Next Meeting - 28 August 2018

The next meeting of the Community Council, will be held 7pm on Tuesday 28 August 2018.

It will be held in the Gordon Room at Mannofield Parish Church, Great Western Road, with access to the Church by the Countesswells Road entrance.

The Agenda for the meeting can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here

ALL WELCOME

Police Report - July 2018

The latest police report for the area from 1st July to 31st July 2018:

Antisocial behaviour, Violence and Disorder: 
The Antisocial Behaviour calls within area relate primarily to the inconsiderate use of our open spaces and parks during the better weather recently, we would not only urge everyone to use them responsibly clearing up after themselves and showing consideration for local residents but that the local residents remind themselves that the areas are for everyone to use and enjoy.

There have been a small number of reported vandalisms at the beginning of the month predominantly in the Morningside area which consisted of glass being broken, if anyone is aware of anyone going about with a catapult in suspicious circumstances please let us know. There has been 1 report of an assault in which the young person responsible will be reported to the Youth Justice unit.

Acquisitive Crime:
There have been no reports of acquisitive crime during this period, however in the good weather we would always recommend locking your cycles to each other or something substantial within your shed, don’t make it easy for them. Drawing on other areas recent experience if your vehicle has keyless entry please check where ever you keep the keys within the house does not cause the vehicle to unlock.

Road Safety & Road Crime:
In response to your requests Officers will be taking a robust approach balancing education with enforcement to ensure the relatively small minority who are responsible for committing offences and antisocial behaviour with vehicles are held accountable for their actions.  We will be working with partners and making use of antisocial behaviour legislation.  Residents in the areas affected by antisocial driving are encouraged to contact Police on 101 at the time to report incidents in order for us to take positive action.

We would also remind some of our Adults that whilst for them riding a cycle on the pavement is not allowed for children doing their paper rounds it is ok.

Community Engagement & Reassurance
I hope we have all been able to take advantage of the terrific weather recently by spending more time outdoors, as always we would ask you to lock garden tools & cycles away after use and if you're in the back garden is your front door unlocked?

As more of us enjoy the open recreational spaces Aberdeen has to offer be it the Deeside way, the Hazlehead parks and trails or anyone of the garden parks we have dotted across the city, we would ask you to take a little time and consider those others using them and how they got there, perhaps by car by cycle or even by horse. Each requires a different consideration from other road users you can find out more here.

http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/road-safety/
http://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/news/2017/october/drivers-urged-to-give-horses-plenty-of-room

In the summer months the majority of our antisocial behaviour calls are about young people who "might be up to something" or "look like they're up to no" good or even are making a racket in a play park. As adults I would hope you would cast your mind back to when you were that age and remember the vast majority of our young people whilst a bit loud and occasionally boisterous are doing anything than being perfectly acceptable children.

Conversely if when you look at someone or a group and instinctively know they are up to no good let us know as these are the people we need to know about.

Over the last couple of months we have spoken about the frauds, if there are any local groups who would like us to attend and have a chat please let us know if they are not in our area they can find their local policing team to contact here.

http://www.scotland.police.uk/your-community/north-east/

Just please remember no matter how plausible the "security alert on your account" may seem or convincing "the police officer/bank manager/security expert" may be.

YOUR BANK OR THE POLICE WILL NEVER CONTACT YOU OVER THE PHONE AND ASK YOU TO TRANSFER MONEY BETWEEN ACCOUNTS.

Please look here and ensure your seniors or perhaps less tech savvy community members are aware.

http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/keep-secure-online/phishing-internet-shopping

National Campaigns

Door step crime increases with the lighter nights this time of year, often in the guise of Bogus Workmen they pray on the elderly and other vulnerable groups in our community. If someone you know is suddenly getting work done in their property that they have never mentioned, ask them about it, if it seems suspicious contact either ourselves or our partners within Aberdeen City Council Trading Standards
https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/business-and-licensing/trading-standards/trading-standards

This time of year a number of our young people look to move away from home and into further education, the advice below will be invaluable in keeping those loved ones safe.
http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/personal-safety/student-safety

What to know more about how we measure up, this is where to find out.

http://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/our-performance/

Follow us on Twitter @NorthEPolice   #WestEndCPT

Also available are the three following contact email addresses for the West End:

AiryhallBroomhillGarthdeeCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.uk
HazleheadAshleyQueensCrossCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.uk
TorryFerryhillCPT@scotland.pnn.police.uk

The Great Aberdeen Run

The Simplyhealth Great Aberdeen Run is back in the city on Sunday 26 August 2018.  The event will again feature a half marathon, 10k and family run.

All races on the day will start and finish on Union Street with the event village based alongside. 

The day starts with the 10km at 09.00am, followed by the half marathon at 10.30am before the family run which starts at 1.10pm.

A number of roads within the city will be affected by the event, and road closures and traffic diversions will be in operation on the day.

Community Council Elections

Community Councils are established by the Local Authority as set out in the Scheme for Establishment of Community Councils.

Community Councillors are volunteers who have an interest in their local area and who have been elected by their local communities.

Becoming a Community Councillor in Aberdeen gives you an opportunity to play a vital role in decision making.

The elections for Community Councils will be held on 25 October 2018 which means there has never been a better time to get involved.

You don't need any special skills or experience, anyone who lives in the Community Council area and is on the electoral roll can get involved.

The key dates for this years election are:

7pm on 22 August              Information session at the Town House
7pm on 27 August              Information session at the Town House
29 August                             Publication of notice of election
4pm on 27 September       Closing date for nominations
4pm on 3 October              Closing date for withdrawals
8 October                             Notice of Poll (or uncontested)
25 October                           Polling Day

For further information contact   Karen Finch, Community Council Liaision Officer on 01224 522723 or by email at communitycouncils@aberdeencity.gov.uk

First Aberdeen - Fare Changes

First Aberdeen has announced that some of its fares will be changing from Sunday 5th August 2018.

Tickets bought via the First Bus mobile ticket app will be frozen or reduced to their 2017 price with the changes impacting most on tickets purchased on-bus and through PayPoint. First Aberdeen is urging customers to switch to mobile ticketing, for the best value fares available.

Purchasing a FirstWeek ticket, in advance, using the mTickets app will cost £15.50 but jumps to  £18 if purchased from the driver.

First Aberdeen is also reducing the price of some of its most popular multi-journey products such as the day, monthly or five single tickets package when purchased via the mTickets app.

The new First Bus Unlimited ticket also allows customers to pay a monthly direct debit for unlimited bus travel across their chosen network via the mTickets app to make regular bus travel more convenient than ever before.

First Aberdeen reports that sales of tickets via cashless methods, including mTickets and contactless, have more than doubled over the last year, and is now encouraging more customers to switch from cash to cashless payment methods, to help speed up boarding times.

The majority of student ticket prices have been frozen on the mTickets app to allow students to plan and budget for their travel during term time.

Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director at First Aberdeen, said: “We generally need to review our fares each year to ensure we meet the rising costs that we face as a business, but we have worked hard to keep any increases to a minimum with ticket prices last reviewed in April ‘17.

“Travel by First Aberdeen offers great value for money and we continue to offer a lower price for most tickets purchased via the First mTickets app, in comparison to tickets bought from the driver, so that we can encourage people to switch and speed up their boarding time. This allows us to improve access to purchase tickets on the go for the increasingly mobile savvy consumer.

“Our Aberdeen operation has seen a significant rise in ‘smart’ payments in recent months, with over 70 per cent of our customers now using a ‘cashless’ method. We are working hard to encourage more customers to convert to using mTickets or contactless, as this will have a further impact on reducing boarding times and will help us in the battle to speed up people’s journeys.”

For full details on the changes to First Aberdeen fares, please visit www.firstaberdeen.com