Scopwick Parish Council News - Spring 2009

This is the first newsletter of Scopwick Parish Council and it's a really good opportunity to let you all know about village 'goings on'.

The council comprises seven councillors and it recently welcomed a new councillor, Michael Clayton of Main Street, due to a vacancy created by Janet Brooks, who resigned due to a house move after many years service.

The council are really pleased to announce that the Beck improvement works are virtually complete apart from a spot of final tidying up. It looks quite a picture and it is all due to lots of hard work from village helpers. The council would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who gave their time and skill to work on this important village asset. The Environment Agency has approved the work and I think the ducks are quite pleased too!

You may have seen contractors working on the village trees, particularly around the Beck. Unfortunately, two of the willows had to be completely removed as they were damaging bridges and obstructing the footpath. The council are keen to improve the shape and health of the remaining trees so that they will continue to give us all pleasure for many years to come. I am sure you will agree that the Village Green is an absolute picture. Just wait until the blossom and the daffodils come out!

Various improvements are planned for Scopwick Village Hall and much credit is due to the Village Hall Management Committee for their dedication in resourcing grants to enable work to commence. This includes extending and updating the kitchen and bringing the toilets into line with the latest disability laws.

It is also planned to alter the east door of the hall to comply with disability guidelines and to provide a loop circuit within the hall for the hard of hearing. Additionally, it is hoped that in time funding will be available to create a car park hard standing area alongside the hall. This again is to comply with new disability legislation and it will also benefit Brookside by reducing the number of parked cars at busy periods.

You may be interested to know that the council took the decision to 'adopt' the red telephone kiosk at Kirkby Green as BT were going to remove it due to lack of use. This did seem a great shame, if only from a heritage perspective, and in adopting the kiosk, the telephony equipment will be removed but the kiosk will remain hopefully for many years to come.

For many years the corner of Bloxholm Lane has flooded badly following wet weather. A site meeting was held recently with the Area Highways Manager who agreed to carry out the necessary improvements. Let's hope it does the trick!

Two new street lights have been requested for Vicarage Lane, one at the entrance into Springfield from the playing field and the other illuminating the overflow car park. We hope these meet some of the concerns over security and access in these areas.
The council will shortly be advertising for a Parish Litter Picker to work for just a few hours a month on a casual basis. Keep an eye on the notice boards and the website for details.

Jean Girling - Parish Clerk 01526 353163
scopwickclerk@hotmail.co.uk
www.macla.co.uk