HEVER PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY 2007
The ANNUAL ASSEMBLY of HEVER PARISH COUNCIL took place on 24th May 2007 at Hever Village hall. Before an audience of some 50 residents , the Chairman ( Laurie Rutman ) gave a summary of the council`s activities over the past 12 months.
INTRODUCTION-PRESSURE GROUP AND CALL TO ACTION
He pointed out that the Parish council seems to be taking on a larger role as a pressure group as well as a body taking action on its own account.
The Council is involved , directly or indirectly, in three local matters as a pressure group only . What the Council can and does do is identify and push local issues directly to those bodies who exercise power in order to get results for the community .
He invited all who are concerned in these issues to come forward and tell Councillors about those matters that are giving concern and not to assume that nothing can be done .
THE COUNCIL`S WEBSITE
The Council has its own web site .It costs the taxpayer nothing. The Home page now has a new look for all its users which ensures that all the material that the Council wants to show is still easily accessible
This shows what the Council does and shows the agenda plus minutes of meetings ; details of all councillors together with how to contact them; Cllr Peter Harrison who is responsible for the site keeps residents au fait with developments affecting the community. It links to other relevant sites and offers web facilities to other local organisations.
FOUR ELMS POND
This has been a success story for Four Elms and something in which the community justifiably takes pride . The Council has accepted, however , that the cost of maintenance now and in the future was likely to be too great an inroad into its budget .
The Council has set up a subcommittee which has power to bring in local residents and for that group to assume responsibility for the pond and fundraise within the community . The Council for its part has agreed to allocate a sum each year out of its budget ( presently £500 ) so that anything more that was required would need to be raised by local donations and physical effort . The cost would not then become a disproportionate call on council resources.
EDENBRIDGE HOSPITAL
Three Parish councillors have been members of the steering committee of the League of Friends to assist in the campaign to save this essential service . Each of them has given a great deal of time and effort in support .
On the day of the meeting the Board of the Primary Care Trust agreed that the Hospital should remain open , that the closed beds be reopened but proposed to close the Minor Injuries Unit. The Chairman assured the meeting that the hugely successful campaign directed with boundless energy by Dr. Andrew Russell will continue.
ROADS AND FOOTPATHS
On roads the Council now has a system in place with KCC, the highway authority, with the aim of better reporting and spelling out the action to be taken. Repairs have been carried out to a number of roads over the year and the system is working well.
SPEEDING
The Council has been considering the problems in Five Fields Lane which has been used as a rat run for traffic going from the Tonbridge direction to Edenbridge (and vice versa ) and seeking to avoid Four Elms Crossroads.
Speeding traffic along this unrestricted road has caused numerous accidents. Following a circular to residents . the Council has put a case to the KCC and it is now on their agenda for a meeting in September.
BUDGET/FINANCE
The Council agreed to keep its annual precept (or grant ) of £7,500 unchanged for the current year.
GRANTS
The Council made grants during the year towards signage at Horseshoe Green , Hever bus shelter and the FE pond.
The Council is also able to make medical or charitable grants out of the Haxted Charity which is administered by the Parish Council.
AIRCRAFT NOISE
The Council spent more time discussing this issue in the past year than on anything else . The campaign has been led by the efforts of one resident who has spent a great deal of time and effort promoting the issue.
The Council supports his aims. Over the past year the PC has also continued to seek ways of mitigating aircraft noise over Hever by means of direct communication with organisations such as BAA and through the efforts of our MP.
The Council continues to support the campaign for noise reduction and will do so principally through the efforts of our MP .
COMMUNITY POLICING
The police have now appointed officers to implement neighbourhood policing in all 3 villages .The officers can be reached by phone and by email. The Parish Clerk has details of their contact numbers and this information will be placed on our website.
PLANNING
The planning committee under the chairmanship of Cllr Tim Boyle works hard to review all planning applications within the parish . When appropriate councillors talk to the applicant as well taking soundings from neighbours before responding to the planning authority.
THE COUNCIL AND ELECTIONS
As a result of her move from the village Andy Blows retired from the Council . The Council were very sorry to lose her contributions,
Vacancies on the Council have been filled by John Hodson and John Southworth.
The Chairman pointed out that the Council now has only one woman representative on the Council which is disappointing. He encouraged more women to stand for office in the future.
Vice chairman ,Ann Roberts , was congratulated on her award of an MBE for her substantial work on behalf of so many local organisations .
The chairman expressed thanks Gerry Ryan for his hard work on behalf of the community, to John Green for his assistance with the annual audit and to the parish Clerk.
GUEST SPEAKER
The guest speaker for the evening , Lord Astor of Hever , then addressed the meeting. His entertaining talk entitled "Memories of Hever Castle " ranged over a wide area including the history of the Castle , his family`s acquisition of the Estate and personal recollections of the days when he lived there prior to the sale of the Estate in 1983 .