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The Town Council - A Quality Council
Council contracts 2012-2014
Tenders are invited from suitably experienced and
qualified contractors for the following:
a) verge cutting,
b) grounds maintenance of open spaces,
c) grounds maintenance of the roundabout,
d) grounds maintenance of the cemetery,
e) grounds maintenance of the play areas,
f) cleaning of Riverside Walk,
g) providing and watering plants for hanging baskets,
h) grave digging,
i) small works (eg repairs to public seats),
j) maintenance of footway lighting.
The contracts will run from 1 April 2012 until 31 March 2014 with the
possibility of an extension for a further year. Specifications and further
details may be obtained from the town clerk. Tenders have to be lodged in the
town council office in the Memorial Hall by 12 noon, Friday 9 December 2011.
Doorstoppers
One of three crimes can follow the knock on the door from a doorstep trader.
• Distraction burglary - where one ‘trader' will keep the occupant talking,
while another often unnoticed accomplice scours the house for valuables and
money.
• Obtaining property by deception – the ‘trader' will deceive the victim into
handing over property or money in return for the provision of property or
services which the ‘trader' never intended to provide.
• Improperly conducted property repairs or gardening maintenance - the trader
will convince the occupant of the house that emergency repairs are needed,
usually for something that is difficult to check. These jobs often don’t need
doing, and they charge the occupant extortionate amounts of money to carry out
the work.
The county council has produced a small notice to deter cold calling. The notice
is printed on a film which adheres to a window pane. A stock of these notices is
held in the town council office should anyone want one.
The front of the notice reads “Doorstep sellers beware. We will not buy from
you.”
Snow clearance from the pavement outside your property
There is no law preventing you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement
outside your home, pathways to your home or public spaces.
It is very unlikely that you would face any legal liability, as long as you are
careful, and use common sense to ensure that you do not make the pavement or
pathway clearly more dangerous than before. People using areas affected by snow
and ice also have responsibility to be careful themselves.
Practical advice from highway engineers on what you could do to help clear snow
from pavements is given below. This is not a comprehensive list.
• Start early - it is much easier to remove fresh, loose snow compared to
compacted ice that has been compressed by people walking on it.
• Do not use hot water. This will melt the snow, but may replace it with black
ice, increasing the risk of injury.
• Be a good neighbour: some people may be unable to clear snow and ice on paths
leading to their property or indeed the footway fronting their property.
Snowfall and cold weather pose particular difficulties for them gaining access
to and from their property or walking to the shops.
• If shovelling snow, consider where you are going to put it, so that it does
not block people's paths, or block drainage channels. This could shift the
problem elsewhere.
• Make a pathway down the middle of the area to be cleared first, so you have a
clear surface to walk on. Then you can shovel the snow from the centre to the
sides.
• Spreading some salt on the area you have cleared will help to prevent any ice
forming. Table salt or dishwasher salt will work but avoid spreading on plants
or grass as they may be damaged by it. A few grams (a tablespoon) for each
square metre you clear should work. The salt found in salting bins will be
needed for keeping roads clear.
• Particular care and attention should be given to steps and steep gradients to
ensure snow and ice are removed. You might need to apply additional salt to
these areas.
• Use the sun to your advantage. Removing the top layer of snow will allow the
sun to melt any ice beneath; however, you will need to cover any ice with salt
to stop it refreezing overnight.
• If there is no salt available, then a little sand or ash is a reasonable
substitute. It will not have the same de-icing properties as salt but should
offer grip under foot.
The Town Council office
is on the first floor of the Memorial Hall in the Kitching Room. Office hours
are 9am-1pm, Monday to Friday. There is a lift for the disabled. Contact
details: Potter Hill, YO18 8AA. 01751 476503.
townclerk@pickering.gov.uk .
www.pickering.gov.uk . The town clerk
is Andrew Husband. The council meets in the Memorial Hall on the third Monday of
each month at 7pm. The next three meetings are on 19 December, 16 January 2012
and 20 February 2012.
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