Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is inviting people who live, work or study in Warwickshire to take part in a survey to help understand the impact of the COVID-19 on our communities.

This is the second survey from the council and is an opportunity for residents to share their experiences through the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it had has their lives, including health and wellbeing, employment and services they use.

The results from the survey will highlight key issues faced by people throughout the past 18 months and will help to inform how our services and communities recover to be the best they can be following the pandemic.

The first survey was conducted over a year ago and the feedback helped to shape council services to support residents:

• People said that outdoor space was important.
  • The council supported our hospitality sector to provide seating outdoors and have waived fees to use pavements. We are also investing in improving green spaces.
• People said the pandemic negatively impacted your wellbeing.
  • The council secured £1m to invest in initiatives to improve wellbeing and reduce social isolation.
• People said you were walking and cycling more for short distances.
  • The council invested in improving the cycling safety network across Warwickshire.
• People said you were unsure how to access tests and general support through the pandemic.
  • The council increased promotion of 119 & nhs.uk/ coronavirus as well as sending COVID support guides to households across the county.

The survey, which should take around 15 minutes to complete, is available online at https://ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/insights-service/covid-recovery-survey-2021. All respondents must be aged 18 and over. Anyone who would like to complete the survey but does not have internet access can call 01926 731484 for assistance to complete the survey over the phone.

For more information about keeping safe and well throughout the pandemic and to access council services visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/coronavirus

A new £1million fund designed to harness the power of communities in tackling inequality and social exclusion was launched on 4 November.

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is urging the public not to buy e-scooters this Christmas because it’s currently against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place in the UK.  There are also concerns for the safety of e-scooter riders and other road users.

Inspector Jem Mountford said “Before you consider buying an e-scooter this Christmas it’s important to know that although you can buy one, it is illegal to use a privately owned e-scooter in any public space including roads, pavements, parks, town centres or canal towpaths for example. This means most people will be breaking the law if they use an e-scooter.”

E-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as MOT, licensing, tax and insurance.

As e-scooters do not have number plates, signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads.

Warwickshire Police have legal powers to seize e-scooters and prosecute riders and between March 2020 and November 2021 31 e-scooters were seized in Warwickshire.

Whilst penalties for illegal use include a Fixed Penalty Notice for no insurance, with a £300 fine and six penalty points, officers will also be using Section 59 of the Police Reform Act to issue a warning to riders of e-scooters and educate them as to the legal requirements. If a rider is under 16 years old then this advice will also be given to the parents.

Inspector Mountford continued “As well as being illegal, we have real concerns about the safety of e-scooters.  In the first ten months of 2021, nationally there have been nine deaths and other casualties involving both e-scooter riders and other road users.” (Source: PACTS)

Whilst some parts of the country are taking part in Government trials for e-scooter hire with a view to making them legal to use on the roads, Warwickshire is not currently part of the trials so e-scooters cannot be hired at this time.

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership Chair, Philip Seccombe, said: “We know it can be tempting to buy an e-scooter as a gift, however there simply is no public place where they can be ridden legally and you risk a fine or having the scooter seized if you do so. As a Partnership we want to make our roads as safe as possible for everyone so  we want people to think again and not buy e-scooters in the mistaken belief that they can be used in public spaces. We know they can be a hazard to pedestrians and other road users and put the rider at danger of death and serious injury when used in the wrong environment, such as on public roads, so please do consider purchasing more appropriate alternatives.”

Councillor Wallace Redford, Portfolio Holder for Fire & Rescue and Community Safety at Warwickshire County Council said “It is our priority to make sure the roads are safe for everyone and that’s why we are asking the public not to buy an e-scooter at the moment but to await the results of the UK trial.  There are other environmentally friendly options available that we are keen to promote and support and as part of this commitment we are looking at how we can make our town centres safer for cyclists and pedestrians.”

Two great village events!

Saturday 4 December: Xmas Pop-up Market at the Yew Tree, 0930-1130

Wednesday 22 December: Xmas Sing-along, 1730

Many thanks to Ray Randerson and the Parish Council for purchasing these moving silhouettes commemorating the men and women of Avon Dassett past and present who have served the country.

Avon Dassett Service of Remembrance will be held at 11 am on Sunday 14 November.

A parish plan is community-led and establishes priorities for the village in the future. Avon Dassett’s original parish plan was adopted in October 2007 and an action plan created in 2008. Progress against these actions continued until 2016. The village has clearly changed since then as has the wider context thus the need to refresh the plan and prioritise actions to improve the village going forward.

A new questionnaire has been designed and will be delivered over the weekend of 22-23 October 2021. It covers everything from housing to car parking! There will be an accompanying note to say when it will be collected and a return envelope provided for confidentiality.

All the questionnaires will be processed independently by Stratford District Council who will also produce the survey report. All answers will be treated in strictest confidence and used for research purposes only. It will not be possible for any individual or household to be identified in the findings. For further information see the privacy notice at www.stratford.gov.uk/privacy

If you have any questions please contact Liz Hirst or Sarah Richardson or speak to your distributor/collector.

It is hoped that preliminary results will be displayed at Avon Dassett Pop-up Market at the Yew Tree on 4 December.

Help us recruit people to be the ‘Voice of Warwickshire’! 

We are forming a new residents’ panel called ‘Voice of Warwickshire’ to give people an opportunity to share their views – and we need your help, so that we can listen to the voices of as many people as possible.

As a Council we want our decisions and priorities to be informed by the views of a representative group of residents. This will help us to understand people’s needs and improve how we work with communities in tackling the huge challenges we face in a world that has been changed by COVID-19.

People who sign up will be helping us deliver the new Council Plan, focusing on big issues in Warwickshire, like health and wellbeing, climate change and sustainability, community safety, education, transport, economic growth, inequalities and inclusion, and more.

Our goal is to give people the chance to get more involved in big decisions that affect Warwickshire and the area where they live over the next few years.

We will be writing to 20,000 residents across the county to tell them about Voice of Warwickshire and to encourage them to sign up, and will be launching a social media and marketing campaign.

But your help is crucial in encouraging a broad and diverse range of residents to sign up through your interactions with potential Voice of Warwickshire members.

Why people should get involved: 

• Share their opinions and experiences of living in Warwickshire

• Provide views on key issues that impact them, their family, friends, and communities

• Help inform Warwickshire County Council’s policymaking, based on their own experiences

To be eligible to take part, people need to be 18 or over and live in Warwickshire. We are asking them to sign up initially for 12 months.

How people can take part  

Once they register as a Voice of Warwickshire member, around 4 times a year we will ask them to give us their opinions, mainly using online polls and short surveys.

If they are unable to participate online, we would still like to hear from them and will be able to arrange another way for them to share their views. The closing date for registering is 14th November 2021.

Please help us to recruit!  

Please ask people to sign up to be a Voice of Warwickshire member by either:

• visiting https://bit.ly/VoiceofWarwickshire or
• if you don’t have access to the internet, by calling 01926 410410 (Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm).

  We will then ask them to provide some basic information about themselves in the first instance.

  A digital flyer that you can share with people is attached, either digitally or as a printout.

  Please help us – and help shape the future of Warwickshire!

The Avon Dassett  Remembrance Day Service will be held at the War Memorial at 11 am on 14 November. The service will be led by Father Bill and all are welcome to attend.

Lest we forget.

We have received this report from Deb Watts who organised the coffee mornings this year. Well done Deb and thanks to all who attended:

As the Coronavirus has still impacted our fundraising for this year, we’ve had a couple of little events this time around.  We’ve also had a collection at the September village coffee morning in The Reading Room, where a draw of “The Lucky Square” was made for a Prosecco & Coffee Hamper.  The winner was Terry Gladwin.

The total raised for Macmillan Cancer Support was £194.55

Many thanks to everyone who supported this year’s fundraising, Deb Watts.

NHS COVID Pass Fraud

Criminals are using the NHS COVID Pass as a way to target the public by convincing them to hand over money, financial details and personal information.

They are sending imitation text messages, emails and making phone calls pretending to be from the NHS, and offering fake vaccine certificates for sale online and through social media.

If you are contacted about your NHS COVID Pass:

• Be alert to links and attachments in unexpected text messages or emails
• Do not respond to requests for money, passwords or financial details
• Challenge: Could it be fake?
• Use the official NHS COVID Pass website: www.nhs.uk/nhscovidpass

The NHS COVID Pass is available to demonstrate your COVID-19 status either in a digital or paper format via the NHS App, the NHS website or by calling 119.

For information on how to get your free NHS COVID Pass, visit www.nhs.uk/nhscovidpass

What to do if you suspect you have been a victim of an NHS COVID Pass scam

If you receive a call and suspect it to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. If you are suspicious about a text message, forward it to the number 7726, which is free-of-charge.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040.

If you have any information relating to NHS COVID Pass or vaccine certificate fraud you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers online at covidfraudhotline.org or phone on 0800 587 5030.

National Cyber-Security Centre report a suspicious website tool

Many scammers operate fake websites, which will download viruses onto your computer or try to steal your passwords or other personal information. This is sometimes called ‘phishing’. You can now report a suspicious website to the National Cyber-Security Centre. By reporting, you can help us stop cyber criminals and protect others online: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website

Bogus Amazon callers

Warwickshire residents have reported a spike in bogus Amazon phone calls. The fraudsters claim that orders have been placed using the residents accounts, sometimes for items valued at hundreds of pounds! These bogus phone calls are attempts to steal Amazon account user names and passwords and other personal and financial information with a view to stealing money.

Never provide any personal or financial information to cold callers. If you think there is a problem with one of your online accounts, type the address in to your web browser or use the app. Do not follow any links you may have been sent, they could take you to fake websites!

Beware offers to ‘buy’ your social media accounts

Young people are being targeted by fraudsters who offer thousands of pounds to buy their social media accounts. Unfortunately, those that agree to hand over their user names and passwords to the fraudsters never receive a penny, but their accounts are used to scam others.

Never divulge your user name or password.

Beware copycat driving licence websites

Young people are being scammed for hundreds of pounds after applying for their provisional driving licences via bogus copycat websites. To apply for or renew any Government documentation, always begin your search at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/

More about copycat websites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCfOQC7ONSI

Gamers are scammed by bogus PS5 sellers

Warwickshire residents have reported being scammed out of hundreds of pounds after attempting to purchase hard-to-find PS5s. Supply problems have meant’ that there is currently a shortage of PS5s, leaving gamers to turn to private sellers on social media and Internet marketplaces. However, some have reported to Trading Standards paying for PS5s that are never delivered!

For advice in safe online shopping, visit Get Safe Online: https://www.getsafeonline.org/