RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL
2020-21 UPDATE

2020-2021 Overview, by Parish Clerk, Lydia Bardsley

I hope you are all keeping safe and well. This newsletter aims to give an overview of what the Parish Council has been up to over the last year, as well as some important updates on things to come, i.e. the Census in March, Local Council Elections, and a new correspondence address for the Parish Council.

I expect many of us are quite happy to have seen the back of 2020, and are now looking forward to Spring, and hopefully the gradual relaxation of lockdown restrictions.

Despite the challenges of 2020, the Parish Council has adapted quickly to the ever-changing advice and legislation during the covid-19 pandemic, and has continued to work for the community in a number of areas. Here are some highlights:

Covid-19
The Parish Council worked with a team of dedicated community volunteers, to quickly set up a freephone Covid-19 helpline (which is funded by the Council). The wonderful Ruyton XI Towns Friendly Help volunteers are still picking up and delivering shopping and urgent supplies, posting mail, and generally offering a friendly ear to those who have been shielding, self-isolating or otherwise stuck at home. If you or someone you know are in need of any support, please give them a call on 0800 014 6711. You can find more info on coronavirus on our website.

As public meetings were banned for safety reasons, the Parish Council quickly switched to remote Council meetings. Parishioners are always welcome to join us via Zoom or the phone dial-in option if they wish.

Christmas Display
A big thank you to everyone involved in creating the lovely Christmas display you can see in the photo at the top of this newsletter, and for Barncroft Nurseries for donating the tree. And an extra special thank you to everyone who donated to the Village Hall Committee's Tree of Light which we understand raised over £1000 combined for the two charities (Hope House and Severn Hospice).

Climate Change, Tree planting, and Recycling
Thanks to a lot of hard work and organisation behind the scenes, volunteers and councillors have planted a new copse of trees in the Queen Elizabeth II Field (also known as the Lower Bridge or Bridge Inn Field) and extra trees in the Spinney. Work is also planned to create a wildflower meadow in the QEII Field in Spring. Extra special thanks go to Clare Emblen for kickstarting the whole project and ensuring that neighbours were consulted and involved throughout the process.

The Parish Council has also recently set up a Climate Emergency Working Group, and one of its first projects will be to look at a community recycling initiative. Find out more about the Climate Emergency Working Group and how you can get involved.

New Notice Board for Birch Grove
We have purchased a new notice board for this part of the parish, and it has now been delivered. We are just waiting for Shropshire Council's contractors to collect and install it for us.

Ruyton XI Towns Post Office
The original Post Office in Ruyton closed over a year ago, however your councillors and the Village Hall Committee have been instrumental in bringing this vital service back to the parish. See official Post Office re-opening poster.

Location: Foyer of Village Hall, Church street.
Opening times: Fridays, 1.30 – 3.30 pm

Tackling Rural Crime

In collaboration with West Mercia Police, and the "We Don't Buy Crime" initiative, the Parish Council has also provided residential SmartWater kits free of charge for all residents throughout the whole parish (not just the village). SmartWater is a proven crime prevention tool, and you can read how SmartWater protects your home here. If you live in Ruyton XI Towns parish but have not received a SmartWater kit yet, please contact the clerk or one of your councillors.

West Mercia Police will be installing "We Don't Buy Crime" signage at all entry points to the parish, to warn criminals that all of Ruyton XI Towns parish is SmartWater protected. This signage, along with the stickers included in your kits, are the biggest deterrent to would-be burglars, so make sure your stickers are prominently displayed at your home and use your kit to mark up your valuables.

PC 3194 Mark MOTH
Safer Neighbourhood Team
Oswestry Rural South
Tel: 101 - Ext: 5221
mark.moth@westmercia.pnn.police.uk

Parish Council Budget for 2021-22

One of the Parish Council's duties is to set a budget and precept (which Shropshire Council collects on our behalf through council tax) for the next financial year. At the January meeting the Council considered budget monitoring reports for this year, and proposals for 2021-22.

Given that this has been a very difficult year financially for many in the parish, and since Parish Council finances are relatively healthy, it was agreed to take the unusual decision to slightly reduce the precept figure for 2021-22, in order to minimise any financial burden on local taxpayers. So we have requested a precept of £30,540, a 0.0% increase on last year's council tax for Ruyton XI Towns parish. This slight reduction in precept won't mean a reduction in Parish Council activities or services, and any shortfall will be funded through our general reserves. You can find a copy of the agreed budget for 2021-22 as an appendix to the January 2021 minutes.

Safer Roads Group
Vehicle activated speed (VAS) signs
The Safer Roads group has continued to monitor speed data from the vehicle activated speed (VAS) signs through the village. Initial data analysis from a few months ago seems to show a drop in the number of speeding vehicles since the start of lockdown (as you would expect with somewhat fewer vehicles on the road), however the number of vehicles travelling over 10mph above the speed limit is still a concern.

The Parish Council has now added a solar panel to the VAS sign on Brownhill, which should greatly improve the battery life of the VAS sign, meaning volunteers will have to swap batteries less often. It is also one step we are taking towards addressing the Climate Emergency. Hopefully more solar panels will be added to Parish Council-owned VAS signs in the coming months.

Road improvement scheme funding for Ruyton XI Towns
Many of you will have heard by now that £225,000 of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding has been allocated to road safety improvement schemes in Ruyton XI Towns. Parish Council reps have had a very amicable and productive first meeting with Shropshire Council officers, and there will be monthly meetings going forwards between ourselves, Shropshire Council, and their engineering consultants, WSP. The Safer Roads Group already collects a lot of data on speeding which it will share and which should help speed things up (excuse the turn of phrase!) with the project, and save money for the road improvements. We will share more information as it becomes available.

Potholes
The deplorable state of the B4397 through the village has been a source of great concern for quite some time, so thank you to all residents who have voiced their concerns and reported potholes to Shropshire Council in recent months. Repairs took place in early Feb and have addressed some of the worst pot holes on the Platt bridge and through the village, though we had expected that repairs would go as far as Shottaton crossroads. We are putting pressure on Shropshire Council and the contractors to finish the job properly.

The Cliffe

The Cliffe Crew continued

conservation work as permitted during the varying stages of coronavirus restrictions. In August around 20 volunteers were joined by some special helpers to "roll" the bracken on the Cliffe.

Local Nature Reserve status
The Parish Council has also applied for Local Nature Reserve designation for the Cliffe, with the help of Shropshire Council's Outdoor Partnership Team, who manage the Cliffe on our behalf. The application progress is still ongoing, but once the designation is approved we are hoping to improve on-site signage and information around wildlife and ecology.

We understand there is some tension between different user groups, and as landowners, we are trying our best to promote dialogue, and find solutions and compromises that allow everyone to exercise, walk their dogs, and generally enjoy the Cliffe safely, but without harming local wildlife and the sensitive ecology.

YOUR PARISH COUNCILLORS

We were sad to say goodbye to a number of dedicated Parish Councillors in 2020, and we wish them all the very best for the future. We are pleased however that their seats have been quickly filled with new councillors offering a range of backgrounds, skills, and interests, and who are all keen to do their bit for the community. You can find out more about your new and existing councillors on our website.

IMPORTANT: CENSUS MARCH 21ST 2021

You may by now have received a postcard from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) about the upcoming census. This will be held on Sunday 21st March 2021. It is a legal obligation to complete the survey and there is a £1000 fine if you don't, so please don't ignore the postcard or information pack that you will receive from the ONS.

The ONS expects the vast majority of people will complete the survey online, but for those who do not use or have access to the internet, the Census information pack will explain how to request a paper survey. Please do take time to read through the information the ONS will provide, and if you have any concerns, please do contact them to make sure you have the proper support to complete the survey on time.

IMPORTANT: LOCAL ELECTIONS MAY 2021

Local council elections normally occur every 4 years in May, and this is when you vote for your Shropshire Council ward member (for Ruyton and Baschurch), as well as for Ruyton XI Towns parish councillors.

The next elections are currently scheduled for Thurs 6th May 2021, but we understand there are concerns around making smaller polling stations covid secure, and the process for obtaining signatures for nominations for county council elections.

As yet, government have not announced any plans to postpone the elections, but in the meantime please ensure you are registered to vote (deadline midnight 19.04.2021). You can also register for a postal vote here (deadline 5pm 20.04.2021), or register to vote by proxy (deadline 5pm 27.04.2021).

RUYTON XI TOWNS PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS

Like many other organisations, the Parish Council had to 'go virtual' during the Covid-19 pandemic. What started out as a short-term measure to allow meetings and council business to continue has now become the norm. Under current legislation, remote meetings are legally permitted until 6th May, so we are waiting to find out whether the government will extend this or not.

Parish Council meetings are usually held on the first Tues of the month. The next meeting is scheduled for 2nd March 2021 at 6.30pm on Zoom.

For up to date meeting information, including dates, times, agendas, and how you can take part, please visit our agenda and minutes webpage.

Change of Parish Council address
The clerk is planning on moving house in the next week or so. We are hoping to transfer the clerk's phone number (01691 238267) to the new address once we've moved, but for the time being please use email in the first instance:
parishclerk@ruytonxitownsparishcouncil.org.uk, especially if you have invoices for the council.

If you are unable to reach me and your query is urgent, please contact the Chairman Simon Gittins by email or phone (01939 260273).

Ruyton XI Towns Parish Council use mailchimp to provide e-newsletters or bulletins, which contain the latest local news and information relating to our Parish.

The Parish Council are very grateful for the excellent work Yoland Brown does keeping residents informed and would like to say a special thank you to her for her efforts.

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.

Yoland's eMails

Thursday 25 February 2021