New Joint Delivery Board formed for East West Rail

From the East West Rail website:   12th October 2012


Senior representatives from the East West Rail Consortium, Network Rail and the Department for Transport have formed a Joint Delivery Board to oversee and facilitate the development of a new, electric railway line between Bedford and Oxford with train services due to start operating in December 2017.

They met today at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre together with Iain Stewart MP the Chairman of the East West Rail All Party Parliamentary Group and other representatives of the group, stakeholders and strategic partners.
The board has been formed as a result of the recent announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport of the Government’s support for the western section of the East West Rail scheme that also included a commitment to electrify part of the route.
The East West Railway re-opens ten miles of closed railway to create a new electric railway between Oxford and Bedford. It upgrades almost nine miles of railway to link in the diesel lines from Aylesbury to enable new diesel and electric train services.

The Board, chaired by Cllr Peter Hardy (Buckinghamshire County Council), met to agree the roles of the respective organisations who will work together with the joint goal of having the service operational by December 2017.
Guests had the opportunity to view a section of the route that is currently either mothballed or used only by freight trains, but which will become an important route for passenger services within the region and as part of the National Strategic Rail Network.

Councillor Hardy said:
Local authorities along this route formed The East West Rail Consortium in 1995, with a shared aim to introduce high quality train services to link centres of economic activity and to support economic development in the region. We are therefore delighted that this scheme is now going ahead. The economic, social and environmental benefits of this railway are considerable. It will enable more journeys by rail – that are fast, clean and efficient – and provide a real alternative to journeys on our congested roads. This in turn will make the region more attractive to existing and prospective businesses and we anticipate some additional 12,000 jobs will be created within the area as well as new housing developments. Businesses will have access to a wider and more mobile workforce, which is good news for businesses and workers alike.
“The Consortium’s attention is now focused on delivering the economic benefits presented by the opportunity this railway brings. To do this, we will work closely with the business and local communities and will keep people informed as plans progress.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said:
This is an excellent project of strategic importance. As part of the ‘Electric Spine’ from the South Coast through Reading, Oxford, Bedford and via the Midland Main Line to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire it will offer faster journey times, new route possibilities and low carbon reliable electric train services to cater for growing demand.

Graham Botham, Principal Strategic Planner at Network Rail, said:
We welcome the opportunity to provide the capability for rail services to run between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Bedford and to electrify sections of the track to provide faster, cleaner and quieter passenger and freight services. This is a fantastic example of how targeted investment in rail can support and help drive economic growth, connecting people with jobs and providing new transport links between the region’s towns and cities. Our role is to design, build and fully integrate East-West Rail into the national rail network and we are fully committed to working with the East-West Consortium to ensure that the social, economic and environmental benefits of this scheme are maximised.

Guide to Local Services

The County Council has published a handy new guide to local services. All residents should be receiving a copy by post, and you can also view in on the website via the link below:



http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/assets/content/bcc/docs/about_your_council/a-z-directory.pdf

Dementia Awareness Week

Winslow Library: Buckingham and Winslow Dementia Awareness Week - Coffee Morning

Wednesday 26 September 2012

10am - 1pm

Winslow Centre,

Park Road , Winslow, MK18 3DN

Come along and enjoy a free cup of coffee while chatting to representatives from local services including:

• Bucks Alzheimers Society
• PCSO
• Adults & Family Wellbeing

Suitable for: Adults

Cost: Free

No booking required, just turn up on the day

All children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Hearing loop available.
Wheelchair access.
Parking nearby.

For more information please call 0845 2303232 or email: lib-wis@buckscc.gov.uk

Information Fair on Services for Older People

AVDC have arranged an information fair on services for older people.
It will be on Thursday 20th Sept from 2pm – 3pm in the village hall in Steeple Claydon.


All sorts of organisations will send staff along who will be there to answer questions and provide information about the many ways older people can be supported.

All are welcome and free cakes and drinks will be available.

Do please share this information with anyone who may be interested in attending

Have you got your new bins yet ?

It seems as if most households in the Claydons have received their new bins.

The following information for those who are still waiting has been circulated by AVDC:

Our contractors have been working hard to get the new bins to households in time for the start of the new recycling and waste collection service, but some areas are still waiting.




Deliveries have been slightly delayed in some areas, and the council apologises if you have not had your new bins yet, but is hopeful that the vast majority of households should have them in time for their first collection this week.



If you don't have your new bins by now, please:



Put your food waste in your green waste bin, as normal

If your first collection is for waste, the service is as normal, though your collection day may have changed.

If your first collection this week is for recycling, please put your recycling materials in open carrier bags, and leave for collection. If the carrier bags are closed, we won't be able to collect them as we can't see what's in them. Alternatively, you can

Collect a supply of AVDC blue recycling bags from our Customer Service Centres in Aylesbury, Winslow (Library) and the Buckingham Centre, who will have stocks that residents can use in the interim should their bins not arrive in time.

The new service starts on Tuesday 4th Sept. Households will have received a letter from AVDC explaining about the new recycling and waste collection service. The letter confirms what collection day households will have and what materials will be collected when.



The key features of the new collection service are:

• Collections will take place during Tuesday to Friday, so for some the usual collection day may change.

• Households will receive a new ‘all-in-one’ recycling bin for all paper, glass, cardboard, plastics, cartons, cans and tins, mixed together, you don’t have to separate them. Recycling collections will continue to be made every fortnight.

• Households will get a new small outdoor food waste bin and a kitchen caddy. The food waste bin will be collected every week.

• All other waste will go in the existing green waste bin. This will be collected every two weeks, alternating with the blue lidded recycling bin.



Councillor Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Health, said: “Changing the waste and recycling services for the entire district is a mammoth undertaking and we want to firstly thank residents for their patience over the past few weeks. There have been minor issues along the way, such as some residents experiencing a few delays with bin deliveries, which we would obviously like to have avoided. If you have not received your new recycling and food waste bins yet, please accept our apologies and be assured that we will deliver your bins as soon as possible.”



If you haven't received your bins yet, please check to see if your neighbours have theirs first. If they have, and you haven't, please contact us by email to newbins@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk with your name address, postcode and a daytime phone number.

Chips with everything

I hope that  you will all have received your new recycling bins with the blue lids.
There has been some concern about the electronic chip in each bin, and the following
information has been circulated by AVDC:

Statement by:

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier, Cabinet Member for Environment and Health

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in recycling bins



Each large blue-lidded recycling bin that the council provides to residents contains a RFID (radio frequency identification) tag, fitted at the point of manufacture. These are not bugging or tracking devices, but simply an electronic reference number identifying each bin.

Incorporating the RFID tags is a measure designed to provide the council with flexibility to introduce new recycling reward initiatives in the future. For example, residents living in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead are already trialling an incentive scheme, with RFID tags used to help monitor the amount of recycling they put out for collection. The keenest recycling households are rewarded with vouchers for high-street retailers, such as M&S.

If we decided to offer such a scheme and our recycling bins did not contain RFID tags, then fitting the tags retroactively would be logistically challenging and would also cost much more financially. Purchasing them fitted at the point of manufacture, therefore, is more cost effective in the long run.

All the RFID tags can do is provide a reference number for each bin. The purpose of this is to provide each of our bins with a unique identity, a bit like a bar code, sticker or painting a reference number onto each bin. If the tags were ever used (and currently they are not) the tag itself would not be able to monitor the type or weight of rubbish being thrown away. All it would do is allow a vehicle fitted with a receiver device to identify which bin is being emptied into the vehicle at that time.

There are many misleading reports that seem to lead people to believe that the tags have mystical powers when, in reality, they really are no different to the identification chips people put in their cat or dog, or if the council had simply painted an identification number onto the side of the bin.

Your questions about the new garden waste collection service answered...

Why do I have to opt in to the garden waste collection service?Not everyone will want this service – many people have no garden or just a small one. The garden waste collection is a paid-for service that you can sign up to. You can download an application form, complete all the details and return to us at: Garden Waste Service, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Pembroke Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1DG.

How can I sign up for the garden waste service?The service will not be available in all areas to start with. However, you can register your interest with us now and we will let you know when collections are coming to your area. You can register for the garden waste service here.

Other councils offer a free garden waste collection. Why doesn’t AVDC?Councils are only obliged to remove household waste free of charge. Having carefully reviewed our service, we cannot offer the garden waste service without a fee, because it would dramatically increase our costs. We think that it’s better to offer a paid-for service to those residents who want it and are prepared to pay for it, rather than charge everyone for a service they may not use. Many councils who offer the service free of charge combine the garden waste with paper and/or cardboard, which is classed as household waste and therefore gets free disposal.

How do I pay?We only accept payment by direct debit, which can be done online, in writing or over the phone.

What happens after I have paid?
Once your application has been processed, the direct debit has been set up and payment collected, a 240-brown bin and welcome pack will be delivered to your door within 3 weeks. Please check the welcome pack for details of your first collection.

What can I put in the brown bin?
Your garden waste is taken for composting, therefore we can only take things that will compost safely.

Yes please! We can accept these items:

• Grass
• Leaves
• Weeds, flowers and plants
• Hedge clippings
• Branches (no thicker than 10cm)
• Prunings and twigs
• Windfall fruit

No thanks, please do not put these in the bin:

• Soil, stones or rubble
• Noxious weeds, such as Japanese knotweed, ragwort, giant hogweed
• Plastic flower pots, trays or bags
• Wood that has been treated or painted
• Vacuum dust, fire cinders or sawdust
• Cardboard, TetraPak cartons (milk or juice), or wrapping paper
• Food or kitchen waste (including peelings)
• Cat or dog poo, pet litter, pet bedding

When does the scheme operate?The scheme operates fortnightly between February and November.

What happens if my bin contains items it shouldn’t?
We will leave a sticker on your bin explaining this and we will empty it on your next scheduled garden waste collection if the item(s) have been removed.

What do I do if my bin has not been emptied?
If your bin has not been emptied and you cannot see any reason why it has been missed (for example, it's not contaminated with other waste, it's not overloaded and there are no adverse weather conditions), please contact us immediately on 01296 585510.

Will extra waste be collected if left next to the bin?No, only waste inside the bin will be collected.

Can I line my bin to keep it clean or put plastic bags of garden waste in it?Sorry, but you can’t line the whole bin as it could contaminate the waste. And that's why you can't put in rubbish in plastic bags either. However, you can put a couple of sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the bin, to stop small items sticking to it.

Where do I put my bin for emptying?Please leave your bin at the boundary of your property by 6am on the day of collection. The bin must be clearly visible.

Can I have more than one bin?Each household may have up to 3 bins, at a cost of £36 for each bin.

Can I take the bin with me if I move?Yes, if you move house within the Aylesbury Vale district, but not if you move to another council district. You must tell us immediately on 01296 585510 to ensure we have your new address to collect from. The bin remains the property of Aylesbury Vale District Council at all times. If you leave the area before your subscription expires, the council will not issue a refund.

How do I renew my payment?We will write to you, preferably by email, before your annual payment comes to an end. To help minimize the cost of the service to customers, saving the need to employ people or incur charges from the banking industry and postal services we are only accepting payment by direct debit, so the renewal is automatic.

What happens if I do not want to renew the service?If, at the end of your subscription, you no longer wish to continue the service, you should cancel your direct debit. You should also contact us on 01296 585510 or email us at gardenwaste@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk to ensure we cancel your subscription and arrange to collect your brown bin.

What happens if I want to stop the service before my year's subscription has finished - will I get a refund?No, we will not be issuing refunds for unused parts of subscriptions.

I want to join the garden waste collection service but don’t know when it will be available in my area.The service will be available to most households in the district from September. Please complete this form to sign up.

I buy garden waste bags from the council. What’s happening about them?Once the garden waste bin service has been introduced, we will stop selling garden bags in September 2012. The material collected in these bags currently goes into landfill, which we want to avoid. The material in the garden bins will be composted, which is a more environmentally-friendly way of disposing of it. We are not able to offer compostable sacks at this time.

I need help moving my binIf you are physically unable to put your bin out for collection and there is no one else in the household who can help you, ring us on 01296 585510.

What if my property is not suitable for a brown bin?You will have to take your garden waste to one of the household waste and recycling sites, once our garden bag service ends in September. Alternatively you could consider composting your garden waste at home.The recycling centres are located at:

• College Road North, Aston Clinton
• Rabans Close, Rabans Lane, Aylesbury
• Yonder Slade, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham

I live in one of the existing brown bin trial areas (Buckingham or Winslow). Will my waste collection service change?Yes. The brown bin service in areas of Buckingham and Winslow will be replaced with the new waste collection service when it is introduced to all residents in September 2012. You will continue to receive the current brown bin service, free of charge, until that time. If you would like to sign up for the servive complete the online form at:https://myaccount.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/myforms/fms-34301.aspg