Month: October 2022

Covid-19 Autumn Booster

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People aged 50 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, those aged 5 years and over in a clinical risk group and health and social care staff will be offered a booster of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine this autumn.

Who is being offered an autumn booster?

COVID-19 is more serious in older people and in people with certain underlying health conditions. This winter it is expected that many respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and flu may be circulating at high levels – this may put increasing pressure on hospitals and other health care services.

For these reasons, people aged 50 years and over, those in care homes, and those aged 5 years and over in clinical risk groups are being offered an autumn booster of COVID-19 vaccine. A booster will also be offered to front-line health and social care staff, those who care for vulnerable individuals and families of individuals with weakened immune systems.

The autumn booster is being offered to those at high risk of the complications of COVID-19 infection, who may have not been boosted for a few months. As the number of COVID-19 infections increases over the winter, this booster should help to reduce your risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Timing of the autumn booster

You should be offered an appointment between September and December, with those at highest risk being called in first. You should have your booster at least 3 months after your last dose of vaccine.

If you are eligible for a flu vaccine, you may be able to have them at the same time – if not please go ahead anyway, you can catch up with the other vaccine later.

Please accept the vaccination that is offered to you as soon as you are able to – it is important to have your booster and build up your protection against severe illness before the winter.

Click here for more information.

Trading Standards Alert – Illicit Tobacco

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Illicit tobacco is often sold from small shops and comes in the forms of non-duty paid known branded cigarettes, this includes genuine plain packaged items which have simply been smuggled in. Other brands are likely to be brands you cannot buy legally in the UK and will come in coloured packaging. Some may well be counterfeits of well-known brands, Amber Leaf Hand Rolling Tobacco being one of the most common counterfeited tobacco items. What they will all have in common is that the vendor will be selling them cheaply compared to legal cigarettes.

When people buy cheap, illicit tobacco they are supporting organised crime and making it harder for legitimate businesses to run successfully.

We would encourage you to report any instances where a retailer is selling illicit tobacco. They will often be hidden under the counter, or nearby and bought into the shop at the point of sale. Some criminals even build secret hides within the shops to store the goods.

To report the sale of illicit tobacco please use the following channels:

Please remember to report any scam to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040.

If you have actually been the victim of a trader or scam such as the above, or require consumer advice, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 0808 223 1133

Planning Report – October 2022

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To find out the latest news on what is being planned in your local area, check out our latest Planning Report with up-to-date information on Planning Applications including developments in:

  • Addiscombe Road
  • The Glade
  • Gladeside
  • Orchard Avenue
  • Orchard Rise
  • Shirley Avenue
  • Wickham Road
  • Woodmere Avenue and Woodmere Gardens.

With the all the latest information on the Local Planning Authority’s Residents’ Association Meeting and the Planning Advisory Peer Review that MORA has contributed towards.

Also, take a look at the MORA Planning App, which gives you an easy way to track all the current and recent planning applications within the MORA area. It’s simple to use and free for you to access

Scam Alert: Scam Energy Rebate Texts

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Action Fraud has received 139 crime reports relating to fake text messages purporting to be from the UK government. The texts state that the recipient is “owed” or “eligible” for an energy bill discount as part of the Energy Bill Support Scheme. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.

How to protect yourself

  • Energy Bill Discount : £400 off energy bills for households in Great Britain from October 2022. You do not need to apply for the scheme and you will not be asked for your bank details.
  • Spotted a suspicious text message? Forward it to 7726 (it’s free of charge). If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious.

For advice on how to stay secure online, please visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk

Please remember to report any scam to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040.
If you have actually been the victim of a trader or scam such as the above, or require consumer advice, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 0808 223 1133