Parish Council Annual meeting 9th May 2022

The Chair thanked her fellow Parish Councillors, Liz and Sue (Parish Clerks) for all their support and hard work over the year.

Cllr J Pert (SBC SCC) attendance required at another meeting.

 Chairs Report May 2021 to April 2022

It would be remiss of me at the start of this report not to acknowledge the impact Covid 19 has had on the Parish and the work we do within it. Firstly however , our sympathy goes out , to all families and friends who have lost a loved one, to all those who are suffering from long term side effects of Covid 19 and the impact on businesses within the parish.

During 2021 and the start of 2022 we have seen a different approach and a different style of working by the Parish Council due to Covid 19.

We have had a very busy year, some positives some negatives. Overall however, I feel we have made many achievements. The workload certainly seems to have been greater during this year with outcomes more difficult to achieve due to protracted consultation times and processes; along with new working practices by outside bodies. With all this being taken into consideration we might only be a small parish council but we do achieve results and some of our results are the envy of much larger parishes.

During the year we have held 10 ordinary meetings and 4 extra ordinary meetings. 3 meetings were held in All Saints Church and the remainder at St Luke’s. 1 of the extra ordinary meetings was to meet the Community Highways Engagement Officer.

A new Parish Clerk was appointed on the retirement Of Mrs Liz Harrington-Jones. Two very able candidates applied and we thank Mrs Sue Stokes for accepting the post, she commenced duties in September. Due to the increased workload the Parish Clerk role has had an increase in hours from 17and a half hours to 20 hours per month.

We co-opted a new Councillor onto our body in May 2021 Cllr Sarah Edge, Cllr Edge went on a training course run by SPCA.

With the issue of local community leaders and MP’s safety being brought to our attention this year due to tragic events, the PC decided to implement a Public Participation Policy to help protect the safety of Councillors and parishioners alike, a policy which many other PC’s have.

It is anticipated that other policies and risk assessments will need to be considered in the coming year.

Our Highways still cause us great concern, with remaining potholes, blocked gullies, lanes in such a poor condition that they cannot be resurfaced.

The state of the roads, gullies etc. Have been a constant issue for the Parish Council during this year and previous years.

Increased traffic particularly when major A and motorway links are temporarily closed due to accidents or planned maintenance, the latter causing a major increase in traffic numbers but also increase in speed, the overall result being a nightmare for local residents.

On numerous occasions we have requested the mobile speed camera to come to the parish and monitor speeds of vehicles at key times of the day- the beginning and end of the working day.

Gulley emptying has become a major issue, with some lanes continually wet for the yearly cycle of weather due from blocked gullies and something that has been going on for several years now.

In December we had a spate of thefts of gulley covers on Worston Lane which caused great concerns due to potential accidents.

The state of the verges has also become a major problem, an example, Shallowford Bank.

Fly tipping has continued to be a major issue within the parish, particularly along Worston Lane and several of the lanes around Chebsey. We ask that you be observant when you are in the lanes of individuals dumping rubbish.

Informal litter pickers have continued throughout the parish and we are indebted to all who participate in collecting the litter off the rods, verges etc. Within our parish. Sreetscene have continued to support us with bags, litter pickers etc.

Concerns have been raised at the state of some of the footpaths in the Parish and this has been taken up with the appropriate department, however they are classed as low priority and therefore it is impossible to say when work will be done to clear them.

Work has been done by volunteers on Tommy’s Trail and this is now in very good order. Once again we are indebted to all the volunteers who have given up their time to do this work, also thanks to FONB for organizing the working parties who have done this work.

I am pleased to report after much lobbying we now have the Civil Amenities Lorry reinstated on 7 occasions per year. Whilst this is a major expense to the PC we believe that it is a vital resource as it is greatly used by local parishioners.

Planning Matters have taken up a great deal of our time this year and it’s not been easy with several being very complex. 8 planning applications are still pending, 4 have been permitted, 4 refused and 3 others, 1 disposed of, 1 prior approval granted through LDC and 1 consent not required.

Numerous amendments to planning applications were also received. Additionally we have 1 appeal pending with the Planning Inspectorate

Numerous enforcement actions have been reported however, we have had no feedback from the planners re any outcomes.

Viewing of Planning Applications has been far more difficult for the Parish Council this year as the Borough Councils Planning department now won’t send a full sized hard copy to the PC, thus we have to rely on each and every Parish Councillor to access at home on small screens and therefore, not being able to view the complete application at one time, a far from satisfactory situation.

Concerns have also been raised about the lack of consistency shown by planners in the decision making process as well as the length of time it is taking to determine the outcome of applications.

As a Parish Council we do not feel supported appropriately by the Planning Department and have deep concerns with its lack of co-operation in dealing with our concerns and requests.

On a positive note and with much relief and excitement we are pleased to report the Railway Inn in Norton Bridge has been sold and is now re-open for business.

A new defibrillator has been provided at Cold Norton with major financial contributions made by the two Residents Associations at Cold Norton we are indebted to them for this support.

New pads have continued to be purchased by the PC at all 3 sites.

Obviously, we have lots of challenges ahead of us eg. HS2 and issues relating to the Social Needs Survey.

The impact of the railhead near Cold Norton, major increase in traffic using our lanes as rat-runs or the noise impact at Norton Bridge on residents and their homes.

Summing Up

What has been achieved during this last year simply couldn’t have been achieved without the support of individuals within the community eg. Litter picking, help at events, weekly checks of the defibs and Recreation Area, etc, etc- the list is endless.

I would also like to thank organizations within the community FONB, Parochial Church Council, Chebsey Parish Local History Society and Chebsey Parish Hall for their help and assistance.

Without community groups working together to achieve goals and activities etc, things just couldn’t and wouldn’t happen.

Thank You each and every one of you who have helped in some way over the last year your contribution is invaluable and it really does make a difference. With budget cuts at Borough and Council levels we will need to rely on local parishioners more and more, so please consider helping out in some way if you don’t already.

Finally, as this is the last meeting of the calendar year, as Chair I appreciate and acknowledge the support from Fellow Councillors and our Parish Clerks. I would also once again request this support for whoever is appointed Chair for the coming year.

Thank You that concludes my 2021/22 report. Cllr M Ainsworth-Hickman

None

Cllr R Hopley nominated Cllr M Ainsworth-Hickman, seconded by Cllr B Jones, everyone was in agreement. Cllr M Ainsworth – Hickman accepted the role and signed the Declaration of Acceptance.

Cllr R Hopley was nominated as Vice Chair by Cllr M Ainsworth – Hickman seconded by Cllr J Lawson everyone was in agreement.

There was no Annual Parish Meeting in May 2021 due to the covid pandemic.

With no other business the Chair closed the meeting at 7.13pm