From our Reporter art the Parish Council Meeting
Yet another twelve months have passed and the positions of Chairman and Vice-
Chairman came up for re-election. But it turned out to be a time of many
changes.
The Chairman is leaving town within a month or two but he was persuaded to stay as chairman for the interim to "give us a good start". Andrew Camps wasn't there so it was easy to vote him in again as Vice-Chairman. "Will he accept?" "Doesn't matter, he's got to." Such is democracy. A member offered to be Chairman if required, another member resigned because he had just been ordained, and we have a new ECDC representative. So, having just achieved a full house of nine, the PC is down to eight, and will soon be down to seven. IS THIS, OR IS IT NOT, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME GOOD CITIZENS?
Alan Alderton, our new ECDC representative, elected on the previous Thursday, said he had yet to attend any ECDC meeting but he would like to report on the major concerns of the people to whom he had spoken. 1) Speeding was a major concern, especially in Heath Road. 2) Some people are having serious problems with new Green Waste collection and resented they were unable to discuss them with ECDC (to whom they pay their rates!!) but were referred to the contractors Cleanaway. 3) Some (I wonder who) have complained about the huge lorries which travelled down the High Street from the Cage Hill direction. Alan certainly appears to have his finger on the pulse of the community.
Every PC meeting ought to have, and usually has, a high point of the evening.
This time it was "The Cutting back of the Horse Chestnut Tree in the VH
car park". How this poor tree has suffered. It looked like one of the
entries in last year's Turner Prize except that no one had strung apples
onto it so that we could watch them rot and thereby enhance our consciousness
by observing life, decay and death. The PC was incensed and reported this act
of "vandalism" to the police. Eventually the search for the criminal
had to be called off when the villain was discovered to be a worthy village
citizen who had actually asked and received permission. It seems he had asked
the Chairman if he could prune a tree, the Chairman thinking it was in his
garden said "yes", and that's how it happened. As the tree could
take years to recover the PC will ask permission to remove it and replace with
another more suitable for the site.
From ECDC came the annual reminder that there should be a declaration of all interests (except being a Freemason of course) and that all gifts and hospitality worth more than £25 must be declared if the gifts are of "personal interest". The PC was rightly puzzled by this and the rather contort explanatory letter appeared to enjoy the joke because it ended "hoping this is all clear, and do not hesitate etc etc." I suppose that "of personal interest" means if you give golf clubs to a tennis player, the gift does not have to be declared?
Our two horticultural experts (Mike Malster and Alex Kirby) are at it again. Apart from erecting a polytunnel on their allotments they also want to rent the land on the other side of the bypass. The PC was impressed with the will, knowledge and resource of this pair and gave them their full support. Their only concern was the difficulty in ploughing up the large field. On this they need have no worries. The Malster/Kirby partnership is very very fortunate to own a "Merry Tiller", which if maintained correctly, almost does the work by itself. I can't wait to see them both, whistling and singing, as they happily walk behind the jolly machine.
Any Other Business. Steve Kent-Phillips raised some points which some of his constituents had raised with him. I have seen this before and it is almost like an initiation ceremony. Firstly it seems there is a hedge at the bottom of Fairview Grove which is overgrown and blocks the pavement. I'm not quoting any house number as I once got into trouble over that. But we all know that hedge and we all know that you don't cut it while a breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons (or is it Ospreys) are there. I know the owner of the hedge is taking his responsibilities very seriously because I overheard him discussing it with the foremost bird specialist in the village. Steve also reported a complaint about the delayed completion of "Underhill" in Greenhead Road and wanted to know if the PC knew when it would be finished. The PC thought the only people to know would be the builders and they were likely to be untrustworthy. It seems that someone wished to push a pram along the blocked pavement and is irritated about having to cross the road. Henry remembered that the pathway had always been overgrown and said that when the work is finished it will be the first time for years that the pavement is usable. Another Titbit. Our PC has given up any idea of trying to be a "Quality Parish Council". The reasons are fairly obvious but there is no room here, or possibly any need, to spell them out.