October 2005
11/10/05 12:42
The October 2005 meeting was attended by 11 Parish Councillors, the County and 2 District Councillors, Community Police Officer and 3 parishioners.
Anglian Water have finally fitted the odour filters to manholes in the Burnt House Lane area. SCC has returned to the Village Green to make good subsidence and improve drainage. Drainage work along Falkenham Road is scheduled for the autumn. The Recreation Ground has received a grant from the Locality Budget towards a CCTV system around the pavilion. It is proving difficult to obtain funding for hard surfacing of the car park and cheaper alternatives will have to be investigated. Misuse of the sand heaps by children is still giving problems, though the situation has improved. Councillors had visited Ufford to inspect a sand jump facility, but discovered it had recently been removed through lack of use. It was noted that the sand heaps and boxes had been replenished for the winter, but it was reported that that for Oakdene had been omitted; the Clerk will alert SCC.
The annual consideration of Finance and General Purposes took place. It was agreed to increase the Clerk’s Salary by 5% for the year 2006/7. Grants totally £500 were agreed to Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service, Kirton & Falkenham Village Hall, Living History of Kirton, Felixstowe CAB, and Royal British Legion. An Expenditure Forecast for 2006/7 of £12,500 was agreed, which included a sum of £1000 to continue building up reserves, £720 contribution to the Parish Plan and £300 for the provision of additional sand bins. Confirmed that the Christmas Tree Lighting-up ceremony would be on the 9th December; the British Legion had been asked to accompany carols, refreshments would again be provided by the "Fish & Chip Van", and the offer of the Primary School to provide a special carol sheet was gratefully accepted.
Poppy Wreaths on behalf of the Parish will be laid at Kirton and Falkenham Churches on Remembrance Sunday. A notional estimate for the cost of providing a footway from the Green to the Post Office had been obtained, but it had also been established that grants for such projects from the Countryside Agency were no longer available and obtaining a loan, even from Government sources, could prove insupportable. The best course still appeared to be to continue to press SCC to undertake the work. A Councillor had attended the SCDC budget briefing meeting, and submitted a report on the background to the likely increase in the District Rate of 5%. Reference was also made to toilet refurbishment and closures, and to extensions to the waste collection schemes.
The PTLO reported on complaints of overcrowding on the early morning bus to Ipswich, which she had taken up with the company; following which a larger bus was provided. A publicity bus had stood on the Green during a day in October, though she had no idea what kind of response there had been. The Parish Council assisted her with a response on Highway Maintenance. A brief report on the inaugural meeting of the Parish Plan Group was given. The Community Police Officer reported that there had been no reported crime in the villages in the past month. The speed gun had been used in the Parish twice recently, and while no excessive speeds had been noted, a number of drivers had been warned for exceeding the 30mph limit.
The County Councillor reported that the County were considering the implications to regional infrastructure of expansion of Stansted and Luton airports and a "Green Paper" on Youth matters was being prepared. Meetings with local MPs had been held to discuss proposed hospital closures. The District Councillors reports noted that all building control services were now being dealt with in house, all planning services being now under a single control. A report on toilet refurbishment and closures was promised.
The next meeting is on Monday 21st November in the Recreation Ground Pavilion at 7.30 pm.
Colin Shaw, Clerk
Anglian Water have finally fitted the odour filters to manholes in the Burnt House Lane area. SCC has returned to the Village Green to make good subsidence and improve drainage. Drainage work along Falkenham Road is scheduled for the autumn. The Recreation Ground has received a grant from the Locality Budget towards a CCTV system around the pavilion. It is proving difficult to obtain funding for hard surfacing of the car park and cheaper alternatives will have to be investigated. Misuse of the sand heaps by children is still giving problems, though the situation has improved. Councillors had visited Ufford to inspect a sand jump facility, but discovered it had recently been removed through lack of use. It was noted that the sand heaps and boxes had been replenished for the winter, but it was reported that that for Oakdene had been omitted; the Clerk will alert SCC.
The annual consideration of Finance and General Purposes took place. It was agreed to increase the Clerk’s Salary by 5% for the year 2006/7. Grants totally £500 were agreed to Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service, Kirton & Falkenham Village Hall, Living History of Kirton, Felixstowe CAB, and Royal British Legion. An Expenditure Forecast for 2006/7 of £12,500 was agreed, which included a sum of £1000 to continue building up reserves, £720 contribution to the Parish Plan and £300 for the provision of additional sand bins. Confirmed that the Christmas Tree Lighting-up ceremony would be on the 9th December; the British Legion had been asked to accompany carols, refreshments would again be provided by the "Fish & Chip Van", and the offer of the Primary School to provide a special carol sheet was gratefully accepted.
Poppy Wreaths on behalf of the Parish will be laid at Kirton and Falkenham Churches on Remembrance Sunday. A notional estimate for the cost of providing a footway from the Green to the Post Office had been obtained, but it had also been established that grants for such projects from the Countryside Agency were no longer available and obtaining a loan, even from Government sources, could prove insupportable. The best course still appeared to be to continue to press SCC to undertake the work. A Councillor had attended the SCDC budget briefing meeting, and submitted a report on the background to the likely increase in the District Rate of 5%. Reference was also made to toilet refurbishment and closures, and to extensions to the waste collection schemes.
The PTLO reported on complaints of overcrowding on the early morning bus to Ipswich, which she had taken up with the company; following which a larger bus was provided. A publicity bus had stood on the Green during a day in October, though she had no idea what kind of response there had been. The Parish Council assisted her with a response on Highway Maintenance. A brief report on the inaugural meeting of the Parish Plan Group was given. The Community Police Officer reported that there had been no reported crime in the villages in the past month. The speed gun had been used in the Parish twice recently, and while no excessive speeds had been noted, a number of drivers had been warned for exceeding the 30mph limit.
The County Councillor reported that the County were considering the implications to regional infrastructure of expansion of Stansted and Luton airports and a "Green Paper" on Youth matters was being prepared. Meetings with local MPs had been held to discuss proposed hospital closures. The District Councillors reports noted that all building control services were now being dealt with in house, all planning services being now under a single control. A report on toilet refurbishment and closures was promised.
The next meeting is on Monday 21st November in the Recreation Ground Pavilion at 7.30 pm.
Colin Shaw, Clerk