dorisenglish

On Saturday 4th September our Sheriff rides his horse as he Beats the Bounds, of the City. Dozens of horses and riders will accompany the Sheriff Cllr Colin Greatorex as he perambulates the bounds of the City.

Anyone in the City centre at 10am will see the start. A lunch takes place at the halfway mark, then on to finish the ride at the Cathedral about 6pm. A long but enjoyable day for our City and our Sheriff.

When I was Sheriff I also attended the Beating the Bounds ceremony in Poole. Though that was done on water, great fun

Well I almost became a victim of a scam today. A phone call supposed to be from Windows saying they had a report I was having a problem with my computer. It was a person with a strong accent. I said I had no problem goodbye. However I checked with an IT friend who said it is a scam, they would have asked me to log on to a link, they could then take info from my computer. Do not fall for it.

Yes it's a summer break, that does not mean your local Councillor cannot still help and advise you. Please continue to contact us during the school summer holidays. There are many activities organised locally that children can participate in. We are still here to help. Enjoy your summer break however short your own may be. I will still pass on any news that comes my way during the next few weeks. One item is ASB this is being dealt with the police are aware.

Our new waste collection jointly with Tamworth Borough and Lichfield District Council is launched. There is a number to call if you have any queries it is 0845 002 0022, this will be at the local call rate. There may be delays initially on the phone as the collections start, however you will have the option to leave your details for a call back the same day. Or you may contact ruth.plant@lichfielddc.gov.uk  on email. Every household should have had details of their collection days and which bins need to be put out, if not, use the information above.

 This agreement means cost savings for both Councils.

Welcome to the news that 'Garden Grabbing' may have seen its day. If local council planning commitees can judge each application on merit instead of following a directive, a much more sensible outcome can be achieved.

There are many truly brownfield sites, which are a sight, that could be considered by developers.

I have just returned from a visit to Guernsey with a group of former Mayors and Chairmen from the Midlands. We were very well received and treated to a history of Guernsey, also a most interesting account of their laws. The Island has its own laws and government. It is a dependency of the English Crown owing allegiance to the Monarch in her capacity as successor to the Dukes of Normandy. They are not part of the UK but are part of the British Islands.

We were greeted by Jo Reeve, Principal External Affairs Officer. He had a busy time as when we left he had to greet the First Ministers of Scotland, Ireland and Wales who were there to discuss their differences and matters on which they agree.

Those of us lucky to go thank the Islanders for their warm welcome.

Local  news a new phone number for Staffordshire County Council, 0300 111 8000

This is the number to ring to be put on to the department you require. Though other numbers will still be available for direct contact.

Three more scams  I have to tell you about. First School books. Companies are contacting parents by phone claiming to be supporting our local schools by donating books. The caller then thanks you for agreeing to support the cause and tell you your name will appear in the books, sent to your local schools.  Then they contact you to say you agreed and the booklet is now ready for production, therefore payment is due. Many people have been victims of this scam. If you think you are one please contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 

Next Charity bags. We all like to support worthy causes however Trading Standards of Staffordshire say bags left by profit making companies rather than going to charity shops are sent to Eastern Europe or Africa where items are sorted for sale. Genuine charity bags display a registered charity number, however these companies often display a registered company number which looks similar. To be sure you can check out the bag with the Charity Commission on 0845 300 0218 or website www.charity-commissiongov.uk  if possible donate items straight to the charity shop of your choice.

Finally you should now be well aware Banks do not contact you for details of your pin or passwords. They already have that information. So put down the phone and ring the number on your bank statement. Do not use the number left on your ansa machine or the number you are given. If you have been a victim of this type of scam , please report it to Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06

Thank you, remember Be Alert.

At last movement on the developing of the Shortbutts Lane Playing Fields, Shortbutts 'Park'. Letters have gone out to residents living nearby with details as known at present. Some activities for children with adult supervison is planned early in June. More to follow in August and September. Wish to know more contact Jeremy Trill at LDC on 

01543 308191. ( Remember BOWER DAY on 31st May 2010.)

The ANNUAL TOWN MEETING takes place at the Guildhall on Wednesday 26th May 2010, at 7.30pm. This is the chance for members of the community to hear what we have done over the past year, also to bring up matters of concern. Previous meetings have proved very helpful to your local Councillors.

The Town Meeting is an electors' meeting and not as such a meeting of the City Council. The City Council is required however to call the meeting and the Mayor presides. At the Mayors discretion non-electors may be permitted to speak, but the law states only electors of the parish are entitled to vote.

Here is another one, this time a spoof email purporting to be from Amazon. Emails purport to be order confirmations for high value items such as televisions, claiming the items have been shipped to recipient's address.

They carry a zip file attachment which opens what appears to be a Word document. However, the said file is in fact malware that will compromise the security of the user's PC.

Delete and do not open attachments under any circumstances. You can read about online security via http://www.get safeonline.org/.