At its meeting on 6th December 2021 Forsbrook Parish Councillors unanimously voted to apply to the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Community for a loan through Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for £100,000. The interest charged on this amount will be 4.5% at a cost of approximately £7500 per year.

The purpose of the loan is to provide finance to a partnership between Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Aspire Housing, This partnership project will safeguard and provide extra parking within the area of the former Police Houses along with 10 new accommodation units for the over 55’s. The Parish Council will also have the footprint for a new community hub which we intend to pursue grant funding for in the near future.

It is hoped that this will bring focus to the centre of Blythe Bridge and the community hub will be utilised by community groups on a free of charge basis.

The Parish Council has been mindful over the past 10 years that the precept has remained low for a Parish of our size, this project will have an impact on the amount of money that the Parish requests via the precept from SMDC. The precept will rise for Forsbrook Parish in the year 2022. This is inevitable if we want to safeguard and invest in the economic  future for the centre of Blythe Bridge. The Parish Council is currently looking at a precept rise from £50,000 to between £100,000 and £125,000.

It is the Parish Councils intention to keep the rise to the minimum amount required to run the Parish amenities (cemetery, recreation ground, football changing rooms etc) and safeguard Blythe Bridge centre.

Any comments or questions can be sent to the Clerk at :-

clerk@forsbrookparishcouncil.org.uk or 07919 911938