Introduction

2019

We continue to meet on Tuesdays of alternate months for regular meetings, and at various times in between as and when required for planning application considerations.

The Government and County are still enforcing cuts. In fact the cuts are so deep that the Council practically no longer exists.

Newcastle School. Ruth Gittins continues to run the school with flair and efficiency. It is now run as a federation with Bucknell and Clunbury. There is one head teacher for the three schools – and considerable collaboration between the three. There is also a joint governing body. Sadly, however, Ruth Gittins, as lead teacher, rather than headteacher, does the same job at a considerably lower salary.

SpArC. The charity is still working closely with Shropshire council to try to find a satisfactory management solution for the SpArC centre. There will be no further appeals to Parish councils until Shropshire council sorts this out.

Highways

You will all have noticed the state of our roads. We do report potholes and draw attention to what needs to be done, but funding continues to be abysmal. The effect of the state of the roads can be damage to cars through hitting them, or accidents through suddenly swerving to avoid them.”

The situation remains virtually unchanged since last year.

Finance

Precept this year was within inflation requirements  

The accounts can be made available to anyone who is interested, and are externally audited annually.

Planning

All this year’s planning applications were approved by this council.

Members of the public are sometimes present when planning applications are discussed, and their views are welcomed.

Parish Hall

The Parish Hall Committee runs the Parish Hall on behalf of the Parish Council, which acts as trustee. Yet again I should like to thank, on behalf of us all, this excellent committee of dedicated people who work hard to maintain and improve the Hall, car park, and garden. They do not meet often, as a committee, but work hard for year on year improvements and the garden improves annually. You will notice the improved state of the hall, which has been funded by some highly successful events – such as a quiz nights and a concert, as well as coffee mornings and other events throughout the year. The committee is extremely enthusiastic, and the Parish is generous in supporting all events. The benefit of Two successful bids produced generous grants from PAVO (windfarm funding)which has provided excellent windows and some tables. It also provided a large tent for Newcastle – which will be shared with Bettws.

Amblecote Cottages

 It has been a roller coaster of a year as far as these are concerned

In the parish of Bettws y Crwyn there are only four properties designated as social housing. For three years three of them were unoccupied. despite interest having been shown in purchasing or renting them. The occupants of the fourth initially refused to move but were recently ‘persuaded’ by Connexus, to move with a considerable financial incentive.

 The Parish Council expressed some concern in the previous year and was visited by Paul Sutton. He stated that the housing association wished to sell the properties. We discussed various possibilities, but were informed that, if there was sufficient local interest the properties could be sold locally through the use of sealed bits. We would have preferred a local auction, or direct sale to interested persons, but accepted his suggestion as a way forward. I received several phone calls expressing interest, as well as the letters. from  Nick and Amy Stone,  Bryony Jones and Mike Webster 

 Eventually we were contacted by Nichola Barnfield, from the housing association, Connexus, who asked whether there was a way to advertise a site meeting through a parish magazine. She sent me a poster to place in it. I did so.  The advertisement was included just before the deadline, but was rather small. I had intended to leaflet the whole area, but was suddenly admitted into hospital for an emergency operation, so was unable to do so. However, the site meeting was attended by four people, and two of those immediately put in bids for £10,000 above the guideline price.

 They were very happy. At this point one family still remained in one of the properties, which meant that there was only one more property remaining empty. We later learned of others who were interested.

 The two families who had made the offers were young. One with a young child, the other with a baby on the way. Since this area has a high population of elderly and retired people, everyone was happy that two young families, both of whom already had family connections to the area, would be contributing to the future and sustainability of the area.

 We had a letter from Bryony Jones, explaining her reasons for her wanting to purchase the property.

 Then the hopes of everyone were dashed.

Connexus decided to withdraw the offer of the cottages as separate entities, and to sell all four en bloc.

 The people who had submitted the bid were devastated. 

 If losing the homes was inevitable – we would, at least, hope that they might be available as affordable housing for local people – Indeed we had been led to believe that this would be possible.

 Now it seemed that the likelihood is that they would be bought by a developer, who might well replace them with one or two houses – no doubt at considerable profit.

 We have witnessed the local young leaving the area because of the lack of affordable housing, and people retiring to the area – driving up the cost of houses.

 As a result we have fewer and fewer young people. 

 Our rural area is not exactly a drain on Shropshire’s resources. We have no street lights, mains water and drainage or transport. It is not, we think, unreasonable to place greater value on local benefit than profit making on behalf of a housing association.

 We had young people eager to purchase these properties, and they were denied the opportunity to do so – after having had their hopes raised then dashed. 

 We were also told that Connexus would advertise the properties extensively in the locality. This did not happen. The only advertisement of which we were aware of is the one that I placed, which was published on the back page of the Parish magazine – which, as a church publication, is received by a limited number of people.

 Bryony sent a response to the letter from Connexus. She received a response that was merely a copy of the earlier one she had received. It ended with the words “ I hope this clarifies the situation, however if you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact me on 03003031190.”

 I made a number of attempts to call Mr Challinor, but he was, mysteriously, never available. After being told a number of times that my message would be passed on and I would be contacted, my calls were not returned by him. I was relayed a message from him, via telephone, that as I had written also to Philip Dunne. I must liaise with him for a response.  I found this a rather strange response. .Philip Dunne eventually wrote to me forwarding the ‘ Challinor’ letter, which Bryony had received, and which I had already forwarded to Mr Dunne! They had ignored Mr Dunne’s question asking about their future plans for social housing in Bettws. This lead us to assume that they have no plans.

At a  Parish council meeting on 13th November our clerk was instructed to write to Connexus.  This was sent on November 18th.

 On the weekend following (24th November) I learned that the cottages had been advertised for sale as one block. The sale is to take placeon Tuesday December 11th.

 On the Monday, 26th November, I contacted Connexus. I was told that nobody would discuss this with me until until their response to our clerk’s letter was sent.

By  Saturday December 8^th the clerk had not received their response.

 I had waited in good faith for it, but by this time was convinced that there would  be no response until the sale was completed. My telephone call on Thursday (6th December) had received the response that no-one was available to speak to me but there was an indication that Nichola Barnfield would contact me on the following day, and the person I to whom I was speaking asked for my mobile as well as my home number.

 Nichola Barnfield did not contact me.

 Neither did anyone else.

 I had telephoned on,Friday 7th December, at 3.30 to be told that Nichola was not at her desk. This was no surprise to me. Neither was the fact that nobody contacted me at all.

The Parish council had been disregarded – and was of the opinion that it has been treated with contempt.

 At this moment we are not asking that the properties not be sold. We wished to ask, as was requested by the clerk, that there be a delay of two or three months so that there is opportunity for discussion, consultation and consideration of the democratic process and transparency.

 We felt that treatment of us had been scandalous.

I reacted by contacting the local councillor, Nigel Hartin, who was very supportive. As a result of press releases, consultation with various people in County hall and, eventually the acting chief executive of Connexus the sale was withdrawn. 

The acting CEO appointed Vivien Knibbs who contacted me. At this point there was a breakthrough, and she never failed to return my calls and we arranged a meeting with two councillors and myself. 

Following that meeting  we held a public meeting which was well attended. 

Vivien Knibbs attended that meeting an afterwards arranged a meeting with the new CEO, Richard Woolley. The clerk and I attended that meeting.

We agreed that a sale directly to four local people would be acceptable. It would be on the condition that they must sell all four at the same time – so that if one buyer dropped out the sale could not proceed on this basis. However, in that event they could hold an auction for all of them locally.

The four people would need to share responsibility for water etc., and it is suggested that they share the cost of a survey, so that a reasonable price can be agreed.

We agreed that the parish council would confirm how they would envisage this would work, bearing in mind the consortium would need to take on all responsibilities for the sewage and water.

Once a proposal had been received Connexus would seek legal advice in order to determine the feasibility of the purchase in one transaction, with the proviso that if one buyer were to drop out, the deal would no longer be viable.

It was acknowledged that there had been previous discussions with Vivien Knibbs around a date at the end of May, this for the sale to had taken place and we acknowledged that Connexus would be unable to extend it the deadline indefinitely.

 It was confirmed that the governance arrangements in Connexus would not allow for the sale to be discounted price, we agreed that that Parish Council would keep Connexus informed over the next few weeks if it was unlikely that a sale could be achieved by the end of May.

We also discussed that is the sale of the cottages through the Parish Council wasn’t achievable Connexus would you keep the parish council informed about when the cottages would be put to auction to enable local people to access the auction website. 

I have agreed to keep Richard Woolley posted on all developments, and we have until the end of May to come up with a firm plan. 

Conclusion

As always my thanks and gratitude  go to councilors and all others whose work and dedication to this parish help to make it so special.

My thanks also go to all those who are prepared to serve the community in any way, attending meetings of all the committees that work to keep this parish going, turning out in all weathers for meetings and supporting events. Come rain, wind or snow, the residents of Bettws and beyond remain undeterred in their support of events.

I am, of course, ever grateful to those volunteers who give me support and encouragement, on this council on other committees, and in the community generally. 

As always these thanks, from all of us, are extended to our Clerk, who makes council work so much easier than if we were struggling alone.

As I have said many times before, Bettws is good at getting things done. We are a small community, but a there is plenty going on. There are good groups of people (or groups of good people) who give generously in all ways, to make this such a special parish.

Valerie Whately

May 2019

Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.

2018

Introduction

We continue to meet on Tuesdays of alternate months for regular meetings, and at various times in between as and when required for planning application considerations.

The Government and County are still enforcing cuts. In fact the cuts are so deep that the Council practically no longer exists.

Newcastle. Ruth Gittins continues to run the school with flair and efficiency. It is now run as a federation with Bucknell and Clunbury. There is one head teacher for the three schools – and considerable collaboration between the three. There is also a joint governing body.

The Local Joint Council continues to meet to obtain information, and, perhaps to act as a channel for putting pressure on the Authority to listen to us. It no longer has funding for small projects provided by the council, but has managed to obtain some funding by other means. It is hoped to develop those by involving businesses and contributions from Parish Councils.

Yet again I would urge people to attend the LJC meetings, which are public, and designed to give people the opportunity to voice opinions and to bring to the committee areas of concern. I would also urge you all to let me know if there are things happening – or not happening- in Bettws, which may usefully be taken to meetings.

Because of the efforts of some very hard working people, at last there seems to be hope for the continuance of SpArC.  The fund raising has been extremely successful, and the organization now has charity status. A number of well informed and extremely experienced fund raisers have brought about the possibility of the SpArC s becoming a hub for sports and leisure. The future is hopeful

Highways

Last year I wrote – ”I think it has fair to say that Highways seems to have become a lost cause. We have all notice the increasing number of pot holes, and parishioners are encouraged to photograph them and inform Shropshire County Council.

There has also been little or no  consultation with Parish Councils. As a result of this – smooth highways have been created on little used roads, while well used roads have been woefully neglected.

 You will all have noticed the state of our roads. We do report potholes and draw attention to what needs to be done, but funding continues to be abysmal. The effect of the state of the roads can be damage to cars through hitting them, or accidents through suddenly swerving to avoid them.”

The situation remains virtually unchanged.

Finance

Precepts this year was minimal as the clerk constantly finds ways to keep costs down by scrutiny of insurances etc. We are fortunate in that our Clerk has two other Parishes and a Town, so that costs of training continues to be shared.

The accounts can be made available to anyone who is interested,and are externally audited annually.

Planning

All this year’s planning applications were approved by this council.

Members of the public are sometimes present when planning applications are discussed, and their views are welcomed.

Parish Hall

The Parish Hall Committee runs the Parish Hall on behalf of the Parish Council, which acts as trustee. Yet again I should like to thank, on behalf of us all, this excellent committee of dedicated people who work hard to maintain and improve the Hall, car park, and garden. They do not meet often, as a committee, but work hard for year on year improvements and the garden improves annually. You will notice the improved state of the hall, which has been funded by some highly successful events – such as a quiz nights and a concert, as well as coffee mornings and other events throughout the year. The committee is extremely enthusiastic, and the Parish is generous in supporting all events. It is about to benefit from funding from the Garreg Hill Wind Farm

Parish Plan

The Parish Plan Has been distributed.

Bids have been made and approved for projects in the Parish Hall and the Black Mountain Chapel. New windows are to be made for the hall

Conclusion

As always my thanks and gratitude  go to councilors and all others whose work and dedication to this parish help to make it so special.

My thanks also go to all those who are prepared to serve the community in any way, attending meetings of all the committees that work to keep this parish going, turning out in all weathers for meetings and supporting events. Come rain, wind or snow, the residents of Bettws and beyond remain undeterred in their support of events.

I am, of course, ever grateful to those volunteers who give me support and encouragement, on this council on other committees, and in the community generally. 

As always these thanks, from all of us, are extended to our Clerk, who makes council work so much easier than if we were struggling alone.

As I have said many times before, Bettws is good at getting things done. We are a small community, but a there is plenty going on. There are good groups of people (or groups of good people) who give generously in all ways, to make this such a special parish.

Valerie Whately

May 2018

Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito – to which this year, I shall add – mosquitoes also buzz – and so does Bettws.

 Introduction 

2017

Once again the year has passes at an even faster rate.

We continue to meet on Tuesdays of alternate months for regular meetings, and at various times in between as and when required for planning application considerations.

The Government and County are still enforcing cuts. In fact the cuts are so deep that the Council practically no longer exists.

Schools are still under threat. Newcastle. Ruth Gittins continues to run the school with flair and efficiency. And governors are continuing to support the school to ensure its progress. However, each year passes with uncertainty as to the future.

The Local Joint Council continues to meet to obtain information, and, perhaps to act as a channel for putting pressure on the Authority to listen to us. It no longer has funding for small projects provided by the council, but has managed to obtain some funding by other means. It is hoped to develop those by involving businesses and contributions from Parish Councils.

Once again I would urge people to attend the LJC meetings, which are public, and designed to give people the opportunity to voice opinions and to bring to the committee areas of concern. I would also urge you all to let me know if there are things happening – or not happening- in Bettws, which may usefully be taken to meetings.

This year there has been some funding of small local projects, and much focus has been on the plight of SpArC. However, because of the efforts of some very hard working people, at last there seems to be hope for its continuance. The fund raising has been extremely successful, and the organization now has charity status. A number of well informed and extremely experienced fund raisers have brought about the possibility of the SpArC s becoming a hub for sports and leisure, and, while there was great regret when the previous theatre organizer moved away, the appointment of another person to run the theatre activities has been a great success. The local community has formed a charity – SPORTS AND ARTS IN THE COMMUNITY SOUTH WEST SHROPSHIRE (SpArC)which has a CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION bank account,and fundraising continues apace. The charity is working closely with Shropshire County Council to ensure the development of a business plan that will, it is hoped, guarantee SpArCs sustainability in ways approved by the local community for many years to come.

The project also had the support of Philip Dunne, who has made representations to various organisations.

Highways 

I think it has fair to say that Highways seems to have become a lost cause. We have all notice the increasing number of pot holes, and parishioners are encouraged to photograph them and inform Shropshire County Council.

There has also been little or no consultation with Parish Councils. As a result of this – smooth highways have been created on little used roads, while well used roads have been woefully neglected.

You will all have noticed the state of our roads. We do report potholes and draw attention to what needs to be done, but funding continues to be abysmal. The effect of the state of the roads can be damage to cars through hitting them, or accidents through suddenly swerving to avoid them.

Finance 

Precepts this year was minimal as the clerk constantly finds ways to keep costs down by scrutiny of insurances etc. We are fortunate in that our Clerk has two other Parishes and a Town, so that costs of training continues to be shared.

The accounts can be made available to anyone who is interested, and are externally audited annually.

Planning 

Last year I reported that the planning department had suffered from cuts. resulting in long delays. There has been some improvement recently. There seems to be a slightly more cohesive structure.

All this year’s planning applications were approved by this council.

Members of the public are sometimes present when planning applications are discussed, and their views are welcomed.

Parish Hall 

The Parish Hall Committee runs the Parish Hall on behalf of the Parish Council, which acts as trustee. Yet again I should like to thank, on behalf of us all, this excellent committee of dedicated people who work hard to maintain and improve the Hall, car park, and garden. They do not meet often, as a committee, but work hard for year on year improvements and the

garden improves annually. You will notice the improved state of the hall, which has been funded by some highly successful events – such as a quiz nights and a concert, as well as coffee mornings and other events throughout the year. The committee is extremely enthusiastic, and the Parish is generous in supporting all events.

Parish Plan 

The Parish Plan is with the Printers

Wind Farm 

The Garreg Llwyd Hill Wind Farm company is offering some compensation to the people in Bettws y Crwyn who are affected by the sight of the turbines from their properties. As a result a reduction on the electricity bills of those in particular postcodes will be applied. In addition there will be a sum available for community development. The details are not yet available, but as Bettws is more affected than other parishes we shall benefit from this. A committee will be set up to determine exactly how the money will be used. There are restrictions on what it may be used for, again, the details have not been determined

Councillors Trevor Wheeler and Keith Richards attended the meeting where these decisions were announced. Both spent a considerable amount of time and energy preparing for the meeting. Thank you both for your diligence.

Conclusion 

As always my thanks and gratitude go to councilors and all others whose work and dedication to this parish help to make it so special.

My thanks also go to all those who are prepared to serve the community in any way, attending meetings of all the committees that work to keep this parish going, turning out in all weathers for meetings and supporting events. Come rain, wind or snow, the residents of Bettws and beyond remain undeterred in their support of events.

I am, of course, ever grateful to those volunteers who give me support and encouragement, on this council on other committees, and in the community generally.

As always these thanks, from all of us, are extended to our Clerk, who makes council work so much easier than if we were struggling alone.

At this point I should like to congratulate Gwilym on his appointment as Town Clerk for Bishop’s Castle. His being there will, I am sure, benefit us all.

As I have said many times before, Bettws is good at getting things done. We are a small community, but a there is plenty going on. There are good groups of people (or groups of good people) who give generously in all ways, to make this such a special parish.

Valerie Whately

Tuesday, May 24, 2017

Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless. 

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito – to which this year, I shall add – mosquitoes also buzz – and so does Bettws. 

Each year when I write this report I become increasingly aware of the speed at which the years pass by. Always it seems like only a very short time ago I was writing the previous year’s report.

We continue to meet on Tuesdays of alternate months for regular meetings, and at various times in between as and when required for planning application considerations.

This year we have been made very aware of government cuts which have impacted on the county, which will inevitably have an effect on all of us. Our library service was under threat, but had a reprieve. This will need to be monitored if it is to be retained.

At the moment there is much concern over two major areas. Schools and Hospitals are both under major threat. The possibility of school closures has caused much stress in some areas.  Fortunately Our local school fulfils requirements both under pupil numbers and distances children would have to travel if it were to close.

Hospitals have undergone some reorganisation and, at present are not under threat of closure, but the reorganisation has resulted in greater travelling distances for patients and visitors.

Last year I commented on the actions of the local Joint Councils, and although I had previously bemoaned the necessity of attending an increasing number of meetings, I continue to be very glad to have attended them. Membership of the Local Joint Council has ensured that information has been provided for us, and that we have been able to express our concerns. When concerns have been brought to the attention of officers they have been addressed by the provision of further information or by action.  Our representatives at Shirehall have voiced their concerns on our behalf very strongly.

As I also stated last year two useful by products of these meetings are that we are able to learn from each another, and that we learn that we have concerns in common with other small Parishes, and are able to speak with a louder voice. We are able to work together and support one another. In this way our sparsely populated area may not have such a small voice as formerly. We can shout as loudly as the rest of them!

Each LJC still has an amount of money to spend on local services and resources. This is now reduced, but there is still some funding for projects, the LJC gives consideration to all and all valid bids. This year we were able to gain funding for our jubilee celebrations, thus lessening the amount paid through the precept funds.

I would urge people to attend the LJC meetings, which are public, and designed to give people the opportunity to voice opinions and to bring to the committee areas of concern. I would also urge you all to let me know if there are things happening – or not happening- in Bettws, which may usefully be taken to meetings.

This year Eddie Jones Chairman of the Newcastle Parish Council has worked extremely hard to promote the Clun Valley AED scheme. I can report that Bettws y Crwyn now has two defibrillators. One is at the Anchor Pub, the other here at the Parish Hall. More people have been trained, and refresher courses organised. Again it is hoped that more people in the area will come forward as volunteers. The area in Bettws that is furthest away from the defibrillators are the areas on the border with Beguildy, near St Mary’s Church, and the Duffryn farms. However they are nearer to the Newcastle unit, which has the same access code.

I shall deal briefly with the headings that annually are mentioned in the report, because they vary very little. They are:

Highways

As usual the state of the roads is seasonal. In spring and summer potholes are filled, ditches are drained, hedges are trimmed.  In Autumn and Winter frosts create more potholes, wind blows down trees, branches and signposts, rain floods the roads, and snow blocks them.

We do our best to keep abreast of these problems and appreciate information from those who travel our roads. Any information supplied is always passed on to the appropriate department. However, this year cuts have had considerable impact, and the Highways Department has had to prioritise in such a way that many of our small roads have shown considerable deterioration. We were fortunate this year in having a comparatively mild winter, but hard winters in future may well present great difficulties for rural roads.

Finance

Precepts now increase year on year, and we consciously try to make the increase as painless as possible. We are fortunate in that our Clerk has two other Parishes and a Town, so that costs of training have been shared. The clerk constantly endeavours to keep costs down by scrutiny of insurances etc.

The accounts can be made available to anyone who is interested, and are externally audited annually.

Planning

Planning applications included planning was mainly for agricultural buildings.

Members of the public are sometimes present when planning applications are discussed, and their views are welcomed.

Parish Hall

The Parish Hall Committee runs the Parish Hall on behalf of the Parish Council, which acts as trustee. Yet again I should like to thank, on behalf of us all, this excellent committee of dedicated people who work hard to maintain and improve the Hall, car park, and garden. They do not meet often, as a committee, but work hard for year on year improvements and the garden improves annually.

Fund Raising is constant, and the Parish is generous in supporting all events.

Parish Plan

Sadly weather conditions and illness hampered the process this year, but questionnaires now have only to be finalised at a meeting in June and will be sent out.

Training

We are now expected to undergo training in order to perform our duties adequately. The training in Power of Well Being was held in Newcastle on May 18^th  last year, together with Newcastle Parish Council, and was led by our own highly trained clerk Gwilym Rippon. This was training for allocating parish funds, and was well attended by our councilors.

Conclusion

Yet again I am repeating what I have said in these reports every year. However, one cannot say ‘Thank You’ too often. We are all privileged to be members of a wonderful community. The heartfelt thanks go to all who work so hard to make this Parish so special.

It bears repeating that I am privileged in working with councillors who serve only because they love this Parish, and genuinely care about its future. Again I make no apologies for repeating, almost word for word – thanks to the wonders of computers – my thanks to my fellow councillors who are consistently supportive. It is also worth repeating that:

Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.

It is important for us to recognise that these volunteers are now expected to do much more than used to be the case. Attending meetings in all weathers, and absorbing what is said, can be time consuming and tedious, but is essential if we are to keep abreast of developments.

Humble parish councillors often go unrecognised. It can be a thankless task, and one where criticism is heard much more often than praise. It is my view that those who are prepared to serve the community in any way and who are prepared to turn out in all weathers for council meetings and to give proper attention to planning applications are deserving of recognition. I am grateful to those volunteers who give me support and encouragement, so I make no apologies for repeating my next quotes:

Insults should be written in the sand, and praises carved in stone. (Arab proverb). It is easy to criticize decisions that are made. Harder to have to make them, and silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.  (G.B. Stern) so 
applaud us when we run, console us when we fall, cheer us when we recover. (Reese
Edmund Burke)

In addition and again, my personal thanks go to the Clerk, Gwilym, for his help and cooperation and constant good humour. Since taking on this and other parish Councils Gwilym has become possibly the county’s most qualified Parish Clerk. From my point of view the job of Chairing this council has become increasingly easier, for which I am very grateful.

I am also going to repeat last year’s final quote, because I really like it and it personally reflects the way I feel about being part of a small Parish that has, in the past, often been ignored.

It gives encouragement when, ‘oh we of little Bettws’, feel we are a ‘lone voice crying in the wilderness’:

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito. 

 Valerie Whately

May 2012