Looe Town Council Precept 2023-2024

As you may know, the Precept is the Town Council’s share of what residents pay in Council Tax.  The Precept is the main income of the Town Council scan apply for other funding such as grant and funding awards, but they do not receive funds direct from central government, as principal authorities do.

We request a precept each year from our billing authority, Cornwall Council, which collects your Council Tax tax and pays the relevant portion to us as well as to other public services. You can see how much you pay as a Precept on your Council Tax bill – the amount you pay depends on the size of your home.

How much is it? Looe Town Council have asked for a precept of £461,590 this year, compared to £441,390 in 2022/23. This is a 5% increase which is needed to pay for the increased costs in running our services compared to last year. Councillors have worked hard with our Financial Officer to keep this below the level of inflation (currently more than 10%)

In monetary terms, the increase to our Precept equates to less than £10 per household per year if you live in a band A to D home, which most Looe residents do. 

What is it spent on? We manage and run a range of services for the Town, including:

Looe Library and Community Hub – Looe library was devolved to us when Cornwall Council were planning to close this facility in Looe. As well as library services, the Hub offers children’s activities, community groups, IT training and book deliveries. We also provide recycling bags, sell seagull sacks and have wheelchairs to rent out on behalf of local charities.

Tourist Information – Visit Looe is the official destination marketing website for the town and is affiliated with Visit Cornwall. We provide trouist information from the Library and from our ‘pop-up’ information sites.  Visit Looe is free for any business in Looe to join and the Council actively works with members to encourage collaboration, develop year-round interests, attract a range of different visitors, and to develop the visitor economy for our businesses.

Public Toilets – Looe Town Council manage 5 public toilet sites in the town which would otherwise be unavailable (The Millpool, Guildhall, Seafront, West Looe and Hannafore). More than 1/3rd of the Precept is spent on running and maintaining these. Councillors took the difficult decision to introduce entry charges at the Millpool toilets last year so that some of the servicing costs could be met by all those using the facilities rather than wholly by residents through their Council Tax.

Public Assets – Although the Town Council does not own many property assets in Looe, we do manage the Surgery Car Park (maintaining free parking for patients); Fishermen and Mariners’ Garden; memorial benches around the town; salt bins for public paths and highways; certain bus shelters; and, of course, the library site at the Millpool.

Public Services – Cornwall Council is our Local Authority with responsibility for things like social care, highways, rubbish collection and plannind decisions. The Town Council has responsibility for specific and more local issues such as CCTV in public areas around Looe; providing allotments (through Looe Allotment Society); planning consultations and the Looe Neighbourhood Development Plan; traffic regulation orders; and accessing public funding for the town.

Events – As a Town Council, we are expected to run certain civic events such as the annual Town Meeting and an act of Remembrance. We also organise the lantern-making workshops and annual Lantern Procession in Looe to coincide with the switch-on of Christmas lights. Lots of other town organisations come together to plan and run the usual calendar of events in Looe and the Council support these to varying degrees: from providing out-of-hours toilets to match-funding elements of event costs.

All Council meetings open to the public so if you would like to ask any questions of Councillors, please join us. Details of meetings are always posted on noticeboards around the town and listed on our website at 

love to ukraine

Aid for Ukraine – Can You Help?

Thank you everyone who has brought in items for Lions Club of Looe’s trip to Poland next week to deliver aid for Ukraine.

We really need to fill the Lions minibus with goods to make the most of their trip so, if you’ve not already donated, you can still help by contributing something for their cargo.  If you can make a donation, big or small, please drop your items at Looe Library by this Saturday (4th March).  There are particular items that are in shortage in Ukraine, so please check that anything you would like to give is on the attached list before dropping it off as we’re not able to store things that can’t be taken to Poland this time. If you’d like to donate but aren’t sure what to give, they are particularly short of nappies and paracetamol at the moment.

The Lions’ trip is part of an ongoing project to take supplies from Devon and Cornwall to Ukraine organised by a local charity sendinglovetoukraine.org

 

 

Refuge 4 Pets

Short Term Foster Care for Pets.

Do you need short term foster care for your pet whilst in a domestic abuse situation?  or do you have space in your home and heart to foster a dog or cat? 

Refuge 4 Pets is a not for profit organisation that offer the facility of a foster service for your pets for anyone experiencing domestic abuse.  Refuge 4 pets offer to provide everything that the animals may need and cover the cost of any treatment.

If there is someone who needs their service, or can offer a good home as a foster carer to these pets then please call them on 0300 4000 121.

or email at : info@refuge4pets.org.uk

 

Information about our non-profit organisation can be found on Instagram their website:

Refuge4Pets | Helping people and animals escape domestic abuse

www.refuge4pets.org.uk or on their Facebook page.

Looe Library Home Delivery Service

Looe Library Home Delivery Service

Cute hedgehog

Free Hedgehog Highways Door Available at the Library.

What is a Hedgehog Highway?

A Hedgehog Highway is a 5 inch gap in a fence or wall allowing access for Hedgehogs. Other names include ‘Hedgehog Door’, ‘Hedgehog Hole’ and ‘Hedgehog Tunnel’ come and get your free door at the Library.

These gaps are essential in the battle to prevent the extinction of our endangered spiky friends.

The Hedgehog Highway allows hedgehogs to:

* Forage for food

* Meet mates to breed

* Access nesting sites

Why should I get a Hedgehog Highway Surround?

1. Hedgehog Highway Signs look super cute!

2.  They raise awareness to hedgehogs’ struggle for survival

3. They create a talking point, encouraging others to create a highway of their own and take part in the project.

4. They can be an educational project for children at home or in a school.

The UK’s Biggest Hedgehog Highway!

Highways EVERYWHERE!

The dream is to have Hedgehogs R Us Hedgehog Highway Surrounds available to buy in every village, town and city in the whole of the UK, but to do this help is needed from each and every one of you!

Imagine if the whole of the UK was one giant Hedgehog Highway!

Feel free to email hedgehogsrus@mail.com if you need anymore information!

Put out food and water!

A Hedgehog friendly garden should generate a lot bugs for Hedgehogs to eat, but they still really benefit from extra food on top of their natural diet. Offer meaty cat/dog food and/or kitten biscuits every evening. Ensure hedgehogs always have access to a shallow dish of water.

Hedgehogs will not run away from the sound of a strimmer. Check ALL areas before strimming and move hedgehogs to a safe place (wearing gloves). Moving a family is more complicated and you should contact your local rescue for advice and support.

Create a wild area!

One of the main reasons for the decline in the Hedgehog population is believed to be a loss of habitat. A Hedgehog friendly garden requires plants, weeds and wildflowers! Let them go mad in one or more areas of your garden! Plant some hedges and create log piles to encourage bugs for the hedgehogs to eat and a place for the hedgehogs to sleep. Compost heaps are great too! You could put a Hedgehogs R Us Hedgehog House in the wildlife area too for even more protection.

Keep your garden rubbish and netting free!

Due to all of their spines, hedgehogs are prone to getting tangled. If someone asks you ‘How can I help Hedgehogs?, tell them to make sure all waste is disposed of correctly to prevent Hedgehogs getting stuck. Where possible, replace netting with a rigid structure. Sports and garden netting should be tied up or put away when not in use. If this is not possible, check it each morning to ensure nothing got stuck in the night.  A Hedgehog friendly garden should have no rubbish or netting. If you find a tangled hedgehog, take it straight to your local rescue.

Looe Library and Community Hub Activities

Looe Library and Community Hub Activities and opening times.

ROAD CLOSURE

Closure Order – West Looe Hill, West Looe

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.14: Temporary Prohibition of Traffic

Location:         West Looe Hill, West Looe

Timing:            9th March 2023 (09:30 to 15:30 hours)

Contact:          Sunbelt Rentals for BT Openreach – Tel: 0370 0500 792, Email: surveys@sunbeltrentals.co.uk

The above closure has been approved.   Please click the following link to view a map and associated documents:

https://one.network/?tm=132387752

ROAD CLOSURE

Closure Order – Shutta Road, East Looe

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.14: Temporary Prohibition of Traffic

Location:         Shutta Road, East Looe

Timing:            6th March 2023 to 4th August 2023 (24 hours)

Contact:          Joel Harman at Cormac Solutions Ltd – Tel: 0300 1234 222

The above closure has been approved.   Please click the following link to view a map and associated documents:

https://one.network/?tm=132387581

Looe Coastguard Flats.

Three Seas (a registered charity) are proposing to buy and refurbish the 11 Looe Coastguard Flats for secure rental to local people.  The flats would be modernised to a high standard and let with a genuinely low monthly rent.

This has successfully been achieved with current team members, buying and refurbishing 3 Coastguard Cottages in Cawsand. 

These homes are now occupied by young local people, all living and working in the community they grew up in. The same team is now working with the support of Looe Parish Council, Cornwall Council and other local groups.  

We would like to make contact with you to gain your support and possibly engage you in events or even fundraising.  The support we receive will be key to the success of the project.

Your involvement can be as little as stating your support in a survey on social media or our website www.threeseas.org.uk 

The survey will also be available to you at the Looe Parish Council Office. A dedicated locked post box is situated at the entrance of the Parish Council and Looe Library building for your use.  We would like to reach 2000 completed support surveys, please help us make that target.

Lent & Easter Services 2023

There are various Lent and Easter services available in the Benefices of Looe and Morval with Duloe and Herodsfoot.