Launch
of the first Parish Council Newsletter which consists of a double sided A4 sheet. SHURDINGTON PARISH
COUNCIL
Signed by Mrs J A Sobey |
| YOUR PARISH COUNCIL As you may remember elections were called last May for both the Tewkesbury Borough and Shurdington Parish Councils. As the response to the call for candidates from Shurdington was less that the number of seats to be contested no election was necessary; indeed the Parish Council had to seek the co-option of two members at the first meeting of the Council. The Parish Council meets on a monthly basis, at 7.3O p.m. (Ed: now 7pm) on the second Monday of the month in the Sports Pavilion on t~e King George's Field behind the Bell public house (Ed: now the Link Room of the Social Centre). The business to be conducted at each meeting is displayed on an Agenda published some four days in advance of the meeting on the village noticeboards at the village Post Office and at the junction of Lambert Gardens and the main road. Time is set aside at each meeting to allow public participation as the rules of local government debar public comment during the actual business session of the Council. You do therefore have the opportunity to hear full debate of matters by your Councillors and additionally have the opportunity to air your views or seek the assistance of the Council with problems you may be experiencing. WHAT DOES YOUR COUNCIL DO? Probably the most visible signs of your Council's work are the grass cutting throughout the village and the monthly skip service. If it were not for your Council taking responsibility for grass cutting then the village green, the roadside verges and the areas of grass throughout the village would simply become overgrown as the only responsibility of the County Council is to cut to 'road safety standards', which means if a driver can see above the grass then it does not need cutting. In addition your Parish Council has undertaken a tree and bulb planting programme over the years and the benefits of this programme can be seen by all, especially so in the Spring when the daffodils are in bloom. |
| The skip service is a contract service placed by your Council to assist
residents in disposing of bulky of rubbish and seeing the skip filled to overflowing each
month witnesses the need for such a service. Hopefully it also reduces the need for garden
bonfires, which cause so much anguish to neighbours. What else does your Council do? Well perhaps less obvious but just as essential is the financial support given to various groups within the village. Your Council supports the village Playgroup, the Youth Club, the Scout & Guide Group and the Golden Link. In doing this the Council aims to support the complete spread of age groups within the village and ensures the continuance of these activities. Each group submits its accounts for inspection by the Council at budget making time each year and each group is quite adamant that without the Council's support the activity would fail. On average some three or four planning applications are considered at each Council meeting. Every application appertaining to development or change of use of a property within Shurdington is examined and considered by the Parish Council. Whilst a Parish Council is not a planning authority and cannot therefore Refuse or Permit a planning application it does however have the right to make comments and observations on all planning applications within the parish. These comments or observations are then put before the Borough Planning Committee who make the final decision. Planning decisions are based on planning policies formulated by the Borough Planning Committee and for us here in Shurdington the adherence to these policies, especially the policy giving protection to the Green Belt, is crucial. Plans accompanying planning applications are always available at the Parish Council meeting for inspection by residents. |
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