Environment Agency - Living on the Edge
A guide to your rights and responsibilities as a riverside land owner
If you own land or property next to a river, stream or ditch this guide is for you. It explains both your rights and your responsibilities which are:
- to let water flow through your land without obstruction, pollution or diversion
- accept flood flows through your land
- keep the banks clear of anything that could cause an obstruction and increase flood risk
- leave a development free edge
- keep culverts, trash screens, weirs and other structures clear of debris
It has other chapters on flood risk management, flood defence, other consents and licences.
It is available on the Environment Agency website
or on this website in the Council Documents section
Are you the complete KITCHEN GARDENER?
Is your garden, allotment or window box your pride and joy?
Do you grow your own fruit, veg & flowers and do you know what to do with them?
Silver River Productions are looking for talented amateur kitchen gardeners who have the skills and the dedication to compete in BBC2’s ‘THE BIG ALLOTMENT CHALLENGE’. Someone who can cultivate the perfect carrot, make their green tomatoes into award winning chutney and turn their dahlias and sweet peas into floral arrangements fit for a Queen.
They are offering successful applicants the chance to turn a plot of land into a patch of beauty so if you have the skills to compete and are interested in featuring in our series, please contact grow@silverriver.tv or call 0207 907 3401 for an application form.
The deadline for applications is 12pm on the 13th of March 2014.
From 1st April 2014, registration fees for Cilca will increase to £250.
More information is on the Society of Local Council Clerks website
The Government has invited comments on the draft Openness of Local Government Bodies Draft Regulations 2014. This covers filming and the use of social media at council meetings. The Government is minded to make this as soon as possible. We understand from NALC that officials are hoping to have the Regulations in force by the end of May/early June.
NALC have issued a Policy Consultation (PC01-14) seeking your views on this.
These Regulations will potentially open up all parish councils to any person for the purposes of reporting. Reporting is defined in the Regulations as – filming, photographing or audio recording of the proceedings and any other means for enabling those not present to hear proceedings as it takes place or later. The aim is to allow any person to use any communication methods, including the internet, to publish, post or otherwise share the results of their reporting activities.
The Regulations will also require a written record of any delegated decision where the effect of the decision is to grant permissions, licences, affect the right of individuals, award contracts or incur expenditure which materially affects the body’s financial position.
These Regulations obviously have potentially far reaching effects on how your council conducts its meetings and how members of the public Tweet, film with their iphone or otherwise report the proceedings of the meeting.
Responses to the consultation to NALC victoria.pymm@nalc.gov.uk
In November NALC Chairman Cllr Ken Browse attended a joint ministerial meeting hosted by Nick Hurd MP and Stephen Williams MP on community rights.
An alliance of national organisations will be making an announcement that it is working together, including holding an initial programme of events, to promote greater uptake of the community rights arising from the Localism Act 2011. The events will be held in Bristol, London and Wakefield. Alliance represents over 200,000 individuals and nearly 10,000 grassroots organisations - Civic Voice, CAMRA, National Association of Local Councils, The Theatres Trust and Supporters Direc.
More information here
NALC are teaming up with the Local Government Information Unit to provide support to develop community energy schemes.
At the end of January, the Department for Energy and Climate Change published its Community Energy Strategy which explained how the Government will incentivise communities to develop their own energy schemes. At the heart of the strategy was an appeal to local government to support and facilitate new schemes.
You can read the strategy in full here
Through LGiU's community energy social enterprise, support will be offered to up to ten councils, prioritising applicants who can demonstrate cooperation across the tiers of local government and a community that has already expressed an interest in community energy.
Organising a voluntary event: a 'Can do' guide from Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office issued a guide last month, to help
you to plan and run successful events with a minimum of red tape. The
guide is in seven parts:
- What do I need to thnk about when planning an event?
- Do I need any licences or other sort of permission?
- How do I keep organisers, volunteers and participants safe?
- How do I make sure that food and drink is safe?
- Can I close a road?
- Do I need insurance?
- Am I planning an event for which there is specialist guidance elsewhere?
The guide can be read or downloaded from here
