Thornhaugh
PARISH COUNCIL
At the final meeting of the 2009/10 parish council, chaired by lan Tresadern, one parishioner was present.
The telephone and coinbox have been removed from Meadow Lane kiosk by British Telecom and conversion for community use can now go ahead. A suggestion for a book and CD exchange which has proved popular in several villages in the country is being considered and other ideas will be welcome. Signage promised by the Highways Agency has been installed on the A1 approaches to the village, but the chairman expressed concern that the close proximity of a sloping metal barrier on the verge of the central reservation on the A1 northbound carriageway was potentially dangerous and could result in a serious accident. An inspection was carried out by a senior engineer from the Highways Agency, but no action was taken.
Road safety signs positioned at Russell Hill at either side of Meadow Lane junction warning of children playing have been ordered by Peterborough City Council, but not yet delivered. Two responses were received following the vacancy announcement for a clerk to succeed Hubert Warren, who will be retiring in June, and applicants were subsequently interviewed by the chairman and vice-chairman.
Contract details are being formulated prior to the official announcement of the appointment after which she will work with the present clerk until the end of June.
The financial statement at year ended March 31, and the necessary procedures for submission of the accounts for the annual external audit were reviewed and approved.
No parish council election was necessary on May 6, as five nominations had been received. Nominees Liam Higgins, Ian Molesworth, William Rogers, Brian Watts and Martin Witherington will therefore comprise the parish council for 2010/2011.
Following renewed complaints about frequent flooding of Meadow Lane after heavy rainfall the drains were cleared, but further investigation revealed other more serious problems which needed special treatment and more extensive operations have since been carried out which it is hoped will prevent further trouble.
Stamford
PHOENIX CLUB - The Phoenix Club will meet at the Garden House Hotel, Stamford on Thursday May 27, at 7.30pm. Annie Hall will speak on Homeopathy - Might it be of use to You? New members and visitors welcome. For further details contact Mary Hoyes on 01780 762375.
Little Bytham
TABLE TOP SALE
What a great success. Everyone said how nice the village hall looked, due in no small part to Judith Stafford and all her hard work in making beautiful colourful bunting. The village hall committee worked tirelessly all day manning stalls and serving refreshments, what a credit they are to Little Bytham.
The village hall committee would like to thank everyone who supported the event in whatever way. The sum of £285 was raised for the village hall restoration fund, and more than £300 was taken in advance orders for the Glenside Villages tea towel. The tea towels will be available within the next two or three weeks and are proving extremely popular. If you would like to place an advanced order so that you don’t miss out on the chance of buying one, please ring any village hall committee member, their telephone numbers are on the noticeboard, in the village hall window and in each edition of the Glenside news. The tea towels are £4 each and depict scenes of villages around Little Bytham.
The next event in the village hall is the model railway exhibition on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13. This not to be missed exhibition is open 10am - 4pm each day. Adults £1.50, children 50p under fives go free. There will be ample free parking in a nearby field. Refreshments will be available in the village hall on Saturday, and at the fete at the Old Rectory on Sunday.
Baston
PARISH COUNCIL
The annual general meeting and council meeting took place on May 13, at the Barn, Baston. Present: Councillors G Baxter, S Bunce, L Colbourn, W Harbage, E Mort (chairman), S Saunders, J Savage, S Watson, County Councillor M Trollope-Bellew, District Councillor A Moore, the clerk Ms R Woolley and five members of the public.
Eileen Mort was elected chairman and Graham Baxter vice-chairman. Simon Watson was elected representative for Brudenell Playing Fields (BPFMC) and Simon Watson and Matthew Lee for B-Active group. Councillors Mrs S Bunce, Mrs L Colbourn and Mrs E Mort were elected for the planning group.
Steve Hawkins, vice-chairman of Baston School Governors, gave his report saying the school now had 171 enrolled and had received a good Ofsted report gaining outstanding features, especially in personal development and health.
Coun Mort in the chairman’s remarks said that following a valuation of Townlands it was hoped that this would enable a decision to be made on the way forward with Hansons.
James Affleck was co-opted to the parish council to fill the one remaining vacancy.
The clerk in her update reported that Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership had been unable to help with the portable speed signs. Coun Bunce informed the meeting that the police panel had requested an archer to be placed along Main Street, date to be confirmed. After some debate on dog fouling it was decided that the clerk would contact South Kesteven District Council to ask for new signs and request a patrol from the dog warden.
Conditional planning approval had been given for demolishing an existing single-storey extension and erecting a two storey rear extension and front porch at 12 Main Street. Also approval for planning changes to 2 Toad Hall, Atter’s Courtyard and garage extension to incorporate an office at 12 Cardyke Drive. An apology had been received from the district council for not advising the parish council about the planning application for 12 Main Street and they confirmed that their procedures had been changed so this could not happen again.
The district council has written to thank everyone for their comments about the suggested sites for development. Planning officers have now started to assess suitability looking at access, flood risk and biodiversity issues etc. and will produce a short list of potential sites against which the need and desirability for new development in each settlement will be considered. There will be further consultation in July to also include a number of additional sites suggested to the council from the last consultation.
Smithsgore had submitted their valuation of Townlands but this could not be disclosed without their permission. It was agreed to accept the revised offer from Hansons.
The parish council approved a donation of £1,200 for BPFMC towards their annual expenses of the village hall and playing fields. A cheque for £400 is being sent to Baston School towards swimming costs. It was also agreed to proceed with the repair of the parish council noticeboard and ask the original carpenter to do this work.
Residents were concerned about the late mowing of grass between Appian Way and Fosse Close and there are similar problems elsewhere in the village. The clerk will obtain the programme for grass cutting and details will be given in the Agenda Newsletter to be issued late June/July. The police panel are looking for more volunteers and you do not need to be a member of the parish council. The next parish council meeting takes place on June 10, at the Barn at 8pm.
Corby Glen and Swayfield
WI
Twelve members rose to the challenge of bringing memories of their weddings to the meeting at Swayfield Village Hall on May 6. Photos, albums and two identical dresses were on show for all to admire. This was the fun part of the evening before the serious business of voting on the resolution for national AGM this year, which is on the mandatory labelling of meat and fish with country of origin. Colsterworth WI will kindly take the yes vote to the AGM.
The other business was put forward by president Angela Chambers, who also thanked Val Bent and Val Hinsley for serving refreshments. Swayfield Hall has been booked again for June, as the church rooms may not be ready,
The July meeting will be at Gill and Tim Harwood’s garden.
Deeping
LUNCHEON CLUB
Deepings Luncheon Club held their last meeting of the season on Thursday, May 13, at the Baskervilles.
Chairman Anne Winstone, reported that it had been a successful year, numbers of members had doubled from the previous year and feedback from members had been good, as had the after lunch speakers.
The chairman thanked the Baskervilles staff for all their help and attention to the club. After the AGM members enjoyed another excellent lunch, followed by a talk from Rod Sloane on the amalgamation of Age Concern and Help the Aged - now to be known as Age UK. The first lunch of the new season will be on Thursday October 14.
Further information regarding membership can be obtained from Mrs Vicki Parkinson on 01778 343625.
PRIORY CHURCH COFFEE GROUP
ON Thursday May 13, the church coffee group held their spring coffee morning at Priory Church Hall, raising £191.80. Thanks go to those who supported the event and also helped during the morning.
Those attending were treated to home-made biscuits with a choice of tea or coffee. There was a cake and plant stall and also raffle. Treasurer Margaret Flegg, distributed monies raised from the previous years events towards the hall refurbishment, lighting of the church spire and Deeping St James Cubs.
Gretton
CONCERT
The firey flamenco footwork of dancer Ana Garcia will feature at a concert by The TG Collective at Gretton Village Hall, tonight at 7.30pm. The band plays a combination of flamenco, jazz and hot club with contemporary influences. Tickets £8; concessions £7 from Gretton Post Office or Andy Butterworth at the box office on 01536 770302. Proceeds to the ongoing village hall refurbishment and improvements fund.
WI
At the May WI meeting the speaker, introduced by Margaret Curtis, was Marion Camplin. She is a member of the Salvation Army and spoke about a boy who she had fostered, then adopted. He was severely handicapped, but a great delight and lived until the age of 45, a lot older than he was expected to survive. There were many amusing anecdotes about him and he was obviously dearly loved. Mrs Camplin said how she believed that her faith, as well as her family and friends, held the answer to the way she had coped with many problems. Sheila Macadam gave the vote of thanks.
After refreshments the general business was addressed, making arrangements to go to the Hatton Arms for the June party, a possible evening of petanque with Uppingham WI, and the forthcoming trip to Highgrove. Also there is a bus going to the Christmas show at Thursford on December 1. If anyone else would like to participate on the trip £26 will be required, being half the cost, and they should contact Vera Edwards on 01536 770460. Birthday flowers were presented to Jessie Taylor and Eileen Kane.
ROB RETURNS
By popular demand Rob Clark will be making a second presentation of Understanding the Global Conspiracy (Do You Believe What Your TV Tells You?) a non-religious and non-political presentation featuring startling information that everyone should be aware of, in Gretton Village Hall on Tuesday May 25, at 7.45pm
100 CLUB
The Cricket 100 Club drew two numbers, 73 Melanie Milligan and 24 Vic Clark each winning £25.
GOOD TRIP
The recent coach trip organised by Jessie Wheatley was enjoyed by 26 participants. On the return journey they stopped at the Old Friar at Twywell for a meal and were entertained by songs from Keith Wheatley and Maureen Skelham.
CHURCH SERVICES
St James Church, Sunday, Holy Communion at 10.30am; Baptist Chapel, Morning Service at 10.45am; Evening Service at 6pm.
Northborough
PARISH COUNCIL
Northborough Parish Council met at the school on April 14. Present were: Couns C Cavanagh, J Dadge, R Lord, R Robinson, T Sharp, M Sleet, L Steen, R Tindall (chairman) and one member of the public.
New parish councillor, Coun J Dadge was welcomed to the meeting and he signed the declaration of office. Coun Steen declared a personal interest in the matter for Clare Road and took part in the discussion.
Allotments - Coun Lord said that a working group has prepared a schedule of items that the parish council would have to consider and action when a piece of land is identified. He has approached several possible people without success. It was agreed that it may be necessary to look at a joint village approach to finding a piece of land.
Clare Road - The railing has now been put up, and Coun Lord will approach Peterborough City Council while in the new financial year to find some funds to carry out the work as originally proposed. A meeting will take place between him and Coun Steen to discuss a further suggestion for dealing with the problem.
Dog fouling - PCC have been contacted regarding standard signs around the playing field area in respect of banning dog fouling. A notice will be placed on the noticeboards to draw people’s attention to the problem. Unless the situation improves arrangements will be made to ban dogs from the playing field. Regarding the problem of golf balls an area is to be identified for providing a golf area with netting.
Handyman - A person has been appointed.
Finance - Coun Tindall said he had been approached regarding the increase in the precept for 2010 - 2011. The clerk said the increase was due to the inclusion of a payment towards residents costs for closing the footpath at the rear of Clare Road and adjoining Church View and will also fund work under the Village Enhancement programme.
He said there had been an error on the part of Peterborough City Council for the amount charged on the rate demand for 2009-2010, which resulted in a slightly lower charge being made during that year and has the effect when using the correct figures for 2010-2011 to slightly increase the percentage, although the amount to be paid is correct.
Community facilities - A programme of work to the old pond is to be prepared. Some work is required at the cemetery and will be carried out by the handyman.
Planning - Peterborough site allocation DPD incorporates the eight responses submitted by the parish council. Coun Dadge will draft a letter to continue the support and retention of items in the final version of the document.
Village Hall - Acre has informed the management committee that they consider the recent meeting was not correct and that people would be co-opted until their AGM in October 2010.
Planning - Fell one palm tree, 5 Church Street - no comment.
Nine Bridges safety work - Coun Tindall said an objection to the scheme was registered with Peterborough City Council as soon as the parish council was informed that the work was due to start. The PC had received no notification that work was being considered. It is understood that work, in addition to replacing fencing, includes repair to the undercroft. It is also understood that work was driven by an adjoining parish council, although the area is not in their parish. Some residents are making an approach to have the area listed and included in the conservation area.
A letter of complaint has been sent to the chief executive of PCC on the non-consultation and a response is awaited.
Enhancement Programme - Coun Lord has identified pieces of furniture from the McDonalds Restaurant and these will become available at the beginning of September 2010.
Paradise Lane - It was reported the handrail at Paradise Lane has been stolen and PCC have been asked for a replacement.
Grant application - An application has been received from the Village Hall Management Committee for a grant towards the cost of installing a CCTV system. It was agreed to hold the application in abeyance until such time as the management committee has a full committee membership.
Peakirk
MAY FETE - Peakirk May Fete takes place on Sunday on the village green from 1pm - 5pm. A traditional feast of activities for every age group to enjoy. There will be many stalls and competitions, plus afternoon teas and cakes in the marquee. Go along and enjoy the fun.
Ryhall
DARBY AND JOAN CLUB - Dorothy Dolby was tea hostess for the last meeting. Anne Harrison reported on the Rose open meeting at Oakham that she had attended, when Robin Orr from Wiltshire Foods gave a catering demonstration. Chris Rawden, Rutland Adult Learning spoke of lifelong learning opportunities. Kevin Brooks gave a brief overview of the access to services project and its work. Bingo was called by Betty Edwards when winners were Val Garnett and Bill Field. The next meeting will be an outing to Wymondham Windmill by car. Cars leave the flats at 1.30pm on May 25.
ONE MAN SHOW - Mervyn Stutter, star of BBC radio and the Edinburgh Fringe, is bringing his brilliant one-man show to Ryhall Village Hall, on Sunday at 7.30pm. Mervyn is an actor, scriptwriter, comedian and songwriter. He wrote and starred in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Getting Nowhere Fast and Love 40 – New Balls Please on Radio 2. This year will be his 24th consecutive year of performing on the Edinburgh Fringe. He is a founder member of the 80s hit group The Flying Pickets and critics praise him for having wit and humour in abundance. We are very lucky to have him appearing in Ryhall. Tickets are only £7 (£6 concessions) and are available from Anne on Stamford 754621. There is a bar and light refreshments. Please come along for a fun night out, you will not be disappointed.
GALA DAY – The annual gala is on Sunday September 12 between 1pm and 5pm and organisers are looking for volunteers.This year’s funds will go towards play equipment.
Laxton
FARM WALK - On Saturday a large number of villagers and friends had a farm walk around Home Farm Laxton to see how farming and conservation can work together. Following the walk they enjoyed a roast pork supper back at the farmyard. The profit from the supper was for the village hall funds. Home Farm will be holding farm walks during the year and anyone can organise a group to visit the farm, there is no charge. Contact Elizabeth on 07754182501. The next events for the village hall fund will be held on the weekend of July 17 and 18, when there will be a barbecue and craft fair on June 18. For information about the craft fair contact Christine on 01780 444204.
Bulwick
PARISH COUNCIL
The annual public meeting of Bulwick Parish Council was held on Thursday April 15, at Bulwick Village Centre. Councillors Roger Glithero, Russell Toseland and Enid Goodman plus the parish clerk Lisa McCrudden plus three members of the public attended. PC Tony Greening also attended the meeting. Prior to the proceedings with the agenda, the election of the council was held. Nominations for the positions of chair andvice-chair were sought by the parish clerk, Roger Glithero was nominated chairman and Russell Toseland vice-chairman.
Discussions on matters on the agenda included the future of the telephone kiosk, no action is to be taken until further contact from BT. It was agreed that the litter pick arranged by Jayne Nimmo was successful, and Jayne has volunteered to CPRE as the official litter pick warden for the next two years. Volunteers to action ongoing litter clearance can pledge their support to Jayne. Other business included the state of overhanging branches from trees in and around the village, road signs and street cleaning all these matters to be raised with the relevant authorities. A member of the public attending the meeting raised the issue of speeding traffic and the requirement for the additional speeding signs and the re-positioning of the existing signs was discussed. The parish clerk will contact the community liaison officer at Northamptonshire County Council to follow up on the previous discussion relating to this matter. PC Tony Greening is to action the use of the speed cameras and ad hoc monitoring of traffic to deter speeding traffic. He also recommended that a letter/petition is submitted to request speeding notices. PC Greening also advised of the recent doorstep crime incidents in the local area. He brought leaflets for distribution to warn residents of such incidents; advice was given not to open doors to strangers and to keep all doors locked to deter any opportunist criminals. He also requested that villagers should be aware of the rise in fuel theft, and to report any suspicious activity to the police on 03000 111222. The proposed dates for future meetings was agreed for Thursday July 8, at 7pm and Thursday October 7, 7 pm.
FETE
Preparations for the fete for Sunday June 13, from 2pm are well under way. Thrapston Town Band, cream teas, new to you clothes plus many stalls and attractions are being organised, plus a companion dog show. Further details can be obtained on 01780 450300. All proceeds for church funds.
TUG OF WAR COMPETITION
The Tug of War competition takes place tomorrow, Saturday May 22, from 6pm in the field next to the parish church. Entrance to the field will be £1 for adults, children no charge. After the competition a ‘chilli con carne Supper’ or vegetarian option will be served in the village centre.
All proceeds are for Christian Aid.
EVENING OF MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT
Meganine Choir have offered to perform An Evening of Musical Entertainment at St Nicholas Church on Friday July 16, at 7.30 pm. There will be light refreshments and a raffle, all proceeds for church funds. Further details on 01780 450300.
CHURCH SERVICES
Sunday, 10am Morning Prayer, Pentecost Service.Sunday May 30, 11:30am Holy Communion, Trinity Sunday Service at Holy Trinity Church Blatherwycke.
Stamford
EXETER TOWNSWOMEN’S GUILD
Fifty two members and three visitors attended the guild meeting held at St Augustines Church Hall on Tuesday May 11. The main item was an informative and interesting talk by Tristy Pateman, from Chattertons, about wills and lasting powers of attorney. The vote of thanks was given by Renee Burt.
Brenda Taylor brought a card, that she and her husband had received from the queen, on the occasion of their diamond wedding anniversary. As so many members have been busy knitting squares to be made into blankets, Audrey Dorkes brought a photograph of an unusual way of using knitted squares. A garden shed being covered in them. This is part of an exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum.
After the break members voted for the charity for 2010/2011. Six nominations were put forward. Willoughby School in Bourne was chosen. The first fundraising event, a red, white and blue sales table, raised £67 for the charity.
Mrs Langley, from the federation at Peterborough, attended the meeting and took the blankets that members had knitted, and encouraged them to carry on knitting.
New members always welcome. The next meeting will be June 8, at 7.30pm, at St Augustine’s Church hall when Lisa Pallet will talk about the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Carlby
WI
Carlby and District WI met on May 11, at Carlby Village Hall. Jennifer Gralka welcomed seven visitors to the meeting.
Janet Blacoe, Audrey Duerden, Ann Woolley, Monica Smithers and Sue Blessett were thanked for organising flowers, teas and raffle. The new style programme for 2010/2011 was issued with grateful thanks to Sarah Cardew who oragnised it.
Heather Shead reported that the May Day Gala on May 1, was a great success and well supported. She thanked all members who contributed by providing cakes, served and washed up. The day raised £539.89 for the Carlby Playing Field charity.
Nine members attended the spring council meeting and Judie Pope gave a report. Judie encouraged members to go next year, as the occasion never disappoints.
The president read details of fun Scrabble at Rippingale WI on Friday June 9, at 2pm, £6.75; Watercolour painting day, Friday June 11, at Gosberton £16; short mat bowls evening at Rauceby on Wednesday June 30, 7pm.
Members were encouraged to enter the WI triathlon undertaking swimming, cycling or walking. A form needs to be completed and a proof photograph provided and signed by the chairman.
A letter was read out from Margaret Hawkins for the tokens given in appreciation of her work as secretary over a number of years.
A 90th birthday card was sent to Ethel Wickson, a previous member for many years.
Margaret Hawkins read the resolution for this year’s AGM. It urges HM Government to introduce clear and mandatory country of origin labelling on all meat, poultry and fish products sold in this country, A vote was taken and the resolution was overwhelmingly supported.
The Braceborough guided walk will be on Sunday July 25, at 2.30pm. Tea will be provided by the WI and the cost will be £5. It is open to anyone but numbers are restricted.
Yorkshire Tea tokens can be passed to Margaret Hawkins who will send them off. She has sent 280 tokens this year. They aid advisors in the Amazon rainforest to fight off developers and keep the land for the people to continue to act as guardians of the rainforest.
Birthday cards were given to Bridget Everitt, Monica Smithers and Bridget Hempstead.
Sarah Cardew has agreed to remain as representative on the Village Hall Committee.
A concert by Rapport follows a musical flower arranging workshop by Martin Whitfield 2pm - 4pm at the church. Tickets from Judie Pope and Pauline Crampin.
Sue Blessett gave details of ghost walks at Stamford led by Martin Tempest on Friday May 21, at 9pm. Speaker for the evening was Graham Leusby who gave an insight on how to look after orchids. He said they just need a little TLC and gave advice on their upkeep. The vote of thanks was given by Janet Blacoe.
Competition winners were Bridget Everitt, Monica Smithers and Sue Blessett. Raffle winners: Rosie Nelson, Bridget Hempstead, Jane Naylor, Margaret Hawkins
The next meeting will be June 8, with a hand-on-craft session with Ann Walters and friends, 7.30pm prompt start. There is a charge of 50p for each craft done. .
RAPPORT IN CONCERT
Artistes Fernley Copping and Amanda Thomson will present a programme of ‘Songs from the Shows’ at St Stephen’s Church at 7.30pm on Saturday June 26. All welcome. Tickets will be available from Judie Pope 590200 or Pauline Crampin. Price £10, children £5 to include one glass of wine or soft drink ,plus delicious home made canapés.
Wittering
PARISH COUNCIL
For the Local Government Election on May 6, the following eight members of the 2009/2010 parish council were nominated and elected unopposed, Samantha Cooper, Geoffrey Dunkley, Simon Hurn, Dierdre McCumiskey, Roger Paull, Philip Portess, Richard Roffe and Jon Warters.
At the inaugural meeting on May 10, Richard Roffe was re-elected chairman and Philip Portess vice-chairman with Hubert Warren continuing as clerk. Certificates of acceptance of office will be circulated for signature at the next meeting on Monday June 21.
PC Colin Everett reported a 21 per cent decrease in all recorded crime in Wittering for the period January to April, 2010, with a total of 19 compared to 24 during the first quarter of 2009.
Only three of the 12 recorded categories (criminal damage, theft and theft from vehicles) showed slight increases. Burglaries, anti-social behaviour, theft of vehicles/motor cycles and drug offences were the same as last year and attempted burglaries, vehicle/motor cycle interference, assault/disorder, domestic violence and sexual offences all showed decreases.
A recent outbreak of vandalism involving deliberate scratching of cars at Hillside Gardens was reported to PC Everett.
The chairman reported that progress had been made on the sports and leisure centre project since the last council meeting with frequent site visits made by the architect and co-ordinating safety management consultant.
Security fencing and 6ft wide footpaths for wheelchair access will be installed at a later stage and completion of the centre is planned for the beginning of the football season in September with temporary safety fencing where necessary and full completion by the end of the year.
Following discussion at the last meeting at which the chairman reported that as the condition of the bowls club pavilion had continued to deteriorate during the year and had become increasingly unusable, it was now urgently necessary to replace it with a more permanent structure than the existing wooden one. Preliminary enquiries regarding design and estimated costs for a new building of about a third of the existing size on the present site were proposed and application for planning permission will be made as soon as possible.
Wg Cdr Roger Simon reported that he was being moved to a new command at Wittering and introduced Wg Cdr Paul McClurg as his successor as RAF representative on the parish council. Coun Sam Cooper reported that the large puddle at the entrance to the children’s play area was still causing problems in wet weather.
The next meetings will be the annual meeting of parishioners in the parish hall at 7pm on Monday June 21, followed immediately by the second meeting of the parish council.
Collyweston
SPEED - The longer summer days mean lots of garden birds, the litter warden wearing shorts as he tidies up the grass verges every week, and without fail even more traffic coasting through our village, much of it at silly speeds putting all our lives in danger. One way to persuade drivers to respect the 30mph speed limits on the A43, The Drove and Back Lane, is to monitor the traffic speeds and note down the details of vehicles going too fast. Teams of police-trained local people do this work each year, just for an hour at a time, and it really makes a difference. A training session has been arranged for July 31, just before Collyweston’s next turn to have the Community Speedwatch kit in August. To find out more, or to book a place on the training session, please contact Werner Schulze on 01780 444069.
Empingham
PARISH COUNCIL
Empingham Parish Council’s AGM, and the Annual Parish Meeting, were held in the Audit Hall on May 12. Public attendance at both the council AGM and the annual parish meeting was disappointing, which represents a challenge for the council, particularly for next year’s meetings, but also for the other meetings that occur throughout the year.
Eileen Ray and David Bamford were re-elected to the respective positions of chairman and vice-chairman. Minutes of the last council meeting and the latest financial statement were approved. On-going matters were discussed, including the renovation of the Millennium sign and arrangements for safety checks of the playing field and its equipment. Current planning applications were responded to and improvements to the Whitwell Road cemetery mooted, including the reserving of an area for cremation burials.
The allotment working group has reached the stage where it has formally asked the council to proceed with a compulsory lease of local land. The implications of this request were considered too complex and too significant for the council to make any decisions without consulting the community-at-large. Accordingly an emergency meeting will be convened to discuss the request, to take place on June 9, 7pm in Audit Hall, to be confirmed. Further information will be posted on the council website and noticeboard, and a leaflet circulated to all homes.
The next council meeting will be July 14 at Audit Hall.
The minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of May 2009 were approved. Mr
Brown, of Rutland County Council took questions from the meeting about traffic concerns in the village. The congestion caused by the cars parking on Main Street near the surgery was discussed. All proposals for controlling traffic will be subject to approval at county level, and almost certainly will require formal regulation. All approved work for this year (county-wide) has been scheduled and any new proposals will have to wait until the next financial round. Future work is likely to be very restricted by the state of the national economy.
Peter Baker reported to the meeting on the progress of the renovations of the War Memorial, a process that was started in mid-2008.
He described the reasoning behind the choice of fitting Welsh-slate panels, which will be inscribed with the names which are badly eroded on the existing stone. He was given the council’s authority to proceed with the agreed repairs, which will cost approximately £1,500.
The chairman, Eileen Ray, gave her annual report to the meeting, in which she referred to the Village Appraisal published in 2000. She was pleased to observe that most of the recommendations made then have now been achieved. For the future, the council is intending to improve its contact with all residents, its web site currently under development being a step in that direction, and to create a parish plan for the next few years. Everyone is invited to propose their own ideas about what such a plan should include.
The meeting’s views were sought on the purchase/preservation of the red telephone kiosk on Audit Hall Road.
The sentiment of the meeting was that the council should adopt and maintain the kiosk. What use it might be put to, and whether or not it should be moved to another location, were also discussed.
Ways of reducing the council’s energy costs was discussed. Switching street lights off after midnight, the fitting of different lamp bulbs and timer devices, were mooted as options. It was thought best to await the results of trials being carried out by other councils.
