Snapshot…of the Parish Council meeting on 12 June 2018.
 
Planning Applications
An application for the construction of a new primary school building and boarding house, business centre and audiology clinics, conference rooms and landscaping were considered at the meeting.
     
Salting routes and snow clearance costs during the winter season 2017 2018.  
Last winter experienced unusually poor weather.  Going into the winter the Parish Council agreed to have three roads upgraded to primary route status, East Lane, Chieveley High Street through to Oxford Road and Curridge Road.  The cost of having these roads upgraded to primary route status have been confirmed by West Berkshire Council.  More than anticipated due to the severe winter which required at least 10 more snow clearances, heavier salting regime and salt runs than originally envisaged. The upgraded roads were kept in good order during the bad weather and verbal feedback from members of the community supports that it benefited the community and allowed them to use the public highways safely and access the main highway infrastructure.
 
Curridge Playground Annual Maintenance Work for 2018/2019
Annual maintenance works requested by the Curridge Playground Trustees were agreed by the Parish Council and the approved contractor, Scofells, will carry out the works.  Extra works planned this year include tree stump removals and a small extension to the grass area.
 
New Council Documents 
The Parish Council adopted a new privacy policy, record retention disposal schedule and agreed amendments to the Standing Orders and Records Management and Data Security Policy to incorporate recent legislation changes.
 
Data Protection Officer (DPO) and General Data Protection Regulations
The Parish Council have a new Data Protection Officer on a consultancy basis through BALC.
 
Armistice Day/ Remembrance Sunday 2018
Cllr Cole as District Council, suggested ideas on how this day can be commemorated and recognised by the community.  Cllr Cole is leading on this initiative with the support of other residents. The Parish Council agreed to offer support.
 
Footpaths
A number of footpaths including CHIEV38, WINT19/1 and CHIEV19/1 have been reported to West Berkshire Council for vegetation obstruction.  If you find a path obstructed please use the ‘Report a Problem’ on West Berkshire Council’s website for attention.
 
FAQ…of the month
Question– If I encounter a problem with a road, (e.g. a pot hole or footway), visibility at a road junction due to vegetation, dirty highway signs or problems with a right of way in the Parish, who do I report this to? 
Answer– Please report the matter to West Berkshire Council using their Report A Problemservice.
 
Spotlight…Dog Fouling on footpaths and byways in the Parish
Please pick up after your dog if it fouls a public right of way (i.e. footpaths or byway).   There are dog bins provided at the end of Bardown, Manor Lane, Chieveley Recreational Centre, Chieveley and Chapel Lane and Crabtree Lane, Curridge. A footpath has a minimum width of 1m and can be up to 1.5 metres for a field edge footpath or across a field. The countryside paths are for everyone to enjoy so please be a responsible dog owner and pick up after your dog if it fouls along a footpath or byway and dispose of the waste in a responsible manner.  Thank you.
 
Next Meeting...Next Parish Council meeting is on Tuesday 10 July 2018 at the Curridge W I Hall, Curridge, Berkshire RG18 9DZ at 7.30pm.

Snapshot…of the Parish Council meeting on 8 May 2018.

Planning Applications
Demolition of outbuildings and the erection of a single storey retail building, warehouse unit and entrance with an extension to the retail unit, variations of conditions for a quarry to provide a landscaping, planting and aftercare scheme with an extension in time for restoration, an agricultural barn and small extensions were considered at the meeting.

Annual Meeting of the Parish Council: This being the Annual Meeting of the Chieveley Parish Council, the Agenda included items for the election of Chairman and Vice Chairman for the year and for the appointment of Councillors to committees, working groups and outside bodies. Standard Parish Council documents were reviewed. Rob Crispin was elected Chairman and Mike Belcher as Vice Chairman of the Parish Council for the year.  Photographs and profiles of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Councillors can be viewed on the Parish Council web site via  http://www.mychieveley.co.uk/info/parish_councillors.

Appointment of Councillors to Committees, working groups and outside bodies: The Parish Council made a number of appointments of Councillors to committees, working groups and outside bodies associated with the communities of Chieveley, Curridge, Oare and part of Snelsmore.  Appointments were made for the Recreational Centre and Parish Council Liaison Group; the Downland Patient Forum; the Newbury Showground Residents’ Group; the Public Rights of Way Group; the Public Relations/Press Release and Website Group; HELAA & Local Plan Group and a representative for the Village Hall Committee agreed. The Speed Awareness and Road Safety Team (SARS) have been renamed and is now knows as the Highways, Traffic and Road Safety Group (HTRS). It was agreed that the Code of Conduct Committee and Parish Plan Review Group would be convened, if required, with any three Councillors.  

Data Protection Officer (DPO) and General Data Protection Regulations
The Parish Council agreed to appoint an external DPO.  The clerk and a Parish Councillor have attended GDPR training.

Local Council Insurance
This year the Local Council insurance can be extended to cover the Curridge Playground under one policy rather than two separate polices.  A 3 year fixed premium has been agreed for best value.

East Lane/Oxford Road
A request has been put to the Newbury Showground to cut back the hedge south of East Lane junction to improve visibility.

Drains & Gullies
A number of drains have been reported to West Berkshire Council for clearing. Chieveley High Street, Downend Lane and the drainage near the pump station at the end of Green Lane.

FAQ…of the month
Question – If I encounter a problem with a road (e.g. a pot hole or footway), or with the countryside and the environment (e.g. a public right of way) in the Parish, who do I report this to? 
Answer – Please report the matter to West Berkshire Council using their Report A Problem service.

Spotlight…on Grants for 2018/19
At the start of each financial year the Parish Council considers requests for grants and donations from clubs and groups in the community.  Whilst the funds available for allocation each year are limited, they provide an important contribution to the overall costs of the schemes proposed.  
The grants and donations approved for the new financial year cover contributions toward: playing field ground maintenance for Chieveley Recreational Centre; operating costs for the Curridge Residents’ Association; memorial and churchyard maintenance for St Mary the Virgin Church, Chieveley; planter maintenance undertaken by Chieveley Gardening Club,  playground maintenance for the Curridge Playground Charity, contribution towards sport skills sessions for Chieveley Pre School and MUGA maintenance for Chieveley Recreational Centre.

Next Meeting... Next Parish Council meeting is on Tuesday 12 June 2018 at Chieveley Village Hall & Recreational Centre, High Street, Chievley, Berkshire RG20 8TE at 7.30pm.

Chieveley Parish Council – latest news

May 2018

Click the link below for tickets

​tinyurl.com/GrillandChill2018

Snapshot…of the Parish Council meeting on 13 March 2018.
 
Planning Applications
Consideration was given to four applications at the meeting.  One was for a new build within the Chieveley settlement boundary, one for a new summer house, and a garage.  One was deferred pending the report from an Agricultural Consultant. Further information about Planning Applications can be found on the Planning advice section of the West Berkshire Council website.
 
From April 2018 West Berkshire Council will no longer provide paper copies of planning applications to Parish Councils as part of their cost saving initiatives. Hard copies will no longer be present at the Parish Council meetings.  Members of the public are strongly advised to look at the planning schedule issued with the Parish Council agendas and view them at West Berkshire Council Planning Portal and respond directly to West Berkshire Council on applications of interest.  Parish Councillors, having viewed the planning applications on line will confirm their observations on the listed applications at the Parish Council.  West Berkshire Council will no longer send planning application notification letters to neighbouring properties to a planning application site and will rely on the local people noting the statutory orange notice outside the premises and responding to the planning authority, West Berkshire Council.
    
Coordinated Traffic Plan
Chieveley Parish Council have approached Hermitage Parish Council to raise concerns about two Local Plan developments, the potential number of new build properties in Hermitage and the impact of increased traffic on local road infrastructure including B4009 and Priors Court Road.  Hermitage Parish Council have written to West Berkshire Council to ask that all planning decisions are deferred until an overall, integrated traffic plan led by West Berkshire Council can be achieved in respect of all sites.  Representatives from Chieveley Parish Council and Hermitage Parish Council are planning to meet to discuss traffic matters.
 
PROW Review
A number of local PROW routes have been walked and inspected by Councillors and issues noted are being collated and prepared to feedback to West Berkshire Council.   
 
West Berkshire Council Local Plan Review 2036
West Berkshire Council are reviewing the Local Plan to cover the period up to 2036 and have outlined their approach to the review in the West Berkshire Local Plan Review to 2036 Scoping Report. This consultation ends on 26 March 2018.
 
Spotlight -  Don’t forget the Chieveley Parish Annual Assembly on 10 April 2018
This year our guest speaker will be giving a talk on ‘Priors Court Bakery – creating real opportunities for people severely affected by autism’.  The Assembly will be held at the Curridge W I Hall, Curridge, Berkshire, RG18 9DZ on 10 April 2018 at 8pm.  This is a public parish meeting and we look forward to welcoming you.
 
FAQ…of the month
Question – I have noticed a problem with a footpath that I use (overgrown hedges, fallen tree), what should I do? 
You can Report a Problem on the West Berkshire Council’s website.  It is easy to use and you can choose to receive feedback on the progress made on the reported matter by email.
Next Meeting... Next Parish Council meeting is on Tuesday 10 April 2018 at Curridge W I Hall, Curridge, Berkshire RG18 9DZ at 7pm followed by the Parish Assembly at 8pm.
​

Kier Highways, on behalf of Highways England, will be resurfacing schemes in and around the A34/M4 junction 13 roundabout (Chieveley, West Berkshire), to ensure the network remains in a safe and serviceable condition.
 
Highways England undertakes the majority of resurfacing works on the Strategic Road Network using a lower noise material. This material is thinner than conventional Hot Rolled Asphalt and has qualities which reduces noise levels.
 
For the safety of our workforce and customers, we will be carrying out the work overnight between 10pm and 6am (Monday to Friday only) as follows:
 
Resurfacing of the A34 northbound from Donnington to Beedon
 
Monday 12 to Wednesday 21 February (eight nights)
Full overnight closure of the A339 northbound carriageway from the Vodafone roundabout to the M4, and of the exit from the A34 northbound to the M4.
 
Two clearly signed diversions will be in place:
·       Non-motorway vehicles – from Newbury, north on the B4009 towards Hermitage, north-west along Priors Court Road towards Chieveley, then either left at Graces Lane for the service area/hotels and M4, or continue through Chieveley/Beedon for the A34 northbound
·       Motorway permitted vehicles – from Newbury, travel west along the A4 towards Hungerford, turn right onto the A338 towards Wantage, joining the M4 at junction 14
 
Thursday 22 February to Tuesday 6 March (nine nights)
Full overnight closure of the A34 northbound carriageway from the A4 Speen junction to Chieveley, and a lane closure on the A339 northbound carriageway.  Traffic will be diverted from Speen, east along the A4 Bath Road towards Newbury centre, then north on the A339 to access the A34 and M4 at the junction 13 roundabout.
 
Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 March (three nights)
Full overnight closure of the A34 northbound carriageway by Chieveley village.  Vehicles under 7.5t will be diverted via Chieveley and Beedon villages, re-joining the A34 at Beedon; vehicles over 7.5t will be diverted via the M4.
 
Resurfacing of the A34 southbound from Beedon to Donnington
 
The detailed programme for this phase of resurfacing is yet to be confirmed, but will be split between the following two closures:
 
·       Full overnight closure of the A34 southbound carriageway from Chieveley to the A4 Speen junction with a clearly signed diversion via the A339 towards Newbury
·       Full overnight closure of the A34 southbound carriageway from the A4130 Milton Interchange to Chieveley with a clearly signed diversion in please via Wantage, Hungerford and Speen
 
Please be aware that these works have been carefully programmed but are subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances – please check the yellow signs placed in advance at the junction for confirmation of the closures dates/timings.
 
Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles on blue-light calls.
 
We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption caused during our work; if  you have any questions, or if you’d like you know about our work please contact us on 0300 123 5000 or email info@highwaysengland.co.uk

We wish to inform you that the previously advertised date for the next CRA meeting of Tuesday 20th February has been moved to a week later, on Tuesday 27th February.
 
As well as a regular CRA meeting agenda, this meeting will include nomination and election of new committee members, following the resignation of the present secretary, Alix Edwards. The committee would like to thank Alix for her hard work over the last two years.
 
The committee have agreed to use this opportunity to review the historical role of the CRA secretary, and propose to split the role into three different positions to reflect the current range of activities of the CRA. We also want to keep each volunteer position manageable for full time workers alongside family commitments.
 
The proposed new roles are as follows:
 
Meeting Secretary – Responsible for managing regular communication and information flow between CRA and external bodies, such as Chieveley Parish Council, plus ad hoc communication into CRA from residents via post or email. Responsible for putting together the agenda ahead of each formal CRA meeting (usually three times a year), managing venue bookings, providing refreshments and printed agendas & minutes. Also responsible for drafting minutes from each meetings and circulating to the committee for review. This role would be suited to someone with good IT skills (particularly MS Word) and regular daytime access to personal emails and phone.
 
Social Media Secretary – Responsible for publishing formal CRA content and selected external news items to the village website, CRA Facebook page & Twitter feeds, in a timely manner. Responsible for updating the website events calendar and for development of the village website to include further functional and content improvements. This role would be suited to someone with good IT skills and an interest in social media channels.
 
Events Secretary – Responsible for leading the planning of informal CRA events, such as annual social functions & litter picks. The events secretary will also play an important part in enlisting volunteers to help with the planning and running of events. This role would be suited to someone with good organisational or project management skills and proficient with spreadsheets such as MS Excel, as well as good communication skills.
 
We hope to fill these positions with new volunteers joining the committee at our February meeting, for which we need your help!

1. If you’ve not been to a CRA meeting before (or for a long time), please consider coming along on 27th February.
2. If you think you have any of the skills needed for any of these roles and can spare a little time to help the community, please consider putting yourself forward for a role at the meeting.
3. If you know anyone else in the village that might be suited to any of the roles please try to encourage them to come along to the meeting!

 
In addition to the new roles, the existing committee positions of Chairman and Treasurer will also be opened up for new nominations, although both the current Chairman [Chris Cholmeley] and Treasurer [James Pryor] have indicated that they are willing to continue in these positions in the event of no new candidates coming forward in the February meeting.

Snapshot…of the Parish Council meeting on 9 January 2018.
 
Planning Applications
Consideration was given to one application at the meeting. Further information about Planning Applications can be found on the Planning advice section of the West Berkshire Council website.
 
From April 2018 West Berkshire Council will no longer provide paper copies of planning applications to Parish Councils as part of their cost saving initiatives. Hard copies will no longer be present at the Parish Council meetings.  Members of the public are strongly advised to look at the planning schedule issued with the Parish Council agendas and view them at West Berkshire Council Planning Portal and respond directly to West Berkshire Council on applications of interest.  Parish Councillors, having viewed the planning applications on line will confirm their observations on the listed applications at the Parish Council.  West Berkshire Council will no longer send planning application notification letters to neighbouring properties to a planning application site and will rely on the local people noting the statutory orange notice outside the premises and responding to the planning authority, West Berkshire Council.
    
MUGA Maintenance Agreement
A review of the agreement has been carried out by the Parish Council and Chieveley Village Hall Committee for the future maintenance for the MUGA.
 
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The Parish Council discussed the NALC legal briefing for the Data Protection Officer (DPO) for a Parish Council and the Clerk/RFO Role.   Based on the drafting of the GDPR it is NALCs view that most clerks and RFO’s cannot be designated as a Parish Council’s DPO.  On this advice the Parish Council have agreed to make a small provision to engage an independent DPO for Chieveley Parish Council in the budget for 2018/2019 and will find out if an external DPO can be retained by a number of small West Berkshire Parish Councils.
 
Budget and Precept Discussion for 2018/2019
The Parish Council discussed and agreed the 2018/19 precept request and budget.  The annual charge forecasted for a Band D property is £29.69, £1.53 per annum increase from last year.
 
Due to devolution of services Chieveley Parish Council now contribute to an upgrade to primary route salting for specific roads in the Parish and keeping the four salt bins stocked.  West Berkshire Council are trying to make Parish Councils meet some of their shortfall in services and associated costs due to their swingeing budget cuts.
 
Spotlight -  West Berkshire Council Consultations
West Berkshire Council School Term Dates 2019/20 
Closing date 16/2/18
 
Admission Arrangements 2019/20 for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools
Closing date: 31/1/18
 
FAQ…of the month
Question – What is the Parish Council's role in planning applications?
Answer – The Parish Council is a "statutory consultee". That means that the local planning authority, West Berkshire Council, must consult the Parish Council on planning applications within the parish. The District Council is obliged to consider the comments made by the Parish Council, but it is not obliged to determine the application in accordance with those views.
The published agendas for Parish Council meetings will show any planning applications subject to formal consultation with the Parish Council.
​
Next Meeting... Next Parish Council meeting is on Tuesday 13 February 2018 at Chieveley Village Hall & Recreational Centre, High Street, Chieveley, Berkshire RG20 8TE at 7.30pm.

The Curridge Residents' Association met on 1st November and the minutes can be found here. The next meeting is Tuesday 27th February 2018, 20:00 at the WI Hall. 

The committee is seeking extra help and volunteers will be welcome. We are particularly looking for a social media secretary, although other roles will also be welcomed. Please get in touch on mail@curridgevillage.co.uk

The work on the M4 continues and Highways England have circulated this leaflet. s170204_m4_j12-13_bridge_scheme_-_a4_poster.pdf

There are several planned closures, over the following weekends:
Friday 24 to Monday 27 November 2017
Friday 08 to Monday 11 December 2017
Friday 15 to Monday 18 December 2017
Friday 12 to Monday 15 January 2018
Friday 19 to Monday 22 January 2018 (contingency)

Please be prepared for delays.