Barnack & Pilsgate Parish Council Update

Community
• BPC is very pleased to see the flashing 20mph signs at the back entrance of school up & running again.
• Road marking refreshing has started throughout the village.
• Please be mindful of the speed limits within the village and surrounding areas.
• If joining the Speedwatch team is of interest to you, please notify the Clerk. BPC are in need of volunteers.
Planning
• Planning decisions since the July meeting of the Parish Council: three tree applications permitted (Ridgeway, Stamford Road, 5 Station Road and The Fivebargate, Main Street) and one planning application refused (The Orchard, Uffington Road).
• New or revised applications and current BPC action: one new tree application (1 Kingsley Close) and one new planning application (Cedar House, Main Street) – BPC has no objection to either of them. See full Minutes for links to the planning applications.
• Neighbourhood Plan –BPC are in discussion with other parishes regarding a new updated version of the Neighbourhood Plan.
Additional points
• There are currently two vacancies for Parish Councillors. If you live in either Barnack or Pilsgate and this is of interest to you, please contact the Clerk.
• Please see the full meeting Minutes on either the village noticeboards or Barnack Parish Council website – www.barnack-pc.gov.uk
• A reminder that Parish Council meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7pm in the Village Hall. Members of the public are very welcome to attend. If you do wish to attend, please notify the Clerk in advance.
• Barnack Fun run is on Saturday 4th October 2025. Everyone is welcome for a morning of family fun.
• Ward Councillor Kevin Tighe will be confirming the date of his next ward surgery in due course.
Michelle Dickens, Barnack & Pilsgate Parish Clerk – clerk@barnack-pc.gov.uk/07595 377236

Southorpe Parish Council Update

Southorpe Parish Council (SPC) met on Wednesday 17 September, with four Councillors present, and welcomed a new member, Councillor Archie Dennis. The usual formal business of the Council was conducted.
SPC is continuing its work to address the problem of speeding traffic through the village. Two new Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) have recently been installed at the village entrances, and existing speed signage has been reconfigured throughout. The VAS were purchased with the support of a grant, and installation and associated works were kindly carried out by Peterborough City Council and two SPC/village volunteers. SPC will continue to liaise with Peterborough City Council on the analysis of speed data and on any further measures that may be required.
The SPC also remains actively engaged with the Multi-Agency Team addressing Southorpe’s flooding and drainage issues, and is working with partners to progress improvements.
SPC has submitted a response to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy Survey, supporting its objectives, and continues to collaborate with the John Clare Countryside initiative. In June, the Wildlife Trust’s review of Southorpe Meadows SSSI described it as “one of the richest and most diverse meadows in West Cambridgeshire boasting seven species of orchid.” Owing to its small size and environmental sensitivity, the SSSI is now closed to dog-walkers.
This year’s Village Bonfire and Fireworks event will once again be held at the Village Field, with further details to follow. Please note that the Village Field is currently locked for vehicle access; however, access can be arranged if required by contacting clerk@southorpeparish.gov.uk
The next meeting of Southorpe Parish Council will take place on Tuesday 11 November at 7.00pm, with the venue to be confirmed.
Alison Hurford Southorpe Parish Clerk

NEWS FROM BAINTON AND ASHTON PARISH COUNCIL

Public Meeting – Please Note
The Parish Council is holding a public meeting on Thursday 30th October 2025, at 7pm in the Reading Room, Bainton to inform residents of Bainton and Ashton about the closing of the Bainton graveyard. They will explain the options to continue the maintenance of the area, and the potential options for burials in the future. They especially want to hear residents’ views on who should do the maintenance, and where residents would ideally like to be buried in the future and what residents would be prepared to pay for this.
New, Improved Toddler Play Park
Work began on the improvements to the play area on 1/9/25 and the results are great! We are grateful to Augean Landfill for the 25k grant and to landowner local resident Chris Agnew and family for the use of the land for the benefit of the young residents of Ashton and Bainton and surrounding villages. We hope that you enjoy the new equipment. If there is any feedback to share, please do so by emailing me, the Clerk, Mrs Jenny Rice clerk@baintonandashton-pc.gov.uk or tel 07889669550.
High Field Road, Ashton
There has regularly been issues down this road, especially in respect of fly tipping and very anti-social behaviour, involving daytime meet ups of men for sex in cars, sadly making it a no go area at times. There is no easy answer to help alleviate the problems and many ideas have been discussed. The Peterborough City Council Highways Officers, Wildlife Officers, local police and farmers have all been consulted and there is no solution that satisfies them all – CCTV is very expensive and not easy to monitor/take action and it is a very long road to cover, too much signage can easily be ignored and is not easily policed and can get in the way. A better idea, and one the City Council has used in other areas to control unwanted parking, is an embankment type mound/dyke set in from the edge of the road – a bund – and this is being seriously considered at present. Watch this space, it is a tricky, long process.
Protect your home from Flooding this winter
A leaflet of ideas for how to reduce the risk of flooding for your home is in the Reading Room.
Parish Councillor Vacancy – We Need You!
The Parish Council is desperately in need of new Councillors to join the Council, to protect the future of the villages, preserve the environment and help make decisions on improvements in the parishes. There have been no Councillors from Bainton for some time now and so it would be great to receive applications from Bainton, but equally residents from either village are encouraged to think carefully about putting themselves forward at this time. There are important decisions to be made and interesting work to be involved in and we welcome any interest in helpings support those that have tirelessly been a Councillor for many years now. Please contact the clerk for further information and simple application by the next meeting on 6th November 2025 at 7.30pm. You might enjoy it!
Jenny Rice, Clerk and Financial Officer, clerk@baintonandashton-pc.gov.uk.Tel 07889669550.