Parish Council Report June 2013

Police Report

There were 29 reported crimes in Wymeswold in May. However 25 of these were from the Glastonbudget open air concert. The other four crimes were as follows: 19th May – assault on Brook Street which has been detected, 20th May – damage at the primary school which has also been detected, 21st May – theft of a motor vehicle on Narrow Lane, and 27th May – theft from a motor vehicle at Lakeside Fishing Lakes.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Shepherd reported that, after consultation with the neighbouring properties, the final plans for the 20mph scheme on Far Street have been circulated and asked if the PC had any objections. It was agreed to go ahead with the suggested locations for the signs, which can be seen on the map in the Parish Council noticeboard. Cllr Shepherd also reported that LCC highways will be circulating a newsletter to try and improve communications, and he also offered assistance in trying to determine the ownership of the footbridges over the River Mantle.

Cllr Bokor has been investigating the ownership of the civic path which runs from East Road to Brook Street in order to establish who is responsible for cutting the hedges. Cllr Bokor has also received an e-mail from a parishioner with a complaint regarding the HGV’s trying to drive down Church Street. The PC had written to the chicken farm operators to try and warn their drivers not to try and drive down Church Street. However, HGV drivers are still attempting to negotiate this narrow road. Cllr Bokor agreed that the e-mail should be forwarded to the police. Cllr Bokor also reported that the paving slabs around the bungalows on Church Street have been repaired.

Boyer Planning Application, Storkit Lane

Cllr Shaw was invited by Peter Blitz, head of planning at Charnwood Borough Council, to a meeting to discuss the Boyer Planning application to build 32 houses on the land either side of Storkit Lane. The initial outline planning application was refused, but as expected Boyer Planning has lodged an appeal against this decision. The planning inspectorate will now hold a hearing to determine the outcome of the application, but the hearing date has not yet been confirmed. Wymeswold PC will be represented and the original objections to the planning application will be carried forward. The Parish Council will endeavour to keep parishioners up to date with any further developments.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 1st July 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report May 2013

Police Report

There were two reported crimes in April: one theft from a vehicle parked in the Three Crowns car park and one theft of a vehicle from Woodlands Close. The anti-theft number plate screw initiative held at Prestwold on 13th April was a success with a large number of people attending. The Police intend to hold another similar event on 8th June at the Coop car park in Barrow-upon-Soar, so if you missed the first event there is still another opportunity to attend on 8th June.

Annual Meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council and Annual Parish Meeting

In May the Parish Council has two annual meetings and we were happy to welcome parishioners to both the Annual Meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council and the Annual Parish Meeting. Cllr Shaw gave a report on the all the projects that the PC has been involved in over the past twelve months and his report can be read in full in this edition of the Link, on the Parish notice board or at www.wymeswold.com.

Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

Mr Jim Plowman attended the May PC meeting to inform the Parish Council on the Neighbourhood Watch and demonstrated various safety devices that can be used around the home. Mr Plowman is keen to reintroduce the Neighbourhood Watch scheme to Wymeswold and is looking for a beat manager for Wymeswold. If anybody is interested in this role or in joining the Neighbourhood Watch please get in touch using the contact details below.

Requests to the Parish Council

If you have a concern or an issue that you wish to raise with the Parish Council may we ask that it is done in writing either by sending an e-mail to the address below, or by posting a letter through my door – 9 London Lane, Wymeswold. If you wish to follow this up with a visit to one of the Parish Council’s meeting you would be very welcome.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 3rd June 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report April 2013

Police Report

On 28th February number plates were stolen from a parked vehicle on London Lane and on 27th February a hose pipe was stolen from a garden on London Lane. The theft of number plates is a countrywide issue and to tackle this in conjunction with the AA the police held an event to fit anti theft screws to number plates at The Everyman Racing School, Prestwold Road, Prestwold. We hope you found this event successful.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

County Councillor Richard Shepherd reported that the plans to install 20mph signs on Far Street are progressing and households in the immediate area have been consulted.

Borough Cllr Bokor reported that the Solar Farm on the airfield is near completion and that Charnwood Borough Council are currently very busy dealing with the new benefit reforms.

Sand Bags

The Parish Council still has a number of sand bags ready for distribution. If you feel that your property is at risk of flooding please contact the clerk using the details below to arrange delivery.

Requests to the Parish Council

If you have a concern or an issue that you wish to raise with the Parish Council may we ask that it is done in writing either by sending an e-mail to the address below or by posting a letter through my door – 9 London Lane, Wymeswold. If you wish to follow this up with a visit to one of the Parish Council’s meeting you would be very welcome.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 13th May 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

The Annual Parish Meeting, and the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council will precede the normal monthly meeting of the Parish Council and will commence at 7 pm. All parishioners were welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report March 2013

Police Report

We are pleased to report that there were no crimes recorded in Wymeswold for the month of February.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

County Councillor Richard Shepherd has been investigating various highways issues in the village including the damaged kerbs outside no.1 Hoton Road.

Borough Cllr Bokor is liaising with the Charnwood Borough Council housing department for a grit bin to be installed for the sheltered housing on Church Street. There has also been a proposal at Council to have a snow warden in the borough, especially to check on old people’s homes and a report is being prepared for Cabinet.

Boyer Planning Application

The planning application to build 32 new houses on both sides of Storkit Lane came before Charnwood Borough Council’s Planning Committee on 28th February. Both Cllr Shaw and Cllr Ling attended the meeting and Cllr Shaw spoke on behalf of Wymeswold PC. The planning committee voted to support the recommendation of the planning officers and Boyer Planning’s application was refused. Boyer Planning do still have the option to appeal against the decision and we will endeavour to keep you informed of any developments.

Sand Bags

The Parish Council still has a number of sand bags ready for distribution. If you feel that your property is at risk of flooding please contact the clerk using the details below to arrange delivery.

Requests to the Parish Council

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 8th April 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report February 2013

Police Report

We were pleased to welcome our new beacon officer PC Miranda Gent to the meeting. PC Gent reported that there were three crimes in Wymeswold in January. On 7th January there was a burglary to a dwelling on Brook Street, on 12th January a vehicle was stolen from Wysall Lane and on 21st January there was a burglary to outbuildings on Far Street.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

County Councillor Richard Shepherd invited comments on the recent road gritting in Wymeswold during the snowy conditions. The feedback was generally good, however Wysall Lane was not gritted and there was a request for Charnwood Borough Council to install a grit bin in the sheltered housing on Church Street. Borough Cllr Bokor has agreed to investigate this and will hopefully be able to resolve the matter for our elderly residents on Church Street.

Installation of 20mph signs of Far Street

After some negotiations with LCC Cllr Ling has received information regarding the installation of 20mph signs on Far Street which was presented at the PC meeting. The proposed locations for the signs are just outside the Hammer and Pincers restaurant and also between nos. 38 and 48 Far Street. We hope that this will encourage drivers to slow down for school children crossing the road.

Introducing Timebanking

LCC have introduced a new scheme called Timebanking. It is a practical initiative that encourages co-production. To illustrate the point using a person to person model, an older person may want some assistance in learning how to use a new television, so they would request this assistance via a broker. Willing parties, perhaps a young unemployed person with some spare time on their hands would offer to assist for an hour. In return for doing this task they would receive a time credit. They could then request help with building a CV (by using a time credit), or some interview practice, which another person, via the bank would supply, and so on. The process has been proven to build trust, improve health, regenerate and strengthen communities. If you would like any more information on Timebanking please contact Lynne Brydon – lynne.brydon-graham@leics.gov.uk or visit http://www.leics.gov.uk/timebanking.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 4th of March 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report January 2013

Police Report

We are happy to report that were no crimes reported in December. The New Year does however bring a change in personnel and structure in to our Neighbourhood Team. From January 7th 2013 there will be a response hub at Loughborough, along with 2 officers working from Syston, who will cover all priority incidents. Replacing the current Neighbourhood Team structure, there will be a team of officers dedicated to our area called a ‘Safer Neighbourhood Team’, they will carry out incident response, crime investigation, and will look at neighbourhood issues. There is a new role called ‘Beacon Officer’, which replaces the current Beat Officer role, and this person is responsible for overseeing the beat and any neighbourhood issues. Our new beacon officer from the 7th January 2012 will be PC 4330 Miranda Gent. To get in touch with Miranda or to report a crime call Tel: 101 – Option 2 – Enter 4330 and leave a voicemail.

Maintenance of the River Mantle on Brook Street

Charnwood Borough Council has responded to the Parish Council’s request to change the maintenance programme of the Brook. They are proposing to delay the first maintenance from March to late Spring or early Summer and have committed to do the second maintenance as late as possible and for this to be subject to a condition survey. They do, however, still need to take the environmental issues into consideration. In addition to this LCC have agreed to ensure that the banks of the Brook are included in their mowing schedule. The Parish Council has also arranged for the area outside Hall Field to be cleared and will continue to maintain this area, as well as the grass verges from no.128 Brook Street to no.106 Brook Street which LCC does not currently cut as it is not part of the designated highway.

20mph signs

Cllr Ling has researched into the 20mph speed signs installed near schools and has discovered that they do not have to be placed directly within the proximity of a school. It has suggested that some 20mph signs could be installed on Far Street in an effort to slow the traffic down. The Parish Council has agreed to contact LCC to investigate the installation of these signs on Far Street.

Sand Bags

Charnwood Borough Council will be delivering 200 sand bags to the village for parishioners to store on their properties to use when they are at a risk of flooding. They are not filled with sand so do not take up very much space. When they come in contact with water they inflate and protect you from flooding. Once the sandbags have been delivered, a collection date and place will be posted in the Link and on the Parish noticeboard.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 4th February 2013 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Council Report October 2014

Police Report

We are pleased to report that there were no crimes reported in Wymeswold in September.

Parish Survey

The final report of the Parish Survey is now available and we would again like to thank everyone who participated in this worthwhile exercise, which is a reliable source of information on the sustainability of our village. As predicted the majority of us, 93.5%, use the car as the main method of transport to get to work, do our shopping and to get to the doctors and dentist. The main likes and dislikes were also of interest with the main dislikes being the issues revolving around the A6006 mainly traffic volumes, noise and safety as well as the lack of adequate public transport provision, especially with no links to GP surgeries in Barrow upon Soar & East Leake. However on the positive side people commented that Wymeswold is a friendly village with great community spirit, which has good village amenities and is set in an attractive, peaceful rural setting.

The full report is available to download on www.wymeswold.com or if you would prefer to borrow a hard copy from the Parish Council please contact the Clerk using the details below.

Fracking

We were very grateful to parishioner Mr Richard Ellison (a geologist who recently retired from the British Geological Survey in Keyworth) for attending our meeting in October and hosting a talk on ‘fracking’ for shale gas and oil. We are also grateful to the many parishioners who attended to hear the presentation. Mr Ellison outlined the process of fracking and explained the licensed areas in the region which are of interest to the energy companies. The conclusion was that Wymeswold is on the southern-most margin of any potential area and there is no evidence that Wymeswold overlies rocks that contain significant amounts of shale gas.

The Parish Council has also received a letter from Egdon Resources UK, who hold the licence for drilling in the Wymeswold and Burton-on-the-Wolds area, and are currently investigating a conventional oil drilling site one mile east of Burton-on-the Wolds. The letter states:

“We would like to emphasize that our activities will involve conventional drilling for oil and will not – either now or in the future – involve the process of hydraulic ‘fracking’ for shale gas or oil. This part of Leicestershire does not have the specific rock-formation types and conditions that contain prospective shale gas or oil”

It is therefore considered unlikely that the fracking process would be viable in the local area.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 3rd November 2014 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk
Tel 01509 881664

Parish Council Report November 2014

Police Report

A police report for October was not submitted by our local police officer.

Remembrance Sunday

This year sees the centenary of the start of the First World War. Remembrance services will have been held throughout the country and we are grateful to Peter Blount as chief organiser of the Remembrance Parade and Service in Wymeswold. There have been a number of special events organised by parishioners to mark the centenary including lighting St Mary’s Church in red. The Parish Council has marked the occasion by commissioning a bronze plaque with the names of the Wymeswold men who lost their lives fighting for our country. The plaque has been installed at the entrance to the Memorial Hall, which was built as Wymeswold’s war memorial. We would like to thank Cllr Ling for her hard work in making this possible.

Fibre Optic Broadband

A number of parishioners have had questions about fibre optic broadband and we have the following information from Leics CC:

“BT has upgraded one cabinet in the village as part of the Superfast Leicestershire programme. This is now live and accepting orders. This cabinet serves: parts of Far Street, parts of Brook Street, Church Street, Mantle Croft and The Stockwell. There is a second cabinet in the village which is currently outside the contracted deployment plan. This cabinet serves premises around Mill Hill Leys and Home Leys. The remaining premises in Wymeswold are connected on exchange only lines. We expect that these will be connected by the end of March 2016”.

The best way for people to check if they can connect to superfast broadband is to use the post code checker on the BT website. If the Parish Council receives any further information we will post updates on wymeswold.com.

St Marys’ Churchyard

We have had reports of dog owners allowing their dogs to run freely through the church yard. Whilst it may seem that the graves are not visited, people do still tend to the graves. Please could we ask that dogs be kept on a lead when walking through the churchyard in order to treat the cemetery and gravestones with the expected respect and dignity and to avoid the inevitable.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 1st December 2014 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk
Tel 01509 881664

Parish Council Report December 2014

Happy New Year from Wymeswold Parish Council.

Police Report

The following crimes were reported in November: on 7/11 there was an attempted burglary on Home Leys Way, and on 27/11 there was a burglary to outbuildings.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Shepherd reported that the results of the HGV survey are still being analysed and will be available at the end of December. Cllr Shepherd also reported that there is a community grant scheme available to apply for at LCC, and that the campaign for Fair Funding has begun at LCC.

Cllr Jenny Bokor reported that the refused planning application for a solar farm on Wide Lane had gone to appeal, and that Charnwood’s Core Strategy would be up for public examination on 9th December.

Sports Pavilion refurbishment

We are very pleased to announce that the Parish Council has secured the necessary funding for the sports pavilion refurbishment. Cllr Shaw has been working very hard applying for grants and the Parish Council now has £77,000 of funding in place. The refurbishment is planned to commence in January.

Washdyke Update

The Washdyke Committee held their AGM on 19th November. Now that all the projects are completed the tasks of the Washdyke Association are drawing to a close. Whilst there will still be some voluntary working parties, the committee plans to dissolve in 2015. The Parish Council would like to extend its thanks to the committee for all of their hard work in creating a fantastic community area.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 5th January 2015 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk
Tel 01509 881664

Parish Council Report September 2014

Police Report

During the month of July there were two crimes in Wymeswold: between 4th and 5th July there was a burglary overnight on London Lane, and between 13th June and 1st July there was another burglary on London Lane. In August there was one crime reported: a burglary on Brook Street on 1st August.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Jenny Bokor reported that the Cotes planning application has been refused by Charnwood BC.

Cllr Shepherd reported that LCC are proposing a new community wide strategy that looks at how the County Council works with the community, for example the running of libraries and how volunteers have enabled them to stay open for longer. He will keep the Parish Council informed on the strategy and see if Wymeswold can benefit from it at all.

Parish Survey

We received 166 responses to our survey, thank you to everyone who returned the completed surveys. It has helped the Parish Council to produce a much more accurate report of parishioners’ methods of transport and the services which are important to you. The Parish Council would like to thank Beatrix Sturmey for all of her hard work over the summer loading the completed surveys onto the system. All of the results have not been analysed yet, but we are hoping for a full report at the next Parish Council meeting on October 6th.

To report on the traffic monitoring on the A6006 and the planned LCC Traffic Flow Survey

LCC Highways have told the Parish Council that the traffic flow survey will be taking place in mid-September. It will take approximately four weeks for all the data to be collated and LCC anticipate that they will be in a position to report their findings in November.

Sports Pavilion re-development

Everything is now in place to carry out the refurbishment and extension of the sports pavilion on the Burton Lane playing field – except the funding. The Parish Council currently has a £20,000 funding application being considered by then BIFFA Award scheme and the outcome of this bid will not be known until November. If the bid is successful then, together with the funding already in place, there will be sufficient finance to complete the scheme and work will commence in the New Year.

Welcome to Wymeswold Leaflet

For many years Jean Hall has produced and distributed the ‘Welcome to Wymeswold’ leaflet to newcomers to the village. The Parish Council would like to extend its thanks to Jean for all of her hard work in welcoming new parishioners and introducing them to the many services and activities in the village. As Mrs Hall will be moving on to pastures new we would be grateful if anyone else would like to step forward and take on the role. If you are interested please get in touch using the e-mail address below.

Fracking?

We are aware that many of our parishioners are concerned about the recent reports in the press regarding the possibility of fracking in The Wolds area. We have had queries regarding the effect on the stability of our houses and concerns about the decrease in the values of properties. We are not informed enough on the implications of fracking and have therefore invited geologist Mr Richard Ellison to host a talk at our next meeting. If you have any queries or concerns please come along on 6th October at 7:15pm.

Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Centre

You may have read in the press that the Government has given the developers at Stanford Hall approval for their plans to turn the Hall into a rehabilitation centre for injured servicemen. Early works started in September but the project will not be completed and ready for use until late 2017.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 6th October 2014 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:15pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

Alice Gardam
Clerk to Wymeswold Parish Council
wymeswoldpc@hotmail.co.uk