Council’s code for
dealing with gypsies
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington have approved a code of practice for dealing with unauthorised camps set up by gypsies or other travellers.
The code will be operated by the borough, in partnership with the police and neighbouring authorities such as Halton, St Helens, Macclesfield and Vale Royal and with Cheshire County Council.
But Coun Alan Litton, chairman of the borough’s sustainable environment and regeneration overview and scrutiny committee, stressed that the code sets out a policy for the management of unauthorised gypsy encampments – it does not create authorised sites.
“These are something to be considered at a later stage,” he said.
Coun Peter Walker added: “This is a big step in the right direction. But it does not solve the problem of the lack of a permanent site for travellers.”
Warrington has no authorised, permanent site for travellers at present which makes it more difficult to move them on from unauthorised sites.
Under the new code of practice, certain expectations will be required to be met by travellers and by the local population.
Travellers who set up an unauthorised camp will not automatically be evicted. Powers to take immediate action to evict will continue to exist, but a series of tests will be applied to decide whether the travellers can remain.
Factors to consider will include the number of vehicles, the duration of any stay, the health, education and welfare needs of the travellers, their behaviour, highway safety, etc.
The travellers would be expected to agree a duration of stay and keep groups small, with the number of caravans and vehicles appropriate to the site. They will have to respect the environment, nearby property and the reasonable expectations of the local population.
They must not create road safety or health hazards, dump waste or have animals not under control. They must leave the site by the agreed time – and not return for three months.
Local people will be expected to respect the reasonable expectations of the travellers and control their behaviour towards the travelling community. But where an encampment is permitted to stay on a temporary basis, local people will be informed and details of the arrangements will be given to parish councillors, community groups, etc.
Fitness fanatics gear up
for a Lakeland challenge
by Lesley Wilkinson
FOUR teams of fitness fanatics from Warrington are gearing up for a Lakeland challenge that includes canoeing, cycling and climbing.
Each team includes three athletes and a driver and they will take part in the Ford Ranger Great Lakeland Challenge on May 18 – and raise money for disadvantaged young people.
Chief Trading Standards officer Peter Astley, 40, and company director Andy McKay, 38, both from Padgate, have teamed up with fire-fighter James Bell, 37, from Fearnhead and Richard Robinson, 40, a sales executive from Great Sankey.
Another team features promotions manager Michael Carter, 38, sports development officer Neil Kelly, 33, both from Grappenhall, Bruche marketing manager Adam Jude, 33, and operations manager Eddie McKeown, 32, from Old Hall.
Stockton Heath solicitor Daniel Jude, 37, is forming a team with friends from Middlesex, Surrey and Warwickshire.
A fourth team includes national sales manager Mark Shephard, 36, also from Stockton Heath, Dominic Jude, 38, a company director based in Knutsford and Nigel Quarmby, 34, a fire-fighter from Grappenhall.
Peter Astley said the men will be putting their fitness to the test in the event dubbed England’s “longest, steepest and highest” outdoor charity challenge.
Up to 40 teams are expected to compete in the event, which must be completed within 12 hours.
The three athletes in each team canoe the length of Lake Windermere (10.5 miles), cycle 26 miles over the Wrynose and Hard Knott passes and then scale England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike (3,208 ft).
Each team includes a driver who supports his team mates and Eddie and Richard are taking on this role for their respective teams.
Family competition will be added to the Warrington teams. Brothers Dominic, Daniel and Adam Jude are on opposing teams, and Mark Shephard will also be competing against his brother Garth, a corporate financier, who lives in Richmond, Surrey.
Each team will raise a minimum of ?4,400 for Wooden Spoon, the charity that originated in the game of rugby and supports children and young people who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.
All four teams are on the look out for sponsors and anyone interested in helping can contact Peter Astley on 01925 442672.
Woman cheated council
out of ?12,468 benefit
by court reporter
A WOMAN who falsely claimed ?12,468 in benefits from Warrington Borough Council has been sentenced to a 100-hour Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay back the overpayment.
Elizabeth Patrick, 29, of Southworth Avenue, Bewsey, Warrington, pleaded guilty to benefit fraud at Halton Magistrates’ Court.
Patrick claimed the benefits as a single parent when she was in fact living with her husband.
The court was told that between July 2003 and August 2005, Patrick claimed ?11,070 Housing Benefit and ?1,398.49 Council Tax Benefit from the council.
Adrian Webster, the council’s benefits manager, said: “Benefit cheats are not just defrauding the Government, but their own tax paying neighbours and communities. With the new methods of data matching we are using, the obvious message to benefit cheats is – ‘you will be caught’.”
Patrick was also ordered to pay costs of ?150.
Parents urged to use
real cotton nappies
by John Hendon
PARENTS are being encouraged to use real cotton nappies and save money as Real Nappy Week hits Warrington.
Real Nappy Week, March 11-15, is all about engaging with parents across the borough and the UK, to help them make an informed choice about using real cotton nappies compared to single-use disposables.
It is co-ordinated by the Women’s Environmental Network and the Real Nappy Campaign, sponsored by The Waste and Resources Action Programme WRAP. Real Nappy Week is the annual focus of the nappy waste prevention campaign.
Real cotton nappies are a more environmentally friendly option – they’re reusable, easier to use than old fashioned terry nappies and they save money!
It is estimated the majority of families could be making a saving of up to ?500 per baby by using and washing modern cotton nappies at home. To help kick start the change, Warrington’s Real Nappy Campaign is offering a 75 per cent discount on nappy starter packs and an introductory offer to the nappy laundry service.
The nappy starter packs will kit-out parents with enough nappies to start using and washing nappies at home. The nappy laundry service is a convenient service for families who don’t want to wash the nappies themselves.
Three billion nappies a year – eight million a day – are thrown away in the UK, with a disposal cost to individual local authorities of thousands of pounds per year. More than a tonne of waste is produced by each baby wearing disposable nappies, the vast majority of these will be disposed of in landfill where they take up to 500 years to decompose.
Town Hall “leak”
needs ear plug!
by David Skentelbery
COUNCILLORS at Warrington have been told of a Town Hall “leak” that could result in confidential debates being overheard by members of the public.
But there is no skulduggery going on in the corridors of power – just an over-sensitive induction loop system for the hard-of-hearing.
The security risk came to light at a meeting of the executive board when Coun Alan Litton, who wears a hearing aid, complained that he was hearing snatches of a debate from another committee room.
Coun Liz Smith revealed she had been told people wea
ring hearing aids could sometimes hear debates from the car park.
“Our confidential meetings may not be as confidential as we think,” she said.
The board agreed to ask officers to investigate the situation.
Beer and wine festival
in aid of Scout funds
by staff reporter
THE Stockton Heath Beer and Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, April 21 – organized for the third year running by the 4th Warrington Scout Group.
Beers and wines will be available with live music from local five-piece band Mandrills.
The event will be at the Scout Centre on Parkgate Road and will be supported by the Campaign for Real Ale who will select traditional beers from the best breweries in the North West. Already selected is “Wobbly Bob” – a favourite at the 2005 and 2006 festivals.
There will also be a quality wine list.
The festival is in aid of the on-going refurbishment of the Scout Centre and to encouragine young people to take part in challenging adventurous activities.
Further information is available from Peter Ratcliffe on 01925 264122.
Recycling ‘phone books
to grow new woodlands
by Lesley Wilkinson
YOUNGSTERS in Warrington are joining in the race to recycle old Yellow Pages directories in a bid to help increase woodland and win cash prizes.
During the next eight weeks thousands of pupils will be taking part in the Yellow Woods Challenge, an environmental campaign for schools run by Yellow Pages working with the Woodland Trust and Warrington Borough Council.
Yellow Pages is offering a share of ?600 in cash prizes to schools that recycle the most old directories per pupil, plus a bonus prize of ?100 for the school that collects the most directories.
And for every pound awarded to schools, the company will give a matching pound to the trust – the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
Funds raised will be invested in the trust’s most ambitious children’s tree planting campaign ever launched, “Tree For All” which aims to plant 12 million trees by 2009.
Coun Graham Welborn, the borugh council?s executive member for safer and greener communities, said: “The competition is a great way of diverting old directories away from landfill while educating youngsters about the wider environment.
“Warrington’s schoolchildren have taken part in this competition for a number of years and have always done extremely well and are setting an excellent example.”
Local people are being urged to support the campaign by giving their old directories to a participating school, when the new edition is delivered.
Phil to run
in marathon
PHIL Sexton, from Sexton’s Bakery, Lymm is running in the London Marathon on April 22 to raise money for leukaemia research.
Well-wishers can sponsor him by calling in at the shop in the village centre.
