Welcome to the Winter edition of the Catterall Crier. In the last edition I must have tempted fate when I made the statement "If there is a repeat of those severe weather conditions" and unfortunately they came back with vengeance.

On behalf of the Parish Council I would like to thank all residents who have acknowledged the work done by Tim during the inclement weather and in particular for his efforts in gritting. The good news is we have now provided him with a machine which will assist in the spreading of the grit salt and means he’s ready for icy conditions next Winter.

Regarding the Village Survey, thank you to those who took the trouble to respond. The information has now been analysed and we will be publishing the results very soon.

A number of residents have expressed concern with regard to the new street lighting currently being installed by Lancashire County Council. This is part of a five year rolling programme by the County to save power costs and meet the emission controls. Anyone having concerns should contact Lancashire County Council.

Again on behalf of the Parish Council thank you for your continuing support.

Dave Sharples

Chairman, Catterall Parish Council

The Precept is part of your Council Tax bill that all households receive and it comes directly to the Parish Council to spend within Catterall. The Parish Council also receives income from contracts and funding is sought to assist with carrying out projects.

The itemised precept for the year 2011 - 2012 is;

The precept is the amount needed to carry out the specified work above.

Estimated income includes contract work to the principal authorities and a local Parish Council. The Parish Council will continue to employ Wyre Borough Council to maintain Catterall Playing Field and are building funds for drainage.

Lancashire County Council is ending the existing arrangements with Parish Councils for grass cutting and are to make arrangements under the Delegated Services Protocol. This will involve Catterall Parish Council, who is looking to continue, submitting an Expression of Interest. This will then be considered and specifications returned to Catterall. If the Parish Council meets the details then a business case must be submitted and if accepted and service level agreement will be established by the legal director of Environment Services. The contract is worth over £400 per year at present and offsets the costs of grass verge maintenance. However, it may be that Wyre Borough Council is to take over these contracts.

A working group has been formed to update the Parish Plan, published in 2005.The plan is an integral part of our future relationship with both Wyre Borough Council and Lancashire County Council and it outlines the aspirations of the community and hopefully what can be achieved across the Parish in the period 2011 – 2015. A repeat of the Village amenities survey is underway, with results expected in February

As you are probably aware Catterall and Kirkland Parish Councils and Kirkland and Catterall St. Helen's C of E Primary School have both fought tirelessly for years in an attempt to reduce the speed limit on the A586 outside and on the approach to school, unfortunately to no avail.

We are therefore hopeful that the introduction of ‘The Panda Scheme’ will have a positive effect on the road speed. The scheme is a method of reducing speed in a designated area i.e. next to a school, which has been nominated for inclusion within the project to become a ‘Panda Zone.’

The Village Hall committee, with help from Community Futures, has submitted a grant application to fund their proposed improvements to the main hall and work is expected to commence in Spring. Currently there are weekly Line Dancing and Keep Fit Classes held in the hall, advertised at the entrance.

For further information please call Debbie Croston on 01995 602842

ž ž ž ž ž ž ž ž ž ž ž

The Parish Council employs a Parish Lengthsman to keep the Parish tidy and well maintained. Each week problems of fly-tipping, flooding, damage to public footpaths or litter bins needing emptying are reported. But whilst Timmy Hoyles, the Lengthsman finds most of the problems, should any Catterall resident find such problems these can be reported to Timmy as the first point of contact or the Clerk or any of the Parish Councillors listed on the back page.

ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß ß

The charity is now planning for the 2011 visit. If you would like any further information about the Charity, please contact Gurth or Val Wilson on 01995 604035. In particular, we are looking for someone willing to host an interpreter for four weeks in June.

Saturday March 12^th, at Kirkland St Helens School: Spring Fair

Sunday April 24^th at St Helens Church Parish Room: Easter Breakfast

Lancashire County Council is reviewing cost saving proposals, one being the subsidies on bus routes. The Parish Council has been consulted as to the future of the Garstang Super 8 bus route. The current cost of providing this service is £67,100 per year, Lancashire County Council provide a subsidy of £58,100, this equates to a subsidy of £4.47 per passenger. This service does not meet the authority’s financial criteria that states that 40% of the cost of a contract must be met through farebox revenue.

Catterall Parish Council has an office in the Village Hall, Garstang Road and this is open to residents, who are welcome to visit the Village Hall and look at planning applications in Catterall. You are equally welcome to raise any concerns or comments you have about your Village. The minutes of Parish Council meetings are also available for inspection.