It appears that, just to confuse matters further, I stated that the write up last time was from the November rather than the December PC meeting. Congratulations to anyone who spotted that – I wish I could say it was deliberate!
Anyway, the following matters were definitely discussed at the Parish Council meeting in January:
Devolution
On 9th January Suffolk County Council agreed to recommend Suffolk for inclusion in the government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), which would see the creation of a directly elected single Mayor (likely covering Suffolk and Norfolk) and the replacement of existing council structures with streamlined unitary councils being set up. We do not yet know the effect of this on Parish Councils, but we are keeping up to date with all information as it appears.
Brookwood Manor Planning Application
We were really pleased to see that the application was refused to turn Brookwood Manor (this used to be a care home on the road from here to Lavenham) into a number of large houses – including some being built in the grounds. There were many concerns about this, not least being the access road and the lack of affordable housing. Also the poor quality of the environmental report which our biodiversity experts saw right through.
Precept for 25/26
After much careful consideration we agreed to raise the precept by 1.5% for the next financial year. However, (and bear with me here!) the amount you pay will be slightly less than last year due to the fact that more people will be actually paying Council Tax next year.
General and Earmarked Reserves
Every Council is advised to carry reserves to cover repair and replacement of their assets as well as to cover contingencies. We have also earmarked reserves to cover either partially or fully the items on our Action Plan as it would not be possible to pay for these out of our precept. These reserves are added to by any surplus in the precept at the end of the year as well as by new housing in the village (CIL money).
Grass Cutting Contractor
Our current grass cutting contract is coming to an end and, after considering tenders from three firms, we have chosen a much more local contractor who we believe will be able to act more quickly should we need extra cuts.
Donations and Grants
Each year the Parish Council sets aside a certain amount of money to donate to causes that directly benefit residents in the village. Rather than a first come first served basis next year we will be having two donation windows (February and September) where anyone interested can fill out a form for consideration. The form can be found under the Donations and Grants Policy on the website under Parish Council and Policies and Procedures.
Replacement for the Community Wardens
Unfortunately, changes to the Service Level Agreement for the Community Wardens means that they no longer offer a suitable service for us. There is currently a tender on the website for Parish Support Services; we will be looking at options for a replacement.
EV Chargers
The EV Chargers are not working at the moment while we wait for the electrical set up to be upgraded.
Additional AED Defibrillator
The new defibrillator at the junction of Bantocks Road and Folly Road is now up and just needs to be activated. We are hugely grateful to Mr. Smith who put in the concrete base for us and to Chris at Autoinnovations who provided us with a sign. Both offered their services free of charge.
Pavilion.
We have asked our solicitor to follow up with Suffolk County Council to confirm access to our building. We feel we need this before we can proceed any further with ideas for renovation and usage of this building.
Annual Parish Meeting and Meet and Greet
Last year we introduced a new format for our Annual Parish Meeting and we will be doing the same this year. It will be held on Saturday 5th April at 6 pm in the Village Hall. We will be inviting all the groups in the village to have a stall from 3.30 so that you have the chance to come along and see what’s going on in Great Waldingfield and maybe join something new!
Monthly Meet a Councillor
This month a Councillor will be available between 10.30 and 11.30 am in the Village Hall at the Coffee Morning on Wednesday 12th March and in the Committee Room at the side of the Village Hall between 6.30 and 7.30 pm on the same day. Do come along if you have something you’d like to discuss with the Parish Council.
If you have anything you wish either to bring to the Council’s attention or for the Council to consider at the next meeting (Monday 10th March), please email Mark Freeman on parishclerk.gwpc@greatwaldingfield.uk or phone on 07922 336386. Alternatively the Clerk is at the village hall every morning between 9-11.30 apart from Wednesday.
Many thanks Clare Kiely, Chair of the Parish Council
