Hello, I hope you are all keeping safe and well.
It has been a busy two months for all of us at the parish council, with work on all our on-going projects, our regular Parish Council meeting in January and both an Extraordinary meeting and the Estates Committee in early February.
In the two recent meetings, the parish council:
- authorised the cost of commissioning a Housing Needs Survey and report from Cambs ACRE, and the cost of stationery and publicity materials for the Neighbourhood Plan Household Questionnaire;
- agreed to commission a week long speed survey and report from Suffolk County Council Highways in the vicinity of the school;
- adopted a Risk Management Policy and supporting Risk Assessments;
- appointed a sole operator to the Cemetery for the purposes of grave digging;
- appointed Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) as internal auditor for the next internal audit;
- approved the draft budget, proposed precept and 3 year plan for the parish council;
- adopted a Grant Awarding Policy; and
- appointed RH Landscapes and Maintenance Ltd to the Grounds Contract for the next financial year.
The Neighbourhood Plan Working Group has been busy preparing the Household Questionnaire and this has now been delivered, together with a Housing Needs Survey, to every property in the parish.
This is your first opportunity to influence the Neighbourhood Plan. Please complete the questionnaire and give your views about housing and other development in the village for the years ahead. The Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire will influence housing development for the open market in Wickhambrook for the next 20 years. The Housing Needs Survey, on the other hand, is concerned specifically with the provision of small numbers of affordable homes, solely for people living in the village and their families.
Both the Questionnaire and the Survey are open until 28th February – you can either complete online, or fill in and return the hard copies. If you haven’t received a pack, please e-mail me, and I’ll arrange to get a pack delivered as soon as possible.
After a delay over the Christmas and New Year (which seems a long time ago now!), the fencing to the old MUGA space next to the Skate Park has now been completed. This is the first first phase in bringing the space back into use for outdoor fitness, and an consultation on proposals will be starting soon.
Thanks go out too, to the fabulous team and Wickhambrook Memorial Social Centre, who provided water and access to rest break facilities for the workmen (and space for the skip!), and also to the lovely ladies at the WI, for allowing the work team to store some of their equipment on their land whilst the fencing was being installed. We hope you agree it looks lovely.
The Estates Committee met in early February, and:
- agreed a workplan for the next financial year based on the approved budget;
- noted that equipment to support outdoor activities (including a Gazebo for shelter) is being purchased from grant funding;
- considered a draft 3 year work plan for the committee and agreed priorities;
- authorised funding for the purchase of replacement fittings at the play parks when identified on inspection;
- agreed that a sole contractor should be appointed for the digging of graves in Wickhambrook Cemetery; and
- considered proposals to plant trees throughout the parish under the Queen’s Green Canopy Project in recognition of HRH The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Unfortunately, due to the expected strong winds from Storm Eunice, we’ve again had to postpone Street Art Workshop and Litterpick, which we hope to re-schedule for the Easter Holidays (9th to 24th April).
At its next meeting on February 24th 2022, the Parish Council will be considering:
- The adoption of a Parish Action Plan;
- Moving payroll functions and pension arrangements;
- Appointing new insurers due to recent changes in the insurance market;
- Authorising a schedule of due payments and approving direct debits for the next financial year;
- Charitable donations and a grant application for funding to maintain the Memorial Clock; and
- Proposals for a celebration of HRH The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
If you have any ideas, or would like to get involved with plans to celebrate the Jubilee, please contact me () initially.
Phew, what a lot of news!! Do feel free to forward this message on to neighbours, friends and family in the parish and ask them to get in touch with me at .uk if they would like to be included in our e-newsletter mailing list!
Keep safe and well
Hilary Workman
Clerk for Wickhambrook Parish Council