Over 75s TV Licence Scam

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

NHW Message: 23/09/19

We are getting reports that OAPs are being targeted by fraudsters who want to make money from the TV licence scandal.

They pose as TV Licensing (the body responsible for collecting the licence fee) and ask people to pay up now or they say there has been a problem with your payment.

If you are over 75, you are eligible for a free TV licence until June 2020.

Any letters, texts or Emails which ask you to pay your TV licence now are a scam.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging

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Notification of Major Gas Works: A2 - High Street, Newington

I am writing to make you aware of the forthcoming upgrade to our gas network A2/ High Street, Newington. Our project involves the essential replacement of old metal gas mains with new plastic pipe to ensure we continue to provide a safe and reliable gas supply to the local area. Our contractor, Forefront Utilities will be undertaking this work on our behalf.

In close consultation with Kent County Council, our project will start on Monday 30th September and last approximately 42 weeks. We will be replacing 4.5km of old gas mains underneath the A2, starting in London Road at its junction with Oak Lane, Hartlip Hill and progressing eastwards to Key Street Roundabout.

To keep everyone safe, we’ll have temporary traffic lights in place around our work area. The traffic lights will move with us as we progress eastwards along the road. We’ll manually control our traffic lights while we’re working to keep traffic flowing along the A2. We’ll operate these lights Monday to Friday between 7:30am and 7:30pm, and between 8:00am and 5:00pm on Saturdays.

To help keep the traffic moving through our temporary traffic lights, we’ll have a signed diversion for HGVs throughout our project. HGVs will be diverted via the M2 to avoid our work completely. Local access for HGV deliveries will be maintained.

While our engineers are working close to Oak Lane and Mill Lane, we’ll need to temporarily close these roads at the junction with London Road. As soon as our work area has progressed safely past the junction, we’ll fully reopen each side road. We will need to close Oak Lane from Monday 30th September for approximately four weeks to ensure everybody’s safety. We’ll then need to close Mill Lane and other side roads as our project progresses. Signed diversion routes will be in place for motorists.

We’re continuing to plan the future phases of our work in consultation with Kent County Council and we’ll provide details of our plans once confirmed.

We understand that people can get frustrated by roadworks. However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years. This means that when the work is complete, local residents and businesses will continue to enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.

Please share this information with anyone you think may be impacted by our work. A map and updates on our project can be found on our dedicated website page here.

If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Kind regards

Paige Roberts

Stakeholder and Community Manager

SGN Gas

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Bingo, Supper & Drinks Evening at Upchurch Village Hall - In Aid of Paula's Treatment Fund

Paula has been receiving amazing care from the NHS throughout her cancer journey.

However, the treatment she needs now is not available on the NHS, so she needs to raise £40,000 to pay for it.

We would love to help her reach her goal!

So we have organised a Bingo, Supper & Drinks Evening at Upchurch Village Hall on Thursday 17th October at 7:30pm.

Tickets are £15* - available from Jacqui on: 07966 637930

or Email: iamjacquib@gmail.com

*Tickets are only available in advance up until 10th October.

Please buy a ticket and join us.

Raising money for a lady with a beautiful soul.

Read more about Paula's journey on GoFundMe and donate at >> http://bit.ly/2mbuq7c

Thank you

Jacqui Bradshaw

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UPDATE - Commencement of Gas Main Replacement Works on the A2 from Oak Lane to Key Street

Works to replace 4.46km of 80 year-old iron gas main along the A2, between Oak Lane and Key Street Roundabout have been rescheduled to begin this month. The gas main currently serves 40,000 households, and the first of 11 phases of 42 weeks of works to replace it will now begin on Monday 30th September 2019, near the junctions with Oak Lane and Spade Lane.

Having reviewed the risk to the current gas supply, contractor SGN Gas is concerned that there is a high likelihood that emergency works on the A2 will be required when higher demand increases the pressure within the existing main, probably within the next few weeks. The works were originally planned to begin on Monday 16th September.

SGN Gas do not intend fully closing the A2 this time but will put in place temporary traffic lights where necessary.

Following KCC Highways latest discussions with SGN Gas, Cllr Mike Whiting has now received the advice below from Director of Highways, Simon Jones. Previously, KCC advice was that the works would be delayed until 2020, however, having sought a number of important assurances from SGN, KCC has agreed to let the works commence at the end of this month, providing this time SGN Gas put into place some very clear red lines in respect of traffic management, including a restriction and official diversion route preventing HGVs from passing through Newington while the works are being carried out. Cllr Whiting will be seeking assurances from KCC, SGN Gas and Kent Police that HGV restrictions will be enforced. In addition restrictions and signage will be placed on neighbouring roads which have been identified as unsuitable for HGVs.

“Dear Cllr Whiting,

The A2 gas works planned to commence on 16 September were delayed until next year in order to provided sufficient time for all parties to carefully plan local traffic management and to address a number of concerns raised since the emergency works were carried out during the summer.

SGN have since reviewed the risk to the current gas supply and are concerned that there is a high likelihood that emergency works will occur along this stretch of gas main when the demand increases the pressure within the existing main on the A2 probably in the next few weeks.

In carefully considering the request from SGN for the works to commence on 30 September and recognising that an emergency response is likely to be highly impactive, KCC has agreed a number of key measures which must be put in place to reduce the impact on the local communities.

SGN will ensure that there is an HGV restriction on the A2 through a traffic regulation order in place for the total of the 42-week duration of the works. Local access for HGV deliveries will be managed by a local permit scheme and the details are currently being considered. A HGV diversion using the M2 will be in place and we will seek support from Kent Police and Highways England to support compliance of the HGV restriction and observance of the official diversion route and will also consider any other measures which may be appropriate.

We will place restrictions on local roads which have been identified as wholly unsuitable for any displaced traffic during the works and will sign roads which are not suitable for HGV access with appropriate signage should any HGVs access the local network in breach of the restriction. Width/weight restrictions will be placed as necessary on minor roads north of the A2, but these will need to allow access to properties/businesses on these roads.

Road closures will be considered as a last resort but consultation with affected residents/businesses on this will take place if these are thought to be required.

SGN have escalated their communications plan and will ensure close communication with key stakeholders and community points of contact including businesses. SGN will review their works progress weekly and ensure that communities are kept up to date with the progress of the works.

These measures should allow SGN to commence on phase 1 of their project to address the main at the Medway end up to the junction with Oak Lane/Spade Lane, Upchurch. Details of the diversion route will be released shortly.

KCC and SGN have increased resources to look at the traffic management plan for the remainder of the works and detailed plans will be communicated to affected communities including any identified options for local feedback.

Simon Jones

Director of Highways, KCC”

Upchurch Matters

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Dog Walking in The Paddock

Following concerns raised with Upchurch Parish Council, new signage has now been installed advising dog walkers to keep their pets on a short lead at all times whilst in the Paddock and to clean up after them.

Thank you for your cooperation and help to keep our public spaces clean and safe or all residents and children to enjoy.

Cllr Tyrone Ripley

Chairman - Upchurch Parish Council
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New Survey - Have Your Say on How NHS Health Services are Commissioned in Kent and Medway

What do you think about a single clinical commissioning group for Kent and Medway?

The NHS in Kent and Medway is seeking your views on how health services are commissioned (planned and purchased).

The NHS, social care and public health organisations in Kent and Medway are already working together.

Their aim is to improve services and health and care outcomes through better joint working, shared priorities and more coordination between health and social care. To do this, they need to change the way they organise themselves.

Building on the feedback from that survey, they’d now like to find out your views about one of the key changes - the proposal to create a single clinical commissioning group (CCG) for Kent and Medway.

Although they and the other CCGs have much to be proud of over the last six years, the GPs who chair the CCGs, including the clinical chair, now believe the CCGs should merge to form a new single clinical commissioning group for Kent and Medway, which would also be led by GPs.

At the moment, there are 8 CCGs across Kent and Medway, responsible for planning and spending the health budget to meet local needs. This means there can sometimes be different services in different areas. This can be a good thing if people in areas need different things, but it can also create inequality in care and impact on people’s health and life expectancy.

Merging the existing groups to set up a single Kent and Medway CCG, led by GPs, would:

• Provide a ‘bird’s eye view’ of health priorities for people across Kent and Medway so that the NHS has a detailed understanding of local health needs and can plan effectively for everyone.

• Identify where challenging health problems can be shared and tackled.

• Allow the consistent commissioning of some services - such as cancer, mental health, children’s services and prevention - across Kent and Medway.

• Focus on the health, wellbeing and care needs of the whole population.

• Reduce management and administration costs across Kent and Medway.

You can read more about how health and care services are planning to work more closely together as part of a Kent and Medway integrated care system on the system transformation page of the Kent and Medway website.

The NHS wants to hear what you think about their plans to merge these 8 groups into one clinical commissioning group for Kent and Medway.

Please complete the survey here >> http://bit.ly/2QeL5Ft

The survey is open until Monday 23rd September 2019. Please share it with your friends, colleagues and family as your views are important.

Upchurch Matters

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