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. 

 

Parish Council Meetings

Parish Council Meetings normally take place on the second Tuesday of each month, at 7.30 pm in the Parish Pavilion.  Link to  Meeting Dates and Minutes of previous meetings.

Re-register by 1 December to stay on Dorset’s

housing list

If you know any residents on the current housing register, they need to re-register on the new Dorset Council Home Choice system no later than Wednesday 1 December to keep their place on the housing list.  Find out more and re-register now

Dog Fouling on Parish Field

Please make sure that you pick up after your dog.  It is important that there is no dog mess on the Parish Field as it is used daily by the school and dog mess can potentially be harmful.

Bonfires - please consider your Neighbours

Please be considerate if you wish to have a bonfire.  Smoke from bonfires can be a real nuisance if neighbours have washing out to dry.  Particularly with the coronavirus outbreak, smoke can also cause extra difficulties for those with breathing problems, such as asthma sufferers - please think before lighting a bonfire.  For more advice from Dorset Council on bonfires please see: Dorset Council Advice on Bonfires  

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 National

Association of Local Councils Website for more information.

General Parish and District Council Notices and

News

Covid-19

If you need general information on local services and support during the Coronavirus Pandemic, click here.

Re-register by 1 December to stay on Dorset’s

housing list

If you know any residents on the current housing register, they need to re-register on the new Dorset Council Home Choice system no later than Wednesday 1 December to keep their place on the housing list.  Find out more and re-register now

Order Document - Dog-related

The Parish Council is required to publicise a new Dog-related Order, which can be viewed by clicking on the link above.

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.

Boosting Broadband in Rural Areas

Dorset Council is appealing to town and parish councils to help spread the word that help is available to boost broadband in rural areas.  For more information, please see the attached article - voucher funding may be available for households/businesses with slow broadband.

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 Dorset Community Catalyst Project for more details.

Library Service - Public Consultation

Dorset Council has launched a public consultation to inform how the library service is developed and delivered in the future. The consultation will be a conversation with communities, employees and partners, to better understand what they value and need from the service, now and in the future. Libraries are at the heart of Dorset’s communities and provide highly valued services, including: •     book lending •     activities and events •     reading groups •     skills and learning •     health and wellbeing •     information provision •     digital access and support •     art and cultural exhibitions People of all ages can enjoy all of this and more, within a safe and welcoming environment. There are 23 council-run and eight community-managed libraries in the Dorset Council area.  The current Library Strategy is 11 years old. Over those 11 years, there have been significant changes in public behaviour and digital technology, and the impacts of the Covid pandemic have been felt.  This consultation seeks to look to the future of Dorset’s libraries and how can they best meet the needs of local residents and communities, now and over the next ten years. Click this link to participate in the consultation.

Refurbished Parish Pavilion and Running Track

For a full report and photographs, please see Buckland Newton Community website at  Parish Pavilion Re-opening  

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 Dorset Polics AskNED 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:  Non-domestic Users Smart Meter Guide  Domestic Users:  Domestic Users Smart Meter Guide The government has issued some further information on Smart Meter rollout: UK Smart meter guide: UK Smart Meter Guide Smart meter implementation program:  Smart Meter Implementation Program

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 Council's

Office in Dorchester). Or phone the Mail Preference Service on

0845 703 4599 or go to their website on Mail Preference Service 

or e-mail the  Mail Preference Service E-mail

Village Allotments

If you are interested in becoming a plot-holder please contact a

member of the Parish Council.

Your Parish Councillors are: Mick

Ames, John Baker, Sheila Crouch,

Andy Foot, Roy Godwin (Vice-Chair),

Christina Manny, Mark Needham

(Chair), Chris Osmond (Recreation

Officer), 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: e-mail bucklandnewton@dorset-aptc.gov.uk  Tel:  01258 817288 Your District Councillor is Jill Haynes  (Chalk Valleys Ward - 6 Orchard Close, Sydling St Nicholas, Dorchester DT2 9PF tel: 01300 341277).