March 2022

5 Buckden Roundabout March 2022 From your County Councillor From Your County Councillor As we move into March, it is a sure sign that Spring is on the way. We cannot really complain about the weather as we have had a pretty mild winter with no snow so far. Rainfall has been low too. We appear to be leaving Omicron behind but we can- not be too careful. We are still in the Pandemic whether we like it or not. Cambridgeshire, at the time of writing, was bucking the trend from the national decline in Covid numbers and has the highest national incidence of Covid. Currently rates of the virus in Cam- bridgeshire are the highest they have ever been and continue to rise. With more testing going on, it is inevitable that num- bers will rise. The point I am trying to make is that we should not be complacent about Covid - 19 and variants. Recently a new variant, BA - 2 was discovered and it is too early to specu- late as to what impact this new variant will have. We are how- ever very lucky. Many of us have now had 2 vaccinations and a booster jab. So, we have far greater protection from serious illness than we had at the start of the Pandemic. That does not mean that we cannot catch Covid but in most cases it will not lead to serious illness. I for one will remain vigilant and contin- ue to wear a mask for the foreseeable future when shopping. The question now is, “ When can we get back to normal ”? A further question, “ What does normal look like ”? Things have changed across so many aspects of life and society that it will be difficult for everything to go back to what we believed to be normal before Covid - 19. There are now different ways of work- ing. Less commuting, more working from home, more on - line shopping, including grocery deliveries, probably many more. There is also a new word, ‘ Hybrid - working ’, let alone working from home. I remember being told that if you are not at your desk, you cannot be working. Fortunately, we have moved on from that dated culture. The new norm here is working from home or a weekly mix of commuting to work for some days of the week, (hybrid - working), with the majority working from home. 40% of those currently working from home say that they will never go back to work in the office. Working from home and even hybrid working saves individual commuting costs but does have a significant negative impact on businesses local to the office. Fewer people go to the coffee shop or buy their lunch from a sandwich outlet. Working from home does not suit everyone. There is evidence that some home workers find it very difficult to get into the mood for work. They miss the face - to - face contact with colleagues. This is very understandable and as the pandemic continues there is an element of ‘ Home working fatigue ’. But, only for some people. Others seem to thrive on working from home. If we can survive for 2 years with the majority having to work from home where jobs allow, then there is merit for carrying on. Productivity, in the main, has increased because you don ’ t have to spend 2 hours or more commuting to the office every day. We are not as fatigued at the end of the week as we were when we commuted. Another aspect of the pandemic has been the use of Zoom and Microsoft Teams. We have been able to stay connected with relatives and friends face to face, well not quite but you see what I mean. Using Microsoft Teams has enabled business meetings to carry on without travelling many miles for a one - or two - hour meeting. No meeting rooms to book. Presenta- tions to hundreds possible, the list is endless. Technology is a wonderous thing if you know how to use it. I for one am very happy to use technology as it makes my day easier. Let us hope that the new norm is as exciting as the old norm. In the meantime, let us look forward to the Spring weather, daffodils and even the possibility of summer holidays. Any holi- days would be good especially if we don ’ t have to jump through so many hoops before we can even get to the airport. Whatever we plan as the spring warms us up it would be good to remain vigilant until Covid becomes endemic. - Ken Billington, County Councillor Buckden Neighbourhood Watch RICHARD WEST Village Coordinator 01480 811467 / 07841 866630 To contact the police: 999 in an emergency; 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers; 0300 123 2040 Action Fraud. EMAIL burglarycrackdown@cambs.pnn.police.uk or visit www.crimestoppers.uk.org or you can telephone 101 Suspicions or concerns can be reported via the police force ’ s online web chat function here https://bit.ly/3tfssQF Or via the online reporting forms here https://bit.ly/3ck9z85 BEWARE OF BOGUS TRADESMEN Make sure that you don ’ t fall victim to bogus tradesmen who use apparently legitimate sites or knock on your front door to find victims. As winter passes, our thoughts turn to all of those spring maintenance jobs we couldn ’ t do in the colder months. So how do you find good tradespeople and protect yourself from rogue traders who overcharge for poor quality work, goods or services, or demand money upfront and then don ’ t return to do the job.? Probably the best way is to ask friends and neighbours. If this is not possible then look in a local magazine, the Roundabout for example. Look for local telephone numbers and addresses. Make sure that you get an estimate in writing. If these sources fail then there are two websites you can visit. Try; Checkatrade https://www.checkatrade.com/ or TrustATrader https:// www.trustatrader.com/ Both of these have robust vetting and reviewing procedures in place and are therefore highly unlikely to list any rogue trad- ers. Try to plan ahead. Sometimes genuine tradesmen are in- undated with work and have a waiting list so be prepared to wait. It will be worth it in order to avoid being scammed. The best advice is to stay within your comfort zone when in- teracting with potential tradesperson.If you feel that some- thing isn ’ t right, trust your instincts and break the contact, if the person then pesters you it can be a further sign that they are not genuine. Ken will conduct a surgery in Buckden Village Hall at 7pm every other month on the second Tuesday (before the Parish Council meeting) starting 8th March 2022