Edenbridge Town CouncilWe have installed two brand-new life buoys at Stangrove Park to keep everyone safe by the water. Following a recent health and safety audit, our Open Spaces Committee approved an £800 investment to ensure aid is available in case of an emergency.
Next time you’re out enjoying the park, feel free to take a look and know that your safety is our priority.
Not everyone enjoys or wants to take part in Halloween. If you would rather not have trick or treaters call at your home, you can download Kent Police’s ‘no trick or treat’ sign for your front door or window.
If you have young children:
If you have teenagers:
Please only call 999 in an emergency. You can report a non-urgent incident or crime online
Partnership working is an essential part of our job at the Town Council. We help bring agencies and organisations together and communicate regularly so that we can help improve outcomes for our community.
One of those partners is Kent Police, and we were delighted to recently welcome Chief Super Mr Loudon and Edenbridge’s beat officer PC Harry Kemp to the Council office when they visited Edenbridge for a walk around.
Don’t forget – you can also keep in touch with our local policing team by signing up to My Community Voice.
Residents are also welcome and encouraged to come along to the next community safety partnership meeting (PACT) Monday 22 July, 2 pm at Rickards Hall.
My Community Voice is a useful tool that lets you receive real-time alerts and share information with Kent Police. (It is not a tool for reporting crime.)
It’s really important to report crime or antisocial behaviour through the formal channels. If you don’t report it, there is no record or evidence to help the Police and other agencies tackle any issues.
You should use the official channels:
999 if it is an emergency or incident being witnessed there and then
101 after the incident or if you have information about an incident/issue
Report online: www.kent.police.uk/report
CrimeStoppers: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
email the Community Safety team at Sevenoaks District Council: community.safety@sevenoaks.gov.uk
All information is treated confidentially. You can also contact CrimeStoppers and report online anonymously.
You are invited to the next meeting on 22 April, 2.00 pm at Rickards Hall to meet with the Police and other agencies. Learn more about PACT
With heavy winds and high rain due to arrive on Thursday 2 November as a result of storm Ciarán, now is a good time to think about general preparations for winter weather. You may find the following the information helpful:
Visit the Kent Prepared website for lots of useful advice about staying prepared during flooding, high winds, extreme cold and snow.
View our Contacts List to get emergency numbers and contact details for utility providers: What We Do & Contacts – Edenbridge Town Council
Read our Flood advice: Flood advice and information – Edenbridge Town Council “Floodsax” are available to purchase from the Council office at Doggetts Barn, 72A High Street, Edenbridge. A pack of 5 can be purchased for £25
UK Power Networks (UKPN)
The UK’s electricity network is built to be resilient but strong winds and heavy rain can bring down branches and trees, damaging overhead power lines. Where this happens UKPN works to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
They have organised for additional staff in their contact centre and more engineers on the ground, particularly for Storm Ciarán, to be available to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather.
You can find regular updates and information about individual power cuts on their website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk They will also be posting general updates on their social media @UKPowerNetworks .
Anyone experiencing a power cut should:
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk to view the live power cut map, with details of individual power cuts or to report a power cut
• Call 105 free of charge to report damage to the network or speak with a customer service representative
• Tweet @UKPowerNetworks to report a power cut or to receive updates
People are advised to stay clear of power lines and report damaged power lines immediately by calling 105 free from either a landline or a mobile phone. If you see an electricity lines that is down or causing significant risk to the public you should call 999.
Extra help is given to customers on the Priority Service Register during a power cut. Households with people of pensionable age, those with a health condition, have children under five living with them, or someone in the household who uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity, as well as those who may be in vulnerable circumstances during a power cut, can join the register. You can find out more information about the Priority Service at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority
Following the retirement of the town’s previous Community Warden, Kevin McGovern has now taken on this important role.
As a local resident, Kevin is well aware of some of the issues Edenbridge faces and is keen to build his presence around town.
“I’m looking forward to being as hands-on as possible in this role,” explains Kevin. “I’ll have a stand-out red and navy uniform so people will be able to easily spot me when I’m out and about, so please come and say hello and let me know about any issues you may have,” he adds.
Town Clerk, Caroline Leet, said: “We hope the people of Edenbridge will give Kevin a warm welcome. This is an important (part-time) role for our community providing a professional, knowledgeable link between residents, local agencies, voluntary groups, and the Police to promote community safety and improve the local community environment, as well as help work with partners to promote Building Bridges for a Dementia Friendly Edenbridge.”
Kevin has already arranged a litter pick since starting in the role earlier this month, and it’s an area he’s looking to focus on. He’s also hoping to visit local youth groups and schools to raise awareness about looking after our environment.
He’ll be attending the weekly Games Club for over 55s at Rickards Hall every Monday, and will be dropping in to community events and partnership meetings. Kevin will also be collecting data from our Speed Indicator Devices used to promote safer driving through the town.
Recruiting more volunteers is also something Kevin hopes to achieve. “A town is characterised by its residents and so far the people I have come across are genuinely very nice,” he says. “At the moment it seems we have a small core of people who do all the different volunteer jobs in the town so it would be great to try and get more people involved.”
Details about the Council’s Volunteering Policy and our commitment to you, can be viewed in our Policies Section. Volunteering opportunities include community litter pick, bulb planting, and speedwatch.
You can get in touch with Kevin via email: communitywarden@edenbridgetowncouncil.gov.uk or by telephoning the Council office on 01732 865368
You may also like to Follow “Edenbridge Community Warden” on Facebook for updates.
In the interest of trying to reduce anti-social behaviour and criminal damage as much as possible over the Halloween period, Kent Police has issued some important advice and downloadable posters.
Please be considerate of others in our community who may not to wish to partake in Halloween activities such as Trick or Treating. We hope those that do, have a fun time while being respectful and within the law.
The next Edenbridge Partners & Communities Together (PACT) meeting, which local residents and businesses are invited to attend, will take place
Monday 9 October from 2pm at Rickards Hall.
It’s an opportunity to just listen in to what is being discussed, or to put forward any questions or concerns you may have regarding issues such as anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and graffiti. A representative from the Town Council attends, along with others from Sevenoaks District Council, Kent Police and West Kent Housing.
While these are public meetings, members of the public can raise issues in confidence and will never be identified in meeting reports.
Are you interested in finding out whether there is a Neighbourhood Watch scheme running near you, or perhaps you are keen to set up a new scheme?
There a number of schemes currently operating in Edenbridge – to learn more, or to set up a new scheme, please email the NHW Liaison Officer: 61170@kent.police.uk
Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is a partnership between the police, community safety departments, and above all, individuals and families who wish to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.
Each scheme has a coordinator – it is their responsibility to act as the main point of contact within their scheme, to share information and to encourage members to circulate and implement crime prevention advice (provided by the police) and report suspicious incidents.
NHW scheme objectives include:
• Reducing crime and the opportunities for crime
• Helping and reassuring those who live in fear of crime
• An increased sense of community.
• Helping to improve the local environment
Email: 61170@kent.police.uk
A NHW scheme doesn’t have to take up much time and can cover just the street/road/close you live in, or a whole village! It’s completely up to the coordinator.
When you have registered an interest in setting up a scheme, your NHW Liaison Officer will provide you with a welcome pack with some suggestions on how to get started.
You will receive:
• A template NHW invitation to distribute to local households
• A template welcome letter for new members
• A NHW Members Guide
• Top tips for running a NHW scheme
• How to set up a NHW WhatsApp group
