• Note - all Committees consist of volunteers from the Parish Council. Co-option of additional members does occasionally takes place.
• Note - members of the public have a right to attend any of the meetings of the following committees except where very special circumstances arise

1. Award Land. The Award Land is that given to the Parish under the Shipham and Winscombe Enclosure Act of 1799. The committee meets at the discretion of the Chairman to deal with matters pertaining to the efficient management of the Award Land.

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2. Cemetery and Allotments Committee. This Committee meets quarterly to deal with matters pertaining to the efficient management of the Cemetery and Allotments at Ilex Lane off Sandford Road.

The Allotments were established in 1976. The twenty productive plots are rented on an annual basis to local residents. At present, owing to an increased interest in home grown produce, there is a waiting list of prospective tenants.

The Cemetery area dates from the 1960's, has graves, 'vacant' plots, and a separate section for people's ashes. The whole area is in a tranquil setting away from traffic. A cemetery orderly is employed to look after the area.

3. Chairman's Committee. This Committee meets on an ad hoc basis at the discretion of the Chairman to deal with matters that require an urgent decision and/or for which it would be inappropriate to call a special meeting of the Council.

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4. Environment Committee. This Committee considers issues relating to the following:

• traffic calming, street works, rural waiting restrictions, public rights-of-way and the obstruction of footpaths:
• play areas, bus shelters, public seating, public conveniences, village orderlies, street naming and numbering, street lighting and floral decorations.

The following are issues considered by this Committee

• General purpose gangs: these consist of three to four workmen that carry out remedial work, taking on a task lasting a day. This may be drain/gully clearing, laying curb stones etc. Each parish has a GP gang for four days in a year! Winscombe and Sandford have one day in January, April, June, and September . Please send details of any remedial work that needs to be addressed in your area to the Parish Clerk.
• Pot holes: the parish council receives complaints on a daily basis on the disrepair of the roads. North Somerset Highways has not had the resources to carry out any road drainage /repairs for many months. In the new financial year, more funding has been allocated to target this problem.
• Drainage: Winscombe Hill has a drainage scheme planned but whether the funding is allocated to this remains to be seen. Please write to your district councillor for support.
• Gully emptying: this is done once a year by North Somerset. Certain designated routes are emptied biannually, as is Winscombe Hill. The Parish Council are constantly recommending that more frequent and thorough emptying is undertaken.
• Road gritting: North Somerset do not have a duty to grit the roads during extreme weather conditions. Recent policy recommends that F1 and F2 routes are gritted. F1 routes, major routes and A roads, are gritted in anticipation of bad weather, e.g.. A368 in Sandford. F2 routes (roads accessing and egressing villages) are gritted after bad weather, i.e. Sandford Road through Winscombe.

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5. Finance Committee. This Committee considers and recommends to the Council priorities for

• expenditure,
• raising of fees and charges
• insurance issues,grants and
• an annual precept figure.

The committee consists of the Parish Committee Chairmen, and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Parish Council.

6. Local Action Team. (CSLAT - Community Safety Local Action Team). This Committee was formed in May 1999 as a result of a new Crime and Disorder Act. Its role is to identify community, and to find ways of resolving them either locally or by involving the correct authorities. At the moment the Committee consists of fifteen members, coming from all sections of the Parish. If any person wishes to join the group he/she will be very welcome.

7. Planning Committee. All members of the Council are invited to attend Planning Meetings. This Committee deals with planning application and development-control, together with the consideration of strategic planning issues. Meetings comply with deadlines for planning applications, and therefore agenda are posted three full-working-days before the scheduled meeting date.

8. War Memorial Recreation Ground. This Ground was acquired by money raised from public subscription as a permanent Memorial to the Officers and Men of the Parish who fell or served in the Great War, 1914-18. The Ground is vested in the Parish Council and is held in trust by the Council for recreation, amusement, athletic sports, instruction, improvement and generally for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish. The management of the Ground is the responsibility of the War Memorial Recreation Ground Committee. This Committee deals with all issues specified under the current constitution. Representatives from the Parish Council attend all WMRG meetings.

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9. Youth Council. The Youth Council has received support from Community Action, a registered charity, which works in partnership with local authorities, parish and town councils through a Youth Council Facilitator. The Youth Forum (Winscombe and Sandford) began in Churchill Secondary School. Local youngsters then met each month, so finding a means of becoming involved in the community.

A survey was sent in the parish to eleven year olds and above. The survey asked which of a BMX track, an indoor meeting place or an outdoor meeting place was needed in the Parish. The majority voted for an outdoor meeting place, as being somewhere to hang out and meet friends. This seemed an achievable first-time project.

Designs for and siting of an outdoor meeting place. The Thames Valley Police good practice guide entitled "Youth Shelters and Sports Systems" first published in September 1999 addressed the need for provision of outdoor meeting points and informal sports areas for youths and gave the Council some basic ideas. Designs and materials drawn up by members of the Youth Council were discussed with a local artist and now, at last, the Youth shelter is in position.

Fun: the Youth Council arranges events and days-out to create awareness and have fun. If you want to know more, please contact the Clerk to the Parish Council. If your browser does not provide this service then email winscombepc@lineone.net.

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