High Bailiff to welcome 'Claverdon Lions'

Douglas Bridgewater has told Henley NEWS On-line that he and members of the Court Leet will welcome back the Claverdon Lions on Saturday 20th May at 12 noon.

The Claverdon Lions were 5th in the race to the North Pole, reported in recent editions.

Details will be announced in Henley NEWS On-line and we hope a large number of our readers will welcome back these magnificent ambassadors for Warwickshire.

Bluebells at Austey Wood, Wootton Wawen

The Bluebells will be at their best in Austey Woods next weekend

Photo Antonia Pearton

COUNCIL quits for the sake of its TAXPAYERS

A COUNCIL in South Warwickshire has voted itself out of existence rather than pay £150 for local elections that it was never planning to take part in.

It also would have faced additional “bureaucratic costs” it had no wish to pass on to its 400 or so residents.

Morton Bagot, Oldberrow and Spernal Parish Council—which has looked after the interests of three hamlets and a stretch of countryside between Henley and Studley for over 40 years—decided to dissolve following a Stratford District Council ruling that the parishes themselves must now meet their own electoral costs.

Even though this parish council had no intention of holding elections, it would still have had to pay £150 for the cost of printing and publishing the parish notice. It would also have meant the council setting a precept, opening a bank account and paying for an annual audit—which would have incurred even more expense.

BUSINESS RATES - TOO HIGH?.

Non-domestic or business rates are a very significant outgoing to any occupier of commercial business premises. Basically they are a property tax based on rental value, having made certain statutory assumptions, and they contribute towards the costs of services provided by your local authority.

As business rates represent a significant and recurring cost to almost all commercial activities in the U.K. any measure that can reduce your business rates liability can mean significant benefits for your business, however large or small.

It should also be remembered that there are a number of reliefs which businesses can apply for or are granted in order to ease the impact of their rates bill. Some examples of these include:

• Small Business Rate Relief which came into effect on 1st. April 2005 is dependent upon the level of your rateable value, if it is below £5,000 you will receive as much as 50% relief.

• Charities and charity shops are entitled to significant reductions.

• Empty or unused property is eligible for no business rates for the first three months, after that, an empty property rate of 50% of the normal bill.

• Single pubs, petrol stations or post offices in villages with a population below 3,000 can qualify if your local authority consider a benefit is being provided to the community.

• Industrial buildings, listed buildings and non-agricultural business on agricultural land or in former agricultural buildings are also entitled to various levels of relief.

Therefore if you think you may be paying too much or that you might qualify for some form of relief, it would be advisable to contact either your local Valuation Officer or a firm of Chartered Surveyors who have the required expertise and an appropriate database of comparable information. Either will be able to advise you on the assessment and the appeals procedure.

Extract from Stratford Partnership News compiled by Suzanne James of Sheldon Bosley Tel:01789 292310.

New scheme hopes to boost park and ride

A new scheme trotted out by Stratford District Council may see an upturn in user numbers for the town's troubled park and ride scheme.

The Bishopton park-and-ride has been under heavy fire, with town mayor Bill Lowe telling the Observer he thought the scheme had been a 'total disaster' since it started in November 2005, yet council chiefs may have solved part of the problem.

Councillor Peter Barnes told the Observer the newly-introduced Concessionary Bus Travel scheme - allowing all people aged over 60 and disabled people free local bus travel - had already seen a boost in numbers for the park and ride.

"From 2008 this will be extended to unlimited travel but until then over 60s can use the park and ride, make use of the free parking and go into town," he said.

"All permanent residents of the Stratford District aged 60 or over are eligible, or a qualifying disabled person of any age and the bus passes are issued free by the district council.

"I think it's a great idea and when I last used the scheme the buses were full and the car park looked very busy. The over 60s need to know they can now use this scheme to get into the town - it's a very valuable asset."

To apply for a free bus pass contact Stratford District Council on 01789 260408.

The Bench Debate

In her reply to my letter, Dora Heath seems to perceive me as being super fit, rich and whatever!  Since the age of 2 years, I have suffered with asthma as a result of a drowning accident – making it a span of 77 years.  So, I am well qualified to understand the effects breathing problems can have on ones life!  On a bad day, the small incline from the High Street to the Memorial Hall can leave me struggling for breath.  However, the excellent medication and care of the medical profession means it is usually well contained so I am inclined to count my blessings.

Crime and antisocial behaviour spoils the quality of life of all law abiding people.  Quite frankly, I do not understand the desire to vandalise.  What possible benefit can those people, who vandalised the children's playground, have got from such an action.  

They have deprived the young and the innocent of a few brief moments of pleasure.  On the High Street, I have spoken to Henley in Bloom volunteers clearing away containers which have been mindlessly smashed.  Returning to the bench, which was a focal point for such deplorable behaviour, whether it is in place or not, the actions of people who I do not understand have deprived Dora Heath and others of a welcome resting place and its presence has had a bad effect on the quality of life of others.  Churches, hospital and other public places were once safe from unwelcome attention of these people, not any more.

The Police and others who try to keep law and order need our support – 100%.

Irene Robinson.  Senior Correspondent.

JOHNSONS TRIAL YELLOW SCHOOL BUSES

Henley bus and coach operator, Johnsons are trailing 2 bright yellow school buses for three months which are specifically designed for the transportation of children.

The buses have been purposely designed with the safety of school children in mind and are liveried bright yellow for maximum ‘on road’ awareness.

Of sturdy construction these vehicles have safety features which include: three point seat belts, exit rear door emergency access, three seats plus two seat layout with central aisle in between, wheelchair access and a high level racks, not normally found on service buses.

Peter Johnson, Operations Director of Johnsons Bus and Coach Travel said “These are not the big yellow buses often seen in American feature films, nevertheless they are highly visible. We have always placed passenger safety at the top of our operating agenda, that is why these vehicles are here for a trial period. However, if we feel the vehicles are suitable we may well make the investment to add this type of bus to our fleet!”

Johnsons Bus and Coach Travel at present operate 24 school runs every day in the Solihull, South Warwickshire and South Birmingham area, using vehicles from their coach fleet.

Clerk to St Mary's Governors wanted

A vacancy has arisen for the post of Clerk to the Governors of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School.  This is a paid position with important and confidential responsibilities for the smooth running of the Governing body.  In particular, the Clerk is responsible for convening and taking minutes at meetings.  Training will be given.

If you are interested, applications should be sent by letter to the Chair of Governors, Mrs C Treacy, c/o St Mary’s Catholic Primary School. Arden Road. Henley in Arden B95 5LT by 7^th June please, or contact the school on 01564 792316.

New software helps Fire Service tackle false alarms

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is using a dynamic new software system to reduce the time it spends responding to false alarms.

The system provides Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service with a central resource for all information related to automatic fire alarm systems, offering instant access to data at the click of a button.

“It will enable us to improve our response to genuine automatic fire alarms,” said Richard Buxton, fire safety support officer for Warwickshire. “Forty five per cent of the calls we receive are false alarms which prevents us from using our resources effectively.”

“TOCSIN helps reduce the likelihood of our fire engines being sent to false alarms when they may be needed at real emergencies and helps give us a better picture of what we can expect to find when we arrive.”

“If alarm systems are unreliable and building owners refuse to maintain them to the required standard they are more likely to have a false alarm. In these circumstances it may not be appropriate to send several fire engines under emergency blue light conditions immediately to the building, putting road users and firefighters at unnecessary risk and wasting valuable resources.”

He continued: “Reducing the time spent responding to false alarms also means that we can spend more time promoting fire safety in the community and educating businesses and organisations about the risk of fires and how to prevent them occurring in the first place.”

County Fire Officer William Brown said, “Attending false alarms is very draining on our resources. By using the data that will now be available to us we can continue to reduce the number of false alarms and so increase the time we can spend on delivering community safety initiatives that further reduce risk in Warwickshire”.

Developed by Bristol-based WPC Software, TOCSIN enables UK fire services to manage various record types including information about alarm systems, receiving centres, installer and false alarm calls. The system provides easy access to key performance indicators and its powerful and user-friendly querying facilities save users time and effort.

The system has been developed from WPC Software’s successful police version of TOCSIN, which is designed to help constabularies manage their response to monitored intruder alarms.

Henley in Arden Police Surgery

A 'Drop In' facility at Henley Police Station to discuss issues/problems within the community with your local policing team.

The next Police Surgery will be WEDNESDAY 17th MAY 2006 between 11am-1pm

Henley Crime Report

This crime summary is a look at the crimes of public interest that occurred on the Henley, Snitterfield and Tanworth policing area over the last 14 days. We do not as normal practice include crimes of shoplifting, bilking, domestic violence or fraud.

BURGLARY DWELLING
Sometime between 0830 hours and 1330 hours 24th April 06 unknown offender(s) have gained entry to a dwelling in Springbrook Lane, Earlswood by forcing the rear wooden framed french doors with a chisel type instrument. Once inside the offender/s have stolen property including electrical items, TV, Video, stereo, computer. Egres as per entry.
Incident 326 of 24th April 06 refers.

At approximately 1000 hours on 29th April 06 unknown offender/s have gained entry to a dwelling in Nuthurst Lane, Hockley Heath, Solihull by smashing the bottom panelling to the wooden stable (type) door. Once inside offender/s have searched the premises to find the car keys to a BMW sport coupe that they have then stolen from outside.
Incident 271 of 29th April 06 refers.

Sometime prior to 30th April 06 unknown offender/s have gained entry to a dwelling in Earlswood Common, Earlswood by forcing the rear conservatory door. The inner door to the property was then lifted and the offender/s have searched the property. Not known at this stage if anything has been stolen.
Incident 686 of 30th April 06 refers.

BURGLARY COMMERCIAL AND OTHER BUILDING
Overnight between 21st and 22nd April 06 unknown offender(s) gained access to the Hub, Henley in Arden Youth club via the rear fire door. Damage caused inside, windows smashed etc.
Incident 382 of the 22nd April 06 refers.

Between 1500 hours 27th April and 0700 hours 28th April 06 unknown offender/s have gained entry to a secure compound in Fawshaw heath Lane, Earlswood. Once inside damage was caused to a 18 tonne truck and 60 litres of diesel was stolen from the same vehicle.
Incident 213 of 28th April 06 refers.

AUTOCRIME
Between 0115 hours and 0700 hours on Thursday 27th April 06 unknown offender/s have smashed the rear windscreen to a VW Passatt parked secure and unattended in Tanworth Lane, Henley in Arden by unknown means.
Offender/s have then gained access to the boot area and stolen a black leather briefcase containing business paperwork from within.
Incident 93 of 27th April 06 refers.

Overnight between 26th and 27th April 06 unknown offender/s have smashed the rear quarter light window to a Rover Estate vehicle parked on Whitley Hill, Henley in Arden. Offender/s have then gained access and stolen a laptop computer and Tom Tom navigation system.
Incident 105 of 27th April 06 refers.

Between 2330 hours Wednesday 26th April and 0700 hours Thursday 27th April 06 unknown offender/s have forced an unknown instrument between the door window and frame to a Mercedes parked secure and unattended in Tanworth Lane, Henley in Arden. Entry gained, nothing stolen.
Incident 104 of 27th April 06 refers.

During the afternoon of 28th April 06 unknown offenders have approached a parked, secure and unattended Ford Focus at Earlswood lakes, Solihull and removed the front and rear number plates.
Incident 581 of 28th April 06 refers.

Between 1500 hours and 1830 hours unknown offender/s have smashed the rear windscreen to a Smart Car parked secure and unattended in Salters Lane, Wootton Wawen by using a brick. Offender/s have then gained access to the boot area and stolen a handbag from within.

Between 1200 hours and 1320 hours on 1st May 06, unknown offender/s have stolen a Yamaha motorbike from the A4189 between Ullenhall and Henley.
Incident 344 of 1st May 06 refers.

??CRIMINAL DAMAGE
Between 2300 hours Friday 21st April 06 and 1400 hours Saturday 22nd April 06 unknown offender(s) have damaged a parked vehicle in Riverside Gardens, Henley by scratching the bonnet with an unknown sharp instrument by causing damage.
Incident 524 of 22nd April 06 refers.

Between 1800 hours Saturday 23rd April 06 and 24th April 06 unknown offenders have set fire to the wooden play area on Prince Harry Road, Henley, causing £300 of damage.
Incident 338 of 23rd April 06 refers.

Sometime prior to 23rd April 06 unknown offender(s) have damaged 5 fence posts rendering a sheep field in Buckley Green insecure.
Incident 572 of 23rd April 06 refers.

Overnight between 27th and 28th April 06 unknown offender/s have set fire to the wooden play area, Prince Harry Road, Henley.
Incident 13 of 28th April 06 refers.

Overnight between 27th and 28th April 06 unknown offenders have taken a wheelie bin from a driveway in Prince Harry Road, Henley and set fire to it on the recreation ground nearby.
Incident 140 of 28th April 06 refers.

Between 2230 hours 29th April 06 and 1200 hours 30th April 06 unknown offender/s have approached a parked, secure and unattended BMW car in Castle Road, Henley and have removed the BMW badge from the bonnet by unknown means. This has caused damage to the paintwork.
Incident 307 of 30th April 06 refers.

Between 2230 hours 29th April 06 and 1200 hours 30th April 06 unknown offender/s have approached a parked, secure and unattended Subaru Impretza in Castle Road, Henley and removed the letter ‘I’ from the rear of the vehicle. Offender/s have then scratched the letter on the paintwork.
Incident 311 of 30th April 06 refers.

Between 1800 hours 29th April 06 and 1800 hours 30th April 06, unknown offender/s have approached a parked, secure and unattended Peugeot 206 in Chingley Bank, Henley in Arden and using a sharp instrument have prised off the Peugeot badge from the rear of the vehicle.
Incident 505 of 30th April 06 refers.

Sometime during Saturday 29th April 06 unknown offender/s have approached a Saab motor vehicle parked secure and unattended in Barley Close, Henley and have attempted to remove the rear badge from the vehicle without success. Scratches to the paintwork were caused during this attempt.
Incident 402 of 1st May 06 refers.

BE AWARE
If you have any information or have witnessed the above incidents, please can you contact Alcester Police on 01789 762207.  Thank you.

HENLEY, SNITTERFIELD AND TANWORTH COMMUNITY POLICING TEAM

Information about the Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden Joint Parish Council is regularly updated on the Henley Gateway Website "This is Henley-in-Arden".

Look no further than www.henley-in-arden.org/jpc for the latest and most comprehensive information about the JPC.