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Vacancy on Town Council

Opening up the High Streets – Latest News

With the recent opening up of High Street businesses, Hertfordshire County Council and East Herts District Councils are keen to help businesses trade outside more efficiently whilst keeping the public safe. To this end new seating areas will be created which will be protected in the short term with orange barriers. These barriers will be strictly temporary and will be replaced as soon as possible with 'street furniture'. One of the disabled parking bays will be suspended to accommodate a new seating area, but a new bay will be created nearby to compensate for the loss. Buntingford Town council and Buntingford Chamber of Commerce is fully committed to supporting our High Street and its retailers.

Cllr Surjit Basra

It is with deep regret and sadness that we have to announce the passing of Councillor Surjit Basra. Councillor Basra, or "Mr B" as he was affectionately known in the Town, was a Town Councillor for 10 years, and was Town Mayor on 3 occasions. He also served as a District Councillor for 2 years He will always be remembered as the Post Master when Buntingford had its own sorting office and ran the small Supermarket and Post Office, now McColls. He was immensely proud of the Town and its people and always said how grateful he was to have chosen to live in Buntingford. He had recently suffered from ill health and he passed away in the early hours of the morning of Monday 12^th April 2021. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his widow, Satwant, and his extended family. RIP "Mr B", you will be sadly missed.

COVID-19 Community Help

Buntingford Town Council are aware that many residents of the town are concerned about the present situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the affect it is having on daily life.

We would encourage all members of the public to follow Government guidelines and take all sensible precautions to avoid contracting the virus. These guidelines can be found on Hertfordshire County Council website here.

We are aware that there are some residents of the town who are elderly and vulnerable especially those with underlying health problems and we would encourage those residents to take extra care.

There are some residents of the town who have offered to help those in need and working with them we have formed the "Buntingford and surrounding villages community support against Coronavirus" group.

If you are in a position to help those who are self-isolating, elderly or vulnerable, or you are in need of help yourself, we would ask that you contact us using either of the methods below leaving your name and contact details (telephone number, address and email). For safeguarding purposes, we are only able to register volunteers who are listed on the Electoral Role OR who are police / security checked.

If you are aware of someone who you regard as in need of help, but are unable to give assistance yourself then please contact the Council on 01763 877 545 or by email to heretohelp.buntingford@gmail.com and we will try to match help with requirement.

COVID-19 - Message from Councillor Graham Waite, Mayor of Buntingford

COVID-19 - Town Council Updates

Official Buntingford Town Guide

The Town Guide features information & history about the town, numbers for local clubs, societies & businesses, and useful contacts for those living in and around the area.

You can pick up spare copies at the Manor House.

You can also view the new Town Guide electronically by clicking here or by clicking the front cover.

Message From Councillor Graham Waite - Mayor of Buntingford

I would just like to share with you some of my thoughts on the situation we find ourselves in at present, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are unprecedented times we are experiencing at present, and according to all of the reports it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Whilst to some, the new rules issued by the government regarding "social distancing", "stay at home" and "only leave your house if it is absolutely necessary", may appear to be an inconvenience, I cannot reinforce enough how important they are to ensure we minimise the loss of life due to this COVID–19 virus.

I call on you all, residents of Buntingford, to take all precautions to avoid spreading this virus, and the only safe way to do this is to reduce as close to zero, the amount of close contact you have with other residents who are not direct members of your family group, ie living in the same home. This means that you may not be able to come into close contact with your relatives living in the town, but you must continue to support them through this unsettling period, even if it is by giving them a daily call to make sure they are OK, not only physically but mentally as well.

I will not repeat what has been reiterated constantly in the media but just ask everyone to take heed of the advice from the government.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you that have responded to the call of the "Here To Help" group who are doing a great job in helping those amongst us who are less able, elderly, vulnerable or self-isolating, you are truly community minded and deserve respect and thanks from all of us. This also applies to those of you that are doing selfless things for neighbours, friends and possibly people you have never spoken to before, don't let that die when this is over, this is how great communities are built and maintained. We should also thank our terrific shopkeepers who have stayed open and tried to keep us supplied with the essentials, an extremely difficult job at this time, please show patience with staff as they are only trying to keep them and you safe. Those shops and local businesses that have had to close, we hope that when this crisis is at an end you are able to start trading again, giving the town and surrounding areas the great service that you have done until now.

On Thursday night at 8.00pm it was very emotional listening from my front door to the clapping, cheering and hooting to thank our NHS, you should all share in that show of solidarity.

The actions by the people of Buntingford that we at the council hear about, really do reinforce what I have always thought of this town, "A SMALL TOWN WITH A BIG HEART"

Rest assured we will come through this period of uncertainty and we will be sharing experiences for years to come let's try to make them positive ones, although it may seem difficult at present.

Keep safe, keep healthy and keep your chin up, be proud of where you live and remember, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

Cllr Graham Waite – Mayor of Buntingford.

CCTV Update

The Town Council are happy to announce that the installation of the CCTV system in the High Street has now been completed, and is up and running.

If you have any questions please contact us on 01276 272 222.

Power Cut During Stormy Weather?

As part of their preparation plans, UK Power Networks has organised for additional staff in their contact centre to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather, and they have called up additional engineers to carry out repairs to overhead lines and poles as soon as the wind reduces to a speed at which it is safe to work.

Anyone experiencing a power cut should:

• Call 105 to report power cuts and damage to the electricity network, or 0800 3163 105 (from a corded phone or mobile phone if you have no power)
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest updates
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut and type in their postcode to view our live power cut map
• Tweet @ukpowernetworks to report a power cuts or to receive updates

They advise people 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 electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public you should call 999.

They provide extra help to customers on their Priority Service Register during a power cut. Households with older or disabled people, those with children under five, or where someone uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity as well as other reasons can join the register. You can find out more information about their Priority Service by following this link: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.