Rolleston-on-Dove Parish Council
News 2001
NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2001
CHAIRMAN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
At the time of writing in early November, the international
situation makes it impossible to predict what will be happening in the world by
the time that you receive this Rollestonian. Christmas this
year may well be a stranger and more difficult one than many of us have ever
experienced. Let us remember to think not only of friends and our
families but also of the bereaved and others less fortunate than ourselves at
this time.
On behalf of myself and the whole Parish Council I would like to wish all
Rolleston residents an enjoyable Christmas this year and a happy, prosperous and
peaceful New Year.
Marek J. Trelinski
Chairman Rolleston on Dove Parish Council
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THE CHANGING ROLE OF CLERK TO THE PARISH COUNCIL
A few months after Alan was appointed Clerk to the Council, I was
officially made Assistant Clerk and so began my twenty seven years association
with Rolleston on Dove Parish Council, the last ten of which have been as Clerk.
How the job of Clerk has changed over that period of time - other than the
Elizabeth Avenue Playing Field the Parish Council owned no other land.
The Croft Open Space was the first acquisition when the Parish Council heard
with dismay that a planning application had been submitted to build another
bridge across the Alderbrook for a haulage company. Compulsory
Purchase powers were used and eventually Bass agreed to sell the land.
The 18 acres of land at Craythorne were acquired for the village in 1976 as part
of the package when the Parish Council jointly with S.W. Clark were successful
at the appeal against the Borough Council's decision not to allow the building
of the present Meadow View Estate. The Meadow View Open Space was
also acquired at this time. Part of the land was turned into a playing
field and to mark the centenary of the Parish Council in 1994, Craythorne Wood
was planted.
The Jinny Nature Trail came into the hands of the Parish Council following a
fierce battle against the County Council who wanted to use it as a rubbish tip.
John Jennings MP assisted in resisting this and a question was asked in
Parliament.
In recent years, the Parish Council has taken over several areas of
responsibility from Staffordshire County Council, one of the main ones being
grass cutting. Minor highway maintenance has now been added to this
contract. Parishes have also been encouraged to take over
responsibility for public footpaths - maintaining stiles etc.
The Parish Council's main Millennium Project was the Village Gateways.
This involved obtaining designs, estimates and permission from all the agencies
and from start to finish took about eighteen months.
The improvements to the Elizabeth Avenue Playing Fields took an even longer time
to come to fruition. When the Parish Council received a
grant from the developer of the Church View estate to provide some additional
play equipment, it was used to obtain additional matching funds from the
Staffordshire Environment Fund. This again involved completing
a lengthy and comprehensive successful bid which enabled the Council
to provide the equipment which had been asked for in the way of skateboarding
facilities.
As a result of the major floods in the village last Winter, the Parish Council
has recently put into place its own Flood Action Plan in an effort to prevent
some of the problems.
The Village Liaison Committee meets on a regular basis every two months giving
all village organisations the opportunity to discuss any matters of general
interest with the Parish Council. A Joint Working Group
comprising members of Stretton and Rolleston Parish Council and Burton
Conservation Volunteers meet to consider all matters connected to the Jinny
Nature Trail.
The Parish Council has produced its own Recreational Ground Byelaws covering all
its land; it also has its own Dog Byelaws.
The Parish Clerk is not only responsible for the preparation of the Parish
Council Newsletter but also once the Rollestonian leaves the printers, she is
responsible for the sorting and distribution to the twenty parishioners who
deliver the documents to every house in the Parish.
The role of Clerk has obviously changed over this period of time and will
continue to change. The years that Alan and I have worked for
the Parish Council have been for the love of this beautiful village.
Long may the Parish Council be forward thinking and continue to take every
opportunity presented to it for the benefit of its inhabitants.
Maureen Woodbine
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As reported in the Autumn Newsletter, the Parish Council has produced its own Annual Flood Prevention Action Plan. Most of the Plan has been put into place and ongoing improvements are being pursued.
ANNUAL FLOOD PREVENTION ACTION PLAN
1. SAND BAGS
The Clerk will check that bags and sand are in place by 1st October and that
bags have been renewed. The location of the bags and sand will be
publicised in the Autumn and Winter Editions of the Rollestonian and on the
village notice boards.
2. GULLIES
The Environmental Officer will check all gullies in Station Road, Chapel Lane,
School Lane, Burnside and Beacon Road for blockages by leaves on a regular
basis from October to April and report any problems he cannot deal with to the
Clerk who will pass the information to the County Council.
3. DITCHES
The Environmental Officer will check for blockages in the ditches in Craythorne
Field and Craythorne Road on a regular basis from October to April and report
any problems he cannot deal with to the Clerk. He will also
keep open all drainage channels from the highway into the ditches in Craythorne
Road.
4. WATER COURSES
The Chairman with interested Councillors will inspect the Alderbrook, Brook
Hollows, Burnside and Brookside to identify any obstructions due to driftwood,
foliage etc. and any blockage will be reported by the Clerk to the Environment
Agency. Inspections should take place in July, November and
February.
5. FLOOD WARNING SIGNS
Flood Warning Signs should be made permanently available in the following
locations:-
Anslow Lane, Knowles Hill, Church Road, Station Road (both ends) and Beacon
Road. A spare set should be kept at the Clerk's house.
6. ACTION DURING FLOODING
If flooding or the threat of flooding is reported, affected areas will be
inspected by the Clerk who should inform the Chairman and Vice Chairman and any
Councillor living close to the scene about the situation. If the
Clerk is unavailable, Councillors should take responsibility for the above
action in the following order subject to availability, work commitments etc.
• Chairman
• Vice Chairman
• Any other Councillor
After inspection of the affected area, the following action should be taken if
thought appropriate:-
a. Flood Warning Signs should be put out on the affected roads
b. The Area Surveyor and Police should be contacted if roads need to be
closed.
c. The holder of the bags and sand should be notified
d. Photographs of the flooding should be taken if possible
e. The Borough Council should be informed if houses are threatened with flooding
f. Local Radio stations should be informed if at all possible
A full report should be made to the next meeting of the Parish Council.
The Parish Council will liaise with all appropriate agencies to ensure that
long-term plans are implemented.
7. The Plan should be reviewed annually at the September meeting of the Parish
Council. Implementation will be monitored monthly until the April
meeting. Each flooding event will be reviewed to ensure that lessons
are learned.
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The Borough Council has made sand and bags available. By kind permission of Mr. Westwood, these are being stored in the car park of the Brookhouse Inn. Residents who were affected by last year's floods were notified of this and on Saturday, 5th November, many took the opportunity to fill bags to have them ready should the water threaten them again. The sand bags were delivered to those not able to manage the heavy bags themselves.
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FOOT AND MOUTH RESTRICTIONS
Official confirmation has been received that all restrictions have now been
lifted.
VISIT OF FATHER CHRISTMAS
Once again Father Christmas will be touring the village on his sleigh and
members of Burton Round Table will be making a house to house collection.
The sleigh will leave the Spread Eagle at 5.30 pm on 21st December.
PARISH COUNCIL YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
Leah Connor has been appointed to replace Ian Ropley as the Youth Representative
on the Parish Council. Leah is following in the steps of her older
brother, Luke, who was Youth Representative in 1998/99.
TRAFFIC CALMING, CHURCH ROAD
The Parish Council is still awaiting information from the County Council on a
suitable traffic calming scheme for Church Road. One this is
received, an exercise will be carried out in the area to get residents' views.
Whatever scheme is chosen will have to be partly financed by the Parish Council.
AUDIT OF PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS
In accordance with Audit Regulations, the Parish Council has to report the
satisfactory completion of the Audit of the 2000/2001 accounts.
ROLLESTON CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT
Following the receipt of the Planning Application to develop the brownfield site
of the College, the Parish Council once again sought the advice of their
Planning Consultant, Mr. Alf Plum of DPDS Consulting.
At the Public Meeting held on 15th October, Mr. Plum gave sound advice in
planning terms on what were and were not legitimate grounds for objection to the
plan. Mr. Plum was engaged to submit the Parish Council's objections
to the Borough Council.
GRASS CUTTING
The Parish Council has received many compliments on the standard of grass
cutting this year. There were early complications with the
mowing of Craythorne Field due to the Foot and Mouth restrictions, but even this
area is now looking good.
The compliments have been passed on to Trent Force who carry out the mowing.
CRAYTHORNE WOOD
Many residents will have seen for themselves that Craythorne Wood has been mown
for the first time since it was planted in 1994. Problems
arose through its closure due to the Foot and Mouth epidemic which meant that
the herbicide treatment could not be carried out this year.
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ALAN WOODBINE MEMORIAL
Since the last edition of the Parish Council
Newsletter, much thought has been given to what would be a suitable memorial for
Alan.
It has previously been reported that the Parish Council were looking into
replacing the two stiles with kissing gates on the Public Footpath from Beacon
Road to Craythorne Wood thus making all the Craythorne land accessible without
climbing over stiles or walking along Craythorne Road. As Alan
had a great love of this area, the family has suggested it would be most fitting
if this project was taken over as Alan's Memorial and this has been accepted.
Donations from the following are gratefully acknowledged:-
Mrs. M. Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. F. Bather
Mr. C.D.P. Black
Mrs. A.D. Brown
Mr. R. Hawcroft
Mr. & Mrs. W. Hodson Walker
Mr. & Mrs. W. Hoten
Mr. J. Marshall
Mr. & Mrs. P.A. Martin
Mrs. J. Moore
Mr. & Mrs. A. Partington
Mr. R.D. Stanbridge
Dr. & Mrs. M.J. Trelinski
Rolleston Almshouse Trustees
Rolleston Civic Trust
Rolleston Cricket Club
Rolleston Methodist Church
Rolleston Music Circle & Choral Society
Rolleston Scouts
Rolleston Village Design Statement Group
The project will most likely be carried out in the Spring of 2002 and any further donations should be sent to Mrs. M.M. Woodbine, 67, Hall Road, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9BX (Cheques made payable to Rolleston Parish Council, Alan Woodbine Memorial). All contributions will be acknowledged in the Parish Council Newsletter.
NEWSLETTER - AUTUMN 2001
SEWAGE AND FLOODING PROBLEMS
The heavy rain in the first week of August brought fresh fears of flooding in Brookside and deep water was lying on Station Road at the bottom of South Hill. The Environment Agency has produced an Action Plan and has talked to the Parish Council about the work to be carried out by the various agencies and this is given in more detail in the Rollestonian. The Council will exert pressure to ensure that all the proposed work is carried out.
The Environment Agency's work on clearing the Alderbrook downstream of the Spread Eagle bridge is scheduled to take place in August and the Parish Council has authorised the provision of a skip for a volunteer day to clear the brook on Burnside.
At the September meeting, the Parish Council will consider its own Flood Plan which it is envisaged will give clear instructions on areas of responsibility.
ROLLESTON CAMPUS
The Borough Council has approved a Development Brief for the Rolleston Campus brownfield site and it is understood the site has been sold.
Although the County Council promised to make its plans about the possibility of a new school on the site known to the general public in June, we are now in the middle of August and nothing more has been heard.
ELIZABETH AVENUE PLAYING FIELDS
The long awaited play equipment has now been installed and the work was completed in time for the school holidays. The equipment has been well used and many favourable comments have been made by the youngsters using it.
The Official Opening was held on Tuesday, 31st July, when Miss Rachel Laver from the Staffordshire Environmental Fund visited the site and Dr. Trelinski, Chairman of the Parish Council, acknowledged with grateful thanks the grant of £15,000 which had been made by the Fund for the skateboarding equipment.
Staffordshire Environmental Fund has helped 169 projects in Staffordshire with grants totalling £6m out of their total value of £29m, The Parish Council has recently supported the Fund's opposition to the Government's plans to make changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.
JINNY NATURE TRAIL
Burton Conservation Volunteers will be working in the Jinny Nature Trail on Sunday, 7th October, planting wild flowers and would be grateful for any extra help. They will meet at 10.30 at the Stretton end of the Trail.
DOG BYELAWS
The Parish Council is in the process of updating its Dog Byelaws to include the removal of dog faeces from its grounds. These byelaws will cover The Croft Open Space, Meadow View Open Space, Elizabeth Avenue Playing Field and Craythorne Field. The Jinny Nature Trail is already covered by the Borough Council's byelaws.
VILLAGE SIGN
The newly refurbished village sign was back in place for Garden Sunday. The Parish Council acknowledges with thanks the grant made by the Borough Council to cover the work.
BULKY HOUSEHOLD WASTE COLLECTION
A skip will be in the village on Saturday, 13th October between 9.00 am and 2.00 pm.
PLAYSCHEMES
The Borough Council has withdrawn the Playmobile Scheme this year but offered to help finance privately organised Playschemes. Julie Hale-Phillips of 65 Henhurst Hill came forward to organise the Playscheme on four days during the summer holidays.
ESBC agreed to Grant Aid the scheme and the Parish Council is paying the rent of the Scout Headquarters.
PARISH PLAN
The Village Design Statement Group has approached the Parish Council for its views and support for a new Countryside Authority initiative called a "Parish Plan".
What is a Parish Plan?
The Government wishes to give rural communities a bigger opportunity to run their own affairs and to set out a vision for their village to guide its future development. A Parish Plan is more than a design statement or survey of housing needs. It should cover everything of relevance to the people who live in the parish including social, economic and environmental issues. It will need to address the needs of the entire community and everyone should have an opportunity to participate in its preparation.
The Parish Council agreed at its July meeting to proceed with the registration to produce a Parish Plan with the Village Design Statement Group undertaking the work on behalf of the Council.
VILLAGE GATEWAYS
The Parish Council acknowledges with thanks the bedding plant grant made by the Borough Council which has been used to plant the three village gateways.
AUDIT OF PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS
The District Audit has approved the 2000/20001 Parish Council Accounts.
FOOTPATH WALKS
The Parish Council organised two footpath walks once the Foot and Mouth restrictions were lifted and identified stile repairs and way markers which were required.
ALAN WOODBINE MEMORIAL
Alan's many interests in the village and his activities on behalf of the local community were summarised in his obituary notice in the Spring Edition of the Rollestonian. In recognition of these services, the Parish Council (to whom Alan was Clerk 1970-88 and subsequently advisor) would like to commission a memorial, funded by public subscription.
One of Alan's prime interests was the preservation of green space and recreational facilities in the rapidly developing village of Rolleston on Dove. He played significant roles in obtaining The Croft, Craythorne Playing Fields and the Jinny Nature Trail for the Parish and his memorial will be chosen to reflect this interest.
The Parish Council would be pleased to receive donations towards this memorial from any village organisation or individual who benefited from Alan's friendship and support.
Donations should be sent to the Clerk of the Council, 67, Hall Road, Rolleston on Dove DE13 9BX (Cheques made payable to Rolleston Parish Council, Alan Woodbine Memorial). All contributions will be acknowledged in the Parish Council Newsletter.
PARISH COUNCIL
SEWAGE AND FLOODING PROBLEMS
The Spring Newsletter reported on the meeting on 5th February with the various agencies at which a promise was made that the Environment Agency would present a co-ordinated report and action plan to the Annual Parish Meeting in April.
Due to other engagernents, a written report and action plan was received and a well attended Annual Meeting discussed this at length. Concern was expressed that the report did not accurately reflect the full extent of the flooding in the village and that the proposals for future action were inadequate.
The Environment Agency is proposing to circulate a briefing sheet around the village informing residents of its action plan but the meeting stressed the need for another public meeting with the responsible agencies before this briefing note is produced.
ROLLESTON CAMPUS
It has been confirmed officially that talks are in the initial stages between the Technical College and the County Council about the possibility of a new community school being built on the College Playing Fields. The Chairman of the School Governors addressed the February meeting of the Parish Council and expressed the Governors unanimous support for the project.
The Village Design Group took on the task of preparing a report to enable the Parish Council to consider its views on how moving the school to the College Site would affect the village as a whole and in particular, more housing on the sites vacated by the present two schools. The findings of this report have been submitted to a Planning Consultant who has been engaged to advise the Parish Council on the way forward.
It is understood that the County may be in a position in June to make its plans known to the general public. It is anticipated that at this stage, a Public Meeting will be held to ascertain the views of the village.
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
The Parish Council has expressed its sympathy to Mrs. Beck and Mr. & Mrs. Thompson following the outbreaks of the disease on their farms.
The County Council took the necessary precautions of closing all the Public Footpaths and notices were displayed to this effect in its efforts to stop the spread of the disease. It has been a continuing battle since then to keep replacing the vandalised notices. On several occasions, children have been riding motor bikes in Craythome Wood and the Jinny Nature Trail and people have been seen walking dogs in these areas.
DOVECLIFF ROAD
The first steps are about to be taken towards extending traffic calming into Dovecliff Road. Before any further work is contemplated, Staffordshire County Council has to install extra street lighting. Requests for extra street lamps in this area have been made over many years and at last some positive action is being taken. The street lighting is estimated to cost £3,000 and is being financed in a joint venture by the County, Borough and Parish Councils.
JINNY NATURE TRAIL
A View 21 Green Grant in the sum of £341.43 has been awarded to the Joint Working Group for the planting of wild flowers in the Jinny Nature Trail. Due to the Foot and Mouth epidemic, the Borough Council has agreed that the planting should be carried out in the autumn. Burton Conservation Volunteers submitted the application for the grant on behalf of Rolleston and Stretton Parish Councils and would be grateful for extra help when a date is set for the planting.
PLAYMOBILE
At the April meeting of the Parish Council, it was reported that the Borough Council had decided not to operate the Playmobile scheme this summer. This will be greatly missed in the village as it has always been fully booked.
As an alternative, the Borough Council is asking local groups to organise holiday play schemes and will be prepared to offer funding and assistance with police checking of volunteers and specific training needs.
PLAY EQUIPMENT
A Contract has now been exchanged between the Staffordshire Environmental Fund and the Parish Council which is enabling the Parish Council to proceed with the refurbishment of the Elizabeth Avenue Play Area. £27,000 is being spent on providing a modular piece of play equipment for the under tens and skateboarding facilities for the over tens. It is anticipated that the work will commence in May and the Playing Fields will have to be closed for approximately two weeks whilst the construction works take place.
Whilst the Borough Council is continuing to provide well planned Community Parks in Burton, the finance for this project has come from a £15,000 grant from the Staffordshire Environmental Fund and a similar sum from Bellway Homes as part of the 106 agreement connected to the Home Farm development.
It is hoped the project will be completed with the existing equipment repainted and a tarmacced path from the entrance gate to the actual play area.
An appeal goes out to the youngsters of the village to make sure that this equipment is not vandalised. You have consistently asked the Parish Council to provide you with some play facilities but without a large increase in Council Tax, this opportunity will not come again. It is up to you to look after it.
RAILINGS
Staffordshire County Council has issued an order for the repair of the damaged railings on Burnside and also the straightening of the visibility fence at the junction of Church Road and Cornmill Lane. The County Council has also agreed to supply paint if the Parish Council can organise the painting.
BROOKSIDE VERGES
Confirmation has been received from the County Council that Transco has agreed to carry out repairs to the grass verges in Brookside, replace the damaged setts and improve the surface of its trenches.
BUS STOP, FIDDLERS LANE
The new bus stop at Fiddlers Lane is now complete and Trent Buses have advised that drivers who are working on the route will be advised of the new stopping place. The new stop will be treated as being within Rolleston village and therefore as far as pricing is concerned, it avoids any fares penalty for customers wishing to travel to the Cemetery stop.
ALL CHANGE
At the January meeting of the Parish Council, the Clerk informed members that she intended to retire later in the year after serving the Council for twenty seven years, seventeen of which had been served as deputy to Alan.
At the March meeting, the appointment of the new Clerk, Michelle Erskine, was unanimously agreed. Michelle will start work in October and until December, we will work in tandem.
Before Alan's death at the end of January, he expressed his delight that Michelle (our daughter) had said that she would like to carry on where we were leaving off. Her appointment will be carrying on a long standing tradition in Rolleston Parish Council. At its first meeting in 1894, Thomas Shelly was appointed Clerk and he was followed in this position by first his son and then his grandson. The Shelly family acted as Clerks from 1894 to 1949 with a three year break during the Second World War. The Woodbines have a long way to go to reach their record.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the village who sent cards, messages of sympathy and donations following Alan's sudden death. So many things have been written by so many people about his loss to the community and local government. I was privileged to have been the other half of this dynamic man and much of my knowledge has been gained by working alongside him. It is up to me now, to ensure that my knowledge is passed on to Michelle.
The money donated in his memory (which has now reached around £1,850) is to be used towards providing disabled facilities at the Methodist Church.
PARISH COUNCIL
THE LATE ALAN WOODBINE
Every member of the Parish Council was devastated to hear of the sudden death of our former Clerk and current Deputy Clerk, Alan Woodbine, who was an irreplaceable tower of strength in Parish Council affairs for so many years. He will be greatly missed. We extend our most sincere condolences to Maureen and all the family. A full appreciation of Alan’s vast contribution to Rolleston life is contained elsewhere in the current issue of Rollestonian.
SEWAGE AND FLOODING PROBLEMS
The Parish Council facilitated a public meeting in the village on the evening of Monday 5th February 2001. This was attended by senior officers from the Borough Council, Severn Trent and the Environmental Agency; the County Council officer due to be present was unfortunately absent due to illness although the County Councillor did stand in for him.
The meeting agreed that Rolleston’s flooding problems had three major components
1. Problems in the middle of the village due to flooding of the Alderbrook which is prone to flash flooding ahead of the Dove. These floods are frequently associated with sewage overflow.
2. Problems with run-off from Craythorne Road leading to flooding in the Beacon Road/Chapel Lane area.
3. Flooding in Station Road at the Dovecliff Road end. A broken flood bank on the Dove is a source of anxiety at present.
At the meeting, Mr Russell of the Environment Agency pointed out that the flooding event of November 2000 was the most severe flood in the area since 1947. He said that a level gauge had been installed on the Alderbrook in Anslow and had been tested during recent events. It would enable the giving of adequate warning of flooding in Rolleston due to the Alderbrook with the automatic dialling of houses likely to be affected. He emphasised that all properties in the village which are at risk of flooding should contact him so that he could include them in the warning system.
It was also stated by the Environment Agency that the programme of routine maintenance of the Alderbrook had been reviewed. There would be routine monthly inspections throughout the year and additional inspections would take place after any higher water. Weed cutting would now be carried out twice a year. The question of further dredging would be considered but no firm commitment was given with regard to a starting date. Mr Russell offered to walk the Alderbrook with any residents who wished to acquaint him with particular problems.
Mr Milward of Severn Trent emphasised that this organisation was only responsible for the sewerage system. He said that Rolleston’s sewerage system drains Anslow and passes down to the Sewerage Pumping Station in Station Road which has recently been upgraded and then onto the Claymills Sewerage Works for treatment. He stated that Severn Trent was responsible for the disinfection of sewage after contamination of roadways etc. He accepted that there had been numerous instances of sewerage overflow during the recent flooding events in Rolleston. Much of this was due to combination of water drainage and sewerage drainage in common pipes in the older systems.
Severn Trent and the Borough Council reported that they were working together to secure the drainage of a blocked ditch course on private land in a field between Station Road and the River Dove; it was believed that this would alleviate the road flooding problems on Station Road at the Dovecliff end of the village. Mr Wood, for the Borough Council stated that it was the responsibility of the Borough Council to supply sandbags in the event of a flooding threat and he accepted that this had not happened on the night of the November flood.
The County council had cleared blocked ditches in Craythorne Road and had done work in the village to maintain water flow through culverts and gullies. Many residents at the meeting expressed concern about blocked gullies in Station Road. The County Council were contacted on the following day and agreed to inspect them urgently, having confirmed that one was significantly damaged and was in the programme for repair in the near future.
There was general consensus that the flooding situation in Rolleston had been deteriorating over the past few years and this was a source of major concern for local residents. All the organisations present agreed that an action plan would be drawn up over the next two months which would be co-ordinated by Mr Russell of the Environment Agency. This will be presented to the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council in April.
ROLLESTON CAMPUS AND THE LOCAL PLAN
At the time of writing, the Borough Council had still not put its Local Plan out for public consultation, but the Borough Council meeting of the 11th December had approved a version which did not include the College playing fields in Rolleston as a site for development. The Parish Council understands that the County Council is talking to Burton Technical College about the possibility of moving John of Rolleston Primary School to a new site on the playing fields at the back of the College. At the time of writing, the Chairman of the Governors of John of Rolleston School is due to address the February meeting of the Parish Council in order to explain the School’s position. The Parish Council will then consult the village via another public meeting.
PLAY EQUIPMENT
As reported three months ago, the Staffordshire Environment fund has promised the Parish Council £15,000 for play equipment in the village. This will enable the Parish Council to provide new equipment at Elizabeth Avenue at a total cost of £27,000. Unfortunately the grant had not arrived at the time of writing and the Parish Council cannot proceed until it does!
POLICE CONTACT
Please remember that the local Police Unit covering our village is now located at Stapenhill and PC Bird our Community Policeman can be contacted on 565011 Ex 4793,
4794, 4795VILLAGE SIGN
The refurbishment of this sign will take place soon! Do not worry if it disappears from its site for a while!
LIBRARY SERVICE
Mr Muir, the Cultural and Recreational Services Leader of Staffordshire County Council did address a meeting of the Village Liaison Committee in January. It does appear that after many years of cuts, more investment is going to be made in Burton and surrounding village with some interesting innovations such as the provision of internet facilities. Did you know that you can already order books from the County Library Service via the internet?
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Last updated: 12 December 2002