Report of the Chairman of the Parish Council - May 2021
I am not sure quite where to begin when it comes to the first report I have had to write as Chairman of Stoodleigh Parish Council. Not just because I have never had to write one, but as a Parish and a Council, and throughout all our day to day lives we have all been impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Whether that has involved self-isolation, home-schooling, or getting to grips with remote working and zoom calls – we have all had to adapt and overcome several hurdles this last year.
I would like to thank the Parish Council (and our DCC & MDDC Councillors) for adapting so well to remote meetings. I know I bucked the trend using Google Meets rather than Zoom or Teams, but we got there in the end. Everyone has continued to fill their roles as both faces of the community and in their respective roles within the council despite the challenge’s we have all faced. As a council we started remote meetings almost a year ago on 18th May 2020 so it is lovely to be back in the Village Hall even with all the codes and regulations we need to follow.
Due to the nature of the pandemic a huge part of our lives is now online (even more so than before) with video calls, home-schooling and working from home where possible. This means a great deal of information has been put out online, via the Parish website and community email which is managed by Geraldine Talbot and Jean Winter. They have helped circulate offers of help and support as well as information about local businesses adapting and providing new services. Before the pandemic they had a considerable amount of work to do in order to make the Website comply with the Equality and Human Rights Act which required a considerable amount of work amending much of what was on there. Thank you both.
At the last AGM in 2019 (we had to cancel the 2020 one like so many things) we were one council member down, however in August 2019 we were joined by Geraldine Talbot who has been an asset to the council since.
Signposts – back at the 2019 AGM it was mentioned about the possibility of restoring the signposts within the village. I would like to thank Malcom Jones and Chris Whitehead for all the hard work and effort they have put in, and everyone else who has helped with the restorations. They look great.
Playground – there have been a few repairs and an installation of a Trim Trail since 2019, unfortunately the playground was closed for a while due to the pandemic but has since reopened after more repairs; and having been out of use for some time. We had a minor mole issue which was dealt with and, I believe we have not seen anymore. The picnic bench was replaced by a recycled plastic alternative which the council hope this will last a lot longer than the previous wooden ones. After some discussions and fact finding the Title Deeds for the playground were located and are now kept at Ashfords Solicitors. Thank you to all those who helped with the repairs and getting the playground back up and running – in particular Cllrs John Widdowson and Will Knowles who met with the safety inspector in person.
Litter picks – we had a wet one back in 2019 and then had to wait until 2021 before we could safely do one again. Special thanks to MDDC for the loaning of equipment and those involved with the set up and day. Unfortunately, we have seen signs of fly tipping which whilst quickly reported and dealt with has not stopped.
Budget – back in 2019 we agreed to leave the precept at £4k, which we also did in 2020. It has also been decided by councillors that moving forward that any donations and requests for financial assistance would be considered all at once (at the end of the financial year) rather than sporadically at individual meetings.
A Definitive Map Review was held back in 2019 and was reasonably well attended, although there was particular interest in a footpath that was meant to come up in Washfield’s review in 2020.
Planning – there has been quite a lot of planning applications since the last meeting and despite being in several national lockdowns. Whilst a number of them have involved works to trees, there have been a few larger and more controversial applications which some Stoodleigh residents have raised concerns about. These were listened to and my fellow councillors, in particular Cllr Knowles & Cllr Payne have voiced the concerns of the parish at a number of remote meetings. Thank you both. Back in January 2020 concerns were raised about the number of forestry stores being established as woodland is segregated into smaller plots. These concerns have been raised with MDDC although the actions are still taking place. Local residents and those in the neighbouring parish of Oakford are still concerned about the lack of enforcement or action. Moving forward to January 2021 these concerns are still held. Information is being passed on to MDDC and this is still ongoing. Other concerns such as potential planning breaches raised by local residents and councillors were also passed onto the relevant authorities at MDDC.
Polly Colthorpe who was our County Councillor announced she was retiring at our last meeting, and we thanked her for her helpful and varied contribution.
As Parish Councillors we are exceptionally fortunate in having Sandra Philips as our Parish Clerk. Sandra has worked with the Parish for some time and her knowledge and expertise in all issues relating to Council matters – has been invaluable throughout this pandemic and keeping us UpToDate with policy changes and the increase in surveys and other admin sent our way. Thank you.
And finally, whilst it has been a period of firsts and hopefully some lasts, I would like to thank the village as a whole. Everyone has pooled together in some way, whether it was picking up a loaf of bread or some medication – neighbours have been there for each other this last year – more than normal. A highlighting example of this would be the Easter Egg hunts organised by Jeannie and Jasmine, whilst probably aimed at the children in the village I think the adults had fun too and it was shining example of a village come together – albeit socially distanced. As a key worker who has worked throughout the lockdowns little things such as these make big impacts – and not just on the children. So, thank you all.