Hello, I hope you are all keeping safe and well.
It has been a busy summer for me, with work on all our on-going projects, a meeting of the Estates Committee in August and an Extra Ordinary of the parish Council on 8th September to consider the proposed agreement with Community Action Suffolk to take forward the Housing Needs Survey. On reflection, the council decided not to enter into the agreement, which it considered would put the parish council at risk of a large financial liability, and constrain the council’s intention to make full use of information from the report to inform the preparation of its Neighbourhood Plan. Councillors did not consider this to be in the interests of the parish community. The parish council will continue to explore options to undertake a housing needs survey in the future as part of the wider Neighbourhood Planning project.
A Neighbourhood Plan working group has now formed, and met for the first time earlier this month. It’s next meeting will take place at Wickhambrook Memorial Social Centre on 7th October. If you would like to become involved, please do contact me.
I’ve also been working with two new volunteers in the parish, who have been transcribing historic records for our cemetery, and helping out with maintenance throughout the parish. Thank you to you both!! If you have a few spare hours a month and would like to find out more about volunteering with the parish, please do get in touch with me.
Updates on all the ongoing projects can be found on the consultation and projects page of our website.
We’ve also completed quite a bit of Estates work, including:new water butts at the Chapel of Rest.
- cleaning of gutters on the Chapel of Rest
- re-pointing of joints to the War Memorial and
- work to trees leading up to the Chapel of Rest
The new railings commissioned for War Memorial entrance to the cemetery have been completed and we hope to get them installed before Remembrance Sunday.
Following their resignation as a councillors, Wickhambrook parish council would like to extend its thanks to:
Mr John Barton, a councillor since May 2015. John served as chair to both the parish council and estates committee in recent years, and made a significant contribution to road safety in the parish through his work setting up and collating data collected from the Vehicle Activated Signs in the parish; and
Mr John Norton, who has served on the parish council since June 2019, and will be continuing his work as a lay member with responsibilities for the cemetery, churchyard and village greens.
We are now able to fill the vacancies by co-opting new members to the council. If you would like to become a councillor, have a look at some of the sources of information I’ve put together here, and chat with our Councillors to find out more about what it involves!
Our next meeting takes place this Thursday, 30th September – 7:00pm in the Dulcie Smith Room, Wickhambrook Memorial Social Centre – follow this link to the agenda and reports: https://wickhambrook.org/parish-council-agenda/
What’s on the agenda this time?
- co-opting a new member – we’ll be looking to co-opt a further councillor at our meeting in November too
- a look at actions arising from the External Auditor’s report and a proposal to adopt an Asset Valuation Policy, and a Safeguarding policy
- a report on the work of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group and the proposal to apply to West Suffolk for the whole of the parish to be designated a Neighbourhood Area for the purpose of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan
- A review of income and expenditure against budget and proposed adjustments to the budget
- Planning applications:
- DC/21/1730 Householder Planning Application
- DC/1738/HH Householder Planning Application
- DC/21/1403&4/FULL Planning Application & Application for Listed Building Consent
- a look at the proposal put forwards by the Estates Committee to adjust the Grounds Contract for the current financial year and update the specification for the next financial year
- and a look at options for re-development of the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA)
We would really like to hear your views on these proposals. Please do come along to the meeting to join in the public participation session at the start, or contact the clerk if you have any queries or questions.
I’d really also like to convey all our wishes for a speedy recovery to Roger Merry, our lay member on the Estates Committee who looks after play equipment at the recreation ground.
Finally, please 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 if they would like to be included in our e-newsletter mailing list!
Keep safe and well
Hilary Workman
Clerk for Wickhambrook Parish Council