Ashley & Loggerheads What's On

	Community Information - Wednesday 3 February 2010
	supported by Loggerheads Community Information Shop
If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here (1) Police Meeting - change of venue to Oddfellows Hall, Ashley - Wed 10 February (2) Loggerheads Parish Council Full Colour February/March Newsletter (3) Local Fitness Classes (4) "I think we have all have had reports or seen pothole patching that has not lasted long after the repair," says Mike Maryon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment (5) Cold Calling Scam (6) Petition to help local cheated pensioners! (7) Scamnesty - stop, think and think again! (8) Parking outside the dance school on Mucklestone Road
Information for "weekly" email to - info@loggerheads.eu Items for hard copy of "Community News" due out in February, April, June, August, October & December to info@loggerheads.eu Next Deadline - Monday 1st March 2010 for April and May issue Police non emergency number 0300 123 44 55
Police Meeting - change of venue to Oddfellows Hall, Ashley - Wed 10 February at 7pm Download poster
Loggerheads Parish Council Full Colour February/March Newsletter Download full colour newsletter
Local Fitness Classes It's from a local (Loggerheads) fitness instructor. Local Fitness Classes - To help you get fitness and/or lose weight, all fitness levels and abilities welcome to all classes. Monday Norton in Hall Village Hall - Aerotone 10-11am Aston Village Hall - Yoga 6-7pm Tuesday Market Squash Club - Aerostep 10-11am Cheswardine Village Hall - Aerotone 7-8pm Thursday Ashley Memorial Hall - Aerotone 7-8pm If you have any queries, please contact Joy on 07789 845 579 or feel free to turn up to the session.
"I think we have all have had reports or seen pothole patching that has not lasted long after the repair." says Mike Maryon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment A highway with a good surface does not let the water seep through cracks, then after freezing and expanding cause a pothole. To bring the Highways back to such a good state will take more than the £30M extra that we have invested over the first three years of our administration. £30M will not even sort out all the problems we have with the ‘A’ roads alone in this county. Over the first 10 working days after the snow cleared this month we attended to approx 1200 identified pothole sites and we were also filling other potholes in and around the locations of these identified defects and the best estimate of the number of potholes we filled during this period is in excess of 3000. To put this into context we have over the last 12 months been averaging 900 pothole defects per month. This is why highways use the temporary fix method – It is known they don't last long but it allows the Highway teams to get round to them quicker, otherwise we will still have dangerous potholes outstanding, as a better repair takes longer to do. Therefore to get around quickly to this staggering deluge of potholes, Highways use a temporary repair that does not have the lifespan of a permanent fix but allows the patching of holes until a proper repair can be achieved later. If we move away from the ‘A and B’ roads the vast majority of our road network does not always have a proper construction. There is often little in situ bituminous product to heat or bind additional material to at the base of the pothole to be repaired. To further compound matters most roads which fall into this category have been surface dressed to try and protect what little road construction exists and adds to the problem. So to summarise we are presently delivering a combination of temporary repairs together with permanent repairs due to the sheer volume of potholes being generated, as a result of the recent cold weather spell earlier in the month. We will of course be reverting back to our normal operating patching regime, which gives the emphasis on long term solution, once this peak of critical safety defects are complete. However we are not going to solve all the problems with our roads overnight. We need to address this in a long term programme and to help get Highways to attend to your most urgent needs now, please ensure that you get these issues across at your ‘Divisional Highway Programme’ meetings that are kicking off shortly. These are 6 monthly, so even if you don’t get it quite right in the first session it can be re addressed in the next. And don’t forget from the new Financial Year you can have some £10k influence on your local spend, ensuring that staff do consult with you. Regards Mike Maryon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment
The Creative Catch-up An Arts & Cultural round-up for Newcastle Borough and beyond . Creative Catch-up is a no-frills bulletin of Arts & Cultural news and opportunities, coming to you via Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council’s Art Service. It is circulated twice-monthly with information and opportunities via the Borough Council and third parties. Download newsletter 19
Cold Calling Scam Staffordshire Trading Standards have today been informed of a cold calling scammer who claims for £10 he can stop all telephone cold calls. Download full details
Petition to help cheated pensioners! I am writing to you all as local people some of whom may have been affected by the partial loss of their occupational pension. Over the last decade 140,000 people in the UK lost most of their pensions when their companies went bust or quite legally closed their pension scheme. The protection mechanisms set up by government post Maxwell were flawed and this government, against professional advice, weakened them even further. When these schemes failed the workers found that most of their pensions had been lost. Some local people joined a pressure group (www.pensionstheft.org) and over a 7 year period took the government to the European and High Court and won. The Parliamentary Ombudsman told the government to pay full compensation. This government reluctantly decided to create the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and eventually 'awarded' us 90% of the pension we had accrued. It then introduced restrictions that effectively reduced the 90% figure to nearer 70% or less, largely because of the lack of indexation that we had paid for, the imposition of a cap and the removal of some early retirement and lump sum options. Even if you are not affected now, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), set up after the FAS to protect future scheme failures is also restricted by the same regulations. Bill Cash has been very active and supportive of the campaign and is outraged at the government's treatment of those affected. Many of his constituents are facing the loss of substantial amounts of pension, including workers from Wedgwood, Chatfields, Capper Rataud and FH Burgess, many of whom live in our community. Can you please help by adding your name and address to this petition. You do not have to sign it to be included. Simply email your name(s) and address to me at richard@nicholl37.fsnet.co.uk . Or you can contact Bill Cash's office in Stone. Copies of the petition are also being placed in some of the shops in Loggerheads. You support will be greatly appreciated. Please circulate this information to anyone in Bill Cash's constituency who may help. The full petition is here: PETITION TO BE PRESENTED BY WILLIAM CASH MP TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS (STONE, STAFFORDSHIRE) To the House of Commons, The Petition of residents of the constituency of Stone in Staffordshire, Download Final Salary Pension Protection Document Download Financial Assistance Scheme petition document
Scamnesty - stop, think and think again! Scams no longer target just the easily duped - beware The OFT and Trading Standards have launched 'Scams Awareness Month' and want you to submit scam letters, emails, texts or websites via the Scamnesty website. Yet the key is never get caught out - follow these quick hit tips... Free anti-virus software. Web viruses don't just smash your computer, they can covertly help steal money or even use PCs to commit crime. Solve this with anti-virus software - you can get legal, professional versions without paying; see Free Anti-Virus Software. Become link aware: Where does the link www.bbc.co.uk take you? To find out easily hover your mouse over it and read what it says at the bottom of the screen - though even that's foolable. For more like this see Martin's Spam Spotter Rules blog http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2010/01/26/spam-spotter-rules-it’s-the-bit-before-the-com-that-counts/ Please copy and paste the above into your web browser for his blog !! Stop the junk. While not always scams, junk mail, calls & emails can be annoying! You can stop legal junk mail in minutes. Though occasionally it'll contain a cracking offer, so stopping it may not be MoneySaving! If they call you - BEWARE! If anyone calls claiming to be from a bank, insurer etc, NEVER give personal or password details. Simply say you'll call them back, but find the number independently. Don't be a Phisher-man's friend! 73% of adults received scam emails in the last year such as. 'your bank security is broken, click here' or 'we need your help to retrieve funds' or even about a tax refund 'from HMRC'. Beware; see the Phishing Scams guide. If you get stung, get help: If a scam's caught you out, don't be embarrassed, speak to Consumer Direct (Tel 08454 04 05 06) or Victim Support (Tel 0845 30 30 900, Scotland 0845 603 9213). Every year 3 mil+ people fall for a scam but only 5% report it! And think Jessica. Also visit ThinkJessica, a wonderful site which shows how some elderly people can become serious victims of scam mail, even trusting it more than their families! Worth a look, and I'm proud, amongst others, it's supported by the MSE Charity. The above is from Martin's Money Tips www.moneysavingexpert.com
Parking outside the dance school on Mucklestone Road Concerned Resident writes "I am becoming increasingly concerned by the parking of cars on the footpath by parents taking young children to dance lessons on a Saturday morning, at the dance school at the top of Mucklestone Road. While I appreciate they are missing half a car park, the footpath is for pedestrians, not parking cars! It is both incredibly dangerous and totally unnecessary! I have nearly been knocked over twice recently by people parking there. I see many older people with varying walking issues walk up the road regularly, as well as mothers with pushchairs, who would be forced to stumble across the grass (which I may add gets very slippery when it is wet or freezing) if they went up at this time. As if to make matters worst, the wide patch of tarmac immediately outside the dance school and hairdressers is left empty, despite it being perfectly big enough for the very same 2-3 cars to park on. There is also the huge space in the old Smithy garage that could be used (if permission was sought), as well as the car park for the Chinese Restaurant across the road. Needless to say, there are plenty of alternatives available! So if you are parking there, or know who is, please get them to park elsewhere before someone gets hurt! If all else fails, I will have to involve the police as this can't go on." Regards, Concerned Resident

Community Information - Wednesday 3 February 2010

supported by Loggerheads Community Information Shop

If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here

(1) Police Meeting - change of venue to Oddfellows Hall, Ashley - Wed 10 February

(2) Loggerheads Parish Council Full Colour February/March Newsletter

(3) Local Fitness Classes
(4) "I think we have all have had reports or seen pothole patching that has not lasted long after the repair," says Mike Maryon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment
(5) Cold Calling Scam
(6) Petition to help local cheated pensioners!
(7) Scamnesty - stop, think and think again!
(8) Parking outside the dance school on Mucklestone Road

Information for "weekly" email to - info@loggerheads.eu

Items for hard copy of "Community News" due out in February, April, June, August, October & December to info@loggerheads.eu

Next Deadline - Monday 1st March 2010 for April and May issue

Police non emergency number 0300 123 44 55

Police Meeting - change of venue to Oddfellows Hall, Ashley - Wed 10 February at 7pm

Download poster

Loggerheads Parish Council Full Colour February/March Newsletter

Download full colour newsletter

Local Fitness Classes

It's from a local (Loggerheads) fitness instructor.

Local Fitness Classes - To help you get fitness and/or lose weight, all fitness levels and abilities welcome to all classes.

Monday

Norton in Hall Village Hall - Aerotone 10-11am
Aston Village Hall - Yoga 6-7pm

Tuesday

Market Squash Club - Aerostep 10-11am
Cheswardine Village Hall - Aerotone 7-8pm

Thursday

Ashley Memorial Hall - Aerotone 7-8pm

If you have any queries, please contact Joy on 07789 845 579 or feel free to turn up to the session.

"I think we have all have had reports or seen pothole patching that has not lasted long after the repair." says Mike Maryon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment

A highway with a good surface does not let the water seep through cracks, then after freezing and expanding cause a pothole. To bring the Highways back to such a good state will take more than the £30M extra that we have invested over the first three years of our administration. £30M will not even sort out all the problems we have with the ‘A’ roads alone in this county.

Over the first 10 working days after the snow cleared this month we attended to approx 1200 identified pothole sites and we were also filling other potholes in and around the locations of these identified defects and the best estimate of the number of potholes we filled during this period is in excess of 3000. To put this into context we have over the last 12 months been averaging 900 pothole defects per month.

This is why highways use the temporary fix method – It is known they don't last long but it allows the Highway teams to get round to them quicker, otherwise we will still have dangerous potholes outstanding, as a better repair takes longer to do. Therefore to get around quickly to this staggering deluge of potholes, Highways use a temporary repair that does not have the lifespan of a permanent fix but allows the patching of holes until a proper repair can be achieved later.

If we move away from the ‘A and B’ roads the vast majority of our road network does not always have a proper construction. There is often little in situ bituminous product to heat or bind additional material to at the base of the pothole to be repaired. To further compound matters most roads which fall into this category have been surface dressed to try and protect what little road construction exists and adds to the problem.

So to summarise we are presently delivering a combination of temporary repairs together with permanent repairs due to the sheer volume of potholes being generated, as a result of the recent cold weather spell earlier in the month. We will of course be reverting back to our normal operating patching regime, which gives the emphasis on long term solution, once this peak of critical safety defects are complete.

However we are not going to solve all the problems with our roads overnight. We need to address this in a long term programme and to help get Highways to attend to your most urgent needs now, please ensure that you get these issues across at your ‘Divisional Highway Programme’ meetings that are kicking off shortly. These are 6 monthly, so even if you don’t get it quite right in the first session it can be re addressed in the next. And don’t forget from the new Financial Year you can have some £10k influence on your local spend, ensuring that staff do consult with you.

Regards

Mike Maryon,

Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment

The Creative Catch-up
An Arts & Cultural round-up for Newcastle Borough and beyond
.
Creative Catch-up is a no-frills bulletin of Arts & Cultural news and opportunities, coming to you via
Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council’s Art Service. It is circulated twice-monthly with information
and opportunities via the Borough Council and third parties.

Download newsletter 19

Cold Calling Scam

Staffordshire Trading Standards have today been informed of a cold calling scammer who claims for £10 he can stop all telephone cold calls.

Download full details

Petition to help cheated pensioners!

I am writing to you all as local people some of whom may have been affected by the partial loss of their occupational pension.

Over the last decade 140,000 people in the UK lost most of their pensions when their companies went bust or quite legally

closed their pension scheme. The protection mechanisms set up by government post Maxwell were flawed and this

government, against professional advice, weakened them even further. When these schemes failed the workers found that most of their

pensions had been lost.

Some local people joined a pressure group (www.pensionstheft.org) and over a 7 year period took the government to

the European and High Court and won. The Parliamentary Ombudsman told the government to pay full compensation. This government

reluctantly decided to create the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and eventually 'awarded' us 90% of the pension we had accrued.

It then introduced restrictions that effectively reduced the 90% figure to nearer 70% or less, largely because of the lack of

indexation that we had paid for, the imposition of a cap and the removal of some early retirement and lump sum options.

Even if you are not affected now, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), set up after the FAS to protect future scheme failures is

also restricted by the same regulations.

Bill Cash has been very active and supportive of the campaign and is outraged at the government's treatment of those affected.

Many of his constituents are facing the loss of substantial amounts of pension, including workers from Wedgwood, Chatfields,

Capper Rataud and FH Burgess, many of whom live in our community.

Can you please help by adding your name and address to this petition. You do not have to sign it to be included.

Simply email your name(s) and address to me at richard@nicholl37.fsnet.co.uk . Or you can contact Bill Cash's office in Stone.

Copies of the petition are also being placed in some of the shops in Loggerheads.

You support will be greatly appreciated. Please circulate this information to anyone in Bill Cash's constituency who may help.

The full petition is here:

PETITION TO BE PRESENTED BY WILLIAM CASH MP
TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

(STONE, STAFFORDSHIRE)

To the House of Commons,

The Petition of residents of the constituency of Stone in Staffordshire,

Download Final Salary Pension Protection Document

Download Financial Assistance Scheme petition document

Scamnesty - stop, think and think again!
Scams no longer target just the easily duped - beware

The OFT and Trading Standards have launched 'Scams Awareness Month' and want you to submit scam letters, emails, texts or websites via the Scamnesty website. Yet the key is never get caught out - follow these quick hit tips...

Free anti-virus software. Web viruses don't just smash your computer, they can covertly help steal money or even use PCs to commit crime. Solve this with anti-virus software - you can get legal, professional versions without paying; see Free Anti-Virus Software.

Become link aware: Where does the link www.bbc.co.uk take you? To find out easily hover your mouse over it and read what it says at the bottom of the screen - though even that's foolable. For more like this see Martin's Spam Spotter Rules blog

http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2010/01/26/spam-spotter-rules-it’s-the-bit-before-the-com-that-counts/

Please copy and paste the above into your web browser for his blog !!

Stop the junk. While not always scams, junk mail, calls & emails can be annoying! You can stop legal junk mail in minutes. Though occasionally it'll contain a cracking offer, so stopping it may not be MoneySaving!

If they call you - BEWARE! If anyone calls claiming to be from a bank, insurer etc, NEVER give personal or password details. Simply say you'll call them back, but find the number independently.

Don't be a Phisher-man's friend! 73% of adults received scam emails in the last year such as. 'your bank security is broken, click here' or 'we need your help to retrieve funds' or even about a tax refund 'from HMRC'. Beware; see the Phishing Scams guide.

If you get stung, get help: If a scam's caught you out, don't be embarrassed, speak to Consumer Direct (Tel 08454 04 05 06) or Victim Support (Tel 0845 30 30 900, Scotland 0845 603 9213). Every year 3 mil+ people fall for a scam but only 5% report it!

And think Jessica. Also visit ThinkJessica, a wonderful site which shows how some elderly people can become serious victims of scam mail, even trusting it more than their families! Worth a look, and I'm proud, amongst others, it's supported by the MSE Charity.

The above is from Martin's Money Tips

www.moneysavingexpert.com

Parking outside the dance school on Mucklestone Road

Concerned Resident writes "I am becoming increasingly concerned by the parking of cars on the footpath by parents taking young children to dance lessons on a Saturday morning, at the dance school at the top of Mucklestone Road. While I appreciate they are missing half a car park, the footpath is for pedestrians, not parking cars! It is both incredibly dangerous and totally unnecessary! I have nearly been knocked over twice recently by people parking there.

I see many older people with varying walking issues walk up the road regularly, as well as mothers with pushchairs, who would be forced to stumble across the grass (which I may add gets very slippery when it is wet or freezing) if they went up at this time.

As if to make matters worst, the wide patch of tarmac immediately outside the dance school and hairdressers is left empty, despite it being perfectly big enough for the very same 2-3 cars to park on. There is also the huge space in the old Smithy garage that could be used (if permission was sought), as well as the car park for the Chinese Restaurant across the road. Needless to say, there are plenty of alternatives available!

So if you are parking there, or know who is, please get them to park elsewhere before someone gets hurt! If all else fails, I will have to involve the police as this can't go on."
Regards,
Concerned Resident