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ANNUAL REPORT

2013/14

Stowupland Parish Council

Report From The Chairman Keith Welham

They say you should always look forward, never back. But most of us are tempted, as I was to look at the report

I gave to the Annual Meeting in April 2009. ‘Affordable Housing is high on the Council’s list of priorities’, I wrote five years ago. Since

then a number of sites have been looked at, one was considered suitable, the landowner was willing to sell and architect’s drawings and surveys were completed. The planning application was ready; all we were waiting for, it seemed, was a count of newts on the land this spring. But the land purchase has fallen through so we may never know how many newts live there and, of real concern, those families who could have lived there will not have that opportunity – at least not for the foreseeable future. We have yet to decide whether or not we start again with a housing needs survey and look for another potential site.

My second stint as Chairman started in May last year and Sally Reeves was elected as Vice Chair. I feel that Sally and Rachel Godbold and I worked well together, always for the good of residents and the village in general. Also, Sally and Rachel did a lot of work investigating how we could or should update and improve the PlayPark and looked at sources of funding. They both gave wise counsel on a great number of occasions. Their resignations, when reported to Council in January this year, came as a shock to most councillors. Everything they did as councillor and clerk was carried out with integrity and commitment. The loss to the council and to the village will be felt for a long time.

I am pleased that, following a rigorous recruitment and selection process, Claire Pizzey was offered the post as clerk to the council and she

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accepted. She took over responsibility from Rachel on 1st April and has settled into the job very quickly.

One of the highlights of the last year was the very successful Music Day on The Green, followed by the Open Air Church Service with cream tea on the Sunday. We had a large group of helpers who prepared for the weekend and served refreshments, teas and real ale and other drinks and cooked burgers and hot dogs. I am grateful to everyone who helped on the Saturday and to the unsung heroes who prepared The Green on the Friday and cleared up litter on Sunday morning.

We held a consultation at the PlayPark to find out the views of parents and young people regarding the existing equipment and what new items would be most popular. I am pleased that a group of parents will soon be undertaking further work, building on the work started by Sally and Rachel, to come up with a proposed layout and costing and apply for grants. A youth survey was carried out at the High School to find out the priorities of our young people and a place to just meet friends seems to be favourite. Again, I hope that a group of parents and young people will assess the needs and come up with solutions.

We have heard very little from the county council about the Safely to School pedestrian and cycle route and have no date for construction of the scheme. Despite requests, we have not had a report on progress with planning the scheme. We will ensure that residents are informed as soon as we have any news.

The Green was well maintained throughout last summer and I’m pleased to report that Tim Gaddis has again provided the lowest tender and has been appointed for another three years. Tim will also be cutting the footpaths, as he did last year.

One of the challenges we have to deal with is the problem of parking on and around The Green at school start and finish times. We will continue to push for alternatives to Thorney Green, where there have been a number of near misses – some involving students emerging from between parked cars. This situation could get much worse when our village schools expand as middle schools close. We have asked for extra parking to be provided at the High School but are told that some spaces will be provided to accommodate the increase in staff numbers but that there will be no extra provision for parents or sixth form students.

Our working groups have continued to meet. Community Events have included bingo, quizzes, casino nights and a Valentine’s Afternoon

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Tea. The Traffic, Transport and Safety Group has carried out traffic surveys at school starting and finishing times. A SpeedWatch team has been formed and trained and already had a number of opportunities to check and record speeds of vehicles. They will be operating in several areas of the village. Cemetery, Churchyard and Allotment inspections are carried out roughly quarterly and most of the time most of the areas are tidy and well kept. Now and then a letter has had to be sent to the holder of a plot that has been left untended, but most are attractively kept and productive, even if rabbits and pigeons seem to benefit the most. We also carry out footpath condition surveys and inspect The Green. A survey of all the trees around The Green showed that some needed attention and work has been carried out to make them safe.

Our Telstar magazine continues to be one of the best village magazines in Suffolk and has proved to be an excellent way of publicising what goes on in the village to residents and people further afield who receive copies. Thank you, Julia and your team who put the magazine together, carry out the type setting, arrange printing and delivery and ensure that enough advertisers are found and advertising revenue is collected. And a big ‘thank you’ to Sandy Smith, who writes the council meeting reports, and to all the deliverers.

The village sign was showing signs of rust and was removed to allow it to dry out and be treated. Zinc coating, priming and undercoats have been completed. When the various colours have been applied, the sign will be re-erected in the same location but on a new post.

We work closely with the Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team and attend their quarterly priority setting meetings. PC Henriksen has now been with us for around five years. He regularly attends Parish Council meetings, often with a colleague and provides a monthly report to the Council. Our county councillor Gary Green and District Councillor Caroline Byles also attend regularly and have provided assistance in funding a number of projects in recent years.

I would also like to thank the councillors who have given me support throughout the year. We have been through some difficult times in recent months but I am looking forward to the next year with optimism. We have been short of a councillor for the last few months so, if you are willing to consider serving until May next year (at which time we all have to offer ourselves for re-election if we wish to continue), I would be very pleased to hear from you, or contact Claire, for more information.

All parish council meetings, including meetings of committees, sub-

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committees and working groups are public meetings. Any resident and any person with an interest in an agenda item will be welcomed and may speak. Part of each meeting is set aside for anyone attending to have a say on any topic relevant to the village. We have a few who attend regularly and others attend for specific items.

Lastly, grateful thanks to Mike Hawkins, Alan Parris and Richard Ball who have worked throughout the year to maintain the fabric of the village. Mike makes sure that The Green and surrounding areas are free of litter before we go off to work in the morning. Unfortunately some residents and visitors to our village continue to drop litter so Mike has a never ending job. Richard, often assisted by Sharron, keeps the cemetery looking neat and tidy. Alan does likewise in the churchyard and also undertakes a variety of tasks such as replacing signs and bins, repairing bus shelters and so on. Volunteers have played a large part too, litter picking (a thankless task but very much appreciated) helping with community events, footpath surveys, maintaining the PlayPark and many other tasks which may go un-noticed. Thank you all.

Report from the former Clerk – Rachel Godbold

MEETINGS

The full Parish Council meets on the second Thursday of each month in the small meeting room at the village hall and there are also various committees and working groups which meet

as and when necessary. Committees/working groups are made up of councillors and residents with a particular interest in individual aspects of Parish Council work. The committees/working groups open for residents to join are:-

• Emergency Planning

• Community Events

• Allotments

• Footpaths

• Transport, Traffic and Safety

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If you would like to join one of the committees/working groups please contact Claire or any of the councillors, or just turn up to a meeting. All meetings are advertised on the notice board outside the village hall at least three days before the meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend any meeting and there’s always a public forum to enable residents to give their comments or views or to ask questions.

If you would like something discussed by the Council please forward a letter or email to Claire a week before the meeting so that it can be included on the agenda.

VOLUNTEERSWe are very fortunate in Stowupland to have a number of volunteers

who undertake a variety of tasks around the village and I’d like to thank them for giving up their time for the benefit of us all. If you’re interested in helping out in any way, please contact Claire so that she can include you on the register of volunteers for insurance purposes.

REPORTING PROBLEMSProblems with footpaths, street lights, pot holes, broken signs, fly

tipping etc can be reported to Claire by email clairepizzey@outlook.com or by phone (01449) 677 005.

ALLOTMENTSPlease contact Claire if you wish to be put on the waiting list for an

allotment in Stowupland. Priority is given to Stowupland residents.

ACCOUNTSBelow is a summary of the Parish Council’s income and expenditure

for the year ending 31st March 2014. At the time of writing, these accounts have not been audited. I am very grateful to Jon Wray who carried out a thorough internal audit on the Council’s accounts last year and who has agreed to undertake this again for these accounts.

As you can see, the majority of the Council’s income comes from the Precept. This is money raised from your council tax, you may have noticed this shown separately on your council tax bill.

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INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 31ST MARCH 2014

INCOME

Precept

33,500.00

Administration 8,407.28

Cemetery 3,395.00

Allotments 1,510.00

Community Events 15,526.38

£ 62,338.66

EXPENDITURE

Administration 22,121.03

Cemetery 1,848.27

Street cleaning 2,816.54

Allotments 1,119.51

Community Events 11,814.72

Grass cutting, tree surgery, ponds, ditches & footpaths

4,225.62

Street Lighting - maintenance & power

1,959.29

Donations 305.00

Play Park 364.15

£ 46,574.13

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The balance held in Parish Council accounts at 31st March 2014 was £65,548.17 which includes reserves of £10,591.00 to replace council assets when necessary. A reserve of £14,658.00 is held for Community Events. The Community Events committee arranges a number of events for residents throughout the year. Profits from these events are held in reserve to cover costs of future events and each year the group pays for elderly/disabled residents to watch a production at the Regal in Stowmarket. £6,000 is also held for Community Projects. The Parish Council is keen to provide something in the village for teenagers from this reserve and Stowupland High School has canvassed the views of their students to see what they would prefer.

The grants or donations made were as follows: £1800 towards the costs of Telstar, £250 to the Mid Suffolk Citizens Advice Bureau, £50 to Optua and £5 to the Suffolk Nature Trust.

BUDGETThe budget for the year 2014-15 has been set and the main items of

expenditure are shown below:

Administration £ 20,796.00Allotments £ 1,250.00 Cemetery £ 2,642.00Street Cleaning £ 2,955.00 Street Lighting – maintenance & power £ 2,760.00 Donations £ 359.00 Replacement of assets £ 6,000.00 Grass cutting, footpaths, tree surgery, ponds and ditches £ 5,122.00

£ 41,884.00

If you would like to see or discuss any of the financial records or minutes please contact Claire.

It is every elector’s right to make a complaint to the external auditor regarding the way that the council conducts its business. However, if you are concerned about any of the items in the accounts, the council would be grateful if you could approach Claire in the first instance and

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if you are still concerned, contact Keith. If they are unable to provide a satisfactory response you could then make a formal complaint to the external auditor. It is always better to try to resolve these issues locally and avoid a formal complaint as the external auditor’s time is very expensive and is charged to the council.

I’d like to thank Alan Parris, Mike Hawkins and Richard Ball for their hard work in keeping the village looking good. I’d also like to thank past and present councillors for giving up their time voluntarily to make decisions on behalf of the community. It’s not always an easy job, especially when a decision is not popular with everyone. Their contact numbers are in Telstar or on the notice board outside the Village Hall if you’d like to discuss anything with them.

Finally, I’m especially grateful to Keith Welham, Sally Reeves and Jerry Voden (chair and vice chairs) for their support over the last year.

COUNCILLORS

The current Parish Councillors are:

Councillor Phone No.

Mary Bloom 01449 676 549

Morris Brand 01449 770 678

Gary Burden 07725 182 805

Roger Carter 01449 612 856

Roy Cooper 01449 674 211

Clerk

Claire Pizzey 01449 677 005 (Tuesday to Thursday 10.00am – 12.00noon)

clairepizzey@outlook.com

Rick Hamilton 01449 775 403

Ben Miller 07765 408 001

Nic Perks 01449 774 200

Jerry Voden 01449 770 334

Keith Welham 01449 673 185

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