporting to be a bailiff working on behalf of a court, attempting to recover funds for a non-existent debt.
Fraudsters are requesting payment by bank transfer and if refused they threaten to visit the people's homes or place work in order to recover the debt that is owed. From the reports we have received a range of different businesses and individuals are being targeted.
Though this type of fraud can occur throughout the UK, we have found that significant levels of reports are being made from those in the Yorkshire area.
Key facts about bailiffs
A bailiff is someone who has a legal power to collect certain debts. They may do this by asking you to pay what you owe, or by taking and selling your belongings to raise the money.
Bailiffs are only used to recover certain debts such as council tax, child support and compensation orders. Bailiffs are not used to recover debts relating to private advertisement; these would be collected by debt collectors.
Debt collectors do not have the same legal powers as bailiffs and will not have special court authorisation to act. If you're not sure whether you're dealing with a bailiff or a debt collector, check the Citizens Advice website.
How to protect yourself
- Make vigorous checks if you ever get a cold call associated with a bailiff.
- If you work for a business and receive a call or visit from bailiffs or debt collectors, be sure to speak with your manager or business owner first. Never pay the debts yourself on behalf of the business you work for; some fraudsters have suggested employees do this whilst talking with them, suggesting they can then be reimbursed by their employer, when in reality the debt is non-existent.
- Request details of the debt in writing to confirm its legitimacy.
- Do not feel rushed or intimidated to make a decision based on a phone call. Take five and listen to your instincts.
Have you been receiving these calls?
If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.