Parish Council

MVC, The Moor, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EF Telephone: 01763 262494 e-mail: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

Minutes of Parish Council Meetings and Planning Committee meetings are available on the village website

Chairman

Donald Mowatt 23, High Street SG8 6AL 268388

Vice-Chairman

Maureen Townsend 32 New Road SG8 6ER 260959

Clerk & Office

Avril Mellor, MVC, The Moor, Melbourn. SG8 6EF 262494 E-mail parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk Website www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council/

Councillors

Val Barrett 2 Station Road, SG8 6DX 261227 Irene Bloomfield 78 Russet Way, SG8 6HF 222558 Alan Brett 44 High Street, SG8 6DXBB 260306 Rosemary Gatward 94 High Street, SG8 6AL 261225 Jose Hales 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 221058 Michael Linnette 11 Chapel Lane, SG8 6BN 262534 Donald Mowatt White Walls, 23 High Street 268388 Andrew Mulcock 1 Lawns Close, SG8 6DR 222940 Mike Sherwen 3 Hale Close, SG8 6ET 260070 Peter Simmonett 42 Greengage Rise SG8 6DS 220363 Christopher Stead 70 Russet Way pm only 260743 Maureen Townsend 32 New Road, SG8 6BY 260959 Richard Wakerley 32 Chalkhill Barrow, SG8 6EQ 262247

Employees

Handyman and Caretaker Peter Andrews 243312 Emergency mobile. 07778-682245 Village Ranger Keith Rudge, 4 Dolphin La, SG8 6AF 221212 Internal Auditor Bruce Huett, 20 Rose Lane SG8 6AD 232855

County Councillor

Susan van de Ven 95 North End, Meldreth 261833 susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk.

District Councillors

Val Barrett, 2 Station Road Jose Hales, 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 261227 221058

South Cambs M.P. Andrew Lansley 01954 212707 South Cambs M.E.P. Robert Sturdy 01954 211790

The Parish Office at 28 Station Road, is entered by the door at the front of the building directly opposite Sheene Mill. The Parish Office is now open on Mondays from 9 am to 1 pm, on Tuesdays from 2 pm from 4 pm, and on Thursday from 9 am to 1 pm. The office is not normally open on Wednesdays or Fridays. As the Clerk is sometimes out on Parish business it is better to ring 262494 to ensure that she is in the office. Meetings of the Planning Committee are normally held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month commencing at 7.15 pm. Council Meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7.15 pm at All Saints’ Community Hall.

The Press

Royston & Buntingford Mercury Tom Ship, Media Centre 40 Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7HU 01992 526639 Royston Crow Heath House, Princes Mews, Royston, SG8 6RT 245241 Fax 242231 Cambridge News David Williams, 3 Melbourn Street, Royston, SG8 7BP 249144 Fax 244502 BBC Radio Cambridge Reception 01223 259696 Newsroom 01223 358510 www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council/ From the Parish Clerk – Avril Mellor

You may have seen notices advising that the Parish Office was relocating due to the end of the lease on the property in Station Road. The move to the Melbourn Village College site took place on 20th December, which was a cold and snowy day. Despite this the move went surprisingly well and none of the parties responsible for moving us were unable to complete the task. The telephone line was already connected up and waiting for the phone to be plugged in and the computer and printer worked first time. As those the phone to be plugged in and the computer and printer worked first time. As those of you who have moved house will know only too well, the problem now is trying to remember where I put things when I unpacked. I am sure that eventually it will settle down and everything will have its place.

For those of you who are not aware, the office occupies the old Adult Education department site to the right of the college building, on your left as you access the car park. There is a letter box in the door for anyone wishing to hand deliver mail.

In the middle of January at the Finance and General Purpose Committee meeting the committee set the precept for the year 2011/12. This provides the money that the Council has to work with through the coming year. Each Committee decides what funds are needed to carry out any work or improvements that it feels necessary. The final figure is then ratified at the full Parish Council meeting at the end of January and at the beginning of February I submit the amount of precept to South Cambridgeshire District Council.

It is an interesting time for the Council with so many things changing and evolving. The Old Recreation Ground and the Village Car Park now come under the ownership of the Parish Council and improvements are planned for both sites.

At the time of writing, the process of selecting the new Deputy Clerk has begun with interviews planned to take place in February. The successful candidate will take over the role of Clerk when I retire later this year. In the next issue of the magazine this column will update you with details of the new clerk.

In April, the Annual Parish Meeting will be held. This is not a meeting of the Parish Council, but an opportunity for any resident to come along and express their views, whether this is about something which is causing concern or to present a report on village activities.

Street Fouling by Dogs

There have been a number of complaints about irresponsible dog owners in the village who allow their dogs to foul in public places. Under the Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005, this is an offence and carries a fine of up to £1,000, or a fixed penalty up to the maximum.

Toxocara canis

Dogs’ mess contains a natural parasite called Toxocara canis, commonly called Roundworm. The roundworm infection is spread by the parasite’s eggs in the faeces. The dog owner is unlikely to notice any signs of this. However the Toxocara eggs, once on the soil, are invisible and are quickly spread by earthworms and insects.

The parasite eggs can remain active in the soil for many years, long after the dog mess has weathered away.

If the eggs are swallowed by a child or adult, through hand to mouth contact, the worms hatch out and burrow through the gut wall, spreading into the blood stream. They may then enter body tissues. Symptoms of an infection include stomach upsets, sore throats, dizziness, nausea, asthma and epileptic fits. If they enter the eye they can cause permanent blindness, a condition, which affects 100–200 people each year in the UK.

Immediate clearance of any dog faeces will avoid the eggs being spread. There are 15 bins throughout the village (see list top right) and dog owners are asked to use these dog bins to deposit the excrement. If a bin is not available the dog faeces should be taken home and disposed of in a hygienic manner. Do not put dog mess in the green or blue rubbish bins. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. We thank the majority of dog owners in the village who act responsibly, but the minority are unfortunately tarnishing the image of the majority of pet owners. Bins can be found: at the Junction of Water lane and Back Lane; New Road by Victoria Way; Junction of New Road and Clear Crescent; Mortlock Street outside the Primary School; Orchard Road across from Trailes; The Moor by the Allotments; Stockbridge Meadows Wild life Park; Elm Way by fence on road to Doctors Surgery; Cambridge Road opposite Portway; By the Village Car Park; Melbourn Village College Playing field; and three on the Recreation Ground.

No 83 High Street

In the early 1980s the British Legion hut in the High Street (opposite Rose Lane) was demolished. The land was cleared and the site was made tidy by creating a small public seated garden.

Today the garden is looking a little tired and we would like members of the village to be involved in ways to improve the site.

What would you like to see in this area – more seating, flowers, a memorial or perhaps a piece of art/sculpture?

For more details or to send your ideas contact the Clerk at the Parish Office MVC, The Moor, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EF Telephone: 01763 262494 e-mail: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

The County Council Budget

You won’t be surprised to hear that the County Council is proposing to make the biggest cuts in its history - £50 million in the coming year and £160 million in the next five years overall. It is hard to find any area of council services that won’t be affected.

I am writing this before the budget is voted on (February 15th) so it’s possible that some of the items below may have shifted by the time you read this.

Some of the things we will notice locally are the loss of the 128 bus (the Council is phasing out all bus subsidies); the loss of post-16 education transport subsidies (though fortunately we have negotiated a good student rail fare with First Capital Connect which is cheaper than the current Council bus pass); youth clubs will no longer be funded by the Council (however Melbourn has seized the initiative and clubbed together with Meldreth, Shepreth, and Foxton to make sure the youth club continues – so very many thanks to our Parish Council). Cambridge Central Library and Melbourn Library Access Point are safe, but many community libraries

throughout the county will be downgraded (perhaps Great Shelford) and some could disappear. Pot holes will be a familiar sight for a long time to come, and grass on verges will be longer.

While we’ve negotiated an improvement on student rail fares, those elderly people who depend financially on their concessionary bus passes cannot use them on trains and consequently will have less in the way of available public transport. Indeed the most difficult aspects of the budget are those which affect vulnerable people: there will be less money spent on children’s and adult’s social services, disability services, and specialist teaching. Our schools and colleges are having big cuts made.

We have spent and are still spending a great deal of money on the Guided Bus. This has absorbed a whole layer of available public funds which have nothing to do with national economic difficulties.

You can read much more about the budget at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk. I’ll be giving a report on the budget to the parish council’s annual general meeting, and would be happy in the meantime to try and answer any questions you may have.

A10 and A505 speed limit reductions

As no objections were raised to proposals for 50 MPH speed limits along the A505 Flint Cross and A10 Shepreth Frog End junctions, both are going ahead. The A10 stretch will run all the way from Foxton Level Crossing to just south of Frog End. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on making these stretches of road a little safer for drivers entering and leaving the Melbourn area.

Practical Solutions Group

The Practical Solutions Group heard a presentation from the Chairman of the Village Plan Steering Committee, John Travis, about the early projects and long lists of volunteers that are emerging out of the Plan. The PSG works to help new community projects come to life, and therefore hopes to be able to support the work of the Plan as fledgling projects seek to establish themselves. We continue to liaise with Melbourn Parish Council, the Village College, Police, County and District Councils, and our minutes and reports are posted on the village website.

Please get in touch any time, with matters big or small, and I will do my best to help. Susan van de Ven, County Councillor Telephone: 01763 261833

Heating oil prices and a new bulk-buying oil club

Residents living in outlying areas of the villages I represent who are not connected to mains gas have been in touch about the very high heating oil bills they are struggling with. A good bulk-oil buying club was recently set up in Barton by local resident Francis Burkitt, who is also the district councillor there. He has kindly shared the information necessary to set up our own Melbourn County Division Oil Club in the same way. The idea is for anyone who wants to benefit from the shopping around conducted on the club’s behalf by a local oil buyer.

Please look out for further information on the village website, or get in touch with me if you’d like to know more. You can also contact with the Club’s bulk oil buyer, Jeremy Cole, directly and he will explain how things work: 01954 719452 or 07860 904045. Hopefully by the time you read our new Oil Club will be well underway.

Rail User Group Annual General Meeting

Our Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton local rail user group is working hard to look after all aspects of our local rail service: fares, disabled access, level crossing safety, parking facilities, overcrowding on trains, and a strategic look into the future. Our AGM will be held at 7:30 on March at Melbourn Village College – please come along just to listen, or to take part. Representatives of the County and District Councils, Cambridgeshire Police, British Transport Police, Passenger Focus, Railfuture East Anglia, and First Capital Connect will be joining us, so this is a great opportunity to get answers to any questions you may have.

We are looking to celebrate Meldreth Station’s 160th birthday this summer, so please keep an ear open to hear more about that. Susan van de Ven

Digital Television Switchover

When, what, how?

On 30th March, the BBC 2 analogue channel will be switched off in Cambridgeshire, followed by the remaining analogue channels on 13th April. From then on, if you aren’t set up to receive digital, you won’t be able to watch your television.

This can be a worrying prospect, and at Cambridgeshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service we want to ensure that you know where to go for advice.

How will it affect me?

If you have Sky TV, Freesat from Sky, Freesat or Virgin Media you don’t need to do anything (but note, additional TVs in the house may be affected).

If you have Freeview, BT Vision or Top Up TV you will need to re-tune your television 5 times in 2011. Guidance on re-tuning can be found on Digital UK’s website. Alternatively you can pay a trader to re-tune it each time. If you currently have five channels or fewer, you have three options: Option 1: get a digital box. If you get a good analogue picture through your aerial now, you could purchase a Freeview set top box. Other options are satellite services ‘Freesat from Sky’ or ‘Freesat’. Once purchased, these do not have a monthly fee. For even more channels, consider a monthly subscription service from Sky, BT Vision or Top Up TV. Your existing TV should work fine with any of these, provided it has an aerial or Scart socket.

Only Freeview requires an aerial, and in most cases, if your current analogue

Available on Royston Market:

➧ Fresh Fruit and Veg, Fish direct from Great ➧ Yarmouth, Bread and Cakes, ➧ Flowers and Plants ➧ Groceries, Jewellery (Gold bought for Cash) ➧ Picture Framing ➧ Plastics ➧ Swimming Pool Supplies ➧ Kitchenware ➧ Antiques ➧ Pet Supplies.

Have you seen our new Furniture Stall?

Why not give your old furniture a new life – have it sprayed or sanded, House Clearance also available – see Fred and Kay for more details, every Wednesday and Saturday.

Coming Soon: Continental Market March 2011