Chairman's Annual Report

This is the full text of the Annual Report from the Chairman of Broughton Astley Parish Council for the year ending 30 April 2009.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction

As the municipal year comes to a close it is time once again to reflect upon Parish Council activity within the community during the past twelve months.

Councillors and staffing

It was with great sadness that we learned of the sudden death of Councillor Chris Sidey in June. Natalie Smith was welcomed on board in August and Mikal Willmott said good-bye in March 2009. At the time of writing this report we currently have one advertised Councillor vacancy which should be filled in May to bring the council membership back up to its full compliment.

Changes within the staffing of the Parish Council have been minimal. Parish Manager Christine Lord has successfully attained her Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) and is now working on the documentation needed to allow us to submit our application for Quality Status.

Jo Carr left us in December on moving to Lancashire with her family and in her place we were delighted to welcome Deborah Barber into the role of Deputy Parish Clerk.

Emma Gill has continued to offer her services in the role of Administrative Assistant but has reduced her working hours to allow her to develop her other outside work interests.

Year end figures show that we have remained within our budgets despite a year which has seen the financial marketplace in turmoil and people’s spending power considerably reduced. Major factors emanating from the Parish Office which have been an integral part of our overall financial management success include;
* Reduced office staff hours
* Audits of services undertaken to identify improvements and efficiencies
* Strengthened office practices including Health & Safety, Training, Freedom of Information and Customer Satisfaction Survey.
* Negotiation of a new three year lease with both Harborough District Council (HDC) and Leicestershire Police relating to their occupation of an office within the Village Hall from which to carry out enforcement and policing duties.

Pride in our Village Hall facilities has this year resulted in the award of the county’s first Hallmark Award and we should offer our thanks to both Caretakers, Rod Abraham and Simon Chamberlain, for their efforts which went a long way towards our success in gaining the award.

Village Environment Warden Nicholas Algate has proven his worth by the way in which complaints regarding litter throughout the village have dramatically reduced. Nick has now been made a permanent member of staff and acting on residents comments the Parish Council has been able to offer an additional litter pick of the village centre on Saturdays.

I am delighted to report that following a year of poor health our Property and Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, Rodney Briggs, has enjoyed a significant improvement in his health this year and long may this continue. Rodney continues to demonstrate his ever-surprising range of skills, appearing to turn his hand to most tasks, and has been an important cog behind the scenes in the machine which makes the village tick.

Environmental Matters

Western Willows allotments remain popular with an ever expanding waiting list of potential users. The Parish Council is constantly on the look out for potential extra land for both allotments and recreational purposes. The condition and facilities within the site are judged top rate as evidenced by the council again winning a national award (The Harold Todd Memorial Trophy) competing against other authorities with populations of up to 30,000 inhabitants.

Following consultation with residents we have supplied additional dog waste bins throughout the village which will hopefully be used by dog owners to deposit their pet’s waste rather than leave it for others to clear away!!

An Environmental Audit was carried out and the results from this survey have been incorporated into an annual Ward Inspection Rota which should highlight issues for urgent attention or contribute towards the build-up of any future spending estimates.

Although not strictly a Parish Council project, following dialogue with HDC we have been successful in hosting a trial in Croft Way for new-style containers for re-cycled plastics.

Amenity Matters

Grant monies have been obtained which enabled us to;
1. Install new changing rooms on the Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground.
2. Erect a dedicated youth-shelter facility in the corner of the Thomas Estley Community College playing fields close to the junction of Cosby Road with Main Street.

The Parish Council had few capital projects in its yearly plan and completed the major one of installing air conditioning in the Village Hall during the summer recess to avoid disruption to regular Village Hall users.

A shelter was provided close to the children’s play area on the Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground to enable parents and children to take cover from the vagaries of the British weather.

Funding of the village centre Christmas Lights and the hosting of the Annual Village Carol Concert.

An on-going issue has been the problem concerning the acceptance of ownership of the bridge which crosses Broughton Brook outside St Mary’s Church and which, due to age and vandalism, is in desperate need of repair. Much has been written and spoken on the subject but we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We have taken legal advice and have employed the services of a structural engineer to confirm the current state of repair and recommend remedial works, but at the present time who / when will carry out these works, and accept ownership into the future, remains to be agreed.

The council works closely with partner organisations in an effort to raise the visibility of Broughton Astley in the wider community. We have been in close contact with HDC to ensure that our community is well represented in any on-going discussions which may affect the outcome of Broughton Astley in the Local Development Framework programme which will set the parameters for district-wide development up to 2026. Work on the LDF continues and will not be finalised until 2010.

Broughton Astley Improvement Team (BAIT), a partnership between Parish, District and County Councils and other key local bodies, has welcomed on board Helen Nicholls, its Project Development Officer. Helen operates from a desk in the Parish Council office and has begun to progress a community development strategy for Broughton Astley. Youth Provision, Safe and Secure Community, Local Business and Sport and Leisure have been highlighted as priority areas and Helen is actively building local support groups to move these priorities forward.

Grants provided to enable local community groups and voluntary organisations to operate more effectively.

Production of our bi-monthly community magazine, “Broughton Matters” and the regular updating of the Parish Council website keep the community updated on current and up-coming events.

The Year Ahead

We will be working within the constraints of extremely tight budgets having set a precept increase of only 1.58% and any significant improvements will be difficult to achieve without cuts elsewhere. Due to these financial constraints we have planned no significant capital projects and shall be reviewing any potential grant funding before taking any major decisions. We already we have bids in place to secure funding for:

* Creating a turning head in the Cemetery, extending the cremation plot and installing a border around the children’s burial area.
* Re-creating a sustainable hedgerow along the north-eastern perimeter of the Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground. Work on re-planting this hedgerow will begin in the autumn.

We move into the new municipal year with the threat of possible major developments in the area awaiting planning decisions, and our time and efforts may be well depend upon the outcome of these decisions. The Parish Council has made its position clear to HDC (as the local Planning Authority) and we can now only wait to hear the outcome of the applications before we can plan any future action.

And finally ...

In closing I must place on record my thanks to all those Parish Councillors who give their time to the community with no thought of financial reward, and look forward to joining with them in helping to take the community forward and make Broughton Astley an even better place in which to live.

Colin Golding
Chairman
Broughton Astley Parish Council
16th April 2009

BACK TO TOP