Information from Shropshire Council

All of our polling stations are:

• Wheelchair accessible or provided ramps for those that aren’t.
• Have polling booths adapted specifically for wheelchair users.
• Ballot box slot highlighted for the visually impaired to show where the ballot paper is placed.
• Have large print ballot papers which are clearly displayed inside the polling station and a copy can be given to voters to take with them into the polling booth.
• Have aids to enable blind voters to cast their vote without support (Tactile Voting Device)
• Our polling stations will also allow voters with disabilities to use any text-to-speech apps, torch, or magnifier that they have on their phone to assist them in the reading of their ballot papers, even though mobile phones are not generally permitted in the polling stations
• Companions who can provide assistance in the polling station.

If you require support in order to complete you’re vote then you can bring someone along with you, however if there is no one available then the presiding officer at the polling station is also available to offer that support.

Anyone over the age of 18 can act as a companion to assist you in the polling station. Any companion will be required to complete a declaration by companion to confirm they have assisted an elector in the polling station/voting booth.

There is also the option to arrange a postal vote (where your ballot paper is sent to you in the post 2 weeks before poll) or a proxy vote (where someone votes on your behalf) if you do not wish to vote at a polling station yourself.

If you think we could provide more help and support contact the Election team at elections@shropshire.gov.uk or call 0345 678 9015 and please let us know.

Council Proposals

Notice of Polling District, Polling Place and Polling Station Review 2023

NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN (EXEMPT AUTHORITY)

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Sections 25, 26 and 27

The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)

LOCAL AUTHORITY ACCOUNTS: A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS

Please note that this summary applies to all relevant smaller authorities, including local councils, internal drainage boards and ‘other’ smaller authorities.

The basic position

The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (the Act) governs the work of auditors appointed to smaller authorities. This summary explains the provisions contained in Sections 26 and 27 of the Act. The Act and the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 also cover the duties, responsibilities and rights of smaller authorities, other organisations and the public concerning the accounts being audited.

As a local elector, or an interested person, you have certain legal rights in respect of the accounting records of smaller authorities. As an interested person you can inspect accounting records and related documents. If you are a local government elector for the area to which the accounts relate you can also ask questions about the accounts and object to them. You do not have to pay directly for exercising your rights. However, any resulting costs incurred by the smaller authority form part of its running costs. Therefore, indirectly, local residents pay for the cost of you exercising your rights through their council tax.

The right to inspect the accounting records

Any interested person can inspect the accounting records, which includes but is not limited to local electors. You can inspect the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records. You can copy all, or part, of these records or documents. Your inspection must be about the accounts, or relate to an item in the accounts. You cannot, for example, inspect or copy documents unrelated to the accounts, or that include personal information (Section 26 (6) – (10) of the Act explains what is meant by personal information). You cannot inspect information which is protected by commercial confidentiality. This is information which would prejudice commercial confidentiality if it was released to the public and there is not, set against this, a very strong reason in the public interest why it should nevertheless be disclosed.

When smaller authorities have finished preparing accounts for the financial year and approved them, they must publish them (including on a website). There must be a 30 working day period, called the ‘period for the exercise of public rights’, during which you can exercise your statutory right to inspect the accounting records. Smaller authorities must tell the public, including advertising this on their website, that the accounting records and related documents are available to inspect. By arrangement you will then have 30 working days to inspect and make copies of the accounting records. You may have to pay a copying charge. The 30 working day period must include a common period of inspection during which all smaller authorities’ accounting records are available to inspect. This will be 3-14 July 2023 for 2022/23 accounts. The advertisement must set out the dates of the period for the exercise of public rights, how you can communicate to the smaller authority that you wish to inspect the accounting records and related documents, the name and address of the auditor, and the relevant legislation that governs the inspection of accounts and objections.

The right to ask the auditor questions about the accounting records

You should first ask your smaller authority about the accounting records, since they hold all the details. If you are a local elector, your right to ask questions of the external auditor is enshrined in law. However, while the auditor will answer your questions where possible, they are not always obliged to do so. For example, the question might be better answered by another organisation, require investigation beyond the auditor’s remit, or involve disproportionate cost (which is borne by the local taxpayer). Give your smaller authority the opportunity first to explain anything in the accounting records that you are unsure about. If you are not satisfied with their explanation, you can question the external auditor about the accounting records.

The law limits the time available for you formally to ask questions. This must be done in the period for the exercise of public rights, so let the external auditor know your concern as soon as possible. The advertisement or notice that tells you the accounting records are available to inspect will also give the period for the exercise of public rights during which you may ask the auditor questions, which here means formally asking questions under the Act. You can ask someone to represent you when asking the external auditor questions.

Before you ask the external auditor any questions, inspect the accounting records fully, so you know what they contain. Please remember that you cannot formally ask questions, under the Act, after the end of the period for the exercise of public rights. You may ask your smaller authority other questions about their accounts for any year, at any time. But these are not questions under the Act.

You can ask the external auditor questions about an item in the accounting records for the financial year being audited. However, your right to ask the external auditor questions is limited. The external auditor can only answer ‘what’ questions, not ‘why’ questions. The external auditor cannot answer questions about policies, finances, procedures or anything else unless it is directly relevant to an item in the accounting records. Remember that your questions must always be about facts, not opinions. To avoid misunderstanding, we recommend that you always put your questions in writing.

The right to make objections at audit

You have inspected the accounting records and asked your questions of the smaller authority. Now you may wish to object to the accounts on the basis that an item in them is in your view unlawful or there are matters of wider concern arising from the smaller authority’s finances. A local government elector can ask the external auditor to apply to the High Court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, or to issue a report on matters which are in the public interest. You must tell the external auditor which specific item in the accounts you object to and why you think the item is unlawful, or why you think that a public interest report should be made about it. You must provide the external auditor with the evidence you have to support your objection. Disagreeing with income or spending does not make it unlawful. To object to the accounts you must write to the external auditor stating you want to make an objection, including the information and evidence below and you must send a copy to the smaller authority. The notice must include:

• confirmation that you are an elector in the smaller authority’s area;
• why you are objecting to the accounts and the facts on which you rely;
• details of any item in the accounts that you think is unlawful; and
• details of any matter about which you think the external auditor should make a public interest report.

Other than it must be in writing, there is no set format for objecting. You can only ask the external auditor to act within the powers available under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.

A final word

You may not use this ‘right to object’ to make a personal complaint or claim against your smaller authority.  You should take such complaints to your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau, local Law Centre or to your solicitor. Smaller authorities, and so local taxpayers, meet the costs of dealing with questions and objections.  In deciding whether to take your objection forward, one of a series of factors the auditor must take into account is the cost that will be involved, they will only continue with the objection if it is in the public interest to do so. They may also decide not to consider an objection if they think that it is frivolous or vexatious, or if it repeats an objection already considered. If you appeal to the courts against an auditor’s decision not to apply to the courts for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, you will have to pay for the action yourself.

A copy of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) can be found on the Finance Page.

Llynclys Crossroads has been known to local residents as an ‘accident hotspot’ for as long as anyone can remember, and Llanyblodwel Parish Council were grateful to recently have the opportunity to meet with representatives of National Highways to discuss the outcomes of the recent safety study.

Llanyblodwel’s Clerk, Amy Jones, attended the meeting, along with Helen Morgan MP, Shropshire Councillor Vince Hunt and the Clerk and Chair of Llanymynech and Pant Community Council.

The meeting focused on the Safety Study which was commissioned by the National Highways Route Manager for Shropshire to assess possible traffic signal or roundabout options for consideration at A483 Llynclys junction following requests from stakeholders. Whilst the study is a confidential document, for use internally by National Highways, the outcome of the study was shared and concluded that the four options developed and modelled do not represent a value for money investment via the SAR and it is recommended that no further development of these options is undertaken. They confirmed that the junction continues to be monitored via the annual collision analysis for the Midlands region and if the collision numbers or severity increase further investigation be undertaken to see if further improvements are justified.

The meeting gave stakeholders an opportunity to raise questions about these findings and to push for alternative options to be explored.

The safety of the bus stop at the junction was raised and this has been a long standing concern for the Parish Council, as it is used by secondary school children on a daily basis. National Highways confirmed that there is work currently in the pipeline to improve this. The issue of reduced visibility when exiting the B road was also raised and National Highways confirmed that a further safety study would need to be carried out to look into how this could be improved, now that larger scale projects have been ruled out.

The following points were put forward to National Highways for consideration:

• Improved signage and road markings to help drivers understand the junction more clearly.
• Addressing the risk that undertaking and flashing poses.
• The speed of traffic travelling on the A495 through the junction and whether this could be dropped to 30mph?
• Engineering options including the possibility of a raised area where pedestrians can safely cross.
• The possibility of a speed camera.
• Improved lighting around the junction.

National Highways confirmed that these are all things that they will now go away and explore as the aim is to find a solution that is achievable and will reach the desired outcomes.

Llanyblodwel Parish Clerk, Amy Jones, commented: “National Highways confirmed that the information being fed into them over the years, from the community and stakeholders, has been integral to getting the project to this point, as the data alone would not have instigated a Safety Study to be conducted. Now that we are at this point, the Parish Council will continue to push for the improvements needed to make this junction safer for both road users and pedestrians”.

A new study will be conducted in the new financial year and it is hoped that by Summer 2023, there will be another report available for discussion.

Bleed control kits have been installed in all Parish Council owned defibrillator cabinets in and around Llanyblodwel, with the support of a local business. Funded 50% by the Parish Council and 50% by West Pennine Trucks in Oswestry, the kits were purchased through the Daniel Baird Foundation, a charity set up after the tragic death of Daniel Baird, who at the age of 26 years was fatally stabbed in Birmingham following a night out with friends. There was no first aid or bleed control kit available and Daniel died shortly after arriving at hospital due to catastrophic bleeding.

Chairman of Llanyblodwel Parish Council, Andrew Beckett commented: “The kits can be used in serious incidents to control bleeding and promote blood clotting. There are many ways that a catastrophic bleed can occur, such as from a stabbing, car accident or a work related injury. There is now a kit located at Llynclys Crossroads in the defibrillator Cabinet on the side of Metal World and another kit in the Defibrillator Cabinet at the Cefn Blodwel Methodist Chapel. By having publicly accessible bleed control packs, anyone can provide the necessary first aid to reduce blood loss until professional, medical help arrives. In rural areas, this could be crucial for saving a life.”

The Bleed Control Kits are located in the Defibrillator Cabinets (accessible with a code which will be given out by the Ambulance Service when calling 999) and have been registered with the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Information from Shropshire Council

Further to our earlier free tree scheme, a new subsidised tree scheme for the 2022/23 planting season has just opened. If you are interested, residents, landowners, farmers, community groups, businesses and charities can apply for trees that are subsidised at a 50% cost by HM Treasury and Shropshire Council. The applicant is responsible for paying the remaining 50%.

We have chosen mixes of native trees suited for different planting sites in Shropshire, including:

A lowland woodland mix

An upland woodland mix

A wet ground woodland mix

A native hedgerow mix

The mixes above are available in bundles of 20 trees and will cost £15 per bundle (half-price), including a bamboo cane and spiral tree guard.

There is no limit to the number of trees or hedgerow plants that you can orders, and trees will be supplied on very much a first come first served basis.

For more information and to apply for your trees, please see our website:

https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/environment/trees-woodlands-and-hedges/shropshire-council-community-tree-scheme-202223/

From 4 May 2023 voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections, including local elections, parliamentary by-elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, and recall petitions, Shropshire Council’s newsroom item refers: Voters in England asked to show ID at polling stations from May 2023 – Shropshire Council Newsroom

Further information can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website: Voter ID | Electoral Commission

And some information is also available on Shropshire Council’s website, this page will be updated when further information becomes available: Voter ID in polling stations | Shropshire Council”

Information from the Local Government Boundary Commission:

UPDATE FROM SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL

A width restriction trial will be implemented on 15.09.22 when the bridge is re-opened.

1. A temporary trial 2.5m width restriction will be imposed at Llanyblodwel Bridge for a period of 3 to 6 months when the bridge is re-opened following the detailed Principal Bridge Inspection.
2. The experimental traffic width restriction will be formed using temporary concrete vertical barriers (TVCBs) placed on either side of the bridge or on the bridge approaches. To accommodate local farming (see attached images and dimensions below) the width at the southern end of the bridge will be set at 2.70m (bridge end) and splayed to 3.70m (on the approach to bend). Some of the grass verge to the SE corner will be widened and topped with sub-base and surfacing material. The width at the northern end of the bridge will be set at 2.70m with no splay as it has a straight approach. White lining will be installed to guide vehicles on the approach to the bridge on the southern side.
3. Advance signage warning of the width restrictions at the bridge will be erected at strategic positions (see attached documents and drawings). These signs are only advisory and not Mandatory at this stage of the trial. Signs will be yellow background with black lettering. X-height 50mm or 75mm (as per the attached drg). Additional information signs will also be erected either side of the bridge approaches and on the key junction approaches stating ”Experimental 2.5m width restriction in force at Llanblodwel Bridge”; these signs are on order and will be placed next week.
4. We are also looking to install a temporary CCTV camera at the bridge as a trial. We are meeting with the supplier early next week to discuss logistics with regards to location, electric supply, signal strength for wireless connection etc. I will keep you posted on when the CCTV camera is likely to be installed.
5. We were also considering installing temporary solar operated Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) signs to warn motorists of the width restriction ahead. However, at present the need has not been assessed and we will continually review this need.

On completion of the trial we will consult with the local Councillor, Parish Council, residents and farming community along with other businesses in the area about the success, or failure, of any of the temporary measures installed and look to agree what traffic measures we need to installed as a permanent feature to protect the historic bridge and to minimise the impact on the local community when the bridge has to be closed following a bridge strike/ impact. With the bridge being listed as a Grade II structure any future permanent width restrictions at the bridge itself will need to be sympathetic to the local surroundings and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, which will require consent from Historic England (formally English Heritage).