November 2011 Bulletin

Prepare for rising energy prices

 

The message isn’t new but it has more urgency.  The Prime Minister has met the Big Six energy suppliers and they have agreed to write to 4 million households inviting them to Check, Switch and Insulate to Save.

According to the Financial Times, the average dual fuel customer now spends 6% of income on energy bills compared to 3% in 2004.  If the trend persists the average household faces fuel poverty by 2015. 

 

Here are some tips on saving measures:
(1) Insulate your home:  Take the frost check.  If the frost thaws faster on your roof than your neighbour’s, heat is escaping.  Top up your roof insulation to 270mm (10.5”) to prevent this.  Council grants reduce the cost and it could be free if you are aged 70 or over.

(2) Go Solar:  You can now get Feed in Tariff payments for having solar panels on your roof.  These are index linked so they will rise with inflation over 25 years.

(3) Switch Energy Supplier:  With 400 tariffs available, a comparison site can help.  If you prefer not to switch, review your payment method - direct debit is cheaper.  Ofgem has said it will simplify standard tariffs so like-for-like comparison will get easier.

 

For more information, visit www.cocoonyourhome.co.uk or phone 0800 8048 777

Go ON give an hour

 

When the clocks go back on 30 October, why not use the extra hour to help transform someone’s life by showing them the wonders of the web?  Race Online 2012 encourages Britain’s 30 million internet users to ‘Give and Hour’ to help a friend, family member or neighbour to take their first steps online. 

‘Go ON Give an Hour’ campaign runs from 22 October to 12 November and aims to encourage and support the UK to become a networked nation.  There will be taster sessions and special events for internet beginners if they can’t find someone to help them and want to try it out. 

 

If you know someone who might benefit from a local internet taster session, you can give them the Freephone number 0800 77 1234.

 

Admissions to School, September 2012

 

Will your child be 4 years old between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012?  If so, it is important that you apply for a school place by midnight on Sunday 15 January 2012.  If you live in Hampshire you should apply online at www.hants.gov.uk/admissions or phone 0845 603 5623 for an application form. 

 

On-line applications can be made from Tuesday 1 November 2011 and paper application forms will also be available from this date.

 

Risk of fire in thatched properties

There are over 800 thatched properties in the New Forest and as winter fast approaches Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging owners and occupants to take extra care before the colder weather arrives to reduce the risk of fire.

Whilst statistically a home with a thatched roof has no greater tendency to catch fire than a home with a conventional roof, the difference is that, if a thatched roof does ignite, the fire can be very difficult to control and the consequences much more destructive.  As such, the aftermath of a thatch fire is often devastating, leaving buildings partially or totally destroyed, taking up to 18 months for a property to be re-built, or even longer for a listed building.

More than 90% of fires in thatched properties are caused by faults in the flue or chimney.  In other words, over 90% of thatched property fires are preventable.  It is therefore extremely important that chimneys are maintained and checked prior to use by a registered chimney sweep.  This is especially relevant for properties with a wood burner as these can produce significantly more heat than the chimney was originally designed to take.  Smoke detectors are, or course, also important whatever the property.

For safer chimneys in a thatched property:

• Always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks from hot embers
• Make sure embers are properly put out before you go to bed
• Keep chimneys and flues clean and well maintained
• Do not build, rebuild or design chimneys which pass close to or through thatch without appropriate expert advice

A plea to hedge owners

There are sometimes occasions when overgrown hedges cause obstructions both to highway traffic and pedestrians.  In particular, unruly hedges can cause sightline problems at junctions while hedges alongside footways can be an issue, particularly where the footway is narrow.  Many footways are on recognised routes to school and are therefore used by parents with buggies and push chairs.

Owners with hedges on their property frontages generally have a responsibility to maintain them to prevent obstruction problems.   It would therefore be of great benefit if hedges in vulnerable locations were routinely cut to reduce the risk of accident or blockage.

 

Local policing

 

The local Safer Neighbourhood Team covers the parish of Copythorne as well as Tatchbury, Bramshaw, Brook, Fritham and Minstead.  Here is a summary of the September crime figures:

 

PC Dee Faulkner continues to hold beat surgeries at various locations in the area.

Parish Council

The Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 pm in the Copythorne Parish Hall (rear extension). Members of the public are very welcome to attend the meetings and speak on any matter of concern at the start of the meeting.

The dates of the next few meetings are:

Tuesday 8 November 2011                        Planning
Tuesday 22 November 2011                      Council
Tuesday 13 December 2011                      Planning

 

Please note there is no full Council meeting in December

The Clerk to the Council (Mike Derrick) can be contacted at

3 Chichester Close,

East Wellow,

Romsey

SO51 6EY.

 

Telephone and Fax 01794 322080

e-mail copythornepc@btinternet.com

Web site: www.copythorne.org.uk

 

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