IMPORTANT:
Boundary Committee make their recommendation to the Secretary of State on Suffolk's Structural Review
09 Dec 2009
Boundary Committee's letter to Suffolk's Parish and Town Councils click here
08 Dec 2009
The official summary from the Boundary Committee has been released today 08 Dec for electronic download click here
07 Dec 2009
Suffolk Association of Local Councils has been notified of the recommendation that has been made to the Rt Hon John Denham MP Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Click Here to read a copy of the letter and the recommendations for Suffolk
The Secretary of State will now consider those recommendations:
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has stated that anyone who wishes to make representations on any unitary proposal that he is considering, or on any matters connected with it, can do so by 19 January 2010.
All such representations should be made in writing and sent to the following email or postal addresses:
SuffolkStructures@communities.gsi.gov.uk
Unitary Structures Team
Zone 3/J1
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
SALC will keep parish and town councils informed of any further developments.
Standing Orders
A publication on Standing Orders and Law and Procedure for Local Councils has now been published, this replaces NALC's Standing Orders and Chairmanship, last published in 2003. Please click here for further information. Part 2 of the publication details the model standing orders can be viewed by visiting the members area, click here
Level of Burial Fees (England)
There is a legal briefing from NALC which gives advice on the level of burial fees that town and parish councils can charge. To view this information please visit the members area, NALC, LEGAL.
NALC Development and Strategy Business Plan
A new consultation is underway and the consultation information can be found in the members area, NALC. A revised deadline date of Friday 30 April 2010 has been confirmed. Please let SALC know your views. If you are unable to meet this deadline we would still be interested in your views.
GRIT BINS
There have been many concerns raised recently regarding grit bins and the Counties Grit Bin Scheme and also regarding individuals liability who are kind enough to grit the highway.
Please find below a link that explains the scheme we have in place and also be aware that Suffolk County Council will add individuals to their insurance if they are carrying out gritting on the highway in the agreed fashion.
Road Salting and Snow Clearing Information from the SCC website
SALC have been advised that you can order a grit bin from Suffolk County Council's Whitehouse Enterprise, Kieron Lingard on kieron.lingard@whitehouse.suffolk.org.uk
If you have any further concerns please do not hesitate to contact Jayne Cole (DCEO) on dceosalc@btconnect.com
SALC is supporting a campaign to amend the Sustainable Communities Act
The National Association of Local Councils informed SALC that they lobbied on the original Bill but all mention of local councils was removed from the Bill at the final stages, leaving local councils vulnerable to being by-passed. Yet local councils are concerned about all the classic sustainability issues, such as lack of facilities (schools, shops, pubs etc), lack of infrastructure (public transport, sewage systems etc) and lack of affordable housing. Plus councils address issues that help bring communities together to address their own problems, such as through parish plans and community events. The Act as it stands allows for local panels to be set up, without any local council representation, to consider how to make communities more sustainable. The information from these panels is used to support a case for money to come down from central to local government to support these community issues. The Local Works Campaign is campaigning on behalf of local councils as it understands how important local councils are to making the Act a success. It is recommended that councils support the proposals to amend the Act and help ensure the ongoing relevance of local councils as a fundamental part of the community.
You should have recieved an email on how you can help (if your council has not please click here) and which MPs to contact, visit www.localworks.org or contact SALC for more information.
The SALC 2009 AGM
The SALC AGM took place on 9 November 2009. There was an excellent atmosphere in a super venue designed entirely around Suffolk councils. Elmswell and Levington took the centre stage for a very enjoyable afternoon session covering Village and England Village of the Year which SALC organises, leaving delegates impressed and inspired by the impact of the Award on both communities. To view photographs of the event click here for page 1, click here for page 2, click here for page 3, click here for page 4 and for further information please click here
Martin Collinson, BSc (Hons), FRSA,FCIEA attended as key note speaker at the AGM. Martin is a member of the East of England Sustainable Farming and Food Industry Group, a member of the East of England migrant worker steering group, and chairs the Learning and Skills group of the East of England Rural Forum. To view the presentation 'Why we need to grow the contribution of the agri-food sector in Suffolk' please click here
The proposed date for SALC AGM 2010 Monday 8 November - details following nearer the date
Clerks Salary Scales for 2009/2010
Please click here for information
NATIONAL GRID
Consultations start on pylons scheme
The first public consultation event took place on Tuesday 27 October at Hadleigh Town Hall to discuss controversial proposals for a new line of power pylons across the Suffolk countryside.
National Grid major projects manager David Mercer said "We are committed to public consultations and we have planned more events that will give local people the opportunity to discuss the proposals and feed back their opinons. To help meet Britain's future energy needs and the Government's carbon emissions targets we need to replace a significant proportion of our existing power stations. National Grid is responsible for connecting new power generations and we have been asked to connect a number of new genarators to the system in East Anglia"
The people have until February 28 2010 to comment. Please view this link for further information and dates of the public events www.nationalgrid.com/UK/Electricity/Majorprojects/BramfordTwinstead/
NATS
Flightpath Joy for Protesters
Campaigners fighting to stop flightpath holding stacks circling above their rural homes are celebrating after air traffic bosses put the controversial plans on hold. Residents from Hadleigh to Newmarket held numerous protest meetings and demonstrations over the last year after proposals to re-route Stansted-bound planes were annouced. Air traffic management company NATS said the drop in air passengers due to the recession and the number of views put forward during the consultation were behind the decision to delay proposals until September 2010 at the earliest. For further information please visit www.consultation.nats.co.uk
Internal Audit
SALC is now offering an Internal Audit service exclusively to member Town and Parish Councils in Suffolk
For further information click here
New Service for Members
Legal Topic Notes are now available for download from the members area.
click here
New Bursary Scheme Launched
A new bursary scheme has been launched for clerks to smaller councils which will be in operation as from Monday 1st June. Please click here for the full criteria for the revised scheme.
SUFFOLK OPEN WEEKEND
The London 2012 ‘Open Weekend’, is an annual UK-wide celebration of art, culture, sport, and everything that makes up the London 2012 Games. It’s an opportunity for local community groups to showcase themselves and inspire others.
In Suffolk, we’re launching ‘Suffolk Open Weekend’ to enable community groups, groups of individuals and parish or town councils across Suffolk to hold small cultural and sporting events to mark London 2012 Open Weekend. This is being supported by the Culture and Sport and Community Cohesion and Inclusion Delivery Partnerships. Further information about these partnerships can be found at: www.transformingsuffolk.co.uk/partnerships/delivery-partnerships
If your group or organisation would like to hold such an event, and would like to apply for a grant of up to £500, please either use the form attached to this email, or apply online at: www.openweekend.com. There are two funding rounds, the first closes on 22 January 2010 and the second on 16 April 2010.
Events must be scheduled to happen within Suffolk during the ‘2012 Open Weekend’ which is 23rd to 25th July 2010.
Suffolk Needs School Governors
School governors make up the largest group of volunteers in the country, they are committed individuals who work to ensure the local children receive the highest possible standards of education. For further information click here
The Plunkett Foundation
The Plunkett Foundation is undertaking a survey of Parish Councils across England and Wales to find out what the level of awareness is within rural communities of community-ownership approaches to rural challenges. Community-owned village shops are one example of this approach but there are many more. To find out more click here
CREATING THE GREENEST COUNTY COMMUNITY AWARDS 2010
To find out information on the awards visit www.greensuffolk.org and click here
The Network is being launched at Great Barton Village Hall on Saturday 6th February. This first event will run as a day of open workshops, providing a forum for existing and new groups to meet together to provide inspiration and learning from their own communities. For further information and if you wish to attend please click here
SUFFOLK CLIMATE CHANGE PARTNERSHIPIn 2007, CRed Suffolk (the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership) produced a draft Suffolk Climate Action Plan which aimed to consult on a programme of measures to help Suffolk combat climate change and work towards our priority of creating the greenest county.
Following public consultation in 2008, the final version has now been produced;this will run from 2009 to 2011, when it will be reviewed and updated. Click here to download a copy of the Suffolk Climate Action Plan from the Green Suffolk website
Please see a link to a Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) press release below:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn10_010/pn10_010.aspx
We anticipate this will be a major policy; the economics of installing renewable energy solutions for electricity generation, whether by businesses, home-owners or community groups, change significantly beyond April 1st this year. Homeowners are particularly encouraged to act prior to this date, in order to take advantage of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 grant scheme, which runs until the end of the current financial year:
http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/
We look forward to providing further information around how the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership can support the move to renewable energy generation, taking advantage of the changing economic landscape, in due course.
In addition, a Consultation around the forthcoming Renewable Heat Incentive has been launched:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/rhi/rhi.aspx
Energy monitor loan scheme for communities
The Suffolk Climate Change Partnership and SEAL are making real-time energy monitors available to community groups so that they can monitor energy usage and identify where costs can be reduced.
The scheme is available to all community groups who are working to reduce their carbon footprint and the monitors can be used to track energy use in a community building, or loaned out to local residents to try out in their own home.
Any group that thinks they could benefit from using these gadgets can call the Suffolk Climate & Energy Helpline on 0800 0288 938. It is anticipated that a larger-scale energy monitor loan scheme, administered through all Suffolk’s public libraries, will be in operation early in 2010.
HOSPITALRIDES
Hospitalrides is a car sharing service for outpatients and visitors - with fresh and hopefully overpowering incentives! The website has just gone live for testing and can be seen at www.hospitalrides.co.uk.
We hope that Look East will attend the launch along with other local media and all are welcome. Ipswich is the pilot site of a service that could expand to all 1800 hospitals in the land. Although saving money and reducing carbon emissions are big goals, it is the community benefit of hospital attenders helping each other that is the real target. The potential for success in our rural County is immense – but will still need persuasion by all involved.
Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards (UK)The Tesco Charity Trust has announced that it will once again be seeking applications through its Community Awards programme in early 2010. The Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme provides one-off donations of between £500 and £4,000. The funding it gives goes towards providing practical benefits, such as equipment and resources for projects that directly benefit children, the elderly and adults and children with disabilities, living in the local communities around our stores in the UK. For further information please click
here
Suffolk PCT NHS
Suffolk NHS have been through a consultation process for the OOH Service, Out of Hours Service. Please click here to view a letter confirming this process
Consultation Service
Choose how you access the SALC consultation information sheets by submiting our online form. To find out more
click here
Swine Flu ‘Phase five’ – what does it mean?
In the light of the World Health Organisation’s decision to change the global swine flu situation to phase five, NHS Suffolk would like to inform people in Suffolk as to what this means. Click here for further information.
NHS asks National Heart Tsar to review heart attack plans in East Suffolk
Following the high levels of concern expressed by the public in east Suffolk over the introduction of a new PPCI service for people with severe heart attacks, NHS Suffolk and the East of England NHS Specialist Commissioning Group are asking the National Director for Heart Disease and Stoke, Professor Roger Boyle CBE, to urgently review the plans.
For further information please click here.
Please click here to view a letter regarding heart attack services in light of the recent media coverage which may have unduly alarmed people
Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project
The Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Joint Advisory Committee have produced a public consultation draft of the Management Plan for the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley area as required by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. To view the consultation please visit the website www.dedhamvalestourvalley.org On the website you will additionally be able to view the AONB Roadshows taking place in August 2009.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in partnership with the National Assocation of Local Councils (NALC) and Action with communities in Rural England (ACRE) is offering a series of FREE workshops to help town, parish and community council clerks understand how VAT works for both unregistered and VAT registered local councils.
Please
click here for a list of the series of courses being run across the county over the next few months. Should you be interested in attending please follow the instructions on the link. NALC are NOT administering the bookings of these events.
Pancreatic Cancer: Services to Improve Survival
A Public Consultation
Local people across the East of England are being encouraged to have their say on a proposal for improving services for pancreatic cancer patients. For more information, including consultation documents and feedback forms, visit the pancreatic cancer pages at www.escg.nhs.uk where you'll also find details about the 'Discovery Events' and a link to an on-line survey.
Online HGV Incident Report Tool click here
To report incidents of HVGs using inappropriate minor roads or other related issues, please use the link above. Your report will be submitted to the Traffic Management Team at Suffolk County Council.
2009 Training dates
now available click here
The 2007 order for the revised Code of Conduct for Parish and Town Councils
The Register of Interests and Declaration of Acceptance of Office can be downloaded from our members area click here
Fact sheet on 2007 revised code paragraph 2 (2)
click here
© Suffolk Association of Local Councils