Footpath 2019
Reward for our hard work and tenacity in pressing the case for a footpath to link Stoppers Hill and Barnes Green (Phase 1)!
Brinkworth Parish Council has been notified that the bid for substantive funding from Wiltshire Council has been successful. Seven schemes were submitted for consideration and were scored in terms of deliverability and value for money (cost versus benefit) and Brinkworth's Phase 1 (first half of the footpath) came third of the four that were approved.
This decision needs to be formally confirmed and Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group needs to allocate £5,000 of its annual budget to support us. Assuming all goes ahead as hoped, Phase 1 would be implemented in the year which begins April 2020.
Phase 1 will run from The Old Chapel to The Old Manse. The first step will be a drainage survey along the whole length of 'the missing link' including 'Phase 2'. This survey will assist in calculating the costs for Phase 2 of the path, which we will be working on in due course.
This is a big project for a small village and should prove invaluable to residents.
Coronavirus
We none of us know what to expect from the effects of the Coronavirus
Our community can pull together and support each other in a practical way. The Parish Council would like to coordinate this with help from anyone who can offer something.
First, please can everyone be more vigilant than ever about the wellbeing of their neighbours?
Secondly, if you want to, or are advised to, self-isolate, please do let someone know, ideally one of those listed below.
Thirdly, please do ask for help if it is needed.
Pass on this information to anyone who may not have seen it.
Dedicated call answering service 01666 815 815
Buff Threlfall (Parish Council Emergency Plan Coordinator) 07778110936 eliza.threl@gmail.com
comment/message to Brinkworth and Dauntsey Outlook Facebook
(please provide a contact number and indicate your area in the parish)
Susan Walklate (Parish Council and DVLS) 07850482919
Rev Mike Graham 01666 510 441 (local clergy representative)
The Dauntsey Vale Link Scheme (DVLS) 07563 769549 (transport)
Brinkworth Litter Pick
Regretfully BPC has had to cancel the village litter pick on 4th April.
As a gesture of solidarity, why not take gloves and a plastic bag with you on your daily exercise outing and pick up some bits of rubbish? Then post the pictures?
This is an extract from an article sent by Wiltshire Council
Council Tax and Business Rate Payments
To support people as much as possible during the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the council has confirmed that no resident or business in Wiltshire will have to pay council tax or business rates until June 2020 if they are struggling.
Any resident wishing to defer paying their council tax in April and May 2020 can contact the council and this will be arranged. Those payments will then be taken in February and March 2021 instead, as council tax is normally only collected over the first ten months of the financial year.
Similarly, businesses who also wish to defer business rates payments for two months, and not pay in April and May, can also arrange that by contacting the council. For anyone wishing to do this, the council will freeze direct debit payments, so people do not need to contact their bank to arrange.
People should call 0300 456 0109 or email counciltax@wiltshire.gov.uk to request the deferral – these will be taken at face value and there will be no vetting of anyone wishing to defer payments for April and May 2020.
For those who choose to defer, payments will resume in June 2020 and will be taken over the 10 months from June 2020 to March 2021. For those that pay annually, they can still do so at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/benefits-council-tax. Those that make manual payments can also continue to do this if they wish, but they will need to contact the council if they want the April and May payment break.
Working age residents who benefit from the current Council Tax Support Scheme will receive an additional reduction to their bill in line with the government’s hardship fund criteria. Those households eligible for this reduction will automatically be re-billed.
Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub
We have set up a designated Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub specifically for our most vulnerable residents to receive support and guidance during COVID-19. The phoneline number is 0300 003 4576 and will be open from tomorrow (Saturday 27 March) for the duration of the pandemic. We will be publicising this number through council, partner and media channels and I would be grateful if you could make your communities aware of it.
We continue to keep our hubs open in Trowbridge, Chippenham and Salisbury for the following essential face-to-face services:
- Support for the homeless
- Adult social care
- Children’s social care
- Support for vulnerable people
Our Customer Service Team continues to support our communities on all other matters through our customer services number 0300 456 0100 (lines open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday) and via social media channels.