Blaby Topic

Blaby Parish Council

Newsletter Issue 02: April 2002

Blaby's Annual Village Meeting
The meeting at which electors may question the Parish Council's activities throughout the last year!

The meeting will be held on Tuesday 30th April 2002 at Blaby Social Centre (Main Hall) at 7.30 p.m.

The official business of the evening will include;
. Matters arising from Village Meeting, April 2001,
. Chairman's Annual Report of the Parish Council,
. Presentation of Parish Council's Audited Accounts
to year ending 31st March 2001,
. Matters of Parochial Interest.

Once the official business has been concluded, Mr. Shirley Smith, Chairman of the Heritage Group, will give a talk titled "Blaby ? 100 years ago".

Various Village Groups will put on static displays and refreshments will be served.

Suggestion Boxes;
There will be two boxes in the centre of Blaby for at least two weeks before the Annual Village meeting. On the evening, there will be a £10 prize for the first suggestion
drawn out.

The boxes will be found at;
. Blaby Library, Lutterworth Road
. Joint Service Shop, Leicester Road

Blaby Parish Council's Activities: 2001;
Blaby Parish Council is concerned with the maintenance of its properties, and it is a consultee in many areas such as planning and road schemes. Additional to these duties, it spends much time on "one-off" schemes, such as;
. Pedestrian Safety Scheme to help pedestrians, particularly the elderly and the less able, to cross the wide mouth of the entrance to Waitrose car park from Lutterworth Road. The scheme was designed by the Leics. County Council. Blaby Parish Council made a successful application to Blaby District Council for funding and the scheme has been implemented.
. Parking: Park Road/New Street

Following complaints from residents, a Public Meeting was held which the Police & County Council officials attended. Although it was generally agreed that there are no solutions to the problems, in many cases, neighbours will work together to help ease the situation.

News of Council Members 2001/02
The Council was pleased to welcome a new Member, Mrs. Jean Burrell, in September 2001, but regretfully had to say goodbye to Mr. David Cook, who resigned in February 2002.

Vacancies on the Council;
There are two vacancies on the Council. The present term has 12 months to run.
To apply, or for further details, telephone Mrs. Lee or
Mrs. Wilson, on Leicester 2784728.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee;
Blaby Parish Council is delighted to join in the celebrations with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

So that it does not conflict with other events, the Council is not holding a specific event of its own. Instead it is joining with the Blaby and District Lions Club to make the Lions Summer Gala the biggest yet.

The Gala/Jubilee will be held at Northfield Park, Leicester Road, Blaby, with satellite exhibitions at Blaby Social Centre, on Saturday 8th June 2002.

Surgeries;
Members of Blaby Parish Council will be available for a chat, or to discuss problems, on the following Saturdays, between 10 a.m. ? 11 a.m., at 13 Western Drive, Blaby:-
April 27th September 28th
May 25th October 26th
June 29th November 30th
July 27th December 14th
August 17th

. Nature Area: Old Cemetery
Part of the Mill Lane Cemetery, unused for many years, was declared a nature area. Grass will be mown once a year only and wildflowers will be encouraged to grow. A competition was held to design a plaque. The competition was won by a Thistly Meadow pupil.
. Human Sundial
Blaby Parish Council gave the Blaby Guides permission to construct a Human Sundial in the Rest Garden, Northfield Park, being the Guides' Millennium Project. The Council is considering a refurbishment scheme for the Rest Garden, the two schemes to be carried out simultaneously. The refurbishment scheme will be dependent on the receipt of outside funding.
. Courier Seat
The "Blaby Courier" donated a seat that was erected at Forge Corner. Blaby Parish Council has taken over the responsibility of maintenance and the insurance liability.
. Christmas Lights
Blaby Parish Council thanks Blaby Art and Print for allowing the Council to erect its new, animated Christmas lights on the north-facing wall. The lights, welcoming people into Blaby over the Christmas season, were very popular.
. Grants
One of the Parish Council's functions is to assist local groups that need funding to carry out their work or initiate specific schemes. In 2001, Blaby Parish Council made the following grants;
Social Centre: £500 ? renovations
WRVS: £100 ? running costs
Methodist Church: £ 50 ? direction signs
Rural Community Council: £ 25 ? running costs
Turner Educational Foundation: £ 50 ? grants
. Postal Delivery Service
Many complaints were received early on in the year about the late and erratic chaos of the postal delivery service. Blaby Parish Council invited the Royal Mail Operations Manager to visit a Council meeting to discuss the situation. Following that meeting, the situation has improved considerably.
. Trees
Blaby Parish Council is distressed to report that many newly planted trees have been damaged or destroyed by vandals and asks residents to keep an eye on new plantings.
. River Sence
The Joint Working Party on Pollution continues to meet and has recently taken part in a DEFRA website debate. The Working Party is made up of representatives of Blaby Parish Council, Glen Parva Parish Council, Blaby District Council and Oadby & Wigston Borough Council.
.Play Equipment: 3 Parks is inspected annually by ROSPA on behalf of the Parish Council.
.Electoral Review
A Review is being undertaken by the Local Government Commission for England. Changes will affect who goes to vote where, and for whom. Change is inevitable and Blaby Parish Council has offered its suggestions for what it considers to be the least disruptive changes.

New Ethical Framework;
Under new Government Regulations, Blaby Parish Council has adopted a Code of Conduct. All Members have signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct and completed an entry in the Members' Interest Register.

Audit of Accounts;
Blaby Parish Council's accounts for the year ending 31st March 2001 have been completed and signed off by the auditor. A copy of the accounts may be viewed at 13 Western Drive, Blaby.

Competition;
This is the second newsletter issued by Blaby Parish Council. It is to be published regularly. The Council is running a Competition to find a name for the newsletter. There will be a PRIZE for the name chosen. Write to the Council (address, bottom right) or telephone 2784728. Closing date: 27th May 2002.

Diary;
Tuesday Annual Village Meeting,
30.4.02: Blaby Social Centre, 7.30 p.m.

Tuesday Annual Parish Council Meeting,
14.5.02: Blaby Social Centre,
7.30 p.m.

Saturday Gala/Jubilee,
8.6.02: Northfield Park, Leicester Road.

Printed: April 2002 by Blaby Parish Council
13 Western Drive, Blaby, Leics., LE8 4FR.
Tel. 0116-2784728
Email: blaby@parish-council.fsbusiness.co.uk