News
downsmail.co.uk Scams after pension reforms OVER 55s in Maidstone are beingwarned to bewary after an escalation in pension-related scams.
The Citizens Advice bureau says fraudulent calls have rocketed since new pension reform rules came into effect four months ago. Two of five CAB pensions’ staff
have encountered people targeted by fraudsters, offering fake invest- ment scams. A further one in 10 have seen people who had either responded to or fallen prey to a scam. Scam- mers are targeting the cash lump sums people can release from their pension pots – particularly now that the over 55s fall into this cate- gory. In some scams fraudsters request
£500m to ease Stack pain
A STRATEGY costing nearly £500m for handling Operation Stack in Kent had been submitted to the Government.
The plan – pulled together by KCC, the Highways Agency, the police and others – includes a lorry park off the M20, improvements to the A20 and better signposting, but would still mean hold-ups on the M20 and the surrounding area. County councillor Jenny Whittle said it was now down to the Gov- ernment to come up with the fund- ing. She said: “Operation Stack aside, the issue of lorries driving through rural villages is a number one issue for me. I am being asked for ‘no HGV’ signs and weight lim- its at various locations. I under- stand even Willington Street is calling for a weight limit, but I have no idea where they would go. As well as having these extra signs and restrictions, we then need enough police to enforce them.” Thurnham Parish Cllr Ted Den- ham said the low railway bridge in Ware Street – and signs indicating the clearance height – were still being ignored by lorry drivers. He said: “Two lorries, with UK drivers, spent hours turning around at Av- erenches Road because they had ig- nored the signs and found they couldn’t get under the bridge.”
Driving offence
A DETLING man who admitted drink-driving has been banned from driving for three years. Steven Wilson (33), of Hockers
Lane,was driving a Ford Mondeo in Peel Street, Maidstone, without in- surance. He gave a blood test of 185mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80mg. At Mid Kent Magistrates Court he
was banned from driving for three years and fined £155 with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
20 Maidstone East October 2015
access to people’s pension pots so they can apparently invest them in financial products on their behalf. Despite offering a high rate of re- turn, scammers were unable to ex- plain what the investmentswere. Others involve a people being
texted or cold-called with offers of a free pension review. The caller then asks to visit the person in their own home, bringing paperwork that would allow them to get access to their pension details. Bonny Malhotra, chief executive
at Maidstone CAB, said: “One man responded to an internet ad for a free pension review, filled in his de-
tails, and was visited by someone claiming to be an independent fi- nancial adviser who couldn’t de- scribe any investments.” People were also approached
with offers to invest their pension cash into products such as property overseas or fine wines. One investment scam featured
two salesmen – one who visited the potential customer to get access to his pension details, and a second to encourage him to invest his pen- sion and any other savings into property in South Africa. Mr Malhotra added: “Scammers are finding new ways to go after
people’s pension pots including of- fering free pension reviews and promising to invest funds that don’t necessarily exist. “If you’ve had an offer or signed
up to a pension scheme you’re un- sure about, I urge you to contact Citizens Advice Maidstone [01622 752420] where our staff can offer free help and support.” To avoid being scammed, never
be rushed into a decision and check if the company contacting you is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If you are unsure, contact The Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047.
Pupils take club members to the races
WEAVERING’S Over 60s Club was treated to a day at the races by students from Invicta Grammar School in Maidstone. Club members have been
catching up with sixth-formers once amonth for several years to share tea and entertainment, and this time the girls invited them to dress for Ascot and provided the food, fake money and racing programme. Sylvia Morley (79), the group’s chairman, said: “It was a fantastic opportunity to get dressed up. The girls were great.We really felt as if we’d been to the races for the day. “The school has been a fantastic friend to the club and we wanted to
Members ofWeavering Over 60s Club dressed for a day at the races
let the girls and staff know just how much we appreciate it. They don’t treat us like the elderly, we laugh and have a fun time together.”
KCC row overWest Country homes plan
KENT County Council has come under fire for threatening to build homes on a start-up enterprise for businesses in Bath. The county council received ap-
proval for its request to change the use of the city’s Tramshed commercial space to residential from Bath and North East Somer- set Council. But it has prompted an angry re- sponse from the business commu- nity, who say Bath is already set to get 7,000 new homes and “as the creative industries capital of the South West” the Tramshed provides valuable office space for fledgling businesses including start-up websites and small IT firms. The county council says no de- cision has been made about the
future of the building. A spokesman for KCC said:
“The Tramshed in Bath is owned by Kent County Council on be- half of the Kent Pension Fund. The fund provides pensions to 110,000 scheme members in 500 employers and has property in- vestments of around £600m across the country. “The Tramshed is currently
used as serviced offices. The Pen- sion Fund has looked at the op- tion of using a change in planning law introduced by the last gov- ernment to change the use from office to residential under the per- mitted development regulations. “At this stage, no final decision
has been taken on the change of use and the Tramshed in its cur- rent form is operating well.”
Formore local news
www.downsmail.co.uk Weavering Over 60s club meets
at the village hall at 2pm-4pm on the first Monday of the month. Newmembers are welcome.
College stops
A-level courses STUDENTS have been alarmed to learn that MidKent College in Maidstone is abandoning A-level courses. The decision affects 175 young-
sters whowere due to start A-level studies in September. Second-year students part-way through their A- level courses at the Tonbridge Road college are not affected. The college says the decision fol-
lows a review of its curriculum in the face of fewer resources and na- tional policy changes, which put more emphasis on colleges to meet the needs of the jobs market and contribute to the Government’s goal of providing three million ap- prenticeships. College principal Simon Cook
said advice sessions and liaisons with schools and other education providers had provided an alterna- tive training path for all those who had contacted the
college.Any stu- dents who need help should con- tact the college.
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