Thwing & Octon Parish Council consists of 9 councillor who represent the community, and we thank you all for your support in aiding us to improve and grow the area we all live in.
2017 -saw the Parish Council seek the communities views on a range of subjects and from the information gathered we put together a Community or Parish Plan. We are progressing through this plan and what we have achieved so far is listed below.
Litter picking sticks, black bags and hi viz vests are available and litter picking groups can use these as an when they feel the need. We will liaise with ERYC to have the litter collected once your litter pick has been completed.
We also liaised with your local authority and we now have our grass verges cut on a regular cycle from spring through to the end of September.
With the aid of funding from the British Heart Foundation and Thwing & Octon Amenities Committee and other small donations we were able to purchase and install two defibrillators, one at Thwing and one at Octon.
We also obtained a further £1000 in funding from Tesco Bags of Help and £500 from The North Wolds Lions which enabled us to order two new shelters for the Parish.
A sub committee (Thwing & Octon Community Benefit Society) was established to try and find a way of saving the pub and reopening it as 'more than a pub' with community facilities, shop, take away service, café and more
2018 Another busy year for your council.
ERYC laid us a new concrete pad at Octon and your brand new shelter was erected.
The banking at the crossroads in Thwing was cleared back and a level base was installed and the new shelter for Thwing was erected.
Both shelters have community notice boards and seats.
The bench from the old shelter at Octon has been repainted and re- sited and now enjoys the view from the junction of Skipper Lane.
The Thwing village sign was refurbished and a brand new planter built which is maintained by the parish council.
The maintenance of the parish planters have also been taken on by the parish council, and these are now an attractive and welcome feature to our villages.
The banking at the crossroads in Thwing has been planted and a retaining support from recycled logs has been installed, the maintenance is being done by the parish clerk, but help would be greatfully appreciated.
An area at Octon Rd junction with Octon Grange Lane is now being maintained and the council purchased a large conifer at the end of the year, which we hope will grow into a handsome tree. East Riding Council have placed warning posts around the area for your safety.
Approx 1000 daffodil bulbs were obtained and have been planted throughout the parish, along with wild flowers at Octon junction.
Further funding was obtained : 30 tree saplings from The Woodland Trust; £1000 from Tesco Bags of Help; and £2000 from the Postcode Trust. This is all going towards restoring the Mere area and making it into a community space.
The Parish Council campaigned vigorously on your behalf to have our roads repaired, and as a result drains have been cleared and several roads within the parish have been resurfaced and surface dressed.
2019
2019 was an election year which has seen a change in Councillors and the election of a new Chairman
2019 so the roads surfaced dressed, with the exception of Church Lane. (We are working on this)
The Mere is our focus for this year, and we have started a programme of clearance of the reeds, and pruning/felling of trees, The banking has also been cleared and the weeds and overgrown comfrey cut back, to allow planting of more trees and shrubs in November, following further success in grant funding from The Woodland Trust. A litter bin has been installed, and a new bench and life bouy have been procured - to be installed soon. Funding has been obtained from The Peoples Postcode Trust £2000 and Tesco Bags of Help £1000 to cover the cost of this work.
The footpaths are to be surfaced in this financial year.
We are now looking at Renewable Energy and Community Led Housing.
Following a meeting in July clarity was given that The Falling Stone Pub will not be considered for sale at the market value.
2020
What a transformation our Mere project is now well and truely under way, and additional funding has been secured to continue the work and also to restore the old village water pump situated on Dukes Lane.
The Parish Council have successfully applied for a grant to develop a feasibility study to implement renewable energy sources for the Parish.
This Project is supported by the BEIS funded Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) which is managed by the North East Yorkshire and Humber Energy Hub and administered by Tees Valley Combined Authority
The UK is at the forefront of using clean energy sources to power and heat homes. The Parish Council took this opportunity to develop a plan to future-proof the Parish from the coming bans on coal and wood for heating, and increasing resilience for electricity price volatility, while contributing to the UK's decarbonisation targets.
The study funded by RCEF will be conducted by Avieco, a sustainability consultancy with 13 years' experience in carbon and energy assessments.
The study will evaluate renewable energy options for power generation, home heating and street lighting, and has a dedicated web site www.thwing-octon renewables.co.uk.
Our chairman Cllr McDermott resigned as he and his wife moved out of the village. Our new Chair is Ed Peacock, with Patrick Burdass as vice chair. We also have 2 new councillors.
It has been a difficult year with the Covid virus causing much concern and disruption . Council business has continued however, and we are moving forward to another successful and positive year.