Annual Report of the Parish Council 2025

Published: 17 March 2025

Holt Parish Council Annual Report

Spring 2025

As with any other year, your Council has continued to work hard on your behalf to ensure Holt Parish continues to thrive and be a pleasant place to live and work. All Councillors are volunteers and give of their time for the greater good of the Parish and I would like to thank them all for their diligence and enthusiasm in their duties.

There are, as ever, a considerable number of individuals to pass our thanks on to for their help over the past year and indeed often many years. Our thanks is extended to Charlie Hiscock, Limecove, Mike Clifford and Ian Mulliner for their help at the Cemetery, it continues to be a beautifully kept space for peaceful contemplation.

Our thanks to Ann Korta for continuing to oversee the Neighbourcare Transport Scheme. We should also note Ann’s many years on the Parish Hall Committee and thank Jackie Egan for stepping into the role of Chairperson in her place. We appreciate the effort all members of the Village and Parish Hall committees make on our behalf in order that our community can use and enjoy these two buildings. Another space within the village that is kept in a very neat and tidy condition is the Village Green, which is a lovely open area for all to enjoy. Limecove do a super job keeping it neat throughout the year and we are grateful for their efforts on our behalf. The deteriorated Millennium sign at the top of the green will be replaced this year.

Within our own Council, I’d like to specifically mention the roles undertaken in addition to those of the normal Councillor. Our Chairperson, Jonathon Cutts, is our representative on the St Margarets and Stone Almshouses, which own 17 Almshouses and a further 9 properties within Wimborne. Eligible residents of Holt can apply if this is ever needed. Councillor Sarah Weaver goes above and beyond in her effort as our Footpath Officer, frequently covering all routes within the Parish. She has recently been most tenacious in getting the early repair of the footbridge in Holtwood damaged by a horse, despite being told numerous times that there was no hope of it being done in the near future.

Our Highways group of Jonathan Cutts, Geoff Pike and Peter Finney have been hugely successful in their approach to the implementation of reduced speed limits within the Parish. After planning issues, the volume and excessive speed of traffic is the most regularly raised subject at our meetings and we as a Council share our Parishioners concerns and frustrations. We reported at the last Annual meeting that we had an agreement in principle from Dorset Council that speed limits would be lowered at Horseshoe Crossroads, through Holtwood, along a section of Holt Road and Holt Lane. These plans have moved forward considerably under the guidance of the Highways Group and the Parish Council are contributing financially to help progress the project, in addition to agreed contributions from Knowlton Parish Council and Vale of Allen Parish Council towards the work at Horseshoes, where there is a shared boundary. The next stage will be the public consultation. The progress may seem frustratingly slow to some residents, but we really are moving quite quickly within the scope of local speed limit changes. Our approach has been noted as progressive and unusually effective, and we have the Highways Group to thank for that.

We are considering applying for a 20mph limit in Furzehill and will shortly be launching a consultation. A recent survey did not identify a sufficient number of vehicles exceeding the current 30mph limit, but did note the high volume of traffic, so a further restriction here may be worthwhile.

Our Speedwatch group continue to be active, running 6 sessions over the past year, often with the support of the Police. We have a new approved site in Furzehill and this will be used in future sessions. We also have purchased an additional Speed Indicator Device, together with upgrading our current mounting poles to solar power.

The Parish Council continues to distribute public funds to worthwhile projects and organisations. £500 was granted to St James’ School to assist with transport costs for school trips. The Reef youth club in Colehill also received a one-off grant of £500 towards continued upkeep and development. A £100 donation was also made to the Tivoli theatre in recognition of the excellent talk we all enjoyed last year.

The Parish Council has welcomed a new member in Janey White and we look forward to her continued valuable input over the coming year. We gained two new seats when the Parish absorbed the Furzehill lobe, and one seat is as yet untaken. We would be delighted to hear from any Furzehill residents that may be interested in joining the Council.

Although the Parish Council is responsible for myriad local tasks within the Parish, two issues dominate our time and caseload: Planning and Traffic.

The Parish Council have commented on 45 planning applications this year, some of which are contentious and absorb a considerable amount of time. Meetings have run as late as 10pm as a result of planning discussions. The Council always approach applications from a neutral position and all comments are reasoned and impartial. We have a responsibility to try and allow responsible and sympathetic development within the Parish at the same time as respecting the views of residents, not always a straightforward task. We continue to invite all Parishioners to attend meetings to air their views on Planning applications relevant to them.

The Parish Council has kept our precept level frozen this year, the third year in a row, with a Band D household contributing £27.00.

Two public servants deserve a final mention for their work in support of the Parish Council. Firstly, our thanks is extended to Will Chakawhata, our Ward Councillor. Will is always most supportive of the Parish Council and is skilled at helping us work effectively within the layers of local government. In addition to this, he regularly attends our meetings, often in inclement weather conditions through the Winter months, to ensure we are up to date with the latest from County Hall. Thank you also to the Leader of Dorset Council Nick Ireland for attending this evening.

Last but by no means least, our gratitude must be expressed to our Clerk, Lisa Goodwin. It is no exaggeration to say that the learned Clerk is the lynchpin which holds all things together and we are under no illusion that effort is extended above and beyond her remit to ensure we are as successful and efficient as we can be. An extraordinary amount of work takes place to make the Parish Council function; herding Parish Councillors is similar to the metaphorical cats, and we are all most grateful for Lisa’s work.

Cllr Guy Reynolds, Vice Chair.