NEWS

Are you passionate about finance?    Looking for a fresh challenge?

Felsted Parish Council is seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to join the team as RFO. FPC is a very active local council, it has eleven elected Councillors and provides a range of services including playgrounds, allotments and a Nature Area. The main purpose of the role will be administering the Council’s financial affairs in accordance with proper practices.

The responsibilities of the role include:

• Maintenance of the Council’s accounts including input of data, trial balances and year end final accounts, in accordance with the Council’s Financial Regulations.
• Liaising with the internal auditor and submission of the Council’s Annual Return to the external auditors.
• Maintenance of the Council’s Asset Register, Financial Risk Management Assessment, Financial Regulations, Bank Reconciliations, PAYE records, Schedule of Donations and other financial documents.
• Preparation of payments schedule and cheques for monthly PC meetings.
• Preparation of agendas, detailed reports and budget documents for Finance Committee meetings. Attendance at the meetings and the production of Minutes and implementation of recommendations and resolutions.
• Occasional attendance at Full Council meetings to report on financial matters.
• Collection of allotment rents and chasing of debtors.
• Accurate record keeping and administration.

Successful candidates should be able to demonstrate:

• Proven accounting skills (knowledge of Quickbooks accounts package would be an advantage but is not essential).
• Administrative and IT skills (particularly Word and Excel).
• Highly effective interpersonal skills.
• Experience of budget, payroll and GDPR.
• A flexible approach to hours of work and day to day duties and responsibilities.
• Experience of Local Government or similar environment (this would be an advantage but is not essential).

The role is for 5 hours a week (average) and will be based in the Parish Council Office at the URC Hall in Felsted. Please note that workload can fluctuate during the year, peaking at year end from March to May. Some home working is expected as is attendance at a minimum of 8 evening meetings per annum. Salary will be based on the National Scale according to experience.

Closing date for applications is Tuesday 31 January 2020.

FRO Application form

RFO vacancy – Application Guidance notes

GDPR recruitment policy

Diane Smith (Parish Clerk), URC Hall, Stebbing Road, Felsted, Gt Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JD Telephone: 01371 823071    E-mail: ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd-1a0e30@krelc

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Uttlesford District Council is providing skips and refuse vehicles at locations around the
district – simply take along your Christmas tree, and other green waste, for disposal. The
recycled trees can be turned into good quality compost or soil conditioner, or into chippings.

Collection for Felsted will be on Saturday 11 January 11.30- to 12.30pm at Bannister Green.

The following has been received from Essex CC Transport:

Stebbing High Street will be closed from 6^th January 2020 to buses for approx. 6 months, or until the works are completed, due to restructuring of the culvert.

We have been putting in place alternative arrangements whilst the bridge within Stebbing is closed to ensure that passengers are still able to access services.

Passengers travelling from Stebbing who wish to use the service 16, will need to make use of the shuttle services. Shuttles will operate on both sides of the village and take passengers to either Great Bardfield or Blake End to continue their journeys and connect with the service 16. Passengers wishing to return to Stebbing will need to ensure that they alight from the bus at either Great Bardfield or Blake End where a shuttle vehicle will be waiting for you to take you to your return destination.

Further details regarding the times of the shuttle can be found on Stephensons website – https://stephensonsofessex.com/

The shuttle service will be run by Arrow Taxis who can be contacted on 01621 855111 should there be any problems with the shuttle.

We have also managed to arrange a school shuttle service for those families within the village who have been adversely affected by this closure. The school will be communicating the exact details and timings of this shuttle to the families affected and we ask that, if families are unsure if this affects them, for them to contact the school directly.

A referendum will take place on Thursday 30 January 2020 to decide on the question below:
“Do you want Uttlesford District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Felsted to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

Felsted Parish Council urges all residents to read the document, here. This document, if approved, will be used to help decide future development in the Parish and so it is important that all residents read, understand it and vote at the referendum.

Voting cards will be posted to all registered residents in January. Voting will be at the usual two polling stations:

•  Crix Green Mission Hall, Crix Green, Felsted CM6 3JT
•  Felsted Memorial Hall, Braintree Road, Felsted CM6 3DS

New postal vote applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes and amendments or cancellations of proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER by 5pm on Tuesday 14 January 2020, call on 01799 510431 and they will help.

New applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER by 5pm on Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Applications to vote by proxy at this election applied for on grounds of physical incapacity or service, occupation or employment, where that physical incapacity or absence due to service, occupation or employment occurred after 5pm on Wednesday 15 January 2020 must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at the Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER by 5pm on Thursday 30 January 2020.

To apply on the grounds of service, occupation or employment, the person must have become aware that they could not go to the polling station in person after 5pm on Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Full schedule details can be read here, on the UDC website.

We have been advised of the following road closure order:

 ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 – SECTION 14(1)

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order of Chelmsford Road, Felsted

Please click on the following link https://one.network/?tm=115508451 to find details of the intended closure of Chelmsford Road, due to commence on 5th January 2020 for 1 day.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while Affinity Water undertakes new water connection.

Dear Neighbours,

We are delighted to inform you that, on Tuesday 26^th November at Foakes Hall, our Felsted Neighbourhood Plan was passed unanimously by Uttlesford District Council, is now ‘published’ and ready for you to vote on in a referendum.

Details can be read here, on the Uttlesford District Council website.

In practice this means that the Plan can now proceed to the final Referendum Stage.  If successful at referendum, the Plan become part of the development plan for the Parish alongside the UDC Local Plan.  Local planning authorities and planning inspectors considering appeals must make their decisions in accordance with the policies of the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The full details of the referendum will be published in due course by the Democratic Services Unit of Uttlesford District Council, but we expect it to be held on the 30^th January 2020. 

UDC will publish full details in due course, when they’ve finished with the General Election but here’s what we know now.

Voting in person

We expect that you will be able to vote in person in the parish at the Memorial Hall in the usual way.

Postal Votes

Postal votes are usually sent 2-3 weeks before the Poll;

Voters registered for both General and Local elections will automatically get a postal vote in the Referendum; and

Voters registered for General elections only, will not automatically get a postal vote in the Referendum.

If you want to vote by post, please check with UDC that your registration also covers Local Elections.

If you haven’t yet considered what the NP delivers, please try to do so between now and the end of January.  The Steering Group and the Parish Council believe that the plan delivers significant benefits and protections for the parish as a whole and we urge everyone in the parish to vote in the referendum.

The Steering Group and Felsted Parish Council

The Parish Council is looking to compile a list of volunteers who are willing and able to be called upon should the village experience an emergency situation.

The most likely cause of this would be extreme weather, such as snow or flooding.

Any residents who have access to vehicles able to clear roads, 4 x 4s that could access cut off areas, or anyone who has access to pumps or generators, are requested to contact the Assistant Clerk on 07425 142302 or email her on ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd-3dbace@krelctssa to discuss what they may be able to contribute to any future emergency situation.

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We have been advised  that Essex Highways are making preparations to carry out necessary strengthening works to Thistley Green Bridge on Felsted Road, Felsted which is currently in a weak condition.

Work is due to commence Monday 14 October 2019 and is expected to continue
until early December 2019. During this time it will be necessary for a section of
Felsted Road to be fully closed to all vehicles at the bridge.

Advanced notices will be in place and a signed diversion route via Felsted Road,
School Lane, Dumney Lane, Main Road, Moulsham Hall Lane, Great Leighs Bypass
Roundabout, Bartholomew Green Road, Crix Green Road, Frenches Green Road,
Bannister Green, Burnstie Road, Cock Green Road, Causeway End Road and vice
versa.

Readers of the Church magazine, Interface, will be aware that the editor is standing down. Without a replacement editor, the magazine is at risk of closing down.

The Parish Council wants to support the continued publication of Interface and so would encourage anyone interested in becoming the editor, or being part of an editorial team, to contact the existing editor or the Parish Clerk.

Longer term residents will remember the previous quarterly Parish Council Newsletter. This was produced progressively less frequently, until it finally stopped a few years ago. Although it was partially replaced by a new Parish website, with regular news items, we were conscious of the lack of printed news and so began a regular news page for Interface.

We have considered restarting the newsletter in the past and found no way forward, due primarily to the lack of a volunteer editor and of course the fact that we had Interface and the website.

The Parish Council wants to support the continuation of Interface or, if not possible, then consideration of a broader newsletter.

If you would like to learn more about the role of editor for Interface, or have ideas about a quarterly parish newsletter, as editor or as a part of an editorial team to share the work, then please contact the Parish Clerk. 

We are holding our next little pick on Saturday 12th October. 

If you can come along and spend a little time helping keep our Parish clean, then meet in the Playing Field Car Park (off Jollyboys Lane North – CM6 3DU) anytime between 10am and 2pm.

You can choose which area you ‘pick’ and high viz vests will be provided, along with grabbers and refuse bags.

Any queries please ring Diane Smith (Clerk) on  01371 823071.

We continue to thank those who give their time to help in our regular litter picks. It really does make a difference. So, if you have been thinking about an odd hour you could spare to help the community, please come along.

Even if you can’t make the day, or perhaps you are a dog walker,  please  think about picking up that odd bit of litter you see, rather than walking past it, as every bit picked up will help.

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