Grendon Parish Council Annual Report Nov 2020 – June 2021
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Grendon Parish Council Annual Report Nov 2020 – June 2021 Annual Parish Forum Wednesday 30th June 2021 Grendon Village Hall & Via zoom Report from the council (Written by Cllr Martyn Smith unless stated otherwise). It doesn’t seem long since our last Parish Forum, which was delayed until November 2020 due to the pandemic, so this report just covers the last 7 to 8 months Some of the matters the Parish Council have dealt with since the last Forum are as follows: Playing field The play equipment has now fully been brought back into use following easing of restrictions. A new picnic table was installed in May which will hopefully be a useful addition. The Annual safety inspection is being carried out this month. Other Village facilities The Half Moon Public House and Grendon Hall have been regular topics of conversation at Parish Council meetings, and we hope to work with the new owners of both premises to protect their future. Members of the Parish Council were instrumental in setting up the Friends of the Half Moon group which successfully applied for an Asset of Community Value listing for the Pub. The Parish Council continues to support the Village Hopper Bus service, organised by Cogenhoe & Whiston Parish Council which has continued to provide a valuable transport link for some members of our community during the pandemic. Allotments - Cllr Herron The weather has been very mixed for the allotment holders over the Spring period but hopefully now their plots are starting to flourish. The overgrown hedge at the Southern boundary has now been cut back which means that ongoing maintenance at that end will be much easier and cost effective going forward. It has allowed us to rethink the plot layout at that Southern end and over the next few weeks a number of new plots will become available which is great as we have a growing waiting list of green fingered enthusiasts. The rent for each plot will remain at £35 per year for the next financial year. The Councillors are also in discussion with NNC with a view to submitting a planning application shortly in relation to burial space at the front section of the allotments which is much needed for the village as the Church burial space will very soon be at capacity. Speed signs – Cllr Howell The new solar powered speed sign was finally installed in February 2021 in its permanent position between the brook and Blackmile lane, many thanks to Nick Blacklee for sorting this out. One feature of this unit is that it records statistics of the number, frequency, and speed of cards as they pass the sign, you can see from the chart below that the majority of cars drive at or below the speed limit but there is a small minority who still drive much too fast for this section of the road. We will be monitoring this situation and will now have some hard facts if we wish to push for some traffic calming measures. The old speed sign is still in operation and is now being moved between its possible sites and having the battery changed by Steve Tilley, so our thanks go to him. Planning The Parish Council continue to be consulted on all planning applications in the village and each application is discussed in some detail before any comments are made. During the period, most applications considered have been for house extensions and alterations. There have also been planning applications for the Half Moon and Grendon Hall, both of which were withdrawn. There is we believe still a proposal for a solar farm to the North of the village, no planning application has yet been submitted for this, but a working party has been set up made up of residents of the village to formulate a response to this issue. Unitary authority Our County Councillor, Martin Griffiths attended our Parish Council meetings on a regular basis and kept us up to date with proposals for the new North Northamptonshire Unitary Authority which came into being in April. Our 3 new Councillors for the Unitary authority (Martin Griffiths, Tom Partridge-Underwood and Jon-Paul Carr) have taken it in turns to attend our last 3 meetings. Grants The Parish Council has a small budget available to make section 137 grants to village organisations who apply for funding. In the 2020/21 financial year we made grants to Grendon Sapphires and St Marys Church (for floodlighting). Litter pick We organised another successful litter pick in March. This year it took place over the course of a week which enabled more people to take part. Thank you to all 47 adults and 12 children who joined in. Finance – Cllr Herron The Parish continues to be in a very healthy financial position. The bank balances at the end of the financial year (31/3/21) stood at £30,269, slightly down from £32,117 the previous year. Included in these reserves is a Pathfinder grant that was obtained during the last financial year amounting to £3,000 that must be spent on an upcoming drainage project. In addition, there is an outstanding loan of £1,440 at 31/3/21 which is repayable to Salix Finance for street lighting expenditure. The accounts for the financial year 20/21 have been scrutinised by the external auditor without any issues raised, which is a credit to our Clerk who manages the finances of the Parish Council. The Councillors do acknowledge that the reserves continue to be at a high level but are taking a very cautious view on future expenditure given the current economic climate and any unplanned expenditure from the move to a Unitary Council. This ensures that the Parish has sufficient funds to allow for any one-off or emergency spending or any additional local service costs, such as weed killing/road sweeping with the move to unitary. The Councillors are also keen to improve many of the public amenities of the village and you may have seen the new fencing and seating area at the playing fields which was funded through our reserves. Any suggestions for other improvements around the village will be gratefully received and properly considered. The Councillors continue to be satisfied with the level of reserves held and the financial results for the 20/21 financial year. The end of year accounts for 2020/21 can be viewed in Appendix 1. A few words of thanks Thank you to Deborah for all the work she does for the village as Parish Clerk. Thank you also to my colleagues on the Parish Council, including those who stepped down from the Council in May (Chair Ian Denton, Vice-Chair Nick Blacklee and Sandra Bailey). At the elections in May the remaining 6 members of the Council stood for election and I am pleased that since then we have also been able to co-opt 2 new Councillors Katherine Crabtree and Jason Codner, leaving just one vacancy on the Council. Thanks also to our Flood Warden Tony Knuff and our Footpath Warden Trevor Higgs. Finally, thank you to everyone who does their bit for the village, including helping to run the various village organisations, supporting social and fund-raising events. A HUGE THANK YOU ALSO TO CLLR SMITH WHO STEPPED DOWN AS CHAIRMAN LAST YEAR BUT WHO CONTINUES TO SERVE ON THE COUNCIL. Meet our new parish councillors….. Councillor Katherine Crabtree- Our family moved to the village in 2018 and I was co-opted to the council in June this year. Being part of a village community was a key reason for moving and we had long admired Grendon. As a family we're very aware of the importance of active involvement in order to maintain groups and services. My husband and I are members of various organisations including a local Primary PTA, Wellingborough RUFC and the Friends of the Half Moon. I feel very lucky to live in a village like Grendon and joined the Parish Council to both support and help shape village amenities. Councillor Jason Codner - I moved to Grendon in 2017 with my wife, who works full time as a teacher and our three children who attend the village school. I was co-opted to the council in June this year (2021). I have worked for NHS teams in Blackpool, Yorkshire, Cambridge and London, before I returned to Northamptonshire where I was born. I still work for the NHS as Clinical Psychologist as well as running a small private psychology practice that assesses adults for neurodevelopmental conditions such ADHD and Autism. I really enjoy living in Grendon and it is exactly the type of community village we were looking to live in and have our family be a part of. I am looking forward to the chance as a Parish Councillor to help to preserve and enhance our environment and improve the quality of life for all who live in the Parish. My interest including spending time with family and friends, rugby, watching films and increasing the number of books I have read! From our unitary councillors As your newly elected Councillors we are now only just 7 weeks into the Council term of office. We have undertaken lots of training and introductory sessions, there has been a few meetings and we are all slowly getting use to how the new council works. We have already had a highways representative out to look at issues across the whole area with us. Going forward as a way to connect with all the villages in our Ward (this include of course Grendon, Irchester, Wollaston, Strixton, Bozeat, Easton Maudit, Irchester, Knuston and Little Irchester) we hope to organise for the Parish Councils that we represent some mini parish forum meetings so we can discuss ideas and issues with you all.