the 21st February 07.I think the area is unsightly and gives a poor impression
of the village.Should we have bigger bins?and could we all stop leaving plastic
bags filled with cans and bottles laying around on the ground.
If the bins are full take bottles and cans back home until there is room for them
and try to KEEP THE SITE TIDY.
Michael Watson
I know that many of you look forward
to reading the account of the Parish
Council meeting each month in Under
The Edge. You may also have noticed
a line on your Council Tax bill for "Great
Longstone Parish Council" and
wondered what the money was used
for.
The powers of a Parish Council are
potentially quite wide, but Great
Longstone Parish Council has not
historically used a lot of these powers.
What we do is keep an eye on the
well-being of the village and take action
when things need doing. This can be
routine stuff like mending footpaths and
cutting the grass, and it can also be
bigger projects such as the recent
Tennis Court resurfacing, undertaken
in conjunction with the Tennis Club.
Some of the issues are really boring
and some, as you may have noticed,
raise hackles and cause some "robust"
debate.
If there wasn't a Parish Council, then
these matters would be dealt with
directly by Derbyshire Dales District
Council. They wouldn't have the local
knowledge and attention to detail that
the Parish Council has, and things
which needed doing would be in
competition with other villages.
The Parish Council is re-elected every
four years, and the next election is in
May this year. I believe that a number
of the current Parish Councillors may
not be standing for re-election, and
there is a real danger that we will lose
the Parish Council if there are not
enough replacement candidates. We
need people to come forward and
stand for election.
The minimum requirement is to turn
up at the monthly Parish Council
meetings, but you can put in as much
additional energy and effort as you
wish. Whether you have a bee in your
bonnet about a particular issue, or a
simply want to keep Great Longstone
a great place to live, it's the best way
to make it happen. We especially
need some younger people on the
Council. All you need is to be over
or working within the Great Longstone
Parish. Parish Councillors don't get
paid - we just do it for the love of our
village.
Please think hard about putting your
name forward. The timetable is
Notice of Election to be published -
Monday 19 March
Delivery of nomination papers - not
later than Noon on Wednesday 4 April
Polling Day - Thursday 3 May (Polling
hours 7am to 10pm)
so you'll need to move fairly quickly.
You can obtain nomination papers
from DDDC by telephoning 01629
761335 or e-mail
electoral@derbyshiredales.gov.uk
from mid March.
There are some big issues facing the
world, the country and this village in
the months to come. I believe that
effect on village life as the petrol
becomes more and more expensive
and unavailable. There are other
lesser, but equally important issues
facing the village as well. You can
stand on the sidelines and let it all
happen, or you can be part of the
decision-making process and make
things happen.
If you want to talk about being a Parish
Councillor, please feel free to contact
me. You can reach me on 640926 on
the odd occasions when I'm in, or e-
mail me on stephen.barton@the-
hermitage.co.uk.
I must make it clear that the foregoing
represents my personal views, and is
not an official notice or opinion of the
Parish Council.