September News letter

🏡 Corscombe, Halstock & District Parish Council News

Meeting Highlights – 29th September 2025 (Corscombe Village Hall)

Hello everyone! Here’s what went on at our latest Parish Council meeting — a busy evening full of updates, ideas, and thanks to those who keep our villages running smoothly.

👋 Who was there

Most of your councillors attended, with three members of the public joining us. We missed Cllr. Lovegrove, who sent apologies. No declarations of interest this time.

🗂️ Parish business and updates

The minutes from July were approved (thanks to Cllrs Clarke and Caddick). Councillors were reminded to complete the Small Councils survey.

🏛️ Dorset Council and Police updates

Cllr Chris Kippax spoke about the Draft Dorset Local Plan, now open for public comment. It covers key issues like housing, transport, and economic development — including plans for around 53,000 new homes across the county.

Forum: Digby Hall, Sherborne – 7 Oct (2–7 pm)
Online feedback deadline: 13 Oct
Have your say here

No major police issues this time, but look out for details soon on the new mobile police stations.

💰 Finances

Payments since July came to £2,780.71 (gross), all approved after a small VAT correction.
The Clerk is exploring a new savings account.

💻 Email and audit

The external audit raised just one small point about the Clerk’s email (now fixed!).
The Council agreed to move the Clerk’s email to a .gov.uk address for better security — councillors will continue with their own addresses.

🎠 Playground and outdoor gym

The old adventure trail has been removed. Some fencing still needs attention but it’s not urgent.

🚗 Highways and rights of way

• Toller Down junction:safety concerns about the B3163 exit are being raised with Dorset Council — the Parish supports calls for better signage and visibility.
  • Fingerposts: Cllr Clarke is listing all signs needing repair or renovation — progress to be reviewed in November.
  • Road closures: with several happening back-to-back recently, Dorset Council will be asked to coordinate better to reduce disruption.
  • 20 mph zones: Dorset Council supports more of these; the Clerk will ask Speed Watch if Halstock should apply.
  • New noticeboard: a replacement aluminium noticeboard (up to £600) will be installed near the Fox Inn, Corscombe. It’ll stay unlocked so locals can post notices too!

🏠 Planning

The new entrance opposite Buttercup Cottage has been queried with Planning and Highways — we’re awaiting feedback.

🧠 Training and communication

The Clerk attended a “Communicating with your Community” course, looking at how we all now use WhatsApp, Facebook and other channels.

At the Corscombe Fete, the Clerk gathered informal feedback on how residents get their Parish news. The top results were:
• Word of mouth
• Village & Parish websites
• Noticeboards
• WhatsApp (especially in Corscombe)
• Facebook

We’re now sharing updates on Facebook (Halstock) and WhatsApp (Corscombe) — and this newsletter is part of that new plan to keep everyone in the loop!

⛑️ First Aid courses

The September sessions with St John Ambulance were really well attended — thank you to all who joined!
If you missed out, don’t worry — more are planned for 2026, and the Clerk is looking into a “buddy” WhatsApp group for local emergencies.

🏛️ Roman Villa site

The public access area has become overgrown — thank you to Richard Storrie for kindly volunteering to clear it.

💻 Website update

The Parish Council website has now been refreshed with a news section for updates and notices.

🚌 Bus service

Update postponed — watch this space.

🌿 Climate and ecology

“Big Green Day” in Beaminster was noted — more local eco events will be supported where possible.

💐 In memory

We were very sad to hear of the passing of Diana Stains, a former councillor and long-time supporter of the Parish Council. A donation will be made to the Dorset Wildlife Trust, one of her chosen charities.

🗓️ Next meeting

Monday 24th November 2025
Halstock Village Hall

Everyone is welcome — come along and have your say!

Clerk to the Council: Tessa Safadi
📞 07595 598995 📧 chparishclerk@gmail.com