WINSHAM
PARISH COUNCIL

 This web page was last updated on 21/03/2022

The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Tuesday,25th May,2020 and although lockdown
restrictions-masks and social distancing were in force, some twenty or so residents attended.

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Please note that the layout and content of this web page layout has been reviewed. It now contains information that is principally associated with parish council business, and provides easier links to Winsham Parish Council's own official web site, which meets statutory requirements.

Other information , associated with parish council interests will appear in the Community Matters area of this site. To visit this area:-

Somerset to become a single unitary authority
Click HERE for statement by Minister of State

NEW!

Regular reporting by

WINSHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Winsham Parish Council wish to keep readers regularly updated on their deliberations about matters of interest to residents of the parish.

Many elements of the council's work are administrative, and of little interest, other than the council and the parish clerk do the work efficiently and effectively, while keeping the cost to the precept to a level that realistically makes this possible.

Other items are of course frequently appearing on the agenda for their meetings, and these sometimes need more detailed treatment so that readers can appreciate the different perspectives surrounding the discussions.

However the need for brevity is always with us, and for some these reports may not provide the detail they would like. For these the opportunity to talk to a parish councillor is always there, and when the Covid -19 crisis recedes, no doubt the monthly surgeries will recommence.

These reports will also feature in the Joint Parish Magazine, which will be a benefit to all those who prefer the printed word to its digital alternative, or do not have broadband.

To facilitate easy access to current and past parish council reports, a separate web page  has been set up, accessed from this page. See below:

Parish Council Report

 

 To visit Winsham Parish Council  web site to see official Minutes of the meeting,

see links from the web site table-simply scroll down. 

Winsham United Charities

Did you know there is a charity in Winsham that you may apply to for small amounts of money to help with educational equipment or training for your children?  All applications are treated in confidence & no promise of a grant is made. Should you wish to learn more  and apply to the Winsham United Charities for support, click HERE

 

NEW!
WINSHAM PARISH SURVEY 2021
Results
Click HERE

 

NEW ' Nature Area'  for Winsham to be located near cemetery... but volunteer help is needed!

A short briefing from Winsham Parish Council on the ‘nature area’ plans behind Balsom Close and the Western Way new-build.

The company building the new houses along Western Way have kindly donated the area between these houses and Pooles Lane to the parish council; the part closest to the houses is going to be a car park (with part of it fenced off to be a play area) and the rest, some 0.6 acre in area, currently with spoil heaps from the building and, towards the southern end, with established trees, a hedge and lots of weeds.

The council intends to turn this into a nature area, with paths running through it for walkers. We have asked for a grant from the Somerset Climate Emergency Community Fund to allow us to fence off the area and to try and create a small range of habitats here. The Fund has a range of goals, and some of these we have incorporated into our grant application: 

1.                 Reduce the reliance on car travel locally, encouraging walking 

2.                 Support biodiversity and ecological adaptation and resilience 

3.                 Carbon capture and storage (including tree planting and other sequestration initiatives)

4.                 Help the environment to mitigate against, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change (e.g. Hedgerow Planting) 

Our goal is to change an area of what is currently almost waste land into an area with meadow, hedgerows and trees with footpaths running through. We hope to support biodiversity by planting both hedgerows along the perimeters, and trees throughout the area, and areas of meadow in the centre.

Biodiversity will be increased through the provision of these several habitats, merging into each other: the meadow with areas of wildflowers, grasses and bare ground will encourage insect life including pollinators, as well as providing sites for, and supporting the local violet oil beetle populations known to occur in the area (and impacted by the house development); hedgerows along the perimeter of the site, planted on banks and flanked by damp ditches, will provide habitat for small mammals including rare ones such as dormouse (recorded in the area), and through planting of specific shrubs, will encourage rare butterflies such as brown hairstreak, while the ditches will provide habitat for reptiles and amphibians; planting of trees in copses of oak, ash, hazel (to be coppiced) and birch will provide habitat for birds, insects and small mammals. Nest boxes for birds, dormice and butterflies will be placed in these trees and hedgerow shrubs; one or two log piles and wood stacks will add more habitat for insects and the like. We hope our local school will be involved in supplying and maintaining “insect hotels”.

Access will be from the north-west, where there will be a gate from the car park onto the footpath that already runs from Western Way to the cemetery; and we are considering a second gate on the southern side, where Pooles Lane turns into the footpath towards Ammerham.

While we hope that some of the cost will come out of the grant (should we get it, that is) we are also hoping for volunteer labour once we get started – this might be summer 2021.

 

WINSHAM RECREATIONALTRUST
Winsham Recreational Trust (WRT) is the new Charity which took over the lease and management responsibility of the top recreation ground, owned by Winsham Parish Council, on June 13th 2020. This followed negotiations with  Winsham Playing Field Trust, who asked the Parish Council to take over this responsibility. 
Winsham Parish
Council is the sole trustee.
To follow published information from the WRT CLICK HERE


The official Winsham Parish Council  Web Site carries a great deal of information that is relevant to its day-to-day operation, and can be accessed on www.winshamparishcouncil.  Access  to the various sections of the site can be reached by left clicking on the relevant buttons below.
Quick links to sections of the Parish Council Web Site
COMMUNITY Notices and announcements, including information about grant sources and courses, local initiatives and projects bb1
MAKE IT BETTER Practical advice about being a better neighbour and reconciling conflict. Information links relating to parking, noise, pets, etc. bb2
YOUR PARISH COUNCIL DOES FOR YOU What your Parish Council does for you. Contact links to other levels of government, including your County and District Councillors and Member of Parliament bb3
WINSHAM CEMETERY Details of cemetery regulations, charges and cemetery plots map. bb4
PARISH COUNCILLORS Details of Winsham Parish Council bb5
ACCOUNTS Details of Accounts bb6
ASSETS Assets register bb7
DOCUMENTS Details of Statutory Documents available for on-line inspection bb8
MEETINGS Copies of Agenda and Minutes of Meetings bb9
CONTACT INFORMATION How to contact the Parish Council bb10
PARISH SURVEY 2013 A major survey on many aspects of parish life-all households-60%response bb11
PARISH PLAN 2014 The Parish Plan evolved from the 2013 Parish Survey and is now a major factor in parish council decisions bb12
 

 

 

WINSHAM PARISH COUNCIL was formed in 1894. It's meetings have been held in the Jubilee Hall since that time. If you are interested in the Council's history, including the records of every meeting since it started , together with lots of other information, click on the button below.
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Winsham Parish Council has nine members, all of whom live within the parish
or within 3miles of the boundary. Membership is by election or co-option.
A new Parish Council is formed every four years.

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