Golden Legion day
THE QUEEN’S Golden Jubilee was celebrated in grand
style at Birstall British Legion Club on Front Street.
Attractions for the children were a bungee jump, golf, darts,
snobs, skittles and plenty of goodies including free ice cream,
sweets, hot dogs and burgers.
In the evening the adults enjoyed a disco, quiz, bingo and great
food.
Club Chairman Ken Sarson said: “It was a day to remember.
Special thanks to Angie, Wayne, the staff, committee, and all
the volunteers who helped make it such a great day.”
Village Watch news & Crime Report
THE THEFT of mobile phones is still on the increase. This
is because it is at the moment a very easy target for the thief.
Children who love to text their friends as soon as they leave
school are particularly vulnerable. If you children have phones
please do not let them take them to school. Please instruct them,
not to walk about in the street using them, this is just the
situation that the thieves love, a quick snatch out of the hand
and it’s gone.
What can you do to protect your phone?
1. Make a note of the IMEI number of the phone. You can obtain
this by dialling *#06# (Star, Hash, 0, 6, Hash) Record this number
and keep it in a safe place. Then if your phone is stolen or
been lost, ring the provider of your phone and give them this
number and they will be able to isolate and make it unusable.
2. Postcode both the phone behind the battery case and also the
battery. This is very simple to do, just remove the battery from
the phone and with a UV pen mark your post code and the number
of your house on the inside of the case and also the battery.
Replace the battery and continue to use your phone.
3. Make a note of the serial number of the sim card.
4. Make a note of the model number of the phone and the maker.
This will also help to aid recovery if it is stolen.
Cash Machines
Cash machines are again being used by thieves to obtain money
at your expense. Always check that you are not overlooked when
you enter your card into the machine. Put your card and money
away immediately you get it and if you have asked for a receipt
of the transaction take it away, don’t throw it away.
More information and help can be obtained from the Watch at our
next Saturday advice shop on July 20 at the Old Council Office
Sibson Road, or see us at our stand at the Jubilee Village Fair
on Sunday July 7.
From Peter Allen
Crime Report May 17 to June 17
House Burglary 1; Burglary Other 4; Robbery/Theft Person 1; Theft
from Vehicle; Theft of Motor Vehicle 3; Theft 1; Damage to Motor
Vehicle 2; Criminal Damage 1
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As the great grandson of John T Clarke who built the Birstall
Lighthouse in the early 1900s, I was disappointed to find that
it did not make No.1 on the sign competition for Birstall. Apparently
in its day, it really put Birstall on the map. I spent some time
this spring trying to locate its exact location but the house
and garden in Park Road, had been replaced some 50 years ago
with a bungalow.
John Howard
Many thanks to the Rev Malcolm Lambert and Rev Chris Gray
for the uplifting service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s
Golden Jubilee held in St James Church on Sunday June 2. What
a pity that all our so-called representatives on the Parish Council
were not present. In my opinion this unique occasion warranted
their formal attendance.
Mrs Carol Woods
The residents of St James Court, Front Street, sincerely wish
to thank Kath and Audrey for their painstaking work for Jubilee
Day. They organised a very enjoyable lunch at The White Horse,
made and put up the bunting in the court and arranged a pleasant
afternoon tea.
Grateful thanks for a job well done.
Mr Maddock, St James Court
The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Service was held in St James
the Great Church on Sunday June 2. We would like to thank all
those who attended this service and contributed to the collection,
which amounted to £130. This will be sent to the Children’s
Society (one of the Queen’s nominated charities).
Mr K E Mobbs
Hon Secretary to the Church Council
A recent incident in Birstall involving myself left me feeling
compelled to pass on my observations.
Whilst returning to Birstall one evening in a vehicle owned by
a friend, our car appeared to be targeted by a police car.
We were followed through a number of streets before being instructed
to pull over with blue flashing lights.
Because my friend’s driving had been immaculate it led us
to believe that their only ‘justification’ for stopping
us was the fact that we were young and male.
Indeed, one of the officers confirmed our suspicion as he flashed
a torch through the window, saying “If you have a problem
with teenage boys being stopped, that’s your problem.”
This latest incident was the sixth time my friend has had to
produce his documents, often to the same officers on different
occasions.
He is certainly not the only person in my age group to suffer
similar treatment.
Being stopped left us both frustrated, to the point where I possibly
could have spoken out against our treatment.
I realise, however, that this would only have achieved in adding
yet more fuel to the commonly held belief amongst the police,
and adults in general, that teenagers are the scourge of society.
The lack of communication between young people and the police
appears to be Birstall’s big problem.
The current tactic of persistently, and in our case, unnecessarily
targeting young people, often without justification, will surely
only make worse the relations between us.
I thoroughly understand the need to target anti-social behaviour
but in the eyes of many young people, we have been all tarnished
with the same brush and are harassed by officers due to the actions
of a mindless few.
Considering the fact that many of us are being forced to explain
our actions on such a regular basis, would it be so unreasonable
for local police officers to explain theirs to us?
Kevin Unitt, aged 19
Age Concern Info
Pensions and the Clawback of Age Allowances
Not all pensioners seem to realise that those with incomes of
more than £17,900 can lose their age allowances in the
present tax year (ie 6 April 2002 - 5 April 2003). The normal
personal allowance is £4,615 but those aged between 65
and 74 have an age allowance of £1,485 making a total of
£6,100 of income before having to pay tax. For those aged
75 and over the age allowance is £1,755, making a total
personal allowance of £6,370. Only those with income up
to £17,900 benefit from the full personal allowance because
with income over this amount you come into what is known as the
age allowance trap’ when you start to lose the allowance
at the rate of £1 for every extra £2 of income.
Within this ‘age allowance trap’, you effectively pay
half as much again in tax on your income - or 33% on any pension
over £17,900 made up of 22% tax and 11% in lost age allowance.
If your income is from bank and building society interest you
effectively pay 30% tax rather than the usual 20%. Some pensioners
are paying a higher marginal rate of tax than the majority of
the working population. This rather punitive tax rate for pensioners
comes into effect well below the present average national wage
of £23,100 and by the time they reach this level of income,
pensioners would have lost all their extra age allowance. Pensioners
aged from 65 to 74 will find all their age allowance is lost
when their income reaches £20,870 and those aged 75 and
over lose it when income reaches £21,410. However for married
couples when one partner was born before 6 April 1935, the situation
is better because they also benefit from the extra married couples’
allowance which raises the comparable figures to £27,580
and £28,260. The Inland Revenue does not start to deduct
the married couple’s allowance until the personal age allowance
has been completely lost.
Married couples need to make sure that they are both making use
of their personal allowances - this could involve transferring
some savings from one partner’s name to the other. Also
it is worth noting that income from the following investments
does not count towards age allowance deduction: Cash Mini Isas,
National Savings & Investments, Savings Certificates, up
to 5% income from Guaranteed Income Bonds and most of the income
from Life Annuities. All these are generally regarded as no-risk
investments but it is always advisable to seek professional financial
advice before making any investment.
Poorest to Pay Less for Money ‘Guardians’
Age Concern and other organisations have claimed a victory in
protecting vulnerable older people who cannot manage their own
financial affairs. Following a shock increase in the fees charged
by the Public Guardianship Office, Age Concern joined the Alzheimer’s
Society, Action on Elder Abuse, Mind and the Law Society in a
lobbying campaign.
A person facing possible future loss of mental capacity can grant
an enduring power of attorney (EPA), which will allow the appointed
attorney to look after bank accounts, savings and pensions. If
and when the person becomes unable to manage their own affairs,
the attorney is supposed to register the EPA with the Public
Guardianship Office, for a fee. If no attorney has been appointed
when someone loses mental capacity, the Office can appoint a
receiver to manage their affairs. This too is subject to fees.
In regulations that came into effect on 17 April, the cost of
registering an EPA rose from £75 to £220 and the
total cost of appointing a receiver rose from £230 to £565.
The charities argued that the new higher fees would deter people
from registering EPAs. This would mean that clients’ affairs
would not be subject to any regulation or scrutiny, potentially
leaving vulnerable people at risk of abuse.
Following the campaign and consultation with the charities, the
Lord Chancellor’s Department announced the details of the
concessionary fees that it is offering through its remission
scheme.
The Remission Guidelines
The Court of Protection ‘s new remission guidelines were
published on the Public Guardianship Office’s website and
announced in a debate in Parliament on 9 May.
The guidelines replace the previous system where the Court had
discretion to reduce fees where hardship was caused but no criteria
were published for when or how this would apply. Under the new
scheme, clients can apply for reductions on any fees due on or
after 17 April 2002, even if they have already been paid. Those
who do not fall within the criteria set out in the guidelines
can still apply for reductions if they or their dependants can
still apply for reductions if they or their dependants will suffer
hardship as a result of paying the full fees.
Clients receiving income support (or minimum income guarantee)
or whose nursing or care home fees are paid by the local authority
will not normally pay any fees. This includes those with assets
of up to £11,750. Fees will not be charged if a client’s
home is their only asset. The remission guidelines state that
fees for registering an EPA will normally be reduced to £65
for those with savings of less than £16,000. The full fees
will, however, apply if people have a house as well as savings.
The Office will notify people who have made applications since
the regulations came into effect that they may be eligible for
remission of fees and will approach directly those they believe
are eligible for reductions.
J Woods
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