Buckland Newton

Parish Council

This is the website of Buckland

Newton Parish Council.

There is also a Buckland Newton

Community Website, where you will

find general information about the

Village, its community and activities

around the village. Please visit the

Community website if you are looking

for information that is not specific to

the business and activities of the

Buckland Newton Parish Council.

Parish Council Meetings

Parish Council Meetings normally take place on the second Tuesday of alternate months, at 7.00 pm in the Parish Pavilion. The next regular meeting will be on Tuesday 14th May 2024. The Agenda and other documents relevant to the meeting, together with previous Minutes, will be found at Meeting Dates and Minutes

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority -

Consultation of draft Community Safety Plan 2024-28

We are consulting on our draft Community Safety Plan, which sets out the key challenges and risks facing us over the coming years. This is our high-level strategic plan. With future financial uncertainty, the plan details what we intend to carry on doing and what we intend to review and do differently, in order to continue to provide a high level of service to our communities. Working with others is central to how we deliver our services, and this will continue to be at the heart of everything we do. For that reason, we invite you to view our draft plan www.dwfire.org.uk/draft-csp-2024-28-consultation and the accompanying video, which provides a short overview. The consultation period runs from 9 February until 3 May 2024, and we would welcome your feedback, through a short set of questions on our website. Alternatively, you can call our freephone 0800 0213022. If you wish to raise anything specific, or require any further assistance in accessing the information, please email us directly at consultation@dwfire.org.uk

Local Elections 2024

Notice of Election 2nd May 2024 - Dorset Council click to view Notice of Election 2nd May 2024 - Parish and Town areas click to view Please click Local Elections 2024 for details of local elections and how to become a Councillor (updated 6th Feb 2024). There are various informative videos issued by the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC) which explain more about Parish and Town Councils and the 2024 Elections. Simply click on the links below: 1. What do parish and town councils do in your community? 2. What do parish and town councils do across Dorset? 3. Why becoming a parish or town councillor in Dorset matters 4. Parish and Town Councils are for Everyone

Interested in a paid role at a Polling Station in May

2024?

If so, please click on the graphic below for details on how to apply:

Buckland Newton Parish Plan 2023

The Final Parish Plan 2023 for Buckland Newton is now available. Click on ‘Parish Plan 2023 in menu at left to view.

Free workshop for farmers and landowners as Direct

Payments are brought to a close

Please find a link to an article regarding an upcoming workshop for farmers and land managers whose Direct Payments are set to be reduced and stopped in the coming years.

Help with Cost of Living

From Jill Haynes (District Councillor): There are many people locally struggling with the cost of living at the moment and I am afraid things will get worse as we go into the autumn and winter. Dorset Council now has a dedicated page ( https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/cost-of-living-help ) on its website which can offer help and advice. For many people this situation is new to them, and they have not had to ask for help before, but it is vital that they get help as soon as possible and don’t wait until their situation is desperate. The page covers the following areas: • Money – debt – benefits available • Access to food • Housing • Support for families with children • Mental health and wellbeing • Energy – water – Phones – broadband costs • Employment. If you know and one who is starting to struggle, please encourage them to get help as soon as possible. Help for Buckland Newton residents may also be available from the United Charities of Buckland Newton. Click here for details.

Reports from Councillor Jill Haynes

Report from Councillor Jill Haynes, November 2023 - December 2023

Recent Flooding

The PC has had a request from Flood Risk Management Dorset Council for anyone who has had flooding issues to report it on the Flood Online Reporting Tool (FORT). The tool allows users to specify the type of flooding (external or internal) as well as many other important details. Users can also upload photos and videos to their reports. They said it is important that the full extent of the impact of the flood on a community is recorded on FORT as it has a significant impact on the resources we might be able to generate to investigate and mitigate the flood threat.

Dog Fouling on Parish Field

Please make sure that you pick up after your dog. It is important that there is no dog mess on the Parish Field as it is used daily by the school and dog mess can potentially be harmful.

Bonfires - please consider your Neighbours

Please be considerate if you wish to have a bonfire. Smoke from bonfires can be a real nuisance if neighbours have washing out to dry. Particularly with the coronavirus outbreak, smoke can also cause extra difficulties for those with breathing problems, such as asthma sufferers - please think before lighting a bonfire. For more advice from Dorset Council on bonfires please see: Dorset Council Advice on Bonfires

What is a Parish Council?

Confusion often arises because of the use of the word 'Parish'

which most people would connect with the Church. "Parish" is an

old English word that means a local territory or catchment area. A

parish had two principal functions: firstly to act as a civil unit

which was responsible for the collection of taxes and tithes, the

dispensing of justice and the raising of armies; secondly it was an

ecclesiastical institution served by a local church or chapel, with a

priest or similar clergyman tending to the spiritual needs of local

people. By the late 19th Century, the two functions of civil and

ecclesiastical parish were formally split in law. The civil parish

went on to develop into what we call the parish or town council

today (PC). The ecclesiastical parish or Parochial Church Council

(PCC) is now an entirely separate body. A Parish Council is now a

statutory local authority set up under the Local Government Act

1972. It is a corporate body with a legal existence of its own quite

separate from that of its members. Councillors are elected every

four years and a Clerk is employed to organise meetings, carry

out the council's decisions and give advice on any legal issues or

new legislation. The Clerk is the only paid person to administer

and serve a council and is often the Responsible Financial Officer

too, but does not vote or make decisions for the council.

Parish and Town Councils in England are the first tier of local

government. They have extensive powers ranging from the

power to deal with 'offensive ditches', to acquire land and my

personal favourite 'to accept gifts'!! The list is too extensive (3

pages) to publish here, if you wish, you can check out National

Association of Local Councils Website for more information.

General Parish and County Council Notices and

News

Do you own agricultural equipment or machinery?

The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill has reached consultation stage in parliament. This bill aims to make agricultural equipment, machinery and plant less attractive to steal by introducing compulsory immobilisers and forensic marking which will be fitted or applied before equipment is sold to the customer. We are committed to tackling rural and business crime across the counties. This new bill will assist police officers to identify items and prove ownership once recovered. To contribute to this consultation, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/equipment-theft- prevention-bill-call-for-evidence/equipment-theft-prevention-bill- call-for-evidence-accessible-version

Order Document - Dog-related

The Parish Council is required to publicise a new Dog-related Order, which can be viewed by clicking on the link above.

Attention “Dog Walkers” who use the footpath

through Lydden Meadow

Please remember these grounds are private and should be

treated as you would your own private garden. Please be fair

and thoughtful to the residents. Make sure you stick to the

public footpath which runs along the gravel drive through the

entrance, behind the houses and past the meadow to the field

gate. Most importantly, please keep your dogs on a lead

throughout the grounds and if they get caught short, make sure

you pick up any foul material and take it home for disposal. The

overwhelming accumulation of dog dirt from dogs being walked

through the grounds is not just highly unpleasant for the

residents, but a real health hazard to the several young children

who live in Lydden Meadow and love to play in the grounds……

even in winter! The bridge across the river is a private, not a

public footpath. Although access to all villagers was freely given

in the past, from henceforth the gate will be locked to reduce dog

fouling. Please do not throw dog mess in the hedges or river. It

should be put in appropriate bins or taken home and put in

normal household waste bins.

Boosting Broadband in Rural Areas

Dorset Council is appealing to town and parish councils to help spread the word that help is available to boost broadband in rural areas. For more information, please see the attached article - voucher funding may be available for households/businesses with slow broadband. Wessex Internet are bringing fibre broadband to Buckland Newton. There is a drop-in event at the Gaggle of Geese from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm on Thursday 25th January if you would like more information.

Dorset Community Catalyst Project

An exciting two-year pilot project is underway in Dorset, launching a brand-new way of meeting health and social care need in hard- to-reach areas of the county. Click Dorset Community Catalyst Project for more details.

Refurbished Parish Pavilion and Running Track

For a full report and photographs, please see Buckland Newton Community website at Parish Pavilion Re-opening

Healthy Homes Dorset

Do you struggle to keep your home warm or worry how you will afford your energy bills this winter? Contact Healthy Homes Dorset for free, impartial advice about keeping your home warm, using your heating system, understanding your energy bills and making energy saving improvements – if you’re eligible for loft or cavity wall insulation it will be free! We will also register you for power cut support, a handy service to be on if you experience a power cut in your area. Our advice can be given through home visits as well as over the phone. Fire safety alarm and appliance checks can also be organised in partnership with Fire and Rescue for eligible residents. If you, or someone you know, would benefit from speaking to a trained energy advisor, then get in touch. Call 0300 003 7023 email help@healthyhomesdorset.org.uk Web www.healthyhomesdorset.org.uk Healthy Homes Dorset is a service provided by Dorset County Council, funded by Public Health Dorset and managed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy in partnership with Evolve Home Energy Solutions.

Dorset Police ask "could your enquiry be answered by

NED?"

Do you have issues with parking? Noisy neighbours? Concerned

with an animal’s welfare? Not sure who to contact… Then

AskNED – the non-emergency directory. Dorset Police has

launched a new online knowledgebase designed to help the

public find answers to common enquiries and guide them to the

right agencies. Click Dorset Polics AskNED for more details.

Junk Mail

This can be a real nuisance. It only adds to the volume of

recycling and at the end of the day our Council Tax to dispose of

it. So unless you enjoy browsing through free mail, it IS easy to

cut down on 90% of it by removing your name from direct mail

lists. The best way to do this is: Write with your name and

address to Mail Preference Service, Freepost 29 (LON20771),

London W1E OZT (you can pick up a form for this at the Council's

Office in Dorchester). Or phone the Mail Preference Service on

0845 703 4599 or go to their website on Mail Preference Service

or e-mail the Mail Preference Service E-mail

Village Allotments

If you are interested in becoming a plot-holder please contact a

member of the Parish Council.

© 2023 Buckland Newton Parish Council Last updated 21st July 2023 19:25
© 2024 Buckland Newton Parish Council Last updated 16th March 2024 08:50
Buckland Newton Parish Council
in the heart of rural Dorset

Your Parish Councillors are:

Andy Foot (Chair) 01300 345511

Mark Needham 01300 345293

Chris Osmond 01300 345326

John Baker 01300 345386

Lin Townsend 01300 345306

Christina Manny 07876 567999

Mick Ames (Vice Chair) 01300 345497

John Simpson

Sheila Crouch

sheilacrouchbnpc@gmail.com

Your Flood Warden is Doug Morse (tel:

01300 345707) or e-mail

floodwarden@sky.com

Rights of Way Liaison Officer is Stephen

White

Parish Clerk: e-mail bucklandnewton@dorset-aptc.gov.uk Tel: 01258 817288 Your District Councillor is Jill Haynes (Chalk Valleys Ward - 6 Orchard Close, Sydling St Nicholas, Dorchester DT2 9PF tel: 01300 341277).
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