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MYDDLE AND BROUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
LATEST NEWS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL January 2025
The latest meeting of the Council took place in Harmer Hill Village Hall on the 2nd. January when nine members of the public took the opportunity to attend and raise items of concern prior to the start of the meeting. Issues raised included requests for further information about the planned affordable housing project, changes to public footpaths and the need for traffic controls on Godings Lane.
In the meeting which then took place the following were the main items discussed and reviewed.
Affordable Housing Project:
Members were very concerned to hear that the proposed sale of land in Godings Lane for the development of a small estate of affordable housing was unlikely to go ahead. The owner of the land had offered to sell the land to Shropshire Council at a vastly reduced market price on the understanding that the planned properties would all be for rent. They had now been informed that Shropshire Council were either unwilling or unable to do that and as a result they had decided to withdraw the offer of the land. They could only agree to sell if there was a legally signed document indicating that all the properties built would be available for local residents to rent in perpetuity.
Myddle Village Hall Car Park:
Councillor Greg Miller reported that an application had been made for a lottery grant to help finance the re-surfacing of the car park and was hopeful that they would receive a response by early spring. The Parish Council has already agreed to give a grant towards the cost.
Budget:
The budget for 2025 – 2026 has been prepared and approved by Members and details can be found on the Council’s web site or a copy obtained from the Parish Clerk.By careful financial management there has been no need to increase the precept which has been the same for the past three years and means there should be no increase in that element of your CouncilTax.
Footpaths and Bridleways:
Following the sale of a large area of woodland in Harmer Hill, numerous concerns had been raised regarding the access to the many and varied paths which are well used by walkers throughout the year. Of particular concern was the closure of the access opposite Harmer Hill Village Hall which meant that walkers had to access and leave the paths at a dangerous location on the main road. The Chairman confirmed that he had met most of the new owners who were aware of their responsibilities and had discussed the situation with Helen Beresford, Shropshire Councils Footpaths Officer.Councillor Roger Jones outlined in detail the research he had carried out in conjunction with senior officers at Shropshire Council and this would continue until satisfactory solutions were agreed.
Harmer Hill Reservoir
The Chairman outlined the many complaints which were received about continued development at the site in spite of an enforcement order being placed on the developer and the land. All these had been forwarded to Helen Morgan our MP with a request for her help to pursue this matter.Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams indicated that the Council had insufficient resources to carry out the necessary action which would be to remove all the development which had taken place.
Tree Maintenance in Myddle Wood:
It was reported that Shropshire Council had approved the report made by a qualified arborist that two dangerous trees should be removed but permission from the Forestry Commission was needed before any work could be carried out. They had been contacted and their response was awaited.
Myddle Church Clock
Approval has been given for the repair of the clock and the necessary consultation has been undertaken and it is hoped that the work will be undertaken early in February.
As always the full draft minutes of the meeting will be published of the Council’s web site – www.myddleand broughton-pc.gov.uk and the next meeting will be in Myddle Village Hall on Wednesday 5th, March starting at 7.30pm.
Latest News November 24
Members heard that, following the agreement of the Parish Council to give up the lease on land in Godings Lane, negotiations are now taking place between Shropshire Council and the land owner regarding the sale of the land. The Council have been told that they can continue to have access until building work begins and that part of the field will be re-leased back to them when the building project is complete. A new Play Area will then be installed.
Councillor G. Miller raised concerns over the state of Myddle Village Hall car park which was used extensively by carers of children attending Myddle School as well as those attending events at the Hall. The Deeds for the Hall showed that ultimately the Parish Council has responsible for the Hall and he suggested that the refurbishment of the car park should be included in the Place Plan and that CIL (Neighbourhood) Fund should be used to finance the repair. He had been advised that the cost of the resurfacing would be in the region of £20,000. The Village Hall Committee was seeking a Lottery Grant and hoped that the Council would agree to fund part of the cost. After careful consideration it was decided to give a grant of up to £10,000 from the Community Infrastructure Fund.
Another project which was approved was the erection of ‘Welcome to’ signs on the main roads leading into Myddle and Harmer Hill. The signs saying ‘Welcome to Harmer Hill or Myddle will also state ‘Please Drive Slowly’. This type of sign is being used extensively in Villages around the Country and again part of the cost will be funded from the Community Infrastructure Fund.
The Clerk stated that he was pleased to confirm that the Government appointed auditors based in London had supported the local audit and had not raised any concerns about the financial and overall management of the Council.
LATEST NEWS June 24
At the Council Meeting held in Myddle Village Hall on the 26th. June, following items were considered:
The Annual Audit:
The administration of the Council and its financial records have to be audited in two stages – the first is a local based audit known as the Internal Audit and when that is complete the details have to be sent to auditors based in London for the External Audit. Members were pleased to receive the report from the Internal Auditor giving the Council a clean bill of health on all issues and the documents have now been forwarded to London. These details are available for public scrutiny and can be obtained from the Clerk on payment of a £5.00 fee.
Housing Project
Council Members were disappointed to hear that there had been no progress with the proposal to build some affordable properties on land in Godings Lane, Harmer Hill. Shropshire Council’s legal department had confirmed that the project was still under consideration but it is understood that there has been no movement from them to purchase the land. Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams has offered to try and find out the reasons for the prolonged delay.
Harmer Hill Reservoir
At the Council meeting held in May, information had been received from Shropshire Council stating that a legal enforcement order had been placed on the owner to cease on site development, to remove unlawfully constructed building and to return the area to its original state. From observation it would appear that none of this has taken place, the Enforcement Officer has been advised of the situation and we understand that that the issue may need to go to Court.
Village Entry Signs
Members have supported a proposal from Councillor Alex Harris to erect Welcome to Myddle and Harmer Hill signs on the six main entry roads to the Villages. This will be subject to the approval of Shropshire Council where new sites are identified, although some will replace existing signs which have stood the test of time. The project will be funded from Community Infrastructure Levy grants that have been received by the Council.
Environmental Maintenance Grant
For many years the Council has received a grant of £1,500 from Shropshire Council for undertaking environmental maintenance in the Parish. This grant has to be matched by a similar amount from the Parish Council’s budget. This money has enabled the Council to carry out a range of jobs which helps to improve the quality of the local environment including litter picking, provision of dog waste bags, emptying dog waste bins, gully and pavement cleaning, grass cutting and at times emergency action. Many residents have made the Council aware of how much they appreciate this work being carried out and it has the full support of all the Councillors.Unfortunately as part of their cost cutting exercise, Shropshire Council has cut this year’s grant by 50% so we will only be receiving £750.00. As the Council had already budgeted its £1,500.00 it meant there would have been a short fall of £750.00. However it was felt it to be so importantfor this type of work to be maintained that there was a unanimous decision to identify small savings on other budgets so that £3,000 was still available.
The full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Councils web site –www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk. and the Clerk can be contacted on myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.netor by ‘phoning 01743 236810.
MAY 2024
COUNCIL NEWS
Two Council meetings were held in Harmer Village Hall on Wednesday 8th. May. The first was the Annual Parish Meeting which is open to the general public giving an opportunity to meet the local Councillors and discuss issues related to the Parish.
Unfortunately, only two residents took the opportunity and the meeting went ahead with an update on the items raised last year, a full report from the Council Chairman and information from two of the PCSOs from Wem Police.
Outlining the items raised last year it was reported that:
(a) No progress had been made with the proposal to build a small estate of affordable properties on land adjacent to Godings Lane in Harmer Hill. The Council had agreed to relinquish the lease but the land had not yet been purchased by Shropshire Council. (b) Neither the police nor Shropshire Council supported a request to reduce the speed limit on Wem Road to 30mph without additional calming measures, which currently Shropshire Council were not able to finance.
(c) The request for an additional street light and an extension of the 40mph speed limit in Shotton Lane had been investigated and the new streetlight contractors had stated that there was no Network to connect additional lights to and there were too many trees in the area to consider installing solar lights. There were no objections from the police or Shropshire Council to the extension of the 40mph if and when finance could be made available.
(d) The request for a dog waste bin close to Harmer Hill Village Hall resulted in a new bin being purchased by the Parish Council and put in place and this was being emptied regularly.
Chairman’s Report:
The Chairman gave an interesting and informative report, highlighting the range of activities undertaken by the Council in the past year, in an effort to meet the needs of the community. These included road safety measures, litter and dog fouling control, maintenance of the two play areas and the many footpaths which are well used by residents.
By careful budgeting and the monitoring of expenditure, it had not been necessary to seek an increase in the precept, which meant that the local element of the Council Tax had not increased. However, he was pleased to report that the Council had still been able to make grants towards the upkeep of the Village Halls and Church Grounds as well as supporting the publication of the Messenger and the development of the Youth Centre. Small grants had also been given to three local charities.
He wished to extend thanks to all the Members, the Parish Clerk and Shropshire Councillor Brian Williams for their dedicated support throughout the year.
A full copy of the report was made available to all those attending and one can be found on the Councils web site.
Police Report.
CSO Liz Walmsley and PCSO Olly Morris were in attendance and stated that they had been made aware of the concerns raised by the Council with the major one being road safety and speeding traffic. They were engaged in carrying out roadside speed checks and would respond to identified locations. Although the Parish has a low crime record it was essential for the public to be vigilant and report concerns to the police on 101 or direct to the Wem team. The plan is to make the public aware of their presence and they were happy to attend organised events.
No further issues were raised.
The second meeting was the Council’s AGM when the first item was news that Miss Karen Row had resigned from the Council because of her study commitments. Thanks were expressed for the work she had undertaken for the Council and it was confirmed that an attempt would be made to appoint a replacement Councillor for the Harmer Hill Ward. Members then moved on to elect Officers and appoint representatives for the next year. Councillor Colin Ruck was elected as Chairman and Councillor Marshall Andrew Vice Chairman, both on a unanimous vote. Details of all the other appointments can be found in the minutes of the meeting.
Other issues considered were:
(a) Affordable Housing:
There was concern about the lack of further information about the proposal to develop the small affordable housing estate adjacent to Godings Lane and the Clerk was asked to make contact with the legal department at Shropshire Council to discuss developments.
(b) Entrance Signs for both Villages
In the absence of Councillor A. Harris who was dealing with the proposed project and had been unable to attend the meeting because of a family illness, it was decided to defer any discussion until the next meeting
(c) Myddle Church Clock
Councillor G. Miller reported that he had contacted three companies and to date had received two quotations for carrying out the upgrade but understood that the third one was in the process of being prepared. Once all thee had been received and considered by a representative of the Diocese he would bring the figures to the Council for consideration. (d) Audit:
Members considered and approved the Annual Governance Statement which was signed by the Chairman and the Clerk. A range of other draft audit documents were issued for consideration before the full audit was approved at the June meeting
(d) Planning Applications
Details of four applications had been received from Shropshire Council’s planning department and these were considered and responded to and it was noted that the application for development at Sleap Airfield had been approved.
The full minutes of the meeting can be accessed on the Councils web site –www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk
March 2024
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS JANUARY 2024
The Council made a flying start to the New Year by holding a meeting in Harmer Hill Village Hall on January 3rd. when the Agenda included a variety of issues for consideration including:
The Budget for 2024 -2025.
The proposed budget was adopted after the Clerk reported that by careful financial control, it had been possible to ensure that the current financial year would end well within the planned expenditure forecast. This has enabled the Council to request the same precept from Shropshire Council for the next year and means that that the Parish Council element of the Council Tax should not be increased for residents living within the Parish boundary.The details of the budget can be found on the Council website or can be obtained from the Parish Clerk by sending in a request accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope.
Highways:
Over the past year the Council has continued to receive many requests for improvements to the roads in and around the Parish including, extensions to 30mph restrictions and the creation of buffer 40mph speed limits; the creation of a footpath from Pimhill to the Bridgewater Arms in Harmer Hill; various warning notices and not least improved road safety at Myddle School. Shropshire Council are responsible for these developments and the Council is in constant discussion with its Officers but is well aware of the financial problems they are facing. As a result, Members are trying to negotiate alternative ways of funding some of the projects.
Myddle Recreation Ground:
The Council has been made aware of reports on the local Facebook querying the safety of the field but we respectfully request that if there are problems, please report them to the Parish Clerk, a local Councillor or the Police so that action can be taken. Every effort is made to keep the area safe for everyone – the play equipment is checked regularly by a qualified officer and Parish Councillors frequently walk round the field. Attempts to get a volunteer or paid help to do a weekly litter pick have not been responded to.
Police
Members were pleased to welcome to the meeting, PCSO Oliver Morris who has recently been appointed to the Wem Police Team. Oliver is determined to get involved in community issues and is particularly keen on helping to improve road safety at local schools.
As always the full minutes of the meeting can be found on the Council website - www.myddleandbroughton-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted at myddlebroughtonclerk@talktalk.net or by ‘phone on 01743 236810
The autumn meeting of the Council took place in Myddle Village Hall on Wednesday 30th. August when as usual there was a wide range of agenda items for Members to consider and action. However as has been pointed out in previous reports much of the Council work takes place outside of the planned meetings.
This summer has been no exception and Councillors have been asked to review a range of Council policy documents including Standing Orders; Financial Regulations and Risk Management. The revised documents were approved and details can be found on the Councils web site. The Council were also asked by Shropshire Council to review the Parish element of the Shropshire Place Plan. This resulted in a request for some items to be removed as they had been actioned, whilst the following items should be included – urgent work to improve the road safety at Myddle School; a 40mph buffer zone entering Myddle on the Baschurch Road and improved safety measures on a section of the A528.
Items considered at the meeting included:
Road Safety Measures:
As always this featured highly with many complaints received from residents including the speed of traffic on Wem Road; Safety at Myddle School; access and exit at Hillcrest View on the A528 and large tractor units using The Hollow as a short cut. A police representative had met Councillors to discuss the Wem Road problem and a covert speed check was carried out over a period of several days, which identified that the majority of the traffic was keeping to the limit of 40mph. Changing to a 30mph limit would be the responsibility of Shropshire Council and would involve a number of expensive measures. However the Council would consider a proposal to install more effective VAS units. It was agreed that the area Road Safety Officer should be invited to an urgent meeting to discuss the other issues.
Affordable Housing Development:
Members agreed to relinquish the lase on land in Godings Lane used as a recreation ground, to allow a small housing development to take place and approved the appointment of Mr. Harfitt (Solicitor) to act on behalf of the Council. It was essential that there was agreement by Shropshire Council to lease back part of the land and re-site the play equipment at the same time and before any further development was undertaken.
Harmer Hill Reservoir:
Unlawful development continues at this site, including the storage of noxious materials, and has been continuing now for several years, in spite of an enforcement order being placed on the developer. The Council continues to press for action but the latest report from Shropshire Council said action was delayed because of a staff shortage. The Clerk has been asked to write to Shropshire Council’s Leader and C.E.O and seek urgent action with a copy being sent to Helen Morgan the local M.P.
Correspondence Received:
Once again since the last meeting Members over fifty varying items had been sent to Members and where necessary these were considered in detail and responded to.
Mid-Year Financial Statement:
The Clerk provided Members with an up to date statement which showed that the Council was in a healthy financial state. He pointed out that there was a considerable sum of Community Infrastructure Levy grant available for approved projects. Suggestions for new developments in the Parish are welcome.
Full minutes of the meeting will be available on the Councils web site early in September.
Related Files
Latest News
- PARISH COUNCIL NEWS November 24 (pdf: 122kb)PARISH COUNCIL NEWS November 24
- Council News report -June 24. (pdf: 71kb)Council News report -June 24.
- COUNCIL NEWS May 24.pdf (pdf: 93kb)COUNCIL NEWS May 24.pdf
- PARISH COUNCIL NEWS March 24 (pdf: 73kb)PARISH COUNCIL NEWS March 24
- PARISH COUNCIL NEWS Jan 24 (pdf: 68kb)PARISH COUNCIL NEWS Jan 24
