SULGRAVE PARISH COUNCIL
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ANNUAL REPORT 2008
This report is published by Sulgrave Parish Council and copies are available free of charge in the Village
Shop and the Star Public House. Alternatively, you can download a pdf version for printing by clicking here.
INTRODUCTION
The objective of this report is to communicate the progress of the Sulgrave Parish Council
during the period April 2007 to March 2008.
The items contained in the report were also presented at the Parish Council Annual
Assembly meeting held at Sulgrave Church Hall on 10th April 2008, draft minutes of this
meeting are available on request to the Parish Clerk.
In order to encourage a wider participation in this annual event, a more relaxed
presentation style meeting was organised and refreshments served allowing the attendees
to mix socially during the evening. The evening was very well attended and provided an
opportunity for villagers to meet with County Councillor Ben Smith, South Northants
District Councillor Ashley Warren and the Northamptonshire Rural Community Policing
Team, plus of course the Parish Councillors.
With the appointment of a new Parish Council at the start of the year and with two new
Councillors joining the team we have been fully and actively engaged as far as work and
family commitments allow. During the year there have been ten parish council meetings,
which have been quite well attended by the public.
The Parish Council has been keen to identify the needs of the community, there have been
lively discussions on a number of topics and consultation exercises to try and identify
priorities. Sulgrave Parish is very fortunate with a high level of community involvement in a
number of projects and events which benefit the parish as a whole, some of which are
illustrated in this report.
Chairman’s Report for Year
The “new” Parish Council had now been in existence for almost a year. Our focus has been
to consolidate the work of the previous Council and to encourage more villagers to take an
active part in affairs, provide channels to communicate concerns and encourage attendance
and open debate at the Parish Council Meetings. Attendance levels have, in fact, been
growing steadily and the success of this approach was illustrated during the year by the
very strong turn out for the spring litter pick.
The council has continued with the policy of seeking opinion and consultation where
practical. When issues are identified the parish councillors have taken positive steps to
find a way to address the issues, either through awareness campaigns, establishing
consultation groups or encouraging the service industry to meet its commitments to the
community.
As a council we have been keen to debate issues openly, resulting in lively discussions at
our Parish meetings which are both healthy and interesting and dare I suggest, enjoyable,
for those who participate.
Graham Roberts
Chairman
Sulgrave Parish Council
Sulgrave Parish Council Financial Report
The financial report will show the Council is in command of its finances and is working
within the guidelines laid down by Local Government. However, in order to meet new
requirements for governance in the forthcoming year the council intends to assess its level
of internal control procedures, including internal audit.
To meet this requirement the council has obtained a copy of “Governance and
Accountability for Local Councils - A Practitioners’ Guide 2008 (England)”, which sets out
the requirements of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 and incorporates the
changes to Regulations in 2006 and the impact of the Local Government and Public
Involvement in Health Act 2007. The Parish Council has been in contact with the
Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils (Northants CALC) regarding
appropriate internal audit procedures and practices and intends to implement these
procedures in 2008/09.
Audited accounts can be viewed by interested parties by prior arrangement with the
Parish Clerk.
The Parish Council had an income of just over £13,000 during 2007/8 of which £9600.00
was raised via the precept. Additional income is raised via modest grants from Northants
County Council and rental income from the community shop and allotments. During the
year a grant of £1,000 was received from Sulgrave Charities to be used on work in the
Pocket Park.
Expenditure for this year has been just under £10K of which a significant part includes
servicing the loan for the purchase of the reading room which is currently in use by the
Community Shop.
The other main areas of expenditure include the cost of maintaining the appearance and
tidiness of the grassed areas, verges and the environs of the village, public lighting,
employee costs, and administration including newsletter and web-site.
Expenditure on major projects that have been undertaken during the year, for example
the reconstruction of the boundary wall for Castle Green, have been self funded through
grants, secured by the co-ordinating management committee.
By economising during the year the opportunity has also been taken to increase the Parish Council reserve accounts, which has strengthened the financial provisions for the future.
Information and Communication
The Parish Council regards effective communications with the community to be very
important and sponsors a number of initiatives. The village newsletter, which is edited
enthusiastically by Tom Cockeram, ([email protected]) and is collated and delivered
entirely by volunteers each month to be delivered to every home. The newsletter provides
up to date information on events, the activities of clubs and associations and provides a
valuable means of delivering detailed information on the activities of the Parish Council.
The Sulgrave village website (www.sulgrave.org) provides a mixture of village news and
information plus a photographic record of events as they take place. Features include the
wildflower of the month, village gardens, a growing village history section with
photographic archive, wildlife, fauna and flora. The Webmaster is Colin Wootton, a lifelong
villager who volunteers his time and effort to produce a very high quality output which
attracts visitors worldwide.
The Annual Parish Assembly provides a forum for discussion and the opportunity to hear
from local and county councillors, police authority and other community services operating
on behalf of the community. Regular, more formal, Parish Council Meetings are held
throughout the year and consultation documents are published by the Council on matters
of community interest or to seek views on particular issues or concerns.
Community Amenities
The responsibility of the Parish Council includes sponsoring and encouraging community
services and activities – during the year Sulgrave Parish Council has been engaged in the
following:-
Community Allotments
A lot of work has been carried out to
improve the allotment area in Towrise.
Whilst this work is ongoing it is
encouraging to see that all the plots,
except one, are now being rented out to
local residents and the area is starting
to recover from previous neglect.
Pocket Park
Volunteer teams have undertaken
maintenance and improvements to this
attractive area, which includes spring
and summer meadows for wildflowers,
a small pond and an area planted with a
variety of young trees and shrubs. The
children’s play area requires further
attention and during the year funding
has been secured to allow this work to
commence.
Footpaths
The volunteer Footpath Warden has continued to organise local walking groups to ensure the footpaths in the parish remain open and clear, a determined group of villagers turn out to beat a path through some of the less well defined footpaths on a regular basis a number of times during the year.
Community Events
One of the most popular and well
attended events during the year was the
celebration of our Village Postman’s 60th
birthday and recognition of over 20 years
of continual service to the village. Over
120 villagers turned out for the surprise
birthday party for “John the Post” and his
family and a most enjoyable and
memorable day was had by all.
Voluntary Organisations and Associations
Sulgrave Community Shop Association
The Sulgrave Community Shop is now in its
4th trading year and has become, for most,
an important facility and part of life in
Sulgrave; as much about “community” as
about “shopping”. The continuity of the shop
in its current form is due largely to a team
of over 50 volunteers. Their consistent
support and help with all aspects of the
operation has been invaluable, without them
the shop would not be able to continue to
provide the same level of service – it is open
for nearly 60 hours a week.
Castle Green Management Committee
The Management Committee reported a
year which has seen dramatic happenings
and significant progress towards the
objectives of the Restoration and
Enhancement Project. There has been much
energy and effort on the part of the
Committee. Some parts of the project have
gone better than others but it was hoped
that all aspects would be completed by the
end of the summer.
Sulgrave Charities
During the last year Sulgrave Charities have agreed awards to two causes that they
considered fitted within the Educational
Charity’s remit. The first for £1000.00 was to
Sulgrave Parish Council to fund some essential
work on the play equipment in the pocket park.
The second award was £100.00 to George
Holly-Moore. George is visiting India and
Nepal this summer on an expedition to see a
different culture and to assist in building an
orphanage in Nepal. They have asked George
to take some photographs and upon his return
to present them to a couple of organisations so
that villagers can see and hear about his
experience.
Village Services and Utilities
Activities during the year have including exerting continual pressure on Central Networks
to progress the under grounding of electrical overhead services within the village and it is
expected that a further phase of this work will commence in the late summer of 2008.
In addition, there have been understandable concerns due to the incidents of heavy
rainfall, regarding the capacity of the storm water systems to cope with excessive surface
water. The ongoing situation has been monitored by the council and all incidents of pooling
water and blocked drains reported through the Street Doctor system for attention.
There have been three separate exercises to clear blocked drains and remove
obstructions from the systems which should improve the situation, however monitoring will
continue for the foreseeable future.
The Year Ahead
Parish Council Mission Statement
Sulgrave Parish Council intends to undertake its responsibilities and duties in a manner
that:-
• is representative of, and actively engages all parts of its community, providing vision,
identity and a sense of belonging;
• is effectively and properly managed and articulates the needs and wishes of its
community;
• is committed to work in partnership with principal authorities and other public
service agencies;
• works closely with voluntary groups in its community;
• and, working with its partners, acts as an information point for local services.
Officers of the Council 2008/2009
Chairman – Cllr Graham Roberts (07778 584108)
Vice-Chairman – Cllr David Kellett (07747 808574)
Parish Clerk – Mrs Christine Coles (01295 276229)
Cllr Clare Pollak (01295 768224)
Cllr Jane Osborne (07879 624375)
Cllr Jo Powell (01295 768243)
Cllr Andrew Waite (07787 502260)
Sulgrave Parish Council – Annual Report 2007/2008 August 2008