St Oswald and Ruyton-XI-Towns residents to have their say

Residents living in the St Oswald and Ruyton-XI-Towns area will soon have another opportunity to get involved in decisions affecting their community, at the third meeting of Action: St Oswald and Ruyton-XI-Towns. The meeting will be held on Thursday 10 January at Trefonen Village Hall, starting at 7.00pm.

Action: St Oswald and Ruyton-XI-Towns is part of a series of local meeting pilots, which give local people the opportunity to raise issues of importance with their local councillors.

It covers Kinnerley, Knockin, Llanyblodwel, Llanymynech and Pant, Melverley, Oswestry Rural, Ruyton-XI-Towns, West Felton, Llanyblodwel and Porthywaen, and the Maserfield ward of Oswestry Town Council.

Items on the agenda include how to improve the environment, particularly the problem of dog fouling; consultation on the county council’s budget for 2008/09; and the approval of funding projects from the Youth Opportunities Fund. There will also be an open question and answer session.

June Drummond, Shropshire County Councillor for St Oswald, said: “Our first two meetings have proved to be an excellent way for local people to get involved in decisions about their local community, and to decide how money can be spent to benefit the area. I have been pleased to see that these meetings are making a difference.”

Dilys Gaskill, Shropshire County Councillor for Ruyton-XI-Towns, said: “These meetings have provided an excellent opportunity to discuss some important local issues with local people. I look forward to welcoming people to our next meeting, when they will be able to talk to local councillors and put forward their ideas.”

The Action: St Oswald and Ruyton-XI-Towns meetings have a committee of county, district, town and parish councillors drawn from the area, and a small budget which the committee allocates in response to issues raised by members of the public.

Over 70 people attended the most recent meeting held at West Felton Village Hall on 6 September.

The meeting focussed on young people. It was agreed that £20,000 would be allocated to activities for young people, and it was explained how young people could access these monies using the application form.

There were also updates from the Primary Care Trust, the Oswestry Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership, and on highways and transportation issues.

21 December 2007