Blackshaw Parish Council Emergency Plan
PARISH OF BLACKSHAW
NOTICE OF CASUAL VACANCY FOR A PARISH COUNCILLOR
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 that a casual vacancy exists in the office of Parish Councillor for Blackshaw following the resignation of Councillor Churchill.
In accordance with the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held if, within fourteen days (computed in accordance with Rule 2) after the date of this notice, notice in writing of a request for such an election has been given by ten electors for the said Parish to the Returning Officer, Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, Town Hall, Halifax, HX1 1UJ.
If no such election is requested the Parish Council will proceed to fill the vacancy by co-option within sixty days of the date of this notice. Enquiries regarding co-option for the attention of the Clerk.
Dated this 6th day of March, 2024
Catherine Bann
Parish Clerk,
6 Adelaide St, Todmorden, OL14 5HT
blackshawclerk@gmail.com
Blackshaw Parish Community Award
The 2023 Award was presented to John Williams of Land Farm Gardens. The nomination stated:
“He and his wife Liz have given so much to the community. He created his renowned garden starting from scratch nearly 50 years ago I think. For much of that time the gardens were open to the public every summer weekend, the proceeds going to charity. Last week the garden was open to the public for what John says is the very last time, so this would be a most appropriate time for him to receive the award. Throughout this time John also let local organisations, free of charge I think, put on concerts, art exhibitions and plays in the gardens and barn, and allowed community organisations to camp on his land. He did a lot to bring together all the households in our part of the valley, both socially and for things like road upkeep. He and his wife fostered a number of teenagers over the years.”
A special award for youth was also given this year to Lettie Blundell of Davey Hall. The nomination stated:
“She took the initiative to make her own banner and stand out on her own to educate drivers to stick to the speed limit. Please see photo below. She always does this with a positive attitude encouraging drivers to wave and smile…. for which, disappointingly, she has suffered some abuse. She has also helped with the planters along the Long Causeway and has generally been a valuable member of the community for one so young.”
GDPR
To comply with the General Data Protection Regulations, which came into force on 25th May 2018, Blackshaw Parish Council has published a Privacy Notice, which you can access here
About Blackshaw Parish Council
Blackshaw Parish Council was created in 1894 out of the much larger and ancient Stansfield Township as part of a major national re-organisation of local administration.
The Parish Council has seven Councillors, who are elected every four years. For a list of current councillors, click here. The Council normally meets in Blackshaw Head Methodist Church although meetings could be held in the nearby Hebden Bridge Town Hall, as part of an agreement with Calderdale Council dating back to 1974. Meetings are held on the fourth Monday of the month except in May and December.
Meetings discuss such things as local planning applications, issues with roads and footpaths, reports from other meetings in the Calderdale area, and often have invited speakers. In recent months we have had speakers from Calderdale Council on the potential of CCTV in Blackshawhead, from BT and Superfast West Yorkshire on fibre broadband, and Yorkshire Water on the steps taken to resolve issues with water mains stoppages.
The Parish Council owns and manages the allotments site in Charlestown (for which there is an allotments committee), and the area of land around Great Rock.
The council also produces a newsletter once a year, plays a role in events such as the annual fete, pays for and helps manage this website, and keeps residents updated on local issues using the googlegroups email list.
The May meeting is also the Annual Parish Council Meeting when the Chair for the year has to be elected. According to statute the Chair is still known as “Chairman”. The May meeting is normally held on the second Monday of May because Parish Council elections are normally the first Thursday in May after which the Council is legally required to meet within ten days.
The May meeting is preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting to which members of the public are invited. All meetings of the Parish Council are open to the Press, members of the public and at the discretion of the Chair everyone is allowed to speak – though it is preferable to notify the Clerk or Chairman at the beginning of the meeting if you do wish to speak. Meetings are publicised on the two official notice boards (at Underbank in Charlestown and on the road beneath the Methodist Chapel in Blackshawhead) on this website and via email to the Blackshaw Googlegroup.
You can read/download a variety of older documents in the PARISH COUNCIL ARCHIVE AREA