Residents

Cannock Chase Council is urging local residents to be vigilant due to a new council tax scam whereby criminals are targeting people across the District offering bogus refunds.

Fraudsters are contacting residents by text, email and phone to con them out of money and access personal bank details.

The scammers tell people they have paid too much council tax and are due a refund which they offer to claim on their behalf for a fee. A similar scam demands payment for council tax arrears.                                  

The Council is urging anyone who receives an email, text message or phone call offering a council tax refund not to give out any personal information, particularly bank account details, or debit or credit card details.

They should delete the email or text, block the sender and make sure they do not reply or click on any links. Any such phone calls should be brought to an end as quickly as possible.

Councillor Carl Bennett, Leader of Crime and Partnerships, said:

“Cold-hearted criminals are using more convincing council tax scams which can damage people’s lives, both financially and emotionally, and anyone can be fooled by them, especially if they appear to look official.

“Anyone who is contacted by text about a council tax refund which includes a request for personal information and bank details should ignore it and report it.

“The Council will never text to ask for a payment to release a council tax refund or ask for personal bank details. If we do need to contact you about your council tax, we are more than happy for you to call us back on 01543 464285, or visit our offices.

“By reporting a scam, people can help someone else avoid being a victim.”

Anyone who receives a suspected council tax scam can report it to the Council’s Council Tax team on 01543 464285.

Cannock Chase Council is working closely with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and local outreach workers to help young people stay safe and keep out of trouble this Halloween and Bonfire.

Halloween can be harmless fun but some members of the community can become distressed by unexpected trick or treaters. Part of a wider ‘Take Care and Be Aware’ initiative, young people are being encouraged to ‘Think – Be Aware Who You Scare’ and to follow some simple do’s and don’ts this Halloween. These can be found on Cannock Chase Council’s website.

PCSOs and Police Cadets from the Cannock Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) will be distributing glow in the dark ‘No Trick or Treat’ cards from Friday 25 October. Residents can display these cards in their windows if they don’t wish to be disturbed by trick or treaters. These cards will also be available to collect from Council Offices, police stations, community fire stations and libraries from Monday 28 October.

The campaign aims to encourage young people to be respectful of other people in the community and not to get involved in anti-social behaviour.

Cannock District Local Policing Team (LPT) will be running Operation Sparkler from 25 October and carrying out high visibility patrols in anti-social behaviour hotspots and responding to reports of anti-social behaviour.

A simple list of do’s and don’ts around firework safety are also available to download from the Council’s website.

Councillor Carl Bennett, Portfolio Leader for Crime and Partnerships, said: “The ‘Take Care and Be Aware’ initiative demonstrates how partners are working together and are committed to making our neighbourhoods safe and enjoyable for everyone. This is a reminder to young people that Halloween can appear harmless fun, but it can sometimes scare and intimidate our elderly and vulnerable residents.

“Fireworks also cause great distress for animals and the elderly, so please be considerate when setting off fireworks and follow the Firework Code.

“With safety our main concern, we are urging parents to ensure their children are properly supervised during both Halloween and Bonfire.”

Sgt Mark Burslem, Deputy Commander at Staffordshire Police, said: “Staffordshire Police will be running Operation Sparkler from Friday 25 October until Sunday 10 November. Cannock NPT will be deploying additional patrols during this period to patrol hotspot areas and proactively deal with anti-social behaviour.

“Cannock NPT will be working closely with our partners at Cannock Chase Council to identify perpetrators and deal with them accordingly.  We would encourage people to act responsibly and safely during this period respecting their community.  Staffordshire Police can be contacted to report incidents by calling 101 or via the Staffordshire Police website.”

A special Firework’s Hotline has been set up to answer any questions that residents have about Bonfire Night and safety associated with fireworks. The number to call is 01785 277 855. Alternatively, visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/takecare  for more information.

Cannock Chase Council has joined forces with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy to launch #BintheButt to stamp out cigarette litter, which causes significant damage to marine life.  

The Council is calling on smokers to rethink how they dispose of their cigarettes, as research reveals that only half (53%) of Brits know that cigarette butts get washed into the sea if they are dropped down the drain.

The campaign ‘Flicking Blue Murder’ will be rolled out across the District to tackle this problem. Promotional material including posters, beermats, outdoor banners and digital advertising will be displayed in local pubs, schools, parks and town centres.

Local pubs will also be offered additional wall mounted ashtrays to encourage smokers to bin their butts rather than simply flicking them on the ground.

In addition to this, the Council has installed a ballot bin in Cannock town centre to tackle the problem of cigarette butt littering with further ballot bins being installed in Hednesford and Rugeley town centres in the coming weeks.

The ballot bins will display a question and two answers. Smokers vote by putting their cigarette butt in the slot underneath their preferred answer. The litter stacks up behind the clear glass columns showing which answer is the most popular.

It is hoped by using interactive and gamification it will bring about positive behaviour change towards the environment. This has been supported by an independent evaluation which shows that using the ballot bin approach reduces littering of cigarette butts by 46% in the surrounding area.

Dropped cigarette butts are the most common form of littering, and just under four in ten (39%) smokers admit to throwing a cigarette butt down a drain within the last month. However, one in ten (11%) do not consider cigarette butts to be litter.

Councillor John Preece, Environment Leader for Cannock Chase Council said: “We are delighted to be supporting Keep Britain Tidy with this campaign. As the research suggests, cigarette butts are the most common form of litter that are dropped onto our streets everyday.

“By launching this campaign, it is hoped smokers with be encouraged to #BinTheButt and stop the flow of plastic, toxic cigarette butts getting into our rivers and oceans and potentially killing our marine wildlife”.

Allison Ogden-Newton, CEO for Keep Britain Tidy said: “Following Sir David Attenborough’s rallying cry to reduce plastic waste on Blue Planet 2, #BinTheButt aims to show how simple everyday behavior can affect the environment.

“While flicking a cigarette down the drain may not seem harmful, we need to ensure smokers understand that this has a direct and often drastic impact on wildlife.

“Our research showed that more than a fifth (22%) of Brits thought putting a cigarette down the drain was acceptable, which rose sharply to over (52%) among smokers who smoke everyday. We need to challenge this view, and get the message to smokers that this is still littering”.

For more information about this campaign and how you can support it, visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/binthebutt

Cannock Chase Council has pledged its support for this year`s Great British Spring Clean, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The campaign which runs from 22 March to 23 April will see up to half a million people taking action to clean streets, parks and beaches across the country.

The Council`s Street Cleansing team is encouraging local residents and community groups across Cannock Chase District to get involved.

This year`s campaign will not only see tonnes of litter being removed from the environment on our doorstep, it also aims to rescue thousands of the plastic bottles and aluminium drink cans that are simply thrown on the ground but could very easily be recycled.

Volunteers are being asked to separate the litter they pick into separate bags for general rubbish and recyclable waste i.e. plastic bottles and aluminium cans.

The Council will then collect these bags to ensure that they are recycled appropriately.

Councillor John Preece, Leader of the Environment said: “We are calling on residents to help improve the environment they live in and to take part in the country`s biggest ever clean up. If you would like to get involved, the Council can help by providing litter picking equipment and will collect the bags of rubbish you collect.

“Contact the Street Cleansing team on 01543 462621 or email streetcleansing@cannockchasedc.gov.uk.”

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “The Great British Spring Clean is an opportunity for the millions of people who care about the environment on their doorstep to do something positive that will make a visible difference.

“We are delighted that Cannock Chase Council is supporting this year’s campaign and would like to thank them for their support.

“Without councils across the country giving the campaign their backing, our volunteers would not be able to do the incredible job they do.”

In addition to this, the Council will be installing a ballot bin in Cannock Town Centre to tackle the problem of cigarette butt littering.

The ballot bin will display a question and two answers. Smokers vote by putting their cigarette butt in the slot underneath their preferred answer. The litter stacks up behind the clear glass columns showing which answer is the most popular.

It is hoped by using interactive and gamification it will bring about positive behaviour change towards the environment. This has been supported by an independent evaluation which shows that using the ballot bin approach reduces littering of cigarette butts by 46%.

Further ballot bins will be installed in Hednesford and Rugeley town centres in the coming months.

To find out more about the Great British Spring Clean and how the Council is supporting this initiative, visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/GBSpringClean