Welcome
to the official website of the Parish Council of Ashby St
Mary in Norfolk.
It provides
not only the records of the Parish Council's proceedings,
but also more information about Ashby St Mary including its
features, history and much more. The Parish Council
hopes visitors to this website find it an interesting
and informative experience. Most documents in this website open in .pdf format which
requires Adobe Reader.
Click on the Adobe icon in the left column to download Adobe
Reader.
LATEST PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
(This replaces the update of 9th January 2024 - To view
previous updates, click HERE)
LATEST
NEWS - the headlines
- County councillor report - January
- rainfall data updated
- Community Cafe users - winter opening times/dates
- a Helping Hand for South Norfolk residents - see
Reminder below
- 100 club winners
- DVLA scam warning
- Ashby Amblers post Christmas lunch - see Gallery
NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
The next parish council meeting is
scheduled to take place on Wednesday 13th March
2024 at 7.00 p.m. at Ashby & Thurton Village
Hall, Ashby Road, Thurton.
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE
LAST PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
When
published, the draft minutes of the last meeting will
appear in the appropriate HERE link
on the MANAGEMENT page. All Council Meeting
Minutes can be inspected at any reasonable time
by appointment with the Clerk.
COMMUNITY CAFE - IMPORTANT
MESSAGE
Users please note. CLOSED for February, REOPENS
March 11th; CLOSED April 8th but OPEN April 15th.
EXCERPTS FROM THE JAUARY COUNTY COUNCILLOR REPORT
- the full report is at HERE
Householders to get free DIY waste for small projects
Norfolk residents will be able to dispose of small
amounts of DIY waste at Norfolk’s Recycling
Centres free of charge from 31 December following
changes made by Norfolk County Council.
The change applies to small-scale projects carried
out by householders on their own home, allowing
them to bring a maximum 100 litres (must fit into
2 x 50l bags) for free or one single item (maximum
size of 200cm x 70cm x 75cm). Each household is
allowed four free visits with DIY waste every four
weeks. Anything beyond this will still be charged
at normal rates.
The change in policy follows Government abolishing
charges for the disposal of limited amounts and
types of DIY waste at recycling centres across the
UK.
Prior to 31 December, customers with DIY-type construction
and demolition waste will continue to be directed
to the ‘Pay as you throw service’ which
is available at all centres.
Traders must continue to pay for DIY waste.
For more information visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/DIYwaste
24/7 free travel to all disabled bus pass holders
in Norfolk
From 1 February 2024 all Norfolk residents who hold
a disabled concessionary travel pass will be eligible
for free bus travel 24 hours a day, seven days a
week when travelling within the county.
The decision, which was published today by Norfolk
County Council, means that more than 14,500 people
across the county who hold a concessionary bus pass
due to disability, and their eligible companions,
will now be able to travel on any bus at any time
free of charge across Norfolk.
Previously concessionary pass holders with a disability
were only able to travel for free on buses off-peak
(all day on Saturdays and Sundays but only from
09:30 Monday to Friday) except for those registered
blind or visually impaired.
Offering free travel at all times is over and above
the minimum requirement set by government, and is
something that a local authority can choose to do
but doesn’t have to do. The change was recommended
following an updated equality impact assessment
of the scheme which concluded that it is now unfair
to offer a discretionary enhancement to just one
group of disabled people (i.e. those who are blind
or visually impaired).
The recommendation agreed by the individual cabinet
member was to ‘extend the concessionary travel
discretion of free travel at all times to all eligible
disabled passholders and eligible companions, from
1 February 2024.'
WARNING - DVLA SCAM
A warning to all who licence their vehicle/s online.
If you receive an email proporting to be from the
DVLA asking you to update your details as they have
a database problem ....don't.
The
email will tell you that if you fail to do so your
licence will be invalid. It will also ask for your
name, address, vehicle make, along with your credit
card details including your 3 digit security number.
It certainly looks genuine and even has a real link
to the DVLA website.
It's been reported to be a scam.
VILLAGE
HALL 100 CLUB WINNERS 2023 March D Mickleburgh no.74; April E Bircham
no.33; May J Hawes no.51; June J Byrne no. 49; July
M Millward no.34; August J Lambart no.40; September
J Wilson 73; October G Gibling no.20; November J
Baugh no.83; all £40. £120
Superdraw November C Brown no.31; December M Taylor
27; January L Patterson 44.
ASHBY
RAINFALL As
usual the latest rainfall figures for our parish
can be found via the link on the HANDBOOK
page.
CYCLIST
IN ASHBY OR THURTON?
Interested
in joining a friendly, village cycling group?
The Ashby Amblers group was formed in Easter
2022 and continues to flourish. Gentle riding
is assured!
All ages and abilities are welcome no matter
which type of bicycle you own and ride.
The Ashby Amblers currently now have over 20
members from Ashby, Thurton, and even as far
afield as
Heckingham, Thurlton and Norwich.
We meet every Tuesday at 09.30 opposite the
Thurton George & Dragon pub.
See more in Gallery on the HISTORY
page!
Email ashbywebmaster@gmail.com for more details
REMINDER
- BIN
COLLECTIONS - NEVER MISS ONE AGAIN! Download the
free Bin Collections app to keep up to date with
your bin collection days and find out about recycling.
Search Bin Collections South Norfolk on the App
Store or Google Play. Or go to https://www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/sncbinapp (It really works!)
REMINDER
- BUSES
- NEVER MISS ONE AGAIN!
Ever wondered when your bus was going to arrive?
Now you can.
Go to bustimes.org, select the
map and you can see the bus. The square with a number
is a bus. (It really does work! But be advised, it
updates about every minute so there is a delay in
showing an actual bus position.)
REMINDER - NHS DENTIST
- A CAUTIONARY PIECE OF ADVICE The
text about this subject can now be found in Latest
News Archive on this page, below.
REMINDER
- EMERGENCY
ADVICE The
Parish Council's emergency advice leaflet has now
been delivered to each village household.
It is hoped parishioners never have to use any of
the services referred in it but it is hoped, if
required, the information will be of assistance.
REMINDER
- INTRODUCTION
OF THE ASHBY EMERGENCY GROUP Ashby
St Mary parish council has introduced a method of
messaging all parishioners in the event of an impending
national or parish emergency e.g. extreme weather,
pandemic, danger to life etc.
It hopes you agree to become part of an Ashby Emergency
Group for this purpose. All parishioners should
have received hand-delivered notices about this
new service. Without your details it will not be
possible to be included.
(For your reassurance, the requested details will
be used by the parish council soley for the purposes
of emergency messaging or to keep you informed of
important matters within the parish).
REMINDER
- A
HELPING HAND FOR SOUTH NORFOLK RESIDENTS
South Norfolk District Council recognise how important
it is for our elderly residents to stay in their
own homes for as long as possible and sometimes
a small change can make a big difference.
The Council’s Handyperson+ scheme supports
residents with a wide range of small household repairs
and minor adaptation work.
The experienced team can help with many tasks including
fitting key safes, fall prevention adaptions, smoke
alarms, grab rails and better lighting. They can
also offer advice on staying warm during cold weather.As
well as small works, the handyperson will chat to
residents during a visit to see if they would benefit
from any additional help.
They have an in-depth knowledge of grants, allowances
and services a resident may be eligible for.In addition,
the team can direct residents to relevant community
support, including social clubs or events in the
local area to help combat loneliness.
You may be eligible for the service free of charge
if;
You
are over 65
Have a long-term condition or disability AND
Receive either Housing Benefit, Guaranteed Pension
Credit or Universal Credit.
You
may be eligible for our handyperson service with
an hourly charge of £10.32 if;
You
are over 65 AND
Have a long-term condition or disability
You
may be eligible for our handyperson service with
an hourly charge of £20.78 if;You
are under 65 you have no long-term condition or
disability.
This
does not include the cost of any materials.
To contact the Council to request the Handyperson+
service please call 01508 505284, or email: handyperson.snc@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk
REMINDER - HIGHWAY RANGERS Ashby gets announcements in advance of
visits to be made by the Highway Rangers. Councillors
usually have some parish matters to report to them.
However if any parishioner notices any of the following,
please get in touch and report it to our council
chairman who liaises with the Rangers about matters
that require their attention.
- Potholes
- Regular incidents of standing or flooding water
– additional inspection of gullies and grips
at these sites
- Signs – ensuring visibility and good condition
of Highway signs, removal of illegal signs
- Paths – siding out and ensuring a safe surface
for the user
- Public Rights of Way – maintaining clear
access within the village boundary
(If any pages, their contents or links do not
function as they should, please accept our apologies
and inform us promptly via the Contact Us tab
at the top of this page. If any sections
'overlap', try viewing our website using another
internet browser.
ASHBY ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL
Email: clerk.ashby@gmail.com Website:
www.ashbystmary.org.uk
Latest News Archive Until otherwise advised all Latest News
will appear on this Home page so make a note to
check it regularly. For speedier access in the
future why not add the link to this Home page
to the Favourites folder of your Internet Browser?
Latest News for approximately the previous 12
months from the date of the Update above can be
found HERE.
ASHBY ST MARY PARISH
COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICES
In line with statutory provisions, formal notice
of forthcoming Parish Council meeting agendas,
latest meeting minutes for public view and every
parish election are displayed on at least one
of the Council's three noticeboards - at the junction
of Mill Road and Mill Common; the junction of
Sandy Lane and Spong Lane; and close to the junction
of Chapel Lane and Chapel Road.
DIARY (including other Meetings or Events
held in the Parish or that may interest Ashby
St Mary residents)
- FUTURE PARISH
COUNCIL MEETNG DATES
Please note meetings are aimed for being
held on Wednesdays where possible, subject
to the Village Hall availability.
Unless otherwise stated, all Parish Council meetings
take place at Ashby & Thurton Village Hall
commencing at 7.00 p.m.
Confirmed meeting dates: To
be determined - please contact the parish clerk
for assistance.
Click HERE
to show the location of the hall. Always
check Latest News for advice of meeting date/time
changes.
- ASHBY ST MARY FUNDRAISERS
There are currently no / no other Ashby St Mary
fundraising activities or announcements concerning
Ashby St Mary which the Parish Council has been
requested to advertise.
- OTHER LOCAL FUNDRAISERS
None.
ASHBY HEATING
OIL SYNDICATE Do
you use Domestic Heating Oil? If so, why not join
the Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate?
It’s free to join and you could make real
savings.
· Your parish council has set up the Ashby
Heating Oil Syndicate.
· The Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate makes
worthwhile savings for residents after compiling
a bulk order.
· It works! The syndicate’s bulk
order regularly saves 2 – 4p per litre over
a typical 1000 litres amount.
· Come and join the increasing number of
residents who have already benefited.
· This is a free parish service.
· Like to know more? Email webmaster@ashbystmary.org.uk
for a fact-sheet.
- This is an Ashby St Mary Parish Council initiative
for serving the local community.
RECOMMENDED - A useful site that includes oil
price trends between one week and five years ago
can be found HERE.
Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate-
an update and for oil users interest
If you are a parishioner who is an oil user and
have not joined (free) the parish council-run
village syndicate, you may be interested to learn
a bulk order was made just before the spike in
price in early September due to well-publicised
world events involving two countries. Via personal
negotiation the Syndicate regularly achieves 2p
or more per litre less than the cheapest available
on Boilerjuice and the village delivery can be
within just 5 working days - not up to 25 days
via Boilerjuice. Now are you interested?
Contact webmaster@ashbystmary.org for more details
or a free factsheet.
During the buying process, the syndicate organiser
was advised by one supplier to warn oil users
not to let their stock get too low. An instance
recently occurred where a boiler failed and upon
a necessary service inspection the jets were found
to be blocked. Originally it was thought to be
due to the quality of oil but it was felt much
more likely that when oil is pumped from the delivery
vehicle into a domestic tank low on oil, sediment
is inevitably stirred up and problems can arise.
For interest, premium oil (i.e. higher grade and
arguably 'cleaner' and longer lasting) usually
costs about 3p more per litre and is the product
of an additive to the standard heating oil at
the point of delivery.
ASHBY HOMEWATCH / ASHBY WEBSITE UPDATE
SERVICE
Ashby's Homewatch service is provided free and
is available to any resident.
For more information, please go to the HOMEWATCH
page on this website.
The Ashby Website Update service is also included
as part of its free service and is available to
any Ashby resident.
If you know an Ashby resident who you think should
join this free information service, why not tell
them about it?
All that is needed is for the recipient to email
a few details.
The Parish Council's homewatch representative
does the rest - keeping residents informed when
a Police Connect alert message affecting our area
has been received (including certain national
alerts e.g. scams etc), when our parish website
has been updated, plus occasional news of the
Ashby Heating Oil Syndicate.
Messages are usually issued once per month. For
full details look on the HOMEWATCH page.
This is a free parish service.
Contact the webmaster (click on the Contact Us
tab near the top of this page) for a fact-sheet.
This another Ashby St Mary initiative for serving
the local community.
Ashby Broadband Speed Test In a bid by the parish council to assist
the Better Broadband campaign for rural Norfolk,
Ashby residents were asked to test their broadband
download speed. Residents undertook tests in 2015,
2017, and 2019.
By 2020 it seems faster broadband has at last
arrived in some areas of Ashby - but we like to
keep a check on the claimed speeds. If you live
in Ashby and are willing to help for the first
time (or to check your speed again) just carry
out the very simple test below.
1. Click on this website link https://broadbandtest.which.co.uk/
2. Make a note of the 'Download' and Upload figures,
the time you did the test and email the details
HERE
For your interest the last reported download speed
test figures achieved by a resident in Ashby in
November 2023 was only 19 Mbps and an Upload speed
of just 2 Mbps. In March 2022 Downloads were 14.6
and 12.5 Mbps and Upload speeds were 3.8 and 3.3
Mbps. A test by another resident in March 2020
was 54.7 Mbps, and Upload speed 18.4 Mbps. These
differences could be explained by the distance
from the nearest cabinet, the internet provider
used and whether it was a wifi or ethernet cable
connection. 'Super-fast' fibre broadband is available
throughout Ashby via both the cabinets at Chapel
Road and Mill Common. BT has told a parishioner
'ultra-fast' fibre broadband is achieved when
a fibre connection is made from the cabinet into
a property.