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PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Elections to the parish council will be held on the 1st May 2025

To BE a councillor

You must be:

• A British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights;
• At least 18 years old; and
• An elector of the parish; or in the past 12 months occupied land or other premises in the area of the parish (as owner or tenant); or work in the area of the parish (as your principal or only place of work); or live within three miles of the parish boundary.

To BECOME a councillor

Padbury Parish Council has seven councillors (although currently there is one vacancy). On the 1st May there will be elections to the parish council. All existing councillors, if they wish, have to apply for election using the same process as anyone else. If there are seven candidates or less, those candidates are appointed as the new parish council. If there are more than seven candidates then an election is held.

All the details of the election process and the nomination papers can be found here.

You can submit nomination papers from Tuesday the 18th March until Wednesday the 2nd April 2025, on a weekday between 10am and 4pm. (On Wednesday 19th March and Wednesday 26th March nomination papers will be accepted until 8pm.)

Nomination papers must be delivered in person to a Deputy Returning Officer at:

The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury, HP19 8FF

Details of what a parish council does can be viewed here.

Planning application: 22/03695/AOP for the Land North of the A413 - for up to 79 dwellings.

The developer filed its appeal papers just before Christmas, when most people's attention was elsewhere. Following representations by the Parish Council, a small extension to the 17th January was granted. Hopefully you made your views known!

An Informal Hearing into the appeal will start on 4th March 2025 in the Jubilee Room at The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF commencing at 10.00am. The planning inspector is A. Owen MA BA (Hons) MRTPI. Residents are welcome to attend and may, at the Inspector ’s discretion, give their views.

The relevant appeal / planning application numbers are: 24/00092/REF Appeal (22/03695/AOP) Outline Planning Application .

We are pleased to announce that the work to the Main Street Play Area is now complete. A new cableway and spring mobile have been installed.  

We would like to thank the Winslow & Villages Community Board for their match funding, the Youth Club (unfortunately now closed) who donated their remaining funds (which paid for the spring mobile) and those of you who purchased a copy of the Padbury Through the Years book. 

FLOOD INFORMATION

Buckinghamshire Council have launched a new website, Buckinghamshire Be Flood Ready, which has lots of information on how residents can make their homes more flood resilient, prepare a flood plan, find out what to do after a flood, get advice on insurance and who to contact.

They also recommend that residents:

· Check if the area they live in is at risk of flooding

· Sign up for flood warnings

· Check what to do during a flood

Buckinghamshire Council have a limited stock of sandbags intended for use on highways and during times of emergency and will try to assist residents by delivering these to properties at imminent risk of flooding, but this depends on the availability of crews to transport them. To request sandbags – in an emergency only – view our emergency contact details.

It is a property owner’s responsibility to take appropriate action to protect their own property from flooding, and to look after their property if it does flood.

Therefore, it is important that people are aware of their flood risk and take measures to better protect themselves, where appropriate. Local authorities and other agencies may assist depending on resources. Property owners within a flood warning area can receive warnings direct to their home or work through the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warning Direct System.

If your property is at risk of flooding you should sign up to the Environment Agency free Flood Warning system (rivers) and also the Met Office or similar for severe weather warnings (surface water flooding) so that you can take steps to secure your property or business if heavy rains or river flooding is expected Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) & Sign up for flood warnings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Other useful information:

• Homeowners who have already suffered damage from flooding can also ask their home insurers about the ’Build Back Better’ scheme. If their home insurance includes this scheme as part of the policy, the insurer should work with them to assess if additional flood resilience or resistance measures could benefit their home in the future. The scheme covers the cost of installing such measures up to the value of £10,000, over and above work to repair damage and loss caused by a flood.
• The National Flood Forum is a charity who helps, supports and represents people at risk of flooding. They have guidance on Protecting Your Property, which provides advice on how property owners can make their own property more resilient to flooding. In particular, the Property Protection Advisor tool allows you to enter details of your property and will suggest suitable measures and indicative product costs for your property. It is free to use and has no ongoing obligations. For further information on how to go about protecting your property, please see the useful links on the Buckinghamshire Council website.
• The National Flood Forum has a helpline that provides general support before, during and after a flood on issues including insurance, home re-instatement and home resilience. Contact the National Flood Forum charity: 01299 403 055 or see: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk
• Flood Mary is another good source of information: https://floodmary.com
• Advice on steps to take after your home has been flooded, either immediately after a flood or for long term recovery, can be found on the Buckinghamshire Council Be Flood Ready website.

Please also see Buckinghamshire Councils flood advice at:

Flooding and flood risk management | Buckinghamshire Council

Flood defences

There are several different types of flood defences you could invest in, from flood doors and barriers that stop water from coming in through your door to air brick protection. You could also consider investing in a portable pump. If you aren’t sure where to start - Property Protection Advisor – National Flood Forum can give you an idea of the kind of defences you could buy and how much they might cost. Although some of these options might seem expensive they can be really effective, and much more useful than sandbags.

If a flood warning is received:

· Move vehicles to higher ground if it’s safe to do so

· Move family and pets to safety

· Move important items upstairs or to a safe place in your property, starting with cherished items and valuables, then furniture and furnishings

· Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies if it’s safe to do so; never touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water

· If you have property protection products such as flood barriers, or air brick covers, use them now

· Keep track of the latest situation

Useful Contacts

Buckinghamshire Council - 0300 131 6000

National Flood Forum – 01299 403055

Buckingham Citizen’s Advice – 01280 816787 / Bucks Adviceline on 0808 278 7938

Anglian Water - 03457 145 145

Environment Agency - 03708 506 506 (general enquiries)

FLOODLINE on: 0345 988 1188

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Find out what flood warning service is available where you live.

• Get practical advice on what to do before, during and after flooding.

• Get a Quick dial number for easy access to information on flooding in your area.

Flooding on the public highway – Buckinghamshire Highways

In office hours - Telephone: 01296 382 416

Out of office hours - Telephone: 01296 486 630

Or online via:

Report a blocked drain or flooding | Buckinghamshire Council

Please take the opportunity to check your property boundary this Autumn as hedges and vegetation will have grown over the past two seasons. Do you have an overgrown hedge or vegetation that restricts the use of the road or pavement? 

Hedges and vegetation should not obstruct the highway or pavements. The responsibility for maintaining these lies with the property owner. 

Also, if you have a drive that is made of stones, gravel or similar please sweep back any that has migrated to the public footpath or road. As well as retaining your drive you are removing a hazard. As well as causing possible damage to the footpath, a stone could be flicked up and hit a passing pedestrian or vehicle. You could be liable for any damage or harm caused. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

The results are in for this years best kept village competition. Padbury was entered into the Morris Cup and scored 183 out of a possible 200. Cuddington won with a score of 190.

The judges marks and notes are attached (see additional documents below).

Thank you to the residents who continue to maintain our verges and keep our village looking attractive

Traffic Calming Measures

The Parish Council has recently had a meeting with Buckinghamshire Highways to discuss possible traffic calming measures at the lower end of Main Street. They have suggested some additional road markings with an approximate cost of £10,000. An initial application for funding has been made via the HS2 Road Safety Fund whilst we look for additional funding sources.

Buckinghamshire Council appointed a new contractor from April 2023 and they have now produced a new guide to problem solving and support for highways and road safety.

See link: Buckinghamshire Highways Guidance Document

Padbury Parish Council would like to thank everyone who attended the Opening Event / Annual Parish Meeting.

Padbury Parish Council would like to acknowledge the following organisations and thank them for their financial support by awarding grants for some of the works carried out to complete the extension and refurbishment of Padbury Pavilion:

Buckinghamshire Council Community Boards

The National Lottery Community Fund

Gawcott Fields Community Solar

Contact Information / EWR Spring 2024 Newsletter:

EWR: Tel: 24/7 helpline 03457 114141 or email - publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk

HS2: Tel: 24/7 helpdesk 08081 434434 (Freephone) or email - hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

EWR website address is eastwestrail.co.uk. In addition, they publish newsletters which can be viewed at eastwestrail.co.uk/library/newsletters. It is possible to receive your own copy by signing up at the same page. A copy of the Spring 2024 Newsletter is attached (see below).

Please follow the link below which will take you to Buckinghamshire Councils website and shows all the road works / diversions. You can also report any issues via this website:

https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/transport-and-roads/road-maintenance-and-repairs/planned-roadworks-and-diversions/

EWR route update can be found via this link: https://eastwestrail.co.uk/routeupdate  

A neighbourhood plan for Padbury?

In the December/January edition of the Padbury Pump the Parish Council set out what a neighbourhood plan is and how it is produced.

To recap, a neighbourhood plan:

· sets out planning policies for the neighbourhood area – which, in conjunction with county-wide policies, are used to decide planning applications in the village.

· is written by the local community, the people who know the area, rather than Buckinghamshire Council.

· Is a tool to assist the community to get the right type of development in the right place.

The article included details of three sites in Padbury where developers have already indicated they would like to build at some point in the future.

Although neighbourhood plans have to be initiated by a ‘qualifying body’, which includes a Parish Council, this does not mean that Padbury Parish Council has to or can do all the work. The view of the council in that article was that a neighbourhood plan is a community effort and needs to be produced by the residents of the village. A range of skills is required, for example in drafting surveys, raising funds, report writing, planning law etc. The council considered that a working group of at least 10 people was needed so that all the work did not fall on a few people.

The article called for volunteers and thank you to the two residents who did put their names forward. However, in view of this response, at its February meeting, the council decided that it would take no further action about a neighbourhood plan. If more people do come forward then this can possibly be reconsidered.

PADBURY COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH GROUP

· DO YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF SPARE HOURS A MONTH?

· WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP TACKLE THE PROBLEM OF SPEEDING WITHIN PADBURY?

If you have answered YES to the above, then please get in touch and join the existing volunteers of the Padbury Community Speedwatch Group.

Please contact Pam (Parish Clerk) via: Tel: 07961 827302 or

Email: parish.clerk@padburyparishcouncil.com

THANK YOU

All volunteers will need to complete online training, followed by a test which in total takes approximately 40 minutes. There is then some further onsite training in the use of the equipment. A minimum of three volunteers is required per group to operate a handheld device. 

If you would like to volunteer to help with jobs around the village, please get in touch:-
Email: parish.clerk@padburyparishcouncil.com or Telephone: 07961 827302
THANK YOU

Please continue to report all damage to the highway, pavements and fly tipping online at

https://fixmystreet.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/

Please use the above website address

If residents need to contact Gigaclear, please contact their dedicated customer operations team on:

Email: networkbuildqueries@gigaclear.com or Tel: 01865 591131