Southorpe Parish Council

The Parish Council met on 6th January; four Councillors and the Clerk were present.
The meeting was called to discuss to the level of the parish precept for 2012/13; the precept finances the work of the Parish Council throughout the year.  Peterborough City Council has advised that their contribution to the precept for 2012/13 will be 20% lower than in 2011/12. The City Council will contribute £441.50, based on £2.72 for each of the 121 residents and a payment of £112.50 towards the cost of the burial ground.

To maintain the precept at the same level as last year, £945, the village residents’ contribution through Council Tax would have to increase.

After discussion, it was decided that the precept should be reduced to £920 so that residents’ contributions would not have to rise in April.  Areas of potential saving were discussed and it was agreed that there will be no funds allocated for training in 2012/13 and that any contribution to the Entertainment Committee for the village Jubilee celebration or the bonfire party will, if necessary, be made from the deposit account.  The level of the Parish Council’s contribution to the Parish News magazine will be considered at a future meeting; the Clerk was asked to seek information on the contribution level of the other villages to aid that discussion. The projected budget for 2012/13 was set at £1100 and is shown in the minutes of the meeting which are displayed on the village notice boards.

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on 5th March 2012 at 7.30pm at Rosemead Cottage.  All residents are welcome to attend.

Report of Bainton & Ashton Parish Council Meeting on Jan 3rd 2012

The meeting was attended by 4 Parish councillors, Councillor David Over and one member of the public.   
The council had been informed of reduction in the amount to be received from Peterborough City Council since agreeing the budget for the forthcoming year at the Parish Council meeting in December.    It was therefore necessary to agree a revised budget in order to avoid an increase in the council tax payments of local residents.

The trees on Tallington Road have now been trimmed and a request has been sent to the City Council for the pavement on Barnack Road to be resurfaced.    The Wash dyke refurbishment to continue as agreed by the Parish Council.     

A full report on the meeting can be seen at www.baintonreadingroom.com/parishcouncil.   Next meeting will be on Tuesday 7 February.

Report on the Ufford Parish Council Meeting on Jan 10th 2012

1.    Planning application for stable block at Compass barn.  Residents again expressed their concerns about the height, bulk and footprint of the proposed building and the fact that it would be in the “open countryside”, well outside the village envelope.  UPC agreed to send another letter to PCC planning department, emphasising that this would set a precedent.
2.    The new hedging on Bainton Road is complete, apart from the planting of a few trees.
3.    Following ongoing reports of overhanging trees, missing signs and frequent near misses at the road junctions on Marholm Road, a survey is promised on Jan 16th and the clerk is writing again about the signage.
4.    Five signs reminding dog owners of the penalties for allowing their dogs to foul the verges, footways and roads within the village are being supplied and fixed to lamp posts, free of charge, by the City Council.
5.    With the permission of the City Council and using Neighbourhood Council money, two new Parish Council notice boards will be fixed on the village bus shelters.
6.    Plans for the Jubilee are being discussed, notably a barn dance on the Monday night.  Details of other events will be available shortly.
7.    The next meeting will be held on Tuesday February 14th at 7.30pm at Ufford Village Hall.

Barnack Parish Council Report

The February meeting of Barnack Parish Council was held on Monday 9 January. All seven members of the council were present, together with the clerk, PC Norman McCallum and two members of the public. Councillor David Over sent his apologies.
It was reported that the trees had now been set on the Uffington Road from the village entrance to Uffington crossing. The trees that were set on Stamford Road last year between Pilsgate and Pilsgate Hill had again been vandalised. The council voted unanimously to provide tree guards for these in the hope that they will then be allowed to grow. The three dead trees on Stamford Road between Pilsgate and Barnack will be replaced.
There had been no progress on the drainage works for the Village Pavilion as the builders had not been working due to the Christmas holiday period.
After further letters to PCC the work on realigning the exit from the slip road behind the war memorial on to the C40 to prevent traffic from exiting at excessive speed and thus endangering pedestrians and residents. PCC has promised that this work will be carried out before the end of March. The Parish Council agreed to plant trees on the war memorial site to replace the dead laburnum tree that had to be felled, if the tree officer agrees. Payments and receipts and the proposed budget precept for 2012/13 were unanimously agreed.
The council agreed to replace the yellow grit bins in Orchard Road and Canon Drive, provided by the Neighbourhood Council, with green ones after complaints from residents that they were unsightly and inappropriate for a conservation village.  The cutting of grass verges within the village was discussed. Despite a conscientious grass mowing team there is a problem as many of the uneven verges are being scalped and left as bare soil.
A meeting with the grass mowing team and Peterborough Enterprise, who hold the grass cutting contract, will be requested. There was no report from the Neighbourhood Council but it was noted that Barnack’s request for finance, which had been submitted in time had been  ignored. Mr Roxburgh gave a résumé of the Housing Strategy document. A report was given from the Jubilee Committee setting out the current progress.
PC McCallum reported that there had been a number of number plate thefts in the area recently and asked residents to be vigilant and report if number plates were stolen. He also reported that a new Police inspector and sergeant had been appointed for this area, who will both be present at the next Police Panel meeting on Wednesday 8 February at 7.00pm in Ailsworth Methodist church.
The street lights in Owen Close and Bishop’s Walk will be reported again as the faults seem to be intermittent. Faulty manhole covers on Stamford Road, at the Mill Road junction, will also be reported for repair.
 The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday 13 February at 7.00pm in the Village Hall. Members of the public are welcomed. The full minutes are displayed on the Parish Council notice boards.