We had a successful evening at the Beautiful Durham Awards. We were the winner in the Best Large Village category and also received a highly commended award for the Best Floral Containers. Congratulations to everyone involved!
CALENDAR OF MEETINGS
A Calendar of Meetings is now available on the Meetings Diary of the web site. Please click the link to view the relevant page.
HAVE YOUR SAY ABOUT LIBRARY SERVICES
The County Council would like to hear the views of residents of County Durham about the provision of library services. Please click this link to visit the Council’s web site for further details.
SALT BINS
Winter is coming and if you need to report a salt bin that needs refilling please contact DCC.
PARISH COUNCIL ON FACEBOOK
The Parish Council is now on Facebook. If you are a user please have a look and send any feedback to the Parish Clerk.
NOTICE OF UNCONTESTED ELECTION
The closing date for nominees wishing to stand for election for the scheduled Parish Council election on 6 May 2021 was 9 April. Only 3 nominees were received by Durham County Council for the 9 places available and consequently, there will now be no need for an election to be held. The 3 nominees duly elected as Parish Councillors, uncontested, are:
Maureen Boettcher, Ian Haddick and Avril Wallage.
The first meeting of the new council will take place at the Annual Council Meeting to be held in May 2021. The first item on the agenda will be to appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair for the year. This will be followed by the nomination of council representatives to serve on other bodies and monthly routine council business.
The remaining 6 vacancies on the parish council can be filled through a co-option process. The Parish Council will consider the process and timescales for this at its Annual Council Meeting so look out for further details on the Parish Council Notice Boards and the Website. In the interim, anyone interested in becoming a parish councillor should contact Mark Ramshaw, Parish Clerk at westraintonparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk or Tel.07900 800 540
The formal Notice of Uncontested Election issued by the Returning Officer is available here. West Rainton and Leamside Parish
NATIONAL INSURANCE SCAM WARNING
An urgent warning has been issued to every single person with a National Insurance number in the UK after a surge in calls were reported trying to falsely steal information.
It is concerning for millions, as everyone in the UK is sent a National Insurance number before their sixteenth birthday – this helps with applying for jobs, and identifies you with HMRC and the DWP.
More than 1,000 complaints have been made to Action Fraud, with victims reporting they have received an automated telephone call, during which they are told their “National Insurance number has been compromised”.
They are then instructed to “press 1 on their handset to be connected to the caller” in order to supposedly fix the issue and get a new National Insurance number.
Once connected to the “caller”, victims are pressured into handing over personal details – which scammers claim is to enable them to receive a new National Insurance number.
However, giving the criminals your personal details will enable them to commit fraud using your credentials and information.
“If you have any doubts about what is being asked of you, hang up the phone.
“No legitimate organisation will rush or pressure you.”
How to protect yourself from fraudsters
If you receive an unexpected phone call, text message or email that asks for your personal or financial details, remember to
- STOP – take a moment and think before parting with your personal information or money
- CHALLENGE – could it be fake? It’s OK to reject, refuse of ignore and requests for personal of financial details.
- PROTECT – contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud
There is a simple, short, Friends Against Scams online training video can be accessed by clicking the link below.
https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/durham-elearning
Be Aware and Take Care.
#ScamAwareness
NEW PLANTERS – A BIG THANK YOU
As many of you will have noticed, we have a number of new planters throughout the Village. There are 15 in total. These have replaced the old wooden barrel planters and supplement the existing square black planters.
These planters, made from recycled plastic, are very robust and very heavy! Consequently, the logistics involved in getting these filled, planted up, and then putting them into position was always going to be a challenge.
This was achieved with the invaluable help and support of two of our local farmers:
Angus Lowrie kindly agreed to take delivery of the planters, topsoil, and gravel at Field House Farm. The planters were stored there until they could all be filled and planted up.
Moving and putting the planters into the various positions around the parish required the use of a tractor, trailer, and forklift truck, and Angus working with another local farmer, Tom Swinburn, who kindly agreed to help.
So a massive thank you to both Angus and Tom for the use of their premises, machinery, and time in working together, in a voluntary capacity, to support the Parish Council with this Community Project
A GUIDE TO WALKING ROUTES IN COUNTY DURHAM
If you would like an alternative to your usual walking exercise route, a link is available in Useful Links titled “Walks in County Durham” which you may find useful.
Council Launches Virtual Support Hubs to provide help to Local Communities
People are advised to accept help from friends, family and neighbours where possible, but anyone in need of extra support can find a list of local groups on the council’s website www.durhamlocate.org.uk or fill in our Coronavirus help form at www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help
Those enquiries will be directed to our virtual council hubs, staffed by AAP workers and council volunteers, who will assess any requests for information and provide appropriate help to residents.
Alternatively, help can be accessed by emailing help@durham.gov.uk or calling 03000 260 260.
The full press release can be viewed here. COVID-19 27 March Community