Looking for ideas to get out and about in our countryside? See the Summer Newsletters for the West Berkshire Countryside Society and the latest Ridgeway news from the Ridgeway Partnership.

Please see below an update and advance information in relation to M4 closures at J12- 13 from Highways England. Note all communications and queries should be directed towards Highways England:  
 
Note from Highways England:
 
M4 Junctions 12 to 13: Bridge Refurbishment – Update
 
We are writing to provide an update to the programme and additional traffic management information for the bridge refurbishment works taking place along the M4 near Bradfield.
 
As you may already know, long-term monitoring found that the two bridges which carry the M4 over Ashampstead Road and Dark Lane, near Bradfield in West Berkshire, require extensive repairs due to chloride-induced corrosion. Critical repairs are underway to address the defects and ensure the structures remain in a safe and serviceable condition. We are pleased to say that the works are progressing well.
 
Closures next week
 
Sunday 18th June: In addition to the 24 hour traffic management currently in place, the M4 eastbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 12 will be closed overnight on Sunday 18 June, between 9pm and 6am.
 
Friday 23rd June – Sunday 25th June:The eastbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 12 will also be closed overnight on Friday 23 June and Sunday 25 June, between 9pm and 6am.
 
Advance warning signs have been put up and a clearly signed diversion route will be in place via the A4 for these closures.
 
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience these works may cause.
 
If you have any questions or if you’d like to know more about the work please contact the Highways England Customer Contact Centre:
 
·         Phone: 0300 123 5000
·         Email: info@highwaysengland.co.uk
​

ELECTORAL REVIEW OF WEST BERKSHIRE: FURTHER WARDING ARRANGEMENTS
 
The Commission is carrying out a review to deliver electoral equality for voters across West Berkshire Council because of a request from the Council.
 
We wrote to you on 24 January 2017 inviting your views on warding patterns in West Berkshire. In response to correspondence received during that stage of consultation, we have decided to re-examine the electorate forecast figures provided by West Berkshire Council. The Commission relies on 5 year forecasts so that our proposals reflect future development and not just the existing electorate. It is important that we are satisfied with these figures.  The Commission has worked alongside West Berkshire Council to produce revised forecast figures for 2023. We believe that these updated figures are more likely to reflect the electorate by that time. Because these figures are, in some areas, significantly different to those we originally published in January 2017, we are now conducting an additional month-long consultation on warding patterns.
 
We are therefore writing to you again as well as everybody who responded to the previous consultation, offering the opportunity to submit new or amended proposals for future ward boundaries based on the new figures. When drawing up our draft recommendations we will consider all the submissions we received at the previous stage of consultation and those received in this new consultation.
 
What is an electoral review?
 
The electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for West Berkshire Council. It will propose:
 

• The total number of councillors elected to the council in the future.
• The number of wards.
• The number of councillors representing each ward.
• Ward boundaries.
• Names of wards.

 
For parishes, the review can recommend changes to the electoral arrangements of parish and town councils i.e. the number, names and boundaries of parish wards and the number of parish councillors for each parish ward. However, this is only in circumstances where the parished area is to be divided between wards. Even in these circumstances, the Commission will not normally recommend any change to the number of councillors to be elected to a parish or town council. The Commission has no power to consider changes to the external boundaries of a parish or the creation of new parishes. 
 
When?
 
13 June 2017 is the start of a four-week public consultation during which the Commission is inviting proposals for new warding arrangements based on updated electoral forecasts. The consultation will close on 10 July 2017. After considering all representations made during this consultation and those received at the previous stage, the Commission intends to publish draft recommendations in August 2017. There will then be a further period of consultation on the draft recommendations. Final recommendations are expected to be published in January 2018. The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2019.
 
How to get involved?
 
This is a public consultation and we welcome views from individuals and organisations across West Berkshire on where they think new ward patterns should be drawn.
 
The Commission is recommending that 42 councillors should be elected to West Berkshire Council in the future. It is now inviting proposals to help it draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 42 councillors.
 
In drawing up a pattern of electoral wards, the Commission must balance three criteria, which are set out in law, namely:
 
·         To deliver electoral equality where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across West Berkshire.
·         That the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities.
·         That the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government.
 
We are asking local people and organisations for their views as to the best pattern of wards for West Berkshire which meet the requirements set out above.
 
The Commission will treat all submissions equally and will judge each case on its merits and against the statutory criteria. If you wish to put forward a view, we would also urge you to ensure that evidence supports your submission. For example, if you wish to argue that two parishes should be included in the same electoral ward, make sure you tell the Commission why they should be together, providing evidence about community facilities, ties, organisations, and amenities, rather than simply asserting that they belong together.
 
There is plenty more advice on our website about how you can get involved in the consultation and put your views forward. Log on to www.lgbce.org.uk to find out more. The website includes the technical guidance that explains the process and our policies as well as guidance on how to take part in each part of the process. We have set up a page on our site which is dedicated to the review of West Berkshire where you can find all the relevant information.
 
You can also access interactive maps of the current ward boundaries across West Berkshire on our specialist consultation portal. The portal also allows you to draw your own boundaries, mark areas of interest on the map and upload documents directly to the site. Log on to https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk to access the portal or find it via our main website.
 
Get in touch
 
We encourage as many people and organisations as possible to get involved with the consultation and we encourage local organisations and parish councils to engage their local networks and communities in the review.
 
View interactive maps of the West Berkshire, draw your own boundaries, and have your say at our specialist consultation portal at: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk.
 
Find out more about the review at: www.lgbce.org.uk.
 
Email your views to: reviews@lgbce.org.uk.
 
Follow us on Twitter at: @lgbce.
 
Write to:         Review Officer (West Berkshire)
                        Local Government Boundary Commission for England
                        14th Floor Millbank Tower
                        Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
 
This phase of consultation closes on 10 July 2017. We will write to you again when we open our consultation on draft recommendations.
 
Please note that the interests of transparency, copies of the all representations we receive during this review will be placed on our website. We remove any personal identifying information such as signatures and private residential addresses prior to placing any submissions in the public domain.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Mishka Mayers
Review Officer
reviews@lgbce.org.uk
0330 500 1525

Message sent byAction Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)
Fraudsters have been advertising vehicles and machinery for sale on various selling platforms online. The victims, after communicating via email with the fraudster, will receive a bogus email which purports to be from an established escrow provider (a third party who will keep the payment until the buying and selling parties are both happy with the deal).

These emails are designed to persuade victims to pay upfront, via bank transfer, before visiting the seller to collect the goods. The emails also claim that the buyer (victim) has a cooling off period to reclaim the payment if they change their mind. This gives victims the false sense of security that their money is being looked after by this trustworthy third party, when in fact it is not and the money has gone straight to the fraudster. 

Protect yourself:

• When making a large purchase such as a new car or machinery, always meet the seller face to face first and ask to see the goods before transferring any money.
• If you receive a suspicious email asking for payment, check for spelling, grammar, or any other errors, and check who sent the email. If in doubt, check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller.
• Contact the third party the fraudsters are purporting to be using to make the transaction. They should be able to confirm whether the email you have received is legitimate or not.
• False adverts often offer vehicles or machinery for sale well below market value to entice potential victims; always be cautious. If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk, or by calling 0300 123 2040.Message sent byAction Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)
Fraudsters have been advertising vehicles and machinery for sale on various selling platforms online. The victims, after communicating via email with the fraudster, will receive a bogus email which purports to be from an established escrow provider (a third party who will keep the payment until the buying and selling parties are both happy with the deal).

These emails are designed to persuade victims to pay upfront, via bank transfer, before visiting the seller to collect the goods. The emails also claim that the buyer (victim) has a cooling off period to reclaim the payment if they change their mind. This gives victims the false sense of security that their money is being looked after by this trustworthy third party, when in fact it is not and the money has gone straight to the fraudster. 

Protect yourself:

• When making a large purchase such as a new car or machinery, always meet the seller face to face first and ask to see the goods before transferring any money.
• If you receive a suspicious email asking for payment, check for spelling, grammar, or any other errors, and check who sent the email. If in doubt, check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller.
• Contact the third party the fraudsters are purporting to be using to make the transaction. They should be able to confirm whether the email you have received is legitimate or not.
• False adverts often offer vehicles or machinery for sale well below market value to entice potential victims; always be cautious. If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk, or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator - David Hunt

Message sent by
Samantha Marlow (Police, Comms Officer, Thames Valley)We have joined up with the Metropolitan Police to produce our own version of the Little Book of Cyber Scams, to give information and advice to you and local businesses.

The 40-page booklet covers a wide range of cyber and cyber-enabled threats, including malware and ransomware, social engineering attacks – where cyber crime is made possible by someone gathering data deceitfully in person, by phone or email – denial of service attacks and data leakage.

It follows the successful ‘Little Book of Big Scams’, now in its third edition, and can be viewed and downloaded via theThames Valley Police website.

While some of the information is targeted at businesses, the advice is relevant to all and we hope you find it useful. 
*********************************************************
Message sent by
Sophie Dyer (Police staff, Comms , Forcewide)
Thames Valley Police is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Police Support Volunteer scheme and thanking all of its volunteers, past and present as national Volunteers’ Week gets under way.

The first Police Support Volunteers (PSV) joined Thames Valley Police in 1997. Twenty years on, there are 539 PSVs who, along with our 244 Police Cadets and 491 Special Constables, give up their own time to help the force keep Thames Valley safe.

From accountants to app designers and translators to forensics support, Thames Valley’s PSVs are all ages and come from all different backgrounds. They include puppy socialisers, role players for training exercises and neighbour dispute mediators – the roles are diverse and the force’s PSVs have wide-ranging skills.

In the past year, volunteers have given a combined total of almost 200,000 hours of their time to support the force’s work.

Volunteers’ Week runs from 1-7 June and is being marked as part of the force’s Active Communities campaign, to encourage more people to get active and involved in policing matters and other issues affecting their communities.

ACC Nikki Ross, force lead for Local Policing, said: “You don’t have to volunteer directly with Thames Valley Police to be active within your community. Whether it’s joining your local Neighbourhood Watch, getting involved with your Community Forum or simply attending one of your local Have Your Say meetings you can work with us to help keep your community safe.”

If you are interested in volunteering, find out more on the Thames Valley Police website. You can also see our information page for further information.  

If you have a moment, make your views heard by completing our short surveyon policing priorities. 

Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator - David Hunt

Message sent by
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)
With the upcoming “Wedding Season”, and for those individuals who are considering making plans for next year and beyond, you should be aware of the potential risks of fraud involved.  
 
According to ‘bridesmagazine.co.uk’, in 2017 the average wedding cost spend is approximately £30,111.  This will be paid out to multiple vendors, including; photographers, caterers, reception venues and travel companies, to name a few.  Many of these services will require booking at least several months in advance and you may be obliged to pay a deposit or even the full balance at the time.  
 
Being aware of the potential risks and following the below prevention advice could minimise the likelihood of fraud:
Paying by Credit Card will provide you with protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, for purchases above £100 and below £30,000. This means that even if a Company goes into liquidation before your big day, you could claim a refund through your Credit Card Company.
 
Social Media - Some Companies run their businesses entirely via social media sites, offering low cost services.  Whilst many are genuine, some may not be insured or may even be fraudulent. There are a few things you can do to protect yourself;

•  Ensure you obtain a physical address and contact details for the vendor and verify this information.  Should you experience any problems, you will then be able to make a complaint to Trading Standards or consider pursuing via the Small Claims Court.
• Ensure you obtain a contract before paying money for services.  Make certain you fully read and understand what you are signing and note the terms of cancellation. 

 
Consider purchasing Wedding Insurance - Policies vary in cover and can be purchased up to two years in advance.  They can protect you from events that would not be covered under the Consumer Credit Act.
 
Complete research on each vendor, ensuring you are dealing with a bona fide person or company.  Explore the internet for reviews and ratings and ask the vendor to provide details of past clients you can speak to. You should do this even if using companies recommended by a trustworthy friend or source.   
 
For services such as wedding photographers, beware of websites using fake images. Look for inconsistencies in style; Meet the photographer in person and ask to view sample albums. If you like an image from a wedding, ask to view the photographs taken of the whole event so you can see the overall quality.    
 
Remember, if something appears too good to be true, it probably is!
 
Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator - David Hunt