Next Council Meeting 

10th December 2019 - Tolpuddle

Dog Fouling around Puddletown

The Parish Council understands that the majority of dog walkers are considerate and respectful, however some are not so thoughtful. Most concerning are reports of dog mess within the grounds of St Mary's Middle School. The health and safety of children and young people must be a priority and this simply cannot be allowed to continue. Please ensure that your dog is on the lead through the school grounds and that dog mess is bagged and disposed of appropriately. The council is seeking to have dog waste bins installed at key locations but in the meantime please take dog mess home. Incidents of dog fouling can be reported to Dorset Council using an online form on their website or by calling 01305 251010.

Sale of the Martyrs Inn

Puddletown Area Parish Council have received notification of the intention of Hall and Woodhouse to dispose of the Martyrs Inn, 49 Main Road, Tolpuddle, Dorchester, DT2 7ES under Section 96 of The Localism Act, 2011. This means that a six-week interim moratorium period has commenced effective from 15 November 2019. This allows time for any qualifying voluntary or community body to decide whether or not to exercise a right to bid for the asset. If the Council does not receive a written notice of intention to bid during this six-week period then the landowner is free to dispose of the asset. If a voluntary or community body notifies Dorset Council of their intention to bid, this triggers a moratorium of up to six months to enable it to raise money and bid to buy the asset. This does not however, mean that they get a right of first refusal or have the opportunity to buy the asset at below market value. If the Council receives written notice of intention to bid from a qualifying community or voluntary body then this invokes a full moratorium of six months inclusive of the initial six-week moratorium. The deadline for written notification to the Council of an intention to bid is 27 December 2019. The Parish Council will be discussing this at the meeting on the 10th December in Tolpuddle Village Hall at 7pm.

 Digital Norm Campaign
Superfast Broadband

Help Wanted

Puddletown Area Parish Council is looking to recruit more Councillors as well as at least one Flood Warden. Please click the links for details. 

Speedwatch

A Community Speedwatch initiative is being established in Puddletown. If you are interested in volunteering for this then please contact the Clerk through the contact us page. 

An Invitation

All community groups and residents of Athelhampton, Burleston, Puddletown and Tolpuddle are cordially invited to attend a workshop on Thursday 28th Nov at 7pm to meet the parish council and other community groups and discuss changes that you would like to see to improve life in your community.

Flood Alerts in force

Groundwater flooding in the West of Dorset. Lower Frome and tributaries flooding. More information and advice is available from the Flood Information Service. Please click here. Our community flood warden will shortly be dropping a leaflet issued by the Environment Agency to all residents who may be at risk of flooding. All residents who live near to the Rivers Piddle or Frome should sign up to the Environment Agency advance warning scheme by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings

Parking on New Street and Coombe Road, Puddletown

Dorset Council send gritting teams out in the evening/night to ensure that the roads are safe for everyone in colder weather. They have had trouble gritting New Street and Coombe Road in Puddletown due to vehicles parked along the roadside which prevent the gritting vehicles from accessing the roads. If they cannot access the road then it will not be gritted. Please avoid parking along these roads where possible and remember that the Highway Code says "Do NOT park anywhere that would prevent access for Emergency Services." If an ambulance or fire engine would struggle to get past your vehicle then it shouldn't be parked there.  

"Puddletown" - a song by Daisy Chute

An award winning singer/songwriter has created a song about the story of a cobbler's daughter. Thomas Hardy is thought to have based one of his characters in Far From the Madding Crowd on a shoemaker in Puddletown whose daughter died of scarlet fever. Many thanks to Ben Kaye, who lived in Puddletown for many years, for bringing this to our attention.