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.