SHAWBURY PARISH COUNCIL

Parish Clerk:  Jack Wilson

6, Primrose Drive, Sutton Park, Shrewsbury, SY3 7TP

01743 236810

Email: shawburypcclerk@talktalk.net

 

SHAWBURY PARISH COUNCIL

October 2023

The October meeting was held in the Village Hall when the following main items were considered:

Playing Field Name:
The suggestion that the playing field could be called Queen’s Park had raised so much adverse reaction from residents that there was unanimous support from Members when the Chairman proposed that further discussion of the idea should be cancelled and plans abandoned.

Electricity Costs:
With the assistance of Shropshire Council’s Street Light Officers, it appears that the difficulties the Council has been having with Scottish Power have been resolved. The Council has joined a consortium of Councils linked to Shropshire Council, which has been able to secure a slightly lower price per unit of electricity and the money due to the Council for nearly eighteen months has been re-paid. Even with the reduction in the time the lights are lit, powering the lights will still cost the Parish over £5,000.00 per year which is over £1.00 per week for each light.

Environment Maintenance Grant:
The Council has again secured a grant of £1,500.00 from Shropshire Council to carry out various maintenance work within the Parish. This grant has to be matched with a similar amount from Parish Council funds and has mainly been used to improve the standard of badly neglected pavements, some of which were virtually unusable.  JST, who have received many complements on the work they have carried out in the past, have been contracted again and if you are aware of any work needed on pavements in your area please let the Council have the details and hopefully they can be dealt with.

Playing Field Security:
When the original hedge surrounding the playing field was removed a few years ago it was decided to replace it with the current set of posts, which were designed to prevent access to the field by unwanted vehicles. These posts are all rotting away and are being replaced by similar ones which will only have a limited life span. This is an expensive operation and there is a need to consider alternative methods of protecting the field. A few  Members have agreed   to consider this in more detail and would welcome any suggestions.

As always the full minutes from the meeting as well as all Council information can be found of the Council’s web site - www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk

 

 

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August 2023

Unlike many Parish Councils, Shawbury continues to meet in August each year and the latest meeting was held on Tuesday the 8^th  August when as usual a range of issues were  considered

Included was an item to approve the up-dated Council’s policy documents, all of which can be found on the Council web site and also a full review of the information in Shropshire Councils Place Plan for Shawbury.  It was agreed that a number of the listed needs had already been achieved but others should be added, particularly related to the poor state of the highways and problems with the pedestrian crossing and the traffic lights. These details have been passed on to Shropshire Council for inclusion in the revised plan which will be published later this year.

Queens Park:                                                                                                                                        

One important topic which was discussed was a proposal to collectively name the Moat, The Glebe and the Playing Field ‘Queens Park’, in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was originally considered at the time of her death but approval to use the name had to be obtained from the Diocese and Cabinet Office. This has now been received but before a decision is made, Members would like to receive responses about the proposal from local residents. You can send your comments to the Parish Clerk either by Email or post at the addresses listed at the end of this report.  Alternatively you are welcome to voice them in the public session at the start of the next Council meeting, which will be held in the Village Hall on Tuesday, September 12^th. at 7.00pm when the proposal will be considered in detail.

Speeding Traffic

The Parish Council has already installed a number of Vehicle Activated Speed units on the major roads in the Parish but it has been suggested that these should be up-dated to more modern versions giving out other messages, which many of you will have seen at various locations The Clerk has been tasked with identifying the cost of doing this before a final decision is made.

Allotment:                                                                                                                                                                                                   

As the Council now owns the small area of land, which has to be retained as an allotment it has been decided to apply for planning permission to install a new wooden shed. This will be used to store essential Council equipment, which Members are currently having to keep at their own properties and a number of fencing posts which will be used to replace the ones round the playing field which are rotting away. To improve access to the site from the playing field a gate is being installed.

As always the full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Council’s web site www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk.                                                                                                                                           

 

The Clerk can be contacted by email at shawburypcclerk@talktalk.net  or by post at  6, Primrose Drive, Sutton Park, Shrewsbury SY3 7TP.

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July 2023

Much of the time at the July meeting was spent trying to find ways in which road safety can be improved across the Parish with continued concerns raised about speeding traffic, failure to observe red lights and irresponsible parking at the school. Pressure is continually put on Shropshire Council to carry out road improvements and lining and to have a concerted effort by their Enforcement Officers to deal with the school parking problem at the start of the autumn term.

In a major effort to encourage drivers to drive more slowly and to observe the speed limits, it has been decided to seek a quotation for up-grading some of the VAS units to more modern versions as evidence from other areas seems to indicate that this can be effective.

There is still an option to set up a Safer Road Partnership in the Parish but repeated advertising has failed to tempt any more residents to sign up as volunteers.

You may recall that late last year the Council purchased  the allotment from the Housing Association and subject to agreement from the planning department the Council is proposing to create an access gate to the allotment from the playing field and to replace the broken down shed with a new modern wooden one. As well as helping the allotment holders the shed will provide valuable storage space for tools which currently have to be stored in Councillors’ private sheds or garages.

Members welcomed Flt. Lt. Jamie Jones to the meeting as the new representative from RAF Shawbury, replacing Warrant Officer Matt Lingham whose duties away from the base was precluding him from attending most meetings.

The next meeting of the Council will be held in the Village Hall on Tuesday August 8^th. starting at 7.00pm. If there are any issues you feel the Council should address you are welcome to attend or simply get in touch with the Parish Clerk.

 

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MAY 2023

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS:

Two Council meetings were held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 9^th. May. The first one was the Annual Parish Meeting which was open to residents of the Parish and enabled them to meet with Councillors and take part in the discussions and it is also when presentations were made to people who had been nominated for providing exceptional service in the community.

Twenty five people attended the meeting and heard reports on Council activity from Brian Lyon, the Parish Council Chairman; Simon Jones, the local Shropshire Councillor and Richard Bailey who gave an update on the work of the local United Charities. Details of all these reports are attached to the Minutes of the meeting which can be found on the Council web site or can be obtained from the Clerk.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Community Service Awards by Group Captain Andy Baron from RAF Shawbury. These awards which are sponsored by RAF Shawbury were given to Mrs. Margaret Powell, Mrs Barbara Cross, Mr. Ronnie Box,         Mr. John Kennedy and Squadron Leader Kim Leach who has recently retired from the post of Corporate Engagement Relations Officer at RAF Shawbury,

A group award went to River Meadows Nursing Home for encouraging residents to participate in activities but especially for the Yarn Benders Knitting Group that meets regularly at the Nursing Home, producing exceptional work. Many people will have seen the splendid display in Shawbury over the Easter period.

If you would like the minutes of the meeting and full details of all the reports these can be found on the Councils web site or obtained from the Parish Clerk.

The second meeting that followed was the Council’s AGM, when Brian Lyon was re-elected as Chairman and Adrian Brown as Vice-Chairman with Council Members agreeing to take responsibility for overseeing various aspects of Council activities.   

As usual a range of topics were discussed including:

The Safer Road Partnership:  It had been hoped that this would be operational after a small group of residents had volunteered to be involved. Unfortunately work commitments had led to the withdrawal of three members which left the group unable to continue unless further volunteers can be enlisted. So if you care about speeding traffic and can spare a few hours please get in touch with the Parish Clerk for more details of how you can get involved.

Streetlight Contract:  Highline Electrical Services from Oswestry have taken over the maintenance of the streetlights owned by the Council and we will be asking them to complete the up-grading of the lights in Bridgeway and Millbrook which E.ON, the past contractors failed to do. We have stressed that after so much delay this is an urgent project.

Remedial Work on Trees in the Moat: Under Government and Insurance regulations it is imperative that the condition of trees are regularly inspected for safety purposes and all the trees the Council are responsible for have recently been checked.  The check indicated a range of remedial work was required including the felling of some trees and this work will be carried out as soon as the bird nesting season is over.

Inconsiderate and Illegal Parking by the School: Several reports had been received about problems on roads around the school and Shropshire Councillor Simon Jones promised he would arrange for Enforcement Officers to visit and take appropriate action.       

Again the full minutes can be found on the Council’s web site www.shawbury-pc.gov.ukor from the  Parish Clerk – email shawburypcclerk@talktalk.netor by phoning 01743 236810

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April 2023

Annual Parish Meeting:

The Annual Parish Meeting, which is open to all local residents, is being held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 9^th. May starting at 7.00pm., when there will be an opportunity to meet up with your local Councillors and discuss items related to the Parish. There will be reports from the Council Chairman Brian Lyon and Shropshire Councillor Simon Jones. We are also expecting a representative from the local police to attend for a short while if duties permit and Mr. Richard Bailey will give an up-date on the work of the local United Charities.

The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of Community Service Awards to four local people who have been nominated by residents for providing exceptional service in the community. There will also be a group award to residents, staff and volunteer helpers from the River Meadows Nursing Home. The Awards are supported by RAF Shawbury and the Station Commander Andy Baron will be making the presentations.

Community Fun Day:

Council Members were delighted to hear the representatives of Shawbury Football Club are planning to hold a Fun Day on the Recreation Ground on Saturday July 29^th. This was a popular annual event before the Covid lockdown and the Council have made a donation of £500.00 to help it get underway again. Put the date in your diary and join in with all the activities.

Street Light Contract:

Over the past months we have highlighted the problems with getting streetlight projects completed because of difficulties between E.ON electrical and Scottish Power. As a result E.ON will no longer undertake work which entails them working with Scottish Power and the Council have engaged a new contractor Highline Electrical based in Oswestry. Reports of faults on any of the Council owned lights should still be reported to the Parish Clerk for action.

Council Car Park:

Those of you who use the car park will have noticed that following numerous complaints we have had the lining bays re-painted and we thank all drivers who found an alternative parking area whilst the work was carried out.

As always minutes from the April Council meeting will be placed on the Council’s web site`www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted on shawburypcclerk@talktalk.netor by ‘phone on 01743 236810

 

February 2023

Co-option

At the meeting held on February 7^th. Members were delighted to co-opt Mr. Chris Forshaw onto the Council, taking up the seat vacated by Mr. John Kennedy last November. Chris is a local resident having recently moved into Shawbury and is keen to become involved in the wider community.

Car Park:

Plans are in hand to re-paint the parking bay lines on the car park and is hoped that this can be done during the school Easter holidays, which will cause less disruption to those who regularly park there on the school run. Whilst the work is carried out, the park will be closed for the day so please watch out for the warning notices and news on the local Facebook page.

Good News:

 All too frequently we hear bad reports of the actions of young people so how pleasing to hear of the success of the recent party provided for elderly residents by young people form the Scouts, Guides, Beavers Cubs and Brownies. We understand that the evening was enjoyed by many people and the Council would like congratulate and thank not only the young people but also those dedicated adults who oversee the activities. Having been advised by someone from outside the group of a few financial problems, the Council has been pleased to be able to give a small grant to help with the expenses and will hopefully be provide some support for future events.

Community Service Awards:

 Having mentioned dedicated people, may we remind you that the Council offers awards to people who are nominated by residents for going the extra mile as part of their service to the community. Nominated people can either live or work in the Parish and can come from any walk of life and there are separate awards for those under eighteen. If you are aware of anyone who deserves an award please get in touch with the Parish Clerk before the end of March. We are sure there are people who deserve to be recognised but last year no nominations were received.

 Minutes:

The full minutes from the Council meetings can always be found on the Council’s web sitewww.shawbury-pc.gov.ukwhere you will find lots of other useful information.

The next Council meeting is in the Village Hall on March 14^th starting at 7.00pm.

January 2023

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Budget:
At the January Council meeting Members considered and adopted a budget prepared by the Clerk for 2023 -2024, which showed that because of careful control of spending it was not necessary to increase the precept. This means that the Parish Council element of your Council Tax will not be increased next year. Members felt that this was essential bearing in mind the high inflation affecting everyone. Every effort will continue to be made to keep expenditure under control and look for ways of increasing grants from other sources.
Full details of the budget can be found on the Council’s website or obtained from the Parish Clerk.

Highways:
As always there was considerable discussion about problems on the highways, particularly about the ineffective roundabout and the dreadful state of the road close to the traffic lights and more complaints about both of these had been received since the last meeting. In the past, responses had been received from Shropshire Council stating that the roundabout had still to be ‘adopted’ by them which meant improvements were the responsibility of the company who had built it and the adjoining housing estate and that failing underground drains were causing the problems with the break-up of the road. The Clerk was tasked with contacting senior officers at Shropshire Council seeking urgent information about actions they were taking to resolve these issues.

Traffic Lights:
Council Members and the Clerk continue to receive complaints about drivers ignoring red lights at the crossing and at the main lights, with a number of near misses reported. These have been reported to the police who will try and carry out some observations but with the small team they have this will be minimal. Part of the problem is the lack of clear road markings including yellow boxing at the lights and warning signs, all of which have at times been promised by Shropshire Council’s Highways staff. We will continue to put pressure on them to get these in place before there is a serious accident.

Streetlights:
This is another major issue the Council is trying to resolve in parts of Bridgeway and Millbrook. The supply of electricity to all the Council owned lights and the underground cabling is the responsibility of Scottish Power, whilst the provision and maintenance of the lights is contracted to E.ON. The Council has no problems with E.ON, who respond quickly to any reports of breakdowns and have always carried out contracts effectively. However the same cannot be said for Scottish Power and this is what is causing the problem. All that is needed is for a small team from their work force to meet up with Eon and connect the power to the new lights and the Eon can then remove the old posts and complete the work. Letters, emails and‘phone calls to Scottish Power have failed to get a response.  We understand residents’ frustration but can assure you that we are doing all we can to try and get a solution to the problem.

One application has been received from a resident to take up the seat vacated by John Kennedy and he has been invited to come to the next meeting and speak to Members. That meeting is being held one week earlier than normal and will start at 7.00pm on Tuesday, February 7^th.in the Village Hall.

The draft minutes of the January meeting are available on the Coun