The Government launched Pocket Parks Plus to provide funding across the country to either help introduce new parks or assist with cost of replacing existing parks. We are conscious that the play area in our recreation ground is 8 years old and is starting to show increasing signs of wear and tear. This is the main drawback with it being made from natural materials but it is far more in keeping with the rural location than any brightly coloured metal equipment. Obviously, we have to consider the ongoing provision of facilities and the increase in use as a result of the potential housing developments, which have now removed any play facilities from their plan.
We did not want to rely on the annual precept, from residents’ Council Tax and we have demonstrated fundraising success already through the installation of the outside gym with only a fraction of the cost coming from the precept. So with this in mind, we decided to submit an application which received the support of East Dorset District Council. The paperwork was submitted within the deadline, which was quite a challenge for the Clerk given the workload at the time.
A few weeks later the decision notification was sent and we are thrilled to inform you that we were SUCCESSFUL in our application. We have been awarded just under £21,000 towards the refurbishment of West Parley’s play area equipment. Obviously this won’t fund the whole refurbishment but we do have a second application submitted and the combined amount would facilitate a total refurbishment of our play area. Fingers crossed .....
The Parish Council’s latest all house newsletter is currently in the process of being delivered to each and every door in the village.
We hope you enjoy reading it and find the information useful. With the newsletter, we have included a ‘resident consultation’ which is asking a series of questions. We encourage residents to return the completed consultations so that the Parish Council can prioritise the needs of the village, where possible. There are 3 drop off boxes available at the 2 West Parley Tesco express stores along with one at Parley First School. You can also return them to the Clerk at 275 Christchurch Road, West Parley, Ferndown, Dorset BH22 8SQ.
If you do not receive a copy within the next week, please do let us know on enquiries@westparley-pc.gov.uk as there may be a problem of distribution or a missed house number on the list.
23 March 2019 Notices for Election - Dorset County Council and West Parley Parish Council
A copy of this beautifully illustrated & beautifully written book is winging its way to our wonderful First School so the children can enjoy the lost words in the English language.
20 Mar 2019 Footpaths of West Parley
Footpaths are the responsibility of Dorset County Council to maintain and we are aware that they have been replacing some stiles recently, to aid accessibility of the routes which we hope has proved beneficial for users. However, the County Council don’t have the officers to be out walking all the footpaths so West Parley Parish Council usually undertakes an annual inspection of the footpaths in April to ensure they are clear and accessible for users.
However, the best source of information usually comes from those who use the footpaths on a regular basis or those who have identified any issues. Therefore, may we ask residents for any feedback on the footpaths of the village, as highlighted on the map in pink. If you live close to one of the footpaths, it would be greatly appreciated if you could take the time to walk the footpath and let us know its condition.
Any issues can be reported direct to Dorset County Council on https://mapping.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/rightsofway/reportproblem however it is useful for the Parish Council to be kept informed of issues because we can then diarise them to be looked at on a regular basis by Dorset County Council, before they become bigger issues.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in helping to keep West Parley at its best.
18 March 2019 Damaged trees in Parley Wood
Following the recent high winds we have 2 trees which have fallen across the paths in Parley Wood. We are in the process of arranging a contractor to deal with the situation, but in the meantime users of this facility are asked to take additional care.
Likewise, we have been informed that the boardwalk at the rear of the Woodland, leading on to Parley Common, is damaged in parts. Signage and warning tape are now in place, and the Council will be speaking with Natural England about the situation. Again, users are asked to take additional care or avoid the area whilst we resolve the matter.
13 March 2019 Don't delay, Have Your Say - deadline 20th March 2019
At the recent Public Exhibition by the Agents and Developer of the proposed 80 care home on Christchurch Road, Information and Feedback Forms were given out to attendees. Please see the links above. This land was allocated for ‘Community Use’ in the Local Plan adopted by East Dorset District Council (EDDC), which incorporates proposals for 320+ houses, supermarket, shops and offices on the land East of New Road. (There is no update on the New Road application, and the application for the associated Highways is yet to be determined by EDDC).
The forms state that they ‘welcome feedback from local residents and stakeholders on our proposals for land South of Christchurch Road, West Parley and believe that the views of the local community are important’.
Therefore, we encourage residents to share your feedback with them about the proposed 80 bed care home prior to the formal submission of a Planning Application to EDDC, although the determining body will be Dorset Council due to the imminent Unitary Council becoming effective.
You can contact them by:
Email: FrontierEstates@becg.com
Post: Exhibition Response, BECG, The Pump House, Garnier Road, Winchester, SO23 9QG
4 March 2019 Latest Dorset Council newsletter out now
The latest Town and Parish newsletter from Dorset Council is out now... click here.
1 March 2019 We need you!
West Parley Parish Councillors are passionate about West Parley because the vast majority live here.
Would that continue if they were no longer able to represent the area?
Would residents be kept as informed about developers’ planning applications as they have been so far by WPPC?
If you live in the Parish and think we have done, and are doing, a good job and would like this to continue, please step up and join us.
We would like to encourage residents who are passionate about our community to join our Parish Council.
Can you spare 2 evenings a month plus a few hours each week?
Do you, or someone you know, have what it takes to be a local councillor?
posts are on a voluntary basis, so regrettably there is no pay!
More Councillors can share the workload better ... ‘many hands make light work’
Less Councillors, means decisions on what the Council can achieve may have to be reduced.
WPPC Council Tax claim from residents is one of the lowest in the area
With any Council if an insufficient number of individuals stand for election, then the District Council or County Council would put some of their members into the Council as we are not allowed to function once we slip below 3 members. The ‘placed’ members would probably only have limited knowledge of our village and what we want or need, but it would ensure the Council can continue to function in the short term, while encouraging new Councillors. If new members are not found, then the Council will vote to merge with another local council. For West Parley this would mean a potential merger with Ferndown Town Council. Whilst the village of West Parley would still remain, would it still be represented in the same way? At the moment, the Parish Council is given an annual budget called a precept which is based on the number of households in our village. The Parish Council spends this money maintaining and improving the area for residents ie maintaining the children play area and Recreation Ground for example. If we were to merge with Ferndown, there is no guarantee there would be the same financial input to West Parley as there is currently. It is also likely that residents would see an increase in Council Tax as Ferndown’s precept per household is far higher than West Parley.
If you would like to know more about becoming a Councilllor more information is available on the National Association of Local Council’s website.
https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work/election
What is a local council?
Local council is a universal term for community, village, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. They are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies. They serve communities and are elected by residents. They can raise their own precept (a form of council tax). There are 10,000 local councils in England and 120,000 councillors who serve on these local councils.
What do local councils do?
Your local council has overall responsibility for the well-being of your local community. Their work falls into three main categories:
Delivery of services
Improve the quality of life for residents
Give communities a democratic voice
Becoming a local councillor
As a local councillor, you can become a voice for your community and make a real change. Local councillors are community leaders and represent the interests of the communities they serve.
Local councillors have three main responsibilities:
Decision-making
Monitoring
Getting involved locally
Getting elected
To stand for election to a local council you must:
Be a UK or Commonwealth citizen; or be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland; or be a citizen of another Member State of the European Union
Be at least 18 years old
Be an elector of the local council; or in the past 12 months occupied land or other premises in the area the local council serves (as owner or tenant); or work in the area local council serves (as your principal or only place of work); or live within three miles of the local council boundary.
Local councils welcome and are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all regardless of race, culture, ability, ethnicity or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic status.
