Rolleston-on-Dove Parish Council
News 2011

NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2011

Chairman’s Christmas Message

2011 has been an extremely busy year for the Parish Council all of whom very generously give their time to ensure the village, that we all love, continues to thrive and for this I sincerely thank them. Special thanks go to Heidi, our Clerk, whose work load has increased significantly.

Rolleston on Dove is very fortunate to have so many voluntary groups who work tirelessly in their chosen fields to enhance the lives of others and for this I offer heartfelt thanks. Without you Rolleston would not be the place it is.

The latest of these voluntary groups is the Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group who have just begun creating a Plan of how the villagers want the village to develop in the coming years. Once this Plan is adopted we will be in control of our own future, a future that the village has agreed on. I wish this Group all the best for a challenging task.

Christmas means different things to different people, it is my favourite time of the year, I love to see lots of Christmas lights and decorations but I also think of those less fortunate than myself. In particular I think of our armed forces serving in very difficult situations trying to bring peace to the world. May they be successful sooner rather than later.

Until then I wish them and everyone else a very merry Christmas and a happy new year

Best Regards

Barry J Edwards

ACTIVITIES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
It has been a busy first three months of the newly erected Parish Council and at present with nine members standing, we are two short of our full compliment. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Parish Council then please contact the clerk.

P/2011/00546/CEH/P/2011/00547/CEH, ERECTION OF 224 DWELLINGS, LAND AT BURTON ROAD, TUTBURY
The Parish Council strongly objected to the planning application for the development of 224 homes for the Land at Burton Road, Tutbury. In ESBC’s Greenfield Land Release Policy Statement consultation document it states a proposal “must show a range of benefits to the community sufficient to outweigh the general presumption against Greenfield release when there is developable brownfield land in existence.” ESBC currently have 2,780 brownfield sites listed as available and we therefore believe that these sites should be developed before any Greenfield land outside existing village envelopes is considered.

Despite strong objections from both Rolleston on Dove and Tutbury Parish Council and numerous objection letters from Tutbury residents, the application was approved by ESBC Planning committee.

PROPOSAL TO EMPOWER LOCAL COUNCILS
In August the Parish Council were approached by Steve Shaw, National
co-ordinator of Local Works with regards to the above proposal that would empower local councils by seeking new planning guidance to major developers urging them, as a matter of planning procedure, to

(i) Attend a council meeting to answer questions about their planning application if the council wishes and to, and
(ii) Provide resources (if councils wish) to enable councils to assess their applications – which may be over 1000 pages long – based on a professional critique of their evidence.

It is understood that if we can show the government that local councils are continuing to add their support to the proposal it could make the difference in getting them to agree it. Mr Shaw advised that they had also had an amazing number of responses from many local councils where they have described the boxes of documents they receive when having to consider large planning applications - this evidence shows the problem is clearly not just happening in Leiston, but all over the country. Local councils are struggling to do their jobs properly (i.e. to make fully considered recommendations on large planning applications). This proposal would help them to do so.

The Parish Council supports the proposal and has now written to Mr Andrew Griffiths, MP asking him to write to the Localism Minister Mr Greg Clark and ask him to please agree to implement the planning reform proposal to empower Parish and Town Councils submitted by Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council under the Sustainable Communities Act.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
Further works have now taken place to the path on the Jinny Nature Trail. Meetings between Rolleston on Dove and Stretton Parish Councils have also been resurrected with a view to the two councils forming a management committee with regards to the maintenance and upkeep of the trail. Funding opportunities are now being investigated with a view to refurbishing the steps on either side of the trail. Rolleston on Dove Parish Council are also looking into the purchase of a Radar gate at the Rolleston end of the trail, to allow for disability access.

ENVIRONMENTAL & MOWING CONTRACTS
Both of the above contracts are now up for renewal. Potential contractors are invited to submit quotations for the work by 1st January 2012. The contracts will run from 1st April 2012 on a three year basis. If you are interested in submitting a quotation for either contract then please contact Heidi Light, Clerk to the Council.

NEW PARISH COUNCILLORS
The Parish Council is delighted to welcome two new members. Mr Roger Davies and Mr Stephen Sanderson were both co-opted onto the Parish Council at the October Parish Council meeting. Both vacancies were as a result of members standing down at the May election and we are delighted that we now have our full complement of eleven Parish Councillors.

YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
Following Matt Docksey’s departure to University, the Parish Council is now looking for a second Youth Representative. They must be between the age of 16-18 and live in Rolleston.

PLANNING
It has been a very busy few months for the Parish Council with the focus predominantly on housing and commenting on both Local & National Planning Policies which will influence the planning process Locally and Nationally for many years to come. Below, is a summary of comments that the Parish Council have submitted on both the ESBC Draft Core Strategy Strategic Options Consultation and to the National Draft Development Framework. Copies of both responses can be accessed on the village website, www.rolleston.org.uk

ESBC DRAFT CORE STRATEGY
Rolleston Parish Council has great concerns about the content of the Draft Core Strategy.

Whilst the Parish Council accepts that natural growth in Burton and Uttoxeter, if managed well, can enhance the lives of residents it is our belief that the numbers and locations proposed for future housing are excessive and will be detrimental to the well-being of the existing population.

One of the main features of the Strategy is the development of four main 'strategic villages'. It is the Parish Council's view that the selection of the villages is wrong and does not sufficiently take into account facilities in the villages; The policy is wrong in that it assumes that just because a village is large it can accept a large development. Logic might say that the opposite is true and extra development in already large villages will threaten the identity of the communities. To make a village a 'service centre' for the surrounding area will change the identity of the village forever.

The Parish Council believe that a number of new houses below 10,000 would be acceptable to the present residents and achievable by ESBC.

The Parish Council accept that the proposed Drakelow Development in South Derbyshire will actually have a much bigger effect on Burton than South Derbyshire, they submit that the inclusion of the proposed development in the ESBC document is misleading and leads to the incorrect calculation of the 5 year supply and should be removed.

Although the projected figures have been derived from Central and Local Government sources, they are by their very nature out of date. The Draft Core strategy anticipates an increase in population of 3,510 by natural growth and an additional 13,100 by inward migration. The latter figure does not distinguish between inward migration from elsewhere in the UK due to job change and immigration from outside the UK. Any immigration content reflects the policies under the previous Labour Government whereas the present Government have pledged to cut net immigration be a factor of 10. In-migration due to outside families finding employment in ESBC must be good, but without robust plans to increase employment in the area may be hard to achieve.

There is no section in the Draft Core Strategy which shows how growth in employment will come about and more significantly how the Council will ensure that any such growth stemming from Government policies is in high value manufacturing and technological industries and not in storage and distribution.

The case of Corby, who’s Council, when they lost the steel industry, decided that building houses would encourage the inflow of industry, is a salutary lesson. Corby is now the re-possession capital of the UK. Building houses does not attract business investment; increased employment opportunity created by business investment leads to increased demand for houses.

To summarise; the draft Core Strategy has as one of its main aims to improve the quality of life of existing residents of the Borough. It is The Parish Council's belief that the proposed Strategy will be to the detriment of the quality of life of the majority of the existing population.

DRAFT NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK
Rolleston on Dove Parish Council believe that a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ should not be the predominant factor in determining planning applications. We believe that regardless of the existence of an up to date Local Plan local planning authorities should have the right to determine what is best for their areas. We also believe that local communities should have a right to appeal any decision made by a local planning authority where an application does not accord with an out of date, but not replaced Local Plan.

It is felt imperative that Brownfield land should be developed before Greenfield sites are considered. The definition of ‘sustainable’ needs clarifying and defining so that local planning authorities have a clear and unambiguous definition. Page 10, Paragraph 2 “planning for people” defines sustainable development as "providing an increased supply of housing". This is not sustainable, as one eventually runs out of land.

Neighbourhood Development Plans should be produced for every neighbourhood and should be produced by local people to deliver the requirements of the local community. They should not be led or influenced by business. Stronger policies should be introduced to protect existing greenbelt and specially designated sites.

Grade 1 and grade 2 agricultural land should be fully protected to facilitate the increasing need for farmers to produce our home grown food requirement. There is absolutely no justification to add 20% extra land to the rolling five year land availability requirement to allow for choice. By its very nature if there is a five year supply of land available at any one time there must be more than enough choice already

Neighbourhood Development Plans should be produced for every neighbourhood and should be produced by local people to deliver the requirements of the local community. They should not be led or influenced by business. We believe that the NPPF should create a balance between environmental, social and economic concerns and the current proposal fails to achieve this being far too heavily weighted towards economic concerns.

The NPPF should give people a genuine say in how neighbourhoods are developed instead of undermining ‘localism’ by insisting on an automatic ‘yes’ as the response to all development proposals. There is an opportunity for the NPPF to provide clear defined ground rules that are easily understood by developers, planners and the general public alike, unfortunately the current proposal achieves none of these, therefore we believe that it should be re-drafted and a fresh consultation undertaken.

NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLANS
As you may be aware a Public Meeting was held on 3rd October and was attended by well over 200 people. It was unanimously agreed by those attending that a Neighbourhood Development Plan should be undertaken for the village. At the meeting, volunteers were asked to come forward so that a Steering Group could be formed to undertake the plan. The group has now been formed and have had their first two meetings. It is the groups aim to have a plan ready to be submitted to the Borough Council within the next six months. A grant application has been submitted by the Borough Council to Central Government for funding to undertake the plan. It is understood that it could be up to two months before a decision on the grant application will be made, but we are optimistic that we should be successful with our application and in the interim period, the Parish Council has contributed a sum of money towards the initial set up and running costs for the group.

It is essential that the whole village is on board and a majority agreement can be reached on the plan and we would therefore like to emphasise how important it is, that you respond to any questionnaires or correspondence that is sent to you on this very important issue.

ALLIANCE OF PARISH COUNCILS
As reported on in the autumn edition of the Rollestonian, Rolleston on Dove has formed an Alliance with four other Parish Councils labelled as “strategic Villages” by ESBC and therefore identified as villages that will sustain further development. The group has three main objectives which are as follows:-

• Reduce housing figures
• Protect countryside
• Protect villages

Meetings of the “Alliance” are regularly taking place, and the group have jointly objected to ESBC Draft Core Strategy. A further meeting of the Alliance has been arranged for the end of November with our Local MP and Ward members, so that they can be updated on the group’s progress. A further meeting has also been scheduled for December between the Alliance and the Leaders of ESBC in which they will be presented with the groups challenge on their proposed housing figures.

STAFFORDSHIRE POLICE – NON EMERGENCY NUMBER
With immediate effect the non-emergency number for Staffordshire Police will be 101 and will replace 0300 123 455. 101 has been introduced nationally to all police forces and calls to the new number will cost 15 pence no matter how long the call is and what time of the day it is dialled. Please make a note of this new number and pass it onto friends, family and neighbours. Remember; in an emergency always dial 999.

ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR – VANDALISM
Unfortunately, at the end of October, we were on the receiving hand of some anti-social behaviour at Tafflands play area. Attempts were made to light some small fires by the climbing cube and two bins were burnt out as a result. These fires were deliberately started and the fire brigade and police both attended the incident. Some offensive graffiti was also daubed in the vicinity and this has also been reported to the police. As a result of the fires, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have agreed to increase their frequency of visits to the play area and it has been labelled as a “Hot Spot” area which means the TRV team will be out and about and speak to youngsters using the playground to make them aware of fire danger. Any anti-social behaviour MUST be reported to the police, and can be reported on the non-emergency number of 101.

SPREAD EAGLE ISLAND
After public consultation and a meeting of the Parish Council to specifically discuss the proposals for the Spread Eagle Island, the Parish Council have joined forces with Rolleston Civic Trust to form a management committee to oversee a refurbishment of the area and to agree a future maintenance plan. After much debate, the Blue Cedar and railings will both be retained.

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

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council, 8 Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2011

ACTIVITIES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
It has been a busy first three months of the newly erected Parish Council and at present with nine members standing, we are two short of our full compliment. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Parish Council then please contact the clerk.

We have sadly said goodbye to one of our Youth Representatives, Matt Docksey as Matt is now off to University. Matt has found his time on the Parish Council informative and interesting and was instrumental in the project to have a basketball area installed on Elizabeth Avenue Playing Field. If you are between the age of 16 and 18, live in Rolleston and are interested in becoming a Youth Representative on the Parish Council then please contact the clerk for further information.

We have just had some of the existing play equipment at Elizabeth Avenue painted and we have secured Environment Agency consent and awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the piece of land that protrudes into the brook at the ford by the Brookhouse Hotel.

We have also gained Environment Agency consent to the three weirs replaced along Burnside and are currently seeking quotations from local contractors to undertake the work.

Sadly on the down side we have suffered some unpleasant graffiti at Tafflands, had a swing and fittings stolen from Tafflands and some anti-social behaviour at Tafflands and Craythorne Playing Field. These incidents have all been reported to the police.

We continue to press ESBC to maintain Brook Hollows in accordance with their own specification and are also due to meet Stretton Parish Council with a view to resurrecting the meetings that we used to have regarding the Jinny Trail.

COMPLETION OF THE ANNUAL AUDIT 2010/2011
The External Auditor has now completed work on the 2010/11 Annual Return for the year ending on 31st March 2011. 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

OVERHANGING TREES
The issue of overhanging Trees and overgrown bushes from private property encroaching onto the Public Footway is frequently raised with the Parish Council. Members would like to ask that people are conscious of shrubbery and trees on their property. The recommended height clearance of a tree overhanging a public footway or footpath is 2.5 metres. Please be aware that consent is required to tree or shrubbery works within the Conservation Area or those that are subject to Tree Preservation Orders. The application for consent is free and forms can be downloaded from the ESBC website; www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY
Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to:-
Mrs H. Light, Clerk of the Council, 8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL,
01283 812538 (Office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

ESBC DEVELOPMENT GROWTH POINT
One area of concern that we are trying to address is the vulnerability we and other villages feel as a result of ESBC delaying their Core Strategy. This was stopped last year awaiting the passage of the Localism Bill through parliament and the imminent release of the latest projections of household formations. This delay and the deletion of many policies in the Local Plan along with the creation of the Settlement Hierarchy document which graded all of the villages in East Staffordshire as to their suitability to receive more housing appeared to create an environment that allowed developers to build whatever wherever they wanted.

Examples of this are proposals for 850 houses at Beam Hill, 650 houses at Branston, 224 houses and 14 industrial units at Tutbury and 85 houses at Rocester all on Greenfield sites. Whilst there are no firm proposals yet, that we know of for Rolleston, some members of the Parish Council have been contacted by agents acting for a large developer who has substantial interests in at least two 3 acre sites that are suitable for 40 houses on each in Rolleston.

We along with 4 other Parish Councils have formed an Alliance to challenge ESBC Growth Point Status and a meeting has now been arranged with
Mr Andy O’Brien, Chief Executive, ESBC and other leading members of ESBC to try and create some safeguards for the villages.

One of the most protective measures we can introduce is a Neighbourhood Development Plan. This is a plan of how the residents of the village want to see it develop. To create this plan will entail a large amount of work and cannot be done by the Parish Council on its own. The Parish Council has to show that it has worked with other groups and consulted everyone in the village. The Neighbourhood Development Plan has to show where new houses can be built, if there is a need, what additional infrastructure we want, which land is suitable for creating employment opportunities etc.

If the meeting with ESBC achieves what we hope for the Parish Council will decide at its August meeting whether we are going to create a Neighbourhood Development Plan. If it is decided to go ahead with it we need other organizations or interested parties to help. If you wish to become involved in the formation of the Neighbourhood Plan then please contact the Clerk.

NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2011

ROLLESTONIAN OF THE YEAR – WINNER
This years “Rollestonian of the Year” competition saw the nomination of six people all very worthy of winning the award. A confidential vote was taken by members of the Parish Council and Mr John Phillips was awarded with the title of “Rollestonian of the Year”. Mr Phillips was presented with an engraved plaque by Mr Jamie Winstone, Chairman of the Parish Council at the Annual Parish Meeting held on 18th April 2011.

MEADOW VIEW PLAY AREA
Meadow View Play Area has undergone a refurbishment. The swing seats have been replaced, additional bars added to the climbing frame and the existing railings and swing frame have been painted in vibrant colours.

HEDWIG THE OWL
Those of you that have visited Meadow View will not have failed to notice “Hedwig the Owl”, directing you into Tafflands Play area. This unique sign was expertly crafted by Mr John Underhill. The Parish council would like to extend a sincere thank you to John for the making and installation of the sign.

BASKETBALL AREA, ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELDS
A basketball area has now been installed on Elizabeth Avenue playing fields. The work was completed in April and the area has proved a huge hit with both old and young alike.

PLANTERS ALONG BURNSIDE
A joint committee made up of members of both the Parish Council and Rolleston Civic Trust, along with a joint financial contribution by both groups has seen the installation of seven planters sited along the railings on Burnside. A group of school children from John of Rolleston Primary School, helped with the planting of the boxes.

ROLLESTONIAN OF THE YEAR WINNER & NOMINEES
John Phillips: Over the last year, John has served our village community in a great variety of different ways. As Chairman of RODSEC he has seen the organisation go on from strength to strength. As a Governor of the John of Rolleston Primary School, he sits on Teaching and Learning, Personnel and Finance, and Strategy Committees. John plays a major role in the organisation of many of the village events and helps many different committees and organisations, all of which is on a voluntary basis.

A warm congratulations is also passed to the following people who were nominated by villagers for the award:-

Kate Arnold for the building up of the WI Group, Hosting and invigorating the church's 4C's craft group, Becoming part of the Village Thursday Coffee Morning and bringing such humour to it, Becoming part of the Rolleston Club Committee and the contribution she has made.

Sharon Harrison & Jane Hamnett As ex-chair and vice-chair of Rolleston Pre-school they have been instrumental in replacing the old and dilapidated pre-school with a brand new, purpose built building at the end of 2010. Whilst recognising that there were many people involved in making it happen, there is no doubt that without Sharon and Jane driving it forward day after day, there would still be no new pre-school. They pushed the need for a new pre-school with Staffordshire County Council and John of Rolleston School and got them on board with a little encouragement through an article in the Burton Mail and support from Janet Dean, at that time, the MP for Burton. Fittingly, the new pre-school was opened last month by Patsy Starbuck one of the founding members of Rolleston Pre-school in 1973.

Diane Millar who has just taken unpaid leave for one month in order to undertake charitable work in Sierra Leone, and has fully funded the flights and expenses herself without seeking sponsorship. The living conditions that she has to endure are well below her normal experience and represent a fair degree of privation. She is a key part of the surgical team of Mercy Ships working on board a boat moored at Freetown. This is bringing healthcare to people in this poor developing nation by enabling surgical operations on people who otherwise would not have access to modern healthcare. What is a routine expectation in Britain is truly life-changing in this setting.

Tom Starbuck: He always cheerfully greets people going into the store, by name and nothing is too much trouble. The name recognition is particularly important, as there are many lonely people for whom for a few seconds are made to feel important and known. This is a tremendous boost to morale and for some will not speak to anyone else all day.

LOWER RIVER DOVE FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT SCHEME
In January, members of the Parish Council were invited to comment on the consultation document that had been issued by the Environment Agency with regards to the proposed Lower River Dove Flood Risk Management Scheme. The proposed works are to reduce the flood risk in Scropton, Hatton and Eggington and to also make improvements to the Tutbury flood defences. Members noted from the consultation that there were no proposals for works in either Marston or Rolleston and agreed to voice their concerns with the Environment Agency that when the flood plains are built up in other locations, that it will have a negative impact on Rolleston. We asked the Environment Agency to confirm any implications that the propoals were likely to have on Rolleston and for confirmation that the model has looked at potential implications on the village.

In response to our comments on the consultation we received the following email from the Environmental Project Manager:-

“Following national government guidance (DEFRA) to address flood risk, both now and in the future, we have to take a strategic approach to ensure that a case for investment is feasible, affordable and sustainable. Flood risk management policies are developed through Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMP). The Trent CFMP is made up of a number of policy units. Policy unit 5, which includes the Lower Dove, has an action plan and the first point in the action plan is “investigate schemes in Hatton and Scropton”, so this was a priority. Egginton became part of the project when it became apparent that it was cost-effective to do so. Smaller settlements that aren’t included in the proposals have too few properties at risk of flooding to pass the economically viable threshold”.

“The model for the Lower Dove has assessed the potential implications on the villages of Rolleston and Marston and the proposed works do not put any additional properties at risk. However, for properties that flood presently, the project has made some provisions for individual property resilience measures, subject to funding being available and a survey of properties as part of a later stage. In the meantime advice is available on the EA website.

HIGHWAYS HOTLINE
The former CLARENCE service is now called the highways hotline and should be contacted at highways@staffordshire.gov.uk. The new corporate telephone number for all calls including those to this service is 0300 1118000.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Keep up to date with the activities of the Parish Council by becoming a friend on this popular networking site.

LAND ADJACENT TO THE SPREAD EAGLE ISLAND
The landscaping scheme adjacent to the Spread Eagle Island has now been completed. Thanks must be conveyed to County Councillor Bob Fraser and Borough Councillor John Morris for the securing of grants towards the project cost.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS
An uncontested election of the Parish Council has taken place this year. The new Parish Council took their seat on 9th May 2011 and will stand for four years. The elections saw Mr Jamie Winstone stand down after eight years on the Parish Council, having held the Chairman’s role from 2009-2011. Mr Badcock has also stood down after one and a half years on the Parish Council. The newly elected Parish Council is made up as follows:-

Mr Bryan Chinn, Mr Barry Edwards, Mr Andy Fitton, Mr John Morris, Mrs Shiela Redgrave, Mrs Beryl Toon, Mr James Toon and Mrs Cath Warren.

Details on how to make contact with individual Parish Councillors are available on the village website, www.rolleston.org.uk. Alternatively, any correspondence can be passed on via the clerk on the contact details below.

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HAVE YOUR SAY

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2011

ROLLESTONIAN OF THE YEAR – NOMINATIONS PLEASE
The Parish Council will make an award “Rollestonian of the year” each year to a villager who in their opinion has served the community above and beyond that which could be considered normal or to a villager who has achieved exceptional heights in their particular field. (Sport, arts etc). The award to be presented at the Annual Parish Meeting by the Chairman of the Parish Council, or in his absence the Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council. Nominations are to be sent to the Clerk of the Parish Council by 4th April 2011 and should include a brief note supporting the nomination. A nomination box will also be sited in Starbucks News for the duration of March.

At the April Parish Council meeting (11th April 2011) all Councillors will be given a voting paper listing all nominations. During part 2 of the meeting brief details of all nominations will be read out by the Clerk after which Councillors will vote for their top 3 nominations giving 3 points for their first choice, 2 points for their second choice and one point for their third choice. The nomination with the highest number of points will be given the award. In the event of a tie new voting papers will be issued and Councillors will vote again between the tied nominees giving one point to their first choice nominee. The nominee with the highest number of points will be given the award. In the event of another tie the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.

For the purpose of this award any person living in Rolleston on Dove is considered to be a “Rollestonian”. Serving Parish Councillors are not eligible for this award.

STAFFORDSHIRE POLICE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER 0300 1234455
Any anti social behaviour should be reported directly to the police.

The number for non emergency calls costs 6p a minute from a BT landline. Call charges for other landline and mobile networks may vary. Remember in an EMERGENCY ALWAYS DIAL 999.

LAND ADJACENT SPREAD EAGLE ISLAND
A scheme has now been approved and a contractor appointed to carry out the landscaping scheme adjacent to the Spread Eagle Island. A grant of £1,500.00 has been secured towards the project through Councillor Bob Fraser.

DONATIONS
The Parish Council have made donations to the following organisations during the 2010/2011 financial year:- Rolleston Scout Group, FOJORPS, Rolleston Methodist Chapel, St Marys Church, Help for Heroes, Rolleston United Foundation, and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. The Parish Council also funded the Village Christmas Tree sited at the Almshouses and made a donation towards the sponsoring of some categories, for the Village show held in September.

PRECEPT
The activities of the Parish Council are made possible by the precept charged to Council tax payers. As always this remains a tiny part of the total council tax bill. This year’s precept has been set at £43,450.00 which remains the same as the previous financial year.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Monday 18th April commencing 7.30pm. The Annual Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday 9th May, commencing 7.30pm.

JINNY NATURE TRAIL
Works to the path and ditches took place at the Rolleston end of the Jinny Nature Trail during both the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 financial years. It is anticipated that further works will be carried out within the next financial year. Repairs have now been carried out to the steps and handrail by SCC.

ANNUAL PLAYGROUND INSPECTIONS
Annual inspections are carried out by ROSPA on Elizabeth Avenue, Meadow View and Tafflands play areas. The Parish Council are pleased that only low and medium risk issues were discovered on Elizabeth Avenue and Meadow View play areas and these issues have now been addressed. No risks were identified on Tafflands play area.

MEADOW VIEW PLAY AREA
Meadow View play area is due to undergo a facelift. The swing seats will be replaced, and the swing frame along with the surrounding railings will be repainted. Improvements are also going to be made to the existing climbing frame.

GRIT BINS
Four new grit bins in addition to those already in place have recently been supplied by Staffordshire County Council and have been sited at the following prominent locations:- The Lawns Bridge, Burnside, Entrance to Shotwood Close, Entrance to Marston Lane and the junction of School Lane & Chapel Lane. The use of the grit is for use on the Footway and Highway and not for personal consumption.

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 on 0800 232323 or via email Clarence@staffordshire.gov.uk

VILLAGE CLEAN UP
This year’s Village Clean up Day will take place on Saturday 7th May, commencing at 9.30am. The meeting place will be the Spread Eagle Car Park and everyone is welcome to come along and help. It is recommended that you come in wellies and where possible bring your own tools and gloves.

ANNUAL PARISH FOOTPATH WALKS
This year’s Annual Footpath Walks are to take place on Tuesday 7th and 14th June, departing from outside the Spread Eagle Public House at 6.30pm. A map of the various footpath walks is also available free of charge from Starbucks News.

PROPOSED CLOSURE SECTION FOOTPATH 18
In the Autumn edition of the Rollestonian, I reported that during the 2010 Annual Footpath Walks, the Parish Council were dismayed to learn of the proposed closure to a section of Footpath 18, which leads from the rear of the properties on Walford Road to join Footpath 15. An application has now been submitted to SCC for the path to be added to the definitive map. SCC will now undertake all the necessary consultation and will determine the application. We have been advised that this may take up to twelve months.

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HAVE YOUR SAY

Comments or views on these or other matters may be addressed to
Mrs. H. Light, Clerk of the Council
8, Beacon Drive, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9EL, 01283 812538 (office hours), hlight@btinternet.com

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