News – pre summer 2014

Dial A Ride
Did you know that Dial A Ride will provide transport for anybody in the Downholland Parish who does not have regular access to their own car? There is a charge of between £2 and £4 per journey and you have to be a member. Journeys must be booked a day or two in advance.
They are also seeking Community Car Drivers – who would provide transport for people in the village. Drivers are paid 40p a mile which is paid by passengers and Dial A Ride. All insurance liabilities are covered.
For more information on either of these schemes please telephone 01704 893373.
Removal of Bus Service from Downholland
Should you wish to register your objection to the removal of the bus service from Haskayne please contact Cllr Fillis who has responsibility for the provision of subsidised buses in Lancashire. His email address is:
john.fillis@Lancashire.gov.uk
or write to him at
77 Southport Road
Ormskirk
L39 1LW
You can also contact the Office of the Traffic Commissioner at:
Suite 4
Stone Cross Place
Stone Cross Lane North
Golborne
Warrington.
WA3 2SH
Consultation Doc CCTV
CCTV
West Lancashire Borough Council are consulting on the proposed sites for two new CCTV cameras for Haskayne. To view the consultation document please use the link above. The deadline for responses is 31st July.
Bus Services

From 15th June 2014 Arriva have decided that the 300 service will no longer run through Haskayne village centre.  Cllr John Fillis has decided that Lancashire County Council will not fund an alternative service. It is hoped that a new stop can be created on the A5147, as close to the Kings Arms as possible.
There was a proposal to end the subsidy of bus services running after 7 pm and on Sundays. throughout Lancashire. This would have meant the 300 service running at those times would have been under threat. Due to lobbying by Parish Councils, Local Councillors, passengers and other interested groups this proposal has now been dropped.

Post Box
The Post box in Barton was removed by Royal Mail without any prior notification when work on the former Bluebell Inn commenced. The Parish Council has made many phone calls and exchanged a large number of emails since it was removed requesting that a post box reinstated. The new post box has now finally been installed.
Grit bin on Rosemary Lane
The Parish Council took up residents’ requests for a grit bin by the bridge on Rosemary Lane. The new grit bin is now in place.
Public Footpaths
Please help keep our public  footpaths accessible.
If you notice any problems with  footpaths, for example if they are blocked or flooded
please report the issue to Lancashire County Council. The more reports of problems they receive – the more likely they are to take action.
To report a problem please email: prowreports@lancashire.gov.uk
Or telephone01772 537409
315 Bus Service
Lancashire County Council have recently undertaken a review of their subsidy of the 315 bus service. The Parish Council have been lobbying for it to continue and Lancashire CC have agreed to continue to continue to subsidise it until April 2015.
Although this is good news if it is to continue beyond April passenger numbers need to be maintained or increased. Please use the service if you can.
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On 10th November Downholland Parish Council received the coveted Quality Parish Council award in a ceremony at County Hall. The presentation was made by Mr Gordon Johnson who
is Chairman of the Accreditation Panel of the National Association of Local Councils.
Mr Johnson commented that the submission by Downholland Parish Council had been particularly impressive and he was delighted to be able to present the award.
Owen Connolly, Chairman of the Parish Council commented: ‘I
am proud and delighted that all the hard work of our Clerk and my fellow Councillors, past and present, has been acknowledged in this prestigious award. I look forward to Downholland Parish Council continuing to serve the local community of Haskayne and Downholland to the best of all our abilities.”
In order to achieve Quality Status, parish and town councils must demonstrate that they have reached the standard required by passing several tests. These are:
Having an Electoral Mandate.
The Clerk must be qualified.
Council meetings must be conducted to agreed standards.
There must be strong evidence of Communication and Community Engagement.
The Council must produce an Annual Report.
Accounts must be properly prepared and subject to strict external auditing.
There must be adoption of and observance of an agreed Code of Conduct by all Councillors.
The Council must promote local democracy and citizenship.
Councillors and the Clerk must be willing and able to undertake relevant training.
At present 4 of the 19  Parish Councils in West Lancashire have achieved Quality Status.
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With effect from 1st November there will be a return bus service into Ormskirk on Thursdays. For the timetable use the link below.
Timetable 315
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Rural Watch – Would you like to be part of the Rural Watch Scheme and receive texts about police alerts for the area? See the Safety and Consumer news page for details.
Audit of pavements, roads and street furniture.
The Parish Council are compiling a list of areas in the village that require attention in order to send a full and comprehensive list to Lancashire County Council.
If you are aware of any road or pavement surfaces that are in a poor state, missing road markings, damaged street furniture etc please let us know so it can be included in the list.
To report areas needing attention email the clerk on
clerk@downholland pc.org.uk
or phone 01704 82264.