RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL MARCH 2017 NEWSLETTER
Village Floral Hanging Basket Project 2017
The Parish Council is once again calling upon local residents and businesses to contribute to the above scheme. It costs approximately £650 to purchase and install between 16 -18 baskets which are hung at various points in our village; The Cross's floral display is kindly donated by Mr John Gittins. The hanging baskets are kindly maintained by local people and our "British weather" and are enjoyed by all; especially visitors.
Last year generous donations from local businesses and residents amounted to £445.00 towards the project; the Parish Council hope that a similar amount can be raised this year.
Anyone wishing to make a donation please contact your local Parish Councillor or forward a cheque made out to " Ruyton XI Towns PC" to the Clerk, Sue Hackett at the following address: Gonsal House, Condover Shrewsbury SY5 7EX. I can also be contacted by email should you require further information or a receipt:ruytonxitownspc@btinternet.com
A quarterly police report was kindly given by CSO Kurt Mabe at the March Parish Council meeting which identified that of the 36 reported incidents since December 2016; of which 6 were crime related; the majority related to road traffic accidents and the general speeding of vehicles. Overall the parish is a safe place to live, but please watch your speed!
To report local non immediate police issues eg. If your car has been stolen, property damaged, you suspect drug use/dealings etc; please use 101.
In emergencies when a crime is in progress and when there is danger to life always use 999.
THE NEW TRANSPORT MINISTER JOHN HAYES VISITS SHOTATTON CROSSROADS - Report by Cllr Simon Gittins.
As part of a visit to Shropshire to look at future plans to dual the remaining single carriageway of the A5, we were able to get John Hayes, Minister of Transport, to stop and see the problems we all experience in negotiating the crossing at Shotatton.
Your local County Councillor Nick Bardsley, joined MP Owen Paterson and Parish Councillor Simon Gittins in showing the Minister firstly how busy the road is and secondly how dangerous it is to cross and to join. He experienced first-hand how difficult it is for large vehicles to cross when Steve Smith, Farm Manager at Wykey Farm took him across the carriageway in a tractor. Following the visit, we all then attended a meeting at Oswestry Rugby club where the Minister received a presentation on the need for upgrading the A5 and was able to hear representation from many interested parties including the emergency services, local business', council representatives and members of the rural community.
The plan is to get the work scheduled into the government road programme which runs from 2020 to 2025. The 20 mile stretch of road between Shrewsbury and Chirk is the only single carriageway on the entire Trans European Highway. This can take you from Southern Europe, up through England and Wales to Holyhead and on to Ireland. Consequently, we believe that we are in a good position to receive the required funding, but the downside is that we are not going to see anything happening anytime soon!
Pace Car stickers. These go in the back window of cars in the community so that following cars know that we are complying with our Speed Limits. These can be obtained from Cafe Eleven or Mick Berry. (email mick.berry@sky.com)
The Road Safety Group continues to meet to discuss possible ways forward for improving road safety within the village, and is now meeting with representatives from local businesses, schools, the police and Shropshire Council to discuss and progress possible solutions.
If you would like to take part or contribute to these discussions please contact Cllr David Spicer in the first instance ( emailluke.spicer@btinternet.com) or Cllr Mick Berry.
Ruyton XI Towns Annual Parish Meeting
To be held at 7.00 p.m. on Monday 10th April 2017 at The Victoria Room
Meeting agenda includes:
Update report by Shropshire Council on North West Relief Road Feasibility Study
Annual Police Report
Annual Parish Council Report
Local Reports from the Village Hall Committee, Road Safety Group, Basnett, Mintons and Matthews Charity; and Local Primary School.
The meeting is organised for the benefit of local residents but is open to both residents and parish councillors from neighbouring parish councils who are interested in the North West Relief Road.
An agenda can be downloaded from the Parish Council's website: http://www.rxit.org.uk/pc/ An ordinary council meeting will follow this meeting.
YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU!
Reductions in Local Government funding are placing at risk services you take for granted. Why not become a Local Parish Councillor and help to make a difference
On 4th May there are local elections for not only Shropshire Council but also Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council. I believe in local democracy and my wish is that more people will be willing to stand for the office as a parish councillor so that we have an actual election.
If you are concerned about your local community and wish to influence the direction of change, please think about obtaining nomination papers and putting your name forward for election as a parish councillor. Nomination packs have to be in by Tuesday 4 th April.
If my memory serves me well, we have only had one election for the Parish Council in the 25 years I have been on the council because we have not had more than 11 people willing to put themselves forward – the council consists of 11 parish councillors! Usually we have fallen short and had to co-opt people on to the council. This is astonishing! Please be prepared to join the group of local councillors who are seeking re-election and make a difference.
To those parish councillors who are retiring, on behalf of the Parish Council and the Community you have served, a big thank you for all your hard work.
I have several spare nomination packs for anyone interested in joining the Parish Council. Why not come and have a chat?
Alternatively download your own pack from the Electoral Commission's website or contact Shropshire Council's Electoral Team by email: elections@shropshire.gov.uk or Tel 0345 678 9015
Report by Ros Slowley Chair of the Parish Council. Tel 01939 260444 Email: slowleyr@yahoo.co.uk
Healthwatch Shropshire supports Experience of Care Week 20-24 March 2017
Healthwatch Shropshire is pleased to be involved in celebrating 'Experience of Care Week', which will put a spotlight on improving everyone's experiences of healthcare, including those of patients, family, carers and staff.
Locally, patients and members of the public have said that they do have concerns about sharing their experiences of care when they are not positive for fear of 'getting a black mark'. In this area, this week will be used to focus on this issue and to promote the need to support patients.
Jane Randall-Smith, Chief Officer of Healthwatch, said: "This is an issue for everyone, whatever their age. People need to be encouraged to share their experiences without fear of reprisal and to feel confident that their feedback will be listened to and used to improve services now and for the future.
"Knowing where to go to share feedback can be quite daunting as the NHS is not one but several organisations. If you are unsure where to go to share your feedback, Healthwatch Shropshire can signpost you to the most relevant person or service. We can also record your comments anonymously and share them with the relevant providers and commissioners."
Healthwatch Shropshire, 4 The Creative Quarter, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6LG
Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council have now issued 6 e-newsletters and have received positive responses from the community who find them overall both informative and current relating to our local Parish.
The Parish Council are very grateful in the excellent work Yoland Brown and Margaret Lycett do keeping residents informed and would like to say a special thank you to them both.
If you would like to sign up to this official Parish Council newsletter mailing list then you can do so by clicking the link below.