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 7.00 pm in the Parish Pavilion.  The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 13th September at 7.00 pm, in the Parish Room.  The Agenda and other documents relevant to the meeting, together with previous Minutes, will be found at  Meeting Dates and Minutes   

Help with Cost of Living

From Jill Haynes (District Councillor): There are many people locally struggling with the cost of living at the moment and I am afraid things will get worse as we go into the autumn and winter. Dorset Council now has a dedicated page ( https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/cost-of-living-help ) on its website which can offer help and advice. For many people this situation is new to them, and they have not had to ask for help before, but it is vital that they get help as soon as possible and don’t wait until their situation is desperate. The page covers the following areas: • Money – debt – benefits available • Access to food • Housing • Support for families with children • Mental health and wellbeing • Energy – water – Phones – broadband costs • Employment. If you know and one who is starting to struggle, please encourage them to get help as soon as possible.

Dorset Fire Authority Update

An interesting video - worth watching.

Bring a Picnic not a BBQ

Timely advice from Dorset Fire Brigade.

Recent Flooding

The PC has had a request from Flood Risk Management Dorset Council for anyone who had flooding issues in October or since to report it on the Flood Online Reporting Tool (FORT). The tool allows users to specify the type of flooding (external or internal) as well as many other important details. Users can also upload photos and videos to their reports. They said it is important that the full extent of the impact of the flood on a community is recorded on FORT as it has a significant impact on the resources we might be able to generate to investigate and mitigate the flood threat.

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 County Council Notices and

News

Covid-19

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

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 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.

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.

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 (Vice Chair), John Baker, Sheila

Crouch, Andy Foot, Roy Godwin,

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).