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. 

Your Parish Councillors are: Nicki Barker (Chair), John

Baker, Jane Collins (co-Vice Chair),  Andy Foot, Roy

Godwin, Mark Needham (co-Vice Chair), Chris Osmond

(Recreation Officer), Sam Sowerby, Lin Townsend.

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: Sarah Mitchell, 01258 817288 or e-mail Your District Councillors are Jill Haynes (Chalk Valleys Ward - 6 Orchard Close, Sydling St Nicholas, Dorchester DT2 9PF tel: 01300 341277)  and Pauline Batstone  (Blackmore Vale Ward - tel: 01258 472583).

 

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 www.nalc.gov.uk for more information.

Parish Council Meeting Dates

Meetings are held in the Parish Rooms at 7.30 pm normally every second Tuesday of

each month.  Please note that while the Parish Room is being refurbished, Parish

Council Meetings will be held in the Village Hall and on the Wednesday following the

second Tuesday of the month.  If there are any changes, a note will be posted on the

Parish Room door.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 10th July at 8.00 pm, in the Village Hall.  

The Agenda and associated Schedule for the June meeting can be viewed here.

At Parish Council meetings, we include a 'Democratic Half Hour' to allow members of

the Parish to make representations at the meeting. This will be added to the Agenda,

before the main body of the meeting takes place, allowing Parishioners to leave if they

wish. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, or would prefer to write or

e-mail your concerns or potential resolutions, please can you advise the Chair or Parish

Clerk at least five days before the meeting, if possible.

Further meeting dates for 2019: Wednesday 10th July Tuesday 13th August Tuesday 10th September Tuesday 8th October Tuesday 12th November Tuesday 3rd December

General Parish and District Council Notices and News

Fibre Broadband News

For more information on Fibre Broadband rollout, see http://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/superfast and the latest News Release from Dorset Superfast.

The Dorset Best Village Competition 2019

This is a competition sponsored by Magna Housing.  If anyone is interested in picking this up and running with it, a summary of the Aims of the Competition, Entry Form and Judging Sheet can be downloaded here.

Dorset Town and Parish Newsletter

There is a new Newsletter published by the Shaping Dorset Council programme.

Parish Council Elections - Notice of Uncontested Election

The Parish Council Elections were uncontested.  Click here for the official notice.

Dorset Community Catalyst Project

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

Latest news on the Parish Room and playing field improvement

9May 2019)

This project is funded by an 80% grant from the EU Agricultural Fund for Rural Development via Southern Dorset Local Action Group with generous support donations from the United Charities of Buckland Newton, Buckland Newton Community Property Trust (Lydden Meadow), the 2018 Village Fete with loan support provided by Sir William Aykroyd’s ringfenced fund held by the Parish Council.  All who pass the playing field cannot help but notice how the conversion of the old Parish Room into the new sports pavilion is moving ahead at a tremendous pace.  This is thanks in part to a run of good spring weather but even more to the skills and efforts of our local building contractor N and J Baker Ltd.   The deadline for the completion of the work to meet the EU grant criteria is August and at the moment we are well on schedule. Alongside this, work will start shortly on the second part of the project: the creation of the half kilometre running track around the circumference of the field.  Ground conditions are now as perfect as they can be to minimize damage to the field, and the newly reseeded areas should recover rapidly.  Construction work is planned to take around 2 weeks.  During this period parishioners, particularly those with dogs and children, who use the field are asked to be thoughtful and exercise extreme care as there will be heavy equipment on the field.  The new track should be completed by the end of June and this will also provide the principal access to the new pavilion when it is finished,   BN Hire Ltd are the contractors for the track work. 

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 here for

more details.

Smart Meter Rollout

The Government is rolling out smart meters into all homes and businesses before 2020.

However, research shows that a huge percentage of the population are still not aware

of the options available. All local councils should have the up to date, correct

information on their websites to ensure we are fully prepared as a nation for this switch.

Provided below are links to full guides domestic and non-domestic smart meters

handed to us by the Government.

Non-domestic Users:  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236488/N on_Domestic_Leaflet_v_02.pdf  Domestic Users:  https://selectra.co.uk/guides/smart-meters The government has issued some further information on Smart Meter rollout: UK Smart meter guide: https://selectra.co.uk/guides/smart-meters Smart meter implementation program:  https://selectra.co.uk/energy/guides/smart-meters

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.

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 District Council's Office in High West St in Dorchester). Or phone the Mail

Preference Service on 0845 703 4599 or go to their website on www.mcsonline.org.uk 

or e-mail 

Village Allotments

If you are interested in becoming a plot-holder please contact a member of the Parish

Council.