What is Chedworth Parish Council ?

It's a group of people who are elected by fellow parishioners to represent the concerns and aspirations of the local community.

What does a Parish Council do ?

The Parish Council plays an important role as the grass roots level of Local Government, directly representing and promoting the interests of the community. Councillors also act as ambassadors for their community, keeping everyone aware of local needs and concerns and reporting back on District, County and regional changes.

In addition to the Parish Councillors, who are your unpaid representatives, the Council employs a Clerk to carry out its business and to ensure that the many statutory requirements are met. A small levy, or precept, is added to your Council Tax to fund these activities.

Here are some of the services the Parish Council offers:

There are two ways you can contact the Parish Council:

1. Email the Clerk at parishcouncil@chedworth.org.uk
2. Contact a Councillor

Standing Orders

There are rules, some of them laid down in Acts of Parliament, on how a Parish Council should conduct itself. These rules are known as Standing Orders and can be viewed here.

Parish Council Meetings

The council meets in the games room at the village hall at 7.30pm on the second Monday of each month. Members of the public are actively encouraged to attend and there is an opportunity at each meeting to raise matters of concern, or to ask questions that have been previously lodged with the Clerk.

Please note that there is a protocol for raising issues from the floor: Attendees are respectfully asked to refrain from interjecting until invited to do so by the Chairman; a single point or question may be dealt with by the Chairman without opening the meeting to the floor, but in the case of an issue that is contentious the Chairman may suspend the meeting before opening a general discussion.

Meeting dates

The Council will meet on the following dates during 2012:

• Monday 09th January
• Monday 13th February
• Monday 12th March
• Monday 19th March (Parish Meeting)
• Wednesday 11th April
• Wednesday 16th May
• Monday 11th June
• Monday 09th July
• Monday 13th August
• Monday 10th September
• Monday 08th October
• Monday 12th November
• Monday 10th December

Meetings start at 7:30pm in the games room at the Village Hall.

Agendas and Minutes

The Agendas and Minutes of recent Parish Council meetings are available online.

Meeting Agendas

• January 2012
• December 2011

Minutes of Parish Council Meetings

• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010

The 2011 Parish Meeting

The 2011 Parish Meeting was held on 28th March 2011 in the Village Hall. The report was given by the Chairman, Mrs Susie Moore.

• Chairman's Annual Report 2011 (PDF format)
• 2011 Parish Report (UNCONFIRMED)
• 2010 Parish Report

Latest News

Fields Road Traffic

The speed of traffic on Fields Road and the safety issues for pedestrians was discussed at the PC meeting. Steve Norgate, Road Safety Officer for Gloucestershire Police, explained the results of their recent survey and the policy considerations for Highways; and then answered questions. At present, the speed limit will almost certainly remain at 40 mph.

After a positive and constructive open discussion with several residents, the PC decided that, given the increase in traffic volume and the fact there was still an "excessive speeding minority", it would support further exploration of what might be done.

It was essential that concerned residents should take the lead. Clive Poulton (720690) and Fred Shaftoe (720074) have volunteered to form a group. Please contact them if you want to help.

John King (720278) will liaise with the group on behalf of the PC and other residents. Chedworth plans to participate in the Community Speed Watch scheme being set up in the area by the Local Policing team for launch in 2012. Suggestions for changes that emerge in future will be fully consulted with all residents before any implementation.

Buses

There have been some changes to the 855 bus service between Chedworth and Cirencester/Moreton which is causing inconvenience to some residents. The PC has approached the bus company to see if adjustments can be made to the service to reduce the inconvenience and request that future proposed changes are the subject of prior consultation.

Separately, David Broad is kindly preparing a consolidated bus timetable tying in the 3 buses which service Chedworth. This will be on the PC website. Its not yet Bradshaw but really useful.

Fast Broadband

The PC has been active in keeping on top of developments for the extension of fast broadband and doing what it can to ensure Chedworth receives the upgrade as early as possible. Mark Aveline provided us with a comprehensive report and plan which the PC has adopted. In the immediate term we are asking households and businesses to complete short questionnaires. Details will appear shortly and we will be urging you to help.

CLT Report

The CLT provided us with an update with their progress and a report on that appears in Hill & Valley magazine.

Grit Spreader and Defibrilator

This month, two initiatives by the PC have come to fruition with the delivery of the grit spreader and a third defibrillator. The defibrillator will be installed in the Seven Tuns and our considerable thanks to those who have contributed funds for its purchase.

Tom Watt

With considerable regret the PC learned that due to changed work commitments (involving a Premiership football club) Tom would be unable to attend future PC meetings on a regular enough basis and therefore was reluctantly having to step down from the PC. The PC thanked Tom for his valuable and enthusiastic contributions to the PC over an extended period.

As we had previously said, all such vacancies will be filled by an election. We will publish the required process as soon as possible.

P.S. Diamond Jubilee

The current Parish Council has reached the end of its four-year term of office and three Councillors have decided to stand down. There were fewer nominations submitted to CDC by its April deadline than the number of available seats. Consequently there will be no Parish Council election and those nominated (David Broad, Paul Sibbald, Tom Watt and Graeme Brister) will be deemed elected unopposed. This leaves three vacancies on the Parish Council which the new PC will seek to fill by co-option.

It is regrettable that so few members of the community feel that they have anything to offer as Parish Councillors, particularly at this moment in history when so much more responsibility is being devolved from central government to local communities. There exists a real opportunity to rise to the challenge of the Localism agenda and to have a part in shaping the future of Chedworth but such is the depth of apathy in the community that the Parish Council is not even afforded the constitutional weight or democratic credibility of being an elected body.

However if anyone feels called to do a turn as a Parish Councillor but has been deterred by the vicissitudes of the election process you may still volunteer to be considered for co-option by contacting the Parish Council Clerk, Mrs Elizabeth Broad (telephone 01285 720313) or email parishcouncil@chedworth.org.uk.

A long-standing ban imposed by the PC on the flying of model aeroplanes over the playing field needs dusting off and re-publicising after complaints of inconvenience to other users of the field and distress to grazing animals. A Club for model aircraft enthusiasts uses the low-level airspace over Chedworth airfield with the landowner's consent. Prospective members should telephone Harry Curzon on 01242 245577.

The first meeting of the new Parish Council will take place on Monday May 16th in the Village Hall games room at 7.30 pm.

Contact us by email: parishcouncil@chedworth.org.uk or telephone Mrs Broad, our Parish Clerk, on 01285 720313.

Topical Issues

The Parish Council is always keen to receive information or opinions on topical issues; the following section outlines some of the topics that have recently been discussed within the Parish. We will be regularly updating this section so that interested parties can keep themselves up to date with how things are progressing.

Freedom Of Information Act
Publication Scheme

The Act requires every public authority to adopt and maintain a generic model publication scheme which should be adopted and operated by all public authorities from 1 January 2009. Chedworth Parish Council adopted the generic model publication scheme at their Council Meeting on 16th November 2009. It is intended to provide everyone interested in the Council with a comprehensive guide to the information that the Council will automatically or routinely publish or otherwise makes available to the public. See here for details.

Chedworth Parish Plan

A Parish Plan is a report resulting from a community-wide consultation on matters which affect the village and the community. At the beginning of 2006 we were sent information from the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) regarding the benefits of forming a Parish Plan. A public meeting was held at which volunteers were recruited to form a Steering Group, which will take the Plan forward.

A web page has been set up to keep residents informed about the progress of the Plan.

Dog Fouling

There is still a problem with dogs fouling the footpaths and other public areas. Allowing your dog to foul is not an offence. Not clearing up after your dog is an offence.

Dog fouling in play areas presents a health hazard to children. Fouling on agricultural land poses problems for the landowner, as there are obvious implications of parasites and toxins found in dog faeces getting into the food chain. It's therefore both in your own and everyone elses' interests that you take responsibility for your dog when away from your home.

Please note that allowing your dog to foul anywhere other than on your own property (and not picking up after it) is illegal and punishable by a fine and a court summons. This is likely to be issued by the dog warden who will be making routine visits to Chedworth.

Speed limits within the Village

The only speed limit within the village is the 40 mph limit on Fields Road. Some residents have made representations to the council about the speed of traffic on this and other roads.

In response to these representations a flashing sign has been erected near the Village Hall to warn motorists of the presence of school children. This sign is activated by the school so that it only flashes when children are in transit. We are still waiting for SLOW signs to be painted on the other accesses.

After a request from a local resident, the Parish Council had looked at the possibility of a SID (speed indicating device) which is activated by speeding vehicles. The idea was turned down for two reasons: the cost (in excess of £1,800), and that it would not be in keeping.

We have also been monitoring traffic speeds in Fields Road using a radar gun. The average speed of vehicles is around 35-44 mph, which is within acceptable levels. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Just in: We've obtained a copy of The Department for Transport's guidance on setting local speed limits. NB: To view the document requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Footpaths and Hedgerows

Footpaths and roads can become obstructed, for instance by overgrown vegetation, particularly during the Summer months. If you know of any problems of this type please contact any Councillor or email the Clerk.

Parking in the Village

There are numerous blind spots in the village where consideration is called for when parking your car. You can help to avoid causing a danger to other road users, both drivers and pedestrians, by ensuring that you are not causing an obstruction when you park your vehicle. Please also remember that inconsiderate parking can obstruct emergency vehicles such as fire engines, ambulances etc.

The Parish Council is fully aware of the wish of many villagers to keep Chedworth free of suburban clutter such as double yellow lines, and councillors share these sentiments. We're therefore pursuing other ways of improving road safety in the village, for instance by asking residents not to park in dangerous places and to try to limit parking in these areas by non-residents wherever possible.

To this end we have sent letters to residents close to problem areas asking for their cooperation, and the parking seems to have improved in those areas. Our thanks to all of you who have responded.

Useful Information

Welcome Leaflet

The Parish Council has produced a Welcome leaflet for newcomers to the Parish. This leaflet includes details of many aspects of Chedworth activity including the Church, Doctors, Schools, Local Authorities and Societies, clubs and organisations.

If you are new to the village and have not received a leaflet then please contact the Clerk, who will be pleased to let you have one. If you know of anyone new to the Parish, please let a Council member know so that a leaflet can be delivered to them.

Village Maps

We have two maps of the village available for parishioners. One is a basic map like the ones that are sited at various points around the village, and the other is a more detailed road map. If you would like photocopies of either of these maps please contact any Councillor or email the Clerk. The cost is 10p per sheet for photocopying.

Bus Timetables

New for Summer 2009 - local bus timetable.

Broadband

Broadband became available to most residents in the Parish on 19th May 2004. Ex-Councillor Mr Paul Morris has prepared a guide to choosing a Broadband service.

Police Visits to Chedworth

PCSO Paul Bowman parks his Mobile Police Station at the Hemplands and/or the Village Hall once a month. He invites anyone who wishes to seek advice and information on any aspects of rural policing to visit him. You can also contact the Mobile Police Station by phone at 07734 068276 or via email.

• 11th June 11:30
• 24th June 16:00
• 13th July 16:00
• 30th July 11:30

Chedworth Parish Council

Name	Address	Occupation
Paul Sibbald (Chairman)	Iolanthe Church Row Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AD Tel: 01285 720016	Property Maintenance, Builder & Gardener
Mrs. Elizabeth Broad (Parish Clerk)	Brookvale Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AB Tel: 01285 720313 Email: parishcouncil@chedworth.org.uk	Parish Clerk
David Broad (Councillor)	Brookvale Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AB Tel: 01285 720313	District Councillor, works in Motor Trade
Adrian Bell (Councillor)	Pancake Cottage Lower Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AW Tel: 01285 721056	Agricultural Marketing & Journalist
VACANCY	Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 Tel: 01285 720
Graeme Brister (Vice-Chairman)	Calveshill House Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AH Tel: 01285 720446
John King (Councillor)	Springfield Lower Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AN Tel: 01285 720278	Recruitment Consultant
Lindy Gallagher (Councillor)	Hemplands Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4NH Tel: 07939 058 006	Business Owner Sales Organisations