Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP) has agreed a new Resident Involvement Compact that sets out how council tenants and leaseholders can take part and get involved in decisions that affect their homes and community.
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Sutton's residents are being urged to have their say on the shape of the borough's library services.
Residents from across the borough are being urged to take part in a consultation exercise which will determine the shape of the borough's library services in the future. "The reductions in funding to the Council from central government mean that Sutton Council will have to save a further £31m from its annual budget by 2019," said a spokesperson. "The Council believes that this cannot be done without looking at other ways to deliver its services. As part of the cost-cutting measures, the Council has identified £1m of savings from the annual libraries, heritage and arts budget which currently stands at £4.4m. We would like to hear the views of residents and other library users about the ways in which we could make savings while continuing to provide an excellent library service. The questionnaire should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Responses to the questionnaire are anonymous and will not be passed on to third parties. Go to the survey here LIBRARY Police are carrying out extra patrols after receiving a second report this week of a teenage girl being approached by a man along a street in Wallington.
On Wednesday, 21 October, at around 17:00hrs, a man walked past a girl, aged 15, in Onslow Gardens near the junction with Stafford Road. He then turned around and followed the girl along Onslow Gardens by ducking in and out of garden bushes. The man then walked away towards Stafford Road. When the girl was sure she wasn't being followed, she made her way home. There was no physical contact between the girl and the man. The man is described as of Asian appearance, aged about 40, with short black hair and a moustache. He had a red dot on his forehead. He was wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. Earlier the same day at 07:45hrs, a 13-year-old girl had her shoulder touched by a man on a skateboard in Brambledown Road. The girl ran off. The suspect is described as of Asian or Arabic appearance, around 30-40 years old, with a beard and moustache, wearing dark clothing and a cap. He was on a 'greyish' coloured skateboard. Police advise children approached by a stranger to: - make as much noise as possible - run to the nearest place of safety - report what has happened to police immediately If you have any information about these incidents, please call Sutton police station on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Police have increased their patrols following a report of a 13-year-old girl on her way to school being approached by a man on a skateboard in Brambledown Road on Wednesday, 21 October at 07:45hrs.
As the girl walked towards Park Hill Road, the suspect touched the girl on the shoulder. The girl ran off. The incident is being treated as an assault. The suspect is described as of Asian or Arabic appearance, around 30-40 years old, with a beard and moustache, wearing dark clothing and a cap. He was on a ‘greyish’ coloured skateboard. If you have any information about this incident, please call Sutton police station on 101 quoting ref no: 4011258/15. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A Trading Standards joint prosecution involving officials from Sutton Council and Surrey Council has seen a self-employed landscape gardener jailed for three-and-a-half years for a series of frauds and grossly overcharging elderly and vulnerable people for shoddy work.
Ben Brown, 62, of Cox Lane in Epsom, who trades under the name Greenfingers Gardening, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday 20 October on eight counts of Fraud Act offences and four of money-laundering relating to sums of up to £665,000. The court heard that he had put more than £660,000 through his bank account that had not been disclosed to Inland Revenue. Mr Brown had earlier pleaded guilty and will also face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to recover money that he conned from his victims, who live in Sutton and across Surrey. His offences were carried out over a seven-year period from 2006 to 2013. Mr Brown’s sentencing followed a joint prosecution between Surrey County Council and Sutton Trading Standards with Surrey County Council acting as lead prosecutor in a lengthy case that took three years to get to court. The investigation was also supported by the Tri-Region Scambusters Team, who gathered evidence and obtained witness statements during the investigative stage. Mr Brown, whose business included paving and fencing, would charge exorbitant prices for poor work that was frequently neither required nor requested by his victims. His customers were often elderly and vulnerable people who were unable to look after their gardens themselves. When they would query the price or the standard of Mr Brown’s work, they were met with intimidation and verbal abuse. Typically, he would charge thousands of pounds for work that should have cost hundreds at most. He obtained business by advertising in local newspapers across Surrey and putting flyers through letterboxes using the trading names Greenfingers and Homecare Property Maintenance. In one case, a woman in her 90s approached Mr Brown after seeing a newspaper advert because she needed help maintaining her garden. He started work at her home without giving her any notice of her cancellation rights and charged her £24,500. A surveyor later judged the value of the work to be only £400. In another case, Mr Brown charged a man £17,000 for works carried out at his home, again after failing to give notice of cancellation rights. A surveyor valued the work at £200. A third victim paid £7,000 for work carried out in his garden. Mr Brown returned on a number of occasions without prior arrangement and started work not requested by the customer, who felt too intimidated not to pay. He paid Brown £1,500 simply for tidying his garden. Another of his victims, a pensioner living in Epsom, who has asked to remain anonymous, contacted Mr Brown in February 2012 to erect a new fence and gate in her garden after one of his flyers was put through her letterbox. He gave her a verbal quote of £1,800 for the job, then turned up to commence work several days later without prior notice. After erecting a new fence and leaving it leaning at a 45-degree angle, Mr Brown then told the pensioner the bill was now £4,000, blaming the rising cost of materials. He suggested further gardening work in an intimidating manner that she felt unable to refuse, charging a further £1,600 to re-turf the garden, having led her to believe this extra work was included in the £4,000 payment. Mr Brown then offered to lay a new patio and sent another man to do the job, charging a further £1,200, at which point she refused to pay and called the police as she feared for her safety. The pensioner obtained a quote from another landscape gardener who told her the fencing should have cost £500 to replace. The woman said: “I want to thank Sutton Trading Standards and Surrey Trading Standards for their hard work in securing Ben Brown’s conviction. While I am pleased that justice has been done, I feel really aggrieved at how he took advantage of me and preyed on elderly and vulnerable people in their 80s and 90s. “I employed him because I wanted to give a local tradesman some work rather than go to a big company. I chose him because his leaflet was beautifully printed and looked very professional to me. “Ben Brown never gave me a quote in writing, nor was I given a seven-day cooling-off period. I can’t believe I was so trusting. As a result of this, I will never go with any other local businesses that are not endorsed by Sutton Council’s Safer Sutton Trader Scheme list or Checkatrade.” Cllr Nick Emmerson, Lead Councillor of Trading Standards at Sutton Council, said: “We congratulate Sutton’s and Surrey’s Trading Standards teams for their sterling work over a considerable period of time that has finally led to the imprisonment and fining of this rogue trader. Ben Brown will no longer be able to grossly overcharge for his work and intimidate people across the borough. “Sutton residents should always look at the Safer Sutton Trader Scheme List on our website when considering employing a tradesperson. This list has been vetted by Trading Standards and offers a range of professional tradespeople. “Residents should always get several quotes before agreeing to employ a tradesperson and remember that they should expect to receive a cancellation notice from the trader and have the opportunity to cancel a contract within 14 days if it is made at home.” The Safer Sutton Trader Scheme List has been thoroughly vetted by Trading Standards and offers a range of bona fide tradespeople in the borough. It can be downloaded from the Sutton Council website at https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200548/business_regulation/1327/trading_standards Sutton Council's crackdown on Blue Badge fraudsters continues with another driver convicted under Section 1 of the Fraud Act.
Syed Rizvi, aged, 50 of Pinners Close, Carshalton, was summonsed to attend Croydon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 29 September. Police were called by a resident on Monday, 19 October at 17:08 to a report of a car on fire at a communal car park in Parkview Crescent, Worcester Park.
Officers arrived to find the fire had been put out already by London Fire Brigade. The flames have also caused extensive damage to a bin shed. The car was a Rover convertible. There were no reports of anyone being injured. Two boys, aged 12, were arrested on suspicion of arson. They have been bailed to return to Sutton Police Station. Sutton's highly successful Neighbourhood Watch is always looking for more co-ordinators to help develop and sustain their network.
A youth, aged 14, who was convicted of racially abusing a 16-year-old boy, was issued with a post-conviction Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) at Sutton Youth Court, on Thursday, 15 October.
The CBO runs for two years starting with immediate effect. His order came with a number of conditions which means he must not: - have contact with five named individuals - enter any part of Mill Green Road, off London Road, Mitcham - board or ride any Transport for London bus unless accompanied by a parent or youth offending officer, except on routes 466, 127, 157 and 151. The CBO follows the youth's conviction at Croydon Youth Court on Wednesday, 5 August after he admitted racially aggravated behaviour against a mixed race 16-year-old boy who was known to him and has severe learning difficulties. The youth abused the teenager on an S1 bus in Sutton in February 2015 by blocking his exit, jabbing him in the leg with a screwdriver, threatening him in the face with a toy gun and punching him on the arm. He also admitted two offences of criminal damage the previous month when he threw eggs at a lounge window in Mill Green Road shouting racial abuse at residents inside the address, and broke a pane of glass at another property in the street a week later. The CBO was the work of Sutton's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit - a joint team of council and police officers based at Sutton Police station. The unit is managed by Sutton Council and the Met Police and additionally funded by Sutton Housing Partnership. Sutton's Christmas Craft Fair returns to the High Street from November 23.
The Fair will be there up to December 23 at Trinity Square, Sutton Town Centre. "If you're looking for unique gifts that you won’t find on the high street, then you won’t want to miss the Eden Craft Fair this Christmas. You’ll be spoilt for choice by the array of exhibitors who will be bringing the spirit of Christmas to Trinity Square from the 23rd November, through to the 23rd December," said a spokesperson. "Amongst the exhibitors, you’ll find fabulous silver jewellery from E-Val-Silver and Bramblee Designs, delightful wooden boxes from Bundu and unique hand painted pottery from Hilu Crafts. These exhibitors and many more, will be located under cover of an attractive heated marquee, so there’s no need to let the cold or wet weather keep you away. "For food lovers there will also be lots of foodstuff for you to try and buy. Family run Med Foods will be back again, offering delicious Mediterranean olives, nuts and pastry’s to tempt your taste buds. If you fancy yourself as somewhat of a wine connoisseur you will love Pieroth Wines. With an extensive range from all around the world, Pieroth Wines are regarded as a reliable authority on international wines. They will be offering a selection to share with you from their vineyards all over the world. "Come along to the Sutton Christmas Craft Fair and really get into the spirit of Christmas. For further information on Eden Craft Markets, please visit the web site: www.edencrafts.co.uk." |
Is your child two or going to be two in the next school year? They may be eligible for up to 15 hours of free weekly childcare!
*The scheme is available to Sutton residents who earn less than £16,190, receive Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income Support, or other benefits, from the term after a child's second birthday, thanks to funding from the government. The free childcare can be provided by nurseries, childminders, pre-schools or playgroups. For more information visit www.sutton.gov.uk/familyinfo or contact the Sutton Family Information Service on 020 8770 6000 or [email protected]. Archives
October 2016
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