-Welcome to the Hoxne Parish Council Website

Hoxne, like many Suffolk villages, continues to be badly affected by adverse weather.  Suffolk County Council (lead local flood authority) has useful information on its website: Flood Recovery information for Suffolk - Suffolk County Council. 

Households affected by flooding can apply for £500, while businesses can claim £2,500, to help with initial recovery costs. District councils are responsible for distributing the grants, and have been working closely on this with our neighbouring districts and Suffolk County Council, the lead local flood authority.

Mid Suffolk District Council are in the process of contacting all residents and businesses who registered a flood on the Suffolk County Council reporting tool. This is so they can process the grants and Council Tax discount (100% relief for three months minimum, and 100% on temporary accommodation if displaced).

Businesses are also being contacted and going through a similar process, although those that were not internally flooded but still affected will need to provide some additional information about the level of impact, eligibility and evidence being stipulated by DBT.

It is stressed that residents and businesses impacted do NOT need to take any action - Mid Suffolk District Council will contact them. But if you haven't reported your flood on the SCC reporting tool, you still need to – with further details on how to do that available here. The deadline for them to do this is the end of December. Contacting everyone affected as quickly as we can is clearly a priority for our councils.

Suffolk County Council is gearing up to administer the considerable additional work associated with the DEFRA Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme, which offers up to £5,000 towards a range of resilience works to residents and organisations meeting the scheme criteria. Working closely with the Environment Agency, they are also grappling with an unprecedented volume of Section 19 Flood Investigations to complete, which will take some time.

Click in this link for further information about Flood Risk Management in Suffolk 

Click on this link to the Riparian ownership guide 2019 (responsibilities for managing ditches and other watercourses):

Your Parish Councillors are - Chris Parkin (Chairman), Caroline Abbott, Paul Ellis (Vice Chairman), Alan Garnham, Angus Herron, Richard Kruszewski and Bryn Lerwill.  Councillors' Registers of Interests are available on the Mid Suffolk District Council website - www.midsuffolk.gov.uk. 

Hoxne Community General Stores Ltd (a Registered Society) is seeking builders/contractors to tender for the renovation, refurbishment and building works that will be necessary to separate the residential parts of the building from the retail (general stores and Post Office) premises as well as carry out essential repairs to the fabric of the building. Please download the package of documents comprising a schedule of works and basic drawings by clicking this link. To register your interest in the project please email hoxnevolunteer@gmail.com and you will be provided with further details of how to submit your tender. 

There are vacancies on the Parish Council. Please step forward to champion your local community. Further details of the role of a parish councillor can be found in the Good Councillor Guide. The Parish Council meets once a month of the first Thursday of the month and outside of the monthly meeting, the role can involve as little or as much as you would like.

HOXNE NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Mid Suffolk District Council have published its Reg’ 18 Decision Statement on the Hoxne NP.  A copy can be found on our Hoxne NP webpage (see here).

Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.  Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), helping local groups, managing open spaces and campaigning for better services and facilities. It is true to say that on their own, parish councils have limited powers to make decisions and many issues which affect rural villages such as speeding and traffic volumes, HGV movements, waste collection and recycling and anti social behaviour are the responsibility of the County Council and District Council. 

To report Highways issues please visit:

https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/highway-maintenance/report-a-highways-issue/

To report waste collection issues please visit:

https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/waste-services/everything-else-in-waste/bin-collection-advice/

The Parish Council minutes are available to view on this website. If you would like to view minutes from earlier than published on this site please contact the Parish Council and these will be supplied to you. Agendas for forthcoming meetings can also be found on this page. If you would like further details of any planning application listed on the agenda, please visit www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/planning. 

The Parish Council warmly welcomes events to take place on Low Street Green. Please refer to the hire agreement under statutory documents section of the website. The council's privacy statement is also displayed under statutory information.

The next Parish Council meeting is:Thursday 7 December 2023 at St Edmund's Hall, Hoxne. 

To contact the Parish Clerk either use the email link below or telephone 07554 733621.