SAUGHALL AND SHOTWICK PARK PARISH COUNCIL PARISH NEWSLETTER Issue No 56 www.saughall.gov.uk July 2013 Music in the Park on Sunday, so hard on the day and to all who arranged 26 May 2013 in the Golden the whole thing. Jubilee Park The happy smiling face of our newest Parish Councillor (Jane Edwards) brought in a very What a wonderful event on a successful raffle with many excellent prizes. beautiful day. The crowds poured in to enjoy an excellent variety of musicians, singers and bands who entertained from 3 to 9pm. It is hoped to hold this enjoyable event again, possibly every other year. Feedback on this, to either Jenny Young, Chairman of the Everyone agreed it was a great success and Parish Council or Kath Evans, (Secretary worth all the hard work put into it by the Music in the Park, organising Group. [email protected]), would be very welcome Gazebos were erected, picnics unpacked, drink taken in moderation and everyone Personally, we loved it! settled back in the sunshine and listened to the music. This was an eclectic mix provided Kath Evans Tel No: 880951 by excellent local talent and thoroughly The Music in the Park Group enjoyed by the many people who attended - (in association with the Parish Council) and adults and children alike. Councillor Mrs Jeanne Storrar Tel No: 880226. Although this was a free community event, the cost of running it needed to be covered Faster Broadband and the Treasurer is pleased to state that, thanks to the various fund-raisers this has If you believe there should be faster been the case as takings amounted to £891. broadband in the village, join the campaign at [email protected] Thanks must go to all who attended and supported all musicians who took part, all who generously gave raffle prizes, all who worked Page 1 Multi Use Games the CIC project. The CIC Working Group Unit - MUGA looks forward to working with investors to help to deliver their ideas that will inspire and The proposal to provide empower residents of Saughall and Shotwick a MUGA in the Golden Park. Jubilee Park is reliant on the Parish Council being able to attract During June and July we had three investors grant aid. that are keen to deliver their ideas and engage with the community. A funding application has been submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council and Steve Jones of Chester Tweets and Steve another one for match funding is being Jones Social Media will be showing Members worked up for submission to WREN (a not for of the Parish Council and local community profit business that awards grants to groups how to use twitter. Twitter can be a community and environmental projects) in valuable tool for community groups. It can July. help to promote forthcoming events and give community groups a wider audience, helping The Parish Council would like to say a big to draw in new users/members to groups. THANK YOU to Kathy Ford for all the hard work she has put into these bids. Towards the end of June, Mel Ashley who is a local resident and also a driving instructor will be providing Saughall residents with a lesson Vernon Institute (VI) in Basic Preventative Car Maintenance. Clock The lesson will include how to check oil, The Parish Council is water, tyre tread, fog light usage and how to pleased to announce that change a wheel on either your car or on Mel it is commemorating the Queen’s Diamond Ashley's car. Jubilee by commissioning improvement work on the VI Clock from The Cumbria Clock The first workshop will be for women only and Company at a total cost of £7,530. The Clock then further workshops will be available to all. tower was erected after the Great War and is the village’s War Memorial. This work will We do feel Mel's workshop will prove to be ensure better time keeping and the Clock will extremely popular and will help car users to no longer need to be wound by hand. be more informed and confident about basic car maintenance. Mel will also be available to Community Investment Champions answer any basic preventative car (CIC) project update maintenance questions you may have on the day. If you are interested in attending Mel's workshop and would like more information, then please contact [email protected] In July, Sue Lightfoot a local resident will be holding an Interview Skills Workshop. This workshop will be available to all residents of Saughall and Shotwick Park. In the workshop, Sue will cover how to write a The CIC Working Group is delighted to CV for three different job sectors, retail, announce that since the launch of the CIC construction and catering. Attendees will be project in February 2013, it has received asked to choose a job sector they are some amazing offers of time investment into interested in and then write a CV for a job in Page 2 that sector. They will then be given an Introduction opportunity to have a mock interview with an This is my fifth Annual Report and I believe actual employer in that sector. that we continue to provide Saughall and Shotwick Park with value for money in respect All attendees will be provided with feedback of the work we do on the community’s behalf. from the workshop and from the interviewer. The Council has met each month to manage particular matters pertaining to the parish as We believe Sue's workshop will be extremely well as its usual business of oversight of the popular and provide residents with a great highways, footpaths, street lighting, and the opportunity to strengthen their interview skills conservation area. We continue to enjoy good and learn how to write CV's. working relationships with other bodies serving the community within the parish. All workshops will need to be booked and will have limited spaces. Councillor Ian Humphrey In November 2012 it was with great sadness If you require information on any of the above that we learned of the death of Councillor Ian workshops including workshop dates please Humphrey. Ian had been a parish councillor email: [email protected] since November 2005. He was a stalwart supporter of the community and a defender of In March, Saughall and Shotwick Park Parish all the parish’s amenities. It is the Council’s Council was delighted to award its very first intention to commemorate Ian’s contribution Community Investment Champions award. to the parish and to record the high regard in This was awarded to Saughall All Saints which he was held, by having a road in the School Council for the amazing effort it put new Lodge Lane housing development into gathering ideas within the School for the named after him. Members were also sad to Parish Council’s Multi Use Games Area hear of the death of Ian’s wife, Philomena, (MUGA) Project. This award was presented (who was a former parish councillor), in March by our Chairman, Jenny Young during a 2013. whole School assembly. New Councillors The School Council received this award for We welcomed two new Councillors during the giving their own time to inspire the Children of year. Howard Jennings was elected Saughall All Saints School to be involved in unopposed and took up the vacant seat that creating real change within the village. The has existed on the Council since May 2011 award is now proudly displayed in the when 13 of the 14 seats were filled following School’s foyer for all to see. an uncontested election. Councillor Jennings attended his first meeting on Monday, 5 The Working Group is extremely proud to November 2012. Jane Edwards was elected have worked with such a dedicated and hard onto the Council to fill the vacant seat working School Council and looks forward to (following Ian’s death) at a By Election on 21 working with it again in the future. February 2013. Well Done Saughall All Saints School! Finance The Council has set its budget for 2013/14 CIC Working Group: Councillors Andrew and kept the precept the same as for 2012/13 Warrington and Kathy Ford. which means that the Council Tax will, for the second year running, is £54.98 per household Chairman’s Annual per Band D property. Report 2012/13 The Government has changed the way in The Chairman presented which Council Tax is charged, effectively her Annual Report at the reducing the tax base. To offset this Cheshire Parish Assembly on Monday, 29 April 2013 at West and Chester (CWaC) provided a grant the Vernon Institute. It is set out in its entirety of £6,032, the amount equal to the tax base below. reduction for the Council. Page 3 We asked CWaC for a Parish Precept of houses; and £58,389 for 2013/14. The Parish Council’s • A planning application for 2,300 flats in the budget amounts to £76,906. Budget green belt between Blacon and Saughall comparisons are set out below: was submitted to the Planning Authority and was refused. 2012/13 £66,296 2013/14 £76,906 Planning One of the Council’s primary aims is to Council Budget 2012/13 encourage the planning authority, CWaC to Budget Head Allocation support sensible development, maintaining (£) the openness of the green belt. The Council Environment 16,366 is a statutory consultee on all planning Admin 29,130 applications and this year it has considered Police 11,800 and submitted observations on 27 Neighbourhood 1,000 applications, compared with 26 last year.