JUST RELEASED

Seven highly effective habits
for parish and town councils

by James Corrigan, Director,
Council HR and Governance Support 

LEGAL MATTERS

DEFRA TO SCRAP PATHS DEADLINE

The government has decided to scrap the 2026 deadline for recording historic paths in England, in a move welcomed by the Ramblers, the OPEN SPACES SOCIETY (OSS) and other path user groups. Ministers in Wales have already agreed to repeal the deadline. The deadline meant that on 1 January 2026, public rights over thousands of paths, which are public highways but not recorded as such, would have been extinguished. Users have been researching historic evidence to claim paths, but it was impossible to do this before the deadline.

A newly recorded track between North Walsham and Mundesley in Norfolk. A successful application for a restricted byway was made by OSS local correspondent Ian Witham

COMMUNITIES PREPARE FOR THE PLATINUM JUBILEE

Around the country, local authorities are getting ready to mark HM The Queen’s 70 years on the throne over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend of 3–5 June. Many are planting trees as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy project, while others are planning concerts and street parties to celebrate

The renowned Black Dyke Band is staging a special concert at Champness Hall in ROCHDALE on 2 June to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. The evening will feature film scores, big band music and patriotic favourites from the Last Night of the Proms.. Black Dyke has been described as the most famous brass brand in the world and in the past has toured the USA, Australia and Europe with the likes of Elton John and The Beatles, as well as being the first brass band to perform on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017.

Whitworth Town Council in Lancashire will light a beacon on Brown Wardle Hill.
Photo: Mike Burgess  

JUBILEE BEACONS TO LINK THE NATION

National plans for the Jubilee include hundreds of town criers, along with Pearly Kings and Queens, traditional pipers, buglers and choirs from communities across the UK and the Commonwealth performing music specially commissioned for the occasion, prior to the lighting of over 1,500 PLATINUM JUBILEE BEACONS at 9.45pm on 2 June. At 2pm a specially written proclamation will be announced. At 9.35pm, musicians will play Diu Regnare, a tune written for the occasion by Piper Major Stuart Liddell. Buglers will then sound a bugle call entitled Majesty, and community choirs will sing a Song for the Commonwealth.

WARMINSTER Town Council in Wiltshire has organised several events to mark the Jubilee, including a Jubilee Window Competition open to all local shops and businesses and a weeklong exhibition entitled “A Walk Down Memory Lane with Her Majesty the Queen”. Union Flags will fly in the town centre over the four-day weekend, and there will be a showing of animated film The Queen’s Corgi at the Civic Centre on 2 June. On 4 June there will be a Jubilee Bake Off Competition, a fete and a children’s fancy dress competition, along with other events for families.

COMMUNITIES SHOW SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

Following the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, local authorities and residents across the country have mobilised to help raise money and provide support for those displaced by the conflict

 SWANLEY Town Council in Kent has launched a humanitarian partnership with Swanley Rugby Club and its team sponsor Callisto Construction. They set up a community hub for donations, with volunteers from the rugby club sorting items and Callisto arranging multiple trips to transport them to Poland.

FROME in Somerset has set up an appeal to support displaced Ukrainians as they arrive in its twin town of Rabka-Zdrój in Poland.

TROWBRIDGE Town Council in Wiltshire unanimously approved an emergency motion stating: “This Council wholeheartedly and unequivocally condemns the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and publicly expresses its enduring solidarity with, and support for, the people and legitimate government of Ukraine.”

A bake sale at WARMINSTER Civic Centre, held over two days on 16–17 March, raised over £1,700 for the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

Residents of BUCKINGHAM and surrounding villages gathered at local pub The New Inn on 24 March to discuss a support plan for refugees arriving from Ukraine.

Pictured are Paul Buttrick, president of Knutsford Lions, and the town’s mayor, Cllr Stewart Gardiner

TAKING TIME TO TALK TO A STRANGER

A scheme to help tackle loneliness has been introduced by KNUTSFORD Town Council and the Knutsford Lions. A number of benches in the centre of the Cheshire town have been designated as “Happy to Chat” benches, where the presumption is that anyone sitting there would welcome strangers saying hello and engaging in conversation. Benches have been selected where there is an alternative bench nearby for those who prefer quiet reflection. 

UNLOCKING ACCESS TO ONLINE SERVICES

CANVEY ISLAND Town Council has obtained funding from the Essex County Council Locality Fund to purchase four laptops and has also been given three Samsung tablets from the Essex County Council Technology Inclusion Opportunity scheme. Pictured with the computers are Essex county councillor Dave Blackwell and the town’s mayor, Cllr Barry Palmer. The council will use the equipment for help and advice sessions on computer technology. The idea is to give residents confidence in using electronic devices so that they can access services for themselves.

TENNIS SCHEME SERVES UP A WINNER

SWANLEY Community Tennis welcomed David Rawlinson, president of the Lawn Tennis Association, to the Kent town to celebrate winning the LTA’s award for Community & Parks. This is given to a venue, group, organisation, programme or individual that has achieved something of note in providing tennis opportunities within a community or park setting. Mr Rawlinson said: “Your efforts have created a great facility and opportunity for the community to enjoy tennis. To grow from nothing to 250 active members in less than a year is outstanding. There is no doubt that your commitment and enthusiasm have contributed enormously, and that without the positive attitude and support of Swanley Town Council none of this would have been possible.”

IN CELEBRATION OF LOCAL HISTORY

CHALFORD Parish Council in Gloucestershire has recently installed a striking mural in one of its bus shelters. Following the creation of excellent murals in bus shelters in neighbouring Brimscombe and Thrupp, we carried out a survey of our own shelters and decided that two needed some attention, with the one at Dark Lane being the priority. Local artist, Jessy Plant, has captured the essence of the village’s history using images from the Museum in the Park in Stroud. It features the canal, donkeys, the railway station and mills.

CELEBRATING 52 YEARS OF SERVICE

The long-serving chairman of BILTON Parish Council in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Cllr Raymond Garbutt, retired on 31 March after 52 years of service. He had been a member of the parish council since 1970 and chairman for the past 35 years. He achieved a great deal during his tenure, including the purchase of land for the cemetery, a flood reduction scheme, the village hall and speed signs. Last summer, to mark his 50 years of unstinting service, the council purchased a clock for the village hall, which it dedicated to him.