From our Reporter at the Parish Council Meeting
I THOUGHT I WAS JUST ON TIME for the last PC meeting but they must have started
very sharply because by the time I'd opened my note book they were already
on "Correspondence received". There wasn't much as December had
been a quiet month, Hazel and Allen were not there, nothing was raised in
"Matters arising" and we shot on to "Cemetary Maintenance".
Steve reported that while examining the work a little old lady had come out of
the gloom and demanded to know who he was and what he was doing. He confessed
all and she told him that the cemetery was "the best it's looked for
fifteen years." That is very gratifying and the PC acknowledged the good
work of the contractors and also the contribution made by the probation service
people and also the efforts of Steve. Just two more cemetery tasks need to be
completed but these may be left until the next financial year.
It appears that the PC will pay a £80 contribution towards the cost of the equipment and training for the Speedwatch venture, even though there are no volunteers from Swaffham Prior. Makes you wonder how much of a regular speeding problem we have, especially when you remember that it cannot be used on Mill Hill.
There was great excitement when the sign to the "Football Ground" was
discussed. Mr Andy Caruana of the County Council had submitted a design which
was 3 feet 5 inches wide and 2 feet high and which would be fitted to the
existing post which would be extended. This design is reproduced below. All
agreed the wording was incorrect because Upware does not have a football team.
The cost is £175 (who is to pay?) and the PC was told it was cheaper to have
one sign rather than two. Some thought it "madness", others that the
village should not be "cluttered with huge road side furniture". All
the village had wanted was an extra sign, about 5-6 inches high, saying
"Football Ground" and fixed underneath the current Upware sign.
Surprisingly Geoffrey wanted the sign to be as large possible so that no-one
would miss the way to Upware. But of course he wouldn't have to walk past
it everyday. The voting was carried for a single small sign.
At last some sanity is being introduced to some part of the Agenda and PC meetings. A year or so ago the PC was told that it could not have "Any Other Business" on the Agenda and that it had to specify at the end of each meeting what was to be on the Agenda for the next meeting. This was absolute lunacy and made it difficult for Councillors to raise villagers' concerns and other matters. Karen King proposed that at the end of each meeting there should be a Clerk's Report followed by any Parish Councillor's report. Karen said this worked very well at Bulbeck (where she is also Clerk). Everyone approved and voted for the motion which would now allow villagers' news and views to be presented. "Items for the Next Agenda" was also thrown out and everyone began to feel human again. One could well wonder what goes on in the mind of anyone who could propose and impose and support the previous advice/ruling. John Jordon thought the change would be fine providing the Chairman is able to prevent some councillors talking too much.
A big offer has come in inviting members to attend a series of Councillor Development Courses. What an opportunity for our elected members! There are three sessions - in Feb, May and Sept - costing £20 a time. There were no takers and one member said he been to one and (I have softened up his words) "it was not very helpful."
In Open Question Time the PC was asked for its views on the "NO BNP" scrawl on our village sign. Most had not seen it. However they felt they could not make any comment until they knew the intentions of the writer. Was he/she:-
- opposing any BNP members coming to the Village
- regretting that there were no BNP members in the Village
- deploring the existence of BNP members in the Village following the publication of the BNP membership list.
It was left at that.
Right at the every end of the meeting Geoffrey - who has a fine sense of local history - paid a tribute to Eric Day for having been more than 55 years on the Parish Council, the majority as a councillor, but including 17 of these as Clerk. When asked how he became Clerk Eric explained that "two members of the WI were doing it and they weren't very satisfactory." Geoffrey had chosen the January meeting for the celebration rather than the Annual Village Assembly because Eric was going to be 87 on the very next day. Even though not common knowledge, Geoffrey had heard that Eric was partial to an occasional glass of Bristol Cream sherry, and a large bottle was presented by Chairman John Covill, accompanied by a thunderous round of applause.
What a fine end to the first PC meeting of the year.