MISSION STATEMENT & AIMS
Bishopstoke Parish Council Mission Statement
To be the voice of the people of Bishopstoke to enhance our village as a great place to live, work and visit.
Aims
Aim 1 - To improve, and protect, our environment for residents and wildlife
Aim 2 - To promote better health & well-being outcomes for all.
Aim 3 - To strengthen a sense of place.
Aim 4 - To encourage residents to become more involved in the life of the village.
COUNCIL MEETINGS
WILDFLOWERS
Bishopstoke Parish Council would like to help any local residents that wish to enhance their local area by planting wildflowers. Often, the areas best suited for planting are owned by either Eastleigh Borough Council or Hampshire County Council. The Parish Council can help you get in touch with the right people to gain permission for your planting.
The Council may be able to support in other ways too. Anyone interested should contact the Clerk by emailing the Clerk.
ONLINE APPLICATIONS FOR ALLOTMENTS AND TRAVEL TOKENS
As part of our efforts to improve the service we provide to the residents of Bishopstoke it is now possible to apply for either allotments or travel tokens online.
To apply for an allotment, please click here.
To apply for travel tokens, please click here.
PHOTO SEARCH
Bishopstoke Parish Council is looking for photographs of the scenery around Bishopstoke. This could include landscapes, parks, iconic buildings, river settings or anything else beautiful within Bishopstoke.
The photos would potentially be used on our Facebook or website, or in Council newsletters and leaflets, and would be credited to the person who took them.
If you are interested in letting us use your photos please contact the Clerk, David Wheal, by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
GREENING CAMPAIGN
The Greening Campaign is a community lead initiative that encourages people to make small visible changes that together help to reduce a community's carbon footprint.
Bishopstoke Parish Council has signed up to join the Greening Campaign but really needs some volunteers from the local community to help run it.
If you are interested in joining in and helping out, please contact our Clerk, David Wheal, by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
The latest issue of the local Neighbourhood Watch newsletter is available now.
This issue includes, amongst other things, advice on QR Code Scams, Motor Home Thefts, WhatsApp six digit text scam, knife blade clarification and Abandoned Vehicle advice.
POTHOLE REPORTING
Hampshire County Council have provided a direct link to their website for reporting potholes in roads. We have been told that some potholes on Sandy Lane are about to be fixed as a direct result of being reported through this link. Please use this link to report any potholes you encounter in the road.
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems
November 2023 News Release
Parish Council Allotments Officer Vacancy
At their recent meeting, Bishopstoke Parish Council agreed that an additional member of staff is needed to help improve the level of service the Council provides to local residents, and to help the Council cope with recent and expected additional responsibilities.
The Council will be advertising the position of Allotments Officer early in the new year. The new recruit will be expected to manage both the Council’s current allotment sites, as well as Sewall Drive and Bow Lake Gardens, when they finally transfer across to the Parish Council.
In addition, the appointed person will be responsible for providing support for Carnival and any other events the Council runs through the year.
If you are interested, keep an eye out on local noticeboards, the Council website, Facebook and other places where local jobs are advertised.
Armistice Day Service well attended
This year’s Armistice Day service took place at Old St Mary’s churchyard which was a beautiful setting for this solemn occasion. Around fifty people gathered to mark the occasion and to lay wreaths at the base of the plaques honouring the fallen. The planned relocation of the actual War Memorial was not able to take place before the service but is expected in the Spring, with next year’s Armistice Day being held at the new location.
Annual audit passed again
Bishopstoke Parish Council has once again passed the annual external audit all Parish Councils have to go through. The financial systems of the Council and its general accounting practices are scrutinised through the year and this culminates in an examination of the accounts by an audit company – this year it was BDO. There were no problems raised by the auditors and Bishopstoke has once again been given a clean bill of financial help.
Increase in Travel Token allowance
The Parish Council provides a travel token service allowing any resident without access to a car who has difficulty using local buses to receive a number of tokens each year which can be used to pay for journeys with Bishopstoke & Fair Oak Good Neighbours, and with participating local taxi companies. The Council is please to announce that they are increasing the amount of tokens for the coming year to 132, from 120. Anyone wishing to apply should contact the Clerk or visit the website as detailed below.
And finally . . .
Anyone thinking about having an allotment in Bishopstoke may not have to wait as long as they think. The current waiting time for an allotment at Underwood Road is under 6 months which means new applicants could well be on their allotment before the summer. If you are interested in finding out more take a look at our website www.bishopstokepc.org/allotment-information.
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Tuesday 9th January at 7.30pm and will take place in Bishopstoke Methodist Church. For further details or information about anything the Parish Council does please visit the Parish website.
For further information, please contact the Parish Clerk: David Wheal by email: clerk@bishopstokepc.org or visit the Parish website at: www.bishopstokepc.org
AUDIT
The Council is pleased to announce the external auditor, BDO LLP, has finished their audit of the 2022-23 financial accounts.
For details of how to view the full audited accounts in person, please view the following document.
Full documents for 2022-23 accounts
The external auditor's opinion will be taken to the next meeting of the Full Council on 14th November 2023.
For further details of the audit process, please view the audit page: https://www.bishopstokepc.org/audit
ARMISTICE DAY SERVICE
Around 50 people attended the Armistice Day service at Bishopstoke's Old St Mary's churchyard. The service was led, as always, by Rev. Wise.
As we do not yet have Planning or Diocese permission to install the War Memorial in its planned permanent home in the open space on the Old St Mary's churchyard this location was used as a one off. The weather was kind and the churchyard looked beautiful in the sunshine as the silence was observed and the wreaths laid.
After the service finished the plaques, wreaths and crosses were taken into safe storage to avoid any risk of vandalism. Once the War Memorial is installed, they will be added back to the site for people to be able to pay their respects.
If anyone who laid a wreath or a cross would like it returned then please contact the Clerk for Bishopstoke Parish Council by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org and we can arrange to have it brought back to you.
BURIAL FEES FOR 2024-25
The Council is pleased to announce that cemetery fees and charges will remain unchanged for the year 2024 - 2025. Details of the current fees are available below and on the Cemetery pages.
OPEN SPACE CONTRACT - APRIL 2025 - TENDER DOCUMENTS AND PROCESS
The Council contracts out all of its grounds maintenance services and the current contract is due to end on 31st March 2025. The tender process for the next three year contract has now opened. The deadline for bids to be received is 30th June 2024. Documents giving details of the specifications of the contract and the timetable for the tender process can be downloaded from the links below.
Notice of the tender process is also available on the government Contracts Finder and Find-A-Tender websites.
Timetable for the tender process
Further details can be obtained from the Clerk by emailing clerk@bishopstokepc.org.
Bids should either be emailed directly to the Clerk or posted to:
Bishopstoke Parish Council
BPC
PO Box 716
Eastleigh
SO50 0RQ
The closing date for bids is 30th June 2024.
BISHOPSTOKE NEWS
Starting October 2023 - Allotment Deposit Scheme
Anyone taking on an allotment after 1st October 2023 will need to pay a deposit equal to one full year's rent on the plot. When the plot is surrendered any work required to bring the plot up to the expected standard will be paid for from this deposit. Any remaining funds will be refunded to the retiring tenant.
COUNCIL STAFF
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