New hedge plants at Gainsborough
Some allotment tenants and local residents were concerned about the gap in the hedge on Gainsborough so we hope that all residents are happy to see that 30 hedge plants are now in situ, thanks to our ranger, Martin. This photo was taken on that very cold, snowy and windy day on 9th February.
Crackmore Crossing
Good news from our Somerset County Councillor, William Wallace. The plans for the creation of safer crossing arrangements near the Crackmore/Goathill junction are progressing well and are now in the detailed design stage; the safety audit is scheduled for some time in March. We don’t want to get our hopes up too much but there is a potential start date of early June, subject to Covid-19 restrictions, of course.
Town Hall Roof
It started off as a trickle, turned into a dinner plate full and eventually the floor was an inch thick. That just about sums up the progress of the leak in the Town Hall roof. First spotted before Christmas, the leak has in a short space of time snowballed and has now damaged the upstairs room in the Town Hall. Further damage has been prevented by Cllr. Lock and his daily bucket-emptying regime, along with his mopping skills.
Listed building experts have been engaged and scaffolding erected so that the issues can be accurately assessed. Unfortunately, the initial prognosis isn’t good, and it seems that the final bill could be in excess of £20,000.
Council Tax Freeze
Sadly, this headline is not as it may seem as Somerset County Council are going to increase their part of the Council Tax bill by 4.99% and South Somerset District Council by 2.91%, and as these two organisations’ taxes make up the vast majority of your Council Tax bill you will be seeing an above-inflation increase to it this year. However, the Parish Council’s portion of the bill will not be increasing this year as members of the Parish Council voted in January for a freeze.
In No Time At All
You would be forgiven for having to ask the time in the Village over the last six months. What, many would ask, is going on with the Town Hall clock?! It was reported back in the late summer that the clock was to be repaired, then the clock face disappeared, and we had some horrid boarding to cover the gap. Since then, time has march on and seemingly nothing has been happening. Well, in fact a lot has been happening and slowly but surely the clock face has been restored and the workings behind tested. We are now at the stage where we are ready for the installation and are aiming for the end of March.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Thursday 1st April at 7pm. This year, no matter what the Covid restrictions are in April, it will be taking place on Zoom. The Parish Meeting is a meeting of the Parishioners; it is not a meeting of the Parish Council. However, it is Chaired by the Chairman of the Parish Council and organised by the Parish Clerk. All local groups will be invited to attend and submit a report; there will also be a general forum at the end for exchanging of ideas and comments.
The Zoom Meeting ID: 889 1799 3444 & Passcode: 245619 – see the Parish Council website nearer the time for further details.