Woodhurst Parish Council

07/06/2026

📢 Parish Council Meeting – Wednesday 10th June

Come along and meet your new Parish Councillors at our next Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday 10th June at 7.30pm in the Community Space at the Church.

The venue will be open from 7.00pm, giving you the opportunity to have an informal chat with councillors and share your thoughts on village life.

🥤 Cold drinks will be available.

Whether you have a specific concern, a suggestion for the village, or simply want to get to know your new council, we’d be delighted to see you there.

Everyone is welcome.

03/06/2026

There are currently two vacancies on the Parish Council available for co-option.

Please contact the clerk ([email protected]) for details on how to apply.

06/05/2026

For those who missed the recent Annual Parish Meeting, here is my Chairman's Report

I normally open the Annual Report with comments regarding the stability of the Council, despite the odd resignation and co option each year, this year has been particularly stable but, with the election upon us and several councillors choosing not to stand again, I was concerned that we would not have a council going forward. I am therefore pleased to see that this is not the case and that we do have five councillors who will be installed at the Annual Meeting of the Council, and hopefully they will be able to co-opt further members.

Once again, the precept has risen slightly, but, as always, the Council will not make increases for the sake of it. However, we must remain responsive to rising costs. Our proportion of the council tax is minimal, and the Council will always try to use that money in a responsible way.

Turning to ongoing matters affecting residents, traffic and road safety continue to dominate Council discussions. While we are at the limit of what we may easily be able to do about speeding, the movement of HGV and farm vehicles through the village remains a concern.

I would like to thank Cllr Cannon for his ongoing dialogue with the police and traffic planners as we look to make the village a safer place. The initiatives regarding quiet lanes and other traffic calming solutions could have a significant effect on the village, and I will be watching these with great interest.

The Wheatsheaf junction remains very much on the radar, but there is still no news on when work will begin. As this matter is out of our control, we continue to look forward to the time when something is done about what has proved to be a dangerous junction.

We still have no official word on the Envar incinerator plans, but I am encouraged by reports that they are unlikely to proceed. They still have some time before that application expires, so we cannot yet say that the spectre of this development has fully gone away.

I would like to thank Charlotte Lowe, who has supported us as our District Councillor and now also as our County Councillor. I also thank my fellow councillors for their support and, of course, Sarah, our Clerk, who will be essential as a process guide for the council in the next few months.

Thanks are also extended to those members of the public who attend our meetings, and I hope that more do so in the future.

In last year’s report, I said that I would not be standing for re election as a councillor in this year’s election, and therefore this is my final Chairman’s Report. I have served on the Council for 18 years, during which time there are a number of achievements by the Council of which I am extremely proud.

• Adoption of the village phone box when it was due to be removed, followed by the later installation of a defibrillator
• Submission of numerous successful Local Highways Improvement (LHI) bids
o Purchase and installation of the speed indicator sign
o Installation of bollards to protect the bus stop
o Introduction of 40mph buffer zones on the approaches to the village
o Early adoption of a 20mph speed limit within the village
• Standing as a Council and community against the Envar Incinerator proposal contributing significantly to the refusal of the original application

I hope that the Council continues to build on these foundations while responding to the evolving needs of the village, and I wish the new councillors every success for the future.

In my time as a councillor, I have served under three Chairmen and alongside 25 different councillors, as well as four Clerks. According to my records, I have missed only four meetings during that time and have served as Chairman for the last seven years. I’ve even been temporary clerk on more than one occasion!

I never had any ambition to become a councillor, but in 2008 I was approached by a respected member of the village who suggested that I stand and kindly “offered” her support.

Consequently, if anyone has been unhappy with my time on the Council, they should take it up with Sally.

Finally, I offer special thanks on behalf of the Council and the village to Shirley Firth. As someone who has been both Parish Clerk and a Councillor, she has served this Council more than anyone. I hope that she will now take it easy – although I doubt it.

Andy Notman
Chairman
Woodhurst Parish Council

18/03/2026

1. Nomination papers must be delivered by hand to the Returning Officer, Pathfinder House, St Mary`s Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TN on any day from the date of this notice, on Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays) but no later than 4pm on Thursday, 9th April 2026.

2. Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Pathfinder House, St Mary`s Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TN, during the times stated above, or from Clerks to Town or Parish Councils.

3. If any election is contested the poll will take place on Thursday, 7th May 2026.

4. Applications to register to vote must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 12 midnight on Monday 20 April 2026. Applications can be made online: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

5. Applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes and amendments or cancellations of proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at Pathfinder House, St Mary`s Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TN by 5pm on Tuesday, 21st April 2026. You may apply online or download a form at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or contact the Electoral Registration Office direct.

6. Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate (free voter ID, or an Anonymous Elector's Document valid for this election), must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Tuesday, 28th April 2026. Applications can be made online: www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

7. New applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at Pathfinder House, St Mary`s Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TN by 5pm on Tuesday, 28th April 2026. You can find information and dependent upon your proxy type apply online at www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/voting-by-proxy

8. Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at Pathfinder House, St Mary`s Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TN by 5pm on Thursday, 7th May 2026.

Appointments to hand deliver nomination forms

Nomination papers can be delivered on any day between Monday 30 March 2026 and close at 4.00pm on Thursday 9 April 2026. This is a legal deadline and cannot be extended. Nomination papers must be delivered by hand to our offices in Pathfinder House, Huntingdon between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm each working day during this period (we will not accept nominations on Good Friday or Easter Monday which fall within the nomination period).

If you haven’t already done so, may I encourage you to make an appointment to submit a nomination paper and invite you to email [email protected]. I strongly recommend that you deliver your nomination early. Leaving it late may increase the risk of them being rejected. As we will be dealing with a large volume of nomination forms in a short period of time, only seven working days, it would help us if you could give some consideration to nominating one person to deliver all your nomination forms if possible.

As before, the Elections Team will be available for an informal check of your completed nomination papers prior to submission if required.

Nomination Forms for Prospective Candidates
Our website is up to date with full details of the election: Upcoming Elections May 2026 - Huntingdonshire District Council.

This page includes a link to the nomination paper on the Electoral Commission website to download. Please also find attached an annotated nomination form document that covers areas of common confusion or difficulty for you to refer to as you complete your nomination paper. Notes have been added to draw attention to areas where mistakes are often made, or where you are likely to have questions.

Elector Numbers
Each nomination paper will require a proposer and seconder and their elector numbers to be completed. All clerks have been sent the revised register of electors published on 1 December 2025 and any monthly updates thereafter to date. Therefore, if anyone requires their elector number, you will all be able to provide this information. The important thing to remember is that they need to confirm to you the elector name and address before supplying. Alternatively, anyone can contact the Elections Office by email [email protected] or telephone (01480) 388129.

Term of Office of existing Town and Parish Councillors
Irrespective of when your councillors were elected or co-opted, the term of office for all your Town or Parish Councillors will cease on 11 May 2026. Therefore, if any of your existing councillors wish to consider being re-elected, they will need to complete and submit a nomination paper.

Notice of Election
Please find attached a Notice of Election for display in your Town or Parish from Monday 30 March 2026. We will also be publishing a Notice of Election for the District Council election which will be available on our website here from this date. If you wish to print this additional Notice off and display in your Town or Parish, then this is perfectly permissible and most helpful.

Please do not hesitate to contact myself or my Team by emailing [email protected] or telephone (01480) 388129 if there are any other queries at this stage.

Lisa Jablonska (BA Hons, AEA Cert)

Elections and Democratic Services Manager
& Deputy Monitoring Officer
HDC

18/03/2026

All of you have recently had a leaflet from the Parish Council informing you of the process for standing for election as a councillor at the upcoming elections on 7th May, and further details will be posted on the Parish Council page today.

Currently, the council is at 6 members – a recent resignation does not have to be filled by co-option so close to the election - but crucially a further 4 councillors, including myself, are not planning to stand for re-election. We can have a maximum of 7 councillors but need at least 3 to be quorate (i.e. to legally be able to make decisions)

Ideally, we would have more than 7 nominations and an actual election would be held but this hasn’t happened for many years, and consequently a nomination to stand means you would generally be elected to the council by default.

If there were less than 7 nominations, but more than 3, then a council could be formed, and people could be co-opted if they decided that they would like to be a councillor after all.

However, if there were less than 3 councillors elected, the council would not have enough councillors to hold a meeting, and subsequently it is likely that HDC would run a “council” until such time as enough people were willing to form a council.

At a recent Parish Council meeting, we were asked why it would be a bad thing for HDC to run our council.

In the main, it wouldn’t matter that much to the big stuff; our litter bins would still get emptied; the bills would still get paid; the streetlights would stay on. The benches, bus shelter, phone box and other assets would still be insured for liability. So what’s the problem ?

Well, currently, you all pay Council Tax, and part of that – approximately £7,000 - comes to the council to spend in the village – mostly the things mentioned above, but crucially YOUR parish council gets to decide where to spend YOUR money.

In the past couple of years, we have bought new batteries for the speed sign; a new battery and pads for the defibrillator; renovated benches and contributed towards wildflower planting. The parish council also pays for various planters in the village to be filled each summer and we are currently in the elongated process of getting the streetlights inspected and replaced where necessary. We negotiate the contracts with the power company to keep the lights on; We choose our own insurance.

The Parish Council oversee planning applications in our village (and beyond) and understand how it may affect us on a day to day basis. Would HDC have had the passion to oppose the Envar development that the Parish Council had ?

Crucially, you know the people that are on the council, and if you don’t, you can come and talk to us at meetings.

If our council activities were taken on by HDC, who would you turn to when there’s a problem in the village ? Who is going to notice that the speed sign battery needs replacing ? Would we have to go cap in hand to HDC to get a new one, would we have to take the defibrillator out of service while we got approval from HDC to spend £100 on new pads?

HDC would have full control over our planning decisions with no input from a parish council made up of your neighbours. Our council is crucial when it comes to applying local knowledge to planning applications.

In short, if we don’t have a council, the village doesn’t have control over how and where YOUR MONEY is spent.

Being a councillor is not a full time job, it’s hardly even part-time. There are 10 meetings a year which are normally a maximum of 90 minutes. With a change of councillors and chairman, there will obviously be a learning curve, but those of us standing down will still be around to give help and advice (only if asked!) and the Clerk will guide the council processes.

This village needs a Parish Council, and you have the opportunity to make sure that happens. It’s not for everybody I know, but as a resident of this village, I would rather have people who live here making these decisions than someone at HDC.

Many thanks
Andy Notman
Chair
Woodhurst Parish Council

09/12/2025

Please note that the next Parish Council meeting is on 16th December and not tonight as previously advertised.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

10/11/2025

And here is what to do with your Christmas tree that you haven't bought yet !

10/11/2025

Christmas Waste collection changes - that's something ticked off your Christmas to-do list !

Also some info on the food waste collections that start in March.

14/10/2025

Please note that the Parish Council meeting scheduled for this evening has been postponed until Tuesday 21st October

Sorry for any inconvenience.

26/06/2025

A short film on using a defibrillator.

61% of people say they aren’t confident enough to use a defibrillator, yet early CPR and defibrillation can significantly increase survival rates. What man...