Busy year ahead for the Parish Council
The Parish Council has a number of projects in the pipeline for 2023/24, in addition to the normal everyday tasks of managing the allotments, two playparks, the cemetery and the village’s green spaces. There is also the new Somerset Council taking shape, with the abolition of South Somerset District Council on March 31st. The first project on the list is the addition of £55,000 worth of new play equipment being installed in the Springfield play area; once in place, a new fence will be required. Improvements are also in the pipeline for the entrance to the Village Hall car park. New street furniture has been obtained and is now starting to be installed around the village. Further fencing improvements are also planned for Gainsborough play park, plus a bike rack, and ball-stop nets will be installed at Springfield.
In our November and December meetings, councillors looked very carefully at the cost of providing all the services that it does, against a background of a rate of inflation of over 10%. It will not come as a surprise that, even by keeping things close to the bone, the Parish Council is having to increase its share of the Council Tax from April by £9.31 (for a band D household) – 78p per month – which will mean that a Band D household will pay £112.75 per year for services provided by the Parish Council.
The Parish Council is looking at other initiatives for creating income, partially around corporate sponsorship; there is potential for the Parish Council to work in partnership with local business and therefore reduce the burden on the taxpayer.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Tuesday 25th April at 7pm at the Village Hall. 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 Clerks. All local groups will be invited to attend and share information about the activities that their organisations/groups have been involved in during the past year or so. It is a great opportunity to celebrate achievements and contributions to the local community; there will also be a general forum at the end for exchanging of ideas and comments. This is an open meeting so do come along if you would like to learn more about the organisations that make a positive difference to life in Milborne Port and if you would like to share your own ideas and suggestions about how to improve village life.
