Romsley Parish Council

Welcome

Romsley is situated on the border of the West Midlands, close to Halesowen and the Black Country on one side and the beautiful Clent Hills on the other, and provides an attractive place to live with many opportunities and points of interest for visitors. The environment of the Parish is essentially rural and the preservation of this identity, and the green belt within it, is a priority of the Parish Council.

Local businesses include a Post Office, General Store, Hairdresser, Butcher and Florist.

There is an excellent Playing Field, maintained by the Parish Council, which boasts a full size football pitch, play equipment, basketball/netball net on a hard surface and skateboarding facilities.

The Scout Centre situated on the playing fields caters for Brownies, Guides, Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts and Venture Scouts, and the building can be hired from the Scout Group for other meetings and celebrations. Contact details are listed in the Parish magazine.

Local groups include Women's Institute, Kenelmstowe Ladies Club which, amongst other activities, produces a lively Christmas pantomime, History Society, Whist Drive and White Heather Club. Keep Fit and Martial Arts Classes are held by the British Aikido Federation in the Church Hall. This venue is also available for external bookings and, again, contact details are listed in the Parish magazine.

Hikers can enjoy miles of footpaths, regularly monitored by the Parish Council's Footpath Officer, in beautiful countryside and the area also has excellent livery and horse riding facilities, together with a discretely situated Caravan Park.

There are two public houses: The Manchester and The Swallows Nest.

Children attend St Kenelms Church of England School, which has an excellent reputation under the headship of Mrs. H. Gommersall, and then progress on to Hagley Schools.

St Kenelms Church dates back to the eleventh century, and became Romsley's parish church in 1841. The entrance is by way of a porch with stone seats on either side. In the stonework above, deep grooves can be seen on which the inhabitants of the now vanished village of Kenelmstowe are said to have sharpened their tools or arrow heads. Its east window, with representations of Christ, the Apostles and St Kenelm, was given by the famous Victorian statesman W E Gladstone as his contribution to the 1846 restoration.

Above all, Romsley is a beautiful and picturesque place with stunning views, where all visitors are welcomed.

Romsley Parish Council

Parish Councils are an elected tier of local government whose structure and functions are controlled by law. They are an essential part of local democracy, and have been granted powers to use the precept, which is the Council's share of the council tax, for the benefit of their Parish.

Romsley Parish Council, created under the Local Government Act 1894, is committed to representing the interests of the community and providing relevant and cost effective services. It strives to improve the quality of life of its parishioners and to enhance the local environment.

The following is a selection of the services provided by the Parish Council:

Playing Fields, St Kenelms Road
Play equipment, skateboarding facilities, football pitch and benches - all regularly inspected and maintained

Winwood Heath Allotment Site
Provision of 26 allotment plots for cultivation

Rights of Way
Appointment of a Footpath Officer to walk paths and assess requirements.

Tree Management
Appointment of a Tree Warden to monitor tree management

Planning
Notified of each planning application within the Parish to assess how it conforms to local planning guidance and its effect on the environment, and liases with the District Council to bring such matters to the attention of the Planning Committee.

Highways
Highlights highway problems by referral to the Highways Partnership, and lobbies on important issues such as traffic calming measures and speed restriction. A recent success has been the installation of a vehicle activated speed restriction sign in Dayhouse Bank.

Grants
Provision of grants to local bodies, e.g. Romsley Horticultural Show, WRVS Rural Rides.

Grass Verges
Spring bulbs are planted each year on the verges throughout the village and form a wonderful display to parishioners and visitors alike.

Environment
Provision of dog litter bins, and arranging their regular emptying, in an ongoing attempt to encourage a cleaner environment throughout the village.

Romsley Parish Council has 7 Councillors and usually meets on the second Monday of every month, except August, in St Kenelms Church of England First School, Bromsgrove Road, Romsley. A period of 15 minutes at each meeting is allocated to members of the public, who may use this time to raise any issues with the Council.

The Annual Parish Meeting is held on the second Monday in May, at which parish electors can meet and debate current issues in the community. Come along!

The Chairman is elected at the Annual General Meeting in May. Before taking part in this meeting, all Councillors are required to sign a formal declaration of acceptance of office and an agreement to abide by the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council.

Also, in the spirit of open government, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires that certain Council documents are available to the public. Details of this can be found in the Parish notice boards.

The following Councillors were elected to office in May 2003:

Mr I A Hodgetts Chairman
Mrs M A Bayfield Vice Chairman
Mrs A Cooper
Mr D Hancox
Mr J Price
Mr T Richards
Mrs J Tandy

Mr. D. Hancox is the elected District Council representative.
He can be contacted on 0121 453 3535

Mr. W. R. Moore is the elected County Council representative
He can be contacted on 01562 885704

Full contact details for all Councillors are available in the Parish Notice Boards.

The Clerk is Mrs. R. Mullett and can be contacted, between 9.00 a.m. - 5.00pm., at:

167 Bromsgrove Road
Hunnington
Halesowen
West Midlands
B62 OJU
Telephone: 01562 712050
email: ruth.mullett@btconnect.com

Parish Notice Boards are situated:

St Kenelm Buildings, St Kenelms Road

Outside Romsley School, Bromsgrove Road

Bus Shelter, Romsley Common, Bromsgrove Road

There is a new notice board in Bromsgrove Road sited in the layby adjacent to the Manchester Inn.

Minutes & Agendas