Spring 2017 Your Parish Council Update

Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council e-newsletter View this email in your browser RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL MARCH 2017 NEWSLETTER Village Floral Hanging Basket Project 2017 The Parish Council is once again calling upon local residents and businesses to contribute to the above scheme. It costs approximately £650 to purchase and install between 16 -18 baskets which are hung at various points in our village; The Cross's floral display is kindly donated by Mr John Gittins. The hanging baskets are kindly maintained by local people and our "British weather" and are enjoyed by all; especially visitors.   Last year generous donations from local businesses and residents amounted to £445.00 towards the project; the Parish Council hope that a similar amount can be raised this year.   Anyone wishing to make a donation please contact your local Parish Councillor or forward a cheque made out to " Ruyton XI Towns PC" to the Clerk, Sue Hackett at the following address: Gonsal House, Condover Shrewsbury SY5 7EX. I can also be contacted by email should you require further information or a receipt: ruytonxitownspc@btinternet.com   A quarterly police report was kindly given by CSO Kurt Mabe at the March Parish Council meeting which identified that of the 36 reported incidents since December 2016; of which 6 were crime related; the majority related to road traffic accidents and the general speeding of vehicles. Overall the parish is a safe place to live, but please watch your speed! To report local non immediate police issues eg. If your car has been stolen, property damaged, you suspect drug use/dealings etc; please use 101. In emergencies when a crime is in progress and when there is danger to life always use 999.    THE NEW TRANSPORT MINISTER JOHN HAYES VISITS SHOTATTON CROSSROADS - Report by Cllr Simon Gittins. As part of a visit to Shropshire to look at future plans to dual the remaining single carriageway of the A5, we were able to get John Hayes, Minister of Transport, to stop and see the problems we all experience in negotiating the crossing at Shotatton. Your local County Councillor Nick Bardsley, joined MP Owen Paterson and Parish Councillor Simon Gittins in showing the Minister firstly how busy the road is and secondly how dangerous it is to cross and to join. He experienced first-hand how difficult it is for large vehicles to cross when Steve Smith, Farm Manager at Wykey Farm took him across the carriageway in a tractor. Following the visit, we all then attended a meeting at Oswestry Rugby club where the Minister received a presentation on the need for upgrading the A5 and was able to hear representation from many interested parties including the emergency services, local business', council representatives and members of the rural community. The plan is to get the work scheduled into the government road programme which runs from 2020 to 2025. The 20 mile stretch of road between Shrewsbury and Chirk is the only single carriageway on the entire Trans European Highway. This can take you from Southern Europe, up through England and Wales to Holyhead and on to Ireland.  Consequently, we believe that we are in a good position to receive the required funding, but the downside is that we are not going to see anything happening anytime soon! For further details please see the Shropshire Star News report at: http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/transport-news/2017/03/03/roads-minister-given-tour-of-problem-a5-and-a483-in-shropshire-and-mid-wales/ SAFER ROADS GROUP Pace Car stickers. These go in the back window of cars in the community so that following cars know that we are complying with our Speed Limits.  These can be obtained from Cafe Eleven or Mick Berry. (email mick.berry@sky.com)  The Road Safety Group continues to meet to discuss possible ways forward for improving road safety within the village, and is now meeting with representatives from local businesses, schools, the police and Shropshire Council to discuss and progress possible solutions.  If you would like to take part or contribute to these discussions please contact Cllr David Spicer in the first instance ( email luke.spicer@btinternet.com) or Cllr Mick Berry.   Ruyton XI Towns Annual Parish Meeting To be held at 7.00 p.m. on Monday 10th April 2017 at The Victoria Room   Meeting agenda includes: Update report by  Shropshire Council on North West Relief Road Feasibility Study Annual Police Report Annual Parish Council Report Local Reports from the Village Hall Committee, Road Safety Group, Basnett, Mintons and Matthews Charity; and Local Primary School. The meeting is organised for the benefit of local residents but  is open to both residents and parish councillors from neighbouring parish councils who are interested in the North West Relief Road. An agenda can be downloaded from the Parish Council's website: http://www.rxit.org.uk/pc/ An ordinary council meeting will follow this meeting. YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU! Reductions in Local Government funding are placing at risk services you take for granted. Why not become a Local Parish Councillor and help to make a difference On 4th May there are local elections for not only Shropshire Council but also Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council.   I believe in local democracy and my wish is that more people will be willing to stand for the office as a parish councillor so that we have an actual election.    If you are concerned about your local community and wish to influence the direction of change, please think about obtaining nomination papers and putting your name forward for election as a parish councillor. Nomination packs have to be in by Tuesday 4 th April. If my memory serves me well, we have only had one election for the Parish Council in the 25 years I have been on the council because we have not had more than 11 people willing to put themselves forward – the council consists of 11 parish councillors!   Usually we have fallen short and had to co-opt people on to the council.   This is astonishing!   Please be prepared to join the group of local councillors who are seeking re-election and make a difference.    To those parish councillors who are retiring, on behalf of the Parish Council and the Community you have served, a big thank you for all your hard work.   I have several spare nomination packs for anyone interested in joining the Parish Council.   Why not come and have a chat? Alternatively download your own pack from the Electoral Commission's website or contact Shropshire Council's Electoral Team by email: elections@shropshire.gov.uk or Tel  0345 678 9015 Report by Ros Slowley Chair of the Parish Council. Tel 01939 260444                          Email: slowleyr@yahoo.co.uk   Healthwatch Shropshire supports Experience of Care Week 20-24 March 2017   Healthwatch Shropshire is pleased to be involved in celebrating 'Experience of Care Week', which will put a spotlight on improving everyone's experiences of healthcare, including those of patients, family, carers and staff.   Locally, patients and members of the public have said that they do have concerns about sharing their experiences of care when they are not positive for fear of 'getting a black mark'. In this area, this week will be used to focus on this issue and to promote the need to support patients.   Jane Randall-Smith, Chief Officer of Healthwatch, said: "This is an issue for everyone, whatever their age. People need to be encouraged to share their experiences without fear of reprisal and to feel confident that their feedback will be listened to and used to improve services now and for the future.   "Knowing where to go to share feedback can be quite daunting as the NHS is not one but several organisations. If you are unsure where to go to share your feedback, Healthwatch Shropshire can signpost you to the most relevant person or service. We can also record your comments anonymously and share them with the relevant providers and commissioners."   People can let Healthwatch Shropshire know what they think about local services by phone 01743 237884, by email enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk or online www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk. Healthwatch Shropshire, 4 The Creative Quarter, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6LG   Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council have now issued 6 e-newsletters and have received positive responses from the community who find them overall  both informative and current relating to our local Parish. The Parish Council are very grateful in the excellent work Yoland Brown and Margaret Lycett do keeping residents informed and would like to say a special thank you to them both. If you would like to sign up to this official Parish Council newsletter mailing list then you can do so by clicking the link below. Sign up to Parish Council Mailing List Copyright © 2017 Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive News and Updates regarding Ruyton XI Towns.  Our mailing address is:  Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council Gonsal House Ryton Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 7EX United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list    Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council News & Road Works Update

Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council e-newsletter View this email in your browser RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL JANUARY 2017 NEWSLETTER LOGGING AT THE SPINNEY NEAR DOCTORS MEADOW The trees you can see behind Doctors Meadow are to be felled in February/March and new trees planted on a Community Tree Planting Day. Should you want to learn more or be involved please contact Simon Gittins for more details. For the moment we await the "hum" of the chain saws! Simon Gittins Tel: 01939 260273 Email: simonjohngittins@googlemail.com   ROAD WORKS Road to be closed:           Holyhead Road West Felton (from Twyford Lane junction to The Avenue junction)  Date:                                   17 - 27 February 2017                                Times:                                 07.30 – 17.30 Purpose:                             Machine Patching        If you require any further information please contact the Street Works team: streetworks@shropshire.gov.uk Current and forthcoming road works can be found at: http://roadworks.org/         Location of works:          A5 / B5070 Gledrid Roundabout         Date:                                 23 January - 2 June 2017         Times:                               Night works 21.00 - 06.00         Purpose:                          Considerable improvements to the A5                                                   including: footway construction,                                                   resurfacing;installation of lighting etc.         Traffic restrictions:   Night time closure of A5 section between Halton roundabout and A5 Gledrid roundabout Night time closure of A5 section between Fiveways roundabout and A5 Gledrid roundabout Night time lane closure of A5 Gledrid circulatory carriageway  Night time closure of B5070 Chirk Road, closure for approximate length of 500m north from A5 Gledrid Night time closure of B5070 for approximate length of 500m east of A5 Gledrid roundabout Night time closure of Station Road for an approximate length of 500m west of A5 Gledrid roundabout There is a public right of way around the roundabout; no pedestrians are anticipated during night time working. Footways will remain open and any pedestrians to be escorted past the works. Narrow lane restrictions with reduced speed limit of 50mph will be implemented around roundabout during daytime for public safety. Traffic utilising diversion route through Chirk bridge to be controlled with the use of traffic lights and all vehicles are to be kept to the Chirk bound lane (South side/upstream side). Emergency vehicle access will be maintained for the duration of the works, if you need to enter the works area in an emergency situation please drive carefully through the works area and comply to the site speed limit. This information has been provided by Highways England Area 9 Stakeholder Liaison Manager For more details contact Kier Services I Highways www.kier.co.uk Parish Council Precept for the Year April 2017 –  March 2018 At our Parish Council meeting on 16th January 2017, councillors voted for an increase in our precept – the local portion of Council Tax that is raised from the homes in our Parish.  Central Government have imposed a maximum 2% increase that local government can raise their Council Tax, but in recent years Shropshire Council had chosen not to raise Council Tax at all, and consequently with the cuts to local government by Central Government, they now have insufficient funds to continue to maintain current services. As a result Shropshire Council want to pass responsibility for some services down to Town and Parish Councils.  Across the County this may include responsibilities for leisure centres, galleries and museums, libraries, bus services etc.  In our Parish it is the transfer of responsibility for maintaining our play areas and green spaces – Doctors Meadow, Birch Grove, Marches Meadow, Dunning Close, Bridge Inn Field and contributing to the Cliffe and Nesscliffe Heritage Site. These plans are in the early stage of discussion with Shropshire Council.  If the Parish Council do not take over responsibility, Shropshire Council will continue to maintain them, but at a very reduced and basic level for example they will carry out statutory safety checks, but will reduce the grass cutting and maintenance of equipment, leading to the risk of accidents and the loss of our facilities over time.  Shropshire Council will not be transferring any funding to our Parish, even if we choose to take on responsibility of any services. In parallel with this, Central Government has plans to also limit future Town and Parish Council Precept increases to 2%.  It is not clear when this change may be imposed or even if it ever will be.  But it has been under discussion for some time now. After much discussion at our meeting, the Parish Council concluded that it did not wish to lose our existing facilities, and  ensure that it had the funds available to take on these extra responsibilities, and sustain them, even if precept increases are limited in the future, the Parish Council had to increase our precept this year. The increase is, on average, an additional £14 over the year for each household, paid over 10 monthly instalments, or less than a cup of coffee a month.   Councillors appreciate that this increase is substantial; Shropshire Council will be increasing their portion of council tax too, including the extra percentage for Social Care across the county. Councillors hope that all Parishioners can understand the reasons for this increase, and will support this prudent approach, none of us will want to risk our play areas and green spaces falling into disrepair.  If it turns out that these extra funds are an over-estimate then future precepts can be adjusted accordingly. Report by Ros Slowley  (Chairperson) Councillors' contact details can be found on the website together with Council Minutes http://www.rxit.org.uk/pc/ PACE CAR STICKERS NOW AVAILABLE - A Local Iniatiative Many who attended the Safer Roads Meeting on 19th November 2016 or who have read the last Parish Council Newsletter ( http://bit.ly/RXIT_PC ) will be aware that we have been considering the use of Pace Car stickers. These go in the back window of cars in the community so that following cars know that we are complying with our Speed Limits.  These have now been delivered - email Mick Berry to get one; their FREE! (mick.berry@sky.com)  Ruyton-of-the-XI-Towns Independent [United Reformed Church] Chapel (Located in the lane opposite the Old School in School Road.) This chapel, costing £500, was erected in 1832-3, with seating for about 200 people. The chapel was still in use c. 2004. The Chapel and the grave yard are now for sale.  The United Reform Church are asking people to contact them if they have any graves there which they are concerned about. The Parish Council will continue to maintain the graveyard for the time being. URC can be contacted at the following address: Synod Office Digbeth in the Field URC Moat Lane Yardley Birmingham B26 1TW Tel:    0121 783 1177                                     E admin@urcwestmidlands.org.uk Have Your Say About the New Shropshire Council Bus Strategy Public transport provides access to essential services, including those more vulnerable and living in rural areas. Shropshire Council is facing considerable challenges and needs to set a strategy which ensures available budgets are spent in line with clearly defined local bus priorities.   Shropshire Council is currently asking for peoples' views on a new bus strategy. This proposes a number of objectives and priorities which will determine how budgets are allocated across countywide services and provide a robust process for decision making.   The strategy ca be viewed at http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/shropshire-bus-strategy-2017-2021/ where you will also find a link to a public online survey. Closing date for your responses is 13th February 2017 Healthwatch Shropshire wants to find out how well home care services are working across the county and whether people feel that the care they or their loved one receives is appropriate and effective. The number of people, especially older individuals, being helped and supported to live independently at home is increasing. This is especially true in Shropshire where latest population projections suggest that just over a third of county residents will be aged 65 or over by 2033.   Healthwatch Shropshire's priority is to find out how well home care is working locally in order to establish what needs improving and how examples of good practice can be shared.   People can let Healthwatch Shropshire know what they think about local services by phone 01743 237884, by email enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk or online www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk. The more comments received the more influence Healthwatch Shropshire has to improve services for local people.   Healthwatch Shropshire is the independent health and social care champion for people in Shropshire. It gathers the views and experiences of patients,  carers, and the general public about services,  including hospitals, GPs, mental health services, community health services, pharmacists, opticians, residential care and home care services.  It then makes reports and recommendations about how these services could or ought to be improved based on the information received from members of the public.   This is shared with providers and commissioners of services who have a statutory duty to listen to Healthwatch and act on the information it shares with them. For further information contact Jane Randall-Smith, Chief Officer using the contact details provided above.   Experiencing a Power Cut ! You can now telephone the new 105 service for help and assistance.  Find out more at www.energynetworks.org/info/powercut105.html Please find below the link to December's newsletter:   http://eepurl.com/cuErBv In this month's issue there is: News on the Commissioner's investment in body-worn cameras The government funding announcement Community engagement round-up Launch of drink-drive campaign A good news story from a grant recipient in Worcestershire   Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion is proposing significant new investment in local policing, alongside a freeze in the policing element of council tax for West Mercia in 2017/18. The Commissioner's budget plan has gone out for consultation with communities and partners until the 23rd of January. If approved by the Police and Crime Panel, it would represent an increase of £4.5m compared to this year's local policing budget. The Commissioner is proposing a budget which will ensure continued investment in West Mercia police, enabling greater efficiencies for the future whilst addressing the issues that matter most to the communities and ensuring better value for public money. He promised that he would make sure policing budgets were spent as wisely and efficiently as possible, before ever asking the communities of West Mercia for any more. With that in mind, he is proposing a freeze in the policing element of council tax for the coming financial year because he believes there are greater efficiencies that must be achieved. However, by utilising the healthy reserves the force has, 2017/18 would see a considerable increase in spending. The Commissioner also promised that he would reform and modernise the West Mercia police service. His budget proposals include major positive investments designed to improve police visibility in the communities, ensure better customer service and protect the most vulnerable people. It will also provide new fit-for-purpose technology that will bring it up to date and in-line with other forces in the UK, giving officers the tools they need to do their difficult jobs better. The Commissioner is consulting on his proposals and would welcome views from as many people as possible. To take part in the short survey, please follow this link - http://bit.ly/2iPnDdp West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner Tel: 01905 331 667 / Mob: 07976 865 264 (Apologies for the short notice; this is partly due to the issue of the newsletter.) YOUR NEXT RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL MEETING   All Parish Council meetings usually commence at 7.30p.m. and are held at the Victoria Room at Ruyton. A public session is held at the beginning of the official meeting, which is intended to encourage residents of the parish to bring up any local issues.   Parish Council meetings are scheduled to take place on:   Monday 13th February  2017 and  Monday 13th March 2017 Agendas for the meetings are uploaded to the website approximately a week before the meeting or can be found on your local council notice boards.   For further information please contact the Clerk Sue Hackett on Tel 01743 719012 E mail: ruytonxitownspc@btinternet.com         Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council now use  e-newsletters,  which contain the latest local news and information relating to our Parish. Hard copies of the newsletter can be found at Elevens Cafe, The Victoria Room and displayed on several public notice boards. For your own printed copy please apply to the Clerk Sue Hackett on Tel 01743 719012; however a charge will be made for printing and postage costs dependent on the length of the newsletter.  The Parish Council are very grateful in the excellent work carried out by Yoland Brown and Margaret Lycett who keep residents informed and would like to say a special thank you them both for their efforts. If you would like to sign up to this official Parish Council Newsletter mailing list then you can do so by clicking the link below. Sign up to Parish Council Mailing List Copyright © 2017 Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive News and Updates regarding Ruyton XI Towns. Our mailing address is: Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council Gonsal House Ryton Shrewsbury, Shropshire Sy5 7EX United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list