Shropshire Freedom Fibre Project - new poles to be installed - have your say

28th May 2024

Information has been received from Shropshire Council about plans to install some more poles to carry the lines needed to imrpove broadband speeds in the parish area:

"As you may be aware, Freedom Fibre is rolling out its lightning-fast, full-fibre broadband network to homes and businesses in North Shropshire.

Whilst we are largely able to make use of the existing network of telegraph poles and underground ducting, it is sometimes necessary to install new essential infrastructure to ensure no community is left behind.

Under existing planning rules, masts and poles less than 15 metres high can be installed without being subject to planning consent except those listed under Article 1 (5) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The obligation for telecoms companies like ours is to display a ‘Regulation 5’ notice detailing the proposed telegraph poles on nearby street furniture (such as lighting columns) 28 days before their planned installation.

That said, we are keen to proactively engage with residents and community leaders as much as possible. To that end, please find attached a list of proposed new telegraph poles which will be installed in the coming months. Please note that this list is subject to change (the locations will likely be vague – please see the latitude and longitude for specific locations).

In line with our statutory obligations, we will display official notices detailing the proposed telegraph poles on nearby street furniture (such as lighting columns) 28 days before their planned installation. Residents with questions or queries are encouraged to visit www.freedomfibre.com/faq-poles

The map attached to this link might help to identify where it is proposed to put the poles: here https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1MFWes5XqpxbXmWz7niTgB_olbBr8SEg&usp=sharing

80th Anniversary of D-Day - 6th June

28th May 2024

The Parish Council will be commemorating the 80th Anniversary of D-Day with a brief event and flag raising in Kinnerley Village (opposite the Cross Keys) on 6th June at 9.00 a.m. - residents are cordially invited to join, to pay their own respects

Small Business Grant Scheme

13th May 2024

Information received from Shropshire Council

Applications for the UKSPF Small Business Grant Scheme will open again on 7 May

Following an overwhelming response in March, this highly successful grant scheme will open again for applications on 7 May 2024.

The UKSPF Small Business Grant Scheme offers grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 to purchase new equipment or make improvements to business premises.

Gary Spence, Shropshire Council’s external funding and technical lead officer in the business growth and investment team, said:

“Since we first launched the scheme, we’ve received nearly 80 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for grants, and 61 of those were asked to submit a full application.

“We must adhere to a rigorous and robust selection process because we are delivering public funding, but our aim is to help as many Shropshire businesses as possible.

“Applications have come from a wide range of small businesses with a diverse range of requests. For example, among other things, we have funded a swimming pool hoist for a tourism company, a heat press for a workwear company, agility equipment for dogs and helped towards improvements to a café.”

Businesses from one to 49 employees can apply for a grant if their business is physically located in the Shropshire Council local authority area.

Applicants will need to demonstrate how the grant will help them create new employment opportunities, or develop new products, processes, or services within their business. They will also be expected to match-fund the amount of grant applied for by at least 50% of the total investment.

All applicants will need to complete a simple online Expression of Interest (EOI) form which will go forward for assessment. Projects successfully passing this initial stage will then be invited to submit a full application.

Details about how to apply and the EOI form can be found at: https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/ukspfcapgrant

Shropshire Council - Affordable Warmth Retrofit

27th March 2024

Shropshire Council is able to provide support to some homes which would benefit from improvemnets to help keep warm - see the poster

Grants to help recover from Storm Henk - Urgent

25th March 2024

Affected by Storm Henk? Apply for flood grants by Sunday 7 April

Shropshire Council now have access to flood recovery grants money from the Government, covering businesses and residents affected by Storm Henk from Tuesday 2 January 2024.

Businesses and residents whose properties were affected by Storm Henk are being urged to apply for a series of grants by Sunday 7 April 2024.

If you were affected by Storm Henk, which affected the county between Tuesday 2 January 2024 and Friday 12 January 2024, you may be able to apply for the following grants to help with your immediate needs:-

Flooded households in affected areas can apply for up to £500, to give cash to help with immediate costs.
Households and businesses significantly affected by flooding will be eligible for 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months.
Small-to-medium sized businesses in affected areas will be eligible for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant, to help them return to business as usual.
Eligible flood-hit property owners will be able to apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding, via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme.

Delay in accessing the Flood Recovery Grant

In order for Shropshire Council to offer these grants to communities, the Government eligibility criteria requires councils to demonstrate that over 50 properties internally flooded during Storm Henk.

The Government also set strict timeframes for grants to be paid out, which Shropshire Council need to adhere to.

To gather the information on the impacts of Storm Henk, the council has been working extensively with its community support teams, Environment Agency, town councils, parish councils, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and other organisations to gather the number of known flooded properties across the county.

Following a community meeting held in Shrewsbury, additional affected properties were identified, to reach the 50 properties threshold.

As this information has taken some time to gather, the timeframe for residents to apply for the grants has been greatly condensed. As a result, applications need to be submitted as soon as possible, and before the deadline of Sunday 7 April 2024.

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Information received from Shropshire Council

Applications for the UKSPF Small Business Grant Scheme will open again on 7 May

Affected by Storm Henk? Apply for flood grants by Sunday 7 April

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