Feeding swans important in cold weather

JULIE FROM Watermead Swans is concerned about swan welfare during the cold winter weather. She reports: remained on the water for ages so it became toxic to them. The swans starved and many of them flew to try and find food and died in the surrounding areas

I won't forget what it was like frantically trying to get food to them and help them. The vets that saw them said they were emaciated.

There were too weak to fight anything

I've always wanted to make sure it never happens again.

IN ICE AND SNOW, PLEASE FEED THEM and make them

Swans are big birds that require a lot of food

These few days of ice reminded me of the cold winter of 2010-11

The Park was left to freeze and ice

A 5% INCREASE in the parish precept has been agreed by Birstall Parish Council.

Last year the Parish Council’s charge on band D households in Birstall was £99.92 a year. This will increase to £104.92 in 2023/24.

Parish Councils forecast how much money they are going to need in the next financial year. This figure is then divided by the tax base – the average number of Band D equivalent properties in the area.

When calculating the precept, Parish Councils have to consider:

• Their anticipated spending levels for the ongoing services for which they are responsible, such as play areas, the cemetery, allotments and the cost of the parish office and ground staff

• The levels of anticipated income e.g. from rents, hire charges, burial fees and grants

• The costs of any additional spending plans or projects

• Maintaining a prudent amount of money in reserves

Once the precept has been agreed, it is added to residents’ council tax bills and collected by Charnwood Borough Council, which then pays it to the Parish Council.

The Parish Council discussed the Precept/Budgets at two full Council meetings. The first meeting was held on December 12, 2022, where Councillors received and considered DRAFT budget requirements and the various options available to them.

The figures presented at that meeting were based on 2022/2023 Council Tax Base (CTB) figures because the clerk was waiting for confirmation of the numbers from Charnwood Borough Council. After a full discussion, the Parish Council decided to defer a final decision until the January 2023 meeting to enable the Clerk to furnish the spreadsheet with the confirmed CTB figures.

The Parish Council met again on

I don’t want weak swans if bird flu strikes.

This area is owned by lots of different landowners. Watermead does not own the swans, they are potential property of the Crown.

Food for swans

One of the main questions I was asked was: "where do we get Swan food from?"

I like to keep partners and families together. If we feel they can’t cope and need specialist help, the RSPCA will take them to one of their swan centres.

These days, because of the threat of bird flu and regulations, I'm patrolling, talking to Defra and monitoring it outside. The RSPCA is dealing with those that are ill and can't cope. Please remember if swan centres are shut, and regulations are in place, we keep more of them outside.

January 9, 2023, where they were able to receive updated figures along with the confirmed CTB figures from Charnwood Borough Council for band D houses of 4592.8 which had increased from the previous year by 5.7 band D households.

The Parish Council did not increase the precept last year but decided to increase it for the financial year 2023/2024 by 5%. Parish Council Clerk Sue Coulson said: “This was to address the current and future cost of living increases that we are all experiencing. The Government have still not taken the decision to put the same restrictions on Parish and Town Councils as they do the higher authorities by capping their precept demands.

“The Parish Council realise that if a situation arose where they were asked by residents to cover the costs of a lost and/or devolved service from a higher authority, the Parish Council would need to have a healthy reserve in place to be able to facilitate the requests.

“After careful consideration and deliberation at the 9 January 2023 Council meeting, the Parish Council resolved to apply a 5% increase to the precept for the 2023/2024 financial year and authorised the Clerk to submit a precept demand to Charnwood Borough Council for £481,859.”

The increase that has been agreed by the Parish Council for the next financial year of 2023/2024 will be shown as £104.92 per year for band D households. This equates to an increase of £5.00 per year, or 10p per week, for band D households.

Birstall Parish Council’s net expenditure for 2023/24:

Admin support, salaries, utilities, youth provision, professional fees: £406,107

Playing fields, cemetery, car parks, public toilets, allotments: £83,700

Events: £23,895

£31,843 will be taken from reserves, resulting in a precept of £481,859.

The main foods I find helpful are Swan and Duck food (floats in water) and Wild Bird Seed (which sinks). Birstall Pet Supplies sell small bags for you and Natural World Syston has a large selection. Both pet shops will happily advise you. You can also get it from Poundland, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Wilkoyou can find what suits you best.

You are ok to put some bread with it. Most landowners are ok in the snow and ice.

Please watch your own safety and keep away from the ice.

Google ‘Royal Swans Feeding Bread’ if you want to read advice on feeding bread to swans. There is also a statement on the Swan Sanctuary's Website. You can also find other suggestions for food on the internet.

Normally, I work with them in the wild, take them to a vet and monitor them in the wild.

Bird Flu

Defra has been really helpful. Here at Watermead, we haven’t had any confirmed cases of bird flu in 2022. There have been several cases we suspect were other things that can cause similar symptoms.

If you take them out of the wild, they have to be euthanized if they suspect it’s bird flu. Most of it here at Watermead was stagnant water and botulism.

As bird flu regulations were in place there was little we could do. I did all I could. It’s been so sad. I just found too many people were getting involved and doing things that just weren’t helpful.

If you see me out on patrol, please continue to let me know what is going on.

From Julie, Watermead Swans