Please be aware of the Ironman race and the various road closures that will be in force on 17th September 2017.  For further information and updates where necessary, please visit www.ironman.com/weymouth70.3, www.dorsetforyou.com/travel-dorset/ironman, email weymouth@ironmanroadaccess.com or telephone 03330 11 66 00.

Following residents requests for clearer signage to Catherine’s Well, please click here to view the proposed replacement signs.  If you have any feedback in relation to these proposals, please contact the Clerk before 31st August 2017.

LiveWell Dorset is a free service for people who live in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset who would like support to change their lifestyle — whether that’s quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol, managing a healthy weight or doing more physical activity. LiveWell Dorset offers a friendly single point-of-access to multiple health and wellbeing services and advice. Anyone can self-register into LiveWell Dorset by contacting us: 01305 233105 or 0800 8401628. The LiveWell Dorset offices are open between the hours of 9am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday excluding Public Holidays. For more information about the LiveWell Dorset team, please visit our About Us page on the LiveWell Dorset website.

The agenda for the July Parish Council meeting is now online on the Meetings page. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 12th at 7:30pm in the Reading Rooms. The open forum will be held prior to the parish council meeting and commence at 7.30 pm. We would particularly invite comments and queries ref agenda items but other issues can be addressed. The open forum will last for up to 25 minutes and the chair will ensure that the time allocated to people is fair.

The agenda for the June Play Park Committee meeting is now online on here. The meeting will take place on Monday 10th at 7pm in The Old Chapel.  Friends of the Play Park Committee and members of the public are welcome to attend.

The draft Annual Return for 2016 to 2017 is available to view on the Finance page, under The Council – Information.

Any person interested has the right to inspect the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts and other documents relating to those records or documents.

These documents for Milton Abbas Parish Council are to be made available on reasonable notice by application between the hours of 10:00 and 14:30 on working days (excluding public holidays) commencing on 19 June 2017 and ending on 30 July 2017.

If you wish to view them then please contact Mrs Elizabeth Sellen (Clerk/RFO) on 01258 880383.

Local electors and their representatives have rights to question the auditor about the accounts and object to the accounts or any item in them.  Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority.  The auditor can be contacted at BDO LLP, Arcadia House, Maritime Walk, Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3TL telephone 023 8088 1941 during the inspection period.

The agenda for the March Parish Council meeting is now online on the Meetings page. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 11th at 7:30pm in the Reading Rooms. The open forum will be held prior to the parish council meeting and commence at 7.30 pm. We would particularly invite comments and queries ref agenda items but other issues can be addressed. The open forum will last for up to 25 minutes and the chair will ensure that the time allocated to people is fair.

The Police Commissioner has launched a consultation on what the policing priorities should be in Dorset over the next four years. It is vital that as many residents, businesses, community groups and partners take part in the consultation which is live until 25 January, to ensure your views reflect policing priorities.
He has identified four key strands of protecting people at risk of harm, working with our communities, supporting victims, witnesses and reducing re-offending and transforming for the future. Are these important to you? What would you change? What would you add?
There will be a live webchat on Tuesday 10 January between 6pm and 7.30pm for residents to ask any questions they may have in relation to the policing priorities and Council Tax consultations running at the moment. Take part by clicking here. You can even set a reminder via the link!
Alternatively, he is holding fourteen consultation events across Dorset where you can have your say in person. To see where and when your nearest event is click here.

Dorset County Council are currently consulting over a proposal to further reduce support of the concessionary pass scheme.
Dorset Travel proposes removal of free travel before 09:30 on routes that have no other services until after 10:30. Impact on the 311 service will be that passengers from Milton Abbas will no longer be able to use their concessionary pass on the 09:25 to Dorchester if the proposal goes through. Thankfully, the only bus to Blandford on a Thursday morning is currently unaffected. Free travel before 09:30 for blind and partially sighted pass holders will continue as it is currently.
DCC claims that by ceasing to provide free concessionary travel before 09:30, savings will be made that will enable them to focus financial resources more effectively. It does not, however, suggest the potential value of these savings! The changes will also allow for the wider use of schools transport routes for public services. Following on from the results of this consultation, any changes will be implemented to the service in April 2017.
To have your say, you can complete the consultation online here, or if you need a paper copy contact Nigel Hodder on 881709 and he will get one to you. Closing date for consultation is 13 January 2017 so you do not have very long. Unfortunately, we were only advised of this by DCC on 1st December (the start day of the consultation) so missed the December issue of The Bulletin!
by Nigel Hodder

Over the Christmas period, your bin collection day will be different. Check the table below for revised collection days:
Usual collection day Friday 23 Dec Revised collection day No change
Usual collection day Monday 26 Dec Revised collection day Tuesday 27 Dec
Usual collection day Tuesday 27 Dec Revised collection day Wednesday 28 Dec
Usual collection day Wednesday 28 Dec Revised collection day Thursday 29 Dec
Usual collection day Thursday 29 Dec Revised collection day Friday 30 Dec
Usual collection day Friday 30 Dec Revised collection day Saturday 31 Dec
Usual collection day Monday 2 Jan Revised collection day No change

Remember:
• they will collect up to two extra sacks of rubbish left beside the bin on the first rubbish collection after Christmas Day
• they will collect extra recycling if placed in residents’ own boxes, with glass kept separate
• fortnightly garden waste collections are suspended over the Christmas and New Year period, from Saturday 24 Dec to Sunday 8 Jan

Further information can be found here.