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MYDDLE AND BROUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

LATEST NEWS June 24

At the Council Meeting held in Myddle Village Hall on the 26th. June, following items were considered:

The Annual Audit:
The administration of the Council and its financial records have to be audited in two stages – the first is a local based audit known as the Internal Audit and when that is complete the details have to be sent to auditors based in London for the External Audit. Members were pleased to receive the report from the Internal Auditor giving the Council a clean bill of health on all issues and the documents have now been forwarded to London. These details are available for public scrutiny and can be obtained from the Clerk on payment of a £5.00 fee.

Housing Project
Council Members were disappointed to hear that there had been no progress with the proposal to build some affordable properties on land in Godings Lane, Harmer Hill. Shropshire Council’s legal department had confirmed that the project was still under consideration but it is understood that there has been no movement from them to purchase the land. Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams has offered to try and find out the reasons for the prolonged delay.

Harmer Hill Reservoir
At the Council meeting held in May, information had been received from Shropshire Council stating that a legal enforcement order had been placed on the owner to cease on site development, to remove unlawfully constructed building and to return the area to its original state. From observation it would appear that none of this has taken place, the Enforcement Officer has been advised of the situation and we understand that that the issue may need to go to Court.

Village Entry Signs
Members have supported a proposal from Councillor Alex Harris to erect Welcome to Myddle and Harmer Hill signs on the six main entry roads to the Villages. This will be subject to the approval of Shropshire Council where new sites are identified, although some will replace existing signs which have stood the test of time. The project will be funded from Community Infrastructure Levy grants that have been received by the Council.

Environmental Maintenance Grant
For many years the Council has received a grant of £1,500 from Shropshire Council for undertaking environmental maintenance in the Parish. This grant has to be matched by a similar amount from the Parish Council’s budget. This money has enabled the Council to carry out a range of jobs which helps to improve the quality of the local environment including litter picking, provision of dog waste bags, emptying dog waste bins, gully and pavement cleaning, grass cutting and at times emergency action. Many residents have made the Council aware of how much they appreciate this work being carried out and it has the full support of all the Councillors.Unfortunately as part of their cost cutting exercise, Shropshire Council has cut this year’s grant by 50% so we will only be receiving £750.00. As the Council had already budgeted its £1,500.00 it meant there would have been a short fall of £750.00. However it was felt it to be so importantfor this type of work to be maintained that there was a unanimous decision to identify small savings on other budgets so that £3,000 was still available.

The full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Councils web site –www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk. and the Clerk can be contacted on myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.netor by ‘phoning 01743 236810.

MAY 2024

COUNCIL NEWS

Two Council meetings were held in Harmer Village Hall on Wednesday 8^th. May. The first was the Annual Parish Meeting which is open to the general public giving an opportunity to meet the local Councillors and discuss issues related to the Parish.
Unfortunately, only two residents took the opportunity and the meeting went ahead with an update on the items raised last year, a full report from the Council Chairman and information from two of the PCSOs from Wem Police.

Outlining the items raised last year it was reported that:

(a) No progress had been made with the proposal to build a small estate of affordable properties on land adjacent to Godings Lane in Harmer Hill. The Council had agreed to relinquish the lease but the land had not yet been purchased by Shropshire Council. (b) Neither the police nor Shropshire Council supported a request to reduce the speed limit on Wem Road to 30mph without additional calming measures, which currently Shropshire Council were not able to finance.
(c) The request for an additional street light and an extension of the 40mph speed limit in Shotton Lane had been investigated and the new streetlight contractors had stated that there was no Network to connect additional lights to and there were too many trees in the area to consider installing solar lights. There were no objections from the police or Shropshire Council to the extension of the 40mph if and when finance could be made available.
(d) The request for a dog waste bin close to Harmer Hill Village Hall resulted in a new bin being purchased by the Parish Council and put in place and this was being emptied regularly.

Chairman’s Report:
The Chairman gave an interesting and informative report, highlighting the range of activities undertaken by the Council in the past year, in an effort to meet the needs of the community. These included road safety measures, litter and dog fouling control, maintenance of the two play areas and the many footpaths which are well used by residents.
By careful budgeting and the monitoring of expenditure, it had not been necessary to seek an increase in the precept, which meant that the local element of the Council Tax had not increased. However, he was pleased to report that the Council had still been able to make grants towards the upkeep of the Village Halls and Church Grounds as well as supporting the publication of the Messenger and the development of the Youth Centre. Small grants had also been given to three local charities.
He wished to extend thanks to all the Members, the Parish Clerk and Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams for their dedicated support throughout the year.

A full copy of the report was made available to all those attending and one can be found on the Councils web site.

Police Report.
CSO Liz Walmsley and PCSO Olly Morris were in attendance and stated that they had been made aware of the concerns raised by the Council with the major one being road safety and speeding traffic. They were engaged in carrying out roadside speed checks and would respond to identified locations. Although the Parish has a low crime record it was essential for the public to be vigilant and report concerns to the police on 101 or direct to the Wem team. The plan is to make the public aware of their presence and they were happy to attend organised events.

No further issues were raised.

The second meeting was the Council’s AGM when the first item was news that Miss Karen Row had resigned from the Council because of her study commitments. Thanks were expressed for the work she had undertaken for the Council and it was confirmed that an attempt would be made to appoint a replacement Councillor for the Harmer Hill Ward. Members then moved on to elect Officers and appoint representatives for the next year. Councillor Colin Ruck was elected as Chairman and Councillor Marshall Andrew Vice Chairman, both on a unanimous vote. Details of all the other appointments can be found in the minutes of the meeting.

Other issues considered were:
(a) Affordable Housing:
There was concern about the lack of further information about the proposal to develop the small affordable housing estate adjacent to Godings Lane and the Clerk was asked to make contact with the legal department at Shropshire Council to discuss developments.
(b) Entrance Signs for both Villages
In the absence of Councillor A. Harris who was dealing with the proposed project and had been unable to attend the meeting because of a family illness, it was decided to defer any discussion until the next meeting
(c) Myddle Church Clock
Councillor G. Miller reported that he had contacted three companies and to date had received two quotations for carrying out the upgrade but understood that the third one was in the process of being prepared. Once all thee had been received and considered by a representative of the Diocese he would bring the figures to the Council for consideration. (d) Audit:
Members considered and approved the Annual Governance Statement which was signed by the Chairman and the Clerk. A range of other draft audit documents were issued for consideration before the full audit was approved at the June meeting

(d) Planning Applications
Details of four applications had been received from Shropshire Council’s planning department and these were considered and responded to and it was noted that the application for development at Sleap Airfield had been approved.

The full minutes of the meeting can be accessed on the Councils web site –www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk

March 2024

The latest meeting of the Council was held in Myddle Village Hall on March 6th. when the following items were considered:

Affordable Housing:

Members received an update on the proposal to build a small estate of affordable houses on land in Godings Lane, Harmer Hill. The field is currently leased to the Council as a Recreation Area but may be sold to Shropshire Council to allow them to consider producing plans for affordable housing development. If any plans are produced and the planning application is approved there will be no access to the site whilst any construction work is taking place. However, when the building work is complete the unused part of the field will be leased or sold to the Council and the play area facilities will be re-instated.

Highways:

Following discussions with a Senior Highways Officer at Shropshire Council, Members received the depressing news that although a range of problems had been raised, there was little chance of most of these being resolved soon unless they were seen as acutely dangerous. This is because of the parlous state of Shropshire Council’s financial situation but one positive item was news that road improvements were planned by Myddle School and a 20mph speed limit should be installed in 2025. However, the request for a footpath from Pimhill to the Bridgewater Arms was discounted because it was likely to cost in excess of £30,000 which was deemed to be too expensive. The high cost was because it would entail creating a properly constructed footpath open to everyone and purchasing land from the owner of the adjacent field.

Welcome Signs:

The Council decided to seek permission to use Community Infrastructure grants to enable them to install signs on the side of the main roads leading into Myddle and Harmer Hill, simply stating Welcome to Myddle or Harmer Hill plus ‘Please drive carefully’. The signs were of a standard approved by the Department of Transport but would need to be approved by Shropshire Council.

Myddle Church Clock:

Councillor G. Harding gave an interesting and informative report on the history of the Myddle Church Clock and the recurring problems which were preventing it from working. The clock had originally been purchased by public subscription and it was felt that the Council should support the Parochial Church Council in funding the necessary up-date to ensure it would continue to work efficiently. A quotation for the work would be obtained before a final decision was made and in the meantime, the Clerk would check if Community Infrastructure finance could be used.

The Annual Parish Meeting:

This will be held in Harmer Hill Village Hall on the deferred date of May 8th. This is to allow the Hall to be prepared as an election centre allowing people to vote for the Police Commissioner on May 2nd. This meeting is open to all parish residents and gives you a chance to meet your elected representatives and discuss issues of interest or concern. There will be a report from the Council Chairman and hopefully, a representative of the local Police, although this is dependent on the necessity to deal with urgent issues. That meeting will be followed by the AGM of the Parish Council, which will include the election of Officers and the appointment of representatives.

As always extended details can be found on the Councils web site www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk or by contacting the Clerk on myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.net

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS JANUARY 2024

The Council made a flying start to the New Year by holding a meeting in Harmer Hill Village Hall on January 3^rd. when the Agenda included a variety of issues for consideration including:

The Budget for 2024 -2025.
The proposed budget was adopted after the Clerk reported that by careful financial control, it had been possible to ensure that the current financial year would end well within the planned expenditure forecast. This has enabled the Council to request the same precept from Shropshire Council for the next year and means that that the Parish Council element of the Council Tax should not be increased for residents living within the Parish boundary.The details of the budget can be found on the Council website or can be obtained from the Parish Clerk by sending in a request accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope.

Highways:
Over the past year the Council has continued to receive many requests for improvements to the roads in and around the Parish including, extensions to 30mph restrictions and the creation of buffer 40mph speed limits; the creation of a footpath from Pimhill to the Bridgewater Arms in Harmer Hill; various warning notices and not least improved road safety at Myddle School. Shropshire Council are responsible for these developments and the Council is in constant discussion with its Officers but is well aware of the financial problems they are facing. As a result, Members are trying to negotiate alternative ways of funding some of the projects.

Myddle Recreation Ground:
The Council has been made aware of reports on the local Facebook querying the safety of the field but we respectfully request that if there are problems, please report them to the Parish Clerk, a local Councillor or the Police so that action can be taken. Every effort is made to keep the area safe for everyone – the play equipment is checked regularly by a qualified officer and Parish Councillors frequently walk round the field. Attempts to get a volunteer or paid help to do a weekly litter pick have not been responded to.

Police
Members were pleased to welcome to the meeting, PCSO Oliver Morris who has recently been appointed to the Wem Police Team. Oliver is determined to get involved in community issues and is particularly keen on helping to improve road safety at local schools.

As always the full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Council website - www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted at myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.net or by ‘phone on 01743 236810

The autumn meeting of the Council took place in Myddle Village Hall on Wednesday 30^th. August when as usual there was a wide range of agenda items for Members to consider and action. However as has been pointed out in previous reports much of the Council work takes place outside of the planned meetings.

This summer has been no exception and Councillors have been asked to review a range of Council policy documents including Standing Orders; Financial Regulations and Risk Management. The revised documents were approved and details can be found on the Councils web site. The Council were also asked by Shropshire Council to review the Parish element of the Shropshire Place Plan. This resulted in a request for some items to be removed as they had been actioned, whilst the following items should be included – urgent work to improve the road safety at Myddle School; a 40mph buffer zone entering Myddle on the Baschurch Road and improved safety measures on a section of the A528.

Items considered at the meeting included:

Road Safety Measures:
As always this featured highly with many complaints received from residents including the speed of traffic on Wem Road; Safety at Myddle School; access and exit at Hillcrest View on the A528 and large tractor units using The Hollow as a short cut. A police representative had met Councillors to discuss the Wem Road problem and a covert speed check was carried out over a period of several days, which identified that the majority of the traffic was keeping to the limit of 40mph. Changing to a 30mph limit would be the responsibility of Shropshire Council and would involve a number of expensive measures. However the Council would consider a proposal to install more effective VAS units. It was agreed that the area Road Safety Officer should be invited to an urgent meeting to discuss the other issues.

Affordable Housing Development:
Members agreed to relinquish the lase on land in Godings Lane used as a recreation ground, to allow a small housing development to take place and approved the appointment of Mr. Harfitt (Solicitor) to act on behalf of the Council. It was essential that there was agreement by Shropshire Council to lease back part of the land and re-site the play equipment at the same time and before any further development was undertaken.

Harmer Hill Reservoir:
Unlawful development continues at this site, including the storage of noxious materials, and has been continuing now for several years, in spite of an enforcement order being placed on the developer. The Council continues to press for action but the latest report from Shropshire Council said action was delayed because of a staff shortage. The Clerk has been asked to write to Shropshire Council’s Leader and C.E.O and seek urgent action with a copy being sent to Helen Morgan the local M.P.

Correspondence Received:
Once again since the last meeting Members over fifty varying items had been sent to Members and where necessary these were considered in detail and responded to.

Mid-Year Financial Statement:
The Clerk provided Members with an up to date statement which showed that the Council was in a healthy financial state. He pointed out that there was a considerable sum of Community Infrastructure Levy grant available for approved projects. Suggestions for new developments in the Parish are welcome.

Full minutes of the meeting will be available on the Councils web site early in September.

June 2023 NEWS

Council meetings are normally held on the first Wednesday of alternate months but the July meeting had to be held before the end of June to consider the audit documents, which needed to be approved by Councillors and received by the Government appointed Auditors by July 1st. The documents prepared by the Clerk and overseen by the local auditor were all approved and copies of these documents can be obtained from the Parish Clerk on the payment of £5.00.

Other issues which were considered at the meeting included:

Proposed Social Housing Development in Harmer Hill:
Members were advised that before the land in Godings Lane could be sold to Shropshire Council, there was a need to relinquish the lease they held for the playing field but that part of the area would be leased back to the Council when plans for the housing development are approved. The play area facilities would be relocated on that section of land and the Council are appointing a solicitor to oversee all these transactions.

Once the land has been sold, responsibility for the development passes to Shropshire Town and Rural Housing Association but progress will be monitored by a steering group made up of representatives from the Parish Council, Shropshire Council and local residents. If you are interested in being involved please contact the Clerk who will pass on your details to the Housing Association. At a later date a public consultation/planning event will be held in Harmer Hill Village Hall.

Wem Road Pavement

The plans approved by Shropshire Council for the development of Bridgewater Place in Harmer Hill included the construction of a new pavement on Wem Road, to run alongside the boundary of the estate. Unfortunately, this was not constructed and following complaints from residents and the Parish Council, Shropshire Council issued an order enforcing the builder to complete the work. After a very long wait Members were keen to hear that the construction was underway which will not incur any cost for the Parish and Shropshire Councils.

Messenger:

Councillor G. Miller reported that the editor of the Messenger was not going to continue after the August edition had been circulated and efforts to fill the voluntary post had not proven to be successful. A range of options were being considered but if they were not successful it seemed that the production of the Messenger would cease. If you feel that you could undertake this role please get in touch with the Clerk who will pass your details to Greg Miller.

Road Safety:

This is a regular item at Council meetings and it appears that the new VAS unit erected on Ellesmere Road in Harmer Hill is having a positive effect in reducing traffic speed but Members are very aware of resident’s concerns about speeding traffic on Wem Road, where there have been recent accidents. Shropshire Council and the Police are being contacted again with a request to have the speed limit reduced to 30mph and to allow the Parish Council to erect a modern VAS unit alongside the road

Minutes of the Meeting:

These have already been placed on the Council’s website –www.myddlebroughton-pc.gov.uk and the next Council meeting will be held in Myddle Village Hall on August 30th. Further information can be obtained from Jack Wilson, the Parish Clerk by email at myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.net or by ‘phone on 01743 236810

MAY 2023

Myddle Village Hall hosted two Council meetings on the evening of May 3^rd. when fourteen residents attended the Annual Parish Meeting, giving them an opportunity to meet and discuss issues with the elected Councillors. That meeting was followed by a standard Parish Council meeting where residents were welcome but unable to take part in the discussions.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Social Housing:

In the first meeting Mr. Jason O ’Donoghue, the Senior Development Officer for Shropshire Town and Rural Housing,gave an informative outline of the proposed development of a small Social Housing Project on the playing field in Godings Lane, Harmer Hill. This was being undertaken following a request from the Parish Council, which had reported that investigations had shown that there was a need for varied social housing within the Parish. This information was supported by the records held by ‘Home Point’ at Shropshire Council’s Housing Department.

He then gave details of investigations that had taken place pointing out that when the plans were finalised they would apply for planning permission which would give residents the chance to comment. Providing the project was approved it would be 2025 before properties were available.

Because of the location and nature of the development, applications to rent or part purchase any of the units would be restricted to those living within or who had firm identifiable contacts with the Parish.

Together with Council Members, he responded to many comments and questions from those attending.

Chairman’s Report:

Following the first item Colin Ruck, the Council Chairman, gave an interesting and informative report on Council activity throughout the past year, highlighting the range of activities undertaken in an effort to meet the needs of the community. These included road safety measures, litter and dog fouling control, maintenance of the two play areas and the many footpaths which are well-used by residents.

With careful budgeting and the monitoring of expenditure, it had not been necessary to seek an increase in the precept, which meant that the local element of the Council Tax had not increased. However, he was pleased to report that the Council had still been able to make grants towards the upkeep of the Village Halls and Church Grounds as well as supporting the publication of the Messenger and the development of the Youth Club. Small grants had also been given to three local charities.

He then thanked to all the Members, the Parish Clerk and Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams for their dedicated support throughout the year.

COUNCIL MEETING

The second meeting of the evening followed immediately after the conclusion of the first one when Members appointed the Chairman and Vice Chairman and representatives to oversee various aspects of Council activity for the next year.

Various items were then considered when it was:

(a) Reported that Shropshire Council had made no progress in enforcing the construction of a footpath alongside Wem Road or the removal of unapproved development at Harmer Hill Reservoir. It was understood that Court Orders were being applied for but that could be a lengthy procedure.

(b) Agreed to purchase a new Parish Notice Board for Harmer Hill to replace the current one which had fallen into disrepair. This should take place within a few weeks.

(c) Noted that there were still problems with unauthorised cycling in the woodland adjacent to the Myddle Playing Field. The pathway through the wood is a permissive path where cycling is not allowed. Residents are kindly requested to observe this regulation. To ensure that the pathway can be accessed by walkers.

The minutes of both meetings with a copy of the Chairman’s detailed report attached can be found on the Council’s website – www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.ukor obtained from the Parish Clerk – Email - myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.netor by calling him 01743 236810

JANUARY 2023

The Council began the New Year with a full agenda for the meeting held in Myddle Village Hall on January 4^th. when Members were joined by six members of the public four of whom wished to raise issues in the public session prior to the start of the official meeting. Two residents raised strong objections about the location of the Commemorative Seat that had been placed close to the bus shelter in Harmer Hill, stating that it was directly opposite their property and undermined their privacy and that of other residents in adjacent properties. Councillor Mr. Anderson said if this was the case there was a need to move the seat to a more acceptable site and this was agreed. Efforts will be taken by Harmer Hill Councillors to identify a new site and arrange the transfer.

Mr. Roger Jones congratulated and thanked the Council for purchasing and installing a Vehicle Activated Speed Unit on Ellesmere Road in Harmer Hill and hoped that it would remind drivers of their need to restrict their speed when driving through the Village.

Mr. Russell Purslow gave an informative report on attempts to secure land for the development of a small estate of affordable accommodation, specifically for residents of the Parish. He had been tasked with this project after the publication of the Local Parish Plan in 2013, when he was a Parish Councillor and the current Chairman had invited him to continue with the project after he left the Council at the last election. Owners of an identified site have agreed to sell the land and STAR Housing Association have agreed to go forward with the plans for development. They have conducted a range of surveys and searches and gained pre-planning advice from Shropshire Council but before they move forward they needed to be sure that they have the support of the Parish Council. In the full council meeting which followed, Members unanimously supported the proposal and a small committee will be formed to oversee the progress of the project.

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