Hatley Parish Council Clerk to the Council: Kim Wilde, 36 Fairfield, Gamlingay, SG19 3LG Tel: 01767 650 596 E-mail: [email protected]

BT Consultation on removal of phone kiosk in East Hatley

BT has put up a notice in the phone box in East Hatley asking for comments within 42 days from 20 August (i.e. by 1 October 2014) on the proposal to remove the phone box.

Gemma Barron, Sustainable Communities & Partnerships Manager at South Cambridgeshire District Council, will be collating the local responses across the district for this consultation.

Following the 42 day initial consultation the District Council must send its draft decision as to whether we agree or object to the removals to the Secretary of State and then consult for a further 30 days on the draft decision. A final decision will then be made and sent to both BT and the Secretary of State. The BT consultation closes on 19 November 2014.

If the Parish Council wishes to object to the removal of the telephone kiosk, we need to build an argument based upon the following points in the Ofcom guidance:

 Who lives in the area  Requirement for emergency calls  Income generated / call volume  Quality of mobile reception

Please send your comments or objections as soon as possible to Kim Wilde, Hatley Parish Clerk, 36 Fairfield, Gamlingay, SG19 3LG, Tel 01767 650 596. E-mail [email protected]. A message from Nicola Jenkins, Hatley parish Councillor

I feel very strongly we should retain the East Hatley phone box. I made a successful effort recently to get the phone box repaired.

My arguments are:

1. East Hatley phone box was out of action for a long time. It was only repaired on 26 June 2014 so no phone calls could have been made between 10 September 2013 and 25 June 2014. BT’s statistics for this consultation therefore only apply to the period 26 June to 11 September 2014, less than a two and a half month period. It is unfair to even consider removing the phone box until 26 June 2015.

2. The notice threatening to remove the phone box within 42 days of 20 August 2014 should be on the outside of the phone box, not on the inside, and delivered to every household in East Hatley. The consultation needs to be properly publicised.

3. Phone boxes are a vital public service in our rural area with its many footpaths and bridleways frequented by walkers and horse riders. There are no public places such as shops, pubs or garages in East Hatley where people can get help in case of accident or emergency.

4. Not everyone has a mobile phone.

5. The elderly are often those who do not have mobile phones and we should ensure they have access to a landline if they get into trouble whilst out walking, horse riding or in their cars.

6. East Hatley has very poor or no mobile phone coverage – it varies with mobile phone providers.

7. Mobile phones run out of charge and break down.

8. Even those who possess a mobile phone do not always want to take it out them or sometimes forget to take it with them when they go out walking, horse riding or motoring.

9. BT landlines go out of action. Residents without mobile phones have no way of reporting any fault to BT without bothering a neighbour. They can make a free phone call to BT in a public phone box to report any fault on their home phone and can make reverse calls or calls using a card from a public phone box when their own phone is out of action.

Several years ago I had to use the East Hatley phone box to report that my home phone was broken and I made many calls from the phone box over the five days that my phone was broken.

14 September 2014