Rolleston-on-Dove Parish Council
News 2007

NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2007

CHAIRMANS CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
As the Chairman of your new Parish Council I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the wonderful team we have and of how committed they are and our excellent Clerk are in ensuring that your interests are paramount in any decisions.

In our lovely village, so many people give freely of their time and work tirelessly through the various organisations. This community spirit is what makes our village what it is…special. So I would like to thank them and give the Parish Councils continued support to them for all their good work.

Our community spirit is to be envied. Events such as the Heritage Weekend demonstrate the passion for village life. The young and the old joined together, worked together and enjoyed themselves together in a celebration of all this is traditional village life and thankfully the weather was kind to us!

As we look forward there are many other events to be enjoyed; the jazz night, the Angels in Church and the WI Christmas Fair but the highlight must be Christmas itself. The beauty of a family Christmas spent in our delightful rural village surrounded by the ones we care for the most cannot be compared.

So I wish you one and all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Beryl Toon
Chairman of Rolleston on Dove Parish Council

COMPLETION OF THE ANNUAL AUDIT 2006/07
The External Auditor has now completed work on the 2006/07 Annual Return for the year ending on 31st March 2007. The External Auditor has confirmed that on the basis of their review the information contained in the annual return is in accordance with the Audit Commissions requirements and no matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.

Statement of Accounts

HIGHWAYS ISSUES
The Parish Council are still pursuing several outstanding issues with Staffordshire County Council with regards to improvements being made to both our roads and footways. Issues include, installation of “No Access to HGV’s” signs being erected at the Church Road/Marston Lane junction, and the installation of hard standing at our village bus stops.

CLARENCE
CLARENCE is the Customer Lighting and Roads Enquiry Centre for Staffordshire County Council and takes reports for Highways defects and street lighting faults throughout the County. Issues can be reported by telephone: 0800 232323 or via email Clarence@staffordshire.gov.uk

DOG FOULING
Dog Fouling is a subject that disgusts most residents, dog owners and none dog owners alike. Yet unfortunately is an issue that needs to be raised once again, following a recent increase in the amount of faeces on the footway. The Parish council would like to urge the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to clear up after their dog. It is an offence not to clear up after your dog and the Parish Council have now asked East Staffordshire Borough Council Enforcements Department to intervene. 

MEADOW VIEW PLAY AREA
Following the recent installation of the new Toddler and Junior Play Areas within the Westbury Homes Development, members of the Parish Council are currently considering the future of the existing Meadow View Play Area. The Parish Council are open to suggestions for its use. Would you like to see it remain as a play area? Or do you have any suggestions for the use of the space? Please put forward any suggestions to the Clerk by the end of January 2008. 

VILLAGE POLICE SERVICE
Following the loss of Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Millington who joined the Police Force in the summer of 2006, Rolleston has been without a PCSO for over 12 months. The issue is still very much on the minds of the Parish Council and the need for a replacement PCSO is being pursued with Staffordshire Police. 

PARISH COUNCIL CLERK REPORTS & MINUTES
Copies of the Clerks Reports, Agendas and Minutes can be downloaded from the village website: www.rolleston.org.uk

NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2007

FLOODING
Unfortunately the recent severe weather has posed potential problems with those households most vulnerable to flood risk. However, despite the very poor weather and heavy rainfall we have received no reports of flooding to property. A very big thank-you should be conveyed to those who recently spent their morning, making sand bags and helping those most at risk to safeguard their properties. The morning of 25th June, saw over 6 tonnes of sand being made into sandbags in less than two hours! Although a big thank-you to all of those involved a special mention must be made to the developers of the Alders Reach Development, Living By D’Zign, who generously donated 4 tonnes of sand in order to help local residents build their flood defences. Sandbags continue to be provided by the Borough Council and thanks are due to Mr. John Westwood for continuing to allow storage on his property.

VILLAGE CLEAN UP 
The Annual Village Clean up Day took place on Saturday 19th May and was well attended. The Parish Council would like to extend a big thank-you to those who donned their wellies and supported the event. A good effort was made to clear the brook and the skip could have been filled several times over. Once again thank-you to all of those who contributed to making the clean up a big success.

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 in various locations around the village. We would like to urge the owners of the offending hedges to make the necessary cut backs. 

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
The Parish Council have recently been advised and seen evidence of Quad bikes using the Craythorne Field. The use of these vehicles is strictly forbidden on the field and against the byelaws. The Parish Council will prosecute anyone proven to have broken the byelaws.

ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELD
Unfortunately we have recently experienced a couple of acts of vandalism within the field, with damage being caused to the skate ramp and some areas being daubed with graffiti. The Parish Council will continue to make every effort to remedy the situations as soon as possible after they occur. However, it must be understood that works cost a considerable amount of money, and therefore it is essential that if you witness any incidents of anti-social behaviour taking place within the field or within the village that you inform the police. 

WESTBURY HOMES PLAY AREAS
Both the Toddlers and junior play areas within the development are now near to completion. It is anticipated that the works should be finished by the time this goes to print! The Parish Council have agreed to review the future of the existing Meadow View Play area within the next few months, as the nearby developments will have much newer and superior equipment to that on the Meadow View Site.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL – PUBLIC INQUIRY
Following an application for the Jinny Nature Trail to become a Public Bridleway between Dovecliff Road, Rolleston on Dove and Bitham Lane, Stretton, a Public Inquiry was held on Wednesday 11th April and Thursday 12th April 2007. A number of representations were made at the inquiry both for and against the proposed bridleway, and Rolleston and Stretton Parish Councils jointly appointed a barrister to present the case of the Parish Councils. Members of the Parish Council are delighted that the application was refused, and the Jinny Nature Trail will therefore remain as intended, a nature trail. 

THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT ORDER 2007
All members of the Parish Council formally agreed to adopt the changes being made to the code of conduct during the Parish Council meeting held on Monday 14th May. All members have signed declarations accepting the changes.

ANNUAL AUDIT FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2007
An internal audit has now taken place for the Parish Councils accounts for the year ending 31st March 2007. The Annual Return Form has now been forwarded to the Audit Commission for the External Auditors completion

SCC – VARIOUS ISSUES
The Parish Council continue to press the County Council for the resolution of many outstanding issues within the village. Progress is at times slow, but it is hoped that the following issues will be resolved shortly:-

• Marston Lane: the County Council has agreed to erect signs at the Church Road junction to Marston Lane advising that the lane is not suitable for HGV’s. The residents of both Marston Lane & Glebe Close have been experiencing issues for a long time now with HGV’s making dangerous manoeuvres and causing damage to the footways.

• Church Road Resurfacing: We have been advised that this issue will be reviewed again in 12 months time.

• Bus Stops: the County Council has agreed to erect hard standing at all of our bus stops.

• Double Yellow Lines: the double yellow lines outside of the Old Post Office leading to the junction of Croft Close are to be reinstated shortly.

CONSERVATION AREA REVIEW DOCUMENTS
After over 12 months, the village Conservation Area Review Documents have been passed and adopted by ESBC. Recruitment is currently underway by the Borough Council for the positions of Urban Design Officer and Conservation Assistant.

SHOTWOOD CLOSE GRASS CUTTING
The Parish Council has been inundated with requests for help from residents with regards to the grass cutting at Shotwood Close. Currently, the Parish Council are only responsible for the cutting of the left and right hand verge as you enter the close. Confusingly, other areas within the close fall under several different authorities to maintain. The section of land that has been the main area of dispute is the open space within the close, where the grass has been left to grow over 3ft high! We can confirm that the responsible authority has now passed a works instruction to their contractor for this area to be cut. In the meantime, we will continue to press for the other sections of land to be maintained by the relevant authorities.

BUS SERVICES
Unfortunately one of the bus companies serving the village has recently made major cuts which were strongly opposed by the Parish Council which wanted all Rolleston bus services to be maintained. The Parish Council is conscious of the impact on the community of the loss of the direct service to the hospital and the curtailment of services to the Walford Road area. Attempts have been made by the Parish Council to source an alternative bus company to service the needs of the village, but unfortunately our efforts have been to no avail. 

DOCTORS SURGERY
A recent petition orchestrated by the Parish Council received over 800 signatures of support for the need of a Doctors Surgery within Rolleston. We have again lobbied both the South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust and the Tutbury Practice to move the project forwards, but have been advised that the likelihood of Rolleston having a Doctors Surgery within the next few years is relatively slim. 

ANNUAL FOOTPATH WALKS
The Annual Footpath walks recently took place and there was little to report with regards to footpaths in need of repair. The Parish Council has recently received a grant of £1,400 from Staffordshire County Council for the works identified during the 2006 footpath walks. Repair works have commenced and are being carried out by Burton Conservation Volunteers. The grant has allowed us to install new gates along footpath 7 which runs from Brookside all the way through to Marston Lane. The gates mean that access is now more easily available to those with pushchairs and makes the footpaths more accessible for the walking disabled. 

NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2007

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Monday 23rd April in St. Marys Church. Reports on the year’s annual activities were made by Mrs. V. Trelinska, Chairman, Rolleston on Dove Parish Council, Dr. M. Trelinski, Borough Councillor, Mr. R. Gawthorpe, Chairman, Civic Trust, Mr. A. Partington on behalf of the Village Design Statement Group, Mr. P. Martin on behalf of RODSEC and Mr. D. Barker on behalf of St Marys Church.

PLANNING
The Parish Council continues to consider all planning applications in the Parish at its monthly meetings and comments are promptly sent into the Planning Department at the Borough Council. Planning issues continue to stimulate considerable debate in Rolleston as they do in most villages. Most applications concern individual households and their immediate neighbours only. Some however are of more importance to the whole village such as the recent proposals for a Doctors Surgery in Station Road. The Borough Councils local plan for the Borough was approved last summer and has helped to protect the village when dealing with various planning pressures.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
The Jinny Nature Trail continues to be managed jointly by its owners Stretton Parish Council and Rolleston on Dove Parish Council who try to meet several times each year at a joint meeting to discuss progress. Most of the real work is done by the Burton Conservation Volunteers ably led by Laurence Oates whose contribution to the enhancement of the wonderful facility remains immeasurable. A public enquiry held during April heard representations regarding the proposal of the trail to a bridleway. Rolleston and Stretton Parish Councils were opposed to the proposals and instructed a barrister to make our case. We will probably not hear the decision for another 2 – 3 months. Once a decision has been made the Parish Council will again approach Sustrans to see what will be required to develop the project for a cycleway on the trail.

BUS SHELTERS
The Parish Council continues to maintain the bus shelters in the village and continues to be constantly in receipt of requests for provision of further shelters in various village locations. Progress in recent years has been held back by various issues such as the availability of land. The Parish Council will need to make a provision over the next few years to replace some of the existing shelters which are reaching the end of their useful lifespan.

BUS SERVICES
Rolleston is fortunate to have a better bus service than many villages in East Staffordshire. Unfortunately one of the bus companies serving the village has recently made major cuts which were strongly opposed by the Parish Council which wanted all Rolleston bus services to be maintained. The Parish Council is conscious of the impact on the community of the loss of the direct service to the hospital and the curtailment of services to the Walford Road area. 

During the past year the Parish Council has received numerous requests for improvements to the standing areas by village bus stops. These have all been forwarded to the County Council with requests for action. For many years there has been a campaign for a bus stop at the junction of Elizabeth Avenue and Burnside. The County Council had always refused this on safety grounds and a majority of the Parish Council had agreed with the County Council although continuing to pass on requests for action to the County. This year however the County Council agreed to put in a new bus stop as requested and this has worked well proving that the Parish Council must always continue to listen to the public!

DOCTORS SURGERY
There is widespread support in Rolleston for the idea of a village surgery and this has been supported by the Parish Council. The planning application submitted was subsequently withdrawn, following 60 objections, including that of the Environment Agency. The Parish Council has recently circulated a petition around the village to demonstrate the support for a surgery on a suitable site. To date over 800 signatures have been collected. Future progress will depend on finding a practice willing to come to Rolleston and on finding a suitable site acceptable both to the practice, the planning department and the village community.

VILLAGE POLICE SERVICE
The Parish Council has maintained a good relationship with our community policeman, PC Lear who is responsible for Rolleston and a very much wider area including, Tutbury and Hanbury. He has attended meetings of the council during the year and continues to respond to local concerns. He has taken up many problems brought to the attention of the Parish council by members of the public and there is no doubt that the quality of life in Rolleston would be much worse without his personal commitment and that of his colleagues. The Parish Council continues to make representations to senior levels of the police service whenever structural problems lead to inadequacies in our local policing. The Parish Council strongly opposed proposals for the merger of Staffordshire Police with the West Mercia Midland Police and the Warwickshire and West Mercia forces as we feared that this could lead to a more centralised and remote service. Fortunately the government appeared to listen on this occasion and the proposal was shelved.

The Parish council was very sorry that the community lost the services of Catherine Millington as Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) covering Rolleston on Dove and neighbouring villages. We have been told that there is very little chance that she will be replaced in the near future. The Parish Council did investigate ways of securing more PCSO time in Rolleston by paying for it directly from the Parish Precept but found that the cost would be prohibitive. Rolleston is seen as a low crime area so the village has low priority for such schemes. On a positive note the Parish council has been pleased to support Speedwatch within Rolleston and to pay for the hire of the hall for meetings of the local Neighbourhood Watch.

CRAYTHORNE FIELD
The Parish Council continues to provide playing fields at Craythorne Field which continue to be of even greater importance in view of the loss of the facilities on the Rolleston Campus Site. An annual programme of verti-drainage commenced in the spring of 2006 to supplement the works done in the recent past to repair the main drain. The field is used on a regular basis by the Rolleston Cricket Club Football Team and teams from Rolleston Football Club thus catering for a wide range of age groups. Last August an opportunity arose to provide basic changing facilities on Craythorne Field for children of Rolleston Football Club. 

This opportunity was taken and a facility has been installed and recently renovated by the club. The Parish allocated thousands of pounds for essential improvement works to the surface of the car park at Craythorne Field and the work has now been completed. The Parish Council remains committed to the maintenance of Craythorne Wood where more significant tree growth is visible with every year. This will be a very major asset for future generations of the community.

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT

The Parish Council continues to try to improve the village environment whenever possible.

• Village Clean Up Day. This has been co-ordinated annually by the Parish Council and usually takes place in May.

• Litter Cleaner. The Parish Council continues to pay for a considerable amount of litter clearing by the Environmental keeper. Some additional hours are supplied each week by Mr. Adams concentrating on known problem areas in the centre of our village.

• Conservation Area Appraisal. The Parish Council worked closely with the Borough Councils Conservation Officer when he produced the appraisal document for the village’s conservation area and responded to the draft proposals. Much valuable work was done by the Civic Trust and the Village Design Statement Group in this and other areas, This document had been completed at the end of March 2006 but had still not been finally approved as Borough Council Policy by the end of March 2007, one year later. The absence of a Borough Council Conservation Officer since April 1st last year has detracted from the Parish Councils ability to deal with conservation issues in the village.

• Lawns/Burnside Junction Fencing. The Conservation Area Appraisal identified the appearance of railings at the junction of The Lawns and Burnside as detrimental to the character of the area and in drastic need of improvement. The Parish Council took up the matter with the County Council who own them and secured a promise of enhancement which has been implemented and for which we are grateful.

• Central Village Refurbishment. The Parish Council has carried out a programme of central village refurbishment during the last year with painting of the Burnside Railings and the three old ford bridges over the Alderbrook and repairs to the railings in the Spread Eagle Island. These have been supported with WASPS money from the Borough Council.

• Finger Post Repair. Inspired by our colleagues in Barton under Needwood, the Parish Council undertook the repair of the historic fingerpost at the junction of School Lane, Chapel Lane and Beacon Road. There is only one contractor in the Country capable of doing this expensive work and the Parish Council is therefore very grateful for the financial support received from Rolleston Civic Trust and the County Councillors fund.

• Village Noticeboards. Following the unfortunate loss of the old noticeboard site at the former post office, the Parish Council were grateful for the assistance provided by Starbucks Newsagents in granting permission for a new big board outside their premises. After delays due to planning permission and teething problems this has been erected and is serving the public. The whole community is grateful to the various organisations in the village that made significant financial contributions. During the year the Parish Council erected a second noticeboard by the jitty adjacent to the Westbury Homes Development thus meeting the longstanding aspirations of residents at that end of the village.

• Anslow Lane Footway. For many years the Parish Council has continued to press for a footway in Anslow Lane. Unfortunately this year we have had a definite statement from the County Council that one cannot be provided. There seems to be little more that can be done at present.

• Brook Hollows. In previous years the Parish Council has supported a Borough Council proposal for a “Friends of Brook Hollows” organisation as the only possible mechanism for getting the required funding for adequate maintenance of this valuable asset for our community. Unfortunately the Borough Council have not been able to implement this at the present time due to staff shortages and we hope that this can be rectified soon. In the meantime the whole village continues to owe a considerable debt to the Civic Trust and to John Carlton in particular for the massive amount of work that they have done in Brook Hollows in the past year.

• Shotwood Close. The Parish Council continues to receive concerns about issues in Shotwood Close relating to the ownership of land and the responsibility of maintenance. These are the responsibility of the Borough and County Councils and we continue to press for their resolution.

• LEAP Initiative. During the year the Borough Council targeted a part of Rolleston for its intensive LEAP Initiative. Most of the issues identified were the responsibility of the County Council and were passed on to them but the few Parish Council problems were promptly rectified. The Parish Council have also paid for a bulky waste collection covering most of the part of the village that was not in the LEAP programme to ensure equality of treatment for all residents.

FLOODING
The Parish Council has continued to work throughout the year to minimise the threat of floods in the village and we have been fortunate that despite heavy rain at times during the past year there have been no reports of flooding of property. In Rolleston as elsewhere a major difficulty continues to be posed by the fact that our problems have many causes and that there is no single public body with the ultimate authority to deal with all flooding matters. The Parish Council continues to have to deal with the County Council, Borough Council, Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency. The Parish Council produced its own Flood Prevention plan about 6 years ago which is designed to ensure that we do as much as possible to help ourselves and we continue to strive to implement it. 

• Sandbags continue to be provided by the Borough Council and thanks are due to Mr. John Westwood for continuing to allow storage on his property.

• The Alderbrook continues to be inspected regularly by the Parish Council along Brookside and Burnside and by the Environment Agency from Brookside down to the Dove.

• Yet more work has been done on the drains in Beacon Road.

• Ditches and gullies continue to be cleared as necessary, much of the work being done by the Parish Councils Environmental Keeper.

• A flood warning system for the village continues to be available to all households which could be affected.

• The sewage problem in Burnside and at the bottom of Knowles Hill was the subject of a presentation to the Parish Council at its September meeting after the intervention of our MP Janet Dean. Mr. Lane, a Senior Analyst with OFWAT, told us that Severn Trent would complete a feasibility study by April 2007 and hoped to start work in late 2007/early 2008. OFWAT will be meeting Severn Trent to discuss the solution put forward in July 2007. The Parish council will continue to press Severn Trent and OFWAT for action on this problem. Flooding remains on the Parish Council agenda permanently. The threat cannot be entirely eliminated in a community such as ours but everything must continue to be done to minimise the risk.

HIGHWAYS
Road Safety remains an important issue in the village. Issues include:-

• Traffic Calming. The Parish Council has spent much of the year trying to get the County Council to produce figures regarding the effectiveness of recent traffic calming in Church Road. The County has recently produced figures which they say demonstrate that the measures are effective but these do not agree with figures produced by Speedwatch in Rolleston and debate continues.

• Road Surfaces. For many years there has been considerable concern in the village regarding the state of our road surfaces. The disintegration of a new road surface in Station Road 4 years ago was rapidly followed by interminable roadwork’s by several statutory bodies not only there but also in Church Road and Beacon Road. The Parish council had been told by the County Council that resurfacing had to be put off until the traffic calming and other major works had been completed. The Parish council made this one of our major priorities this year. Originally we were told that Rolleston was not bad enough to be included in the County schedule of road resurfacing this year. A recent communication from the County has suggested some action might be possible in 2 years time. It is essential that the Parish Council and all the village organisations should continue to press the County to implement a comprehensive road resurfacing programme on all major roads in Rolleston.

• Maintenance Agreements. The Parish Council has a maintenance agreement with the County Council whereby for a sum of £1250 it is responsible for minor highways work in the village. There is a further agreement whereby the Parish Council is responsible for most of the grass cutting for a sum of £2,600. These continue to be a great success due to the work of Phil Gould but problems continue to be encountered in that the County expect the limited budget to fund works costing thousands of pounds. The Parish Council is not responsible for grass verge cutting in the more rural areas such as Craythorne Lane, Marston Lane, Tutbury Road and Lodge Hill, and these are sometimes the source of frequent complaints in the summer. Attempts continue to get the County Council to tidy up the grass verges in Church Road between the two entrances to Hall Grounds.

• Yellow Lines. During the past year the Parish Council has continued to press for the enforcement of parking restrictions in the village especially around the School. We have also asked the County to extend the yellow lines outside the old post office in Station Road, to put new ones on the Lawns Bridge at the junction with Burnside and just before the farthermost road narrowing feature on Dovecliff Road coming out of the village.

• Knowles Hill. The Parish Council continues to be very concerned by the frequency of accidents at the top of Knowles Hill due to speeding despite the various steps taken by the County (who are the responsible public authority) to try to alleviate the situation. Attempts to get more action from the County continue.

PARISH COUNCIL CHANGES
2007 will see a large change in the Parish Council with several members standing down as Parish Councillors having served many years collectively on the Parish Council. Thanks must be conveyed to the following members for their massive contribution to village life:-

Marek Trelinski, 24 years on the Parish Council and 20 years as a Borough Councillor.
Wally Hodson-Walker, 20 years on the Parish Council and also in the past, 12 years as a Borough Councillor and 4 years as a County Councillor.
Vicky Trelinska, 8 years as a Parish Councillor
John Westwood, 8 years as a Parish Councillor
Andy Starbuck, 4 years as a Parish Councillor

During the past year, the Parish Council and the whole village suffered the grievous loss with the death of long serving Parish Councillor and Former Chairman Ken Bradley. Ken had been a Borough Councillor for Rolleston and Leader of the then East Staffordshire District Council as well as serving as County Councillor, Chairman of Rolleston Civic Trust and in may other public capacities. We all miss him. As no election was called the Parish Council co-opted Rebecca Carlton to fill the vacancy that arose and we are grateful that she agreed to serve.

The Parish Council also welcomes the following new members to the Parish Council: Bryan Chinn, Barry Edwards, Andy Fitton, James Toon, 
Catherine Warren. 

John Morris was elected as Borough Councillor at the elections held on 3rd May 2007. Beryl Toon was elected to stand as Chairman of the Parish Council at the Annual Parish Council meeting held on Monday 14th May and Jamie Winstone was elected to stand as Vice-Chairman. The Parish Council continues to be a team effort and I am sure that the community will continue to offer them every support in their efforts over the coming months. 

NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2007

YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
The Parish Council still has two vacancies for the role of Youth Representatives. 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.

BROKEN FINGERPOST – SCHOOL LANE
The Parish Council has recently obtained quotes for the repair of the steel fingerpost on the corner of School Lane & Chapel Lane. A grant application has been submitted to SCC and we are delighted to advise that funding of £1,500 has been awarded towards the project. The steel castings have now been ordered, and it is anticipated that this project will take approximately 16 weeks to completion.

PARKING ON GRASS VERGES
It has been bought to the attention of the Parish Council, that numerous households are parking on the grass verges outside their houses and that the verges are being used as an extension of driveways.

The Parish Council would like to request that everybody shows a little more consideration with regards to this issue. We are very fortunate in Rolleston to have a lovely village with lots of open space and it would be a shame to spoil it with inconsiderate parking. 

VILLAGE CLEAN UP DAY
The Annual Parish Village clean up Day has been confirmed as Saturday 19th May, commencing at 9.30am, meeting at the Spread Eagle. Don’t forget your wellies!

PUBLIC FOOTPATHS
Burton Conservation Volunteers have carried out a footpath inspection of works that are required on our public footpaths. The works identified include new waymarkers, cutting back of hedgerow and replacement stiles. A grant application has been submitted to Staffordshire County Council to help support the funding of the project.

CLARENCE
CLARENCE is the customer Lighting and Roads Enquiry Centre for Staffordshire County Council and takes reports for highways defects and street lighting faults throughout the County. Issues can be reported by telephone: 0800 23 23 23 or via email Clarence@staffordshire.gov.uk 

APRIL MEETING DATES
As the April Parish Council meeting falls on Easter Monday, it has been agreed that the Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday 2nd April, and the Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Monday 23rd April, commencing at 7.30pm, the Methodist Chapel, Chapel Lane.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL – MODIFICATION ORDER 2005
PUBLIC BRIDLEWAY BETWEEN DOVECLIFF ROAD, ROLLESTON ON DOVE PARISH AND BITHAM LANE, STRETTON PARISH.

In 1996 a local resident made an application to the County Council to have the “Jinny Trail” added to the Definitive Map and Statement of public rights of way as a bridleway. The application was rejected by the County Council as they felt that the applicant had failed to show on the balance of the probabilities that the equestrian users had used the route for at least 20 years.

The applicant then appealed to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs against the County Councils decision not to make the Order. The Secretary of State upheld this appeal and ordered the County Council to add this route as a bridleway. In May 2005, this was advertised in the local press, the County Council received 51 letters of objection to the above order. 

In December 2006, copies of all the letters of objection, together with the County Councils statement of case and all other necessary documentation were forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate for their consideration. Given the extent and number of objections received, it is likely that this matter will result in a public inquiry later on this year, but the ultimate decision is the Planning Inspectorates.

VILLAGE NOTICEBOARD – WESTBURY HOMES DEVELOPMENT
The noticeboard has now been installed on the jitty by the Westbury Homes Development. If you would like to display a notice in the board, then please contact the Clerk.

TRAFFIC CALMING SURVEY
After pressure from the Parish Council, Staffordshire County Council agreed to carry out a second Traffic Calming Survey along Church Road, when the village was free from roadworks. This has now taken place and we have been advised that it shows that the %ile speeds here are now between 31-33 miles per hour since the installation of the traffic calming. SCC has advised that no further measures are proposed here.

KNOWLES HILL SPEEDING ISSUES
The Parish Council have been made aware both via local residents and the results of the Speedwatch Volunteers that there is a speeding issue along Knowles Hill. The Parish Council have forwarded the letters of complaint to Staffordshire County Council for investigation into the effectiveness of the recently re-instated rumble strips. 

CRAYTHORNE CAR PARK
Quotations have now been approved for repair works and for the regrading of Craythorne Car Park. This project is being funded by the Parish Council, and it is anticipated that works should be complete within the next few weeks.

DOG FOULING
Dog fouling is a subject that disgusts most residents, dog owners and no dog owners alike. The problem has once again been reported to the Parish Council with dog mess witnessed in the middle of the footway. The Parish Council would like to urge the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to clear up after their dog. It is an offence not to clear up after your dog and the Parish Council will instruct the Borough Council to enforce the byelaw if necessary.

* * * * *

LOCAL ELECTIONS THURSDAY 3RD MAY 2007 - HAVE YOUR SAY

How to become a Parish Councillor
The minimum age at which someone can be nominated as a candidate for election to be a councillor will be reduced to 18 years old (down from 21) when the local elections are held in may. The change comes under the new Electoral Administration Act 2006 and is based on the fact that people could vote at 18, but could not stand for election until they were 21 years old. Young people with an interest in local issues should not only ensure they are registered to vote and to make their mark in the election, they should also consider being a voice for their area by standing as a councillor.

Young persons are traditionally under-represented in politics and a raft of new teenage councillors may be what is needed to encourage young people to get involved in local issues. If you are 18 years old or over and interested in becoming a councillor, you can get more information by phoning 01283 508376, emailing elections@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk  or writing to: Electoral Services, Town Hall, and Burton upon Trent, DE14 2EB.

You do not need to stand under the name of an existing political party; you can stand under a new party name or as an independent candidate. For information on registration of a political party, visit the website:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/home  

You may only have one burning issue, or simply want to give local people an ear, a voice, and make things better in your neighbourhood, but now is your opportunity to make a difference.

Are you ready to be heard?
Local policies matter – your local council delivers services which people use every day such as parks and recreation areas refuse collections, grants, planning permission, sports facilities and road safety. Councillors ultimately make the decisions on what will happen to these and other services.

Local elections will take place for East Staffordshire Borough Council on 3rd May 2007. The council re-elects all its councillors every 4 years. Recent election turnouts have been low, with sometimes only one in three people making their mark on the ballot paper. This may be because local elections are considered to be less important than general elections. However, voting in local elections means influencing what’s happening in your area, your town and right down to your street.

New Law
Some residents concerns about taking part in elections have been addressed by a recent change in the law. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 will bring a range of improvements to the way elections are run. Confidence in postal voting has been damaged by allegations of fraud. Under the new law, postal vote applications will now have to include personal identities such as dates of birth and signatures. A sample of these will be checked before the votes are counted. Postal voting has also been made simpler as there will no longer be a need for a witness. The law aims to deter fraudsters by making it an offence to supply false information or failing to supply information to the electoral registration officer at any time. It is also an offence to apply falsely for a postal or proxy vote.

Student Voting
Are you studying away from home? Are you confused about how and where you can vote? To ensure you do not miss out, you can register at your home address and the address where you live whilst studying. It is not an offence to register twice, but voting twice in the same election is an offence.

Register Now
To ensure you can vote, you must join the electoral register – the list of everyone who is eligible to vote. You must register every year and your name must be on the register before you can vote at elections. You are not automatically registered, even if you pay Council Tax. You can register to vote at any time and should re-register if you move house or if your name has changed. For information about registering to vote visit the website at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk  (the Electoral Commissions website).

Who can register to vote?

• Anyone 16 or over (but you cannot vote until your 18th Birthday). You should be registered from the age of sixteen as the register is updated each year and this will ensure that you can vote as soon as you are 18.
• British or Commonwealth citizens
• Citizens of the Irish Republic or other European Union (EU) countries. For more information contact the local help line on 01283 508376.

This article was taken from ES news the newspaper from East Staffordshire Borough Council. For a copy of an Elections Pack please contact the Parish Clerk. 

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ESBC – RECYCLING & BULKY WASTE COLLECTION
Following changes to the Recycling facilities offered by sac clarification was sought from ESBC and the following information has been received from the Waste Policy Manager:- 

PAPER COLLECTION What material can and can’t be taken is dependant on our end market. Under the new arrangements paper will be taken to a different reprocessor who cannot process yellow pages within the material. This is because the dye in the paper contaminates the load when it is being recycled. Yellow pages can still be recycled through the recycling banks situated within the Borough. Glossy magazines, for example, showbiz magazines, can be recycled through the kerbside scheme, however catalogues can’t be collected.

BLUE BAGS The new “Blue Bags” are larger in size and sturdier than the existing blue plastic bags used. We have limited these bags to 1 per household, which should be sufficient; however there is no restriction to the number of other bags residents can present if they have larger amounts of paper to be collected. They can either use plastic carrier bags, or continue to use the blue plastic bags which are still available by contacting the waste management helpline.

CHANGES TO COLLECTION DATE Calendars were delivered to all residents on the scheme, some 40,000 across the Borough. However, this has been confusing due to not only a day change, but also a week change for many residents. The paper should now be placed on the boundary of the property with the black box on the normal refuse collection day for Rolleston on Dove village, which is a Friday, but every other week. The next collection date of the paper and boxes will be 17th November and fortnightly thereafter. 

BULKY WASTE Following the decision of ESBC to only provide a Bulky Waste Collection to half of the village through the LEAP project, the Parish Council have agreed to finance an additional waste collection day for those properties that weren’t covered through the LEAP project. A date has been set for Monday 23rd April, and the properties that will be offered this service will be leafleted prior to this time. 

BULKY WASTE COLLECTION ADVICE
All items to be collected must be left in a location which is readily accessible to the collectors and which does not cause any obstructions. Items must not be left on the public highway.

The articles will only be collected on the date stated. Items will only be collected if the Bulky Waste form is returned.

We will collect domestic appliances, furniture (a three-piece suite is classed as 1 item), fridges and freezers and similar household items up to a maximum of 5 items.

We are unable to collect bricks, rubble, dismantled sheds, ceramic baths, garage doors, cement, soil, liquid waste inc. paint, oil and tyres. We do not collect asbestos.

You can dispose of bulky Items free of charge at the household waste site on Pennycroft Lane, Uttoxeter or Shobnall Road, Burton upon Trent.

Freephone Number 0800 269098
E-mail waste.management@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk 
Website www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk 

HOUSEHOLD WASTE AND RECYCLING FACILITIES

Furniture Collections - The YMCA will collect reusable furniture (including domestic appliances), which is in good condition for a small fee. Contact the YMCA on 01283 547133.

EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT – FLIGHT TRAFFIC
Following numerous complaints about the increase in flights coming over the village, the Parish Council contacted East Midlands Airport, who advised as follows:-

“It is relevant to note that for reasons of operational safety aircraft depart and land into the wind. As the prevailing wind is from the west the majorities (approximately 70%) of aircraft depart and land in a westerly direction. However, in recent weeks, the Airport has been subject to easterly wind and therefore aircraft landing in an easterly direction. The change in the direction of operation has significant effect upon the altitude and position of the aircraft operating in the vicinity of Rolleston on Dove. Under these conditions aircraft will be approaching the Airport to land and therefore will be significantly lower than the ‘usual’ aircraft you may observe. This is probably why you were more aware of aircraft movements than is usual”

“The Airport does seek to minimize the number of aircraft that operate in easterly direction as we believe this is environmentally preferable. The Airport has a preferential runway policy such that aircraft will continue to operate in westerly direction provided easterly wind is light. We continue to critically review our environmental policies with a number of key stakeholders, including local councils, as we seek to strike an appropriate balance between the positive social and economic aspects of aircraft operations and the environmental impacts that arise. At the time of writing our policies include:-

• The operation of a computerized system of noise and track monitoring
• The publication of noise abatement procedures
• A night time levy for ‘noisy’ aircraft
• A noise penalty scheme for operations during the night time period

“We believe that, in combination, these measures represent a substantial programme of work and reflect the priority that we place on the control of the aircraft noise. We are sorry that you have been disturbed and we would ask that you please accept the Airport’s apologies”.

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