New data from Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, reveals that 28,049 shoppers were conned out of their money when shopping online over the Christmas period last year – an increase of almost two thirds (61 per cent) when compared to the same period in the previous year.

Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Action Fraud is warning the public to take extra care when shopping online as reports of online shopping fraud have continued to surge. Here are some simple tips to help you and your family enjoy a secure online shopping experience this festive season.

Where to shop
Buying from an online store you haven’t used before? Carry out some research first, or ask a friend or family member if they’ve used the site and about their experiences before completing the purchase.

Your information
Only create an account if necessary or to save you effort if you’re going to use that site a lot in the future. Be cautious if the website asks you for details that are not required for your purchase, such as your mother’s maiden name or the name of your primary school.

Payment method
When it’s time to pay for your items, check there’s a ‘closed padlock’ icon in the browser’s address bar. Use a credit card when shopping online, if you have one. Most major credit card providers protect online purchases.

Phishing
Some of the messages you receive about amazing offers may contain links to fake websites. If you’re unsure about a link, don’t use the it – go separately to the website. Report suspicious emails you receive by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk. Report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to: 7726.

Email accounts:
Make sure that your really important accounts (such as your email account or online shopping accounts) are protected by strong passwords that you don’t use anywhere else.

Need help changing your email account password? You can use these links to find step by step instructions: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, BT, AOL Mail. 

If things go wrong
If you’ve lost money to an online shopping scam, tell your bank and report it as a crime to Action Fraud (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland (for Scotland). By doing this, you’ll be helping to prevent others becoming victims of cyber crime.

For more of the government’s latest advice on how to stay secure online, visit the Cyber Aware website: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware

 

Gloucester City Council has been awarded a grant of £50K from the third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help the city’s cultural sector recover from the pandemic. 

 

More than £100million has been awarded to cultural organisations including Gloucester Guildhall and Museum of Gloucester in the latest round of support.

Gloucester Guildhall offers a variety of live shows such as music, comedy, theatre, dance, and contemporary film as well as participatory workshops and art exhibitions, and sees over 50,000 people passing through the doors annually.

 

The grant will compensate some of Gloucester Guildhall’s loss of income as a result of months of closures; as well as go towards developing a long term business plan to improve services and events for the future. 

 

While the funding awarded to the Museum of Gloucester will go towards making significant improvements to their website.

 

Over the past year the city council in total has received over £250K in funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

28,049 victims lost a total of £15.4M to online shopping fraud during last year’s festive shopping season.

For some top tips on how to shop online safely this Christmas please visit
www.actionfraud.police.uk

The bin at Poplar Close has now been removed, as it was superfluous to requirements. I am chasing up what has happened to the dog waste bin.

I have now has sight of the Podsmead litter bin plan and am checking out the various locations.

After a resident contacted me about the missing toddler swing in the play park at Tuffley Park, I met with the open spaces officer on site to look at replacing it.

There has been no toddler swing in the play area for some years.

The replacement swing would be funded by section 106 money for open spaces.

There is a consultation event in Podsmead to hear residents’ views on the proposed regeneration.

This is an opportunity to give your views and to shape the process.

See Robinswood Hill in a unique way with spheres of light and music as ‘Globoscope’ comes to town. As part of the City Council’s ‘Bright Nights’ events, you can visit your local country park on the doorstep of Gloucester and learn about nocturnal wildlife whilst you’re here.

Firepits will keep you warm and the café is open for hot drinks and treats. 

This event is free, but now booking is required due to popular demand: https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/events/2021-11-26-globoscope-travelling-light-show

I have recently helped residents report some faulty street lights to the county council.

If you have see a faulty street light in our area you can report it to streetlightingenquiries@gloucestershire.gov.uk, or via this form:

Report-IT website – https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highways/roads/your-highways-report-it/

The form is the best way to report issues as it ensures an enquiry number is allocated. This helps to trace the work undertaken and any challenges.

Or, you can let me know about the issue and I’ll be happy to pass on your report.

I saw a report of a broken street light in Newark Road Podsmead and I contacted the street lighting department at the county council, just to make sure it has been received and actioned.

If it hasn’t been fixed yet I hope it will be done soon. If you know of any other damaged or broken street lights in our area please let me know.

I have written to the city council to request that leaves be cleared from various roads in Podsmead such as Tuffley Avenue and Milton Avenue.

I have requested to see the leaf clearance schedule so I can report back on when all the leaves will be cleared.

We need to keep leaves out of the drains and gutters in our area as if they get blocked with leaf debris, it can increase flooding problems when it rains.

If you know of any areas that need leaf clearance, please let me know.