News
VE Day 80 Beacon Lighting
Last night's VE Day 80th Anniversary Beacon lighting in Charmouth was a truly poignant occasion. The evening commenced with the moving sound of the bugle played by Geoff Davis, followed by a respectful two-minute silence before the beacon was illuminated. We were honoured to have the High Sheriff of Dorset, Callum Bremner, read the official declaration on behalf of His Majesty The King. The atmosphere was incredibly special as three local choirs then led a beautiful sing-a-long of "I Vow to Thee My Country." A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us to commemorate this important anniversary.
Charmouth Housing Needs Survey
Please consider the poster and complete the survey if any of the questions apply to you or your household.
Free digital advice sessions at Charmouth Library
Do you know someone who needs help with their digital device? Do you or a friend have a technical issue you’d like solved? Want to learn more about online services such as booking GP appointments or applying for benefits online?
Then Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champions are ready to help you in Charmouth.
They hold FREE face-to-face sessions at Charmouth Library on Mondays from 2.15pm to 4.30pm.
You can book an appointment by going into the library or calling the Digital Hotline on 01305 221048. You can also call the hotline if you prefer to receive digital advice over the phone.
Dorset Council Consultation "Towards a new model of Day Opportunities" is now live - have your say here:
Dangerous parking and obstructing pavements
Several residents have recently raised concerns about thoughtless and dangerous parking, parked cars obstructing pavements and near misses. This was raised at the recent Parish Council Meeting and Dorset Councillor Belinda Bawden has provided the following links to encourage residents to report these issues.
https://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/
Dorset Police tell us the more problems are reported, the more likely it is they will respond e.g. if cars or motorbikes are habitually whizzing round the village or in a car park, if the police can respond they will. If they can’t, the next time the same problem is reported, they are more likely to respond as the evidence from previous reports make it a priority.
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement
Dorset Council logs all complaints, comments, concerns on this system so it is much more effective for people to use this rather than emailing in. Belinda has stressed the need for individuals to report every issue. There are over 350 Traffic Regulation Order requests currently on the list of which only 30 get progressed each year, so the more data there is, the more justification for a TRO. In addition, if there are other circumstances, ie, it is a walking route to the school, this should be mentioned.
Rapid Response Catchment Flooding
Flooding is the most common and widespread natural hazard in the UK. One type of flooding that can occur is flooding from river levels or surface water rising exceptionally quickly in response to very heavy rainfall, known as ‘flash flooding’. These types of events are rare but can be very dangerous.
Across Wessex there are many communities where this type of flooding could happen. Most major flash floods occur in places where it hasn’t happened in living memory, so it’s vital that even if there hasn’t been flooding in your community for a long time, you know what to do and how to stay safe.
What can you do now?
· Although the Environment Agency won’t always be able to issue a flood warning in time, it’s worth checking if you’re at risk and signing up to receive a flood warning if one is available for your area: Sign up for flood warnings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
· Register to the Met Office’s Severe Weather Warning Service: Weather warnings guide - Met Office
· Check the Environment Agency’s 5-day Flood Forecast: Check for flooding in England - GOV.UK (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk)
· Check if your insurance covers flooding
· Know how to turn off gas, electricity and water supplies.
You can download the Charmouth Flood Action Guide here, as well as the Recovery Guide here.
Vacancies for Parish Councillors
The Parish Council currently has one vacancy which can be filled by co-option.
Please contact the Clerk if you are interested in finding out about how you can make your voice heard by becoming a Councillor.
Dog Restrictions
The Parish Council is now part of the Dorset Council Dog related Public Space Protection Order and as such dogs should be on leads at all times in all car parks and footpaths around the beach. Dogs are permitted off leads on East Beach (east of the River Char) at any time of the year, however, dogs are not permitted on West Beach (West of the River Char to level with the end of the promenade) from 1 May-30 September.
Council staff have authority to issue fixed penalty notices for breach of these restrictions, for dog fouling offences and general littering.
Polite Notice
If you walk at Charmouth Foreshore with your dog you should be aware that the whole area is part of the Dorset Council Dog Related Public Space Protection Order. This means that in line with this map, although dogs are allowed to be off leads on both beaches during the winter, they should still be on leads all year round when in the car parks and surrounding footpaths (yellow areas). This is for the safety of the dogs as well as for hygiene purposes. Unfortunately, people are not following these rules and this is causing Parish Council staff to suffer abuse when they try to enforce them as well as a big increase in dog fouling. Parish Council staff are able to enforce the rules by the issue of a fixed penalty notice and although this is the last resort, and none have yet to be issued in Charmouth, we will have no choice for this to be the next course of action with repeat offenders.
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