Samford Report – August 23 for September Meetings

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Suffolk Trading Standards unveils its 200th No Cold Calling zone
Residents in Kessingland, near Lowestoft, have become the 200
th
community in the county to be part
of a No Cold Calling Zone.
The zone covers 96 properties in Hall Road, The Fellowship Green, Solomon Road and Maram
Green, as part of a scheme run by Suffolk Trading Standards that works to make people feel safer in
their homes.
The zone was chosen by a Trading Standards officer after a resident was fleeced of more than £8,000
by a rogue trader who called at their door.The trader offered to clean the gutters for £30, which was
agreed.
However, upon starting the work they then claimed there was a broken tile on the roof, crumbling roof
felt, and the timber was damaged by water, and the resident ended up paying £8,150 by cheque.
Despite investigations, the trader was never traced although intelligence has been shared with other
Trading Standards authorities and safeguarding is now in place for the victim, with their bank and
family.
The new zone was formally launched with tea and cakes in a gathering of residents, councillors and
police at the offices of Kessingland parish council.A No Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ) is a nominated
area where residents state they do not want traders to cold call at their homes.
They are set up if they meet criteria such as incidents of doorstep crime or distraction burglary, are a
population more susceptible to doorstep crime, and are within a defined geographic area.
Residents in the nominated NCCZ area are consulted and with their agreement a NCCZ is set up and
an information pack, door sticker and street signage provided.
Trading Standards have set up the zones across Suffolk in partnership with residents, councillors,
police, and partners.
The zones have been designed to:
• Reduce doorstep crime and distraction burglaries
• Deter cold callers
• Educate residents and empower them not to engage with cold callers
The first zone was launched in Maryon Road and Grasmere Close in Ipswich in 2009 and there are
now more than 9,700 properties in Suffolk covered by them.
Anyone wishing to nominate their road should go to the No Cold Calling page on the Suffolk County
Council website.
Award Success for Social Care in Suffolk
A column by Councillor Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Care.

Social work is vital to keeping people safe, and helping them live good, independent lives as part of
the community. In Suffolk I believe we are incredibly lucky to have some of the best Social Workers,
Occupational Therapists and Social Care workers anywhere in the country – I’m not just saying that
because I’m the Cabinet Member responsible for Adult Care, there’s real proof.

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This year more Suffolk County Council staff and teams have been recognised for their achievements
and skills by being shortlisted at the Social Worker of the Year Awards, a national award ceremony
which uses these awards to improve the awareness, understanding and reputation of the social care
sector. The awards are open to qualified practitioners throughout England with a wide range of
individual and team categories for those working in both children’s and adult departments. This year
Suffolk has been particularly successful – I want to extend my congratulations to the following
individuals who have shone with their professionalism and talents in their respective services.
• Patrick Hamilton, who has been shortlisted as Newly Qualified Social Worker of the year.
• Victoria Veale, also shortlisted as Newly Qualified Social Worker of the year.
• Suzanne Ladlow, shortlisted as Team Leader of the year.
Also, I want to congratulate the following teams at Suffolk County Council, whose work and dedication
to the people of Suffolk have earned them a chance at winning an award also.
• Digital Care Team, their work with the already award-winning Cassius Digital Care Service
sees them shortlisted for Digital Transformation of Social Care Award.
• Our Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Team, shortlisted for Team of the Year award.
Children Services in Suffolk also have reason to celebrate as the Make a Change Team were
shortlisted for CYP Team of the year.
I have my fingers crossed for you all when the winners are announced in November. I also want to
extend my congratulations to everyone who was nominated for an award, whether you were
shortlisted or not, just getting nominated is an incredible achievement.
Suffolk also has its own upcoming awards ceremony for all things Social Care, in the form of the
Suffolk Social Care Awards which is organised by Care Development East. Suffolk County Council is
a key sponsor of the awards as we look to recognise locally some of the excellent carers, providers,
and settings here in the East. I look forward to attending the ceremony and congratulating the winners
and those nominated in September.
Finally, in Suffolk we have some of the best professional development training for Social Workers
available, so I want to congratulate our latest cohort of Apprentice Social Workers, who have all
passed their social work degrees with high scores. This is an amazing achievement for them,
especially as they started their studies amid the COVID pandemic. All have secured a Newly Qualified
Social Worker role at Suffolk County Council and will be a huge asset to the teams they join, and the
people they will ultimately support.
If you feel that Social Work, or any role in social care would be of interest to you – I urge you to check
the social work vacancies on www.suffolkjobsdirect.org.
Council fears new energy proposals will harm Suffolk’s coastline
Suffolk County Council is disappointed to learn that the LionLink interconnector project from National
Grid Ventures has identified an alternative landfall at Walberswick, with cable routing making its way
to the north of Southwold.
The Council will study the details of the new proposals, and will prepare its response to the National
Grid’s second public consultation, which opens on 8 September.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance
and Environment, said:

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“I’m deeply disappointed that National Grid has chosen to consider such a lengthy and complex cable
route. Particularly given the Council’s longstanding position that the array of projects coming forward
in Suffolk should be properly coordinated.

“The impact of these proposals on communities in and around Southwold and Walberswick could be
stark and I’m concerned that coordinating this project with schemes further to the south seems to have
been so readily dismissed.

“The large amount of infrastructure and lack of coordination will spread the impact much more widely
across Suffolk’s communities and landscapes, including in the nationally important Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.”
The Lionlink project aims to connect multiple offshore wind farms in the North Sea, instead of
individual wind farms connecting one by one to the shore. The project is a joint venture between the
UK and the Netherlands, supplying energy to both countries.
Cllr Rout continues:
“If National Grid Ventures are to bring this project ashore in Suffolk, they must fully justify why far less
harmful alternatives have not been fully considered and why they are not working with other projects
in the area.”

“We welcome that some points like traffic concerns have been addressed from the previous
consultation, and that coordination with other projects is being explored. But the project must go much
further if it is serious about working with other energy developers.

“The Council will need to consider the full proposals when they are published and, as ever, if it
proceeds we will be insisting the developer does everything they can to minimise the impact on
communities along Suffolk’s coast.”
The non-statutory consultation on National Grid Venture’s LionLink project will commence on the 8
September 2023, and will remain open until 3 November 2023.

For more information on all stories visit:
Suffolk County Council | Conservative Group (suffolkconservatives.org.uk)