Winstred Hundred Parish Council
ANNUAL REPORT 2009/2010
Personnel
We are sorry to lose Kevin Bradshaw, Robert Davidson, Frances Fergus, and Sam Knill Jones as Parish Councillors. We thank them for their contributions and hope they will continue to support us from within the community. We welcome Charles Dymond as a new Parish Councillor and John Walker as a returning one. We also welcome Terry Sutton as the new Pyefleet, and therefore Peldon, Borough Councillor. At the time of writing we have vacancies for one Councillor in Virley and one in Salcott.
Archie Moore also retired as one of the Council’s invaluable independent workers this year and maintenance of the Moss Haye playground has been taken over by Barry Gooding.
The Council also welcomes PC Melanie Wilson as our new Birch and Layer Neighbourhood Specialist Police Officer.
Thanks
We extend our thanks to all the people who support and help the Parish Council in its work, including our Clerk, the Borough Councillors, Steve Copeland and all those members of the public who help us with specialist knowledge and through their comments, complaints and occasional praise keep us in touch with our communities.
Finances
The accounts to 31st March 2010 are attached. At the time of publication they have been internally audited but we await final confirmation from our external auditors. Our policy is to hold funds in hand approximately equal to one year’s precept. This year we are slightly below that amount but decided not to request an increase in the precept.
The Council achieved a considerable reduction in its insurance premium by contracting to deal with Zurich via Suffolk Acre rather than with Zurich directly and by committing to a five year period.
Communications
The Parish Council e-mail service now has some 80 users and the website www.winstred100.org was finally launched during the year. It is being further developed and populated with material all the time. A ‘Gold Edition’ of the Peldon and Wigboroughs Parish News, containing the Annual Report, was sponsored by the Parish Council and distributed to every house in the Parish, including houses in Salcott and Virley.
Village Design Statement
Preparation of the Village Design Statement is funded by the Parish Council and is led by Nicky Ellis. At the outset we were perplexed by how long it had taken other groups to produce such documents. Faced with a high questionnaire return and a small group of volunteers we now understand. Work continues but more slowly than we would like.
Planning
During the year most of the Parish Councillors attended some excellent planning training organised by Colchester Borough Council. We have also agreed a new process for agreeing responses to be made by the Parish Council to local planning applications. The process gives the weight of the decision to the relevant ward Councillors but allows other Councillors to review and comment so that the whole Council can comfortably accept cabinet responsibility for the official reply. The Council has reviewed and commented on nearly 30 local planning applications.
Flooding
Once again flooding, particularly in Salcott and Virley, has been a persistent concern throughout the year. Parish and Borough Councillors and members of the public have all tried to help with specific problems but it has become clear that a major review of all aspects of the problem across the whole area, involving representatives from all the agencies having any involvement in water management and drainage, is required. We await the scheduling of such a meeting which is likely to take place during the summer.
A Water Awareness Session held at Salcott Village Hall and delivered by the Borough Council’s Emergency Planning Team underlined the dangers in still and moving water and advised about modern products which can be purchased and used in place of the more traditional sandbags.
The Council has also purchased and installed new lifebelts at key points in Salcott and Virley.
Works at Moss Haye
The Council has used grant money to relay the path and clear the adjoining ditches and to undertake major replacement and refurbishment of the playground equipment. We also commissioned British Trust for Conservation Volunteers to cut back some of the encroaching shrubs and bushes around the central area and to remove rubbish. We were pleased to show the results of this activity to the Mayor at the Peldon May Festival and hope that residents young and old will respect the investments made by keeping the area clear of dog mess and dissuading people from using the field for inappropriate activities. We hope to replace the basketball square and provide better drainage arrangements for the play area during the coming year.
The Wigboroughs Village Hall
The Trustees of the old Village Hall in School Lane have all died and the Parish Council agreed with the Charity Commissioners that it would undertake the organisation of getting the Trust re-established on a proper footing. Eight people have expressed an interest in being involved and will meet for the first time in June 2010.
Other activities
- Parish and Borough Councillors have pressed hard, and will continue to do so, to get potholes filled and road surfaces repaired.
- Councillors have continued to attend meetings of the Essex Wildlife Trust, the Abberton Reservoir Liaison Committee and the Colchester Association of Local Councils. The Clerk has regularly attended the Clerks’ Forum.
- The Clerk, Chairman and Vice Chairman have undergone computer training designed to improve their knowledge of managing storage and archiving of files and data.
- The Council has invited bids for the purchase of the BT red telephone box currently situated in Maldon Road, Great Wigborough.
- The Council has committed to undertake an Affordable Housing Needs Survey in the parish in partnership with the Rural Community Council of Essex.
- Regular local and independent inspections of the play areas in Salcott and Peldon have continued.
- Grass cutting of public areas continues to be paid for from the precept.
(Click next for Financial reports)
