PILL PAPER COPY FOR APRIL 2009

 

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

 

Parish Council Budget and Your Council Tax  Part of your Council Tax is calculated as a result of the sum allocated by North Somerset to the Parish Council to meet its budget plans for the forthcoming year. As announced in the last Pill Paper, the Parish Council decided not to ask for an increase this year. As a result there has been a (slight) decrease in this part of your Council Tax. The figures are as follows (with last year’s amounts in brackets):- Band A £32.52 (£32.75), Band B £37.94 (£38.21), Band C £43.36 (£43.67), Band D £48.78 (£49.13), Band E £59.63 (£60.04) Band F £70.47 (£70.96), Band G £81.31 (£81.88), Band H £97.57 (£98.25).

 

Longshore (beyond Avon Road  Concern has been expressed to the Council about damage being done to the fences, marshes and footpaths at Longshore by the increased number of motorised vehicles, as well as the noise nuisance to nearby residents. The Council has no wish to stop youngsters enjoying themselves in this way, and is aware that many of the youngsters are just using this land to gain access to the area nearer and underneath the M5, which seems an eminently suitable place to “scramble”. We are in discussion with the Port Company, who we hope will have no objection to this. We intend to repair the broken fence where access is being gained from the cycle track, and an the corner of the field where Avon Road and Marine Parade meet where we intend to put a stile (and organise a big clear up of rubbish that has been dumped there). We also hope to put a fence and stile further along footpath from the bank to the shoreline so that there will no longer be access to the main part of the field (which, believe it or not, happens to be a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, which the Parish Council has a responsibility to maintain as such!). This will not prevent youngsters from continuing to get to the main area of their activity by going along the cycle track (but under 50cc only!) and under the M5. We should be very grateful if parents could reinforce this message. We should also be very happy to receive any comments on these plans at the Annual Parish Meeting (see below).

 

Village Sundial  This has been completely renovated, thanks to the work of local craftsman Dennis Symes, and has already received favourable comments. The project was initiated by the Community Forum at the request of the Parish Council. The main grant for the work came from YANSEC, with smaller grants from the Co-op and the Parish Council, and a number of donations from the Pill Hobblers, Evergreen, Ovengleam, Vale Vets and Pill Table Tennis Club.

 

Annual Parish Meeting on Monday, 27^th April  This meeting is the annual opportunity for the community to comment on the work of the Parish Council, and raise any matters of local concern or interest. Councillors will report on what has happened over the past year, provide details of income and expenditure, outline plans for the future, including the budget for 2009/10. There will also be an opportunity for updates from groups that the Council supports, including the Community Forum, the Friends of Watchhouse Hill and the Resource Centre. The meeting will start at 8 p.m. in the Community Centre, with a glass of wine or fruit juice from 7.30 p.m.

(N.B. The March Pill Paper mistakenly had the date for this meeting as the 28^th April).