Parish Council – Annual Report 2009
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I am pleased to report that in 2008/2009 the Parish Council has built on previous years success and made good progress. The team of Parish Councillors has worked well and as well as dealing with the routine tasks has also been able to facilitate the development of a number of community activities.
In the year 2008/2009 we dealt with 38 planning applications. The number of planning applications dealt with is 20% lower than last year and probably reflects the down turn in the economy.
Of the 38 applications dealt with the Parish Council objected to 9. Of these 9 applications, 6 applications were also refused by Newcastle Borough Council, whilst 3 were approved. The three that were approved were Rose Cottage Snape Hall Road, Townsend Cottage Butterton, and Twistren, Parkwood Drive.
There were 2 occasions where the Parish Council did not object to the application but Newcastle Borough Council refused the application on technical grounds. One of these applications has subsequently been permitted.
In considering planning applications it should be noted that the Parish Council objected to the proposed wind turbine development at Maer Hills. The Parish Council has taken a lot of time and trouble in trying to understand the benefits and the disadvantages of such a development. We have seen some criticism of our support for the Maer Hills Protection Group. However the Parish Council remains resolute in objecting to any development of Maer Hills. We are also resolute in objecting to any proposed development that will result in increased traffic on the A53.
In the last Annual Report I outlined the projects the Parish Council were working on and these have continued into the year 2008/2009. These projects are as follows:-
- Progression of the Parish Plan.
- Development of the Information Centre.
- Enhance the information on the website.
- Implement Community Speed Watch.
- Promote the appearance of the Parish.
- Improve the playing field facility.
- Improve the local footpaths.
All of the above projects have been progressed by the Parish Council and will continue for the coming year. I will now give a brief overview of the progress made.
The Parish Plan has been the basis for the development of the community. One of the ideas that emerged from the plan was the promotion of a Festival. I am pleased to say that this actually came to fruition in September of last year. There were numerous events and activities over a period of ten days. All events were well subscribed. The Parish Council did not actually run any events but were the facilitators that helped to make each event happen. It was a credit to the community as a whole and especially the organisers that the first Whitmore Festival was such a success.
As a Parish Council we considered whether the frequency of such an event should be every year or biannual. Having consulted a number of organisers we concluded that we would promote it as a biannual event. We now look forward to the 2010 Whitmore Festival.
The Parish Plan continues to be a valuable reference especially when discussing our community with third parties. For example it is currently being used to try and facilitate improvements in public transport. However it is some years since it was developed and the Parish Council now need to consider a review of the Parish Plan.
The Information Centre continues to fulfil a need and is a focal point for informal meetings on a Thursday afternoon. Manning of the information centre is voluntary and we the Parish Council are grateful for the assistance. The facility has recently been extended by the Village Hall. Also a recent development has been the facility for the issuing of bus passes.
The village website has continued to develop. Any person who has access to the internet can access the site at www.whitmore.village.uk.net The important thing about a website is that the information is current and valid. Thanks to Buttons Web Solutions I am pleased to say that the site is updated monthly. The content is expanding and will be updated to include details about Whitmore Horticultural Society and the forthcoming Whitmore Horticultural Show.
Road Safety is considered to be important by all in our community and as a Parish Council we try wherever to ensure that road safety is promoted. After what must be years of frustration we finally managed to get the speed activation sign working. In addition I am pleased to say that the Community Speed Watch camera has also been employed on a number of occasions, with a number of speeding motorists reported.
The state of and maintenance of our roads is a frustration that concerns us deeply as a Parish Council. We continue to have a lack of confidence in the Staffordshire County Council reporting system called Clarence. Having said that we have been generally pleased with the improvement of the Trentham Road A53 junction. We were even able to arrange for the fencing off of the lay-by at the entrance to Acton and also an improvement to the visibility on leaving Acton when joining the Trentham Road.
The appearance of the Parish is also important. We have steadily made improvements with the help of our contractors. The playing field appearance has been the best it has been for a number of years. We have also extended our maintenance to include the perimeter of the Village Hall. Three new Parish Council noticeboards have also been installed. The funding for the purchase of the noticeboards was grant assisted from Staffordshire Parish Council Association.
The playground is an amenity that is well used by the community. To ensure that it is kept in good order there are regular monthly inspections and a yearly inspection to ensure there are no significant defects. We are currently investigating the possibility of extending the playground to also appeal to an older age group. It is hoped that funding will be through a grant from Staffordshire County Council.
We have also tried to improve the Footpaths in the parish. A team of Parish Councillors walked and surveyed all the footpaths. All were passable but the need for improvements were noted. Some improvements have been achieved by reporting defects to Staffordshire County Council who I must say have responded well.
To conclude my report I would like to thank the people who have contributed to the activities of the Parish Council and to the community as a whole. In particular, support from MC Landscapes and Nigel Aldritt for their efforts associated with enhancing the appearance of the village, Mandy Dawson for the continued maintenance of a very professional-looking website, my wife Helen for putting together the Newsletters and the support she has provided to me in my role as Chairman, John and Audrey Pedley, Derek Pitt our Village Agent as well as Bill Murray for their enthusiasm for the Whitmore Festival and the Information Centre.
And lastly but not least, I would like to thank the Parish Councillors for their efforts and voluntary time as well as the Clerk to the Parish Council, Bob Haysom, who has as the Responsible Officer provided the excellent professional support needed.
Having made a review of our activities, below is a summary of accounts for 2008/2009. The accounts are healthy and we will continue to seek grants which will enable us to progress the projects I have outlined. However I expect in the current financial situation that the number and size of grants will start to reduce.
Nick D K Hopper, Chairman
June 2009
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