A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire: major improvements We are currently carrying out finishing works for which we need to close lanes or carriageways on the A1, A14 and some local roads at times, usually overnight between 9pm and 6am, unless otherwise stated. A clearly signed diversion route will always be in place for closures.
For this week, the planned closures are: Full closures: Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 (three nights) 8pm to 6am • Boxworth Road, Boxworth between Cambridge Services roundabout and the entrance to the borrow pit Vehicles will be diverted via the A1307, A1198, B1040 and Rogues Lane Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 8am to 5pm
• B1514 Brampton Road between Scholars Avenue and Edison Bell Way Vehicles on the Huntingdon town centre side will be diverted onto the ring road, St Peters Road to A141 west to Brampton / Brampton Racecourse junction and into Brampton via B1514. Vehicles on the Brampton side of the closure will follow this diversion in reverse. Pedestrian access will be maintained via the footpath.
For more information about this scheme, visit https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon
Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk) is the national Police reporting centre for all fraud and cyber-related crime and provides quality information and products to help protect yourself, family, and business.
I am aware of information that suggests fraudsters are making telephone calls to the public and impersonating Action Fraud.
Currently, none of these reports appear to originate from within Cambridgeshire.
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from Action Fraud, hang up immediately it is highly likely a scam.
Action Fraud will NOT cold call the public either by telephone, social media, text, or email. If you wish to communicate with Action Fraud, then visit their genuine website www.actionfraud.police.uk and use the contact details on the webpage.
If you suspect that you may have been a victim of a scam, then contact your Bank immediately and then report to Action Fraud.
With lots of music concerts and sporting events taking place in summer for the first time in 3 years, we’d like to warn people to take extra care when buying tickets.
Ticket fraud is when you buy tickets from a website or agent for a music concert or festival, a sporting contest such as a football match or rugby tournament, or a live comedian or performer, but the tickets either aren’t delivered, or turn out to be fake and you can’t get a refund.
Action Fraud says victims lost around £1.5 million to online ticket scams in 2019 (the last time data was collected) – nearly 5,000 people reported being scammed at an average of £365 each.
How it happens: Spot the signs
You may find a website advertised via email or social media offering you the chance to buy tickets to a popular event.
But fraudsters can easily invent their own bogus ticket retail companies; their websites are easy to make and look genuine. Some even use a name or website address very similar to a legitimate ticket sales website.
Protect yourself: Tips to avoid ticket fraud
Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, the promoter, an official ticket agent or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site. Look at the artist’s website and see who they recommend you buy tickets from.
Fraudsters create fake websites that look similar to a genuine site, so people should double check the web address to make sure they’re on the correct website.
Is the vendor a member of Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR)? If they are, you’re buying from a company that has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers a service to help customers with outstanding complaints.
Check the contact details of the site you’re buying the tickets from. There should be a landline phone number and a full postal address. Avoid using the site if there is only a PO Box address and mobile phone number, as it could be difficult to get in touch after you buy tickets.
Before entering any payment details on a website, make sure the web address starts with https (the ‘s’ stands for secure). There should be a locked padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.
Paying for your tickets by credit card will offer increased protection over other payments methods, such as debit card, cash, or money transfer services for tickets over £100. Avoid making payments through bank transfer or money transfer services, as the payment may not be recoverable.
2nd – 5th June – Jubilee weekend – Events Nationwide. Details and how to get involved, can be found here
11th – 12th June – Tour Of Cambridgeshire
19th June – Midsummer Fair
1st – 3rd July – Cambridge Big Weekend
3rd July – Race for Life, Cambridge
Additional Resources
Potential event organisers are urged to review the current government guidelines. As well as following any recommendations from relevant governing bodies/associations, to ensure Covid – 19 risks are identified and mitigated within risk assessments.
Thank you to the residents of South Cambridgeshire who joined us for our online meeting last night.
For those who were unable to join us this time around, we heard from the South Cambridgeshire team about what they have been doing to tackle drugs, anti-social behaviour and speeding in the area.
Speeding – Special Inspector Stephen Mudie and his team of volunteers have been focusing efforts across South Cambs while officers are working with local Speedwatch co-ordinators to help build capacity in the community.
Drugs – Following intelligence received from the community we have carried out six warrants and there will be more to come. We’ve carried out numerous stop searches for drugs with positive results.
Anti-Social Behaviour – We’ve seized four e-scooters in Cambourne, carried out patrols of our green spaces across villages, engaged with the community to develop intelligence and offer reassurance. We’ve also visited the parents of young people who have been involved in ASB. There has also been lots of partnership working with South Cambs District Council around households that are perpetrating the ASB.
We talked through the survey results (see below) before we opened up the floor to residents for further discussion where many of the points already captured were spoken about in more detail.
Results of the survey – a snap shot We had 387 responses to our online survey, including people from each ward across South Cambs, enabling us to get a good understanding of what is happening in each area and what issues concern you the most.
Anti-social driving came out as the most critical issue followed closely by anti-social behaviour and drug dealing.
So what next? At the end of the meeting we agreed to continue to focus efforts on the below. This will be alongside our daily priorities (which can be viewed here). Drugs Speeding Anti-Social Behaviour Our very genuine desire is to focus the team on the things that are of the highest risk and concern for you, our residents.
The South Cambs Neighbourhood Team will now provide regular updates to these priorities on the force Facebook and Twitter page over the coming weeks and months. We will then look to begin this process again with another meeting held on 9 August. You can register your attendance here.
Thank you for participating in this process. If you have any concerns in the meantime, visit our website.
Inspector Shane Fasey South Cambridgeshire
Message Sent By Tara Dundon (Police, Comms officer, Corp comms)
The metal structure of the cricket nets on Willingham rec is in need of attention, as it has shifted and is leaning slightly. The parish Council and Cricket Club are looking for someone, such as a scaffolder, to take a look at it. If you can do that, or can suggest someone who might, please contact Willingham Parish Council at email@willinghampc.org.uk or Matt Leach at mattreferee1@gmail.com
View as a webpage Cambridgeshire Police Fraud Alert- Remote access Scam Scams involving the malicious use of remote access software continue to impact on local people. Remote access software is legitimate software that allows someone to remotely access a computer from anywhere in the world. I find it particularly useful when my mother complains that her computer is not doing what she wants it to, so I can login from afar and resolve things. However, and as always, criminals exploit technology to do things they were not designed or intended for. One example of the criminal use of remote access software would be a scammer making a telephone call purporting to be the bank, the police or an internet or telephone service provider. The scammer will ask or make an excuse to access the victim’s computer and deceive them to download and install software such as TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Chrome and Microsoft Remote Desktop. (There are many others.) Once the criminal has access, they can then search private folders and files and possibly access online banking/financial services and transfer money. They may demand payment for removing a virus that never existed. If you have concern for someone you feel is vulnerable to this type of scam, then, other than warning them, you could consider installing a ‘URL blocker’ on their browser. Such a blocker will prevent the user from accessing specific remote access software providers when instructed to do so by the scammer. For more information about the scam and advice on preventing it please visit: Remote Access Tool Scams | Action Fraud If you suspect you are a victim of a scam, contact your bank first and then report to Action Fraud. Follow us on Twitter| Facebook|Cambridgeshire.gov.uk/against-scams
Dear hosts, volunteer coordinators and parish council colleagues
If this is the first time you are receiving this ‘Support for Ukraine community update’ from us as a host, please note that we send these out on a regular basis. They are issued as new and relevant information becomes available, both to hosts in South Cambridgeshire, and to District Councillors, community coordinators and parish council colleagues. The idea is to share all the latest updates that we have on support for the Homes for Ukraine scheme. All information previously shared can be found on our Support for Ukraine webpages. Hosts also receive information from us directly related to DBS checks, accommodation checks, £350 (host) and £200 (guest) payments – hosts should already have received information from us about this through our welcome email.
For any questions not covered in this e-newsletter or on our Support for Ukraine webpages, please email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk
You may be interested to hear that we have looked at the latest data published by the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and South Cambridgeshire as an area has had 372 visas issued as of 26 April. This is the tenth highest number of visas issued for any area in the country. This is also the highest number for a District Council area. A big thank you from us to hosts and communities for stepping forwards so readily to support this programme.
Support for Ukraine: Zoom meeting: Thursday 12 May from 6pm to 7:30pm
As part of our offer around the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we want to engage with hosts (and eventually their guests) and facilitate various means of support. As you will by now know, we have started this via our new private Facebook groups (please see more about these groups later in this newsletter).
In the same vein, we will be holding a Zoom meeting, for hosts, community support groups, guests and local district and county elected members on Thursday 12 May from 6pm to 7:30pm. Some of the content at the meeting is likely to be more focussed on hosts as we will run through our approach to the scheme and the processes we have been putting in place, as well as having partners from health and education, our own Business Support team and Cambridge University speak about access to services and support they can offer. However, the event should be helpful to a wide range of people. And of course, hosts are welcome to have their guests join them on the call.
We will also be asking what kind of support hosts and their guests would like to see from us in the coming weeks and months. We know from our experiences throughout the COVID pandemic that community groups have stepped forward to help and in many cases are doing so to support Ukrainian guests, and we want anything we do to complement that. We are proposing to facilitate some more local face to face meetings for hosts and guests, with information about what is available more locally, and where you and your guests can meet in person. You may have ideas about what would make such events useful to you and we’ll be inviting you to share these, as well as your other ideas, on the day.
The link to join the meeting is here. The passcode is 558068 but it is not always required. Please contact us if you need help ahead of time with queries about Zoom and we will be happy to try to help. We look forward to seeing you there.
Bus travel for guests
We have been contacted by hosts who have been told by Stagecoach that local councils can provide bus passes or a code which will provide guests with access to free bus travel. I am sorry to say that this is not the case; there is currently no scheme in place that facilitates free bus travel for guests who are part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We understand from talking to Stagecoach that they had initially provided some limited free bus travel for a small number of guests, but they were unaware of the number of guests who could come to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which meant it was not feasible to do so for all of them on an ongoing basis. We are pleased to say that Stagecoach now has a better understanding of the local position on guest numbers, and they remain keen to support guests as they settle into their new home in a way that is viable for them as a business. They will be coming back to us as soon as possible with further information and we will share this with you as soon as it is available.
In the meantime, we are of course providing guests with a pre-paid Mastercard (the £200 per guest arrival payment) that could be used to purchase bus travel on-board. The Stagecoach website states: “Contactless payment cards issued for Visa, Mastercard and Maestro can be used. Pre-paid contactless payment cards can be used but please make sure they have enough credit on them before boarding.” We also have feedback that some guests have used the card for this purpose.
We are sorry for any mixed messages that may have reached hosts and guests on bus travel and caused confusion.
Visa applications
We have been contacted by a number of hosts regarding visa applications for their expected Ukrainian guests. The information we are provided by the Home Office only gives us very limited details of visa applications and therefore we are not able to provide any updates to hosts or guests. We would ask hosts and guests to be patient and contact the Home Office through the channels available in the application process. We have contacted our local MPs and the Local Government Association to ask them to convey local concerns around visas so better information can be provided to applicants.
In the meantime, we have also been in discussions with staff at the offices of the MP for South Cambridgeshire, Anthony Browne, and the MP for South East Cambridgeshire, Lucy Frazer, regarding the visa process. Please remember that local parliamentary constituencies are slightly different to the boundaries for councils. Your local MP will either be Anthony Browne if you are in the South Cambridgeshire constituency or Lucy Frazer if you are in the South East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Any South Cambridgeshire residents who would like Anthony Browne’s office to raise visa concerns with the Home Office should email jamie.newgreen@parliament.uk
However, please note that due to the number of visa enquiries the Home Office is receiving, the response will not be immediate.
Finally, please note that the Ukraine Extension Scheme which opens on Tuesday (3 May) will allow Ukrainians already in the UK on temporary visas to extend their leave here.
COVID vaccines for guests: Guidance from NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group
Everyone in the UK, including people who have recently arrived in the country from Ukraine, is entitled to the free COVID-19 vaccinations they are eligible for from the NHS. Individuals who haven’t yet had any dose of the vaccine can simply walk in to get their first, second and booster dose(s) as appropriate at any of the walk-in clinics in our area. You can find these walk-in clinics via www.thevaccinators.co.uk – Patients who walk in for their vaccination do not need to bring ID and do not require an NHS number.
People who have had one or more doses abroad are usually expected to bring proof of these vaccinations to the vaccination clinic in order to evidence which doses they are now due to receive. However, we understand that many Ukrainian individuals may not have been able to bring proof of their previous vaccinations with them. If a person who has recently arrived from Ukraine cannot produce proof of their previous vaccinations, the vaccinating team will be able to restart their vaccination course. This means that they’ll receive a first, second and booster dose(s) as appropriate in the UK.
If a Ukrainian individual does have proof of their previous vaccinations, we would ask them to bring this to the vaccination site so they can continue their vaccination course.
Our processes: A timeline
We thought it would be helpful to set out the processes that we have in place and are following – at a very high level – as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The below table should help answer any questions about the stages at which these different steps take place. As the scheme got up and running some guests had arrived before some of these steps could be completed. But the table below shows our normal process now. But please do contact us if you have any questions.
The process
Home office informs us of your sponsor match – this is the first time we have any details for a sponsor or their proposed guests
We send an email to sponsors outlining important information
This email asks sponsors to instigate DBS checks online
Home inspections are arranged by us – contact is made by us to sponsor
Guests Arrive
Sponsors complete our data capture form to let us know who has arrived
Guest £200 payment is processed
Sponsor £350 per month payment is set up on our systems to pay in arrears
Welfare checks on your Ukrainian guests are arranged
Welcome flyer for guests
For your information, we are providing the attached welcome flyer to all new guests who have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The text is in the following order: English, Ukrainian (both on page 1), Polish and Russian (both on page 2).
Welcome pack for guests
A reminder that, if you are trying to find information to provide to guests as a ‘welcome pack’, please view our digital welcome pack on our guest webpages here. This set of online pages provides all the latest information for your guests, and will be regularly updated with any new information for guests too.
Laptops for guests
Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign has partnered with Laptops 4 Learning – a company that refurbishes tech devices obtained from companies and educational establishments and recycles them, cleansed and ready for use by people in need.
A guest or host (on behalf of the guest) under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can fill in a form once a guest arrives to request support and a device. The turnaround is around 2 weeks.
As mentioned last week, we have recently set up two private Facebook groups as part of our support for the Homes for Ukraine programme. The first is intended purely for those individuals or families who are hosting guests from Ukraine. We are really pleased to see this group is being well used already, with some helpful discussion, ideas and points raised. The second group is intended purely for guests from Ukraine. These new Facebook groups are intended to be complementary to existing community Facebook pages, email newsletters and so on, and be more individually tailored for hosts or guests. We think they are of value given that the District Council is the only organisation with an over-arching view of all hosts / guests and can bring them together on a district-wide level. Existing and new hosts have been sent the links to these Facebook groups to join as a host or pass to their guests. If you are a host and have not received the links, or have misplaced them, please just email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk and we can provide them again.
FSB updated advice
In the latest advice from the FSB, find out how your small business can keep a close eye on operations and get advice as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt the global economy.
Dear hosts, volunteer coordinators and parish council colleagues
If this is the first time you are receiving this weekly ‘Support for Ukraine community update’ from us as a host, please note that we send these out on a regular basis both to hosts in South Cambridgeshire, and to District Councillors, community coordinators and parish council colleagues. The idea is to share all the latest updates that we have on support for the Homes for Ukraine scheme. All information previously shared can be found on our Support for Ukraine webpage. Hosts also receive information from us directly related to DBS checks, accommodation checks, £350 (host) and £200 (guest) payments – hosts should already have received information from us about this through our welcome email.
For any questions not covered in this e-newsletter or on our Support for Ukraine webpages, please email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk
Welcome pack for guests
If you are looking for information to provide to guests as a ‘welcome pack’, please view our digital welcome pack on our guest webpages here. This set of online pages provides all the latest information for your guests and will be regularly updated with any new information for guests too.
We are also currently in the process of creating a simple welcome flyer, that will be printed and provided to all guests. This flyer will contain information in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and English. It will provide some initial signposting and links to online information.
New Facebook groups
As briefly mentioned in last week’s update, we have set up two new private Facebook groups. These are intended as safe spaces, for either guests or hosts in South Cambridgeshire, to talk amongst themselves and connect if they wish. We are of course aware that there are many other platforms, such as other Facebook groups, email lists and WhatsApp groups, which bring together community groups, residents, and guests from Ukraine. These new Facebook groups which we have established are intended to be complementary to these efforts and more individually tailored for hosts or guests. We thought they would be of value given that the District Council is the only organisation with an over-arching view of all hosts / guests and is able to bring them together on a district-wide level.
The first new private Facebook group which we have created is intended purely for those individuals or families who are hosting guests from Ukraine. The idea is that the group will provide a closed forum where hosts can share experiences and suggestions to help support each other and your guests. Please note that there is no need to join the group unless you wish to – we won’t be using the group as a primary method of contact. Existing and new hosts will be sent a link to enable them to access this Facebook group if they wish.
The second group is intended purely for guests from Ukraine. The idea is similar in that the group will provide a closed forum for guests to share experiences and suggestions to help support each other. Again, please note that there is no need for guests to join the group unless they wish to – we won’t be using the group as a primary method of contact. Hosts will also be provided with a direct link to this Facebook group, so that they can in turn share it with their guests.
Free English lessons
Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is offering free English lessons for people who don’t speak English as a first language. An information session specifically for Ukrainian arrivals is taking place via Zoom on Tuesday 26 April, from 1pm. Anyone who would like to register for this information session can do so via this Zoom link, or if you have queries you can email WEA directly.
How can your business support people arriving from Ukraine?
Did you know refugees from Ukraine have immediate eligibility to work? Can your business help support people arriving from Ukraine by giving them work? The Government has confirmed that Ukrainian refugees are able to work in the UK for up to three years.
We are asking South Cambridgeshire businesses to email the JobCentre Plus team if they have roles that they would like to promote to new arrivals from Ukraine. The team will coordinate offers and match them to emerging needs as people settle in the district.
Our website has a range of ways businesses and individuals can help as well as support services for Ukrainians needing help on arrival in the area. Both the Chambers of Commerce and FSB have published helpful advice to assist businesses and employees who may be affected by events in Ukraine.
Homes for Ukraine scheme: frequently asked questions updated
The Government has updated the Ukrainian and Russian translations of the frequently asked questions document this week. All language versions of the FAQs can be viewed on the Government’s website.
Cambridgeshire Police Fraud Alert- Remote access Scam Scams involving the malicious use of remote access software continue to impact on local people. Remote access software is legitimate software that allows someone to remotely access a computer from anywhere in the world. I find it particularly useful when my mother complains that her computer is not doing what she wants it to, so I can login from afar and resolve things. However, and as always, criminals exploit technology to do things they were not designed or intended for. One example of the criminal use of remote access software would be a scammer making a telephone call purporting to be the bank, the police or an internet or telephone service provider. The scammer will ask or make an excuse to access the victim’s computer and deceive them to download and install software such as TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Chrome and Microsoft Remote Desktop. (There are many others.) Once the criminal has access, they can then search private folders and files and possibly access online banking/financial services and transfer money. They may demand payment for removing a virus that never existed. If you have concern for someone you feel is vulnerable to this type of scam, then, other than warning them, you could consider installing a ‘URL blocker’ on their browser. Such a blocker will prevent the user from accessing specific remote access software providers when instructed to do so by the scammer. For more information about the scam and advice on preventing it please visit: 