News from Parish Council
Monday, 07 February 2011
News from Parish Council - February 2011
PlaygroundWe are very pleased to announce that our bid for funding from Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN - the landfill trust) has been successful and they have decided, subject to contract, to allocate to the parish council a grant of up to £27,434 to Sunningwell Parish Council for the refurbishment of the playground. In addition to this, local fundraising has raised over £1,000 after a very successful gig and a quiz night just before Christmas, which is a huge amount after just two events. The parish council has already allocated £10,000 plus 1% of the grant amount to this project.
The playground committee would like to thank all those people who gave their time to support this project and all those who attended the events, donated prizes and provided venues. Without the local support the funding bid could not have been successful as this was a key requirement of the grant.
The next step will be to implement the project by using the ideas and designs voted for by those who attended the consultation event last summer. A contractor will be appointed in the next couple of months and work is hoped to start later on this year at the end of the cricket season. If you have any questions or comments please contact the parish clerk on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Glebe/Village Green
Together with representatives of the PCC, SPADE and the local conservation group the council is looking into ways of managing the Glebe field. The basic aim will be to bring it into use for sporting and recreational purposes, whilst maintaining as far as possible its natural characteristics and wildlife. The group would welcome views from anyone who would be interested in participating in this exciting project to rescue the Glebe from its current neglected state.
Flood Alleviation Scheme
We have been advised by the Vale of White Horse District Council that work on the scheme to reduce the flow of water from the quarry basin into the stream during times of heavy rainfall is due to start in the first week of February. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the risk of flooding of properties downstream from the quarry. Contractors should be on site when this issue is published.
Flood Emergency Plan
The flood alleviation scheme will not guarantee that properties will never be flooded. The increasing frequency of extremes in the weather patterns affecting the UK and the rest of the world means that the alleviation scheme at the quarry needs to be supplemented by other measures. These have been addressed by the recently formed Sunningwell Community Flood Group, chaired by Bob Nichol. This group has taken over from the PC flood group formed in 2002.
The group has prepared a draft flood emergency plan for the parish. Basically the plan provides for the urgent dissemination of information and warnings about pending flooding events, and establishes a store of materials and equipment that would be available immediately to affected residents in such emergencies. The parish council has already made a grant of £985 to the group to enable it to implement key aspects of the plan. Copies of the plan when it has been finalised will be widely circulated in the parish. We are most grateful to Bob and the other members of the Community Flood Group for all their efforts in producing the plan.
Former Warnborough College Site
We have been informed that the owners of this site have received planning permission to build four individually designed detached family homes on this site. The parish council considered the plans at its meeting in June last year, and received a presentation by the applicants. The council had objected to plans submitted in 2009 for the development of the site by the owners of the Beaumont Nursing Home, but on this occasion Councillors took the view that the proposed development of a small number of luxury family homes was appropriate for this site and commented accordingly.
The planning consent is subject to many conditions including visibility splays, tree protection and landscaping; details of these can be found on the Vale of White Horse DC’s planning website under reference SUN/2963/15.
Royal Wedding 29 April 2011
Councillors agreed in principle to promote a village event to celebrate the forthcoming royal wedding. The event would be organised jointly by local organisations and could be on the Glebe or cricket ground. The council will be very happy to hear from anyone who has ideas as to the form that the event could take, or who would like to join the organising committee. We would also like to invite owners of gazebos to offer to create a gazebo village for use during the celebrations.
Precept
At its January meeting the council approved the budget for the year ending 31 March 2012. The council also resolved to maintain the annual precept at £16,565, the same level as in 2010/11. Although the Government has determined that there should be no increase in council tax in the forthcoming year this does not apply to parish councils; however councillors took the view that in the present financial circumstances it would be wrong to increase the parish precept this year.
The precept is the amount that is collected with council tax bills on behalf of the parish council, and is the council’s main source of income.
Council Meetings
Meetings of the parish council usually take place on the last Wednesday of each month except August and December. They start at 7.30pm, in Sunningwell Village Hall unless otherwise stated. All residents are most welcome to attend parish council meetings; there is an opportunity at the start of each meeting for members of the public to make statements or ask questions of the council.
The dates for the 2011 meetings are: 26 January, 23 February, 30 March (at Bayworth Chapel Hall), 27 April, 25 May, 29 June, 27 July, 28 September (at Bayworth Chapel Hall), 26 October, and 30 November
Parish Council Elections
All the current members of the parish council have to retire in May. They will however be eligible for re-election at the forthcoming elections in early May. Over the years many residents of the parish have served as parish councillors and though its powers and budget are limited it does enable some public money to be spent on local projects and services to the benefit of the whole community.
In addition to the planned refurbishment of the playground and the management of the Glebe, a recent example of where the Parish Council’s powers benefit the community is the refurbishment of the Village Hall. Alongside the commitment and dedication of the Village Hall Committee the Parish Council took out a long term loan to fund some of the cost of bringing it up to specification necessary for a building used by the public.
However at least one of our existing councillors is stepping down from the council in May, and willing volunteers are encouraged to consider being nominated for one of the seven places. If there are more than seven nominations then an election will be necessary. Nomination forms will be available from the Vale of White Horse DC but further information will be published in due course.
Parish Council Website
The council website is currently being redesigned; it carries much information about the parish council including copies of agendas and minutes of meetings.
Hilary Lynam-Smith
Chair of Parish Council
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