Job Role: Council Support Officer

Reports to: Clerk to the Council

Council: Stony Stratford Town Council

Start date: flexible

Working Hours: Part-time, 8 hours per week notionally Tuesday and Friday (office based/flexible)

Contract duration: New post, temporary six-month contract in the first instance until 30^th May 2022

Salary: Spot Salary based on the NJC Payscales: LC1 Substantive Point 8 – £10.65 per hour

 Stony Stratford Town Council is recognised as one of the most forward-thinking younger Councils in the country, delivering an expanding portfolio of services to the population that it serves.  Applications are invited for this exciting and varied new position created for the Councils additional activities. It might suit someone who is at College or University interested in a career within the Public Sector.

Summary: monitoring Town Council assets and contracts. Customer services.  Financial and Planning administration, Assisting with monthly and annual events.  Support for the Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk on large projects.  Supporting the Deputy Town Clerk in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Town Council. 

The successful candidate will have to need to demonstrate good practical, organisational and communication skills, be willing to work outside and some evenings plus undergo relevant training. 

A candidate pack (including the job description, person specification and application process) is available online here: https://www.stonystratford.gov.uk/news.

or from Stony Stratford Town Council, York House Centre, London Road, Stony Stratford MK11 1JQ (room 2.2). Tel: (01908) 566726 or email: office@stonystratford.gov.uk 

Closing date for applications is: 1 pm on Wednesday 8^th December 2021

Interviews are likely to be held in the week commencing Monday 13^th December 2021 during the daytime

‘We have been informed that Milton Keynes council is due to meet on 30^th November 2021 and make a decision on whether the Rowans Day Nursery on Fullers Slade should be transferred to the Acorn Early Years foundation (an external early years provider).  If approved, it is envisaged that the transfer will be implemented by 1^st April 2022.  Stony Stratford Town Council has written to MKC expressing its concern about the lack of consultation and the impact on working families. If you have any concerns about this impending decision, please contact School Organisation and Planning sufficiencyandaccess@milton-keynes.gov.uk ‘

Please make your thoughts known, as we know many of you use the nursery and this could have an impact on how it is run.

Our local Councillor has been sent a request with reference to planting a tree (or trees) as outlined below. We need your help to designate an area where a tree could be planted in our area. So let’s hear your ideas for where we could plant a tree in Galley Hill. Comment below.

Tree funding and the Queens Platinum Jubilee

Thanks to the support from a number of Parish and Town Councils Milton Keynes Council has secured funding from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authorities Treescape Fund to plant 400 trees in Milton Keynes.

The funding supports the Queen’s Green Canopy, a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” – The web site  contains lots of detail on how and where to plant trees and allows you to mark the tree on a canopy map of the UK.

We will be sourcing trees in three broad categories, small, medium, and large and can provide up to ten trees per Parish / Town Council. We cannot be specific regarding the exact species as stock and availability are subject to high demand. 

Along with the trees we will provide tree stakes, ties, and water bags to help the trees to establish. Hopefully a tree can be paired with a local resident or residents who can fill the watering bags, further guidance will be provided. 

The trees should be planted on public open space, either MKC or the Parish / Town Council land, the location of the planted trees will need to be supplied as it is a condition of the funding. To ensure the trees can reach their full potential they should be planted away from buildings, roads, lamp columns and other utilities.

A lot has been happening with our gardening club. We have been working with our little ones at school to plant a bed near the fence and make a sensory garden and maze. They’ve been hard at work helped by staff Lisa & Sue and GHGC member Sally 

GHGC members Peter & Genghis sorting out the front garden to make it a cottage garden and wildflower garden combined for our pollinators 

We’ve just started planting under the street signs with winter flowering plants and a lot of spring bulbs

The plan is to plant under all our street signs and could I please ask if anyone is happy to help plant and also maintain the planting in their court to let me know. Thank you to GHRA for funding this and supporting us and SSIB for their support and encouragement. 
Thank you 
Anu 

MK Council would like to get your feedback on a survey at https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/consultations/662

please fill it in to have your say.