Finningley Parish Council

Newsletter March 2011

Parish Council and Parochial Church Council
The names of the two councils sound similar but have very different roles to play and people sometimes confuse them. As a parish councillors, we have occasionally been approached on matters which have had to be redirected to the Church.

The two councils have little in common, other than both do their best for their parishioners. The Parochial Church Council run the Church and all matters relating thereto including (in our case) the Church Yard (cemetery), and is controlled by its own hierarchy.

The Parish Council, whose members are also unpaid, is a legally elected body at the lower end of the governmental ladder and is responsible for the interests and general upkeep of Finningley, including involvement with Doncaster MBC for all matters concerning the village, and representing the interests of the village on various bodies and committees.

Parish Precept
The Parish Council is pleased to announce that the precept (the sum taken from the council tax to pay for certain things in the village) remains at £21,000 for the 8th year running.

Bus Service
A further meeting was held in January this year between local Parish Council representatives, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and First Buses. One of the recent problems for time keeping has been extensive roadworks on Balby Road, Bentley Road and Barnby Dun swing bridge which, whilst they are not on our route, between them have resulted in congestion in Doncaster which in turn has delayed traffic in all directions. There are legal constraints on the bus companies which prevent them from altering their timetables more frequently than three monthly, and even then they have to give eight weeks notice.

If passengers are experiencing problems with the buses, then they should retain their tickets (the various numbers printed on them can give a lot of information to the authorities) and contact either First or SYPTE as soon as possible, preferably the same day.

David Lindley, Chairman

Your parish councillors: