PARISH COUNCIL NEWS September 2024

The latest meeting of the Council took place in the Village Hall on Tuesday 10th. September when a wide range of issues were debated including:
The Playing Field Fencing:
Members were disappointed to hear that the appointed contractor was unable to start the work on the planned date and has indicated it would now start in early October. The Chairman had advised him of the urgent need to get this work completed as more posts were continuing to rot away.

A53 Re-surfacing.
It was noted that work was progressing and we were still being assured it would be finished by the stated date. The Chairman raised concerns over the alleged repair carried out in the road by the Co-Op shop and his concerns were shared by other Members. Post Meeting Note: The repair did fail and the resulting works by Severn Trent caused significant disruption on top of the already planned works. The Chairman was particularly disappointed as the Parish Council had written to Shropshire Council Leader, Lezly Picton, on 27 July, highlighting our concerns with the work that was required by Severn Trent ahead of the Resurfacing work. On 30th August we were sent a note that stated Severn Trent Water have completed their works in advance of ours, both to their mains leak and to their waste water network. On the first day of the resurfacing the Chairman spoke to the Foreman of the Works and said that the Parish Council was deeply concerned that Severn Trent had not completed to proper repair on the water leak and had not broken ground in the area. He said he had been assured the work was complete. The Council has been grateful for the help Councillor Tim Davies-Moss has done in liaising with the team and keeping the public aware of the progress of the work.
Council Vacancy:
No requests had been received from members of the public interested in being co-opted onto the Council to replace Brian Lyon who had to resign as he was leaving the area. If you are interested it is not too late – just give the Parish Clerk a call and he will be happy to discuss the process with you.
Vandalism:
It was disappointing to discuss two acts of mindless damage with the recently re-painted picnic table having graffiti drawn on it before the paint had fully dried. Then someone decided to trample down the new autumn flowers in the floral gateway on the Council car park. The police have been informed and have promised to patrol the area but any help from the Community in identifying the culprit would be appreciated.
Mid-Year Financial Statement:
Members considered a Statement prepared by the Clerk which showed that there were no concerns over financing this years planned activities and that the Council was in a sound financial position. The Statement will be placed on the Council’s web site or a copy can be obtained from the Clerk.

Report from Shropshire Councillor S. Jones: Mr. Jones had been unable to attend the meeting but had forwarded a written report which was considered by Members. It included full details of the decisions made regarding the collection of garden waste and accessing the Household Recycling Centres. He also provided details of the Ofsted Focused visit to the County, to survey the Councils arrangements for looked after children and young people. Overall there was a favourable report and the Council was addressing areas that needed improving.
Dog Waste:
Concern was expressed about an increase of dog waste in the Parish and owners are reminded of the need to pick up and dispose responsibly of dog faeces. It is an offence not to do this and a fine for non-compliance has been raised to £100. By the way Shropshire Council are seeking members of the public who would like to train as volunteer wardens.
Grass Mowing:
Each year it is necessary to flail cut the grass and vegetation in the Glebe and Moat areas as this allows the areas to stay healthy and the smaller plants to survive. Last year we got caught out by a very wet spell of weather, so the contractor has been asked get the work done whilst it is still relatively dry.

As always the full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Councils web site - www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted on shawburypcclerk@talktalk.net or by ‘phone on 01743 236810.

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS – MAY

Two Council meetings were held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 14th. May. The first was the Annual Parish Meeting which was an open meeting, giving residents a chance to meet local Councillors and discuss topics of interest.  Unfortunately, no residents joined the Councillors to hear reports from Councillor Merv Roberts who chaired the meeting, Shropshire Councillor Simon Jones, P.C. Jack Harper from Wem Police and Mr. Richard Bailey on behalf of Shawbury United Charities.

Councillor Merv Richards gave the report on Council activity over the past year explaining that he had been asked to do this as both the Chairman and Vice Chairman were unable to attend because of health issues. He confirmed that it had been a busy year and outlined many of the important developments that had taken place during the past twelve months He expressed thanks for the support the Council received from many excellent contractors and for the dedicated service of his Council colleagues and others who carry out a host of jobs seen and un-seen, without being paid for their work. This included overseeing the burial ground, the children’s play areas, the Moat and Glebe, the defibrillator, litter picking and much more.                                                                                                                                           

Reporting on Shropshire Council activities, Shropshire Councillor Simon Jones had prepared a very comprehensive written report covering amongst other items - Finance and Resources, Climate Change and the Environment, Transport, Economic Growth, Planning, Adult Social Care, Children and Education and Housing. The Council were facing with increased demand especially for social care and there was a need to review services to remain within the available budget.

P.C. Jack Harper from Wem Police joined the meeting and apologised for not being there at the start as he had been called to deal with an emergency situation. He stated that at Wem the team consisted of him and two PCSO officers and they were responsible for the day to day policing of Wem and all the surrounding villages. They tried to visit Shawbury as often as possible both by car and on foot, pointing out that it is a relatively low crime area although shoplifting seemed to be a concern at present. The team were aware of earlier concerns raised regarding drug use in the Glebe/Moat areas and this was being monitored.                                                                                                        

The final report was from Mr. Richard Bailey who gave an update on the Charities membership and work, pointing out that he was still acting as Chairman as a replacement Vicar had not been appointed. He was pleased to report that two new members had been recruited and reminded the Council that both seats on the Committee allocated to the Council, were held by past Councillors who had served for several years.

Full details of all the reports are included in the minutes of the meeting and a copy can be obtained on request from the Parish Clerk.

The second meeting was the Council’s AGM, when Councillor Paul Sharp was elected as the new Chairman and Councillor Merv Richards as Vice Chairman, replacing Councillors Brian. Lyon and Adrian Brown who had both resigned. Other Members were elected as representatives on various committees and appointed to oversee aspects of Council work.

During the meeting, it was confirmed that the new shed had been ordered for erection on the burial ground, that two members of the public had indicated an interest in the vacant seat on the Council but had yet to officially apply for the post and that a Flag of Peace had been purchased and would be flown from the Church tower on D-Day.

The major item on the agenda was to consider the erection of new fencing around the Playing Field and it was unanimously decided that continuing to replace rotting posts was not a realistic proposition and that a metal one was required. This had been widely publicised as the suggestions for hedging or trees were not an option because the purpose was to prevent unwanted vehicles from accessing the field.  Quotations were then considered and the company selected was Ray Parry Playgrounds Ltd., a company well known to the Council as it carries out maintenance work on the children’s play areas. Subject to approval from the Diocese who own the land, work will start soon and the plan is to erect the new fence inside the current one and remove the existing posts as they rot away.

As usual at all meetings, planning applications and a wide range of correspondence were considered and responded to.

The next meeting is on June 11th. when the Annual Audit documents will be considered Further details and as stated earlier copies of reports can be obtained from the Clerk at shawburypcclerk@talktalk.net or by phoning him on 01743 236810.

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PARISH COUNCIL NEWS  JULY 2024

 

The latest meeting of the Council took place in the Village Hall on Tuesday 23rd. July when as always a range of topics were considered including:

Membership:

The Chairman introduced and welcomed Mr. Phillip Kitchen, who had applied to become a Co-opted Councillor and then proposed that his membership be confirmed. This was seconded by the Vice Chairman and unanimously approved. There is still one vacancy on the Council and attempts will be made to co-opt someone to replace Brian Lyon who has left the Parish.

The Playing Field Fence. In the past couple of weeks a number of the old posts had to be removed after they had rotted away and it is imperative that the new fence is put into place. It is understood that the units have been ordered and the contractor hopes to start work in mid-September.

 

Environmental Maintenance Grant:

For several years the Council has received a grant of £1,500 from Shropshire Council which has to be match funded by the Council and the money used to carry out much needed work around the Parish, including the maintenance of a number of footpaths. Unfortunately as part of their cost cutting exercise Shropshire Council has cut this grant by 50% but the Council will ensure that the money continues to be used wisely for urgent work.

Cycle/BMX Track:

The Council has received a letter from a young member of the community seeking to have a permanent and improved cycle track installed in the Parish as the current grass track does not meet the needs of young cyclists. It was noted that a similar idea was considered when the current grass track was constructed and the reasons for not going ahead at that time were associated with a reluctance from the Diocese to agree to a permanent structure on the field and an estimated cost of over £60K. If there is a strong desire in the Parish to proceed with a project such as this, a suitable site would need to be identified then the necessary funding secured. The Parish Council would be willing to support such an activity if a group wished to take on this challenge. Anyone who is interested should contact the Parish Clerk.

Unwanted Expenditure:

Vandals have been at work again and have defaced the picnic table in the Glebe with foul graffiti which means it will have to sanded down and repainted and the new grey rubbish bin in the burial ground has been removed and will need replacing.

A53 Re-surfacing: The Council has been aware for some time that Shropshire Council were intent on re-surfacing the A53 from Aries Drive through to the Pinewood Road junction and the dates for the work have now been confirmed. The work will start on 3rd September and end on 13th.September and be done in two phases - Aries Drive to the B5063 and then from the B5063 junction to Pinewood Road junction. There will be an enforcement order for Shawbury Monday to Friday 09.30 – 16.00.but attempts to have the work carried out overnight have failed because of the increased costs of night working. The Parish Council recognises that this essential work will cause major disruption to many residents and has requested that the necessary signs warning of the work are displayed as soon as possible,

The full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Parish Council web site –www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted on shawburypcclerk@talktalk.net.