The Formby Blog

Constituency Forum

Local residents now have a new way to engage even further with Sefton Council and its partners.

Our next Constituency Forum takes place on Thursday. Residents in the Sefton Central parliamentary constituency wont want to miss it! More details below #MySefton 🏰 Crosby Lakeside: 6.30pm-9pm (June 28) https://t.co/xeJ8Lk78zz

— Sefton Council (@seftoncouncil) June 23, 2018

Constituency Forums are being introduced as a more relaxed way for residents to talk to agencies, councillors and Council departments about any issues they have.

The forums will be held twice a year in each of the respective Parliamentary Constituencies within Sefton; Bootle, Central Sefton and Southport.

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said:

After consulting about the old and aged style of Area Committees, we decided to take a look at how we engage with our communities and came up with the idea of the Constituency Forums.

The format of the Constituency Forum will be a market-place style at which there will be a number of tables for ward Councillors, internal Sefton departments and partners to attend.

This will give our valued residents the opportunity to arrive, get a drink and talk to agencies, councillors and departments about any issues they have, moving from table to table depending on the resident’s particular needs.

We hope that this new format will remove the formality of the old Area Committee process and attract residents to a more relaxed public meeting at which they feel that the Council and its partners are more accessible and friendly.

Dates for the forums have been announced and I really hope people take the time to attend them.

The planned dates for the Constituency Forum across Sefton are:

• Bootle – Thursday, June 21 at 6.30pm in Bootle Town Hall’s Ball Room
• Central Sefton – Thursday, June 28 at 6.30pm in Crosby Lakeside
• Southport – Thursday, July 5 at 6.30pm in The Atkinson’s Studio Room

Each forum is expected to finish around 9 pm.

Formby Local Election Results

Formby local election results May 2018

Ravenmeols Borough Council election
Frag 1288
Labour 1551
Tory 781
Lib Dem 159

Labour Gain

Harington Borough Council election
Frag 578
Lib Dem 174
Tory 1820
Lab 1363

Conservative Hold

Harington Parish Council election
Frag 900
Tory 1606
Labour 1425

Conservative Hold

Polling Stations Are Open 7.00 am to 10.00 pm.

Use your vote.

Don't forget to vote ❎ today in the Local Elections. If you have a vote, use it! pic.twitter.com/0Pdx0WVwNA

— Formby Reporter (@FormbyReport) May 3, 2018

It's May Day

Today is May Day and also the annual meeting day of Formby Parish Council.

The Annual Meeting of the Formby Parish Council will be held at Formby Library, Duke Street, Formby on Tuesday 1 May 2018 at 7pm.

All members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend for the purpose of considering and resolving upon the business to be transacted at the Meeting as set out hereunder. 

Claire Jenkins
Clerk to Formby Parish Council

Agenda 

1.0 To elect a Chairman for 2018-19, who will then sign the “Declaration of Acceptance of Office”

2.0 To elect a Vice Chairman 2018-19, who will then sign the “Declaration of Acceptance of Office”

3.0 To receive apologies for absence

4.0 To receive declarations of interest

5.0 Public Forum (the meeting will be adjourned for this item) 

6.0 To consider and approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 3 April 2018 – (enclosed) 

7.0 Matters of Report from Previous Meeting – for information only 

8.0 To receive the retiring Chairman’s Annual Report

9.0 To appoint representatives to the following:

Central Sefton Area Committee
Sefton Rights of Way Group
Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group
Beachsafe 2018 

10.0 To agree Cllrs roles in respect of:·   

Finance Group·   
General Projects Group·   
Environment Group
Planning

11.0 To resolve that the Council meets the criteria set out by the Secretary of State in Parish Councils (General Power of Competence) (Prescribed Conditions) Order 2012. Note - At the time of the resolution the number of councillors elected at the last election, or subsequent by-election must equal or exceed two thirds of the total seats; the Clerk must hold one of two sector-specific qualifications: CiLCA or the level Four qualification from the University of Gloucestershire  and must have passed section 7 of CiLCA if pre 2012.The Council must confirm its eligibility at every annual meeting after ordinary elections. 

12.0 Annual Return

12.1 To approve the annual governance statement section 1 (enclosed)

12.2 To approve the accounting statements section 2 (enclosed)                                                                   

13.0 Planning Applications – Sefton’s weekly list email, also available on Sefton Council’s website. 

14.0 To discuss and resolve the following:

14.1 To determine whether the market should return for 20181
14.2 To approve the Neighbourhood Plan for submission to Sefton for the 2nd stage consultation
14.3 To approve the dates for the Annual Calendar of Meetings 2018-19 (enclosed)
14.4 To approve the Investment Strategy as detailed in the Finance Minutes
14.5 To approve the renewal of the Insurance as per the Clerk’s report. 

15.0 To authorise Payments (enclosed) 

16.0 To receive the following reports – enclosed for information only   

Clerk’s report       
Environment Group minutes       
General Projects Group minutes       
Finance Group minutes 

17.0 Date of Next Meeting – Tuesday 5 June 2018 to be held in the Meeting Room, Formby Library at 7pm 

Members of the press and public are cordially invited to attend

Does Formby Need More Trees?

I guess most of us living in Formby assume we live surrounded by a large number of trees. The recent village tree felling drama shows that the community seems to value trees. I was surprised, therefore when I came across the following.

Long before Homo sapiens first appeared, nature had cloaked the earth in a green mantle that nurtured all existing forms of life as well as those yet to be. The tattered remnants of that verdant covering are our inheritance.

No longer continuous, it now exists only where we humans allow it to remain.

Other pieces are usurped, deemed too valuable to be left "undeveloped," as civilization consumes them to feed its insatiable
growth.

(Source: Green Nature Human Nature by Charles A Lewis)

#TreeCanopyCover levels vary wildly between English towns, from 3% up to 45%! How does your town compare? https://t.co/9gMTggZxuq @ForestryCommEng pic.twitter.com/kMTzS2dHfX

— The Woodland Trust (@WoodlandTrust) March 30, 2018

So how much tree cover does Formby have? Could. should we have more?

Despite the pinewoods, it appears that we may be wrong in our assumptions. According to this survey, Formby only has a relatively low 17% tree cover. But we know that trees are a vital component in combatting increasingly powerful climate change effects.

I don't know about you, but so far in the current local elections, all I've heard from candidates is the sharp exchange of insults or contrary standstill proposals. I want to vote for a candidate that has a series of definite ideas to take Formby forward.

I suggest a concerted attempt to increase the tree cover would be one small local step forward in facing the global threat from Climate Change.

Urban Forest Cover or Canopy Cover is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above.

The principal aim of a canopy cover assessment is to help decision makers understand the urban forest resource, particularly the amount of tree canopy that currently exists and the potential amount that could exist.

Measuring canopy cover has helped city planners, urban foresters, mayors, councils, local authorities, and communities see trees and forests in a new way, focusing attention on green infrastructure as a key component of community planning, sustainability and resilience.

(Source: http://www.urbantreecover.org)

When you look at other communities tree cover statistics using the tool it's clear that some towns are taking this issue seriously. Here's an opportunity for us all.

With support and leadership from our local Councillors, every one us living in Formby could be encouraged to 'Plant a Tree' for our town and the future of the earth.

Formby could, with a bit of imagination, inspiration and public involvement become an Arboretum Town. A tree friendly town, a Greener town.

When and if you next see one of the candidates ask them what are they going to do for the future and tell them you want positive, not negative suggestions to take Formby Forward together as a community.

 What do you think?