Bigbury Community Website

This is a community website funded by the Parish Council.  However, anybody from within the community wishing to contribute to the website is free to do so; that is exactly the purpose of the site, to act as an aid to communication and understanding within the parish.

Importantly, the news and views  expressed on the site are not necessarily those of the Parish Council unless they appear in the Bigbury Parish Council GROUP.

OLYMPIC  TORCH

This Sunday, 20^th MAY, the Olympic torch will go through Modbury.

It will start at the Industrial Estate just before 9.0 a.m., be carried through Modbury and transfer to a vehicle in the small lay-by just as you exit Modbury.  It then goes along the A379 towards Kingsbridge.

Modbury Parish Council extends a welcome to any Bigbury resident who would like to witness the torch being carried through Modbury.

ON the other hand…….

The Torch will be in Kingsbridge around 9:38am and the Town Council have an event planned around the Bandstand for the rest of the morning.  There will be  ‘mini-games’ for the children and the Kingsbridge Police Cadets (in full uniform) are providing support around the Torch when it stops at the Bandstand for press and TV coverage!!

The Minutes of the 2012 APM can be found in the DOCUMENTS section of the Parish Council GROUP.

The Minutes of the AGM of 9th May are included in the DOCUMENTS section of the Parish Council GROUP.

The video on the following ‘youtube’ link shows just how desperate some people are to get to Burgh Island despite rough weather (note the empty car park!).    The sea tractor is clearly very well constructed and more stable than it might appear.

Other videos on the same site offer some magnificent views from Burgh Island, showing Challaborough and Bigbury on Sea.

Click here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRAyaxw2CIs

What follows is a thought-provoking analysis of the Quality Parish Council scheme (from the Communities, Parishes and Local Councils website, May 2012)

Criticisms of the existing QPC scheme:

• It failed to be understood by residents as it was poorly communicated,
• The requirement to have a web site totally ignored content and quality,
• If the qualified clerk left and was replaced by an untrained, unqualified clerk QPC status was retained,
• If the the number of elected councillors fell below the minimum requirement the council still retained their QPC status
• There was no requirement to publish the basis on which the status was awarded,
• There are no definitions of the actual standards only that a certain number of criteria had to been met,
• The re-accreditation process does not require improvement.

It has failed to foster continuing professional development in the sector. It’s now time for this flawed failed scheme to be abandoned. So what could replace it?

Recommendations for a new approach:

Maybe there is a simpler and lower level approach that would let residents know if they are getting a fair deal from their council by just asking for a few basic questions.

1. Are the majority of the councillors there because they were actually elected rather than co-opted by their friends on the council?
2. Have councillors engaged in training to give them the tools and knowledge to do their job for their community to the best of their ability?
3. Has the council Clerk been trained to give them the tools and knowledge to do their job for the council to the best of their ability?
4. Has the council consulted its community and developed some form of plan that reflects the needs and aspirations of its residents?
5. Has the council developed a strategy and committed to a forward financial plan to use its fund raising powers to deliver those community needs and aspirations?
6. Does the council have a clean simple website which communicates more than the basics to residents and visitors.

If your council can say yes to the above then they are a 5 star council and they and your community should be awarded 5 star status.  MAKE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT ABOUT BIGBURY’S PC AND LET THEM KNOW BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON THIS WEBSITE!

The MCS has recently published its Good Beach Guide for 2012 in which our local beaches from Thurlestone to Challaborough  feature as MCS RECOMMENDED.  The MCS only recommends bathing beaches that had excellent water quality during summer 2011 and aren’t affected by badly treated, continuous sewage discharges.

Before heading for the beach this year, check their beach guide at http://www.goodbeachguide.co.uk/search-results

WE MIGHT BE CREATING AN ALLOTMENT SITE -  ARE YOU INTERESTED?

Do you want to enjoy the best things in life?

Having an allotment offers

• health benefits,
• social benefits,
• economic benefits  and
• environmental benefits.

Allotments are good for everyone because they:

• Provide a sustainable food supply of known origin and history
• Reduce carbon footprint
• Offer enjoyable exercise for people of all ages
• Foster community development
• Provide access to nature and wildlife

Bigbury Parish Council is interested in knowing whether there are any parishioners who would like to pursue the idea of Community Allotments and whether there are any landowners who may have a piece of land suitable for this purpose.

If you are interested in discussing this idea further please contact:

Trudy Boys on 01548 810185 or email on trudyboys@talktalk.net

The combined agendas for the AGM of the PC and the Annual Parish Meeting, 2012, can be found in the DOCUMENTS section of the Bigbury Parsi Council GROUP.

The Minutes of the PC meeting of 25th April may be found in the DOCUMENTS section of the Bigbury Parish Council GROUP.