Rolleston Parish Council News 2005

CHAIRMAN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Once again we in Rolleston are preparing to enjoy Christmas in this lovely village. For many it is a religious festival crucial to their faith, for others a welcome time to relax from the stresses of modern life. For most Christmas represents an opportunity to spend time with family and close friends.

As we enjoy Christmas we are conscious of those who are not so fortunate and who will be alone either here at home or abroad. We think especially of the recently bereaved and those traumatized by disasters both natural and manmade.

YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
At the November Parish Council meeting members welcomed Michelle Cheung as the new Youth Representative. Michelle attends de Ferrers Technology College. We hope that Michelle will enjoy her time spent with the Council.

The Parish Council still has one vacancy for another Youth Representative. If you are between 16 -18 years of age, in full time education and a resident of Rolleston why not join us. The Youth Representative input is greatly valued. If you are interested and want more information then please contact the Parish Clerk at the address at the end of this Newsletter.

WANTED
Do you know of anyone who would be prepared to tackle the repainting of the railings along Burnside? This work will be shortly put out to tender by being advertised in the local newspaper. If you are interested in this contract would you please contact the Parish Clerk by the end of January 2006.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
Residents may be wondering what has happened to the plans for the cycle way on the trail. This project has been put on hold pending the outcome of the Modification Order to turn the Jinny Trail into a Bridleway.

Stretton and Rolleston on Dove Parish Councils have formally objected to the Modification Order and it is understood that it is highly likely there will be a Public Inquiry into this case. The result of the Public Inquiry will be final.

ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELD
The second proposed path on the playing field is progressing. The Parish Council is in the process of obtaining funding. Once the funding has been secured then the contractor will be instructed to proceed as soon as possible. Hopefully the second path will be in before the weather gets too bad.

SPEED WATCH
Speed Watch is a scheme that is being run by the Police in partnership with local Parish Councils. The scheme has been launched to help rural villages help themselves in combating speeding vehicles through their villages. Kings Bromley was the first village in this area to take the opportunity of this scheme.

The Parish Council Chairman visited Abbotts Bromely who is involved in the Speed Watch scheme. She went to see at first hand how the system works. She reported back to the Council and along with the views from other village organisations it was agreed that this parish should become involved.

The scheme involves six volunteers from this area who will be provided with training from the Police and fluorescent jackets. Speed Watch is intended to be an advisory scheme with information being passed to the police of motorists who are speeding. If the motorist repeats the offence then the police become more involved.

The equipment costs around £400. Two volunteers work at any one time on roads that have been highlighted as having a speeding problem. Speed Watch can only be used on roads with a 30mph or 40mph speed restriction and it is not suitable for ‘A’ class roads.

We are now in the process of asking for volunteers to come forward who are willing to help with the Speed Watch scheme. If you are interested or just want more information then please contact the Parish Clerk.

FLOOD WARDENS
That time of year again! Once again the Parish Council would like to remind residents that sand and bags are available from the Brookhouse Hotel. They are located around the back of the hotel. The sand and bags are stored separately as their shelf-life is much longer this way. Residents will need to make the sand bags up for use.

The village is fortunate to have six volunteers to act as Flood Wardens. There are still some vulnerable areas that are not covered by Flood Wardens; they are: -

If there are any residents who are willing to help and become a Flood Warden then please contact the Parish Clerk.

PROPOSED VILLAGE SURGERY
It is understood from Prime Development that the Surgery is still progressing.

YOUTH PROJECTS
The Parish Council is looking for projects to be considered under their Youth Grant scheme. Any group or individual within the village can apply and anyone wishing to set up a facility for the youth can also apply. Application forms can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.

TRAVELLING LIBRARY
At the July Parish Council meeting Mrs. Rees-Jones, Principal Librarian, spoke about Staffordshire County Councils proposals to update Rolleston’s library service.

The new large Travelling Library is the equivalent of a small branch library on wheels. It would be available for residents to use for 10 hours a week from 9.30am – 7.30pm. The new library will be situated on Rolleston Club’s car park.

The new library will include two public access PCs with Internet access via wireless technology.

The Parish Council have been assured that the Travelling Library will still provide a door-to-door service for the less able resident.

YOUTH REPRESENTATIVES
Clare Pidsley recently attended her last Parish Council meeting as our Youth Representative. Clare has been with the Parish Council for just under a year. She worked well with other members of the Parish Council and represented the youth of this village with enthusiasm.

One thing that has changed during Clare’s time on the Council is that it has been agreed to have two Youth Representatives on the Council instead of the one as in the past. It is quite intimidating for one youth representative to attend meetings on his or her own so it was felt that two would help this situation.

ACCOUNTS & AUDIT REGULATIONS 2003
The Annual Audit will take place on 15th September. The Council’s Accounts for the year ending 31/3/05 were approved at the meeting held on 9th May 2005.

YOUTH GRANT
The Parish Council is now looking to help support other groups with their Youth Grant. The Groups don’t necessary have to be established Groups. If you have an idea for a youth project and you need help getting it off the ground this may be away forward.

Last year the Parish Council supported two groups. Rolleston Cricket Club was granted £500 to purchase a Table Tennis table and relevant equipment that included junior cues.

Rolleston Club were granted £200 to purchase snooker cues and a small set of bowls.

Application forms for the Youth Grant are available at the Parish Council Office.

ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELD
It has been proposed that a second tarmac path be installed from the Beacon Road entrance to the playing field that links to the main entrance.

This path would help support pupils who wish to make use of the back entrance to school from Beacon Road.

BT – PAYPHONE – BEACON DRIVE
Members of the Parish Council have agreed to support BT’s proposals to turn the payphone on Beacon Drive into a cashless payment option phone. The proposal is that the phone would no longer accept cash payment but still has all other functionality including the ability to make emergency, operator controlled, reverse charges, credit card and Charge card calls.

PROPOSED DOCTOR’S SURGERY – PUBLIC MEETING
As previously reported in past Rollestonians Prime Development is proposing to develop on land between the Scout Headquarters and 97 Station Road.

Prime Development is now in a position to hold a public meeting that will allow villagers an opportunity to view plans and discuss concerns.

The public meeting has been arranged for Wednesday 8th June 2005 at St. Mary’s Church from 6.30pm – 8.30pm with a brief introduction at 7.00pm.

ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
The Annual Parish Council Meeting was held on Monday, 9th May 2005. At this Meeting, Vicki Trelinska was elected Chairman with Beryl Toon as Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council. This is the first time in the history of Rolleston Parish Council that not only has a woman been elected as Chairman but also Vice-Chairman.

FOOTPATH WALKS
The following dates were agreed for this year’s footpath walks: -

BULKY HOUSE WASTE
The date for the ‘Bulky Waste’ collection is Saturday 27th August 2005. The skip will be located behind the Spread Eagle Island from 9.00am – 2.00pm.

PARISH PLAN – STATUS – MARCH 2005
(Actions not prioritised)
	Actions	Status
1	Improved facilities at Elizabeth Avenue Playing Fields.	Metalled path and hard standing complete. Further surfaced paths planned. Working towards installing new equipment.
2	Improved access at Elizabeth Avenue Playing Fields.	As above.
3	Restoration of street scene in Brookside.	Some setts re-laid, restoration of verges not complete.
4	Progressive introduction of wildflowers to Brook Hollows and Croft.	Further plant introduction has been completed and is continuing.
5	Co-operation with neighbouring parishes.	PC Chairman has met neighbouring parish Councils/Chairmen. A regular series of meetings of PC Chairmen/women is planned.
6	Long-term aim of single site new school.	Have tried for more than 6 months to arrange a meeting with County Education Dept without success.
7	Carry out survey of youth facilities.	Initial survey completed. Appendix to Parish Plan required. Further in-school meetings are being arranged. A youth club seems may not be appropriate. A grant application (BIFFA) is being compiled to finance church hall improvements to include internet cafe facilities.
8	Set up a Youth Club if desirable. Introduce facilities for young people.
9	Drain Craythorne football field.	Principal drain completely re-laid. The pitch is greatly improved. The extent of further work needed is being assessed for a grant application.
10	Introduce kissing gates on footpaths for less able access.	Ongoing. 3 have been introduced. Other locations are planned.
11	Consider a pavement for Anslow Lane.	Have had this put on County Council list.
12	Consider the future of the Jinny Trail in relation to cyclists; hold public meeting.	Held public meeting. PC decided to introduce a cycle path and action is planned. Adjoining parish is committed to similar action. Project is on hold whilst planning appeals on the status of the trail are decided.
13	Introduce all weather paths from Elizabeth Avenue to Craythorne.	Work is planned, application for a separate grant as part of a project combined with 9 above. is being considered.
14	Support existing shops/introduce new.	PC strongly objected to change of use of old Post Office from commercial to residential.
15	Doctor’s surgery.	A windfall! The local health trust have applied to establish a purpose built health centre in the village which the Parish Plan already shows is well supported by the village. The Parish Council have strongly supported the plan, have had meetings with the developer and have insisted on a public meeting to inform residents - this is planned for the near future.
16	Install traffic calming on Church Road.	Complete.
17	Expand recycling in the village.	This is a Borough Council responsibility. Have lobbied the BC and tabled relevant questions at joint meetings.
18	Set up network of Flood Wardens.	The network is in place (5 wardens). Ideally we need at least 3 more wardens.

TEXT AND SHOES RECYCLING – ESBC
In an effort to divert valuable materials from landfill the waste team is supporting Staffordshire Textiles (www.staffordshiretextiles.com) to trial a kerbside collection of textiles and shoes in Rolleston on Dove. The details of the trial are as follows: -

Time: Ensure that your clean, reusable clothes and paired shoes are out for collection by no later than 8am

Alderbrook Close - Beacon Drive - Beacon Road - Bladon’s Yard - Brookside - Burnside
Chapel Lane - Church Road - Croft Close - Dodslow Avenue - Eland Street - Dove Lea
Elizabeth Avenue - Fairfield Avenue - Forest School Street - Garretts Square - Field Drive - Glebe Close
Hall Road Hawksley Drive Knowles Hill Marston Lane Needwood Avenue Meadow View
Neville Close - School Lane - South Hill - Station Road - The Lawns - Hall Grounds
Twentylands - Walford Road

Benefits: Residents will be actively taking part in reuse and recycling and will also be raising funds for the village, as Staffordshire Textiles will donate £100 per tonne for the materials collected through the trial to Rolleston Parish Council.

Information gathered from the trial will be considered when looking at other textiles and shoe recycling initiatives in the future.

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Methodist Schoolroom, Chapel Lane on Monday, 18th April 2005 commencing at 7.30 pm. At the Parish Meeting, reports are given by the Chairman of the Parish Council, Borough and County Councillors, John of Rolleston School Governor, Civic Trust, Village Design Statement Group and RODSEC.

As far as local government is concerned, Parish Meetings are unique events; at no other level does the elector have the opportunity of putting forward propositions on local affairs. The number of electors taking advantage of this opportunity varies greatly from year to year. In a year where there are contentious issues, it is usual to have a good attendance. Currently there are many important issues affecting the village that you may want to discuss – flooding, proposed Doctors Surgery or College Playing Field.

PARISH COUNCIL BUDGET
At the January meeting of the Parish Council, a budget of £44,795 was set for the next financial year with a precept totalling £36,000, no increase from the previous year.

LYCH GATE
It is hoped that the work to the new Lych Gate panels will be completed by May.

DOCTOR’S SURGERY
As previously reported in the Rollestonian Prime Development is proposing to develop on land between the Scout Headquarters and 97 Station Road.

The latest information is that Prime Development are still planning a Public Meeting to discuss their proposals with the village but as yet they are not in a position to release a date.

TRAFFIC CALMING – CHURCH ROAD
Staffordshire County Council has now completed the traffic calming along Church Road.

ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELD
The Parish Council has recently provided a new set of football goalposts for future David Beckhams to practise.

As reported in the last edition of the Rollestonian the Parish Council has supported the proposals made by John of Rolleston Primary School to open up the back entrance to the school to help ease congestion on Chapel Lane and School Lane.

The Parish Council has now provided, on Elizabeth Avenue Playing Field, a parent waiting area. This will link up with the path that has been laid on the school grounds. Two new benches have also been provided on the parents waiting area.

ANSLOW LANE
It is understood that the proposed footway along Anslow Lane is moving forward. With the help of the Anslow Lane Residents Association all residents along the Lane have now been consulted.

The progression of the footway is now in the hands of Staffordshire County Council.

OVERGROWN HEDGES
Members of the Parish Council are being constantly pressed by residents to report on problems being experienced by pedestrians and car users due to hedges that overhang the footway and roads. If your hedge is causing such a problem, could you please attend to it?

BONFIRES
The Parish Office has recently received complaints of inconsiderate use of domestic bonfires. Below is East Staffordshire Borough Council ‘Good Bonfire Charter’ for resident’s information: -

1. Warn your neighbours before you have a bonfire
2. Avoid burning: - when it is windy – when air quality is poor or very poor
3. Never burn: - rubber tyres – painted objects – anything containing plastic or foam
4. Never use engine oil, meth's or petrol to light a fire or keep it going
5. Do not leave a fire unattended or leave it to smoulder. Douse with water if necessary

East Staffordshire Borough Council has also provided this following information: -

‘Domestic Bonfires – There is no law restricting when you can have a domestic bonfire. It is important however, to ensure a bonfire is carried out in a responsible way and with consideration to others. ESBC can take action if the bonfire is proven to be causing a Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Some factors that affect whether a bonfire is likely to be a statutory nuisance include: regularity (how often bonfires are taking place), the size of the bonfire, the amount of smoke being produced, the duration (how long the bonfire is burning for), the proximity to neighbouring properties. In order to be a statutory nuisance the bonfire must be affecting the use or enjoyment of other properties.’

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
The Parish Council Office has received further complaints that some dog owners are allowing their dogs off the lead and allowing their dogs to foul Craythorne Field. There are three ‘Dog Byelaw Signs’ in place to remind dog owners of the byelaws. Just recently there has been some disturbing incidents with irresponsible dog owners and the junior football team. This was brought to the attention of the Parish Council at the last meeting and members wish to urge residents to report incident of dog fouling to the Parish Council Office if the dog owner can be identified.

NEW PARISH COUNCILLOR
At the December Parish Council meeting Mrs. Shiela Redgrave was formally co-opted onto the Parish Council. A vacancy had emerged following the resignation of Mr. John Hayes.

John Morris, Chairman
Wally Hodson Walker, Vice-Chairman
Vicki Trelinska Beryl Toon
Ken Bradley Marek Trelinski
Andy Starbuck John Westwood
Paul Taylor Jamie Winstone