Parish Council


If you wish to contact the Parish Council, please contact the Parish Clerk:  by e-mail at filkinsclerk@hotmail.co.uk.

If you wish to see the Clerk please telephone or email first to make an appointment. Alternatively, any of the Parish Councillors would be happy to discuss any aspect of parish business. Please contact them at the numbers below.

The Parish Council have recently conducted a survey of the properties owned or under the control of the Parish Council. This was carried out by Nick Owen from Property Pathfinders. The survey can be found here. This will enable the Parish Council to budget their expenditure over the next two-three years.

The Parish Council were unable to hold the Annual Parish Meeting in May due to COVID 19. Please see below for the  Chairman's Report  and RFO Report 2019/20.

RFO Report on Accounts 2019/20

The Government has announced that Playgrounds MAY open from 4th July 2020. However, to do this Parish Councils have to undertake a Risk Assessment.

“Playgrounds are only able to reopen due to the relaxation of social distancing guidance which now advises '2 metres or 1 metre with risk mitigation, should 2 metres not be viable.   So, central to the preparation for reopening a playground is the need to prepare a Covid-19 Risk Assessment that will assess and manage the risk of potential COVID-19 transmission for users of the equipment, such as children, parents, guardians and carers, as well as any staff or volunteers involved in the maintenance or cleaning of equipment.”

We have carried out a Risk Assessment and taken professional advice and we cannot guarantee users safety while in the playground due to the nature of the equipment.

Common areas to address when producing a risk assessment are therefore:
Size of the play area - how many children can safely use the space at one time. Monitoring of the capacity is not possible
Accessibility - are there pinch points at gates and how might these be managed – there is only one entrance and a one way system cannot be introduced
Signage - to reinforce the social distancing guidance.
Cleaning - Are there resources to clean frequently touched areas -  Parents should be encouraged to bring cleaning wipes but we cannot guarantee this will be done
Food and drink - Should be prohibited.
Hand sanitiser - There is no requirement to provide automated dispensers, although government guidance does state that  'where practicable, they should be installed.
All these criteria have to be fulfilled for the Playground to open and they cannot.

This will be re-assessed as legislation is updated by the Government.

This decision was not taken lightly but is for your protection and safety from COVID 19

Forthcoming Virtual Parish Council Meeting: 7th September 2020 at 7.30pm

As new Government Legislation has allowed this will take place virtually if we are still restricted. This will be on the Zoom platform - details of how to attend will be available on the agenda. Other scheduled meeting is  4th November 2020.

We are hoping to revert to  meetings in Filkins Village Hall committee room as soon as possible.

If you would like the Parish Council to discuss any matter, please let the clerk know two weeks in advance of the meeting so that the matter can be considered for the agenda. Alternatively, all parishioners are welcome to attend and listen to all council meetings, and there is always an opportunity for those who attend to put any points to the council. There will not necessarily be any debate on any matter not on the agenda.