CHISELDON PARISH COUNCIL REPORT
Points of interest from January 2025
The Old Chapel, Butts Road, Chiseldon SN4 0NW
Facebook page – Chiseldon Parish Council Notices
email: clerk@chiseldon-pc.gov.uk; telephone: 01793 740744
The parish council precept for the year starting 1st April 2025 will be £173,000. This is an increase from a static 2-year period of £160,000.
Many of the council’s ongoing costs have increased, and the council are also aware of the needs of the parish with regards to the overall appearance, in the light of Swindon Borough Council’s published financial constraints. The parish council has set aside a budget of £8000 for 25/26 to fund activities to improve the general appearance of the parish. The EGPA committee will be responsible for administering these funds throughout the year.
In terms of actual figures, for a band D household, the annual amount you pay on council tax will increase by £9.47 per year. This is equal to 0.78p per month or 0.18p per week.
You can view the full listings here How we’re funded – Chiseldon Parish Council and also view the final budget for 25/26.
Christmas Lights switch on – 2nd December.
We had a great event, thank you so much for everyone who came along and enjoyed it with us.
Well done to Aiden who won the raffle to turn on the lights and did an excellent job.
Well done to Grace and Brea who came 2nd and 1st place respectively in the Xmas jumper competition, with a pink reindeer jumper and a jumper that included lights and tinsel!
Thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket – we raised £105 to be split between Brighter Futures and Prospect Hospice.
Thanks to the following for their assistance – Councillors at the event, our Handyman during and before/after the event, council staff for all the preparations and planning, residents who donated prizes to the raffle, Cllrs who donated raffle prizes, Three Trees Farm Shop, Farrs Fish and Chips and Chiseldon Tennis Club for raffle prizes, the resident who loaned us electricity for the extension cables, the Chiseldon House Hotel who hosted us for tea and coffee afterwards, the resident who donated the large tree from their garden, the Spar shop for selling raffle tickets.
Changes to grass cutting.
We received an updated cost list from our contractor in Nov 2024, for the 2025 grass cutting season. The costs were expected to be around £3000 extra per annum. After looking at the service for grass cutting that is currently provided, and the existing budget and proposed 2025/26 budget and precept the EGPA committee made the decision to slightly reduce grass cutting frequencies in certain areas to keep the costs at current levels.
The changes are:
Cemeteries – 14 to 12 cuts per annum
Public verge areas – 16 to 12 cuts per annum
Rec field – 18 to 16 cuts per annum
The council used the feedback comments received from the “Parish Appearance” survey we carried out and noted that there was a general desire for improvements in appearance throughout the entire parish, whether or not the work was currently carried out by the Parish Council or Swindon Borough Council. By maintaining the 2025/26 grass cutting costs the same as the current costs, it is hoped that the council can increase other levels of work across the parish – such as verge and road sweeping and litter picking etc.
The council will be doing a more in-depth review of the feedback from the survey at the Jan 25 EGPA meeting.
Free period boxes for those in need.
The Parish Council office on Butts Road now stocks free period boxes from the charity “All Yours”. There are no questions or forms, please just visit the office on a Monday or Wednesday 11.30 to 2.30pm and ask for a box of supplies. The charity is www.allyoursbox.co.uk
Current Projects in progress/under investigation/for consideration.
No new information at this time. We will report on any updates in future editions.
Layby creation – Windmill Piece and Draycot Foliat. Update
At the time of print there is an informal consultation available on the layby and speed limit changes proposed for Draycot Foliat. You can request information from the Clerk or look on social media or on our website. We hope this will follow with a formal consultation. Both of these consultations are arranged by Swindon Borough Council.
Subscribe to the Parish Council’s newsletter:
To receive regular updates on Parish news, go to our website www.chiseldon-pc.gov.uk and go to the “Subscribe” option at the foot of every page.
Enter your email and receive weekly updates from us direct to your in-box.
Alternatively email the Parish Clerk who can set up your submission for you.
Speed Watch Volunteers – a message from the team.
Vacancies for Chiseldon
We are looking for Volunteers aged over 17 to join the team to help deal with the local issues of speeding. Currently we are a small team, looking to run 2 hourly sessions a week, mostly in Chiseldon, but would like to cover Badbury, Hodson, and Draycot as well.
Community Speed Watch is a community operated initiative designed to allow volunteers to officially monitor and report to the Police details of speeding vehicles in areas of concerns to the community. Community Speed Watch is not enforcement.
Whilst all of the road safety partners are working together to achieve casualty reduction targets and reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, we cannot expect police officers to carry out enforcement checks in every community on a regular basis. This is where Community Speed Watch can help by working with the partnership.
Our aim is not to catch as many speeding drivers as possible, but to raise awareness that excessive speeds are socially unacceptable. We aim to reduce speed in areas of concern and address issues from communities by raising awareness.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact the Chiseldon Parish Clerk (Clair Wilkinson) who will pass your details to the local coordinator.
More information can be via the Wiltshire Police website www.wiltshire.police.uk and searching for “Community Speed Watch”.
Memory Café next date
The popular memory café is next running Friday 7th February 2025 10.30am at the Church Hall off Butts Road. The café was created for anyone who wants some company and a chat over a cup of tea or coffee. Also for carers who look after anyone with Dementia or Alzheimer’s to come along with their loved ones. There is singing and dancing, all very informal and fun. There is no charge to attend.
Recreation Hall, Recreation field and Chapel hire:
The Rec hall off Norris Close, the Rec field in the same location and the Parish Council Chapel offices are all available for hire for events, meetings or parties.
Please contact the Clerk on the details above who can advise of charges, availability and what space would suit your needs.
The council also has 2 marques that can be hired for £100 per 24 hr period per marque. Contact the Clerk for more details.
Defibrillators – a reminder
A reminder that the Parish has 5 defibrillators – one outside Cameo Hairdressers on High Street, one outside the Calley Arms pub in Hodson, one outside the Pavilion on the Recreation Field, one outside the Calley Memorial Hall on Draycott Road and one in the BT Box in Badbury. All units are accessed by calling 999 to gain the code for the box. You cannot use these defibrillators on someone who doesn’t need it as the machine will not work. It also provides audible instructions on how to use them.
There is also a defibrillator on the outside wall of the school in Ogbourne St George.
CURRENT FUNDING CLOSING 31.3.25 – Parish Council Grants and Donations fund & Calley Memorial Hall fund.
The Parish Council have an annual fund that we can donate to worthy causes within the Parish. If you are a group, charity or society that believe you could benefit from this fund then please contact the Parish Clerk for further details.
The trustees of the Calley Memorial Hall fund are also able to approve grants and donations to worthy causes within the Parish. (This doesn’t have to be connected to users of the Memorial Hall). Please contact the Parish Clerk in the first instance who can provide you with an application form.
(It should be noted that this fund is not connected to the Parish Council)
Next Parish council meeting
The next Full Council meeting of the Parish Council will be Monday 10th February 2025. This will start at 7.30pm at the Rec Hall off Norris Close. There is a public recess at the start of proceedings, after which residents can choose to leave the session. Meeting locations may change so please verify the location before making a journey. Our committee meetings will now meet in the Chapel Office on Butts Road.
Ward Cllrs surgeries.
Your Chiseldon and Lawn Ward Cllrs will be holding a monthly surgery on the first Saturday of the month at the Old Chapel office on Butts Road 11.30 to 12.30.
The next sessions are Sat 1st Feb and Sat 1st March 25. Please pop along and have a chat with them.