June 2019 (Pdf)
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Steeple Issue No 87 Village News June 2019 Steeple’s Steeple For a village called “Steeple”, the church spire (or steeple) is a rather significant landmark. Some of the timber around Steeple’s belfry has deteriorated and this picture shows Church Architect Hilary Brightman doing a close up inspection. Profit raised from the Vintage Vehicle Gathering on Sunday 18th August will help fund necessary repairs. Page 1 Page 2 Parish Council Elections In our March issue, we encouraged readers to put up for election to Steeple Parish Council. In fact, only three nominations for the five vacancies were received by the due date, so there was no election and Kay Davey, Peter Marshall and Michael Pudney were ‘elected unopposed’. “Three out of five” is the minimum number for council decisions (known as a quorum) so the council can still function provided that none of the three is absent for any reason. Clearly not a satisfactory situation so it was decided at the Council’s May meeting to seek candidates who might be co-opted to fill one of the vacant positions. Any adult who lives, works or owns property in the Parish of Steeple is eligible. If you wish to be considered, please confirm your interest in writing to The Clerk to Steeple Parish Council, Julie Chandler, Jays, Maldon Road, Steeple, Southminster, CM0 7RT. Please give brief details of why you believe you can make a contribution to the Council, such as any prior experience of committee decision making and budgeting. You should confirm your availability for attending Council meetings, usually the fourth Wednesday evening of each month. In the event there are more than two valid applications, the three existing Council- lors will decide a selection process, with the objective of co-opting one or both of the new Councillors at the 24th July Council meeting. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 18th June. At the time of the April Parish Council meeting it was already known that John Partridge did not intend to seek re-election. John had been a Steeple councillor for longer than anyone could remember and was Chairman until quite recently. In earlier years, John mowed the Playing Field, greens and churchyards free-of-charge and represented Steeple at numerous outside events. His wit and wisdom were appreciated on many occasions. Councillors recorded their gratitude to John for his long and valuable service to our community. Page 3 Annual Parish Meeting and May Meeting of the Parish Council In May, the usual Parish Council meeting is preceded, at 7pm, by the Annual Parish Meeting which is an opportunity for all organisations in the parish to report a summary of their activities. This year we were pleased to receive reports from the Parochial Church Council, Coffee, Cakes and Company Wednesday club and the newly formed Community Group. The Aylett’s Charity representative reported on continuing efforts to close the redundant Santander account. At 7.30pm, the Parish Meeting was closed and the Parish Council Meeting opened. The first item was to elect a Chairman and Vice-chair from the three elected councillors. Peter Marshall agreed to serve as Chairman for one more year and Kay Davey became Vice-chair. As explained above, councillors then had to decide how to go about filling one or both of the vacancies. The Councillors were disappointed to learn that Ms Julie Chandler had decided to give up her position of Clerk to the Council and Responsible Financial Officer as she needs to provide more time for her business and studies. In her short tenure of this office, Julie has greatly improved the Council’s budgeting and budget control procedures and has piloted through the adoption of Standing Orders, a Code of Practice and an Expenses procedure, all of which were long overdue. Councillors expressed their thanks to Julie and wished her every success in her studies. As explained below, a procedure is in place to find Julie’s successor. Vacancy for Steeple Parish Council Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer Our clerk will be leaving us shortly, therefore the above position will become vacant in August. Applicants must have proven administration, organisational and basic financial management skills. Microsoft Word and Excel skills are vital. The Clerk is responsible for taking Minutes and arranging Agenda for the Parish Council monthly meeting, correspondence, finances and maintaining the website. Home based, 17 hours per month. Please contact: Ms Julie Chandler, The Clerk to Steeple Parish Council Jays, Maldon Road, Steeple, Southminster,CM0 7RT Email: [email protected] Applications will close on 14th June 2019 Page 4 Highway Issues In March we said that resurfacing of The Street eastwards from the Sun & Anchor was expected to start in April but, of course, it didn’t. Essex County Councils Highways quickly revised that date to the autumn. In one sense the postponement is fortunate because we still lack agreement on what work will be done in the vicinity of the traditional wooden cottages, particularly those towards the eastern end of The Street. For several years, Councillors have been concerned about reports from householders of structural deterioration due to dampness and pedestrian safety concerns relating to the very shallow kerbs. Both these are exacerbated by repeated resurfacing over several decades that has raised the surface of the carriageway. More recently, residents have been complaining about serious levels of vibration experienced every time a heavy vehicle passes, made worse by undulations in the surface, particularly around drain gratings. Steeple Council has long argued that the best solution would be to significantly lower the road surface, together with improved drainage facilities, in the critical area. We were totally ignored until the middle of last year when our District Councillors and County Councillors started to put pressure on the Highways department. The Highways engineers do now understand the issues and have initiated proper investigations. From their core sampling they have concluded that no lowering of the carriageway is feasible although Councillors and some residents dispute this. The engineers have conceded that more modern drainage facilities would carry away storm-water more quickly and could reduce the vibration issues but, to date, there’s no commitment to include these improvements in the autumn re-surfacing programme. Councillors will continue to push for a satisfactory outcome but are ever mindful of the risk of causing further delay. Three local residents recently met with MP John Whittingdale to seek his assistance in getting effective action to properly resolve these issues. He committed to bring this to the attention of the Essex County Council Chief Executive but cautioned that full solutions might not be achievable in the short term. Page 5 Tel: 01621 773933 Mobile: 07850 773933 E-mail:[email protected] Essex Police If you see anything suspicious do not hesitate to call 101 or, if you think it’s an emergency, dial 999. Maldon Police are based at: Maldon District Council Offices Princes Road, Maldon, CM9 5DL Open 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm Friday Or Chelmsford Police Station, New Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1NF Page 6 Meetings of Steeple Parish Council Meetings are normally held on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Committee Room of Steeple Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm. Wednesday 26th June Wednesday 17th July No meeting in August Wednesday 18th September The Council does not meet in August but any matters needing urgent attention are dealt with by direct communications between the Clerk and Councillors. Members of the public are welcome to attend meetings and can ask questions at the end of a meeting or when invited by the Chairman. Letters to the Parish Council should be sent to: The Clerk to Steeple Parish Council, Jays, Maldon Road, Steeple, Southminster, CM0 7RT The e-mail address is: [email protected] Council meeting agendas, minutes and certain other documents can be found at: www.essexinfo.net/steeple-parish-council Mobile Library The Mobile Library stops at the entrance to Garden Fields once every three weeks on a Thursday from 1.10 pm to 1.40 pm Future visit dates: 6th June 27th June 18th July 8th August 29th August Page 7 Page 8 DENGIE & DISTRICT U3A U3A is a group of retired and semi-retired people who meet to share activities, learning, knowledge and skills which include Art, Wine Appreciation, Computing, Local History, Psychology, Walking, Reading and Dancing. Further details are available on our website which can be found by entering Dengie U3A into most search engines. A monthly meeting for all members is held on the 2nd Monday of every month at Jack’s Centre, Burnham Road, Latchingdon at 2 pm. Entrance to these meetings is £2 for members, guests are free for the first visit. Details of forthcoming meetings are as follows: 10th June 2019 – Marriage - For Better or Worse – Toni Neobard For further information ring Roger Ware on 07989 188038 or email [email protected] Knightswood Day Care Centre - a place to find companionship, fun and laughter - The Knightswood Centre at Hall Road, Asheldham is managed by The Dengie Project Trust, a not-for-profit charity. It provides day care and respite services for adults through to elderly people in the CM0, CM3 and CM9 postcode areas who are finding life difficult, perhaps because of dementia, a stroke, Parkinsons or aging. At the Centre, people can enjoy mind and body stimulating activities or simply companionship. There’s also a Lend-a-hand Service to support people in their own homes. Day Care Centre Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm Closed on Sundays. Phone: 01621 772 272 or 01621 774 532 Special Events in June and July: Thursday 13th June and Tuesday 9th July – Coffee Mornings Meet the staff, see the facilities, chat with clients.