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VILLAGE NEWS
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH (NHW)
COLD CALLERS AND ROGUE TRADERS TARGET
THE WORLD OF COUNCIL TAX
Huntingdonshire District Council has once again been
contacted by a number of concerned and confused
residents who received calls from national claims com-
panies, more usually linked to Personal Payment In-
demnity (PPI).
These calls are misleading in at least two respects.
Firstly, the calls state that the Council has already
agreed that the ‘banding‘ of the taxpayers property is
incorrect and secondly, the cold caller requests an
upfront payment, most recently reported to be £69.99,
to ensure that the householder gets their refund.
The statutory duty to value all domestic property for
council tax purposes lies with the Valuation Office
Agency (VOA) not the council, and they can be con-
tacted by calling 03000 501501, emailing
cleast@voa.gsi.gov.uk
, or via the VOA pages of the
Government website
www.gov.uk
. All these details are
provided with every council tax bill issued by the Dis-
trict Council.
The council has previously warned of similar cold calls
to business ratepayers offering to get them ‘small busi-
ness rate relief‘ or ‘retail rate relief‘. These reliefs can
be applied for, free of charge, direct from the council,
and most conveniently with simple online applications
on the ‘business rates’ pages of the Council’s website.
For more free advice on these reliefs ratepayers are
encouraged to call the Local Taxation helpline on
01480 388030.
To contact the police:
Call 999 if the incident is recognised as an
emergency
Call 101 to report less urgent crime or disorder,
or to contact the police with a general enquiry.
Your village NW Coordinators are:
Richard West 811467
FRIENDS IN DEED
Our AGM was held on 21 October and it was a well-attended and lively meeting. Christine Law-
rence stood down after 6 years as Coordinator, and the Committee, and indeed all present, ex-
pressed their gratitude for the caring dedication and hard work that she had put in for the people
of Buckden during her tenure. Jane and Andy Scott are the new Coordinators, with Jane taking
the lead, and they will continue in their role as Transport Coordinators as well. There are no
changes to the Committee. To finish with, we were given a very interesting and entertaining talk by the Revd Jes
Salt about his pre-clergy life and about food banks.
There are two special events to look out for. The Quiet Christmas Service, a quiet, reflective event which Friends
in Deed has always supported, will be held on Christmas Eve at St Mary’s Church at 8pm. The Winter Tea Party
will take place in the Methodist Hall on Wednesday 10 February at 2.30pm. As ever, transport will be available on
request to collect and return those who would like a lift to either or both events.
For help or information contact:
Coordinator: Jane Scott 07810 006598
Requests for transport: Andy Scott 07914 669967.
Buckden Friends
After our lovely holiday at Warners Thoresby Hall it is
now time to book your place on our holiday to Tor-
quay next year. We are going for 7 days leaving
Buckden by coach on Tuesday 17th May and return-
ing on Monday 23rd May. The price of £445 includes
hotel, breakfast and evening meals, and 3 days ex-
cursions in the Torquay area. Also coach and meal
en route. We found a lovely place to eat when we
went on our planning trip.
To secure your place please pop £100 deposit to me
at 32 Mayfield with a note of your contact details and
your room requirements.
Phone me if you want more details 01480811020,
07981727603 or email patking@writeme.com. New
comers will be made most welcome. Single rooms
available.
Happy Christmas to all our Buckden Friends
Pat & Brian King
Thank You
Once again, a big "well done" to Buckden Friends,
very ably run by Pat and Brian King. We have just
returned from a five day break to Thoresby Hall, a
magnificent hotel in Nottinghamshire in beautiful
grounds. Could not be faulted - attractively priced,
door to door travel, excellent food, facilities and en-
tertainment. Pat and Brian seem to think of every-
thing and they do it all so effortlessly and always with
a big smile. Thank you both.