Email proposal from Councillor Mick Cox 

Before I put forward my suggestions to “Future Proof” the centre to ensure it’s continued use for groups that use the facility and future users, I would like to address the list of priorities raised by Mr Hough in his Chartered Surveyors report. I have only commented on those listed as category 1

It should be noted that in the intervening period since the report was generated, a lot of maintenance work has been carried out by the Management Committee on the building which negates many of the comments made in the report.

1) Rain Water Goods

Due to a Health and Safety issue being raised recently by St Peters Academy with the Management Committee, arrangements are in hand to address the issues by a specialist Company, during February half term, when safe access can be had to the school site.

The guttering and down pipes on that side of the building will be removed to facilitate the work and will be replaced with new guttering and down pipes on completion of the work.

It should be noted that when Mr Hough stated that rainwater was discharging on to the ground surfaces, this was incorrect. All rainwater discharges into the underground drainage system and pipes and gutters are regularly checked and cleared when necessary.

2) Hard Standing/Landscaped areas

This has been listed as a category 1 priority, but in my view this is a relatively minor issue that does not affect the integrity of the building, Mr Hough has stated that there is an issue with blocked gullies, this was resolved some time ago

3) The Support Pillar

Mr Hough has reported that this will need major works to remove and replace the pillar which has tilted slightly, He has suggested that removal of a section of flooring will be needed to allow access to the pillar. By the very nature of the remedy proposed by Mr Hough the building itself will need to be supported whilst the pillar is being replaced,

In light of Mr Hough’s opinion, the Management Committee have sought the opinion of a Chartered Structural Engineer, with considerable experience of such matters. He has advised that the building may have been subject to slight movement in the past but does not appeared to have done so for many years, the structure is now in equilibrium. Therefore there is no need to carry out the works described by Mr Hough

4) Statutory Obligations

There have been two Asbestos surveys carried out by the County Council Properties Services on the building during the last 8 years and I am informed that  the building does not contain any asbestos.

Although not listed as a priority a comprehensive Fire Risk assessment was carried out recently with the assistance of Staffordshire Fire Service, The assessment is reviewed annually to ensure that the Centre continues to conform.

Inspections are carried out on Fire extinguishers and Portable Electrical Appliances annually, while fixed electrical circuits are checked every 5 years (the next inspection is due in 2023) Inspection relevant to H&S matters are carried out monthly. All inspections are recorded and are available for inspection by the appropriate authorities.

I have not considered items graded 2-3, however the Management Committee consider some of these replacement/repairs to be unnecessary.

“Future Proofing” the building

The first thing that the Council must agree on is the purchase of the land and building, if the status quo continues and the building is merely leased there is no point in spending money that will extend the life of the building beyond the expiry of the lease.

If the land and building were transferred to the ownership of the Parish Council, further improvements could be made to the fabric of the building which would extend it’s use for the foreseeable future

From my own observations I think that we have a Community building which is in generally good order and which fulfils a genuine need in the community.

I have carried out a visual inspection of the building with the assistance of some Management Committee members, I have concluded that the structure would benefit from modern insulation to the walls and recladding with an eco friendly sustainably sourced wooden cladding. The product I have in mind is “Accoya” and is guaranteed for 50 years when used above ground. This is likely to greatly improve the visual impact of the building, and has been used by retailers such as Mark and Spencer in their new stores.

Internally there are a number of things that could be updated which will ensure future usage.

Kitchen

The Kitchen area at the moment is perfectly serviceable and meets the need of users of the building, however better facilities are available and should be considered at an appropriate time of change.

Comparisons should not be made with the replacement kitchen at Shenstone Village Hall, I am not proposing that a professional food preparation facility be installed merely new kitchen cupboards and sink for beverages etc to be prepared

The SYCA is currently planning to replace the and improve the hot water system to ensure that it continues to conform to H & S Requirements and is in the process of obtaining quotations to proceed as soon as possible.  hot water system is in need of replacement, this will have to be done in the next few months, but the type and quality of a replacement will depend on future use of the building.

Toilets

The building would greatly benefit from updating the toilet facilities. The extent of any refurbishment could be decided upon at the appropriate time.

Lighting

The Florescent lighting is safe and could continue to be used for some time, however there are better products available and would show a considerable saving in cost and energy usage.

Solar Panel

Subject to a structural Engineers report on the strength of the roof structure, it may be possible for solar panels to be installed, this would help with future running costs and in all likelihood the Centre would be a net contributor to the National Grid.

Other matters

There are plans already in place to improve the building.

The curtains and rails have been removed and new made to measure blackout blinds have been ordered and are to be fitted shortly. 

The heating system is only 3 years old and should not need replacement in the foreseeable future,

The floor which is of Maple construction has recently been stripped and treated with a hard wax oil, this will ensure it’s longevity.

The security of the building was recently improve with the installation of upgraded door locks 

The exterior of the building is due to have be treated with Barratine Wood Preservative in the spring. This is done every 2-3 years

In comparison to the cost of a new build solution the changes detailed above would be easily achievable within the Parish Council’s ring fenced budget. There has already been a lot of improvements since Mr Hough’s report, future projects  could be carried out over a period of time, they do not all have to be dome immediately.

Michael Cox

  mick40cox@fastmail.fm

News release: 15 December 2020

Keep up to date with LDC News

Never miss out on council news by signing up for a brand new email newsletter which is launching in 2021.

Hot on the heels of sending its community magazine – LDC News – to homes right across the district, Lichfield District Council is encouraging its residents to sign up to receive its new monthly e-newsletter in time for the first issue in January. 

Also entitled LDC News, the email newsletter will feature a roundup of council news, services, events and promotions, and anyone can subscribe to receive it at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/enews.

Councillor Ashley Yeates, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, said: “From activities and events in our parks and streets, to the not so exciting but very important changes to bin collections and community consultations, our monthly e-newsletter will help communities to keep up to date with what we are doing.

 “LDC News will feature bite-sized stories every month as well as links to campaigns we are running, such ‘Save time, get online’, which encourages everyone to interact with us through our handy online forms. 

 “It will be an easy way to stay on top of council news, and we hope all of our local residents, businesses, groups and stakeholders sign up to receive it and also join in by sending us your stories”

 To join the LDC News mailing list, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/enews. You can unsubscribe at any time. 

 Ends

Media enquiries

Esther Epstein, Press & Communications Officer, Lichfield District Council

T: 01543 308778 E

 

If you need “accessible” versions of any of the documents listed below, please contact : Andrea.Horsnall@staffordshire.pnn.police.uk

07.04.21 – Cyber Aware Micro-Business leaflet
07.04.21 – NCSC Alert – Ransomware Attacks
07.04.21 – Cyber Champion Tips for March 2021

31.01.21 – NCSC A5 Small Business Guide v3 Oct 2020. How to improve your business security.
31.01.21 – Buying & selling used devices- how to erase personal data
31.01.21 – Cyber Champions Tips – January 2021
31.01.21 – Consumer Guidance for Smart Devices in the Home

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07.01.21 – Stay Safe On-Line
07.01.21 – Small Business guide on responding and recovering from a cybercrime incident
07.01.21 – NSCS Jargon Buster/Glossary of common cyber security terms 

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29.11.20 – Moving  your business online?
Questions to ask your IT providers

How to recover your hacked on-line accounts

Installing and keeping your antivirus software up to date 

“Accessible” versions of the following documents  can be obtained from Staff’s Police  by contacting : Andrea.Horsnall@staffordshire.pnn.police.uk

N.C.S.C – Defending your organisation from phishing attacks

N.C.S.C – Multi Layered Phishing Mitigations – Case Study

On-Line Dating /Romance fraud – guidance leaflet

Here is a really informative video from DC Kelly Harvey from the Fraud and Financial Investigations Unit: https://vimeo.com/staffspolice/romance-fraud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to October’s Top Tips.

Here is the link to the original PDF document. For the “Accessible” text, please read on.

This month we are going to highlight fraudulent phone calls, emails and text messages, which are all methods of phishing. Last month we highlighted Courier Fraud due to emerging trends of this type of criminality and we continue to see this type of cyber enabled fraud circulating locally. This kind of crime generally begins with an unsolicited phone call to unsuspecting individuals, some current examples being received by local people are as follows:

Fraudulent calls:

Call from male purporting to be a police officer, caller asked individual for confirmation of name and address (which fraudster already knew). He stated he was ringing because credentials had been used to purchase goods earlier that day.

Call from Visa Fraud team regarding suspicious transaction on account, alleged police officer purportedly conducting a worldwide investigation suggesting someone was attempting to withdraw significant funds from account. Further call received, spoofed number used masquerading as the bank, asked individual to go to the bank and draw out funds for safe keeping. Told not to disrupt the police investigation by telling anyone.

Call from a withheld number, caller purporting to be a police officer. Claimed criminals had been arrested who were involved in fraudulent bank card activities on the individuals account.

In the examples given above, the callers attempted to gain financial and personal information from individuals, masquerading as trusted professionals and using the fear that money was at risk to trick people into taking action. Only with vigilance of this type of criminality and having the confidence to Take Five and stay in control can people better protect themselves from this threat. It is OKAY not to engage with an unsolicited caller, no matter who they claim to be – STOP, CHALLENGE, PROTECT. Please continue to share awareness of these particular scams.

Advice:

 Remain in control of the conversation
 Do not be rushed
 End the call and verify any request/instruction via a trusted, reliable source
 Phone numbers and menus can be spoofed (fake)
 Use a different phone to verify call (if this is not possible, wait at least five minutes before dialling out)

Phishing emails are an ongoing concern, we are seeing reports of spear phishing amongst businesses, these are targeted campaigns against individuals or businesses and these particular emails can be difficult to spot. Encourage staff to be vigilant, raise awareness of phishing emails, reiterate and reinforce education amongst staff and members of the public.
Generic phishing email scams which are currently circulating, are under the guise of:
• Home Office (penalty charge)
• Microsoft
• Amazon
• Facebook
• Netflix
• TV licencing
• Various purporting to be from banking
Here are a couple of examples, one, a phishing email and the second, a fraudulent text, which have been recently received by colleagues:

Penalty Charge Phishing Email:

The Detail:
Purporting to be government organisation

The ‘Ask’. Not too much to ask for? But what else will you give away if you click the link and respond?

Reference number to add credibility?

Added time pressure, threats and poor grammar

Instruction to pay, it’s easy, simply ‘click here’ –
dangerous link

Telephone unavailable – Subconscious ploy to detract you from making enquiries by phone, shifting focus to encourage ‘I’ll just pay’ thinking

Banking Smishing Text:

The Detail:
Purporting to be from the bank

Suggestive of suspicious activity on account to encourage response

The ‘Ask’. ‘If this was not you please visit’

And there it is, the dangerous link

It is worth noting that smishing texts can slip into the same feed as a genuine message, so treat any message containing a link with caution. If suspicious, verify content via a trusted source.

The purpose of phishing emails and texts is to try to obtain credentials, to gain access into systems, gain personal and financial information and/or distribute malware (malicious software).

Advice:

Never respond to any unsolicited phone calls, emails or text messages:
Stop – Think about what is being asked of you, or offered to you
Challenge – have the confidence to challenge both yourself and the delivery – Caller? Email? Text? Social media message? Challenge the detail
Protect – It is important to Stop and Challenge to ensure data is protected
You can now forward suspicious texts to: 7726. Forward suspicious emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Next month there will be some useful tips for social media and how to keep accounts better secured.

In the News:

The Banking Protocol: We start with some great news, ‘Bank branch staff worked with the police to stop £19 million of fraud in the first half of 2020 through the Banking Protocol. A system that alerts local police to suspected scams, the scheme has prevented victims from losing £116 million of fraud and led to 744 arrests since it was introduced three years ago. A range of scams that trick elderly and vulnerable customers into withdrawing cash from their branch have been prevented, including courier scams, romance fraud and rogue traders. The Banking Protocol scheme is now being expanded to telephone and online banking’ Action Fraud. Read full article here: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/bank-branch-staff-and-police-team-up-to-stop-19million-of-fraud-in-first-half-of-2020

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Alert: Risk of SharePoint vulnerability to UK organisations:

The NCSC is raising awareness of a new remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2020-16952) affecting Microsoft SharePoint. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow an attacker to run arbitrary code and carry out security actions in the context of the local administrator on affected installations of SharePoint server. The NCSC is issuing this alert to ensure that system owners are aware of this vulnerability and to ensure remediation actions are taken’ NCSC, to find out more visit here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/sharepoint-vulnerability-uk-organisations

October NCSC threat reports here:

2nd October 2020: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-2nd-october-2020

 QNAP issues new ransomware warning to network-attached storage device users
 Cloud Security: The way forward?
 Vulnerabilities Affecting MobileIron Products (CVE-2020-15505)

9th October 2020:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-9th-october-2020

 Ransomware attacks not being reported
 Endpoint security pain point for cyber professionals
 Annual list of most “dangerous” celebrities topped by familiar chat show host

16th October 2020:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-16th-october-2020

 Call for caution during online shopping events
 Passenger data compromise confirmed by Carnival
 Microsoft security updates now available
 Threat actors chaining vulnerabilities

23rd October 2020:

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-23rd-october-2020
 US warns of Chinese actors exploiting public vulnerabilities  Marks & Spencer CEO spoofed

Staying Informed:

To help you keep informed, West Midland Regional Cyber Crime Unit are providing ‘Cyber Threat Weekly’ podcasts with cyber updates and current information which you can access here: https://cyberthreatweekly.buzzsprout.com/

Reporting:

Suspicious Email Reporting Service – Please forward suspicious emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Forward suspicious texts to: 7726

Report cybercrime and fraud to Action Fraud:
0300 123 2040
www.actionfraud.police.uk
Further information and advice can be found by visiting:
www.cyberaware.gov.uk
www.actionfraud.police.ukj/takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

 

 

Welcome to September’s Top Tips, NHS Test and Trace is in the spot light again this month with scams continuing to circulate and there is some useful information about the newly launched ‘NHS Test and Trace app’ in this month’s top tips. 

NHS Test and Trace Scam

Current scam involves telephone calls claiming to be from NHS Track & Trace, callers will claim the recipient has been in contact with someone that has tested positive for Covid-19 so needs to selfisolate for seven days and take a test within 72 hours. Callers will then ask for the best address to send the testing kit out to, before saying that there is a one-off fee of £50, which includes results, and asking for bank details. 

Advice:

Testing and results under the track and trace system are free. If you are contacted by the scheme you will never be asked for bank details or payments of any kind.

Never respond to any unsolicited phone calls or emails – Stop Challenge Protect

NHS Test and Trace App

Our West Midlands Regional  Cyber Crime Unit have given this information following the launch of the new NHS Test and Trace app: ‘The NHS has launched the NHS COVID-19 app whereby venues are being instructed to download and display QR codes for visitors to scan when they arrive, using the new app. This is to help trace and stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). It is important to note that users are advised to only scan venue QR codes through the NHS COVID-19 app to ensure that the user is accessing the correct website rather than a malicious one. Cyber criminals use a practice called QR Spoofing or “Attagging” which is where a real QR code is replaced by a cloned one, which then redirects the person scanning that code to a similar, potentially malicious, website where personal data can be intercepted and breached. Protecting yourself from QR Spoofing when `checking in’ to places, as is now required, is as simple as avoiding scanning QR codes with your camera and instead downloading the free NHS COVID-19 (Test and Trace) app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. When using the NHS COVID-19 app the QR code is scanned using an in-app camera and only official NHS QR codes are accepted. The app also does not require its users to open a separate webpage eliminating the risk of malicious links nor does it require the user to enter any personal information other than the first three letters of the users postcode as it relies mainly on venue check ins and Bluetooth location.

QR Spoofing or Attagging –

QR codes, particularly printed to signs or posters, are static and available to exploitation by cyber criminals by putting a fake QR code over a genuine QR code. For example, a QR code, on scanning, would link to the genuine website www.wmcyber.org but a fake QR code can be made up, printed off and placed over the genuine code to redirect to www.wm-cyber.org. At this point, the member of the public may be tricked into entering their personal and private data and financial information. Often, the spoofed website looks the exact same as the genuine one to make the users think they are legitimate and trustworthy. To protect yourself, we ask that members of the public always stay vigilant of spotting malicious URLS and, if possible, ensure that they preview the actual URL when scanning QR codes via phone QR readers. Also, take advantage of the free QR code readers available that function as a typical reader but also provides the added benefit of security to the scan’. WMRCCU

The launch of the new app will bring along new attempts from criminals to try to deceive people by way of email, phone call or text. Always seek information from a safe source and down load the NHS Test and Trace app from the trusted Google Play Store or Apple App Store and never from a link in an email or text message.

The official NHS Test and Trace website address is: https://contact–tracing.phe.gov.uk

Further information on NHS Test and Trace can be found by visiting the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs–test–and–trace–how–it–works

Courier Fraud Alert:

Courier fraud is when criminals call people impersonating banks or the police in order to convince them to hand over their cash, bank cards, or high value items, to a courier that’s been sent to their home. Recent reporting to Action Fraud has highlighted that an increasingly popular tactic is for criminals to instruct the unsuspecting victim to purchase high value items such as gold coins and gold bullion. In the last three months, Action Fraud has received 13 reports relating to this particular M.O, with losses totalling almost £419,000.

Please use this advice: 

• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up, wait a few minutes and call your bank on a number you know to be genuine, such as the one on the back of your card
• Your bank or the police will not contact you out of the blue to participate in an investigation in which you need to withdraw money from your bank or to purchase high value goods, such as gold bullion.
• Your bank will never send a courier to your home to collect your card, PIN, or other valuables, therefore any requests to do so are a scam

West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit Education Sector

Our West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit are more than happy to chat to educational establishments about training opportunities for their staff and opportunities to provide positive cyber choices for their students.  They have said ‘While we have over 5K schools across our region to try and support, we’d like to get an expression of interest from those schools or educational establishments that would like to receive free cyber awareness training’. 

For more information about this opportunity, contact: wmcyber@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk

There is further information about ransomware attacks within the education sector here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/alert–targeted–ransomware–attacks–on–uk–education–sector  

Stay Informed:

To help you keep informed, West Midland Regional Cyber Crime Unit are providing ‘Cyber Threat Weekly’ podcasts with weekly cyber updates and current information:  https://cyberthreatweekly.buzzsprout.com/

The WMRCCU cyber website has a host of information to help boost your cyber awareness, you will find tips, information and advice and check out the ‘Cyber Crime Sentinel’ here: www.wmcyber.org/  

NCSC Latest Threat Updates:

Take a look at August end and Septembers NCSC threat reports and news here: 

28^th August 2020:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly–threat–report–28th–august–2020

• Dharma ransomware used in recent attacks
• Report explores coronavirus impact on breaches

4^th September2020:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly–threat–report–4th–september–2020

• New advisory offers support against malicious activity
• Business Email Scammers want more, more, more

11^th September 2020:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly–threat–report–11th–september2020

• Newcastle University suffers a serious cyber incident
• EPPlus generated macros provide novel way to help malware evade detection

18^th September:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly–threat–report–18th–september–2020

• NCSC warns UK academia of rise in number of cyber attacks
• Remote workers access company data on personal devices
• Vulnerabilities discovered across multiple travel company websites
• Microsoft aware of Netlogon vulnerability

25^th September 2020:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly–threat–report–25th–september2020

• Gamers urged to secure online accounts
• Firm caught offside in ransomware attack

Suspicious Email Reporting Service – Please forward suspicious emails to:  report@phishing.gov.uk

Forward suspicious texts to: 7726

Report cybercrime and fraud to Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040

www.actionfraud.police.uk

Further information and advice can be found by visiting:

cyberaware.gov.uk www.ncsc.gov.uk/ actionfraud.police.uk/ takefive–stopfraud.org.uk/

 

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Register with Staffordshire Smart Alert to receive crime prevention advice and updates from your local policing team about crime and engagement events.

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Report to Staffordshire County Council on behalf of Shenstone Parish Council.

PROPOSED TRANSFER OF STONNALL YOUTH AND COMUNITY BUILDING FROM STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL TO SHENSTONE PARISH COUNCIL.

The Stonnall Youth and Community building was leased to Shenstone Parish Council in 2003 and since that time it has been fully utilised by groups and organisations in the village of Stonnall. It is considered to be a vital asset to the village,

The management committee has identified around 20 regular user groups which show that the facility is being used by all age ranges, from a recent family christening to the weekly Coffee club attended by some of our older residents.

The facility has been a focal point for the village and has been a major part of the sense of Community that exists in Stonnall.

The well being of its residents with continued social activities is at the forefront in securing this building.

The condition of the building is in good order and is maintained in a safe condition for public use. The most recent structural survey was carried out in 2008 which concluded that It was fit for purpose. There are no plans in the short or medium term to replace the building.

The intention to buy this building is to secure a well used facility for the villagers of Stonnall and those in the surrounding area.

The facility is considered to be complementary to other Community facilities In the village and caters for the smaller local organisations. The building is fully accessible for both the very young (babies in buggies) and disabled users .

The Parish Council has, through Grant funding maintained the building with the assistance of other users. Future maintenance costs are projected to be in line with past expenditure.

Once the building has been transferred into the ownership of the Parish Council and the facility’s long term future secured, as well as maintaining its current usage it is proposed by the management committee to enhance the present facilities by the installation of telephone and internet connections. It is anticipated that this will benefit a large proportion of the current users who do not have internet access and encourage new user groups.

The Parish Council will continue to strive to make the asset available to all its residents for a variety of uses.

For the attention of Shenstone Parish Council 

by Streetly Red Phone Box Committee

represented by Anne-Marie Goodchild

 Objective

This paper has been prepared for the review, consideration, and acceptance by the Parish Council of the adoption of the Red Phone Box on Burnett Road, Streetly, from BT Group Plc for community use.  The phone box is identified by BT by its telephone number: 0121 353 2360.  

Executive Summary

It is hard to pass a red telephone box without feeling a twinge of admiration as these eight-foot-tall beacons conjure a romanticised vision of the UK.  The phone box in Burnett Road does not currently reflect that magnificence but it could and will do if we can adopt it and refurbish it. 

The phone box design K6 was commissioned to celebrate King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935 and we within Streetly (Both Lichfield and Birmingham side) want to save it for our village.

The communities of Wall adopted their phone box and until Covid 19 it was successful as a book exchange library. Whilst Streetly is a larger community, it has a very strong community spirt as demonstrated by initiatives like the Streetly Watch and the 691 people who have signed the petition to save it from being removed.  In addition, the local businesses, churches, and scouts are fully supportive and look forward to providing more hands-on support as the pandemic related safety measures are relaxed further.

Proposal for Phone Box Use

The proposal is to use the phone Box as a community notice board and plant display.  This is the simplest proposal in view of the current Covid pandemic, as setting it up as a community library is not safe.

The noticeboard will be inside the locked phone box and the Phone Box Committee, working with Streetly and Lichfield Community teams will establish a process for managing the updating of noticeboard, as well as its ongoing maintenance.

Support from the Community

691 people signed petition from both Walsall and Lichfield side of Streetly. (Councillor David Smith was sent details of the petition at the 500-signature stage). 

We have established a committee of 20 people (so far) prepared to restore and maintain the kiosk (See Appendix 1).

All shops in Burnett Road and Thornhill Road are supportive.  Only concern, raised by one shop owner was keeping phone box locked because of the youths walking along Burnett road from the park.  Mocha Coffee lounge and XO Lounge have offered support in the near future as due to their recent re-opening following Covid 19, they are prioritising their businesses.

Both Streetly and Sutton Coldfield Scouts have said there is a possibility of them being involved as part of their community activities, but they are unable to fully commit at this stage as they have no face to face meetings due to the same Covid restrictions.

The Committee has put a sponsorship proposal forward to the Co-operative head office and press office and are currently awaiting a response.

All Saints Church in Foley Road East is fully supportive of the adoption and Rev Mandy Walker has been instrumental in helping with contacts in the community to help.

Projection of Financial needs

Following the successful adoption of the red phone box by Shenstone Parish Council, the committee will self-fund the refurbishment and ongoing maintenance of the phone box.

Therefore, as a community the initial money will be raised through Just Giving and/or Crowdfunding campaigns, followed by potential sponsorship from the local businesses, plus other local fund-raising activities (once pandemic is over).

Initial costs estimation:

Expenditure Item	Price
K6 Paint Kit from X2connect	£145
New Perspex for windows (24 Poly)	£145
K6 custom signs (Information etc)	£100
Cleansing of phone Box	Cleaned by Committee
Noticeboard	£50
Contingency (i.e. new door straps etc)	£100
Plant holders	Sourced from Locals
Solar light	£50
Phone Box Lock	£50
Labour	Community Payback* or Volunteers
Total	£640

*We will also be looking into the Community Payback scheme as used by Wall to convert their kiosk but, in view of Covid, the committee may have to restore it ourselves in the short term with the volunteer resource.

Risks

We accept there are risks to this proposal and have tried to identify some of the key ones and put our proposals for managing them as best as possible.

• Covid 19 – Mitigated through re-purposing the phone box for use as closed and locked. (Although we would like to look in the future to use it as a library)
• Anti-sociable behaviour e.g. using box as public convenience or to take solvents. With the phone box locked this will make the situation better than its present state. However, only one of the local shops raised this as a potential issue (not the Co-Op). We would also establish a link with the local shops/residents to ensure early intervention in relation to any problems occurring so that their concerns will be addressed.
• Ensuring Parish Council do not get left with liability for the phone box with no local support due to people moving or lack of interest. – The committee will provide regular updates to the Parish Council (even if only written email/memo).   We will also sure that we can continue to get community support through identifying reliable and creative people which will allow the committee to grow and evolve.
• Electric supply responsibility ownership resulting in expensive costs – The committee is learning from the experience of the community of Wall, which took over the responsibility for the electric supply which later proved to be expensive.  The committee propose that Option 1 is requested as part of the adoption process:

Option1:

BT Payphones will continue to be responsible for the electrical supply and any payments to the electricity companies for that supply. BT reserves the right to disconnect the electricity supply at some point in the future, however BT will contact the kiosk owner should this become necessary. Electrical equipment cannot be connected to the electrical supply unless agreed with BT. At the point of adoption BT will ensure that the light will be working but from then on BT will only be responsible for the supply into the kiosk to the point of the fusebox. Any future faults beyond this point will be the responsibility of the phone box owner.

Option 2

The Parish Council take over responsibility for electric supply

Recommendation

Further works are currently being undertaken by the committee to progress the following:

• Continuous campaign for raising awareness in the area.
• Risk assessments: health & safety,
• Sponsorship proposals.
• Funding plan – initial and long term.
• Gathering intelligence to identify the best people for the required roles as part of the refurbishment and ongoing maintenance.
• Operation and maintenance plan.

It is recognised that at this moment in time, this paper does not cover detailed information regarding the above, however, BT have kindly put on hold the recovery of this phone box, once informed about the initiative of the community, even though the consultation period was over and hence we only have a small window to save it.

We know that Streetly is not a “quaint village” like Wall and Shenstone, but it has a strong village community and this Phone Box will help reflect that and make this an asset the local people can enjoy.

Over 6000 phone boxes have been adopted (even Villagers in Ambridge – in BBC Radio 4’s long-running drama The Archers – have adopted their own phone box). 

Now that a committee is in place and opportunities have been identified, the Parish Council is kindly asked to offer the community of Streetly village the opportunity to save this important icon as we are proud of our high street. The restored phone box will enhance the character of the high street as we are sure it did when first placed there in the 1930’s1940’s.

We accept its only £1 to adopt and that you then carry the risk going forward but hope we are able to convince you all of our commitment to save this for now and into the future.

Yours in hope

Streetly Phone Box Committee

Appendix 1

Streetly Phone Box Committee

Name	Committee role	Name	Committee role
Jennifer Gray	Temporary Chair	Raymond Goodchild	General Member
Anne-Marie Goodchild	Temporary Secretary	Helen Haughton	General Member
Ramona Mihailescu	Temporary Assistant Sec	John Jennings	General Member
Angela Bannister	General Member	Martin McQueen	General Member
Julie Barlow	General Member	Patricia Motzheim	General Member
Lisa Bellamy	General Member	Claire Pilmer	General Member
Monica Bett	General Member	Anne Simpson	General Member
Kate Blabey	General Member	James Teacherr	General Member
David Brown	General Member	Mary Wheeler	General Member
Phil Campion	General Member	William Wheeler	General Member

 

1	Discussion re our existing communication strategy. The success of the e-bulletin was noted but that hard copies are not feasible long term due to cost, delivery issues and green concerns. The main focus should be on getting more people to sign up to the bulletin electronically as well as to Facebook where the bulletin is accessible. The increase in take up is now 10% as opposed to 5% which is a success and there is notification in the last issue that we may not be able to print going forward so encourage signing up- 10 new requests. It was agreed that: –        there should be a 1 x page A4 communication only leaflet drop to reiterate how we can be reached & ask how residents want to be reached in return:         Email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. –        that some paper copies will still be required for residents without internet access. Focus on community groups such as Stonnall Coffee Club, Friday Friends, and the Library. –        we should contact existing Facebook groups across the Parish & ask them to share our communication options to capture existing audiences. Action: done. Also have sent an email to everyone registered for the bulletin asking them to share our details on their social media. Already getting support.
2	There are significant issues with Little Aston deliveries so email sign up is very  important.  It was agreed that we should ask local newsagents to include the June bulletin with their newspaper deliveries to reach as many as possible. Action: done & agreed.
3	Articles not relating specifically to Parish news but of more of a community nature should be more targeted. A future e-bulletin could also be targeted at hard to reach groups.
4	Facebook posts will be scheduled 3 x weekly in addition to anything urgent in order to maintain interest. Nicky & Shirley to liaise.
5	The newsletter 3 x annually remains our prime focus of news. Again, this can tie in with the electronic distribution list.
6	Nicki shared a request to have the noticeboard in Little Aston moved slightly as it overlaps the pavement & is a problem for a blind resident. Also Nicki suggested turning it around to face away from the shops.
7	The website has had a lot of work to it to make it meet the new accessibility guidelines which are law from Sept. There is still more work to do.
8	Consideration of other forms of social media such as Twitter & Instagram to be considered in the near future
9	Next meeting of the Communications group October 2020.