Notices

Higham Community Warden – Paul Hassell

Kent’s community wardens are out and about between 7.30am and 10pm every day in 128 Kent communities including ours who covers Higham, Chalk, Cobham and Sole Street.

His name is Paul Hassell and you may have met him at the monthly drop-in sessions held at Higham library or you may have seen him out and about in the village. He is a very friendly and approachable warden (as they all are) and is more than happy to take your calls relating to all manner of issues relating to low-level crime in our village.

As a Community Warden, Paul

can tackle low-level crime and antisocial behaviour (such as graffiti, littering, fly tipping and vandalism)
can take names and addresses and control traffic
is a reassuring uniformed presence
is fully trained to the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme before starting their work
encourages our community to work together and make things better for everyone
works closely with Kent Police and other professional authorities
talks with local people, offering information and advice e.g. Paul attends our monthly drop-in surgery at Higham Library (see below for more details)
takes part in local community activities e.g. attends Parish Council meetings to provide his monthly report.

Meet Paul

The Community Warden drop-in surgery is held on the last Thursday of the month between 2.30pm and 4pm in Higham Library. Why not meet him at the next drop-in surgery on 28th November 2019?

If you wish to make a report of a low-level crime that you have witnessed or perhaps you have observed suspicious activity in Higham, you can contact Paul directly:

07811 271256
Paul.Hassell@kent.gov.uk

Want to know more?

Find out more about the Community Wardens in Kent by visiting the Community Wardens website here:

Kent Community Wardens

The Parish Council

Higham Library Information

Library Extra

It is now possible to access Higham Library when it’s not staffed! Wow!

Outside the usual staffed ‘opening’ hours, using a Library Extra registered Kent Library Card and your personal PIN, you can enter Higham Library from 7am until 9pm, Monday to Saturday.

This is ideal for customers who find it difficult to get to the library during its opening hours, to pick up a reservation or return a book for example, but it also provides an opportunity for quiet study and email catch-up, using the public computers for an hour or the free WiFi.

If you are interested in registering for Library Extra at Higham, anybody (with proof of address and DOB and with a current library card) can sign up for this amazing service! You just need to sign a short form accepting the Terms & Conditions of the service and receive a short induction from the helpful library staff.

You do have to pop in during the staffed hours to do this though!

Library hours are as follows:

What is happening at Higham Library and when?

Tuesdays

Knit & Natter – Knitting and crochet every Tuesday 6-8pm for beginners and old hands!! (Library Extra card needed)
Books & Beverage – Book club meeting 2.30-4pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month discussing books by a chosen author for the month. Refreshments served by Paul, the Community Warden!

Wednesdays

Talk Time – Meet up and chat, with refreshments and quiz, every Wednesday 10-11.30am.

Thursdays

Higham Library Book Club – Book club meeting 6.45-9pm on the 1st Thursday of the month discussing the chosen book of the month. Very informal. (Library Extra card needed)
Higham Quilters – Quilting group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, 7-9pm. (Library Extra card needed)
Community Warden Surgery – Last Thursday of the month 2.30-4pm. Raise any issues with Paul Hassell – our friendly KCC Community Warden together with a local Parish Councillor. Free refreshments provided!

Fridays

Baby Rhyme Time – Every Friday during school term time, 9.30-10.30am (term time)
Parent & Carer Talk Time on Friday 10:30am – 11:30am (term time)

Saturdays

Reading Champion — Every Saturday, 10.15-11.15am, a young volunteer reads with children.

What else is on offer at Higham Library?

Home Library Service (HLS) – If you are someone (or you know of someone) who would like to borrow a book (standard or large print) or audio disc (spoken word) but you’re unable to get to the library, we have a volunteer who can visit you fortnightly with books for your enjoyment. There is no charge for this service and you have an extended loan period.

Chess – Why not pop in with a friend to play a game of chess, using our lovely, donated chess set. If you fancy setting up a Chess Club, even better!

Coming Soon! — Higham Village History Group now has its archive materials stored at the library and a volunteer will be available once a month to help customers with their local history enquiries. Dates/times to be confirmed. Watch this space!

For more information on Higham Library (facilities, location, parking etc. ), visit the Kent County Council libraries website:

Kent County Council – Higham Library

Higham Speedwatch Group Needs You!

Higham Speedwatch Group, coordinated by Peter Leakey (Higham resident), is a voluntary group dedicated to making Higham’s roads and lanes a safer place to enjoy. They are now looking for new recruits to join their valuable work in the our community.

The group go out and about in Higham regularly with mobile speeding equipment and record speeds of passing vehicles. Any vehicles that are over the speed limit are reported to the Police. For instance, in a 30mph speed limit area, we report vehicles travelling at 35mph and above to the police; in a 40mph area, we report speeds of 46 mph and above to the police. This is in line with Community Speedwatch guidelines.

Why volunteer for Higham Speedwatch?

Higham Parish Council is lobbying for a weight restriction in the village in Villa Road, Forge Lane and School Lane. We need to look at baseline data and solid evidence of traffic movements (average speeds and type of vehicles) through the village which will help to make our case more robust.

Peter is looking for new recruits to join the valuable work he undertakes in our community. Use the link below to contact Peter Leakey for more information on how to become a Community Speedwatch volunteer:

Email Peter Leakey

More about Community Speedwatch

Community Speedwatch is a national initiative where, in partnership with the police, members of communities use detection devices to monitor local vehicle speeds.

The volunteers report drivers exceeding the speed limit to the police with the aim of educating drivers to slow down.

If the data proves a driver is ignoring repeated warnings police can prosecute them. The aim is to:

reduce death and injury on the roads
improve the quality of life for local communities
reduce the speed of vehicles to the speed limit
increase public awareness of inappropriate speed

Please see the CSW video below for more information on how the scheme works in practice.

For more information on CSW visit the Community Speedwatch website:

communityspeedwatch.org

KCC Household Waste Recycling Centres – Charging Policy

Kent County Council Household Waste Recycling Centres – charging policy

Please note that Kent County Council are now charging for the disposal of non-household waste materials . These items include:

breeze blocks, bricks, cement, concrete and drain pipes
ceramic bathroom and kitchen items (baths, bidets, cisterns, shower trays, sinks, toilet pans, wash basins)
flagstones, granite, marble, paving slabs
hardcore, rubble, gravel, rocks, stones
plasterboard
sand
soil
tiles (ceramic, clay, slate)
tyres (charged for since 2012)

This charging policy is consistent across all eighteen of their Household Waste Recycling Centres including Pepper Hill and Cuxton. The charging policy started in early June 2019. These charges have been introduced to recover the cost of dealing with these types of non-household waste while still being able to offer a disposal service. The charges are intended to help KCC achieve critical savings while still maintaining a comprehensive service for residents.

Price details as follows:

Soil, sand and rubble (including ceramic bathroom and kitchen items)

£4 per bag or item (bag up to the size of a standard black sack), limited to 5 bags (or equivalent) per day.
Includes: breeze blocks, bricks, cement, concrete, drain pipes, ceramic bathroom and kitchen items (baths, bidets, cisterns, shower trays, sinks, toilet pans, wash basins), flagstones, granite, gravel, hardcore, marble, paving slabs, rocks, rubble, sand, soil, stones and tiles (ceramic, clay, slate).
Ideally the waste should be brought in bags for ease of disposal, but loose material can be accepted.
These materials must be placed in the soil, rubble and hardcore recycling area.
Before disposing of tiles with plasterboard on, please separate them. If this is not possible, please talk to a member of staff.

Plasterboard

£6 per bag or sheet of plasterboard (bag up to the size of a standard black sack).
Plasterboard must be placed in the designated plasterboard recycling area.

Tyres

£2.50 per tyre (car and motorbike tyres), limited to 5 tyres per visit. Commercial tyres will not be accepted.
Tyres must be placed in the designated recycling area.
We have charged for domestic tyres since 2012.

Payment will be by card only and there will be a dedicated member of staff to assist customers when they arrive at site with chargeable waste items. You can request a VAT receipt by asking a member of the site staff.

We have a Village Correspondent!

Higham has a village correspondent who is the Parishioner’s link to the local press in the Gravesham area. Her name is Elizabeth Jeffery and she is also a Parish Councillor (Chair of the Executive Development Working Group).

If your group or association has any news they wish to share please contact Councillor Elizabeth Jeffery on 01474 747090 or by e-mail cllr.jeffrey@higham-kent-pc.gov.uk

The Parish Council

Higham Community Warden – Paul Hassell