Trading Standards – Protecting Your Money On Holiday

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At this time of year we all like to think about being on a sunny beach with your loved ones around us far away from home and the worries of everyday life. Holidays should be a wonderful part of our life. However experience tells us at Trading Standards that it can all start to unravel even before we are near the airport lounge.

With the demise of the traditional high street travel agent booking your holiday is now a process most of us do ourselves online. This can be confusing with so many choices of places to go and traders to book with, and this can be the time it all starts to go wrong and unravel without us knowing about it. However, there is good news, there are two simple rules to make sure that any worries you have are to do with meeting the baggage limit and not losing everything before you get there.

First of all, let us introduce you to two organisations and what they do.

The first is the Association of British Travel Agents known as ABTA and then the Air Travel Organisers Licence known as ATOL.

ABTA provides protection that if your travel company goes bust, you’re entitled to your money back and this includes any accommodation costs. If you’re already on your holiday, your passage back to the UK will be protected. This means that if anything happens before your holiday you get your money back or if you’re already there you can relax and know that the important things are covered.

ATOL protection covers you before and during your trip. When you purchase a trip that is ATOL protected, you will receive an ATOL Certificate. It will show you who and what is covered, as well as provide guidance on what to do if your travel company stops trading as an ATOL holder. We recommend that you always keep a paper or digital copy of this certificate saved with you. The scheme is designed to reassure you that your money is safe, and will provide assistance in the event of an ATOL holder failure.

However you book your holiday make sure that whoever you book it with is either an ABTA or ATOL member so you will be setting off on the right foot. Doing this will protect you and your money and let the only worry about your upcoming holiday be getting your choice of bucket and spade in your baggage.

Planning Report – July 2024

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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
  • Ash Tree Way
  • The Glade
  • Oak Way
  • Orchard Way
  • Round Grove and Wickham Road.

We also have the very latest on the Revised Croydon Local Plan (2018) which is now open for Consultation. 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.

Tram Services Update: Advance Notice of Strike Action and Engineering Work

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Transport for London (TfL) have informed us that strike action is currently planned from:

Sunday 30 June until Monday 8 July and
Thursday 11 July until Monday 15 July, impacting London Trams services.

Additionally, planned engineering work on Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July will mean no London Trams services will operate east of East Croydon on those days.

If the strike action goes ahead, there will be a reduced and disrupted service expected on the whole of the London Trams network for some of these days and customers will be encouraged to check before they travel.

Customers are also advised to complete journeys by 18:00 on affected days and consider walking and cycling for local journeys where possible.

London Buses and London Overground in the area are scheduled to operate as normal but could be busier than normal. All customers will be advised to visit tfl.gov.uk/strikes or the TfL Go app for the latest information.

TfL staff and Travel Ambassadors will be deployed on the busiest parts of the London Trams network to assist customers with their onward journeys. These locations include Addington Village, Beckenham Junction, East Croydon, Elmers End, West Croydon and Wimbledon.

On Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July, there is a planned closure of the London Trams network for essential maintenance. No trams will run from East Croydon to New Addington, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction but rail replacement bus services and enhanced local bus services will be available. This essential maintenance work includes packing ballast under a new section of track near Sandilands tram stop, which will mean smoother journeys for customers and help extend the life of the track.

Customers are advised to plan ahead, to consider alternative routes, to check before they travel, and to allow more time to complete their journey

The Big Lunch in Bromley – NEW DATE ADDED

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The Big Lunch is the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours and communities, with millions of people coming together for a few hours of food, friendship, and fun. It connects people and encourages friendlier, safer communities where people start to share more – conversations, ideas, skills, resources and friendship.

The Big Lunch is once again coming to Bromley to help people come together to celebrate their community, neighbourhood friendships and street friends.

The Big Lunch is an initiative which comes from Eden Project Communities, an organisation which fosters & values connection, community & neighbourly spirits. The same organisation has brought us the Big Jubilee lunch in 2022, and the Big Coronation lunch in 2023.

This year we have partnered the Big Lunches with the London Festival of Architecture and hope to bring people together from across London to experience why Bromley is a top destination with so much to offer.

These FREE Big lunches are:

NEW DATE ADDED: Saturday 15th June – The Look Out Café, Biggin Hill Airport – 11 am – 1 pm

Saturday 22nd June – Chislehurst Common – Round about green near Prickend Pond – 11 am – 1 pm

Sunday 23rd June – Crystal Palace Park – Cricket Ground – 11 am – 1 pm

Saturday 29th June – Queens Gardens , Bromley South – 11 am – 1 pm