Annual Report 2006/2007
Issued to all residents in the village May 2007
1. Role of the Parish Council
There are currently three tiers of local government within the County, excluding the city. The County Council is responsible for some of the main aspects of national life, i.e. services for young people (e.g. schools and other education services, care for families and children), services for adults and the elderly (e.g. social care, disabled people), major environmental issues (e.g. road maintenance and traffic management, waste disposal, public transport) and working with the community (e.g. libraries, community safety and development, tourism, developing the local community).
The Borough Council administers a range of services including housing, community areas and leisure facilities (e.g. Keyworth Leisure Centre), planning applications and control of development, licensing, crime prevention and community safety, pollution control, collection and recycling of refuse, street cleaning and electoral registrations and elections.
Whilst having no executive power and minimum spending authority, the Parish Council of Stanton-on-the-Wolds plays a vital role in representing local issues and helping to improve the quality of life for parishioners. The Parish Council provides the opportunity for people to influence decisions that touch their lives. The Parish Council provides a conduit to the County Council and Borough Council.
2. Membership of the Parish Council
Your Parish Council members are volunteers elected or co-opted to serve a period of up to four years. The Councillors listed below were appointed in May 2003, or later if co-opted, and serve up to the date of the Annual Parish Meeting. Following a public notice seeking nominations to serve on the Parish Council from May 2007 up to May 2011, seven residents submitted nomination papers for seven Councillor positions, therefore there will be no requirement for an election on May 3rd. The newly appointed Councillors will have their first meeting after the Annual Parish Meeting.
Councillors 2006/07:
Chairman: Dennis Hackett; Vice-chair: Margaret Healy
Bryan Baines; Roy Butler; Jim Goodman; Alan Jackson; Alec McKee
The Parish Clerk is Mike Elliott, who is also clerk for other Parishes and who operates from 19-21 Main Street, Keyworth, telephone 937 6506. Mr Elliott is a qualified clerk in that he passed with honours his examination in Local Council Administration.
3. Planning
The broad aim of the Parish Council in terms of planning is to keep Stanton-on-the-Wolds a pleasant place to live avoiding inappropriate development. The Parish Council is asked by Rushcliffe Borough Council to comment on planning applications within the Parish boundary. Applications can be for new build, extensions, etc. The Parish Council is only advisory to the Borough Council, the final decision on each application rests with them.
Parish Council’s comments are submitted to the Borough for their consideration. When considering planning applications, the Parish Council takes into account the following:
- that the proposed development, in terms of size, location and design is in keeping with the character of existing properties and the surrounding area
- that there is no over-development of the plot
- that the proposed development does not have an overshadowing or overbearing effect on neighbouring properties
- that there will be no detrimental impact on the privacy of neighbouring properties
- that the proposed development does not create a terracing effect
- that appropriate access and parking have been allowed for in the plans
The Chairman normally visits or contacts the neighbour(s) adjacent to the property for which planning approval is being sought.
4. Report on Activities in 2006/2007
Residents were informed of the decision to publish a book on the history of the village in the 2005/06 Annual Report. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the compilers/editors, Alan and Val Hunt of Melton Road, the speed of publication exceeded all expectations and the book was written and published within six months. A successful celebratory launch was held on August the 8th at the Golf Club attended by around 120 residents and guests. The Parish Council is indebted to County Councillor John Cottee who secured a grant of £1000 from the County Council towards publication costs and to two local residents who generously donated £700. Every household in the village received a free copy of the history. The book has attracted a lot of local interest with 210 copies sold up to the time of this report, an excellent achievement. Articles about the book have appeared in Nottinghamshire publications and a letter of congratulations was received from our local Member of Parliament, The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke.
Parish Council Website
Preliminary work on a website began in January and, yet again, the Parish Council is grateful to Alan and Val Hunt who have designed and populated the website, in consultation with the Parish Council. It is expected that the website will go live by the date of the Annual Parish Meeting with the address as www.stantononthewoldsparishcouncil.gov.uk The website will contain information on the council, minutes of meetings, planning, activities in the neighbouring area, footpaths, photographs, the first known map of the village (1763) and there will be provision for comments to be sent on-line to the Parish Clerk.
Parish Council on Television
Councillors arriving at All Saints Church and part of a Parish Council meeting appeared on television on November 9th. Parish Clerk, Mike Elliott, who covers thirteen other parishes, was the subject of a topic on the ITV programme "Heart of the Country" when he was billed as the UK's busiest parish clerk. Stanton on the Wolds was chosen by the television company as one of the two parishes for filming of meetings which actually took place in July.
Speed limits for Melton Road and Browns Lane and
the Willow Brook/Nicker Hill junction.
After many years of lobbying by the Parish Council and individuals, the County Council have agreed that there should be lower speed limits on Melton Road and Browns Lane. However the Parish Council is disappointed that the proposals for these speed limits of 40 mph and 30 mph on Melton Road and Browns Lane do not extend for the entire lengths of these roads through the village. Rushcliffe Borough Council has supported the Parish Council in asking the County Council to review their proposals for the speed limits. Residents will be kept informed via the bi-monthly newsletter.
On a less satisfactory note, further representations to the County Council for warning signs at the Willow Brook/Nicker Hill junction were rejected. A letter from the Chairman of the Parish Council in the March issue of the "Keyworth News" explained action taken by the Parish Council over a number of years. The letter stated that the Parish Council has requested vertical slow signs, a mirror, a change in the traffic priority and latterly slow 'pads' on the road surface. The County Council has turned down all of these suggestions. The Parish Council will continue to monitor this matter.
5. Community Partnership
The Neighbourhood Watch is a scheme that has been in operation in Stanton-in the-Wolds since the late 1980s. Initially there were two separate schemes, one based on Stanton Lane and the other on the far end of Browns Lane and Melton Road. More recently the two schemes amalgamated and at the same time the scheme has expanded to cover most of the village and part of Nicker Hill (Keyworth). Very few houses in the village are outside the scheme.
Neighbours group together to watch out for each other’s houses, but in return also receive valuable information from the police about known local criminal activities. The police are very supportive of Neighbourhood Watch and many insurance companies offer discount on house insurance if the property is within the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Two meetings of neighbours are held each year, normally at the Golf Club in January and July. Dr Paul Roebuck, who would be pleased to hear from potential new members via the Parish Clerk, administers the scheme.
6. Financial Report for 2005/06
Parish Councils are required to provide parishioners with details of expenditure and the annual precept i.e. the grant received from Rushcliffe Borough Council. Expenditure during 2006/07 financial year was £7,454.90 and this level of expenditure is unusually high as it includes the cost of the publication of the village history book which came to a total of £3,400. However sales of the book and grants/donations attracted income of £2,750. The Parish Council's precept for 2006/07 financial year was £4,542 which is the same in 2007/08 financial year. The Parish Clerk will present a detailed financial report for 2006/07 as a separate agenda item at the Annual Parish Meeting.
For More Information Contact:
Stanton on the Wolds Parish Council
Clerk to the Council, 19-21 Main Street, Keyworth
Tel: 0115 937 6506