© 2019 Buckland Newton Parish Council Last updated 12th December 2019 07:50
Buckland Newton
Parish Council
This is the website of Buckland Newton
Parish Council.
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
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 Pavilion 7.30 pm normally every second Tuesday of
each month. If there are any changes, a note will be posted on the Parish Pavilion door
or noticeboard.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 14th January at 7.30 pm, in the Parish
Pavilion. The Agenda and associated Schedule for the December meeting can be
viewed here.
Parish Council meetings are preceded by 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 2020:
Tuesday 14th January 2020
Tuesday 11th February 2020
Tuesday 10th March 2020
Tuesday 14th April 2020
Tuesday 12th May 2020
Tuesday 9th June 2020
Tuesday 14th July 2020
Tuesday 11th August 2020
Tuesday 8th September 2020
Tuesday 13th October 2020
Tuesday 10th November 2020
Tuesday 8th December 2020
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.
Dorset Town and Parish Newsletter
There is a new Newsletter published by the Shaping Dorset Council programme.
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.
Celebratory Opening of the Refurbished Parish Pavilion and
Running Track
A hugely successful Celebratory Opening of the Parish Room took place at 3pm
on Sunday the 22nd September 2019. Despite a downpour, some 100 villagers
turned up and crowded into the new hall and under the veranda.
Nicki Barker, Chairman of the Parish Council, welcomed everyone saying:
“This has been a real village Project. The original ideas came from you as villagers
during our 6 year long consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan , followed up by refining
ideas via the village newsletter in spring a year ago. As for contractors, we were thrilled
when we opened the bids to find the best ones were from 2 village companies, Nick
Baker of N and J Baker for the pavilion conversion and Buckland Newton Hire Ltd.
for the new running track. Both have done a fabulous job, as you can see, and it must
be a rare thing to reach the end of a project saying they have both been a joy to work
with.”
For a full report and more photographs, please see Buckland Newton Community
website at https://www.bucklandnewton.com/parish pavilion.htm
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
Village Allotments
If you are interested in becoming a plot-holder please contact a member of the Parish
Council.
Buckland Newton Parish Council
in the heart of rural Dorset