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WOODHALL SPA Community Website


Woodhall Spa village sign

Local views

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The Woodhall Spa Community Website Home Page
Links to pages outlining Woodhall Spa Business and Services
Links to pages outlining Woodhall Spa Clubs and Societies
Link to the Woodhall Spa Events Diary
Link to  pages with photographs of Woodhall Spa  places, people and events
Link to page with information on how to travel to and from Woodhall Spa Travel Information by road, rail, river and air
Link to pages describing Woodhall Spa's Twin Village (Roeze Sur Sarthe, France),  the  Twinning Association  and twinning events
Woodhall Spa village heritage
Link to a selection of pages describing  Woodhall Spa Tourist Attractions and activities
A series of pages providing information on Woodhall Spa Parish Council and it' s business
Summary of websites linked to the Woodhall Spa Community Website
Link to the Jubilee Park page
Link to Local Media and News page

 

Woodhall Spa Parish Council
 

 

Welcome to the Woodhall Spa Parish Council pages


 

All the Parish Council pages can be accessed from here. Select the bold text to view the page.

Link to BBC article entitled - What is a Parish Council? What is a Parish Council? www.bbc.co.uk

Parish Councillors How to contact your Parish Council & Councillors

Parish Plan Woodhall Spa Parish Plan (incl: Action Plan)

Parish Plan Village Design Statement (May 2010 - Draft)

Parish Plan Conservation Area Appraisal - (Jul 2008 - Draft)

Parish Newsletters Parish Newsletters

Meeting dates and agenda items Meeting dates & agenda items

Meeting minutes Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes Policy Documents

Council resources Council Resources

Annual Report Parish Council Annual Reports

Annual Report Parish Council Standing Orders

This page:

Parish Council responsibilities Parish Council Responsibilities (Woodhall Spa)

District Council Responsibilities District Council Responsibilities (East Lindsey)

County Council Responsibilities County Council Responsibilities (Lincolnshire)

Link to BBC article entitled What you can do Making a difference - What you can do

 

Quality Council Logo

 

 

 

This is what your Parish Council is responsible for

 

Responsibility
Examples (select bold text for further information)

 

Planning Applications

 

The Parish Council has little power but does have a reasonable amount of influence. A prime example of this is planning applications. The planning authority is East Lindsey District Council, but they must provide details of every planning application within the Parish to the Parish Council for review and should take into account the councillors’ comments when coming to a decision.

 


Parish Plan 2005Under the new Local Development Framwork for planning, now being introduced, the Parish Council will have an increasingly important role in shaping the long term future of Woodhall Spa. The Parish Plan is an important tool in this process. Over the last 20 years, the Parish Council  has initiated the Conservation Area, tree preservation orders and saved the woods in the middle from building by involving the Woodland Trust. More recently, it initiated the Action Plan from the Parish Plan and is tasked with carrying it through.

 

Highways & Footpaths

 

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) is the highway authority, but it has to consult the Parish Council when it’s considering any road scheme, eg: new roads and road widening, diversion or discontinuation of highway, traffic signs and other notices, the placing of double yellow lines, tree planting and verge maintenance.

 

Lighting for roads and public places

New 'heritage' style lighting installed in Royal Square during 2008

Provision of parking places for vehicles, bicycles and motor cycles

The area behind the Broadway shops will be a car park. Although it does not belong to the Parish Council, as in many other areas, the council forms part of the enabling process,. It is hoped to install a cycle park during 2010.

Power to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes

 

Repair and maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways

 

Woodhall Spa Walks pamphletThe Parish Council saved our footpath network and has protected it ever since, with the publication of a walks booklet and maintaining a watching brief on their condition and protection. A series of walks are outlined on this website and can be downloaded from the local walks page. The booklet was republished by ELDC during 2008.

 

Woodhall Spa Walks pamphlet - available from Tourist Information Office >

Provision and maintenance of bus shelters

 

Provision of signs – danger signs, place names and bus stops signs

Village sign on Witham Road

Signs illustrating the heritage of Woodhall Spa have been sited on the four main routes into the village. The Parish Council Heritage Committee aims to replace many of the heritage signs around the village.

 

 

 

 

The village sign on Witham Road >

Pictorial Map of Woodhall Spa villageVillage Plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large scale pictorial plans of the village sited by Centenary Gardens and the mini roundabout

Power to plant trees and to maintain roadside verges

One of three new pedestrian bridges into the Pinewoods The Woodhall in Bloom initiative. This will involve tree and bulb planting. The plan is to enter the national Britain in Bloom competition in 2007. If you would you like to help, visit the Woodhall in Bloom page for further details.

The Parish Council formed a Tree Committee in 2007 in response to the Parish Plan

The Pinewood verges, including new bridges >

Provision of litter-bins and support for any anti-litter campaigns

 

 

Leisure & Tourism

 

Financial contributions to any local organisation promoting tourism

Shire Horse judging at 2006 Country ShowThe Parish Council created and continues to fund the The Friends of Jubilee Park (FOJP) and Heritage committee. It has also given financial assistance to the Woodhall Spa Country Show committee.

Judging the Shire Horses at the Woodhall Spa Country Show >

Provision of recreation grounds, public walkways, pleasure grounds, open spaces, village greens, gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps and boating ponds

 


Centenary Gardens, The Broadway, Woodhall SpaThe Parish Council has been closely involved in applying pressure to preserve and invest in all our recreational facilities, from the Jubilee Park to the football ground and Royal Square, an ongoing project.

Centenary Gardens on ' The Broadway' >

Provide and equip buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives

Coronation HallCoronation Hall on Spa Road

Public Seating

Seat alongside St Andrew's CemeteryOne of 24 seats provided and maintained by the Parish Council. This one is by St Andrew's cemetery

Provision of entertainment and support of the Arts

The council actively supported the Festival Committee

 

Local water supplies, Drainage & Public Conveniences

 

Public conveniences – provision and maintenance of public toilets

Spa Road toiletsSpa Road toilets

Water Supply – power to utilise stream, well or spring water and to provide facilities for general use

 

Drainage – of ditches and ponds.

 

The ditch known as 'The Sewer'

The Beck >

Drains, ditches, sewage and surface water have been a bit of a problem for Woodhall Spa in recent years, no more so than after the heavy rainfall of June and July 2007.

Please contact the Parish Council Clerk if you are experiencing problems. Photocopies of correspondence and other relevant information would be helpful, and if you can outline the problem in writing, or have photographs, it would be particularly useful. We will ensure that the agencies know of the issues

 

Miscellaneous

 

Powers to provide allottments

No allotments in Woodhall Spa

Power to acquire Burial Grounds, Cemeteries and Crematoria

Power to contribute towards expenses of cemeteries

 

 

Kirkby Lane CemeteryThe Parish Council is now responsible for the management and maintenance of the Kirkby Lane cemetery. Authority was transferred from East Lindsey District Council in 2009. 

 

 

Kirkby Lane cemetery (open)

Powers to maintain closed cemeteries

 

 

St Andrews Cemetery (closed)St Andrews cemetery (closed)

 

ELDC Policy ENV8 - Protection of Open Spaces

Maintain, repair, protect and adapt War Memorials

Dambusters MemorialThe Village War Memorial and the Dambuster's Memorial

 

 

Dambusters Memorial >

Clocks – public clocks can be provided and must be maintained

Clock on Station Road

 

 

The clock on Station Road was purchased and is maintained by the Parish Council

Ability to spend money on Community Transport initiatives

 

Powers to spend money on crime prevention measures


Members of Woodhall Spa Policing PanelThe Parish Council closely liaises with local policing initiatives and supports the Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) scheme. Police regularly attend Parish Council meetings to meet the council and general public. One of the Parish Councillors sits on the Woodhall Spa Policing Panel

General

 

General Spending & Gifts – Parish Councils can spend a limited amount of money on anything they deem of benefit to the community that is not covered by the other specific responsibilities described in this list. Parish Councils may accept gifts

Woodhall Spa First RespondersThe council has supported dozens of local sporting and social clubs, from football, cricket and bowls to the youth club, cubs, scouts and guides. It has also helped local charities such as LIVES and other organisations from the Woodland Trust, the Citizens Advice Bureau and victim support to Twinning, the Luncheon Club for the elderly, the Cottage Museum etc etc
Duty to recieve accounts of parochial charities
 

Land - Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of

Power to accept gifts of land

 

Legal proceedings – power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interests of the community, power to take part in any public enquiry

 

Postal and Telecommunication Facilities – power to pay a public telecommunications operator any loss sustained in providing services in that area

 

Bye-laws – the power to make bye-laws concerning: baths and washhouses, open spaces and burial grounds, swimming pools, cycle parks, mortuaries and pleasure grounds

Dog bin on the Spa TrailBye-laws are applied to Kirkby Lane Cemetery and dog bins.

 

 

By maintaining a strong voice, we ensure that all other authorities and organisations see us as a force to be
reckoned with and consult us at every opportunity.

 

Quality Council Status

Woodhall Spa Parish Council has now achieved Quality Council Status. What does this mean?

The Quality Parish and Town Council scheme was launched in June 2003, following the publication of the government's Rural White Paper - 2000. The scheme was designed to provide a benchmark minimum standards for parish and town councils and enable them to better represent the communities they serve. The scheme also aims to give enhanced relationships between local councils, principal authorities and community and voluntary sector organisations.

In order to achieve Quality status, parish and town councils must demonstrate that they have reached the standard required by passing several tests. These tests as summarised below;

  • Quality Parish & Town Council SchemeElectoral Mandate
  • Qualifications of the Clerk
  • Council Meetings
  • Communications
  • Annual Report
  • Accounts and
  • Code of Conduct

The tests exceed the statutory duties of parish and town councils and represent the standards that an efficient , well run parish council should achieve. (Further details of the Test Criteria can be found in the Guidance ‘The Quality Scheme Explained’ which can be downloaded from the National Association of Local Councils website: www.nalc.gov.uk/quality

 

The Power of Wellbeing
 

Under Section 77 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, which came into force on 31st Dec 2008, WSPC has met the criteria for them to use the 'Power of Wellbeing'

What does this mean?

The 'Power of Wellbeing' is the 'power of promotion of economic, social or environmental wellbeing' and allows the council to do anything which they consider likely to achieve the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of their area, unless it is prohibited elsewhere in law.

In other words WSPC is eligable to undrtake many more and varied activities on behalf of the local community, including working with the public sector, private sector and individuals if this is beneficial.

It can incure expenditure, give financial assistance to any person or enter into arrangements or agreements with any person, to co-operate with or facilitate or co-ordindate the activities of any person, exercise functions on behalf of any person, and provide staff, goods, services or accommodation to any person.

What sort of initiatives could this include?

This means that WSPC could take action to support and save local amenities should they come under threat i.e the post office, library or pub.

They could introduce new facilities such as health clinics, meals of wheels, gardening or handyman services for the elderly.

Give grants to local schools to provide equipment or other resources; grants or prizes for talented local residents; erect memorials, etc - the possibilities are infinite. Find out more on the Communities & Local Government website

8 May 10

East Lindsey District Council are responsible for:
 

Benefits

Leisure Services

Building Control

Licences & Permits

Dog Wardens

Recycling

Elections & Electoral Registration

Refuse Collection

Environmental Health

Sewage Matters

Home Improvements

Town & Country Planning

Housing

Litter including dog fouling issues

For more information about the services provided by ELDC visit: www.e-lindsey.gov.uk

 

Lincolnshire County Council are responsible for:
 

Education

Police

Fire and Rescue

Public Transport

Highways

Social Services

Libraries

Strategic planning

Museums

Trading Standards

For more information about the services provided by Lincolnshire County Counci visit: www.lincolnshire.gov.uk

 
Government Office for the East Midlands: www.goem.gov.uk
 

Making a Difference – What you can do
 

The Parish Council is an enabler. We can’t do it all. We are fortunate in having several small task forces working in the Spa to help us achieve the vision outlines in our Parish Plan, but we need more people to come forward. A lot of the work is falling on a very few shoulders. If more people gave a little time, it would spread the load on those who do so much already. I doesn’t matter how short a time you’ve been here. If you’d like to be involved, come forward.

We can’t leave it to someone else, if we do, we can’t complain when they do something we don’t like, or don’t do something we think should have been done.

So here is a checklist of opportunities to make a difference: Click on bold text for more information

1. Come to the meetings and ask questions

2. Join the Friends of Jubilee Park or Friends of the Library – we can put you in touch.

3. Write to your MP about the bill to exclude gardens from brownfield sites, he will pass your support on. This will help us protect the special character of the Spa

4. Volunteers to champion our footpaths – we need people to walk them occasionally and feed back details of the work that needs doing

5. Tell us if you have a drainage problem, to help us build the picture – we hear the stories, but we need first hand evidence, don’t grumble alone, tell us!

6. Volunteer to deliver parish newsletters on your street- we especially need people in the Kirkby Lane area and the top of Witham Road or anyone willing to fill in when others are ill or on holiday – it’s only 4 times year.

7. Stand for the Parish Council. We need to have have people standing to ensure that we can continue as a Quality Council.

8. Join the Heritage or Tree committees – we can put you in touch.

10. Join Britain in Bloom – we have the Email contact
.
11. Read the Parish Plan, see if there’s anything you can help with, it’s on this website and in the library

12. Comment on the draft Village Design Statement

12. Vote in any local elections

13. Come to the 2010 Annual Parish Meeting

2 May 10

Woodhall Spa road sign

 

 

 

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Page last updated 8 May 10
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08-May-2010