From our Reporter at the Parish Council Meeting
This reporter approached the meeting with trepidation - last month the regular
correspondent went into acronym overdrive towards the end of his report (ACRE,
CAB ECDC CCT PC) - and I feared I might not keep up. But it wasn't that
kind of meeting. Not only did it not go as I'd expected, it was quite a new
experience. Item 1: Apologies for Absence was uncontentious: Steve
Kent-Phillips gave his. On to item 2: Members Declarations of Interest for
Items on the Agenda looked for a moment like it might pass quietly: someone on
the PC has some involvement in the Pound [I had momentary visions of SP
residents on the board of the Bank Of England before I remembered our Pound is
in Cage Hill]. It was agreed it could be discussed as a progress report not for
consideration; then Geoffrey Woollard raised his first objection of the
evening. He saw red, he said, at these ridiculous rules. If it came up, he was
damned if he was going to declare an interest, it was totally ludicrous. If
someone from the Standards for England wanted to come for him then bring-em-on.
It was totally potty, nul points, he said.
The committee did not move to throw itself behind this declaration but did not
much object either. This made me wonder if Geoffrey usually declared war on
something at every PC meeting. But we moved on to 3. Public Participation. I
had expected this to be the hedges-verges-gateposts-and-dog-poo-bins section of
the evening. I could not have been more wrong. The meeting suddenly became what
I know as 'front-loaded'- nothing to do with washing machines: it's
when you expect to build up to the important stuff but then it all comes at you
at the beginning of proceedings.
David Greenfield had much to relate about the Travellers'Site - the one issue for which 2010 will be remembered above all others in this village. My notes record that that the County Council Development Report has an amendment proposed and seconded that Goodwin Farm would not be considered as a Travellers'site; Moreover, the building company Carla Homes had, the day before in the High Court succeeded in obtaining a Judicial Review that Pickles [not a dog, but Eric, he of Government Ministerial role] was illegal in instructing CDFs to be ignored and the Government has sent a document out to Local Authorities to be aware. The requirement for the Local authority to review the number of pitches and the PCs part in that is removed. In other words, there is no requirement to review the number of pitches; no requirement to find pitches, by the sound of it. I remain uncertain what a CDF is. Council Development something. I knew the acronyms would get me eventually; but it seems the upshot is: the site is a dead duck.
Quiet relief all round.
Next public participation point - ECDC are contemplating charging for parking in Ely. Case in point by said member of public - his trip to the dentist involving 3 hours'parking could be a costly trip in future. And what would it do to the retail trade in Ely? It's a nice day out that would be less attractive if you have to pay to park. Get those objection letters to ECDC in the post, SP residents!
I thought that was it for the evening, and put my hand up (yes we're still in Public Participation, folks) to ask when if ever, the gate at the front of the village hall would be mended. But I deferred to the chap on my right, whose hand also went up. And right glad I am that I did. A remarkable man he was. Some elderly residents in Greenhead Road are having problems with the drains and it appears there is industrial stuff going into them that shouldn't be from people who shouldn't be doing it. I am not more specific because the situation is ongoing and the appropriate agencies are involved but people of Greenhead Road, you are most fortunate in having a neighbour who knows much about such things. But hope to God that in our illustrious Coalition Government's gleeful bonfire of the Quangos, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)are not among them. The talk of 'red tape'and 'health and safety gone mad'is easy - but they who say that don't know that the workings of the HSE are built entirely upon real-life cases that did happen and should never happen again. Think on, Nick and Dave C.
By the time we came to my little point about the broken gate at the front of the village hall, I felt a bit overshadowed by the matters that had come before. But it's been broken longer that I can remember and children have to deal with it every day, so I put my hand up. What gate? No-one seemed to have noticed. Village Hall Committee (VHC?) matter, pass it on to them. That was easy, then.
Last of all - a concern was received about residents parking on the grass triangle at the top of Fairview Grove churning up the grass. I made the error of commenting that it is likely to get worse 'as winter draws on', then stopped as I recalled that the government banned BBC radio from using that phrase sometime in the 1940s in the interests of public decency, and to my knowledge the decree has never been rescinded. But I don't think I completely obscured the point by explaining this. 8.10 and we were now well into the meeting: 4. Reports - CCC Cllr David Brown who reported that there were parking issues discussed at CCC (Cambridge County Council) regarding Bottisham Village College; changes to GP consortia (Doctors' surgeries working together, that must mean) in a government white paper; and schools moving to academy status. Maybe.
Geoffrey Woollard became energised at the suggestion in this report that Neighbourhood Panels might have been useful in responding to the issue of traveller sites, as it had never actually come up at these meetings, which had in any case not been convened at times which would have enabled them to address the matter. Mr Woollard's expression of astonishment went on for some time; which led eventually to Cllr Brown apologising for having mentioning Neighbourhood Panels at all. After this, time seemed to accelerate. It was 8.15 and we were still on item 5. The handrail at The Beeches was to be installed on the 15th (which will please my neighbour Margaret greatly, I know); the Cage Hill Grit bin is to be moved from the bottom to the top, whereas Fairview Grove now has another at the bottom, in glowing yellow. I assume that's to make it shine out from under snowdrifts. A planning amendment application in Cage Hill was received. 'It's a tweak'. 'what's a tweak?''How can there be reductions and additions?'- this and other technical discussions took place.
At 8.28 we finally got to the Pound Wall (the Wall that Dare Not Speak Its Name in the earlier declarations of interest). It was mentioned. A progress report. Not discussed. No comment.
A replacement village noticeboard was discussed. Expensive - nearly £1000. A metal one was suggested. Could Marshall's apprentices make it? In stainless steel? Hm. Interesting thought. Metal road signs disappear nowadays...perhaps we could paint it to not look metal...
It was proposed that a known local maker of things generally should be contacted.
The draft budget precept was dealt with in 85 seconds. I timed it. This was thanks to Steve K-P who'd done such a good job on it that it just needed agreeing. Mr Woollard acknowledged a little ruefully that he had considered 'playing a little game'if Steve K-P had been present, to suggest the village take a precept 'holiday' for a year. We will never know how that game might have gone...
Amendment to the signatories for the Parish bank account. Barclays will not talk to Karen King, for all that she is the Clerk to the PC and Keeper of All PC Knowledge (commended more than once in this meeting by Mr Woollard for her diligence and skill) - because she is not a signatory. Banks - doncha just love 'em? The Parish Clerk's report took 4 mins 45 seconds and the meeting ended at 8.47 - it had all been an easy downhill after the public participation. This innocent observer concludes the PC comprises a set of folk who appear to know what they're doing; and my last note was that Sandra Gynn doesn't say much but when she does it's brief, relevant and tends to sum up what's needed to close a point. At other times, however, she can express some interesting opinions without saying a word.