Annual Report for Worthen with Shelve Parish Council 2015 from Cllr Heather Kidd

Outline of the report I gave on 27th April 2015
Heather
Council tax frozen again for Shropshire Council but the Parish grant – dedicated to Town & Parish Councils by Central Government- was removed by Shropshire Council to help them balance their books. Parishes then had to raise theirs by an average of 6.4%.
Road repairs have been ongoing across the Parish, with a number of road closures and repairs. Brockton Bridge, which is listed, was seriously damaged earlier in the year. Repairs are still awaited. The Highways budget has been severely cut over the last few years and Heidi Steele’s budget has been halved for our area.
Planning permissions are still running behind, planning officers were given voluntary redundancy and when applications rose, recruitment was put on hold. Three planners were then appointed but 3 more have now left. The Local Government Minister, Eric Pickles MP stopped the taking of CIL from sites of less than 10 houses, rural areas of less than 5. The definition of rural is still vague. Shropshire Council are challenging that and will continue to take the levy on those sites.
The 25 houses planned for Worthen was finally turned down by the planning inspector. The Parish Plan was mentioned by the Inspector and given more weight in his decision.
Speeding through villages still a very real issue. The Camera van has not started yet but the police continue to enforce when possible in Worthen. Traffic calming and wider pavements are still required
The new Doctors Surgery is still stalled. I have written again to ascertain when progress will be evident. It is holding up a number of other developments.
Broad band- businesses to be offered up to £3000 voucher to help themselves get connected but only choice from West Midlands approved list.
EE now looking to monitor our signal and put in new mini masts to fill gaps. Our masts are now old and need replacing. Real investment to be put in. It is hoped that the BT take over will keep the momentum in our favour.
Future Fit and ambulance response times still a worry with possibility of A& E being reduce to one unit and possibly moving to Telford. Adult social care is also being transformed and support in many cases being reduced. This could exacerbate the problems within our hospitals if not delivered carefully.