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Members of the Parish Council & Other Information

County Councillor (Kington ward): Howard Greenman (Conservative)	c/o Wiltshire Council County Hall Bythesea Road TROWBRIDGE BA14 8JQ		07970 047686 Click here to email Cllr Greenman
MP: James Gray MP (Conservative)	House of Commons, LONDON, SW1A 0AA		0207 2196237 Click here to email James Gray MP, Click here to visit his website

If you have a matter you wish to raise with the Parish Council you are welcome to attend the meetings, where there is a public participation period to discuss items on the agenda.  If you are unable to attend then please write to the Parish Council c/o the Clerk.  Thank you.

Village Mailing List
The Parish Council is introducing a village mailing list to communicate with parishioners, when using the noticeboards or newsletter would be too slow (e.g. we would have sent out an alert when the road through the village was shut after the telegraph pole caught fire). If you would be interested in signing up for these messages, please send your e-mail address to the Parish Clerk at ksmparishclerk@gmail.com. There will be no charge for this service, and you can opt out at any time!

Members' General Responsibilities and Representatives of Various Bodies/Committees:

. Community Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator – Cllr V Ingham
• Community Emergency Planning Coordinator – Cllr F Twisse
• Community Speedwatch Coordinator – Cllr F Twisse
• Community Rights of Way Warden – Cllr E Allen
• Community Highways & Flood Warden/Parish Steward – Cllr P Macdonald
• Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group – Cllr J Newton and Cllr W Roe
• Village Hall Committee Representative/s – Cllr E Allen
• QE2 Recreation Field Group Representative – tba
• United Charities Representative – Cllr G Gamble
• Website Representative – tba
• Chippenham and Villages Community Area Board – Cllr A Hall
• Chippenham Local Highway and Footpath Group (LHFIG) – Cllr A Hall and Cllr
  F Twisse
• Wiltshire Council Operational Flood Group North – Cllr A Hall
• Chippenham Community Area Parish Forum – No formal appointment
• Tor Hill Footpath Project – tba
• Registry of Land and Buildings (Lead Member) – Cllr G Gamble
• Chippenham Climate & Ecological Emergency Forum – Cllr E Allen and Cllr F
  Twisse

The Parish Councillors as a whole are custodian trustees of the village hall.

For issues regarding rights of way please contact the Rights of Way Co-ordinator at County Hall. Tel. 01225 713038. The area Footpath Representative is Steve Leonard, tel. 01249 445554, e-mail stephen.leonard@wiltshire.gov.uk and the village's footpath representative is Frank Hughes, tel. 758863.

Tree warden: The village's tree warden is Mr Frank Hughes.

Planning Applications
On occasion there can be some confusion as to the parish council’s role concerning applications for planning permission. Firstly residents should be aware that all planning decisions are made by Wiltshire Council and not the parish council. Accordingly if you wish to comment on an application to those who decide it you must do so directly to Wiltshire Council within the specified time.

The parish council is a statutory consultee in the planning process and is sent all applications within the parish upon which it can comment. If you wish to bring your own views on a planning application to the attention of the parish council, prior to it considering the application at its meeting, these need to be sent to the Clerk to the council as soon as possible. The parish council has to keep to the same response times to Wiltshire Council as everyone else.

Residents should remember that they can also raise their comments on a particular application directly with their Wiltshire Councillor, Howard Greenman – again within those all important time limits. Time is very much the key to have your voice properly heard.

Making A Planning Application
If you are considering or are about to make an on-line planning application via
Wiltshire Council's website, you will be redirected to the Panning Portal.
Unfortunately, if you choose to use autofill for your address, and if you happen
to live along the main street (i.e. no** KSM) then you will find that it submits your address as being in Honeyknob Hill or C154 Road.
This causes confusion to those wishing to or needing to look at planning applications, and, in fact, there are only 8 properties which have the Honeyknob Hill address (unsurprisingly 1 - 8 Honeyknob Hill).
The Parish Counil is asking affected residents who make a planning application to please check that "Honeyknob Hill" or C154 road" isn't included in the address (unless you are one of the eight!) and to enter the address manually.
If you spot this issue elsewhere, please let the Clerk to the Council know: ksmparishclerk@gmail.com.

Parish Stewards (Lengthsmen)

The Parish Steward Scheme is operated by Wiltshire Council to carry out minor highways works. The steward will be making regular visits to the parish.

Among the works that can be undertaken are: rodding and cleaning small cuverts and manholes; hand cleaning road gullies; hedge trimming around road signs to maintain visibility; strimming of grass verges for visibility at road junctions; clearing overgrown vegetation, debris and leaves obstructing footways; and repairs to kerbs and small potholes.

Items for the steward’s attention can be raised through the clerk: ksmparishclerk@gmail.com.

Road Closures
To view all road works and related information, for Wiltshire, please visit
www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/1260/Roadworks-and-related-information

Wiltshire Council Equipment Loan Scheme
Wiltshire Council lends parish councils litter picking equipment for parish events. This includes the following:

Litter pickers
Un-logoed high viz vests
Bag hoops
Pairs of rubber gloves
Pack of orange sacks (52 per pack)

The equipment can be collected from the local depot or be delivered to the event - this needs to be specified on request and the council needs to be notified in advance. If any village organisation wishes to make use of this in the future, please contact the parish council Clerk, Vivian Vines, e-mail: ksmparishclerk@gmail.com or telephone (01249) 657695.

Parish Council News
The council is often asked who is responsible for the driveway surface between the gated entrance to Kington Manor and the Village Hall/Shop car park. The driveway also continues onwards to Manor Farm providing access to several properties.  In June 2023 the parish council received a brief report on the factual position. In providing the answer the council felt that it was worthwhile updating everyone as the matter has often been raised over recent years.

The access driveway is in fact part of Public Footpath KSTM12 and, following two years extensive research and case-building, supported by 75 User Evidence Statements from residents and visitors, in February 2020, the Parish Council submitted an application to Wiltshire Council to upgrade the Footpath to a Byway Open to All Traffic. It was hoped that if this was successful then it could be argued that the entire driveway surface should be maintained by Wiltshire Council as Highway Authority.

The Parish Council is indebted to former Councillor Sandra Eaton for the tremendous efforts to reach this stage, and following her move from the parish, she volunteered to continue with the project, particularly as Wiltshire Council failed to determine the application within the required timescale and the matter was taken to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in March 2021. The Planning Inspectorate determined that Wiltshire Council should deal with the matter by August 2022.

Despite the case and evidence submitted, Wiltshire Council finally decided in January 2023 that “on the balance of probabilities” the application should be refused. In February 2023, following further consideration, the Parish Council determined that there was no longer a case to pursue, and after all the efforts the only success arising was that Wiltshire Council has agreed that the tarmac surface directly outside the Village Hall/Shop car park should become part of the surface that should be maintained at public expense. The remainder being privately owned, although used by vehicles to gain access, is not public highway other than having Public Footpath KSTM 12 status. Should anyone be interested in reading the Outcome Report and details considered by the Parish Council in February 2023, then please email the Clerk of the Council who can provide the details - ksmparishclerk@gmail.com.

Wiltshire & Swindon Countryside Access Forum - Your Guide to Open Access
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the CRoW Act, created a new right to walk over areas of open countryside and registered common land. It came into effect in Wiltshire in December 2004.

Under the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000, every local authority is required to set up a Local Access Forum in their area to improve access to the countryside for their residents and visitors. Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council have assembled a joint Forum. The Forum is a statutory body in their own right and their primary role is to advise on access provision to the countryside in its broadest sense. The Forum's website address is www.wiltshire.gov.uk/recreation-caf; this contains background information on the Forum, minutes from all meetings, details on access land parcels in Wiltshire, frequently asked questions and other topics; or telephone 01225 756178.