Re: Budget 2021-22

PARISH COUNCIL FUNDING 2021-2022
Residents will have noted the significant increase in the Parish Precept for next year. This has been necessary to fund the cost of Speed Indicator Devices (SpIDs), the Felling of Ash Trees and Public Toilet renovations.

Speed Control
A trial use of SpIDs during 2020 with donated, but inefficient, equipment showed that this type of warning device was effective in reducing speeding in selected parts of the village. Council has now made the decision to purchase technically advanced SpIDs capable of monitoring and recording traffic speed in a form that can be submitted to the Highways Authority to support any request for help with speed control. The new SpIDs will be moved around the village in approved locations onto posts to be provided and installed by the Highways Authority.

Ash Tree Die-Back
The Parish Council has responsibility for felling diseased trees in Parish land at Bankwell, Woodwell, Burtonwell Lane and the Scroggs considered to present a danger. Negotiations with several approved contractors resulted in Council’s decision to appoint three companies which could carry out the work simultaneously. The final bill for this work will not be known for a while as this is the first stage of work to remove severely damaged ash trees in danger of falling. Efforts to recoup these costs from the council’s Public Liability Insurance have not been successful. This situation is UK-wide and is predicted to cost UK local authorities billions of pounds. The Parish Council’s responsibility is to make safe the areas of land it owns, and it sees this as an ongoing task for the next year and maybe beyond.

Public Toilets
Calculations to establish the extent of use of the public toilets revealed that there was sufficient justification to keep them open. Considerable renovation is however necessary and Council has decided to embark on a short to medium term programme. This will include electrical, plumbing, carpentry and signage and re-routing of the Ladies entrance.

Elizabeth Unsworth (McGillivray)
Tel: 01524 805664
Mob: 07948 098993