Great Chishill - Businesses & Organisations - Village Organisations - Parish Council

Present - Parish Councillors J. Murgatroyd (in the Chair) Brearley, Gardiner, Hatt, Scott and Wahlich, County Cllr. McCraith, Dist.Cllr. Guest, P.C.S.O’s Lee Nutbeam and Emma Garwood, Martin Johnson (Fowlmere School), 49 parishioners and the Clerk (Mrs. C. Buckland.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr. Lyster, Mrs. J. Crouch and Mrs. E. Murrell.

Confirmation of Minutes.
The Minutes of the meeting held on 23^rd May 2006 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.
The Chairman welcomed all those present and was pleased to see such a good attendance from village people. He reminded those present that there would be a meeting of the Village Hall Committee immediately following the Annual Parish Meeting, and he urged people to stay for that meeting as the Committee put in a lot of effort to keep the village hall running smoothly for the convenience of all parishioners – I know they would appreciate it.
Chairman’s Report.
During the year we held 9 Parish Council meeting. For the benefit of any newcomers, all agendas are posted on the notice board (at The Crossroads) and Minutes on the notice board in the village hall. All residents are welcome to attend our meetings.
Regarding the precept, as usual we had lengthy discussions about the expected expenditure for the coming year and, taking into account the presentations given by the Playing Field Assn., the Village Hall Committee and the Children’s Playground Committee, it was agreed to set the precept for 2007/8 at £19,800 – an increase of 10%. Incidentally, that works out at approximately 10-11p per week. As I mentioned last year, there is a lack of volunteers to organise money-raising events and generally run our facilities. ROSPA has to be satisfied that the playground equipment is in good order, and that is not cheap. The Parish Council continues to make substantial contributions to both the V.H. and the P.F.A. We also have to make increasing allowances for allocated and unallocated reserves. It seems we are now expected to keep a minimum reserve equivalent to running the P.C. for one year Reg Buckland who acts as our voluntary financial controller, estimates it to be about £14,000. Clearly we cannot be expected to build up that amount immediately. In any case we have never been officially informed that this is the case. Reg attended a financial course run by Cambridge Assn. of Local Councils and this is now their advice. In view of this we have set up a high interest account ..
Other matters to receive our attention this year is the Rabbit Sanctuary to the rear of Wallers Close – the scale of which we were unaware of until comparatively recently. Clearly the residents of Wallers Close are concerned about this and, in conjunction with Mr. Derek Collings, who owns the land involved, the Planning Office of South Cambs. Dist. Council have been consulted and Mr. Collings will be submitting a planning application.
Regarding the village lock-up, which is a listed building, and which is in need of renovation, we have currently allocated the sum of £2500 maximum for carrying out the work.
We have been informed by our solicitors, Messrs. Adams Harrison of Saffron Walden, that it is time to apply for "First Registration of Title" to our land at H.M. Land Registry, which is likely to cost about £400.
Regarding Hall Lane parking, although a distinct improvement has been carried out by the Highways Dept. of Cambs County Council, it has not been extended to reach the footpath. We will continue to pursue the matter. Our persistence regarding maintenance of the Windmill by the County Council has paid off at last.
As you will appreciate, the Parish Council has been very concerned about the state of the church wall, although it does not come under our jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Mrs. Crouch and Mrs. Murrell, Wardens of St. Swithun’s, are unable to be here tonight to give us an update. However, we understand that work is due to start shortly.
It is hoped that a Youth Club will be starting up soon with the help of Mrs. Jo.Shickell, Mrs. Ruth Diblee and other volunteers. As you may know, for several years Loraine and Peter Brand have been our representatives on the Parish Path Partnership and have done an excellent job in improving the footpaths throughout the village. They would like suggestions for the use of £500 being held by the Parish Council. Our thanks are due to them.
ROSPA, which arranges for a safety inspection of the playground equipment have advised us that the rocking horse (which is mostly used by the very young children) is in a dangerous condition. It has been removed by Peter Wiseman and Don Leitch, and is now residing in Peter’s barn. Dan has agreed to repair and paint it. We are indebted to them both. ROSPA has also drawn our attention to other problems which they consider dangerous, which will be dealt with.
Finally, the thanks of all of us are due to all our volunteers who do many things to keep the village life running smoothly. In no particular order:- John Crawley (winding church clock); Alan Parkes (flowerbed at the Cross); Jeff Gill (internal auditor), Reg Buckland (producing our accounts) Simon Coxall (for keeping the playing field in such excellent condition) my fellow Councillors and Cynthia Buckland (our Clerk). The work carried out by Tim Scott (with the help of Sarah) regarding the Village Plan requires our special thanks. All in all, I feel this is a village which we should all be proud to live in.
Financial Report.
The Clerk reported on the income and expenditure for the past year and said the completed accounts were available for inspection at her home.
Report by County Cllr. David McCraith
Mr. McCraith reported that the County Council has had to cope with many more initiatives from Government, although often needed did not always come with money to fund them, so the County remains the fastest growing in the Country in terms of population, but with below average funding from Government, which has forced the Council to make further cuts in some services and increase the council tax by the minimum of 5%. Cllr.McCraith said he was there to help residents of both villages in any way he can. The government sponsored concessionary fare scheme has now been transformed and includes bordering towns, such as Royston. This year the County Council won an award for being the most efficient recycling County in the Country. A state of the art waste management centre will now be built at Waterbeach. The guided bus scheme is also starting life and will, it is hoped, make a big difference to traffic in Cambridge. I hope the Count Council is giving the residents of Gt. & Lt. Chishill a satisfactory service and I look forward to another year working with your Parish Council.
Report by District Councillor – Mrs. Janice Guest.
Mrs. Guest said that in view of recent criticisms made by the CGI report, improvements are being made at South Cambs. Dist.Council, especially with regard to the Call Centre and response time. Mrs. Guest is a member of the Planning Committee as well as Conservation and the Members Training Committee. With regard to the affordable housing development in Great Chishill, the allocation of these home is covered by the 106 Agreement. Mrs. Guest said that she, together with your Parish Council will endeavour to see that the allocations are fair and just. She has done her best to follow up matters on behalf of residents, and will continue to do so. I am pleased to represent the Chishills at the District Council.
Report by Representatives of Fowlmere School – Mr. Martin Johnson.
Mr. Johnson was pleased to report that the school continues to grow annually – the roll in May 2007 was 103. The Governors have been very pleased with the continual educational successes of the children over the past year. The school seeks to provide a curriculum which encourages all children to achieve their full potential, as well as meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum. A wide range of other activities takes place i.e. educational visits, clubs, sports coaching and musical activities. Many of these activities are only possible thanks to the hard work of all the staff and a dedicated group of volunteer helpers who bring their expertise to the school. Children have regular contact with local businesses and the special link continues with the 339^th Fighter Group Association in the United States. The Governors thank all involved with the school for their hard work and dedication which make Fowlmere School such a special place.
Report on Village Charities (Mrs. C. Buckland).
Mrs. Buckland was pleased to say that just before Christmas the sum of £20 each was given to six elderly people in the village and was always appreciated.
Election of Representatives of the Playing Field.
The Chairman invited Mr. Steve Saunders to give his report. Mr. Saunders said that the problem of raising money to keep and maintain the constant renewal of equipment was the main difficulty. The playing field was well used and thanks to Simon Coxall it was kept in very good order. Fund-raising was hard work and the P.F.A. were always looking for new volunteers to come forward and help. Mr. Saunders then asked for the re-election of Messrs. Saunders, Plumb, Wright, Drury, Coxall, Gill and Levy. This was carried unanimously.
Affordable Housing.
The Chairman was pleased to say that work was well underway on this project in Heydon Road, and it was hoped to be completed by October.
Village Plan – Cllr. Tim Scott to report.
Mr. Scott reported on the initial success of this Scheme, in which a great deal of interest was shown. A Youth Committee had been formed and a very detailed report of the plans they had in mind for the young people of the village was read by Mrs. R. Diblee to the meeting. A major problem mentioned by the majority of those completing the questionnaire was speeding through the village, in spite of the many 30 mph road signs. It remained a priority and several village residents were prepared to come forward with suggestions on how best to resolve this problem. Cllr. Scott said a regular Newsletter would be circulated throughout the two villages, keeping residents up-to-date with the progress of the Village Plan.
The Chairman thanked Cllr. Scott for his initiative and the effort he had put in to getting the Village Plan up and running, and hoped that village residents would make a contribution to keeping the Plan alive and successful.
Any Other Business.
The Chairman invited Mrs. Sarah Scott to give a report on the Children’s Playground. She mentioned that the team was headed by Mrs. Annabel Rudd and supported by Louise Liscombe, Jo Wood , Karen Rosen, Liz Halliday and herself. As with all amenities, the playground does cost money to keep it maintained to its consistently high and safe standard. We appreciate the continued support of the Parish Council as well as the P.F.A. who keep the ground tidy for us. We hold several fund-raising events and are planning an Auction of Promises in October. Those who use the playground might like to join our group of volunteers or, indeed, make a donation towards its up-keep.
The Chairman thanked Mrs. Scott for her report and there is no doubt that the children’s playground is very popular with young children – he knows this from personal experience.