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Parish Council Budget Consultation

In its current round of budget consultations the County Council has asked a number of questions, one of which is whether Parish Councils should do more to offset the reductions in County budgets.

Particularly in the light of this, the Parish Council would like to get the views from Council Tax payers in Histon and Impington on its spending.

The work of the Parish Council is largely funded by Council Tax – that’s money paid by each household and collected by South Cambridgeshire District Council. Some money comes in from fees for use of the Recreation Ground and Pavilion, from the civic Cemetery, and from interest on deposits – but by far the largest amount comes in from Council Tax.

For this year (2015/2016) the Parish component of Council Tax is £91.18 a year for a Band D property. The top band (Band H) properties would have to pay twice that (£182.36) and the bottom band (Band A) two thirds of that (£60.79). In all cases some households are eligible for discounts on the tax payable.

The Parish Council is particularly interested in your views on its work and spend in the following areas:

  • Youth
  • Older people
  • Highways
  • Environment
  • Recreation

If you are interested in the fine detail of the spend, and the spend in other areas, it’s available on the Council’s website. The report to Council on the Precept for 2015-2016 is also available.

What do we do now? And what does it cost?

What does the Parish Council do now? What does it cost? Band D annual cost per household
Youth

Employ a part time, term time only, Youth Worker and support staff for Youth Club sessions or organising appropriate activities for Junior and Senior ages (age 12 to 19)

Encourage liaison between IVC and the Youth Worker

Carry out outreach work in the community

  £8.70
Older people Part fund a part time Older People’s Co-Ordinator to:

  • signpost residents to appropriate advice centres or Council departments
  • Organise and deliver appropriate activities for older residents – e.g. After Stroke Club; Singing Group; Chair Based Activities
  • Co-ordinate trips to shops etc

Part fund a part time Mobile Warden to:

  • Visit elderly people on their list daily to check well-being and carry out simple tasks (there is a small charge to the resident for this service)
  £1.54
Highways Part fund (usually 10%) agreed and needed Minor Highways Improvements e.g. crossings, dropped kerbs, layout changes £3.12
Environment A wide range of issues are overseen including:

  • Grass cutting
  • Maintenance of the Burial Ground, set against income from fees
  • Allotment provision
  • Maintenance and improvements to open spaces e.g. The Green, Homefield Park, Manor Field
  • Maintenance of War Memorial and surrounds

Maintenance and planting schemes for trees in various locations, including The Copse and Coppice

 £14.33
Recreation
  • Fund/employ groundstaff and admin staff to manage the Recreation Ground, New Road. Subsidise sports provision for a variety of sports clubs, set against income from fees.
  • Provide and support wide range of activities in Community Room at Recreation Ground
  • Provide and maintain play equipment e.g. The Green, South Road

Investigate new opportunities for recreation and leisure provision in a growing population

 £36.76

 

Each year the Parish Council thoroughly scrutinises the plans for each area of the Council’s work, and, as an ambitious council looking to make a real difference for Histon and Impington, there is always more that we might do. And we could decide to do less in some areas so as to focus resources elsewhere.

Here’s some of the impacts that increases or decreases in spending in these areas could have.

Spending Increase or Decrease Probable impact on Parish Council work
Youth Increase Need to find premises for ongoing PC work; support for uniformed groups; fill in gaps in County provision
Decrease Support limited to a small number of regular sessions (eg yoga) and specific projects (eg graffiti, film)
Older people Increase More time for older person’s co-ordinator (and/or assistant); more support for village warden scheme; more events/groups; fill in gaps in County provision
Decrease Fewer groups; less time to aid people find help and resources
Highways Increase 20mph scheme; road layout changes; fill in gaps in County provision
Decrease Very limited schemes, if any
Environment Increase Filling in gaps in County/District provision (verges, litter picking etc)
Decrease Reduced litter picking/collection; reduced grass cutting; Xmas lighting cut; maintenance cut to safety levels; burial ground less tidy/less well maintained; fees increased
Recreation Increase More local resources for H&I sports teams and casual leisure
Decrease Higher charges for pitch and room hire; play equipment not upgraded/replaced when broken; reduction in pitch maintenance

 

Note that, as with all Councils and many employers, we are under financial pressure next year because of pension and National Insurance changes. An increase in budget will be necessary just to stay where we are.

Is that all clear? Then please go to the survey and let us have your views!

Many thanks

 

 

Electrical Waste Collections

You may well know that we have organised kerbside electrical waste collections in partnership with WISER Recycling, part of the WISER Group, for a couple of years now.

Previously the Parish Council was paid a small amount in return to spend on environmental projects in the village. This money has been put aside until a suitable project can be identified.

This payment offer from WISER has unfortunately now ceased due to a downturn in scrap metal costs and so the Council will be unable to organise the collection until things change. Thanks are due to those residents that did take part in the arrangement and we will announce any plans to re-instate the service on our website.

 

Cawcutts Lake – Impington

We have received the following press release from Chivers Farms:

Chivers Farms is pleased to announce that Cawcutts Lake has been leased to Embryo Angling Habitats. Their aim is to provide exceptional venues run as affordable fisheries with local anglers in mind, offering safe, natural environments in which to fish.

Over the next couple of weeks Embryo Angling will be installing a perimeter fence around Cawcutts Lake to provide protection against predation of the fish, primarily from otters. At the same time Chivers Farms has decided to formalise the existing informal public access arrangements by creating a Permissive Right of Way around the lake which will be located between the new otter fence and the perimeter boundary. This right of way will be accessed off Bridge Road at the entrance to the Holiday Inn and will be well signed at this point with details of the permissive route.

We consider that the input of Embryo Angling will significantly enhance the overall appearance of the lake and the changes proposed will allow local residents to benefit from legitimate and safe access around the lake and at the same time provide well managed fishing for those interested.

Anyone interested in finding out more about fishing the lake, which is scheduled to open in Spring 2016 should contact Tim@embryoangling.org

 

Budget Planning Consultation – Cambridgeshire County Council

We have received the following information from Cambridgeshire County Council:

Cambridgeshire residents are being asked to tell us their views on what they feel our priorities should be for the coming year. The consultation process consists of the following:
– Online survey
– Community engagement, attending local events across the county
– Business engagement, attending local events and meetings
– Service user dialogue, communicating with established support groups across the county.

We have developed a video outlining the challenges we face and the steps you might take to assist us in managing the budget cuts we are facing whilst maintaining essential services.

The information you provide us will feed into our annual business planning process.

 

Scam and Fraud Protection Awareness Event

Our Older Person’s Co-Ordinator for Histon & Impington has sent us details of an interesting presentation and Q & A session coming up in Impington.

The presentation will be held on Thursday 3rd December 2pm – 3pm in the Community Room at Histon & Impington Recreation Ground and its FREE!

To book at place please call Home Instead Senior Care on 01480 495834 or email mike.francis@homeinstead.co.uk

You can contact Jean Newman  on 07772 437789 or email jean.newman7@ntlworld.com for details of her work in our villages

 

 

Views wanted on future of district elections

South Cambridgeshire District Council are running a ten-week consultation to ask how often elections should be held to appoint councillors to South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Local residents, businesses and other organisations are being asked whether there should be a move to ‘all-out’ elections of the whole Council once every four years, or preservation of the current ‘by thirds’ system of electing one-third of Council seats each year for three successive years out of four.

The change is being considered ahead of a scheduled boundary review later this year by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). The review will see wards – the geographical area councillors cover – adjusted to ensure that all district councillors represent approximately the same number of electors.

As part of the review, LGBCE will consider how many councillors are needed to effectively represent South Cambridgeshire residents. If the Council continues to elect ‘by thirds’, the Commission will look to introduce three-councillor wards across the district. An ‘all-out’ election cycle – which would begin in 2018 at the earliest – would see a mixed ward pattern, favouring single-councillor wards where possible.

Currently, 57 councillors serve four-year terms representing 34 wards across South Cambridgeshire. Depending on their size, some wards have one councillor while others have two or three, meaning that some residents are eligible to vote in district council elections more frequently than others.

Cllr Sue Ellington, Chair of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Civic Affairs Committee, said: “There are pros and cons to both options for running our elections in the future. We’d like as many residents, partners and other organisations as possible to give us their views, and all feedback will be considered ahead of a vote on the matter by all Councillors later this year.”

The consultation closes on 18 September 2015. More background information and an online survey form can be found at www.scambs.gov.uk/local-elections-consultation

Paper surveys are also available from richard.may@scambs.gov.uk or by calling 01954 713366.

 

Flooding: be prepared

Remember the floods of last year? They were very localised and short lasting but they still gave us some problems. They may recur.

What should we be doing in the meantime?

Firstly the County Council has been asked and has agreed to double check the drains along Glebe Road/B1049 that gave us such problems last year.

And secondly there’s lots that residents can do:

  • check the gullies. These should have blue dots painted next to them to indicate that they were jetted earlier this year. Residents can now help by checking this and having a look down them. There should water a foot or so down. If it’s all the way to the top then the gully’s blocked so report it!
  • if your in a vulnerable house take precautions. You’ll know if you’re vulnerable because you’ve had a problem before. Think about what you can do to adapt to a recurrence. There’s useful advice at the National Flood Forum.
  • stay alert. If there’s bad weather forecast check whether or not it’s expected to give us a problem locally. There’s a link to Weather Underground in the right-hand bar of this web-site. Alternatively check out XCWeather, NetWeather or the Met Office.
  • be sensible. If there are floods take care. Drive slowly through any flooding on the road. Don’t cause unnecessary waves which simply push more water into peoples’ properties.

Finally: if there are warnings or actual floods please look out for your neighbours especially those less able to take care of themselves.

 

 

 

Contractor List

We are drawing up a list of preferred contractors for the Parish Council.

If any local company or trademan wishes to be considered for the list, please let the parish office know your details together with a copy of your Health & Safety Policy, your public liability insurance cover, and details of any registration or licence necessary for your trade.

Our list will include:

Tree Surgeons

Electicians

Plumbers

Carpenters

Maintenance and small works

Garden services

Grass Cutters

Pest Control

Painting and decorating

Signwriters

Welders

Fencers

IT Support

Please send your details by post to the Parish Office at the Recreation Ground or by email clerk@hisimp.net

 

New website

INCREASING BIODIVERSITY IN THE VILLAGES

Tree across footpath behind Manor Park

Storm Eunice

Christmas Tree Chipping event Saturday 8th January 2021