Sandyford and Goldenhill

A council tax increase of £19 per annum across Police and Fire & Rescue has been confirmed by the Police, Fire & Crime Panel. 

At meetings taking place on 3rd and 10th February, the Panel approved the following increases: 5.12% increase for Police & Crime (an extra £14 per year for a band D property) 5.8% increase for Fire & Rescue (an extra £5 per year for a band D property)

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams said: “I know from my council tax consultation that residents want their services to keep improving, to further increase officer numbers and to evolve so they can address local priorities such as vehicle crime, rural crime and ASB, and work with other agencies to keep people safe. Regrettably, next year, central government grants will not cover increases in pay, national insurance and inflation – cutting total funding in cash terms.

“I am acutely aware that household budgets are tight. Nevertheless, to protect the progress both services have made, limit the impact on service levels and to continue to prepare for an uncertain future, I need to increase the council tax precepts for both services by the maximum allowable.

“Together, they should put Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue in the best possible position to continue to keep us safe.”

Romance fraud is when scammers use an apparent (but fake) romantic
connection or relationship to lure their victims into a false sense of security,
before tricking them into giving them money, or information which helps them
steal money from them.

If the scammer successfully persuades their victim to lend or give them money,
they will usually come back with further reasons for needing more. Sometimes,
the victim is asked to pass money from another country through their account
this could be money laundering.

Spotting the signs
People who have fallen victim to romance scams tend to report the same pattern. If
you or someone you know is using online dating or friendship sites and sees any of
these signs, it may indicate you or they are being scammed:

1, The scammer asks you a lot of questions about yourself without saying much
about themselves in return
2, The discussion is friendly at first but turns romantic very quickly
3, Their story, or parts of it, change over time and become inconsistent
4, They refuse to video call you, or meet in person
5, Eventually, the scammer asks you to lend them money

What can you do to protect against romance fraud?
Despite the prevalence of online romance scams and fraud, it doesn’t mean that you
have to stop using dating sites altogether. You just have to be aware that scammers
do exist, and follow some simple rules to protect yourself online:

1, If you’re using social media sites like Facebook, don’t accept friend requests from
people you don’t know
2, Don’t give away too many personal details about yourself online
3, Never send or receive money or give away your bank details to someone you’ve
only met online
4, Use reputable dating sites

The roof of a major factory near Nantwich has been blown off onto the busy A51 road today as South Cheshire was battered by Storm Eowyn.

This dramatic picture shows a large metal sheet was torn off JS Bailey Cheese on Nantwich Road in Calveley, Cheshire, at about 11:00 a.m. today 24.01.25.

Eight cars were also crushed in the incident where one woman suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene by paramedics, although according to Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service nobody was inside the vehicles.

M.P. and several members of Sandyford & Goldenhill Residents Association met up for a photo shot at the end of a successful public meeting yesterday evening. Left to right Jeanette Celic (Committee Member), Lester Fern (Committee Treasurer), Lynn Dunning (Committee Chairman), Tom Simpson (Committee Secretary), David Williams M.P. & Ryan Smart (Committee Member).

The meeting attracted around 150 residents and guests with speakers including Stoke on Trent North M.P. David Williams, Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Ben Adams, Chief Inspector Laura Davies, Councillor Chandra Kanneganti and Council Environmental Crime Manager Dominic Gratty.

At the meeting the public bar was open where drinks could be purchased as well as free food on offer to all guests, along with a FREE PRIZE DRAW where Wickes donated a £124 Karcher Power Washer & 2 x £30 Gift Cards, Brenden Fern & Londis (Goldenhill) donating 9 Bottles of Wine each, Mc Donald’s donating 10 Meal Vouchers and Sandyford & Goldenhill Residents Association donating 20 Boxes of Shortbread Biscuits.

Everyone attending the meeting said it had a good social atmosphere, which was informative and are looking forward to the next public meeting in April.