Author: Staverton Parish Council

Urgent appeal for volunteer drivers in our community – volunteer numbers have HALVED since the pandemic. Please help if you can!

Daventry Area Community Transport (DACT) provide a community transport service for elderly and vulnerable people to get them to and from their medical and wellbeing related appointments.  The door-to-door service is a crucial lifeline for those who are unable to access suitable public transport.  It also enables people to maintain independence in their own homes and reduce their reliance on family, friends and neighbours for lifts.  

DACT also operates a free home-to-town transport service each Friday for over 65s in Daventry.  The Dial-A-Ride scheme provides a friendly, flexible and helpful service to elderly and vulnerable people who would otherwise be isolated and unable to independently access shops and other activities in the town centre. For many it is their only trip out of the house each week.  Local volunteer drivers are crucial to the continued operation of this much needed service.

DACT minibuses are also used for DACT Days out, a programme offering a wide range of day trips to museums, stately homes, pub lunches, the seaside and other places of interest.  These popular trips are crucial in helping combat loneliness and isolation and enable the elderly and vulnerable to make new friends and have a fun day out.  DACT also hire the minibuses out for ad hoc bookings by affiliated groups from around the area and drivers are often needed for these bookings too.

If you are recently retired, work part-time or from home, volunteering for DACT as a driver would be a great way to help in your community.  Drivers are needed 7 days a week and at weekends.

A DBS is required, and drivers are paid mileage or an allowance for each journey made.  All journeys are booked in accordance with the volunteer’s availability on a weekly basis, so whatever time you can give, whether a few hours or several days a week, will make a difference. All minibus drivers must complete MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) training which DACT provide inhouse.

For more information about becoming a volunteer driver send us a message or call 01327 701665 during office hours. 

info@dact.uk.com  www.dact.uk.com  https://www.facebook.com/DaventryAreaCT

Books of condolence will be available from Friday 9 September to mark the saddening news of the death of Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other realms and territories, Queen, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the faith.

An online book of condolence is available on the Royal Family’s website. The book of condolence will also be available inside the Great Hall at the Guildhall in Northampton, The Forum in Towcester and Lodge Road in Daventry.

Opening times are as follows:

Northampton Guildhall: 8:30am to 6pm (Saturdays 9:30am to 5pm)

Towcester Forum: 9am to 5pm

Daventry Lodge Road: 9am to 5pm

Please be aware that during peak periods there may be queues.

Closing of the book of condolence

The book of condolence will be closed on the day after the Queen’s funeral.

Once closed, the books of condolence will form part of West Northamptonshire Council’s archive so that future generations are able to easily gain access to them and find out the way in which national events are marked.

The books of condolence may also be displayed in the museum along with other memorabilia as an exhibition.

Books of Condolence

Staverton Parish Council joins the nation in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the age of 96.

Her life was one of extraordinary dedication and service to the country.  This is a moment of great sorrow for us all.

Our sincere condolences go to the King and to all the Royal Family”

What is neighbourhood planning?

Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area. They are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead. Neighbourhood planning provides a powerful set of tools for local people to plan for the types of development to meet their community’s needs and where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area.

What are the benefits to a community of developing a neighbourhood plan or Order?

Neighbourhood planning enables communities to play a much stronger role in shaping the areas in which they live and work and in supporting new development proposals. This is because unlike the parish, village or town plans that communities may have prepared, a neighbourhood plan forms part of the development plan and sits alongside the local plan prepared by the local planning authority. Decisions on planning applications will be made using both the local plan and the neighbourhood plan, and any other material considerations.

Neighbourhood planning provides the opportunity for communities to set out a positive vision for how they want their community to develop over the next 10, 15, 20 years in ways that meet identified local need and make sense for local people. They can put in place planning policies that will help deliver that vision or grant planning permission for the development they want to see.

If you’d like to get involved please contact the clerk on:

Phone: 01327 301570

Email: clerk@stavertonparish.com