Category Archives: NEWS!!

Highways Information – Scheduled Road Works

A350, Sturminster Marshall
daytime closures 9am to 3.30pm, 30 May to 7 June (weekdays only)
A354, Basan Hill
daytime closure 9.30am – 3.30pm, 8 June to 16 June
*convoy working 9.30am to 3.30pm, 19 June to 23 June
daytime closure 9.30am – 3.30pm, 26 & 27 June
A354, Thornicombe
daytime closure 9.30am – 3.30pm, 29 June to 5 July
C12, Wolfeton Eweleaze to Lower Burton
daytime closure 9am – 4pm, 6 July to 14 July
Dick O’ the Banks Road, Crossways
daytime closure 9.30am – 3.30pm, 17 July to 21 July

Premium surface dressing (carried out by Eurovia)
The following schemes will all be carried out 9am – 4pm under *convoy working and are weather permitting:
A354 Tarrant Hinton to Handley Roundabout, 24 May to 27 May
B3073 Ham Lane, Stapehill, 30 & 31 May
C12 Charminster to Charlton Down junction, 1 & 2 June
C12 Black Hill Cross to Alton Lane Cerne Abbas, 3 June
A30 dual carriageway Yeovil to Sherborne, 5 June to 9 June, with 30mph speed restriction 5 June to 23 June (for the works & loose chippings afterwards)
*convoy working is for safety reasons, there will be a small works vehicle leading traffic through the site at a controlled speed of between 5mph & 10mph
Dates can be subject to change. We’ll keep you updated and add more dates as they’re confirmed by our #HighwayFixers.

For more information please click here.

Annual Parish Meeting 2017

Please join us in St James Church Milton Abbas on 31st May 2017 at 7pm to meet the people behind the rich and diverse organisations, clubs and activities that Milton Abbas is privileged to host.   There will also be an opportunity to express your views and questions relating to life in Milton Abbas and to partake in tea and cakes.

Broadband Speeds & Mobile Phone Reception

During the January 2017 meeting, it was demonstrated that whilst superfast broadband is now available in Milton Abbas, many properties have been omitted from this roll out, including parts of Catherine’s Well and outlying properties.  In addition, local businesses will be unfairly discriminated against since utilities providers will quote higher charges for businesses who cannot use smart meters to determine consumption.

It was agreed that the Parish Council should write to MP Mr Simon Hoare on behalf of residents, asking for his support to address current deficiencies in service.  Councillors request residents to write a letter addressed to the MP detailing their own personal concerns and experiences because of the lack of broadband or mobile services, and forward this letter to the Parish Council to be included with the PC letter.

Letters should be addressed to Mr S Hoare MP, The Stables, Whitecliff Gardens, Blandford Forum DT11 7BU and emailed or posted to the Clerk, left at the Post Office, passed to a Councillor or brought to the PC meeting on 8th March 2017.  The deadline for receipt of letters is Friday 17th March 2017.

If you are not sure whether you should be able to benefit from superfast broadband services, please check here.

Milton Abbas Annual Parish Meeting

On 17 June 2016, the Annual Parish Meeting was reinstated in Milton Abbas.  Vice Chairman Rowan Woodhouse explained that it was not a Parish Council meeting but a general meeting of the parish where matters can be discussed on any subject relevant to the parish and for an exchange of views and ideas.

The Annual Parish Meeting is a much older institution than the Parish Council and is held by all villages regardless of whether they have a parish council or not.  Where a parish has a parish council, it is required that the chairman presides.

The Councillors would like to adopt an informal, interactive format for our future annual parish meetings to avoid it becoming akin to a Council meeting, and invite your comments and suggestions as to preferred day, time and format.  You can present your suggestions to any Councillor, post or email them to the Clerk or drop written responses to the Post Office during March.  In addition, suggestions can be presented at the Open Forum of the March meeting.  All responses will be considered and a date, time and location will be set at the April Meeting.

British Red Cross Emergency Alert Service

When a crisis is on its way, every second counts. So think how crucial warning of a dangerous flood or snow storm could be.
A free app from the British Red Cross will send you alerts if an emergency is about to affect your area – and tells you exactly what to do when they happen. Not only will the app warn you about impending weather emergencies but it will also notify you if there is a change to the terrorism threat level.
And since being prepared is half the battle, the app is packed with advice on getting ready for a host of common emergencies – such as fires, storms and power cuts.
To find out more, please click here.

Dorset Fraud Alerts

Dorset Police has designed a new webpage that will keep up to date with the latest frauds affecting the county on our website (Click here). Action Fraud also sends information about scams and fraud in your area by email, recorded voice and text message.

Deadline to Apply for School Place 15 January 2017

If your child is starting school for the first time in September (born between 01/09/2012 – 31/08/2013) or moving up to Junior or Middle school, the deadline to apply for a place is 15th January. You are advised to select your catchment school as one of your preferences when applying. If you are one of the 1000+ families who haven’t applied yet – time is running out. Do it now!

Confirmed Outbreak of Avian Influenza

There has been a confirmed outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) at Abbotsbury Swannery. There has been a national control zone covering the whole of the UK since December that requires poultry and other captive birds to be housed where practicable. We have been asked by Dorset Trading Standards team to share this fact sheet.

Financial help for those on slowest broadband

Fibre isn’t the only way to get a better broadband connection. The Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme helps those on the poorest speeds improve their service.

Residents and businesses that are not in our fibre broadband plans, and are on less than 2Mbps, could be eligible for a subsidy towards the installation cost of a wireless, satellite, or 4G broadband connection.

These technologies are capable of reaching properties in the most rural parts of the county, offering a solution where rolling out fibre broadband would be more complex and expensive.

More than 400 voucher codes have already been issued in Dorset, helping individuals and entire communities. An example of the success of this scheme can be seen in Kimmeridge where broadband speeds were transformed thanks to a local wireless supplier.

For the full information about the scheme and the application form, visit: www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/broadband/better-broadband-scheme