Auction of Messy Nativity Sheep

If you want a particular sheep then a list of names has been posted on the St Andrew's noticeboard

Looking for something new to try in the New Year?

The Bromley Adult Education College runs many courses. One of them may be just the thing for you to try in the New Year. Some of their new courses are:-

NEW Courses

A new concept in adult learning………

An opportunity to sample one of our new blended short courses which offer a mix of related subjects within one course.  Each individual subject will be taught by one of our team of specialist tutors.

215960 The Complete Guide to Looking and Feeling Great

A holistic approach covering skin care, manicure, pedicure, positive body language, nutrition and healthy eating.

316205 The Complete Personal Wellbeing Course

Come and dip your toe into the relaxing worlds of reflexology, yoga and meditation and find a better you.

Visit the Beauty Therapy and Complimentary therapies pages to find out more!

215866 The Complete Home and Interiors Course

Be inspired to create a complete décor for your home combining interior design, floristry, picture framing, soft furnishings and textile printing.

If they do not interest you then there are many more courses available on their 

website at: http://baec.ac.uk/

Do not confuse this web address with baec.com as that one would take you to the Builders Association of Elkhart County who will try to sell you a new home in Indiana, USA

Start Up Loan funding seminar 9 January 2014

Start Up Loan funding seminar

9 January 2014

Are you a budding entrepreneur aged 18 plus? Find out how your new business could benefit from the Start Up Loan scheme

Location: Bromley Conference Centre, 19 Elmfield Road,
Bromley  BR1 1LT

Time: 3pm to 5pm

Cost: Free

Have you ever considered starting up in business?  Do you have a business trading for less than 12 months?

If the answer “Yes” to either of these questions, then why not come along to our free open event to find out what’s involved in starting a business, and how you could take advantage of the government-backed Start Up Loan scheme?

Event organiser: Prospects Business services in partnership with Bromley Council, supported by the Mayor of London

Email: kerry.wickens@prospects.co.uk 
Telephone: 020 8253 4235 (Kerry Wickens)

Don't miss BBC lectures on ageing, 28-30 December

The topic of this year's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, shown on BBC4 28-30 December, will be 'How we age'

Started by Michael Faraday in 1825, and now broadcast on national television every December, the Christmas Lectures are the UK's flagship science series.

Forming part of the British Christmas tradition for generations, the lectures have a different theme each year and are given by an expert in their field.

This year’s expert, Dr Alison Woollard, is a developmental biologist from the University of Oxford. Her three ‘Life Fantastic’ lectures will explore the frontiers of developmental biology.

Alison will answer some of the most profound questions about life itself:

• uncovering the remarkable journey from a single cell to a trillion-cell organism;

• revealing deep connections to our ancient fishy ancestors;

• and looking at how we age and whether we can change this process.

Do we really want to live forever?

• Saturday 28 December: Lecture 1 - Where do I come from?

• Sunday 29 December: Lecture 2 - Am I a mutant?

• Monday 30 December: Lecture 3 -  Could I live forever?

The lectures will also explore the serious ethical questions that stem from these discoveries. Should we tinker with evolution? Do we want to live forever? And should we be manipulating our own genes?

The 3 lectures will be broadcast at 8pm on BBC 4 as follows:

Alison will explain why every living thing eventually dies and what controls the ageing process. She will explore whether we could we ever halt this process and whether we can use this knowledge to improve or even extend life.

Visit the website of the Royal Institution to find out more about the Christmas lectures

A very Merry Christmas to all our readers

Don't miss the deadline for application for a school place in Bromley

Applying to start school? - Don't miss the deadline!

Bromley Council processes all school applications for LB Bromley residents.  You cannot apply directly to schools.

If you live outside LB Bromley, you must apply to your local council, even if you want to apply for a Bromley school. You can include Bromley schools on your out of  borough application.

Apply

Applications should be made now for primary school places for September 2014 for three and four year old children born between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010.

Online applications need to be submitted by midnight on Wednesday 15 January 2014.  Alternatively, completed paper application forms must be returned to the Civic Centre by 5.00pm on Wednesday 15 January 2014.

Bromley residents should apply online at http://www.eadmissions.org.uk/.

Online applications will only be processed when proof of address and parental responsibility have been received by Bromley Admissions Team. Please see online reception applications terms and conditions. 

If you are unable to make an online application, contact us to request a paper application form. 

More details are available at Applying for a Primary school place

Parking arrangements for Christmas and New Year in Bromley

If you are looking for a place to park in Bromley over the festive period, please be aware that parking restrictions may still apply.

Bromley Parking information Christmas and New Year 2013/14

Christmas Eve Tuesday 24 December 2013	Parking charges apply and all restrictions will be enforced.
Christmas Day Wednesday 25 December 2013	Restrictions will not be enforced on this day only, but please park considerately.  Parking is free in on-street pay and display bays and all council-operated car parks.
Boxing Day Thursday 26 December 2013	All restrictions, including resident permit bays, will be enforced. Parking is free in on-street pay and display bays, but charges apply in all council-operated car parks.
New Years Eve Tuesday 31 December 2013	Parking charges apply and all restrictions will be enforced.
New Years Day Wednesday 1 January 2014	All restrictions, including resident permit bays will be enforced. Parking is free in on-street pay and display bays, but charges apply in all council-operated car parks.

Council-operated car parks will be open throughout Christmas and the New Year as normal.  Parking will be free in all council operated car parks on Christmas Day. 

Please remember: Even on Bank Holidays, residential permit bays are designated only for the use of permit or visitors' voucher holders during the times indicated by the signs.

Free parking on Saturday 21 December in Lewisham Council Car Parks

Free parking on Saturday 21 December

This Saturday, shoppers can park free of charge all day in all council-run car parks in Blackheath, Catford, Deptford, Forest Hill, Lewisham and Sydenham.
The free car parking offer only applies to car parks that are managed by Lewisham Council and does not include on-street parking.

See which car parks are free

Progress at the Baring Hall Hotel

The Baring Hall Hotel in Grove Park, which was spared demolition in 2011 by a campaign started by local residents, will open its doors again soon. The small posters in the windows say it will reopen on 18th December but looking through the windows this morning there still seems a lot of work left to do.

Antic London, a business that runs pubs across the capital, has been successful in their bid to buy Baring Hall hotel and have proposed a £400,000 redevelopment of the building and the area surrounding it.

Subject to planning consent, Antic London plan to convert the building’s car park into a space for shops and accommodation, while the external space would be used for enterprises such as farmers’ markets. Details of the redevelopment plans were published in a previous post at redevelopment-of-baring-hall-site

Baring Hall Hotel, Lewisham in earlier days. Pic: Ewan Munro

After reversing the fortunes of other Lewisham pubs such as The Catford Bridge Tavern and The Ravensbourne Arms in Ladywell, Antic’s Head of Events and Promotions Fiona Collett was positive about the new venture.

“We hope to push the concept of the pub as a great, ale heavy traditional pub; serving fresh, home cooked produce, very much modelled on Catford Bridge Tavern.”

Closed after a fire-bomb attack in 2009, The Baring Hall Hotel was set to be turned into flats after an agreement between developers and Lewisham Council. However, the decision was overturned when The Grove Park Community Group (GPCG) appealed the decision at London’s Royal Courts of Justice.

Initially gaining an injunction for seven days, over the next three years councillors and the GPCG were able to enlist the help of high profile names such as Stephen Fry and restaurant owner Mike Belben, to secure the future of the building, and return it to its intended purpose as a pub.

Stephen Kenny, a long-term resident of Grove Park and key member in The Grove Park Community Group’s efforts, said Baring Hall’s reopening would be a “justification of all the hard work people have put in over the past few years.”

This article was first published at  http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/ on October 24th 2013

Don't let fraudsters ruin your Christmas

All year round, fraudsters will try anything to get your money. So when you're giving out presents this festive season, make sure your account isn't one of them.

PIN numbers, card details and account passwords are the sort of personal information fraudsters will try to steal. So here are our top tips to protect your money:

1. Be aware of common scams 
• Be wary of any approach asking for your personal details or account information - however plausible or official it looks
• Banks or the police will never contact you asking you to transfer money to another account or to hand over your cards or money
• Never hand over cards or details at your door to anyone saying they are a courier company or a policeman
 
2. Keep safe online

• Always log on to your online banking service using your Bank's web address
• Never click on a link from any email that takes you to an online banking log on page
• Never click on a link if you're being asked to input personal information or security details
 
3. Keep your personal details safe

Banks, other companies and organisations will never contact you and ask for personal information or security details like:  
• Your PIN number
• Your full telephone banking log on details
• Your online banking security details
• A PINsentry code or a code produced by a device provided by your bank

If you think you may have given away your security details, your bank and they will take immediate steps to protect your account. Call using the number on your card or your bank statement. If you have been called by phone check for a dialling tone or use a different phone line as fraudsters may hold the line open and then pretend you are talking to someone at the bank.

Remember, fraudsters will try to take your personal information by email, over the phone, even on your doorstep, so be vigilant. To find out more about common scams or frauds and how to protect your money or to report a fraud click on the following link http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Warning: bogus Royal Mail messages by email

Bromley Trading Standards have issued a warning to consumers not to respond to scam emails purporting to be from the Royal Mail.

The messages claim that a parcel has been ‘detained’ by the Royal Mail and asks the recipient to fill out a form. Another message claims you have a tracked item awaiting collection. This email contains a virus that might compromise personal information if the email is opened.

The Royal Mail is aware of these and other scam emails and provide advice at their website www.royalmail.com. Many look bona fides and may use a replica or their official logo. Public Protection and Safety Councillor Tim Stevens warns: “At this time of year we must all be on our guard against fraudsters trying to obtain personal information through clever and carefully prepared emails, texts and letters. Unless you are certain who or where they have come from just ignore or delete the request.” 

The advice issued by the Royal Mail is as follows: 

• Royal Mail will never send you an email asking for credit card numbers or other personal or confidential information.
• Royal Mail will never ask you to enter information on a page that isn’t part of their website.
• Royal Mail will never include attachments unless the email was solicited by you and sent from a recognised member of Royal Mail staff. 

For further advice on scams Trading Standards advise contacting ‘Action Fraud’ on 0300 123 2040 or visit their website at www.actionfraud.police.uk

Changes to local Policing

No doubt you will have all heard about the funding cuts imposed by the Mayor of London on the Metropolitan Police. In total the Met. have been asked to achieve savings of £500M and this has required a detailed review of operational practice. Through our Safer Neighbourhood Panel (SNP) we have been aware of the tremendous amount of work this has entailed for policing in Bromley leading up to the introduction of the new organisation from mid-September. We thought this would be a good opportunity to explain how these changes affect our local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and to provide reassurance for our members..

The Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) are still in existence, just run in a different format. The Borough has been divided into four Neighbourhoods, each with a dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team. Our Ward, Plaistow & Sundridge, is part of the North East Neighbourhood with resources shared with our neighbouring wards of Bickley, Bromley Town, Chislehurst, and Mottingham & Chislehurst North.

Inspector Darren Murphy is responsible for the operation of the NE Neighbourhood Team and can allocate resources according to need. This means a greater focus on crime, and solving it. If there were, for example, lots of burglaries on our Ward, police would be sent over here to patrol, gather intelligence, conduct reassurance visits, give security advice and solve crime.

Our local SNT manpower remains unchanged under the supervision of A/Sgt Wayne Page. Sgt Dave Morbin retired at the end of November. To provide continuity within this more flexible working arrangement there will be a dedicated Police Constable, PC Mark Russell, and dedicated PCSO, PSCO Mara Sow who will maintain detailed local knowledge and information flows. The  local Police shop is no longer fully operational and the members of the SNT are required to parade at Bromley Police Station and then be transported to their respective focus of operations.

Our Ward, as part of the Neighbourhood, will be policed for longer hours: On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays shifts will run until 2 am. This of course should be very beneficial for us all. Patrolling by the SNT will continue to be done on foot and on bikes, the latter meaning that they can get round the Ward, or deal with a situation, more quickly

Currently crime and anti social behaviour on our Ward is very low – largely because our SNT have done a superb job to get it that way – and there is no reason to suppose that will change.

Street Briefings, and local surgeries, will continue to run in the same way so if you are particularly worried about something then either speak to our SNT or Street Representative who will put you in touch with someone who can help. 

You can contact the police in the following ways: 

• If a crime is taking place and you are in immediate danger, always dial 999 
• If you wish to contact the police and it is not an emergency, call 101. Also using this number you can request a visit from a local police officer within 48 hours.
  
• Our local SNT can be contacted by dialling 020 8721 2613.  Although this looks like a landline number you will be transferred to the mobile normally carried by the Dedicated Ward Officer.  However, this mobile will operate only when the team is on duty.
  
• For non-emergency situations you can also visit the Front Counter at Bromley Police Station (next to Bromley South railway station).  It is open 24hrs a day. 

Peter Skipp

Chairman, representing LERA on the Plaistow & Sundridge Safer Neighbourhood Panel.

This article was first printed in the Christmas edition of the LERA Newsletter which you should have already received.

Burnt Ash Library Christmas Coffee Morning 12th December

Free Electrical Goods Collection

Bromley now provides a free collection service for electrical goods from houses and flats, for all residents in the borough

How to book a collection

To book a collection, simply call 01795 434114 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm or email bromley@sweeep.co.uk , including your name, address and contact numbers, as well as a list of the electrical items to be collected.

Please note that as is this is a specialist service, appointments can only be made on the bookings hotline or by email.  We expect lines to be busy, particularly in peak periods, so please be patient when booking an appointment.

Collections can be booked for the next available weekday and you’ll be given a morning or afternoon appointment depending on your location.

What happens next

Once confirmed, the collection crew, who will have full identification, will pick up the electrical items direct from inside your house or flat. Electrical items should not be left outside but items will need to be unplugged and ‘ready to go’ and so items like washing machines and freezers will need to be ‘unplumbed’ or defrosted.

If you cannot be at home for a collection, you can leave your items with a neighbour but you have to inform the staff the name and address of the neighbour at the time of booking.

If you need help to get your items to the front door, the collection staff can help. They are fully insured to enter your household to remove large and heavy items, as long as a competent adult always accompanies them.

What we collect

The collection service covers any broken or unwanted items, big or small, which need a plug or battery to work. This service is only available for the collection of electrical items and is separate from our bulky collection service .

Keep warm, safe and well this winter

As wintry weather heads this way, we are sharing NHS advice and information about keeping warm, safe and well this winter.

At this time of year it is particularly important for our vulnerable residents and those at risk of ill health to take good care of them selves, which includes taking steps to avoid falls and slips in icy conditions when getting around can be difficult for everyone.  Home carers visiting elderly and vulnerable residents are also offering advice and information about staying warm, safe and well.   

In the cold weather it is essential to keep warm to stay healthy, especially for the very young, older people and those who have a long term condition. We want everyone to get involved in promoting these important messages at this time of year to help our resident’s keep warm, well and safe and neighbours can also play their part in looking out for someone who might be vulnerable.

The local NHS is also asking Bromley residents to use the right service if they do become ill this winter when there is added pressure on A&E. If it’s not a serious emergency residents should use the other available NHS services.  Visit www.bromleyccg.nhs.uk for further information.

The NHS top tips include:

• Keep your home warm. Your main living room should be between around 18-21C (65-70F) and the rest of the house at a minimum of 16C (61F). You can also use a hot-water bottle or electric blanket (but not both at the same time) to keep warm while you're in bed
• Eat well. Food is a vital source of energy, which helps to keep your body warm. Try to make sure that you have hot meals and drinks regularly throughout the day and keep active in the home if you can
• Wrap up warm, inside and out. Layer your clothing to stay warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside. If possible, stay inside during a cold period if you have heart or respiratory problems
• Check on older neighbours or relatives to make sure they're safe and well. Make sure they're warm enough, especially at night, and have stocks of food and medicines so they don't need to go out during very cold weather
• It is not too late to get your flu jab.  You can get free flu jabs to protect against seasonal flu from your GP if you are over 65, pregnant, or have certain medical conditions, live in a residential or nursing home or are the main carer for an older or disabled person.

For lots more advice and information on how to keep warm, safe and well this winter you can visit www.bromley.gov.uk/winter or the NHS Choices website.

Planning Enforcement and Permitted Development

The annual Residents’ Association Planning Seminar was held in the Bromley Council Chamber on Saturday 30th November 2013.

One of the items most likely to affect LERA members involved what building works your neighbour might decide to carry out. From 30 May 2013 the government has made changes to the existing regulations for permitted development that can be carried out without the need for further planning permission. 

Mike Kehoe, Chief Planner for Bromley, talked about Planning Enforcement and Permitted Development Rights. He explained the steps Bromley take if there is a query about a possible breach of Planning control. There is an aim to resolve these without issuing formal action;  90% of queries are found to be permitted development leaving the remaining 10% to require Enforcement Action. In 2013 63 such actions were taken which is more than any other neighbouring authority. He mentioned permitted development for the special case of schools, particularly Free Schools. At the moment there are no plans to open such a school within the Links Estate.

The main part of his talk was about changes for house rear extensions which apply for three years only. It means that building work allowed under previous permitted development regulations to be doubled. Developers still need to conform with Building Regulations. A one or two storey extension can be built across the back of a house to a maximum height of 4 metres. For detached houses the extension can be 8 metres deep and for semi-detached or terraced houses it can reach 6 metres measured from the original rear wall. 

More details are available at http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200074/planning/923/permitted_development

If your neighbours are building an extension which you feel might have a deleterious effect on your property you may first wish to discuss it with them. You can also search the Bromley website to see if they have applied for planning permission at https://searchapplications.bromley.gov.uk/onlineapplications/ You need only enter your street name to see all applications that have been submitted since January 1983. It also says whether they are pending consideration, have been allowed or been refused. If you wish to complain or comment about a neighbours development there is more advice at http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/485/planning_applications

Would you like to be part of a Bromley School Governor Team?

School and academy governors in England form one of the  largest volunteer groups in the country and as part of a governing body team they complement and enhance school leadership by providing support and challenge, ensure all statutory duties are met, appoint the head teacher and hold the school to account for the impact of its work on improving outcomes for all pupils.

Roles and responsibilities

Governors work as a team. They are responsible for making sure the school provides a good quality education for all pupils. Raising educational standards in school is a key priority. This has the best chance of happening when there are high expectations of what pupils can achieve.
Governors promote effective ways of teaching and learning when setting the school aims and policies. They do this together with the head teacher, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school.
Head teachers are recruited and selected by governors - and most head teachers choose to be governors themselves.

 Governing bodies are accountable to parents, the local community and the Local Authority or the Trustees. Appointments are for three or four years. The governing body's main role is to help raise pupils' standards of achievement.

The Governing Body:

• is accountable for the performance of the school to parents and the wider community
• plans the school's future direction 
• selects the head teacher 
• makes decisions on the school's budget and staffing including the performance management policy 
• makes sure the agreed Curriculum is well taught
• decides how the school can encourage pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development 
• makes sure the school provides for all pupils including those with special needs.

Governors are at the heart of how a school operates. It's important they get things right. How they do their job effects the interests of pupils, staff and the reputation of the school in the community. Governors support and challenge head teachers by gathering views, asking questions and discussing what's best for the school. They are not there to rubber stamp decisions. They have to be prepared to give and take advice and must be loyal to decisions taken by the governing body as a whole. As long as they act within the law and take appropriate advice, governors are protected from any financial liability for the decisions they take.

Becoming a governor

School Governors play a vital part in the success of our schools they ensure our children get the best from their time in school. Being a school governor is demanding but rewarding.  Schools are keen to attract people in the community to become governors; people who can bring energy and experience and can contribute to the strategic leadership of a school.

Governors need to have time to dedicate to their role, to be prepared to make challenging decisions, act with the very best of intentions and confidentially at all times, and to make sure their decisions are followed up.  Governors work as a team and play an important role in making sure the school provides a good quality of education. An enhanced and rewarding training programme is available for governors in Bromley.

Every school must have a governing body. The membership will vary according to the type of school. Each governing body may consist of any of the following roles:

• Parent Governors - elected by and from parents of registered pupils at the school. 
• Community Governors - are appointed by the governing body from the local community.
• Staff Governors - elected by teaching and support staff at the school.
• Foundation Governors - appointed representatives from the church or charitable trust.
• Local Authority (LA) Governors -  are appointed by the local authority. Academies can still elect to have an LA Governor,

An application form is available at this link apply to become an School Governor.

Save The Bell Campaign

The Bromley Arts and Community Initiative

The Bromley Arts and Community Initiative is organising a campaign to revitalise the Royal Bell. The aim is to convert the ground floor to a café or pub serving food and to remodel the first floor as a performance area with a theatre and function rooms. They also hope to convert the stable block to host art displays and workshops. They have received £10 000 from the Heritage fund to begin a feasibility study and produce costings. They need more volunteers and are working hard to get people involved actively. One way to help is to send them any “heritage” connections you know about. They have already cited Jane Austen, Charles Darwin, H.G. Wells and David Bowie. 

There are more details on their website :- 

http://bromleyartsandcommunity.blogspot.co.uk/         Or by emailing    Amanda.c.hone@gmail.com

Doorstep Crime

The Police have recorded an increase in doorstep crime recently.

There have been incidents of residents being approached by cold callers offering to clean out guttering, repair or maintain roofing. They then charge inflated prices and occasionally the residents have felt intimidated into agreeing further work.

With the  recent  bad weather there may be opportunist cold callers offering to sweep up leaves, take away trees, etc. and the message is to not accept offers of help from callers, unless they are known to you. A reminder that the council will always have ID and drive liveried vehicles.

We have also had victims of telephone fraud in the borough, where the resident has been persuaded to give over their pin numbers, and handed their credit/debit cards to persons impersonating Police officers.

The Police will NEVER ask for your credit/card details, either on the 'phone or in person.

If you are unsure who the caller is, engage your security door chain before you open the door. If you see anyone suspicious, and it is happening now, please ring 999. If you have recently had suspicious activity in your road, then please report it to ring 101.

Theft of a Catalytic converter in Ridgeway Drive

A resident in Ridgeway Drive has had the catalytic converter stolen from their car whilst it was parked on their drive. This happened between Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th November.

On 22nd November Police in Bromley alerted residents to a recent rise in the theft of catalytic converters across the borough. Over recent months there has been a significant increase in these thefts, with Bromley suffering from the highest number of these thefts across London - over 60 in the last nine weeks.

The Mercedes Sprinter van, VW Sharan, Seat Albrahama, Ford Galaxy and Peugeot 406 are the most targeted vehicles, with the thieves favouring vehicles such as people carriers, 4x4’s or commercial vans as the ground clearance of the vehicle makes it easier to access the catalytic converter.

The thieves are stealing converters – located in the exhaust system under the vehicle – because of the high value of the precious metals they contain and while the theft of the converter can net the offender around £60.00 per vehicle, the costs to the owner to replace the item can run to several hundred pounds, particularly if substantial damage has been caused to the vehicle by the removal of the converter, and there’s the inconvenience of the vehicle being off the road.

PC Mark Russell from Bromley Police said "To reduce the risk of theft of your car's catalytic converter, please garage your car whenever possible or park in well-lit busy areas. Park your vehicles defensively - if you own multiple vehicles use those with the lowest ground clearance to block those with a higher clearance. If all your vehicles have a high clearance park them very close together."

Etching a catalytic converter with a serial number will help police link a stolen converter to a specific vehicle and overtly advertising that a vehicle is protected by property marking may also deter offenders, as it will reduce the opportunities for selling the converters to reputable scrap metal dealers. Advice on marking converters can be seen on the AA website at http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/security/catalytic-converter-theft.html

Please be vigilant in your neighbourhood and report any suspicious activity straight away to your local neighbourhood team on 101 or if you believe a crime is in progress call 999.

If you would like to pass on information but wish to remain anonymous then call Crimestoppers on 0800-500-111"

Burnt Ash Primary Christmas Fair 6th December

Chrismas!!! Burnt Ash School got an "excellent" in their OFSTED report see Burnt Ash OFSTED report.

Even the best schools make mistakes.

Brook Lane Community Church Christmas Crafts

Click on each image to enlarge it

Council forced to find further £60 million savings

On 20 November the Executive agreed to make a recommendation for a 1.99% increase in the Bromley element of the council tax.

This was part of the process to finalise the 2014-15 budget, which will be considered by Full Council in February 2014. This recommendation was in recognition of the need to achieve a balanced budget in 2014/15 and to partly address the increasing ‘budget gap’ in future years, while protecting front line services.

Said Council Leader, Stephen Carr about the recommendation:

“This council is proud of its reputation for the robust way we manage our finances and refuse to resort to short term gimmicks.  Over the past three years we faced drastic reductions in government funding, high inflation and low interest rates and had to make savings of over £57 million. This was done through sound financial planning while protecting quality front line services - often to some of the most vulnerable in our borough. Demand for our services is increasing, at the same time we face further significant funding reductions and must find another £60 million savings over the next four years.

“We are determined to continue to take a long-term view and achieve a sustainable budget for 2014-15 and beyond.  As part of setting this budget we consulted with residents at our annual public meetings.  Their views informed the choices we have made in the last three years and this year many of our residents told us they accepted a rise in council tax is unavoidable. Be assured this recommendation to increase council tax is not taken lightly. Our record speaks for itself - over the years we have consistently had the lowest council tax in outer London . We will turn down the one-off bribe from government this year to freeze the tax because accepting would only store up major financial problems to be faced in future years and is not the financially sound thing to do.

“Residents also said they want us to continue to press home our argument with government about Bromley’s historically low levels of funding. Our council receives one of the lowest levels of overall government grant.  It has faced the biggest reduction in formulae grant in the last three years.  If we received the average level of funding for London our income would increase by a staggering £98 million.

“In refusing to take a short-term and arguably easier approach to managing the budget, difficult decisions must be made.  We are determined to make it the right decision on behalf of our residents.”

Burnt Ash Library Christmas Coffee Morning

For more details visit the library or contact the librarians on 020 8460 3405 or by email at burntash.library@bromley.gov.uk

For details of other activities at the Burnt Ash Library see the following link:-
http://www.bromley.gov.uk/directory_record/34386/burnt_ash_library

Never take things at face value

A member in New Street Hill shares his experience of dealing with a tradesman advertising in the telephone directory.

We decided our roof aerial, which must have been up there for 40 years at least, was looking unsound so decided to see about getting it taken down.

Having looked in  the local phone book we phoned a firm with a Bromley Number who quoted £69 plus VAT and that they could come the same day.When the technician arrived it was for a different firm; he asked to examine access etc and then said he would write out the quote.When this was presented the figure showing was £220 plusVAT!!! When this was challenged he stated the phone quote would have been for taking an aerial down from a smaller property. He was sent on his way.

We then investigated quotes on the net and spoke with a firm in Welling; they took details of our house, viewed it on Google and then quoted £80 plus VAT. We have accepted that quote.

Whether we are being cynical or not we wonder if the original quote of £69 was that company’s finders fee. Perhaps they were relying on a client who was not prepared to argue against the higher quote. We had verged on contacting Trading Standards but left matters. Perhaps the best advice is to beware some of the firms showing in the local phone book.

The second company arrived when agreed and removed the old aerial despite it being a windy day. As advised always obtain more than one quote. Also look online at the company's website to see if there are any reviews (but treat these with caution as they may have been made by the company itself.) 

Another way of checking on companies is to use the "Safer Bromley Trader Register" website at https://www.traderregister.org.uk/bromley/index.php or Rated People at http://www.ratedpeople.com/.

The consumer organisation Which also has a website at http://local.which.co.uk/ but requires registration.

While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information, it is for information only and does not imply any endorsement by LERA for the businesses or their products.