How many people use the village bus?

This was the question answered at the recent Parish Council meeting.

Cllr Tim Collins had spent some time over the period of a week checking on the use of the local bus service that comes through the village. This is the 212 Dorchester to Yeovil service operated on Mondays to Fridays by South West Coaches.

He did this because of a warning that the coach company were thinking of withdrawing the service into the village thus entailing a walk for villagers to the stop at Ash Hill.

The most passengers he saw were on the Wednesday which is market day in Dorchester when there were 6 passengers from the village and 6 back.

On other days there were only 1 to 3 passengers seen boarding in the village.

The most disturbing thing that Cllr Collins found was that on one morning the first bus to Dorchester arrived and left 6 minutes early and twice it was 4 minutes early.

What is the point of a bus that runs this early it will only make villagers view the service as unreliable and the bus operator is to be contacted over this early running.

The bus service is viewed as very important and it was agreed to encourage bus usage by use of the Chalkstream Parish Magazine and by telling people it is a case of use it or lose it.

The same councillor has had a look at the derelict platforms of Bradford Peverell and Stratton Halt which are still there having been closed in the 60's and still in reasonable condition.

He quoted the example of Thornford village which has a still open halt on the same line where villagers have opened a new path to the halt and made a layby for cars.

Perhaps one day Bradford Peverell Halt could be revived.

The missing village twinning sign remains missing and Cllr Neil Howard has obtained a quote for a new sign The Parish Council Website should be up and running soon and contributions from village groups will be most welcome and the Parish Plan should be ready in the Autumn.

A complaint was registered by the clerk about wastefulness by SSE ( a consultative company investigating street lighting ) who sent seven identical letters all first class and all addressed to the clerk one for each councillor and it happened twice. The company is to be contacted.

A new flood warden has recently been appointed - Chris Snow - and he is in the process of updating records.

Various payments were authorised and the Annual Return signed off for posting.

The next meeting is on Thursday 1st September.