This page is relevant to all villages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nottingham Knockers

A great deal of people, especially the lone elderly, do not like opening their front door to be face to face with a young man selling what most households already have in their possession. If anything, the Nottingham Knocker call is more akin to menacing begging based on some of the Facebook posts regarding this activity. Often, a Facebook post raises the alarm for locals so that they can be more wary of opening the door. Stickers on doors stating 'No doorstep Selling Zone' do not deter these people. Most of the time the Facebook alarm is too late and so a simple Whatsapp group for an instant alert would work better. A simple statement of Road and Village will quickly highlight where these activities are taking place.
If you want to be notified by and/or notify your neighbours of activity in the areas covered by these pages follow the instructions below.
Click here to join if you're reading this on your mobile or scan the QR code with your phone if looking at this on your PC.

 

 

 

 

Revised bin collection dates for Christmas and New Year

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Buckinghamshire residents are being reminded to take note of changes to bin collections during the festive period and to recycle as much of the extra waste that accumulates at this time of year as possible.

 

Due to the bank holidays, bin collections will operate to a revised timetable. Please check the amended dates in the table below and ensure bins are out by 6:30am on the day of collection.

 

 

The garden waste collection service is currently suspended for winter and will resume from Monday 26 January 2026. Subscribers can dispose of real Christmas trees, wreaths, holly and mistletoe in their garden waste bin after Christmas - just remember to remove decorations and cut trees into smaller pieces.

 

Non-subscribers can recycle their real Christmas trees at their nearest Household Recycling Centre (HRC) or check for local charity collections. Please remove all decorations, lights, pots and stands before recycling.

 

Recycling centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. On all other days, they will operate usual winter opening hours. Check online before visiting to confirm times and avoid queues. A reminder that while Buckingham HRC is temporarily closed for essential drainage works, alternative arrangements are in place for impacted residents of North Bucks.

 

Small electrical items - on top of your bin lid on collection day, or at all Household Recycling Centres

 

Batteries - on top of your bin lid on collection day, at all Household Recycling Centres and most Supermarkets or shops which sell batteries

 

Large electrical items – at all 10 Household Recycling Centres, or book a bulky waste collection via the council

 

Thank you to everyone for helping keep Buckinghamshire clean and green this Christmas."

 

For more tips on reducing waste and having a more environmentally friendly Christmas, visit here

 

Decisive action to cut congestion and curb disruption from roadworks

 

Buckinghamshire Council is moving decisively to tackle the delays and day-to-day disruption residents experience from roadworks, with the introduction of a new Lane Rental Scheme that will keep people and businesses moving.

 

Following government approval, the council will introduce its own Lane Rental Scheme — Lane Rental: Streets Ahead — a major step to reduce disruption and improve journey reliability across the county. The scheme allows the council to charge up to £2,500 per day for works carried out on the busiest parts of the road network at peak times, encouraging companies to plan smarter, work together and finish jobs faster.

 

The scheme will apply to around 7.8% of Buckinghamshire’s network (approximately 500 roads and streets) and is expected to go live in spring 2026. It complements Buckinghamshire Highways’ existing permit scheme and is designed to drive industry-wide behavioural change.

 

Money raised will first cover the costs of running the scheme. Any additional funds will be ringfenced in the council’s Streets Ahead Investment Fund to reinvest directly into initiatives that reduce the disruption and adverse effects caused by roadworks, delivering visible benefits for residents.

 

What residents will see:

 

• Fewer roadworks at the busiest times and on the busiest routes
• Quicker completion of essential works through better coordination
• More reliable journey times and reduced congestion
• Smarter, collaborative planning between utilities and contractors

 

For more information about Lane Rental: Streets Ahead, view this YouTube video.

 

 

 

 

Shop Local this Christmas and enjoy festive perks across Buckinghamshire

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Buckinghamshire Council is encouraging residents to support local businesses this festive season through its long-running Shop Local campaign. The county’s market towns and high streets offer a wide range of independent shops, boutiques, markets, and local services. Shopping locally helps sustain jobs and strengthens the local economy. For more information and ideas on where to shop, visit our website.

 

Free Parking on Selected Dates

 

To make festive shopping even more convenient, Buckinghamshire Council is offering free parking after 10am on Saturday 13 December and Saturday 20 December in council-owned car parks serving our high streets.

 

•    Aylesbury: Coopers Yard, Exchange Street, Friarscroft, Hale Street, Upper Hundreds, Walton Green, Walton Street, Waterside (Levels 2 & 3), Waterside North, Whitehall Street, Friars Square Shopping Centre

 

•    Amersham: Amersham Multi Storey, Sycamore Road, Amersham Old Town

•    Chalfont St Peter: Church Lane

•    Chalfont St Giles: Blizzards Yard

•    Chesham: Albany, Catlings, East Street, Star Yard, Water Meadow

•    Great Missenden: Buryfield, Link Road

•    Little Chalfont: Snells Wood

•    Beaconsfield: Altons, Penncroft, Warwick Road

•    Gerrards Cross: Bulstrode Way, Packhorse Road, Station Road

 

A full list is available here

 

Bucks Skills Bootcamps exceeding national performance benchmarks

 

 

Buckinghamshire Council’s Skills Bootcamps programme is successfully supporting an ever growing numbers of residents, helping them to gain vital skills for employment, targeting skills gaps in local communities and helping to drive economic growth within the county.

 

A report presented to Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet today (Tuesday 16 December) outlined the success of the programme which has exceeded national targets for the past three years.

 

Skills Bootcamps offer up to 16 weeks of free, flexible training in areas such as digital, construction, creative industries, green skills, childcare, hospitality, catering, and leadership. They form part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, first started in 2021, providing learners with a guaranteed job interview or confirmation of career progression upon completion.

 

Since taking responsibility for delivering Skills Bootcamps in Buckinghamshire in July 2023, the Council has secured £7.5 million in national funding across three waves of bootcamp delivery. The most recent full year of successful bootcamps achieved exceptional results:

 

• 98% of places on their bootcamps were filled (national target: 75%)
• 86% of those who enrolled completed the training (national target: 70–75%)
• 72% of participants secured employment (national target: 70–75%)

 

Of the 405 learners tracked after they completed their training, 249 have successfully gained employment, including roles in cutting-edge fields such as Artificial Intelligence and cyber security. The programme has also enabled people to become self-employed and to progress in their current career, reinforcing the role of Skills Bootcamps as a driver of Buckinghamshire’s Economic Growth Plan.

 

Feedback demonstrates how the programme is helping individuals to build confidence, gain relevant skills and take meaningful steps towards employment. One learner shared: “The course has given me the tools and motivation to pursue a new career path – I feel much more confident now”. Another commented: “The tutor was incredibly supportive and knowledgeable. I’ve learned so much in a short time and feel ready to apply for jobs in the field.”

 

Skills Bootcamp courses are running now; to qualify you simply need to be aged 19 or over and live in Buckinghamshire. For more information and how to apply, visit here.

 

Have your say on proposed changes to Bucks Council Tax Reduction Scheme

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Buckinghamshire Council is seeking views on proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for its Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

 

The scheme helps working-age residents on low incomes by reducing the amount of Council Tax they need to pay, helping nearly 14,000 working-age households in Buckinghamshire each year. This currently means the council collecting £20 million less in council tax each year.

 

The proposals being put forward by the council aim to simplify how its Council Tax Reduction Scheme works. The majority of local authorities have reviewed their Council Tax Reduction Schemes resulting in a 3.9% national average reduction in claimant numbers between 2020 and 2024, while Buckinghamshire has seen 7.6% more claimants during the same period. Eligible recipients would be ‘banded’ in a move to make applications quicker by accelerating claims processing from 29 days to 10 days, and simpler and removing ‘volatility’ in the system where households have changes in income levels.  The council’s Cabinet has reviewed the proposals and agreed to consult on them at a meeting this week.

 

To read full details of the proposed changes to the scheme and to take part in the consultation, visit the council’s website

 

The consultation is now open and runs until 11.59pm on Monday 2 February 2026.