home... noticeboard... news... events... meetings... annual parish assembly... gallery... annual parish assembly The Council year to date has been the busiest I can remember since I joined in 1999 – the list seemed endless, particularly to our Clerk and Assistant Clerk, who have coped marvellously with all the projects. Before I became a Parish Councillor I thought that it would be a boring job with very little to do other than sit on a committee and perhaps ponder on how to spend the precept. The truth of the matter is that it is rather different – although I do get to spend our cash and sign lots of cheques!
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fri 26th mar 10 - Annual Parish Assembly @ Grayshott Village Hall
GRAYSHOTT PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN'S REPORT for The Year Ended 31st March 2010 to the ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY
Traffic calming has been one such project which involved liaising with Hampshire Highways and their traffic engineers, Mott Gifford on the options produced by the Highways Agency as part of the A3 tunnel scheme. In this regard our County Councillor, Sam James, has proved a good ally, whose efforts culminated with the option of deferring a decision on the style of calming until after the tunnel completion in 2011. Common sense prevailed at last!
The Sports Field survey and proposals has also used a lot of time and energy, mainly by the Steering Group, but more of that later in the agenda under 'Open Forum'.
The Square Group, headed by our Vice-chairman, Colin Thompson, have also done sterling work over the last two years, raising funds for the refurbishment which is imminent. Colin will give a summary of the situation after this report.
You may recall that the Clinic site in School Road was sold to developers by the Local Primary Care Trust, where three 'executive style' houses will be built. The developers and the Parish Council were keen to preserve the two plaques that had been built into the side of the clinic, and Phil Bates offered to store them until they would be used. Discussions with the developers has achieved our objective of having the plaques set in a brick plinth on the corner of School Road and Beech Hanger Road, just inside the site boundary. A firm design is now being produced for approval, following which we will be seeking acceptance by EHDC Planning Officers.
Prior to Christmas, we held a reception for representatives of the many voluntary organisations that help make Grayshott an 'award winning village'. Our way of saying 'thank you' on behalf of the village. We welcomed the first of the winter's snow! Which leads me neatly on to the creation of EGG (Emergency Group Grayshott), headed by Gordon Sanderson – rumour has it that he was 'elected' in his absence. EGG will co-ordinate help in the event of another snow emergency (thanks to global warming) so volunteers with 4x4s, shovels etc. should log in with him, as should those who would need support with shopping, medical supplies etc.
Our newest recruit, Julie Bevis, has accepted the challenge of arranging a Community Plan, and she has a small core of volunteers to help her. I am sure Julie would appreciate additional help from anyone interested in establishing the needs of the village, from transport improvements to extra facilities.
Those of you who have read the latest edition of Grayshott Scene will be aware that we have kept our precept increase to 0.6%, which is roughly an extra 33 pence per household for the year. However our Council Tax bills show a figure of £59,300 for our precept – this should be £59,530 – they have also miscalculated the percentage change as a negative figure!! They have admitted their error and confirmed that they will pay us the correct amount. I fear that we will have to make it higher for 2011/12.
There has been a lot of interest generated by EHDC's consultation document which will form part of the Local Development Framework for housing over the next 20 years. 50 extra houses were suggested 'along the Headley Road west side of the village'. The council's response centred around the current need for infrastructure improvements, and with a 97 bed nursing home and 21 houses being built on the British Car Auctions site in Hindhead and the 25 bed apartment retirement home nearing completion at the corner of Boundary Road, our sewage system will be under severe stress. The Surgery will also be affected. An extra 50 houses could only make the situation worse. We are in contact with our counterparts in Waverley with a view to keeping abreast of any further developments that are likely to affect us all.
Allotments are proving very popular, and we are in the process of adding a further 10 at Beech and 2 at Stoney Bottom. Interest is also being shown about the possibility of having bees at Beech, subject of course to all necessary safeguards being undertaken.
The village Archive continues to do good work, and you may have noticed their exhibition as you came in. The Archive is co-sponsored by the Parish Council and the Village Hall Management Committee. They need volunteers to help run the Archive – so if you are interested please contact them, or indeed visit their website.
As usual, I thank my colleagues on the Parish Council for their support and contributions to our deliberations. My biggest thanks go to Liz Pennick, who has attacked her duties with diligence and professionalism. Regrettably, she has decided to resign as our Clerk and she will be sadly missed, although she has agreed to remain as locum Clerk, for essential duties, until such time as a new Clerk has been appointed. Our latest recruit as Assistant Clerk, Emma Sleigh, has also resigned in order to assist her husband in a new business venture, so we are busy looking for a replacement. Although she has only been with us for 6 months, Emma has already made a favourable impression with the council and her contacts among the public and at EHDC's planning department.
Should anyone feel that they could be interested in becoming a Parish Councillor in the future we could do with some new views and opinions on village matters, please talk with myself or one of my colleagues. In any event everyone is welcome to attend our meetings, which are advertised on the Parish notice-boards and on Grayshott.com, to get a feel for the sort of situations we deal with, on behalf of our community.
Finally, finally, may I remind you of the 'litter pick' tomorrow at 10am, gathering in the Headley Road car park. Pickers and bags will be provided with a free tea or coffee. Thinking of tea and coffee I close with thanks to the ladies of Arthritis Care Group who provided the pre-assembly drinks. If you haven't read the Scene on the council's web page on Grayshott.com, or picked up a copy from one of the 7 collection points, then you can take one on your way out, from the table at the back.
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fri 3rd apr 09 - Annual Parish Assembly @ Grayshott Village Hall
GRAYSHOTT PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN'S REPORT for The Year Ended 31st March 2009 to the ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY
On the financial front you will have seen that we have been conscious of pressures on incomes and have produced a budget for 2009/10 of £59,170 by comparison with that for 2008/09 of £59,000. We feel that this is a realistic figure which takes into account the reduction in the number of Grayshott Scenes to be printed in the future and that all the tree work recommended by our arboriculturist has already been done. These savings have been countered to some extent by the need to increase the hours worked by our staff to a total of 35 per week. This compares with a figure of 25 hours per week a mere five years ago. Government "Consultations" and "Initiatives" have a lot to do with the increase, and the balance is caused by Grayshott being such an active village.
You will have noticed that the bus shelter on the Village Green has been renewed in the last year. In addition we have purchased a "sit-on" mower for the Sports Field and have instigated a professional sports and recreational facility survey. Virtually all the costs of these activities has been acquired from grant applications to outside bodies which entails a lot of form – filling and appearances before committees. In addition the Council has commissioned a professional survey of the Pavilion which has highlighted a need for substantial upgrading to meet current standards and will therefore encompass the need for a new pavilion. We are very fortunate to have high quality football and cricket clubs using the Sports Field, both of which offer a very high standard of play and win many awards.
The Square Group, under the leadership of my Vice-Chairman, Colin Thompson, has had a busy year with an exhibition in this hall a month ago of the preferred design for the refurbishment, which is also on display tonight in the small hall. It is hoped that Hampshire County Council through their Country Towns Initiative will grant a substantial sum towards this refurbishment project, but in the meantime the Square Group have conducted various fund – raising events on The Square.
On the planning front the final design for the replacement dwellings for Philips House have been approved, and Drum Housing aim to start work later this year. When the current residents are re- housed Philips House will be pulled down and new affordable homes built in its place.
As usual this year the village flower beds and the Millennium Planter have been kept immaculately, for which thanks are due to the volunteers, including members of Grayshott Gardeners. Thanks are also due to Grayshott in Bloom for the hanging baskets and planters in the shopping areas. The Christmas tree and lights were again an example of community spirit with many volunteers assisting Richard Hitchcock in cutting down and transporting the tree which was kindly donated by Mr. Stutchbury.
A completely new departure for Grayshott could be to have a Green Burial Site on the land adjacent to Fairlands, opposite Ludshott Common. Both our and Headley's cemeteries are nearly full and this site could relieve the pressure on the few remaining spaces. At the moment this concept is still in the discussion stages, although there is already a precedent at East Meon.
Almost finally may I make a plea for our local shops and facilities - they need all the help they can get in these difficult times. The library needs support – "use it or lose it" springs to mind – they also offer free access to the internet. Also needing help are Grayshott Care who offer car transport within and outside the village and the Thursday Day Centre who provide a meal and a chance to socialise at the St Luke's rooms. If you are able to spare a few hours a month to help with either of these schemes, details are on the table at the back of the hall. If you have any safety concerns then a chat with our PCSO Jim Leggatt at his office in Headley Road car park could put your mind at rest. The times are given on the village notice boards.
And now finally I wish to thank Liz Pennick, our Clerk, for all the hard work she does, not only for the Parish Council but also the Square Group. I also welcome Becky Hardy to the team as Assistant Clerk. Between them they do a very good job on behalf of the community, as do my colleagues on the Parish Council and Ferris Cowper at District level. view as word.doc...
fri 4th apr 08 - Grayshott Annual Parish Assembly @ Grayshott Village Hall