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.  This

website replaces the Parish Council page on

the Buckland Newton Community Website.

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 Brian Haynes (Piddle Valley Ward - 6 Orchard Close, Sydling St Nicholas, Dorchester DT2 9PF tel: 01300 341277)  and Pauline Batstone  (Lydden Vale Ward - tel: 01258 472583).

 

Parish Council Meeting Dates

Meetings are held in the Parish Rooms at 7.30 pm 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 Tuesday 12th February at 7.30 pm, in the Parish

Room.  The Agenda and associated Schedule for the February 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 13th March Wednesday 10th April Wednesday 15th May Tuesday  11th June Tuesday 9th July

Dorset Town and Parish Newsletter

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

Parish Council Elections

Please note that elections for the new Parish Council take place in May 2019. Any parishioner wishing to stand should contact the Parish Clerk. Please be aware that the ethos of this Council since its inception in 1896 has been to keep the Parish Precept element of your Council Tax as low as possible. To this end, current Councillors receive no remuneration or benefits in any kind and provide a considerable amount of their personal time and where appropriate, physical input in terms of repairs and maintenance of parish property. The current Council hopes this ethos will continue. If you would like further information on becoming a Councillor please go to https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/councillors-committees-elections/councillors/become- a-local-councillor.aspx

Smart Meter Rollout

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

Temporary Road Closure, C20 Duntish Cross to Hazelbury

Bryan

It is planned to close the road from Duntish Cross to Hazelbury Bryan from 25th February to 28th February.  More details here.

Proposed Road Closure - Ridge Hill, Buckland Newton

It is planned to close the road at Ridge Hill on 25th February from 09.30 to 15.30 for work by Openreach.  Click here for details and the diversionary route.

Temporary Road Closure - Hilling Lane

Hilling lane will be closed on 22nd February for patching work.  More details here.  If you would like further information: •            concerning access or the work being undertaken, please call Dorset Highways on 01305 228100; •            concerning this notice please call Dorset Highways Traffic team on 01305 221020; •            concerning these and other roadwork’s in your area visit: www.roadworks.org

Parish Room Toilets

The Parish Room toilets have been locked due to the depraved behaviour of one individual in the village. The toilets will remain locked until the new pavilion is completed. Key access will be provided to known residents on request from March.

Latest news on the Parish Room and playing field improvement

Thanks to everyone’s massive efforts in September, we have now signed the contract for an EU grant and can go ahead with converting the Parish Room into a slightly larger sports pavilion with a veranda, new loo and storage. Weather permitting, work will start in mid-March and be completed in time for use by the Fete at the end of August. At the same time, when the weather is good for groundworks, a half kilometre running track will be created around the perimeter of the playing field to use for walking, running, cycling or simply to cross the field or access the new pavilion. The new entrance to the pavilion will be from the playing field side rather than the busy B3143 road. The EU grant is £55,418 and comes under the auspices of the LEADER Rural Development Programme for England. It represents 80% of the total cost. The outstanding 20% (ca £15,000), has come thanks to the generosity of our own local village charities and organization: the United Charities of Buckland Newton, Buckland Newton Community Property Trust (Lydden Meadow) the 2018 Village Fete Committee, Sir William Aykroyd’s ringfenced fund held by the Parish Council, alongside a contribution form WDDC’s S106 Award funding. The short time scale we had to put together the grant application, with Brexit looming was seriously fraught and it was only thanks to the village pulling together so actively that we made the deadline. By the time we passed the pre-application stage, we had just 4 weeks to gather all the material needed for what turned out to be a pretty complicated application. We needed letters of support from parishioners and organizations in the village, submit and get rapid approval of planning permission, create detailed design specifications for the building and track, find 6 contractors with local connections who were willing and able to bid on these specifications at very short notice, and finally find the essential 20% support funding alongside a commercial lender for a short term bridging loan. We need the latter as the grant is not paid until 6 weeks after project completion. As we had estimated the total cost of the project at around £70,000 in our pre- application stage, our hearts were in our mouths when we opened the sealed bids on the 10th September. You can see why if you look at the minutes of that meeting on the Parish Council website. The trackway quotes came in fairly close to budget, but the building conversion varied wildly from ca £155,000 to ca £48,000. Based on these quotes the Parish Council is awarding the contracts to the lowest bidder N & J Baker Ltd for the Parish Room conversion and BN Hire Ltd for the trackway.

Parish Council Minutes

Minutes of Buckland Newton Parish Council Meetings are available on-line from

December 2008.  Please use the button opposite to view these Minutes.  For copies of

earlier Minutes, please refer to the Parish Clerk.

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.

Community Emergency Plan

The Community Emergency plan can be viewed by clicking the Community

Emergency Plan button opposite.  The Environment Agency has also issued a notice

about new Flood Warning Areas in Dorset.

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

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.

Banning Dogs from the playing field???

The Parish Council does not want to take this step, but if the present level of dog fouling

persists, it may be forced to. Toxocariasis picked up from dog faeces is a very real and

serious health issue and can cause children to go blind. The school uses the field for

sports and is very worried. Mistakes happen, but offenders, you must take your cue

from the majority of our responsible dog owners and pick up after your dog.  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.

 The village has eyes. If you walk the field in the dark, take a torch!

General Planning Matters

After each Parish Council meeting, there will be an entry in the Lydden Vale News

covering planning applications. Please be aware that due to the nature of the process,

the information will probably be out of date and it may be too late to make

representations by the time it is published.  Planning matters are included in the Parish

Council Minutes, published each month and which can be viewed by clicking on the

Parish Council Minutes button opposite.

You can also keep a check on new applications locally by clicking on the West Dorset

Planning Applications button opposite.  Simply enter "Buckland Newton" in the box

marked "Parish".  You don't need to know a planning number. This will bring up all the

latest applications, and clicking on the "Select" box will not only bring up the plans, but

also gives you the opportunity to send in your comments on any application

immediately on line. If you are concerned about a planning application, or whether you

need to apply for permission, you are very welcome to call the WDDC helpdesk on

01305 252492.

Salt/Grit for icy conditions and Sandbags

Salt/Grit bins are available outside the Village Hall and close to the Church. In case of

flooding, the village now has a supply of sandbags. If you are unlucky enough to require

use of these at some time in the future please contact Doug Morse on 01300 345707 to

find out how to obtain sandbags.  The village Flood Warden is Doug Morse (tel: 01300

345707) or e-mail floodwarden@sky.com

Parish Room

Currently the Parish Room is used by the cricket and football clubs and also for the

Parish Council monthly meeting.  Outside of these times it is available for use as a

small venue for local events/clubs or small social gatherings such as children’s birthday

parties etc.  All the Council would ask would be a donation of £5.00 towards the running

costs for a half day booking and that the room is left clean and tidy afterwards.  If you

are interested in booking the Parish Room, please contact the Parish Clerk for more

information.

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.

Bus Passes

More information at https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/travel-dorset/bus/national-bus-

pass-concessionary-travel

Piddlehinton Gym

Piddlehinton Gym is located on the Enterprise Park in Piddlehinton. The Gym was

constructed for the American Army back in the 1930s and contains a large indoor space

with 2 full size Badminton courts. Besides a large car park one of the key distinguishing

features is a sprung wooden floor making it excellent for sports. A 99-year lease was

secured back in 2007 by the charity that runs the Gym and it is currently used for

Badminton, Junior Tennis, Archery and Motorcycle training (Saturday in car park) as

well as Drama storage. In the past, a bowling club (long mat bowls) as well as a

Zumba/exercise club have also used the facilities. The Badminton clubs in particular

have space for new members. Contacts and times of the clubs are: Gill Hadley 01300

348081 (Monday from 10.00 am), Alan Wiseman 01258 817512 (Monday from 7.30

pm), Pauline Adams 01300 345459 (Tuesday from 8.00 pm). The radio-control car club

also welcomes new members; contact is Al Mailer 07787 380541.

The charity that runs the club aims to provide the facilities at a reasonable cost, whilst

increasing the diversity of sports; Hiring costs for the hall and facilities are currently £17

for 2 hours regular bookings. Our goal is to improve utilisation, increasing investment to

refurbish and improve the facilities, hence benefiting all users.

For more information phone Paul Hayes, Chairman on 07930337459 Get inspired, get

involved…

Recycling and Refuse Collection and Calendar

To find out which day is your recycling collection day, go to

www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish-collections and enter your postcode,

select your address, 'return to content', then 'view all data from My Local'.  Then click to

view your next collection day.

Your Bin Collection - what the District Council will and will not collect free of charge in

West Dorset.  The Council are now enforcing their existing Waste Collection Policy to

try and reduce landfill waste still further.  In the past, this policy should have charged for

Garden Waste and Commercial collections but has not always done so.

Ordinary Household Waste and Recycled paper, tin and glass: Uncharged

collection continues.

Garden Waste:  There is now a scheme for our locality: for £45 per year (240-litre

wheelie bin) or £34 per year (120-litre bag) you can have garden waste collected

fortnightly.  Sign up on-line at www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/gardenwaste

The free alternative is to compost it in the garden or take it to the Household Waste

Recycling Centre at Louds Mill in Dorchester for onward  composting. 

Commercial Waste:  That generated by business premises such as pubs, shops or

business units, has to be in a WDCC wheeled bin or prepaid blue "Trade" sack if you

want it collected by the Council.

Domestic properties offering  Bed & Breakfast accommodation:  Uncharged

collection as this is treated as ordinary household waste.

Commercially-run Holiday Cottages:  These should pay to have their waste collected

using either prepaid blue Trade* sacks or a WDCC wheeled bin.  As each situation is

unique, it may help to phone 01305 262117 to discuss which is the most economic

route to collect this waste.

Parking Permits

Those of us lucky enough to have a car to get around often get exasperated when we

haven't enough small change for the fee.  Did you know that there is a Shopper's Permit

which allows 2 hours parking, or three hours if a disabled badge is also displayed,

(limited to one use a day) in several short stay car parks  in West Dorset – Dorchester,

Sherborne, Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis? You need to look on the board at the

entrance  to make sure the permit is allowed,  These permits are available from the

tourist office but you need to take the car's registration document along with you.  You

can also now purchase or renew a permit online at

www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/parking/permit-for-west-dorset-shoppers 

Permits are priced from £16 for one vehicle or £18.50 for two vehicles for each six

month period.  The website has been designed to work on smartphones, tablets and

desktops, enabling you to carry out transactions at a time and place that suits you. The

fully automated service will also send you a reminder when your permit is due to expire.

Reporting issues with footpaths

Stephen White is a Rights of Way Liaison Officer for the Dorset Coast & Countryside

Service covering Buckland Newton. His contact number is 01300 345431 or

07773283764. Stephen’s role is to investigate any issues regarding footpaths or bridle-

paths within the parish of Buckland Newton and to report these directly to Dorset

County Council. However, anyone can report issues directly themselves, online at:

https://mapping.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/rightsofway/reportproblem/ or by telephone on

01305224463.