SHAWBURY PARISH COUNCIL REPORT  March 2025

FEBRUARY 2025

REPORT JANUARY 2025

A53 ROAD SIGNS
Attempts have failed to get Shropshire Council to improve and up-date the mandatory warning signs on the A53 entering Shawbury from the direction of Shrewsbury because of lack of funds. The original signs have been repaired but the Council is seeking a written assurance that these meet the legal standards, which would enable the police to take action against drivers ignoring the speed limit. Request have also been made to have the notices on the road re-painted, where they have been worn away or covered by tarmac.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS:
Another reminder of the Community Service Awards which were mentioned in the last Council news report. These awards were established in 2011 to give residents the opportunity to nominate anyone living or working in the Parish for giving outstanding service. Since then well over fifty varied awards have been made including several to those under eighteen, illustrating the high level of support provided within the Parish. One nomination has already been received this year but there is still time for others to be considered, so if you know of someone deserving to be commended please send the details to the Parish Clerk

TREES :
The generous gift of £1,000 from an anonymous resident has enabled the Council to purchase and plant twelve new trees in the Parish and sincere thanks is extended to her and the owners of Oakgate Nursery for supplying and planting the trees at a discounted price.

WASTE:
If you decide to get someone to dispose of your rubbish, then ensure that it will be dealt with legally because when you pass it on it becomes commercial waste and is not considered as household waste. If it then gets disposed of illegally and your waste is identified you may find yourself being prosecuted for ‘fly tipping’.

ELECTIONS:
Every four years there is an opportunity to elect new people to serve on the Parish Council and this will take place in early May this year. All twelve seats will become vacant as the current Members have to stand down and then seek re-election and local residents have the opportunity to put their name forward. If you are over eighteen and live in the Parish you can apply - you do not need to have a string of qualifications, just the desire to serve the community in various ways. By making sure the children’s play areas are safe, the burial ground is maintained, the streetlights work, litter is collected and footpaths are accessible are just some of the areas you will be able to support. If you feel you would like to get involved but would like some information on how to apply, make contact with the Parish Clerk who will be happy to give you help and advice.

CONTACT:
A full list of Council activity, meetings and policies can be found on the Council’s web site - www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk or you can contact the Clerk by email on shawburypacclerk@talktalk.net or by ‘phone on 01743 236810         

LATEST NEWS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL DECEMBER 2024

Playing Field Fence:
It is hoped that most of you will have seen the new fencing round the field which has now been completed with the removal of the old wooden posts. It has been a costly and time consuming project but hopefully you will agree with the many complimentary comments that have been received and it is hoped that it will stand the Parish in good stead for many years.

Moat
Those of you who walk through the Moat will have noticed that some tree felling has taken place. This was simply to remove a number of self-seeded sycamore saplings to allow the more prominent and established trees to develop and grow in the space that has been created.

The Burial Ground: 
The area of land used for burials outside the main Church Grounds is the responsibility of the Parish Council and in the past month, with the assistance of a group of enthusiastic service personnel from RAF Shawbury, a range of remedial work has been undertaken. However it became obvious that more needs to be done and plans are being made to improve aspects of the ground, including paving round the recently installed seat, levelling up graves where there has been been sinkage and improving the pathways. It is hoped that this work will be carried out in the New Year.                                               

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 Council Tax. 

New Trees:  
A generous gift of £1,000 from a local resident has enabled the Council to purchase twenty trees for planning in and around the Moat area.  Oakgate Nursery provided the best quotation for supplying the trees and as a gesture of good will are going to plant the trees for the Council free of charge.

Parish Paths: 
There are a wide range of well used Footpaths, Bridleways, etc. round the Parish which are maintained by a Parish Partnership which tries to keep them clear to allow people to have free access. Shropshire Council makes a small grant for the purchase of tools but the work has been carried out by volunteers. Unfortunately there has been a distinct lack of people willing to give up a little time to help, so in the future it will be necessary to pay for much of the work. A successful trial has been carried out by contracting a company using a new system called Wilderness Mowing and it is intended to employ them to do more work in the future. This will be an added financial burden of the Parish but it is felt the health and well-being of parishioners who use these paths is important.

Awards:  
Each year at the Annual Parish Meeting, the Council likes to award people and groups that have given exceptional service in the Community and since it began well over sixty people have been nominated.  If you know of anyone who deserves to be commended please get in touch with the Parish Clerk who will be happy to discuss the process with you.

Dog Fouling: 
It is annoying to have to raise this issues again but following increased complaints it seems that there are still many dog owners who are either too lazy or inconsiderate to pick up and dispose of their dog’s waste. We are trying to get the dog warden to spend time in the area and issue fines to anyone caught ignoring the rule.

Finally: 
The Council wishes to acknowledged with sincere thanks a donation of £300.00 which has been made by RAF Shawbury  as a ‘thankyou’  for the continued support given by the Council and the Community. It has been decided that this money can be put towards the improvements in the Burial Ground. 

COUNCIL NEWS – NOVEMBER

At this month’s meeting Members were delighted to welcome Mrs. Jill Manley who had applied to be co-opted onto the Council to fill one of the vacant seats. Jill had previously been a Member and served as Chair for a number of years. She will be a valuable asset to the team. We would remind everyone that there is still one vacancy to be filled and that a full Council election will be held in May next year.

As always the business discussed covered a wide spectrum and started with congratulating the contractor who was responsible for erecting the new fencing round the Playing Field. Many positive comments have been received and it is hoped it will serve the Parish well for many years. Arrangements are being made to remove the old wooden posts down to ground level.

Earlier in the year a local parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous made a generous donation of £1,000 for the Council to plant new trees in the Moat and Glebe areas but progressing the project has been delayed until the ground and weather conditions were suitable. The Chairman has identified a local Nursery that is able to provide a range of suitable trees but help is needed to plant them in suitable and approved locations - willing volunteers will be welcome.

There are many footpaths and bridleways surrounding the Parish, which are well used by residents and visitors and need regular attention but many areas have become overgrown and it has proved difficult finding volunteers willing to do the necessary clearance work. Contact has been made with a local Company called Harris Wilderness Mowing, which has developed remotely controlled machines able to carry out this type of work. The Council has contracted them to carry out a trial programme of work and if this proves to be successful it is hoped they can be contracted for further work on the paths and on wet areas of the Glebe.

Every effort is still being made to get Shropshire Council improve the road markings and warning signs on the A53 entering Shawbury from the Shrewsbury direction

When Flt. Lt. Jones gave the regular report on activities at RAF Shawbury he ended by presenting a letter from the Station Commander, Wing Commander Alan Jones, giving a short overview of RAF Shawbury’s fund raising activities over the past year. Included was a cheque for £300 given as a small token of their appreciation and gratitude for the assistance the Parish Council and the local community provide to the Station and its personnel   At a later Council meeting Members will decide how best to use this donation.

The full draft minutes of the meeting can be found on the Councils web site -    
 www.shawbury-pc.gov.uk and the Clerk can be contacted on shawbrypcclerk@talktalk.netor by  ‘phone on 01743 236810

Parish Council News October 2024

Council Vacancies:   
It was reported at the Council meeting held on October 8^th. that Mr Kitchin had decided that he did not wish to continue to be a member of the Council following his recent co-option. This means that there are now two vacant seats as there has been no response to recent advertisements. As has been pointed out before you need no formal qualifications providing you are over eighteen years old, live in the Parish and have plenty of enthusiasm. If you want to find out more just get in touch with the Chairman or the Clerk who would love to hear from you or come along and sit through the next meeting on November 12^th. where you will see what is involved.

A53 Resurfacing: 
The work has been completed and Members have expressed satisfaction at the professional standard of the work, complementing the workforce for the effort they took to keep disruption to a minimum and ensuring that the project was completed on time. Unfortunately it was felt that these comments could not apply to Severn Trent whose response had been very unsatisfactory and caused numerous problems.

External Audit:
The Clerk was able to advise Members that the External Auditors based in London supported the local audit by giving a clean bill of health to the Financial and Overall Management of the Council. The audit documents can be found on the Council’s web site or copies can be obtained by local residents on payment of a £10.00 fee.     

RAF News: 
Flt.Lt. James who attends Council meetings reported the night flying would re-commence on 21st. October and continue until 5^th. December and that the latest edition of the Aries Magazine was available on line.                                                                                     

Shropshire Council: 
Shropshire Councillor S. Jones reported that like Council Members, he has pleased with the successful completion of the A53 re-surfacing and disappointed with the service given by Severn Trent. The traffic lights had suffered a parts failure when they were reconnected and a new sensor was required and once fitted the problem was solved.

He explained that The Green Waste collection service has suffered a delay due to the Print Contractor failing to produce the stickers to the required and agreed standard. The contract has been cancelled and a new company has been engaged. The new Green Waste Service will now start on November 4^th.

To date 57,810 households have subscribed, generating £3.2 million towards the Council’s savings.

He also pointed out that the £8 million bus grant has led to an improvement in the No.64 Arriva Bus service which will revert to an hourly service.

Full details of the meeting held on October 8^th. can be found on the Councils web site www.shawbury-pc.gov’ukand the Clerk can be contacted on shawburypcclerk@talktalk.netor 01743 326810