Buckland Newton
Parish Council
This is the website of Buckland
Newton Parish Council.
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 Councillor Casual Vacancy
A Casual Vacancy has arisen for Buckland Newton Parish
Council. Please click to see the Notice of Vacancy.
Coronavirus
Vaccinations: There is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
sheet about vaccinations on the Cerne Abbas Surgery website.
From Buckland Newton Parish Council:
If you have to self-isolate and need assistance, please
telephone any member of the Parish Council, who will put
you in touch with the relevant voluntary groups in the
village.
Buckland Newton Parish Councillors are:
Chair:
Nicki Barker
01300 345238
Vice Chair:
Jane Collins
01300 345136
Vice Chair:
Mark Needham
01300 345293
Councillors:
Andy Foot
01300 345511
Chris Osmond
01300 345326
Lin Townsend
01300 345306
John Baker
01300 345386
Roy Godwin
01300 345438
The Old Chapel Stores in Buckland Newton will take telephone
orders for collection and/or arrange delivery. Telephone 01300
345 336.
We are here to help you
Coronavirus in Dorset - latest Public Health Dorset
update
The latest (27th November) Update from Public Health Dorset
The Neighbourhood Watch organisation has issued some
useful advice about protecting the isolated and vulnerable
during the current outbreak. Click Coronavirus Advice from
Neighbourhood Watch to read this.
Coronavirus - Support for Local Businesses in Dorset
Click Coronavirus - Support for Local Businesses in Dorset for
more information from Dorset Council.
Parish Pavilion
The Parish Pavilion is currently closed in line with Government
Guidelines.
Telephone box by The Gaggle of Geese
The telephone box by the Gaggle of Geese has been adopted by
the Parish Council. The Parish Council would like to hear your
views and ideas of how the telephone box can now be utilised.
Please send ideas to the Parish Clerk or speak to one of the
Councillors.
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
General Parish and District Council Notices and
News
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.
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. Fo 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.
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 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
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
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
Village Allotments
If you are interested in becoming a plot-holder please contact a
member of the Parish Council.
© 2021 Buckland Newton Parish Council Last updated 12th January 2021 17:05
Buckland Newton Parish Council
in the heart of rural Dorset
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), Lin Townsend.
Your Flood Warden is Doug Morse (tel: 01300
Rights of Way Liaison Officer is Stephen White
Parish Clerk: e-mail
bucklandnewton@dorset-aptc.gov.uk
Tel: 01258 817288
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).
The Children’s Play Area will be CLOSED
with immediate effect if the Covid Safety Rules
posted are not adhered to.
Buckland Newton Parish Council