Essex & Colchester News updates – July 2015

This is a summary of a number of recent announcements made by Essex & Colchester Councils during July 2015:

Listen to council meetings how and when you want,
Transparency on calls to ECC’s Contact Centre,
Essex ahead on pothole repairs,
Have a summer holiday to remember with Essex Outdoors,
Aiming High for Disabled Children – summer programme,
Family fun at Bark in the Park,
Have you watched CBC’s latest video?

Listen to council meetings how and when you want

A new audio webcasting system is now in place streaming live from some of our council meetings and debates, available through our website and twitter feed, or you can choose to catch up later.

Links to the audio are from the ‘Your Council’ tab of essex.gov.uk with recordings available alongside meeting details and agendas. You can jump straight to a specific agenda item if that’s all you want to hear again.The Full Council meeting broadcast is planned for 14 July and committees of the council have also started to come online. Look out for tweets with links to the audio stream at the beginning of each meeting on the @ECC_DemSer twitter feed.

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Transparency on calls to ECC’s Contact Centre

Telephone calls to Essex County Council’s Contact Centre now start with a recorded message about call charges. This follows new legislation introduced by the communications regulator Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority for 084, 087,09 and 118 numbers, as part of the national UK Calling scheme.

Callers to the Contact Centre on all 0845 numbers are informed that calls cost 5p per minute plus the access charge from respective service providers.

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Essex ahead on pothole repairs

The number of unrepaired potholes on county roads has fallen. In the three months leading to June 30, unrepaired potholes and carriageway defects on the county’s busiest roads have reduced by 70 and 75 per cent respectively, compared with the same period last year. According to Essex County Council figures, potholes and other carriageway defects were maintained at under 350, with 137 on the county’s busiest roads and 206 on main and key roads. Outstanding carriageway defects on local roads have also fallen over the same period, from 5,212 to 4,626, with 2,581 potholes repaired, continuing the positive trend seen over the previous three months. Since the same period last year, carriageway defects on local roads are down by 23 percent, from 6,001 to 4,626. To report a pothole or carriageway defect visit http://www.essexhighways.org/tell-us-pothole.aspx.

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Have a summer holiday to remember with Essex Outdoors

Essex Outdoors exciting 2015 summer holiday programme for 8-16 year olds has been released. Centres in Bradwell, Danbury, Harlow and Mersea will be running School Holiday Activity Days, which include up to four activities in one day, between 23 July and 28 August. Activities include aerial trekking, archery, bouldering, BMX, canoeing, caving, climbing, kayaking, low ropes, orienteering, zip wire and much, much more. Harlow is running additional climbing days as well as canoe and kayak days between 23 July and 28 August, with Bradwell also running a canoe day on 18 August. Activity days are the perfect way for children and young people to try the challenge and excitement of new activities. Activity days cost £30 per day or buy four days and get the fifth free. Dates, times and activities vary per centre so please check the website for full details or contact your nearest centre.

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Aiming High for Disabled Children – summer programme

Essex Outdoors will be running the ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’ programme this summer. The programme offers a range of day and overnight activities for free to disabled children and young people who are aged 8 to 18, as well as their carer. The programme includes:

Activity days at Harlow from 24 July to 28 August
Activity days at Danbury on 28 and 30 July
Sailing/crabbing day at Bradwell on 25 July
One night break in either Bradwell or Danbury on 15 August.
Mersea Island Festival overnight (five nights from 23 August)
Mersea Island Festival day visits from 25 to 30 August

Please note participants must live within the administrative boundary of Essex County Council to qualify for free places. For eligibility as well as dates, times and activities per centre please check the website.

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Family fun at Bark in the Park

Join us at this special dog themed fun day for dogs and their owners on Sunday 9 August in Colchester’s Castle Park.

Bark in the Park will transform the open space in Colchester’s park into a dog and dog owner’s extravaganza. This event, led by Colchester Borough Council’s Animal Control Team, will offer everything man’s best friend needs. There will be plenty to keep the whole family (and their dogs) amused throughout the day and visitors are assured of a great day out. Owners will also have the chance to enter their pet pooches into the various dog show events that will take place during the day.

There will be entertainment and demos, competitions and prizes, K9 Aqua Sports, dog agility, doggie trade stands and much more! Make sure you register online (for free) to enter one of the seven pet Dog Shows on the day! Find out more here.

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Have you watched CBC’s latest video?

A brand new tourism video promoting Colchester has been created to showcase everything that the Borough has to offer! If you haven’t had a chance to watch it on their YouTube channel yet, then click the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLwiDTZ3NME

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WINSTRED HUNDRED PARISH COUNCIL

Peldon Great Wigborough Little Wigborough Salcott Virley

Draft minutes of the meeting of Winstred Hundred Parish Council held at Salcott Village Hall at 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th July 2014.

Present: Bob Holmes, Jinny Gale, Charles Dymond (chair), Phil Gladwin, Lynne Simmons, Netty Knill-Jones, Andrew Ellis and 6 members of the public

Apologies for absence: Rob Surface, Nicky Ellis, John Walker, Kevin Bentley

Minutes of the last meeting were agreed by all and signed by the chairman

Police and Zone Wardens reports: None received

County Councillor report was circulated including costings for highways matters and the poor grass cutting and broken drain at the Salcott crossroads are being investigated.

Borough Councillor: Police and Animal Control have been involved in the matter of the nuisance dogs in Mill Lane. Parking on the corner of The Street and Mill Lane, obscuring the site line and often on the pavement, is being monitored and reported to the Police for further investigation. The proposed Solar Park agents are now in correspondence with Maldon DC having moved their favourable site slightly and we will be kept informed of further developments. There will be more houses built in the Colchester area each year for the foreseeable future. Loose stones from the road surfacing are a problem but have been cleared in some areas.

Public-Have Your Say: The dogs and parking were the issues of importance.

Declarations of Interest: Lynne for Item 5.

1. Playgrounds and Playing Fields – having inspected on site the surrounding fence of the Salcott play area it was decided that the repairs should consist of an insertion of gravel boards and the fence painted. When a quote has been produced and received via email that all the parish councillors give the go ahead to Phil proposed, Jinny seconded and all agreed for this to be carried out reasonably soon, bearing in mind that we do not have an August meeting. CBC Arboricultural Officer will be contacted for professional advice on the condition of the trees bounding the road edge of Salcott meadow and therefore work, if any, that needs doing to them to. At Moss Hay, Peldon the new rubber surfacing for the play area has been delivered and the two new pieces of equipment have been installed. Signs will be made and fitted to advise suitability of age and a request for responsible usage for the new equipment and a maintenance programme will be produced. Charles proposed, Phil seconded and all agreed for the overhang on Moss Hay to be cut back by a local worker at a cost of £160. A kind offer will be accepted for a solution to reduce the bird droppings on the swings.

2. LGBC Warding – Colchester Electoral Review – It was agreed that the parish council should suggest a change of the present boundaries to include all our villages in the same ward as opposed to two different ones as it is now.

3. Our Standing Orders and Code of Conduct – updates are being considered

4. Pete Tye Common Footpaths – the land owner will be contacted to request clearance of the public footpaths

5. Salcott Telephone Box – the authority to sign the agreement on behalf of the parish council before the next meeting was delegated to the clerk if an agreement satisfactory to both parties could be reached quickly.

6. Broadband Update – it is suggested that Great Wigborough will be up and running in the near future

7. Pensions – LGPS – Employer Discretions – further investigation will take place but it would appear this is not applicable to us

8. Transportation Meeting Report – was attended but the majority of the concerns were about matters in Colchester

9. CALC Meeting – 4^th September 2014 – will be attended if someone is available

10. Actions and Reminder List – updated – with additions of Phil proposed, Netty seconded and all agreed for the bus shelter at Mill Lane to be smartened up for a minimal cost. Layer Church will be applying to the Abberton Reservoir Fund (there is very little funding left) which will require a decision during the holidays so the parish council will again rely on Phil to use his judgment on the matter.

Planning Applications:
145158	Proposal: Two storey rear extension at South View, Mersea Road, Peldon
Planning Decisions:
144811	Proposal: Detached double garage at Long acre, School Lane, Great Wigborough	Refuse
144847	Proposal: Single storey dependent relative annex and structural support to existing dwelling (resubmission of 130557) at Lovedowns Farm, Barnhall Road, Salcott	Approve Conditional
144849	Proposal: Lawful Development Certificate for existing use of dwelling with agricultural occupancy condition as ordinary residential use at Firs Cottage, Mersea Road, Peldon	Approve Certificate of Lawful Use or Development
144792	Proposal: Application for a variation of a condition 2 (approved drawings) following grant of planning permission. (120074) at Thornfleet, Church Road, Peldon	Approve Conditional
144754	Proposal: Change of roof design to match with the existing side ridge levels at The Hollies, School Lane, Great Wigborough	Approve Conditional

Finances:
101776	Business Services at CAS – new equipment on insurance	£166.36
101777	Wicksteed Leisure Ltd. – new equipment on Moss Hay	£20,400.00
101778	R S Pullen – clerk’s salary for July	£367.57
101779	C Dymond – keys for Moss Hay	£12.00
101780	T Simmons – play insp, grass cut and phone box door/frame repair	£325.00

The next meeting will be on Tues 9^th September 2014 at 7.30pm at Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough

Tag: dogs

ECC & CBC News Updates

Essex & Colchester News updates – July 2015

Listen to council meetings how and when you want

Transparency on calls to ECC’s Contact Centre

Essex ahead on pothole repairs

Have a summer holiday to remember with Essex Outdoors

Aiming High for Disabled Children – summer programme

Family fun at Bark in the Park

Dog Show Categories

Have you watched CBC’s latest video?

PC Minutes 8th July 2014