Parish Council Meetings
The Parish Council continues to meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Village Hall. Agenda items and previous minutes are always posted on the village notice board (Portland Place), as well as on the village web site and members of the public are always welcome to attend. An open public session is normally scheduled in the first quarter of the meeting for members to raise their questions.
Anyone requiring further information on the meetings, or wishing to submit a point or question, can do so via the Clerk to the Council, Nigel Johnson, who would be happy to collate these for the Council meetings. All his contact details are on the village web site, or email clerk@suttoncumlound.net, or telephone 07902 985 871.
Christmas Tree Lights Switch On
This year’s big switch on was on Saturday 1st Decemberat 5:30pm on the village green (near Picks Store).
Following positive comments from parishioners at last years event, we were pleased to welcome Harworth Brass Band to accompany us all in our festivities. The Reverend Sue Caddy blessed the tree, and the children of our Parish CoE School also made a welcome return to entertain us with festive songs to ensure the Parish’s Festive season was started in a great traditional community fashion.
Mulled wine and mince pies were the order of the evening, generously provided by Jane and Mark Pick of Pick’s General store. All-in-all around 120 people turned out to join in the festivities.
Permissive Paths
The Parish Council have recently reached agreement with local farmers F.G. Waterhouse to create some permissive routes on their land. The routes will be towards the West and North of Mire lane behind the church. These routes may currently be walked by some parishioners already, however this new move will allow the Parish Council to install a kissing gate in place of fencing to allow easier access.
“Coffin Lane”, or “Rabbit Lane” as it is also known, will also receive a revamp under this programme of works, clearing the Western end of the lane so that walkers can have easy access along its full length and into the Church yard instead of walking in the field. Full details of the newly confirmed routes will appear in a later edition of the Sutton Spotlight and, with support from the Parish Plan Steering Group, it is hoped that a full plan of the parish walks and their links with Idle Valley and Daneshill will be published early next year.
Responsible Dog Ownership
A reminder to all dog owners in the parish that the Parish Council still have supplies of dog litter bags available FREE of charge to residents of the parish. These are available from Pick’s General Store.
Now there really isn’t any reason at all for owners not to take responsibility of their pet’s actions! Please work with us to keep the village, its pavements and its rural walks free of dog litter, and a pleasant place to walk. Remember, not everyone who walks has a dog, and they too should be entitled to walk freely without the threat of an unpleasant mishap.
Pavement Parking
Parking motor vehicles on pavements is an offence, and creates obstacles to pedestrians, pushchairs and disability scooters. All residents in the parish are politely asked to refrain from parking on the pavements. Even half and half presents an obstacle to some users, so please be a considerate motorist and keep you car where it belongs … on the road. Thank you.
Allotment Progress
The Parish Council continues to work on securing a suitable site for some new parish allotments. We have recently received confirmation of support from a key figure who’s agreement is fundamental to us securing the necessary ground. There is still some hard work to be done and we will continue to lobby Notts County Council to progress this matter and facilitate our needs. So, it is too early to disclose details and celebrate yet, however we are moving steadily in the right direction.
Getting Ready For Winter
The Parish Council have secured additional stocks of salt to ensure, as far as practicable, the parish has some independent means should we suffer from another harsh winter. Specific salt bins have been supplied to the Village Hall and the Church to ensure these facilities are able to continue to function safely during any bad weather.
The two highways grit bins for the village, deployed at the Gate Inn corner and at the bus shelter opposite Station Road by Pick’s Store, are there specifically to serve those parts of the road which could present the greatest hazard to drivers. Residents are asked not to take this rock salt away for pavements.
Salt supplies can be obtained from the parish Clerk for anyone wishing to actively contribute in helping to clear areas of pavement. The Parish Council will also have a pedestrian spreader available this year to help increase coverage and make greater use of the limited stocks. The County’s Gritting team will continue to patrol through the village as normal, but with these additional stocks we have a back up plan if things turn nasty again.
The County are also working with local farmers across the county to ensure that they too have a robust back up plan to keep rural areas moving if the worst happens.
Nottinghamshire County Council is encouraging people to play their part in keeping the county on the move by following the Government’s Snow Code (see below), which gives clear advice on clearing snow and ice safely.
And it says there’s no reason why people shouldn’t clear residential streets and pavements if they are able.
More information on the snow code and winter precautions at www.direct.gov.uk.
The Snow Code
“A belief has grown up over the past few years that you shouldn’t clear snow from roads and footways yourself in case you get sued,” says Councillor Richard Jackson, chairman of the County Council’s transport and highways committee.
“In truth, there is no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the footway outside your home or from public spaces provided you take sensible precautions.”
- don’t make the footways more dangerous by causing them to refreeze. But don’t be put off clearing footways because you’re afraid someone will get injured. Remember, people walking on snow and ice have responsibility to be careful themselves.
- clear the snow or ice early in the day; it’s easier to move fresh, loose snow rather than hard snow that has packed together from people walking on it. If you remove the top layer of snow in the morning, any sunshine during the day will help melt any ice beneath. You can then cover the path with salt before nightfall to stop it refreezing overnight.
- use salt or sand, not water! If you use water to melt the snow, it will refreeze and turn to black ice. You can use ordinary table or dishwasher salt; a tablespoon for each square metre you clear should work. If you don’t have enough salt, you can also use sand or ash. These won’t stop the path icing over as well as salt, but will provide good grip under foot.
- use your own salt for your own driveway and only use the salt from council grit bins for public footways and roads so that together we have enough to go around.
- when you’re shovelling snow, take care where you put it so it doesn’t block people’s paths or drains.
- do offer to clear your neighbours’ paths. If your neighbour will have difficulty getting in and out of their home, offer to clear snow and ice around their property as well. Check that any elderly or disabled neighbours are safe and well in the cold weather. If you’re worried about them, contact your local council.