Parish Council Report July 2014

Police Report

We are pleased to report that there were no crimes reported in Wymeswold in June. We would still urge people to be vigilant over the summer months and be mindful not to leave doors and windows unlocked.

If you have any issues for the Police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

County Council officers are preparing for the review of HGV routes along the A6006 and the B676 which will be carried out later in the year. Cllr Shepherd would also be interested to receive any comments or questions which might arise from the item entitled “Taking care of the roads” which appeared in the July/August edition of the “The Christian Link”.

Cllr Bokor reported that the Cotes planning application should be going before the plans committee on July 17th (but this is not confirmed), and that the Core Strategy should be back in circulation in September.

Parish Survey

Thank you to all the parishioners that have returned their completed surveys. The Parish Council will now process the results and a full report will be available in September.

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

Cllr Shepherd has asked the new Director of Environment and Transport to take a fresh look at the problems caused by the heavy flows of HGV’s in The Wolds. County Council officers are preparing for the review of HGV routes along the A6006 and the B676 which they will be carrying out later in the year. The finer points of the survey are still to be discussed but they will be using number plate recognition to try and identify the start point and destination of the HGV’s and they will be measuring speeds.

Cllr Ling also organised a team of volunteer parishioners to monitor the Wysall Lane junction in June. Over a period of 2 days, 14 hours were monitored and 10 vehicles were recorded mounting the pavement as the road is too narrow at that point for two vehicles to pass. All of these findings will be reported back to LCC as part of their survey. Cllr Ling wished to record her thanks to all the volunteers that took part.

The adoption of the village mowing from LCC

The current contract that LCC holds with Lafarge for the mowing of the highway verges in the village will come to an end in 2014. LCC are offering Parish Councils the option to opt out of the LCC mowing programme and take responsibility of mowing the areas that they currently cut. LCC would give the Parish Council a financial contribution to the cost but there would be a shortfall which would need to be met by the Parish Council. In order to cut costs, LCC are also only proposing to cut the grass five times next year as oppose to the seven cuts that they do currently.

With this in mind, and the state of the verges this summer, the Parish Council has decided to opt out of the LCC mowing programme and take on the responsibility of cutting the highways verges. This is a big project to take on but the Parish Council will have more control over the frequency of the cuts resulting in a tidier, better kept village.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 1st September 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

Parish Council Report June 2014

Police Report

There was one crime reported in Wymeswold in May as follows: On 26th May between 00:40 and 00:43 there was an attempted burglary on Rempstone Road. It was also reported that there were no major crimes at the Glastonbudget music festival, with three thefts and two damages reported.

If you have any issues for the Police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Bokor reported on the progress of the Core Strategy. The inspector has concerns about the evidence relating to the number of homes needed in Charnwood and how that fits into the number of homes required for the whole of Leicester and Leicestershire, known as the Housing Market Area (HMA).The inspector is of the view that a new Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) which outlines the number and type of homes needed and ‘capacity work’ which will assess how much land is available could potentially address these concerns. With that in mind, he is prepared to consider a nine-month suspension of the examination to enable joint working on the SHMA and housing distribution to be completed. Whilst the Core Strategy is suspended any land is vulnerable to housing developments.

Cllr Shepherd reported that the work on the splitter island on Church Street will commence on 16th June. He also updated the PC on the introduction of Superfast Broadband and Wymeswold is on the first round of areas to be updated with the superfast fibre optic service from BT.

Parish Survey

The Parish Council has decided to undertake a survey in an attempt to provide a better understanding and more up to date picture of where people work and shop, which schools and medical practices residents use, and how they get there. This information could be used when considering planning applications within Wymeswold. We would be very grateful if you could find time to complete the questionnaire which will be delivered to every household in the village in June.

Path Maintenance

The three main paths in the village – the Gitty, the Civic and St Mary’s path are now becoming overgrown and as part of the new village path maintenance scheme they will be cleared of weeds and the hedges will be cut back in time for the Wymeswold Garden Walkabout.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 7th July 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

Parish Council Report May 2014

Police Report

There were two crimes reported in Wymeswold in April as follows: Between 20th and 22nd April there was a theft from a motor vehicle on Wymeswold Lane, and between and 22nd and and 23rd April there was a theft from a motor vehicle on East Road. The police are reminding people not to leave valuables in their vehicles during the day and overnight. If you have any issues for the Police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

Annual Meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council and Annual Parish Meeting

In May the Parish Council has two annual meetings and we are always 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. At the Annual meeting of the Parish Council the positions of Chairman and Vice Chair are elected. Cllr Shaw was re-elected as Chairman and we have a new Vice Chair – Cllr Jo Ling.

Welcome to our new Parish Councillor

Due to the retirement of Cllr Joan Hubbard a vacancy had arisen for a councillor and a notice to advertise the casual vacancy was placed in the notice board. Charnwood Borough Council confirmed that they did not receive any requests for an election and that the vacancy could be filled by the Parish Council as soon as practicable by co-option. It was agreed to offer the post to the candidate with the most votes, after the current councillors, from the most recent Parish Council election which was Mr. John Davies. Mr. Davies was present at the meeting and accepted the position of Parish Councillor. We would like to welcome Cllr Davies to the Parish Council and look forward to working with him.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

County Councillor Shepherd and Borough Councillor Jenny Bokor were unable to attend the meeting but sent in the following reports: County-wide issues have been dealt with in the Spring edition of “Leicestershire Matters”, with a front page story headed “Council agrees major changes”. The Spring edition should have been distributed recently. Cllr Shepherd also reported that he is working with Jenny Bokor in monitoring the proposed Cotes development and considering how matters might unfold.

Cllr Bokor also sent in a report in her absence. The main update is on the Cotes development which is expected to go to Plans Committee on Thursday 19th June and it is expected to have an officers recommendation to refuse on two major reasons: non sustainability of its location and the impact on the historical and rural landscape. Cllr Bokor also reported that she spoke at Plans Committee to try to deflect the new proposed wind turbine on Narrow Lane, especially as the Air Accident report on the recent light aircraft crash from AAIB is due out in two months. The application was, however, granted permission.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 2nd June 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

Parish Council Report April 2014

Police Report

There were two crimes reported in Wymeswold in March as follows: Between 1st and 2nd March there was a burglary on Swifts Close, and between 3rd and 11th March there was a theft on Burton Lane.

If you have any issues for the Police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

Reports from the County and Borough Councillors

Cllr Shepherd reported that the County Council’s consultation about the library service, to which he referred at the March meeting, was scheduled to commence on 7th April. The Council wants to explore how libraries could be run in the future and hear from communities about how money might be saved by community management of some of them. The consultation will last for three months. The Council is seeking to save £800,000 from the library service as part of its budget plans.

Cllr Bokor reported that CBC was still waiting to hear from the inspectors from the first public examination of the Core Strategy which was held in March. Serco and the Borough Council continue to be diligent cleaning and litter picking the village, and the railings have been installed to help the elderly in the bungalows on Church Street.

LCC Highways’ Options for the Installation of the Splitter Island on Church Street.

Cllr Shaw explained that, to the Parish Council’s disappointment, LCC had written to the Clerk indicating that, despite investing time and money into the installation of the splitter island on Church Street, they would not be able to complete the scheme due to a lack of funds. The Parish Council and Cllr Shepherd had worked very hard with LCC to try and move this project forward. The Parish Council is pleased to report that we have subsequently received confirmation from LCC that they have managed to cut the costs of the installation and it can be installed, providing the PC agreed to maintain the grass on the island. This proposition was put to the vote and it was agreed unanimously to include the maintenance of the grass within the PC’s mowing schedule in order for the installation of the island to go ahead.

Neighbourhood Development Plan Meeting – 10th March 2014

Parishioners were invited an open meeting on 10th March 2014 to discuss the possibility of developing a Neighbourhood Plan with the Wolds villages. Cllr Shields gave a presentation on how a Neighbourhood Plan is developed. The meeting was well attended by parishioners from Burton on the Wolds with one parishioner from Wymeswold attending along with the Clerk and Chairman Nick Shaw. In order for a joint Neighbourhood Plan to be taken any further it would need the support from the Wymeswold parishioners and would also be very costly. Any Neighbourhood Plan also has to correspond with the Core Strategy which still has not been finalised. At the April meeting of the Parish Council the proposition to form a Neighbourhood Plan was put to the vote and it was unanimously decided that there was insufficient support from Wymeswold to join forces with Burton on the Wolds in order to produce the plan.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 12th May 2014 in the Jubilee Room, Wymeswold Memorial Hall, Clay Street, Wymeswold, starting at 7:30pm. 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 7:15 pm. All parishioners are welcome to attend.

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

Parish Council Report March 2014

Police Report

There were two crimes reported in Wymeswold in February as follows: Between 14th February and 17th February there was a theft on Burton Lane and between 14th February and 18th February there was a theft on Brook Street. If you have any issues for the Police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

To report on LCC Highways’ proposals for the new footway/kerb scheme on Hoton Road

LCC Highways department has sent plans to the Parish Council regarding works that are scheduled for the footpaths and kerbs on the grassed area at the bottom of London Lane, and for the footpaths along Hoton Road. The plans are to widen the footpath that runs through the grassed area, to reconstruct the kerb to the side of the green and to reconstruct the footways that run along Hoton Road as far as the pharmacy. The Parish Council has also put in a request to put in a double edge kerb opposite the pharmacy in an attempt to stop vehicles from mounting the kerb. It was agreed that all of the plans would be an improvement to the area.

New Mowing Team

We are pleased to report that from March 2014 Brian Mee Associates will be taking over the village mowing programme. Over the next few weeks they will be tidying up areas such as the cemetery and The Washdyke in order to prepare the grass for the new mowing season. The Parish Council have met with Martin Suffolk from Brian Mee Associates to go over the finer details which proved to be very positive and the PC look forward to working with Brian Mee.

Site Allocations & Development Management Policies DPD

The Site Allocations & Development Management Policies DPD is a document that is produced by the planning at Charnwood Borough Council and is produced alongside the Core Strategy. The planning department has to consider any sites in the Borough that are worthy of development and why. The document has been sent to all Parish and Town Councils for consultation and has been discussed by Wymeswold PC. We are pleased to report that there are not any sites listed for Wymeswold, the Cllrs feel that there is no need to object to the document

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 7th April 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

Parish Council Report February 2014

Police Report

There were 2 crimes reported in Wymeswold in January. They were as follows: between 17th January and 19th January there was a theft from a vehicle on London Lane and on 23rd January there was a theft on the side of the A6006. We are sorry to say goodbye to our beacon officer PC Miranda Gent and wish her luck in her new post. The position of beacon officer is currently being advertised but in the meantime if you have any issues for the police please contact PCSO 6555 James Johnson tel 0116 2222222 or 101, voicemail 6555, ext 4228.

The Neighbourhood Plan – Does Wymeswold need a Neighbourhood Plan?

A meeting to discuss the development of a neighbourhood plan was held on 13th January 2014. Lance Wiggins, an advisor on Neighbourhood plans, gave a short presentation on how plans are developed. It was agreed that the date of the next meeting will be Monday 10th March at 8:15pm at Burton on the Wolds Village Hall. This will be a public meeting with the aim of informing residents on the development of a Neighbourhood Plan and the need for the involvement of parishioners to make it happen. If you are interested in helping with a neighbourhood plan please do come along to the meeting in March.

Cemetery Headstones

We are pleased to say that the renovation work to the neglected headstones at the Rempstone Road cemetery has now been completed. The gravestones look much tidier and it is nice to be able to read all the names on the stones once again. There are plans underway to try and clear the ivy and growth on some of the other older headstones as well. If you have any queries or are interested in the work being carried out at the cemetery please get in touch.

Proposed Bus Stop Clearway

LCC highways department have sent the Parish Council details regarding the installation of the proposed bus stop clearway on Brook Street. The plans will be sent to immediate neighbours for consolation and once this has been done the bus stop can hopefully be safely marked out to prevent vehicles from blocking the bus stop allowing for a safe dismount from the bus.

Clearing of The Brook

During all of the recent wet weather one of our councillors has noticed that the grate at the top of the Brook is being kept clear of debris by an anonymous parishioner or parishioners. Keeping the grate clear allows for the water to flow freely and prevents the River Mantle from overflowing and flooding Brook Street. The Parish Council would like to say thank you to our very helpful villagers.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 3rd March 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

Parish Council Report January 2014

Police Report

We are happy to report that there were no crimes reported in Wymeswold in December. There has, however, been an increase in the local area of thefts from vehicles that are left unlocked. The police would like to urge the public to lock their cars and keep valuables out of sight.

Church Street Splitter Island

Cllr Shepherd sent an update on the plans to install a splitter island at the top of Church Street. After reviewing the comments received during LCC’s informal consultation exercise they have decided to progress the scheme further and will arrange for a widespread consultation to be carried out. This is scheduled to take place in February and will give a four week period for local residents and other key stakeholders to comment on the proposal. Any comments received will be reviewed and a decision on the future of the scheme will be made in due course.

Clay Street Handrail

Plans to install a handrail on the path leading up to the old entrance to the Memorial Hall are underway and work should start on this at the end of January. This will hopefully assist our parishioners during icy conditions and keep them safe.

Precept 2014 – 2015

One of the items on the agenda for the Parish Council’s January meeting is the setting of the precept for the coming year. The budget is discussed in detail in December allowing the Councillors to make a decision on the amount of money required to fulfil all the services the Parish Council provides such as mowing, maintenance of the cemetery and churchyard, the Washdyke community area and the Burton Lane playing field.

While the Parish Council receives some income from the leasing of the playing field and the cemetery, the majority of the income comes from the precept which is the money received from Charnwood Borough Council via the Council Tax.

After careful consideration and budget planning we are pleased to report that the Parish Council is able to provide all the services in the village without increasing the precept. Therefore the precept for 2014-15 will remain at £18,700 which is the same rate as the previous five years.

This means there will not be an increase to your Council Tax bill for the amount which is allocated to Wymeswold.

We have also been able to include the maintenance of the hedges on the three main footpaths in the village – The Jitty, St Mary’s footpath, (running along the churchyard from The Stockwell to Church Street) and The Civic (which runs from the A6006 to Brook Street). The overgrown hedges are always are problem in the summer months and we are pleased to be able to include them in the village maintenance programme.

The Parish Council has also allocated funding towards the new War Memorial Plaque to be installed by the Memorial Hall, the installation of a new decorative railing over the River Mantle, and the possibility of a speed gun for the village.

We hope that you agree we are looking forward to a new year of exciting projects for the village.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 3rd February 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

Parish Council Report January 2015

Police Report

The following crimes were reported in December: between 4/12 and 6/12 there was criminal damage on Narrow Lane, on 13/12 there was a burglary on Home Leys Way, on 16/12 there was a report of vehicle interference on Far Street, and on 13/12 there was a theft on Hoton Road.

Precept Setting 2015/16

The deadline for the submission of the precept for 2015/16 is January 16^th. The precept is therefore always set at the Parish Council meeting in January. The Precept has remained the same for the past five years despite the Council taking on many more maintenance areas and supporting projects such as the village sign, the war memorial plaque, and support for the Memorial Hall.

Over the next financial year we will be taking on the mowing of the highways verges (previously done by the County Council) at an extra cost and we also have an election in May which will cost the Parish Council around £1,000. With these extra costs added to the overall budget it is necessary to increase the precept to £21,530, which means an approximate annual increase of £5 per household (based on a band D property).

Sports Pavilion refurbishment

We are pleased to report that the Leicestershire Legacy Fund has awarded £2,500 towards the project, meaning that all the funding required to start the refurbishment has now been secured. In addition, EBS Energy has offered to supply solar panels and heating solutions as part of their contribution to the local community.

It is hoped that the building work will commence in late January or February, with a completion target of mid-April.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will held on Monday 2nd February 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 February 2015

Police Report

The following crimes were reported in January: between 14/1 and 15/01 there was an incident of criminal damage on Narrow Lane, and on 29/1 a theft from a vehicle occurred on Far Street. The police would also like to make us aware that as of Monday 9th February the Beat Team is changing and our new contacts are: Beacon Officers – 4122 Lisa Mansfield and 3109 Georgina Lockton, PCSO’s – 6555 James Johnson, 6654 Rob Dignan and 6048 Adam Loydall.

The LCC Traffic Flow Survey Report

LCC Highways have conducted a survey of traffic flows through The Wolds and a meeting was held on 26th January to report on the survey. It is purely a technical report and whilst the figures are as expected, LCC are not offering any alternatives due to financial constraints.

The Parish Council has been asked to respond to the survey and it has been agreed to ask LCC to maintain the highway to the standard of an A road, to identify some of the HGV’s that can be re-routed, to introduce traffic calming measures and to improve the safety of the Wysall Lane junction to prevent lorries mounting the kerb.

We have to work within the constraints that LCC have put on the Council and whilst there is not much room for negotiation we would like to try and work with LCC to make the road safer. The full report is available on the Wymeswold Parish Council website – www.wymeswold.leicestershireparishcouncils.org and www.wymeswold.com.

Sports Pavilion Refurbishment

The finances for the refurbishment of the Sports Pavilion are all now in place and work is due to commence on 16th February, with a completion target of mid-April. The Pavilion will be closed to the public until the works are complete, but the car park and field will remain open as normal.

May Elections

The General Election takes place on 7th May and the polling station will as usual be in the Memorial Hall. To vote in an election you must be on the electoral register. You can register online or by post. The elections will of course also include the Parish Council so please show your support and take time to come to the Memorial Hall and post your vote.

Alternatively if you are interested in village affairs and would like to stand for election please get in touch for further information.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 2nd March 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 March 2015

Police Report

The following crimes were reported in February: one incident of assault and harassment and one incident of theft from a vehicle, no dates were provided. There have been some changes to the Beat team which occurred on the 9th February 2015. Our new Beat team consists of the regulars we already know PC 4122 Lisa Mansfield, PCSO 6654 Rob Dignan and PCSO 6555 James Johnson but also joining the Beat is PC 3109 Georgina Lockton and PCSO 6048 Adam Loydall.

Contact details for the police are as follows : Email: charnwoodbeatN59@leicestershire.police.pnn.uk Contact: Emergency call 999, Non emergency or advice 101

Sports Pavilion Refurbishment

The refurbishment of the Sports Pavilion is now underway and the completion target is mid-April. The Pavilion is now closed to the public until the works are complete, but the car park and field remain open as normal.

Parking on the Grass Verges

There has been an increase in the number of vehicles that are parked on the grass verges in the village. The mowing season will be starting very soon and the contractors will not be able to mow around parked cars so please could we kindly ask that vehicles are not parked on the grass verges.

May Elections

Alternatively if you are interested in village affairs and would like to stand for election please get in touch for further information.

The next meeting of Wymeswold Parish Council will be held on Monday 13th April 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