Organised by Community Lincs it gave an opportunity for local people to put questions to Nick Boles MP, Under Secretary of State for Planning and other key panellists Jason Beedell of Smith Gore, Nick Chase of Action for Communities in Rural England and Justin Grigg of the National Association of Local Councils.

Run in a style similar to the BBC’s Question Time Bishop Christopher controlled the debate in a Dimbleby-esque manner with humour while drawing responses from the panel and involving the audience.

Key issues touched on included the lack of resources and funding to help local communities implement core aspects of the Act; the conflict between giving local people decision making powers and the ability of national government to override local views; the planning process and particular chestnuts such as wind turbines and affordable housing.

A summary of the consensus views of the panellists were the Act offers some good ideas and approaches but is a long way from delivering it full potential. It needs greater awareness raising, more local authority support to local parishes and greater resources and funding to back up its implementation.

For local communities to effectively present their views or challenge decisions on the future of their community they really must have completed a neighbourhood plan to demonstrate extensive consultation and agreed local priorities.

A survey of the evening’s audience found the event a great success.  88% of the audience found the event useful with over 80% considering the Bishop’s chairing excellent and the speakers good. Over 90% indicated they would encourage others to attend future Community Lincs events.

If you have identified a community facility at risk of closure or an opportunity to develop a new community service we have the funding and hands-on business support to help you turn it into reality.

The Community Assets Fund is looking for the most entrepreneurial and sustainable community business ideas that can deliver services and revenue for the benefit of local communities across West Lindsey District.

The Community Asset Fund offers:

•           A combination of loan and grant finance

•           Surgery sessions to help communities develop their ideas and proposals

•           One-to-one adviser support to help communities work up their proposals

•           Additional advice and support, including mentoring and study visits

You may wish to development a community facility such as a shop, pub, community farm or local transport provision. You may wish to extend or add to the services provided from a community building such as a café, library or play facility. If you have a great idea find out how to turn it into reality.

Attend our next Surgery event which is being held at:

Middle Rasen Village Hall

Tuesday 4^th June 2013

Two surgery options:

Either 2.30pm to 5.00pm or 5.00pm to  7.30pm

Please note booking is essential, please click here to secure your place or,  to find out more telephone 01993 810730

or access the web site www.communityassetsfund.org.uk

The concept was introduced under the Localism Act in 2011 and now DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) has made funding available of up to £7,000 per community to help them draw up their plans. Communities will be able to apply for grants and support from a number of organisations working with nationwide charity Locality.

Information is available via a website,My Community Rights, which offers advice and links to support and guidance for Neighbourhood Planning and other localism rights.

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), the national umbrella organisation for England’s 38 county-based rural community councils (RCCs), says its network is ready to help communities make the most of the money available. Around 200 communities are already up and running as Neighbourhood Planning ‘frontrunners’, with more than 50% supported in getting their plan under way by their local RCCs.

Community Lincs, a member of the ACRE network, recently hosted the Localism in Lincolnshire debate which included Nick Boles MP, Under Secretary of State for Planning. Neighbourhood Planning was one of the topics hotly debated and it was agreed for local communities to effectively present their views or challenge decisions on the future of their community they really must have completed a neighbourhood plan to demonstrate extensive consultation and agreed local priorities.

Fiona White CEO for Community Lincs said:

The DCLG funding is great news for communities who are in a position to access the monies that are available. With up to £7,000 available per community it demonstrates the Government’s commitment to establishing ‘localism’ as the norm.

The longstanding experience of RCCs in helping rural communities to develop Parish Plans and the more holistic Community-Led Plans, means they are ahead of the game and will be the natural port of call for many rural communities wanting to develop a Neighbourhood Plan.

Communities in rural areas will be able to call upon the help of their trusted Rural Community Council to submit an application for the grants available. RCCs are independent charitable bodies with a very long history of ‘being there’ for rural communities. They are not ‘flown in’ consultants and really do know the people and the area they both live and work in.

RCCs will be able to help Parish Councils and communities through the process so that their Plans can stand up to the consultation, inspection and referenda stages.

Theft of heating and diesel oil has been a problem for many years and the police have always noticed an increase in this type of crime whenever the price of crude oil rises. A rise in the price of fuel at the petrol pump inevitably leads to a rise in the cost of heating oil. This makes oil a more attractive proposition for the thief and they are now actively targeting fuel tanks at farms, transport depots and domestic properties. The thief may be using the oil for their own central heating or selling it on at a handsome profit. With hand power tools and small mobile pumps available it is easy for a thief to gain entry into your oil tank via either the point for filling or by simply drilling a hole through your tank side and inserting a tube and pumping the oil directly into containers. A one thousand litre tank can be emptied in minutes in this manner making your heating oil a valuable commodity to a thief in his daily ‘work’.

It therefore makes good sense to take precautions to protect your oil tank, with the purpose of this information to give the reader a few ideas about what can be done to make life more difficult for the thief. After all, would you leave over £600.00 in cash lying around in your garden? So please, read on.

OFTEC or the “Oil Firing Technical Association for the petroleum industry” for short offers advice and guidance for those who use and store oil at their premises! There are certain rules and regulations that may apply to you and OFTEC will help clarify these for you. They can be reached at www.oftec.org.uk or by calling 0845 6585 080. They also produce an “Easy guide to domestic oil storage” which is a very straightforward and useful document.

The position of the tank can have a significant effect on how hard a target it is in the eyes of the thief. If the tank is close to the house, with one or more windows capable of giving a view of it, then the thief may consider the chances of being seen too high. If the tank is close to a road, path, drive or alleyway then it will be a far easier target. Hiding the tank behind the garage, shed or some other type of outbuilding is fairly commonplace, but it does give the thief the advantage. Not many oil tanks are works of art so who wants a tank in full view?  While it may not be desirable, or legal, to have the tank close to the house some sort of compromise location would be sensible. Of course this will not only be a major consideration when a new tank is to be installed but may be necessary if the tank has been targeted before! They do need to be within a reasonable distance of the road otherwise the oil supply company may not be able to refill it for you.

A good thief will come equipped with a limited range of tools to attack your tank so it’s worth spending a little more on good quality locks. Close shackle padlocks are the best as they offer most resistance to the most popular of burglar tools – the bolt cropper!  Due to their design, close shackle padlocks have very little of the metal hoop (shackle) exposed and bolt croppers cannot get a good grip. Remember that buying a padlock is like buying a car the more you pay the better the quality you get and the longer it will last. An internet search on ‘close shackle padlock’ will provide numerous suppliers and products and are also available at DIY and most hardware stores.

Remote electronic oil level gauges are now available which will set off an audible alarm if the oil level in the tank suddenly drops or falls below a quarter full. These gauges can be located in the kitchen or perhaps a utility room to warn of any potential problem. There are several different versions on the market at the moment and cost between £70 and £100. An internet search on ‘heating oil tank alarm’ will give access to a variety of products and suppliers. External PIR alarms are available in both professional and DIY models. These may be positioned to cover the area where your oil tank is sited and alert you to intruders to that area. Be aware that some systems will be affected by small animals, with the neighbours cat or the passing fox being possible culprits. So please ask questions relating to the sensitivity of your intended purchase. Search for ‘external alarms’.

Security lights can have a very positive effect and make any property a much harder target for the thief. It’s not always necessary to floodlight the area with high power beams, as a more subtle level of lighting may be all that is needed. Low energy “dusk ‘til dawn” lights positioned close to the tank should, in most cases, provide sufficient light to illuminate any suspicious activity. This type of light can be both effective and inexpensive. High powered lights can be used but care should be taken not to cause any nuisance to neighbours or road users. All such items are available from DIY stores at very reasonable prices.

This is nature’s way of helping to reduce crime. Thieves will not wish to force their way through or over a prickly hedge. The smallest trace of blood or shred of ripped clothing could help the police identify the offender. A variety of shrubbery exists that will help to give this type of protection, but remember it will take time to establish and should be considered as a secondary protection. All good garden centres will be happy to advise on the quickest growing and most suitable plants for use in this area.

Fences and walls can also make life difficult for the thief. A wooden or metal fence, trellis or wall can give significant protection to the tank but it must be remembered that the oil tanker driver will need access to fill the tank! A metal grill or cage with a lockable access point can further improve security and possibly be the highest level of physical protection you can give to your oil tank. Steel cages are available for other purposes but they have yet to be specific to oil tank design, due to the variants in oil tank sizes. To this end you would require to look for a cage that would completely cover your tank. The cage would need to be able to be bolted/concreted into the ground and consist of a lockable door, to enable entry for filling. An internet search on ‘security cages’ gives access to retailers providing lockable cages with roof sections. Whilst a surround cage may give ultimate protection it will be one of the most costly outlays for preventing theft from your tank, but the cost of replacing a full oil tank would still be far greater. Remember to use a ‘close shackle’ padlock to secure your cage access gate.

Add a wire free beam alarm within the cage, which will activate should access be forced and a would-be thief may be scared off prior to getting to attack your oil tank. By placing this type of alarm within a caged area and correctly positioning the beam it would be possible to prevent false activations normally associated with small animals. Look up wire free external alarms.

The use of CCTV as a crime prevention and a crime detection tool has grown massively in recent years. It could play a part in the protection of oil tanks, but before you spend lots of money on equipment make an assessment of your needs. Ask yourself:

• What do I hope to achieve by using CCTV?
• How much am I prepared to spend?
• Is there a reasonable level of light where the cameras will be operating or do I need to think about using cameras with low light capability? (most thefts take place at night).
• What am I going to record the captured images on? – digital recording is best
• How am I going to provide the police with any evidence I may capture?

For those of you thinking along the lines of far greater security there are numerous CCTV options, for which we would suggest obtaining at least 3 quotations from reliable companies.

The objective of making adjustments relating to your heating oil tank is to prevent you from becoming a victim of crime. Whilst all of these measures will require some financial outlay it may be more pertinent to make the necessary changes now rather than take the chance, become a statistic and still have to pay out for more oil, repair / replacement of your tank or in the extreme case, foot the cost of cleaning up your land where oil has been left to drain after thieves drilled a hole into your tank!

Unfortunately there is no one answer to the theft of domestic heating oil, but rest assured, the more you do to prevent your oil tank from becoming a target, the better chance you have of encouraging the thief to look elsewhere for easier pickings.

Residents and Parish Councillors in Nettleham gathered for the presentation of a bench to recognise the village as joint winners of the 50^th Anniversary of the Best Kept Villages and Small Towns Competition.

The bench was presented to members of Nettleham village by Richard Pennell, of Pennells Garden Centres, whose family have sponsored the bench in this special year and has also been the sole sponsor of trees for the competition since 1964 and Teresa Palmer, Competition Organiser, from Community Lincs.

The 50^th Anniversary project, to celebrate the history of the competition, which included the award of a bench to both Tealby and Nettleham as the highest scoring joint winners, was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Both Teresa and Fiona White the Chief Executive of Community Lincs wish all those involved with the competition all the very best in the future.

The Lincolnshire Best Kept Village competition has been run by Community Lincs since 1962. In that time Nettleham has won its category (for villages between 2,001 and 7,000 residents) 11 times, most recently in 2010. Tealby has won its category eight times, coming second on 10 occasions.

West Lindsey District Council has supported the competition for many years and both Nettleham district councillors, Cllr Giles McNeill and Cllr Malcolm Leaning, attended the presentation.

For more information about the 50^th Anniversary of the Best Kept Villages and Small Towns Competition visit www.lincolnshirebestkeptvillages.co.uk

Moves to clear up the confusion around the laws on serving food in community buildings have been welcomed by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently consulting on draft guidance on how food law applies to food provision in England’s 10,000 community buildings and to other community activities.

ACRE, which runs a national Community Buildings Information Service, hopes the guidance will help community buildings volunteers who are already struggling with a raft of red tape.  The charity is now urging community buildings committees to respond to the FSA consultation, which closes on May 21, by visiting www.food.gov.uk

The FSA draft advice will help local authorities decide whether a community food operation is deemed to be a ‘food business operator’ (FBO).

FBOs need to be registered with their local council and must comply with food hygiene legislation. Operations that do not need to be registered are still legally required to supply food that is safe, but are not required to comply with food hygiene laws.

Food hygiene laws say that for a food operation to require registration it must have both ‘a certain continuity of activities’ and ‘a certain degree of organisation’.

Deborah Clarke, ACRE’s Rural Community Buildings Officer, said: “There has always been a degree of confusion over whether community buildings need to register as FBOs, with some volunteers being given conflicting advice by local councils.

“The guidance makes it clear that it is the food provider using a village hall, not the premises itself, that needs to be registered.

“It also reassures community buildings committees that they don’t need to register for one-off events, such as fetes. The general rule of thumb is that operations which provide food less than once a month don’t need to register.

“Where food is provided at least once a month, decisions on whether such operations require registration depend on the degree of organisation involved. We would suggest that village halls who run regular food events, such as luncheon clubs, take advice from their local council.

“If organisations using community buildings do require registration, each food business must be registered separately.”

For more information about the consultation please visit the Food Standards Agency website.

If you take part in this consultation, please let us know at Community Lincs on 01529 301960 or email samantha.smith@communitylincs.com.

Dunston Village Hall committee are hosting a free event on Saturday 27^th April, 11am to 4 pm, Dunston Village Hall, Chapel Lane, Dunston, Lincoln, LN4 2ET

The Green Deal initiative is now available for all domestic properties to cover the initial cost of installing more efficient energy systems.

The Save Energy, Save Money – Marketplace will have knowledgeable representatives of  two companies supplying a range of energy efficient systems – solar panels, air source and ground source heat pumps, domestic wind turbines, rainwater harvesting systems etc; one company providing Hybrid Heating systems, an Independent Green Deal Assessor and one company that produces Energy Performance Certificate.

You are invited to come along and find out about the systems that could reduce your energy costs and which ones would be suitable for your home. This is your opportunity to talk to installation experts and find out what greener energy alternatives really work to save you money.

Tea, Coffee, Cakes and Snacks on sale throughout the day.

Free Admission

Community Lincs has now completed its latest parish housing survey for the village of Heckington. Heckington is one of the largest villages in Lincolnshire with over 1200 households and, according to the 2011 census, 3,353 residents. Heckington has a high proportion (28%) of residents over the age of 65 compared to the North Kesteven average of 18%. The report details demand for social housing and provides a snapshot of residents views on the future of housing provision in the parish. The report can be downloaded below.

Heckington Housing Needs Survey

 Thanks go to all those residents who participated in the survey by providing information, suggestions and comments.

Now imagine a similar sized community again in a remote and rural area where the public sector unintentionally, but due to its fragmented and siloed approach to decision making, has created a village with no facilities, no history, a crumbling infrastructure and none of the tools that support a thriving and prosperous place.

The housing has extraordinarily high numbers of absentee landlords, the roads and utilities are often under standard and are not ‘adopted’ by the normal agencies. There are no community facilities and the villages around them distrust them and where crime and deprivation is high.

These are the ‘ex-MOD’ villages which, on de-commissioning, are systematically broken up and sold into the private market with little or no consideration of the facilities and support such a community needs.

Section 106 requests do not apply and thus the former publicly owned facilities go to the highest bidder with no understanding of the need for community open space, a place to meet or a children’s play area. The rules that apply to these sales are set by the government for clear reasons – to maximise the monies that can be returned to the Ministry of Defence to support the future defence of the realm. There is no longer a military need for these ‘housing sites’ and thus the assets can be disposed of without a backward glance.

In the West Lindsey District there are three such ‘communities’ – Brookenby, Hemswell Cliff and Newtoft all ex-MOD sites that have been de-commissioned over the last 20 to 30 years and a fourth – RAF Scampton – which faces closure in the near future and whose housing has already been partially decommissioned.

Community Lincs, in partnership with West Lindsey District Council is committed to supporting and facilitating the local citizens build communities in these locations. And of utmost importance, we are committed to learning the lessons from the past to prevent the de-commissioning process at RAF Scampton going in the same way.

A programme of dedicated support to these communities is headed up by Anne Cater, Community Development Worker employed by Community Lincs.  Anne’s work is  not designed to fix all of the problems as this is not sustainable or financially possible, but a level of support to build resilience and self-help amongst the amazing local people in these villages.

The project has been funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation and West Lindsey District Council and Anne has been working with the four communities for the past 9 months.

The enthusiasm and dedication of the community activists is to be admired and already, in this short time, major changes have been made in the villages.

Hemswell Cliff have at long last got their derelict ball-park back in community ownership after many years of it being locked up whilst the young people in the village had nowhere safe to play.

Brookenby residents have worked hard to clean and decorate their community centre.  They now have a community fitness and dance studio with regular well-attended classes.

Newtoft are working on a Lottery application to secure funding for a new community centre that will replace the existing pre-fabricated building and provide essential new facilities for the whole community.

The Lincolnshire Echo featured the project with a great article, which can be viewed here

Anne’s interview with Lincs FM was broadcast on Thursday 11 April 2013.

Want to know more?  Then read on………….

The Lincolnshire Doorstep Crime Partnership invite you to attend a training seminar aimed at raising Doorstep Crime Awareness.

Tuesday, 23 April 2013 at the King Arthur Suite, Butlins,

Ingoldmells ,Skegness, PE25 1NJ ,  

from 10:00am to 2.00pm

Our object is to provide advice/awareness/training for carers, support workers or any persons who come into contact with older persons on a regular basis, where a dedicated message can be re-affirmed regularly to these older persons in order to enable them to do the right thing if approached by conmen we know prey on these individuals.

This is an entirely new approach, which has received the backing of all our partner agencies and will standardise the Doorstep Crime Awareness message, which should be being delivered across Lincolnshire. Advice will be presented by Officers from both Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Trading Standards.

Please come along and see what steps YOU can take that will make a difference in helping our older community members remain living safely and independently in their own homes.

To make a reservation or seek further information please contact Reg Burrell the Doorstep Crime Awareness Project Officer on 01529 301966 or reg.burrell@communitylincs.com

To make a direct reservation please use the following internet link: http://doorstepcrimeseminar.eventbrite.co.uk/