Report from Haddenham Parish Council

Published by Julie Parr

Tuesday, 09 February 2010

By Jenny Manning The Parish Council met on Wednesday 20th January 2010.  Cllr Parr opened the meeting and wished everyone a very Happy New Year.   Authorisation was given to sign the minutes of the last meeting and accounts to be paid.  Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Holden and Cllr Tindall. Co-option of Councillor The Council was pleased to meet the four applicants Robert Bush, David Lyon, Alan Mittins and Chris Prescott, who had applied to fill the casual vacancy.  Following a secret ballot Chris Prescott was announced the winner and duly co-opted onto the Council.  Cllr Gareth Wilson thanked all the applicants for their interest and said it was very gratifying to see such a  good response. EDF supply Aldreth to Sutton The Clerk advised that all remedial work along the route of the road works will be carried out once the job has been completed and this includes the re-instatement of the footpath from Jo Jackson Farm to Sand Path in Aldreth Road.  Cllr Hugo had managed to negotiate an addition to the path in Aldreth so that it will now link up with the existing one that runs past the front of the Aldreth Service Station.  The Clerk advised that unfortunately the Northstowe funding which had been promised to finish off the footpath has been axed and alternative funding will need to be found by the Parish Council.   Speedwatch Scheme Mr Roffey the newly appointed Speedwatch Co-ordinator was in attendance and wished to introduce himself to the Council.  He spoke for a few minutes about the scheme and advised that more volunteers are required for Haddenham.  An article will go in Village VOICE and on the Haddenham Website to raise awareness of the scheme and inviting volunteers to join. Community First Responder Scheme The co-ordinator for the Community First Responder Scheme is looking to set one up in Haddenham and will be hosting an event at the Arkenstall Centre on Thursday 25th February from 7.30pm – 9.00pm to raise awareness of the scheme.  The Clerk will also invite her to attend the Annual Parish Meeting to give a talk on the subject. Family Fair A request had been received from Perrett’s Amusements to bring their fair to Haddenham Recreation Field in July but it was agreed that it would not be possible this year due to the new pitch still being established.   Police Report Two work vans were broken into in the Perry Close area on the 9th December and equipment was stolen. During December PCSO Clare issued 5 fixed penalty notices in Haddenham for illegal parking; four outside the Spar shop and one in Camping Close. There was a theft from a motor vehicle at Crossways during the day on the 8th January. Patrols have been carried out of all areas, trying to pay particular attention to those that have been targeted for burglaries recently. Over the past year officers have stopped more than 15,000 motorists in the county, 5,000 more than last year and arrested 123 people, compared to 102 arrests the previous year. The Christmas campaign ran from 1st to 31st December, with 1,500 motorists being stopped on New Year’s Eve alone. The force has opened the county’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in partnership with the NHS and Rape Crisis. The centre, based at The Oasis in Rivergate, Peterborough, will offer support and medical facilities for victims of rape and sexual assault and will be open 24 hours a day.  Victims can contact the centre by calling 0845 089 6262. Information from District Councillors Cllr Pauline Wilson reminded everyone that the next Neighbourhood Panel Meeting would be held on Monday 25th January at 7.00pm at Little Thetford Village Hall.  She also advised that the Community Services Committee would meet on 21st January when the S106 Investment Strategy funding application for Aldreth Community Centre would be discussed.   Cllr Wilson also reported that due to budget cuts it had been proposed that funding to ADEC should be cut by £25,000 and finish in June but she had put forward an amendment that the District Council should continue to support them and help them to save that money. The Community Facilities grant is also being reduced by 50% to £20,000. Cllr Gareth Wilson advised that several meetings had been postponed due to the problems with the deficit in the budget.  He also advised that the collection of plastic bottles is going to be cut. Cemetery The mound of soil at the bottom of the cemetery will be cleaned up as it is being used as a rubbish dump and a sign will be made advising that it is not for rubbish.  The sign on the gate also needs to be replaced.   Recreation A meeting will be held on Tuesday 26th January to discuss an action plan regarding the roundabout and swing, which have been picked up on the annual inspection as requiring urgent attention.  It is most likely that they will both need to be taken out of use for the foreseeable future.  Cllr G Wilson had completed the accounts for the Recreation Centre Committee Street Lighting Cllr Smith reported that the new light in The Rampart had been connected up free of charge by EDF.  The Clerk had received a phone call from a resident in The Rampart thanking the Council for its prompt action in getting the light replaced. Wayman’s Pits Project Cllr Parr advised that a donation of £1500 had been received from HSBC Bank via Andrew Threadgold and a letter of thanks had been sent to him.  The issue of the permissive path is still being worked on.  Plants and trees will be ordered and a planting day will be held on Sunday 14th February.  Cllr Parr will meet Karen Whymark and the Probation people to see if they are available to help as well.  The planning application for change of use will be submitted in the next few days. Arkenstall Centre The pantomime had been very successful.  The caretaker’s bathroom has been upgraded.  New hiring forms for the hall are available on the Arkenstall website and ADEC has named it the best village halls website.  The committee room floor in the Arkenstall Centre is in need of replacement and will cost in the region of £2400 and it was agreed that an application should be put together to apply for funding from the Section 106 Investment Strategy.   Haddenham Library The Christmas and New Year opening times had helped to keep borrowing figures up during a quiet period.  A visit from school children is planned during February and March for their literacy projects.  Due to changes in the Under-fives service pre-school and nursery staff will soon be able to borrow books at designated times.  Books on Prescription will soon become live. The reading groups remain active. Emergency lighting and other service issues are being looked at.  The next Friends meeting will be held on Thursday 28th January. Guppy’s Pond The group may develop a nesting bank for kingfishers. Nine-Acre Wood The Clerk had written to the Woodland Trust about the hibernaculum and had been advised that it had to be destroyed due to the lack of use by bats coupled with the security of the entrance being compromised by movement in the structure making it a risk to inquisitive children.  Cllr Norman had since contacted them and plans are now being made to replace the structure with something more safety conscious and the Woodland Trust will cover the cost involved. Village Signs The Haddenham & Aldreth village signs will be added to the insurance policy with immediate effect. Village VOICE The Parish Council will fund and deliver a free issue of VOICE in June to every household in Haddenham and Aldreth.  It will also contain the Parish Council Annual Report as a loose insert. Village Christmas Lights The lights would be taken down on Sunday 24th January.  Cllr Fairchild would be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer their help for next Christmas and the Council would like to thank all those who helped this year and allowed the use of their electricity. Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 10th February 2010 at 7.30pm at the Arkenstall Village Centre, Station Road, Haddenham, Cambs. For Information: Haddenham Parish Council members and contact details: Cllr Ken Bowcock     01353 740443 Cllr David Fairchild    01353 740680 Cllr Peter Goddard    01353 740134 Cllr Geoff Haigh    01353 749760 Cllr Trevor Holden    01353 740925 Cllr Mark Hugo    01353 740586 Cllr Robert Norman    01353 740473 Cllr Julie Parr  (Chairman)    01353 741380 Cllr Chris Prescott    01353 749038 Cllr Stuart Smith    01353 740906 Cllr Nick Tindall (Vice Chairman)    01353 741471 Cllr Gareth Wilson    01353 740617 Cllr Pauline Wilson    01353 740617 Parish Clerk: Mrs. Jenny Manning    Tel:     01353 749919 8 Aldreth Road    Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Haddenham     Cambs CB6 3UB     Copies of signed meeting minutes are available on the notice board in the Library within two weeks of being signed.