Parish Council

Official Parish Council Post

ARMISTICEDAY SERVICES in NORTH PERROTT

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At 10am on Sunday 10th November, there will be a SERVICE of REMBRANCE at St.Martins, North Perrott.

Following the service, everyone is invited to meet on the Village Green at 10.55am.

At 11.00.am the Village will celebrate the the ACT of REMEMBRANCE and laying of a wreath in memory of those from North Perrott, and others, who have given their lives in the name of peace.

Following the Act of Remembrance, Graham and Liz Neville welcome everyone for a cup of tea (or something stronger) in the Manor Arms.

Extraordinary MEETING OF NORTH PERROTT PARISH COUNCIL

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This message is a reminder of the previously advertised notice that an Extraordinary meeting of North Perrott Parish Council will take place in the Hoskyns Memorial Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday 22nd October 2024.

This meeting is specifically to discuss the planning application 24/01609/FUL for a proposed bungalow in Stonage Lane. More information is available on the Somerset Planning Portal https://ssdc.somerset.gov.uk/planningdocuments?ref_no=24/01609/FUL

Information about previous Parish Council meetings are available to view on the Parish Website.

Please remember to sign up for email alerts on the website if you have not already done so.

Information is being sought

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Information is being sought about how and why the wisteria on the south wall of Peel House (at the end of East Street and opposite the telephone box) has been maliciously destroyed, by having all its main stems sawn through near to ground level.

It would appear that the perpetrator wants to remove the climbing plant from the wall in East Street, the Wisteria on the front of the house has been left untouched.

It seems as if someone was disturbed at midnight about 2 weeks ago and drove off rapidly, with squealing tires. Evidence appears to show that they left a part cut branch from that time. Presumably they returned a few nights later to complete the job and the damage came to light a few days later.

If anyone has noticed any suspicious activity in East Street over the last two weeks (around midnight), might have CCTV that would show vehicle movements late at night in East Street or Back Lane, or has any information that might have a bearing on this matter, please let Michael Findlay at Peel House know.

This matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness and the Police have been informed.

It only remains to be said that if anyone has an issue with vegetation or any other matter, then the first matter of course is to speak with someone about it before taking matters into your own hands and possibly breaking the law. In this case there was no forewarning and so the damage is being treated as malicious vandalism, destroying a beautiful Wisteria that has taken many years to grow.

Beaminster Community Bus Service (Saturdays only)

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The roadworks in South Street are due to continue until September.  While some bus services have been reduced, here is an extra one. You can call in advance or wave the bus down. 

Beaminster CB3 bus.

Chris Turner from Beaminster Town Council writes:

The on-going gas works in Crewkerne are continuing to cause disruption in the area which means that our CB3 Community Bus has, likewise, been diverted temporarily through North Perrott and Haselbury. There is still access to Crewkerne Rail Station which we will serve, by request, on our north-bound run to Crewkerne. This is deliberately timed to allow passengers to join SWC’s No.96 for Yeovil at 10.30.

On the south-bound return, we will serve the Railway Station as per our timetable, (which you will also find attached). Inevitably, because of the disruption and market day hold-ups in Bridport, the bus may be a little delayed. We carry a mobile phone on board which any passenger may call to check progress or ensure that there is seating available. The number is:- 07716-643087.

Our drivers will be warned to look out for potential passengers through the villages who may hail the bus wherever it is safe to stop. Please be aware that the CB3 will be using Swan Hill where possible in order to save time and fuel.

We look forward to welcoming you on board and hope you have a good weekend

SPEEDING TRAFFIC IN NARROW LANES

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At last weeks meeting of the Parish Council, member of the public drew attention to traffic speeding in Downclose Lane and the subject soon spread wider to the other lane and main road.

All our lanes are particularly dangerous for dog walkers and horse riders when traffic passes by at any speed. There are often steep banks on both sides and nowhere safe to get out of the way. Add to that the many blind spots and the situation can get quite dangerous, especially in early summer, before the verges have been cut back.

How fast is too fast? On the main road there are defined speed limits but the situation is slightly different on unmarked lanes. The answer lies in the recent changes to the Highway Code, which stipulate that motor vehciles must give way to non powered traffic. In narrow lanes, this translates into a simple guidance – YOU MUST DRIVE SAFELY ACCORDING TO THE ROAD CONDITIONS.

Always imagine there is a dogwalker or horse rider around the next bend. In almost all the lanes in North Perrott, 20mph would be considered an absolute maximum. 15mph if there is a blind corner and slower still when passing a walker or horse. Horses should be given 2m clearance.

A Particular danger point is the narrow gap at the end of the New Buildings in Downclose Lane Ironically, the finger is being pointed at cutomers of Downclose Stables, who should be more aware than most of the dangers of speeding traffic and need to be reminded that this applies to them when they are arriving at the stables by car!

Church Lane and the back drive to Perrott Hill School is also a footpath and very narrow for cars to pass by dog walkers. Parents leaving the school often leave walkers in a state of shock as they speed past without due concerne for foot walkers and their dogs.

Willis lane also has blind spots and several blind exits, meaning not only horse riders and walker are in danger from speeding cars but also other cars coming in the opposite direction.

Please pay due caution when driving on our lanes. Non powered road users have the right of way on public roads and you should always anticipate what danger lies ahead of you.

When passing a dog, walker, cyclist or horserider, please do so DEAD SLOW and give due respect to the fact that you are a tonne of metal passing inches from human flesh!

The Community Speed Watch report that the village is experiencing heavy traffic that is twice as busy as usual. This is because of the A356 being closed in Crewkerne, with much traffic, especially lorries and visitors, being diverted onto the A3066. The only good news is that the Pattemore’s lorries were commended for regularly being the slowest through the village. They will be receiving a thank you letter from NPPC.

Preventing Dog Mess: Responsible Dog Ownership in North Perrott

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At last weeks Parish Council Meeting, two of the three favourite gripes about country village life were raised by concerned members of the public.

Dog mess, traffic speeding in the lanes (more about that later) and litter make up the dreaded trinity.

All are completely avoidable and all take our environment for granted. There are no excuses for any of these misdemeanors and it costs nothing to stop them.

The complaint about dog mess came from regular dog walkers who stated that some of the tracks between Haselbury and North Perrott have become a minefield of dog excrement. There is absolutely no reason for this as the Parish Councils of North Perrott and Haselbury have installed dog bins at both ends of the footpaths, one in THE PARK and the other opposite the North Perrott Cricket Ground. In addition, Somerset Council say that it is perfectly acceptable to bag your dog’s mess and put it in your grey bin.

If the dog bin is full or your route takes you elsewhere, then please take your bags home. Do not decorate the trees, hedges or hide it like a geocashe!

The feeling in the meeting was that some of this probelm is caused by visitors to the village that may not feel they have anywhere convenient to dispose of their dog bags. If you own a let property, Airb&B or similar that allows dogs, please make sure you have clear information about your dog waste policy so that clients are in no doubt about where to dispose of it. Any information should end with the phrase “Please leave our village & countryside as you found it”.

The only solution for this problem is for dog walkers to self-police their community. Please politely call out owner who fail to control their dogs, let them out of their sight or simply refuse to pick up their pet’s mess.

The Countryside code stipulates that dogs that have immediate recall should be kept in view at all times. If your dog has poor recall, then it should be kept on the lead until the owner is suitably trained!

Any dog walker found not to be picking up their dog mess on the private land, epecailly farmland, should expect to be asked to leave and not return.

Please note that North Perrott Fruit Farm is NOT open to public access and anyone walking off the Public Footpath may only do so with permission of the landowner. More information is available at https://parrettbrand.co.uk/walkers-riders/

Thank you for reading and if you are a dog walker, please act responsibly and help solve the problem by educating others.

A MEETING OF NORTH PERROTT PARISH COUNCIL

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TONIGHT!

This message is a reminder that the Bi-Monthly meeting of North Perrott Parish Council will take place in the Hoskyns Memorial Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday 2nd July 2024

The agenda and past minutes are available to vew on the Parish Website.

Please remember to sign up for email alerts on the website if you have not already done so.

In other news, the village Fete is this Sunday from 12pm to 4pm on the cricket ground.

Grand Draw tickets are available from the Farm Shop

CO-OPTION OF NEW COUNCILLORS

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NPPC is currently looking for 2 new members to co-opt as parish councillors.

PLEASE DO NOT BE SHY!

It does not matter if lots of people put their names forward because the term of this Council has only 2 years left to run and so there are plenty of chances to serve at a later date. Like other parishes, North Perrott struggles to convey the importance of community involvement but if we lose our own parish council, then local governance will be passed to Crewkerne Town Council, and our voice in local matters will be severely diluted.

If you think you want to know more, please read on and come to the meeting on Tuesday 7th May at 7.30pm at the Hoskyns Memorial Hall.

North Perrott Parish Council (NPPC) consists of 5 members, drawn from the people who either live or work in the parish. At the last meeting, two members offered their names for resignation and so there are currently two spaces available for co-option.

Being a parish councillor in North Perrott is not an onerous job but a new councillor would be expected to undertake a basic training course (paid for by NPPC) and attend bi-monthly meetings regularly. You must abide by the Council’s code of conduct and standing orders, both of which are published on the website. The amount of extra work would depend on current commitments and projects, but are normally split between councillors so that they amount to no more than a few hours each between meetings. There are currently a number of long running projects, including minor road improvements and new village gateways. Future projects include a 20mph zone around the village green and the hall. There will also be consultations about how the community money from the Solar Park will be applied for when it finally goes online in about 2 years time.

A Parish Council has three basic functions;

To communicate the needs of the Parish to the next tier of governement above, in this case the Somerset Unitary Council.

To respond to requests for consultation from Somerset Unitary Council on behalf of the Parish, the most frequent of these would be for planning applications.

To manage and develop community assets groups within the village, usually a community hall, sports of amenity areas and a cemetary.

For historic reasons, in North Perrott the village hall, cricket club and St.Martins churchyard are all managed by independent community groups, which leaves NPPC with less manditory work to do that most parish councils. This does not mean there are not important projects to be managed but it does mean that commitment as a councillor in North Perrott is not as onerous or time consuming as it might be in other parishes. We do however, communicate with the bodies that run these facilities, help with funding where we are allowed and assit them in grant applications, where funding is funnelled through normal goverment pipelines.

The last parish council elections were in 2023 (to co-encide with the start of the new Unitary Council) and elections are generally held every four years. An election only actually happens if there are more than 5 valid nominations, if there are less, then the applicants are deemed to be elected without oposition. Whenever there are less than 5 members, then the existing Councillors are empowered to co-opt new members up to a maximum of 5. A quorum for NPPC is 3, if we drop below 3 members then the process becomes rather complicated and we risk losing our status as a parish council. There are currently only 3 members!

To qualify to stand as a parish councillor, you must be:

*British or a citizen of the Commonwealth. You may also be eligible as a citizen of the European Union, however the criteria has changed now that the UK has left the European Union. Please check on the gov.uk website for advice about EU citizens’ voting and candidacy rights in local elections.
*At least 18 years old.
*Registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked, or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election.

*If you have a criminal record or are in bankruptcy, you may be banned from serving.

This is not a long term commitment and now is an ideal time to dip your toe into the experience of serving on a parish council. At the end of the 4 year term (2026), the Council has to be re-elected, and although some Councillors choose to continue to serve, it is healthy to have a regular change to keep the Council fresh and effective.