My report covers the period May 2008 –April 2009

As in previous years your council has been working diligently on your behalf, not only on the everyday routine, but still very important business that keep the Parish in good order, but also the many new and long term projects that have to be carefully monitored. Some of these will be mentioned later in my report.

Your Council representatives are as follows. Edlesborough Ward Cllr David Brown, Chair of the General Purpose Committee, Cllr John Wilkinson GPC member, also responsible for planning and represents the PC on various committees throughout Aylesbury Vale, Cllr Marilyn Pryce-Jones deputy Chair GPC, Cllr Julie Ratherham who takes control of our promotion activities & Alan Williams GPC member & leader of the EDaN steering group. Northall Ward, Vice Chair of the PC & GPC member Cllr Kevin Cubbage who is also responsible for Northall Planning issues, finance and the web site. Cllr Mark Wilson who fills the vacancy which occurred when Cllr Phil Conacher sadly passed away last October, Phil served on the Council for 4 years and will be greatly missed. We look forward to a long and productive term of office with Mark. Tim Jones, planning and me also a GPC member, represent Dagnall Ward. County Cllr Avril Davies and District Cllr Terry Jones continue to support and keep your Council fully informed on all issues of concern. To all the Parish, District & County Councillors, not forgetting our Clerk Lin who is responsible for the smooth running of the every day business of the Council, On behalf of myself and the Parishioners I once again thank you all for your total commitment.

www.edlesborough.gov.uk Cllr Cubbage continues to update our website on a regular basis, this is your first port of call if you wish to know anything about the Parish. Kevin recently spent many many long hours sorting out a problem caused by our service provider which required him to not only purchase new software but also to learn how to use it, but with Kevins usual dogged determination and tenacity the site was soon up and running again. Once again Kevin we are indebted to you for all your expertise and input into this now essential major form of communication.

The General Purpose Committee. The GPC makes decisions with regard to many issues, saving valuable time at full council meetings. Areas they cover include allotments, Cemetery, street lighting, Memorial Hall and open spaces. This vital committee consists of the six Cllr’s previously mentioned and the Clerk who takes the minutes. All decisions made by this committee are ratified at full council.

Local Area Forum Cllrs Wilkinson & Williams accompanied by our Clerk attend these very useful County Council organised meetings on your behalf, this is the one meeting where specific items can be discussed with the relevant Bucks CC officer

Street Lighting After a very difficult period due to the retirement of our long term contractor, we have, after several attempts secured the services of a reliable electrical company who are checking all parish lights on a monthly basis and repair and replace faulty parts as necessary. Please continue to report faulty lights to the Clerk so they can be repaired quickly.

Allotments Due to the increase demands for plots in the parish, any allotment that hasn’t been cultivated or worked during a six months period is being reclaimed by the PC and re-let as defined in the agreement signed by all tenants. Special circumstances are obviously taken into account before a re-let is implemented. A cup will be presented by the PC to the best kept allotment in each of the three villages and also a cup will be awarded at Dagnall’s Garden Society Show held in September for the Best in Show exhibit entered by any parishioner. The Garden Society at Dagnall continues to satisfy every gardener’s needs at their trading hut, which is open every Sunday morning from March until November.

Cemetery I am pleased to report that work has commenced and is well on the way to completion on the new cemetery entrance, access road and turning circle. The new entrance is off the bridleway on the strip of land purchased many years ago by the PC specifically for this purpose. This essential work will insure a much smoother and easier entrance and exit to the Parish lawn cemetery.

Edlesborough Memorial Hall The hall continues to be well used by a large range of local clubs, organizations and private individuals. Bookings for the hall and also the pavilion can be made through our helpful facilities & booking manager Beverley Sage. A clean venue is guaranteed thanks to our cleaner Lesley Riley.

We continue to support Dagnall & Northall Village Halls with a £1,000.00 donation to assist with maintenance & running costs, we also help with their finances by grass cutting and playground maintenance.

Edlesborough Green The green continues to offer first class facilities to the community, and the various clubs that make use of the green offer great opportunities especially to the youth of the parish, for this we support and thank them.

Open Spaces We thank Mr & Mrs Thomas for continuing to walk our footpaths and report any problems. Also for litter picking on a regular basis. We continue to report rubbish dumping to Aylesbury Vale DC who quickly removes the offending articles. The freighter service is still provided twice a year enabling you to dispose of unwanted items. We also continue to support the green sack scheme for disposable garden rubbish these can be purchased from Sue Parker or myself.

Although we have increased the number of dog bins throughout the Parish some inconsiderate dog walkers are still not clearing up after their dogs please be considerate to others & clean up or now the light nights are returning you could end up with a £1,000.00 fine.

Road Repairs We continue to monitor the condition of our roads & pavements and report any holes or problems to highways on call. Drop kerbs have recently been installed in Edlesborough to enable easier access to various points throughout the village by buggies and prams and also for mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

Traffic Calming The speed limit review is still on course to be carried out this year. Your PC has requested that Northall’s speed limit be extended to Slapton Turn and reduced to 30 mph. It has been confirmed that this proposal is on the agenda. The hgv lorries and general speeding continues to be a problem on the A4146. We are presently attending meetings with adjoining parishes in both Beds & Herts to solve the ongoing problem with regard to the waste freighters going to and from the Newton Longville land fill site. With regard to speeding throughout the Parish, your PC is in the process of purchasing its own monitoring Speedwatch equipment. Volunteers will be needed to man the equipment so watch this space.

Airport & Airspace Issues We have received notice that a new Consultation will be taking place shortly and as in previous years Cllr Wilkinson will be attending P.A.I.N. meetings & monitoring the situation closely on your behalf.

Police Matters Our PCSO’s Jackie Dobson & Chris Baker continue to bring a Police presence to our villages supported by our Community Police Officer Jared Levens . Unsociable behaviour has been a recent issue but thanks to their efforts the situation now seems to be under control. They will also be monitoring the ongoing parking situation in the High Street Edlesborough, so to avoid receiving a penalty ticket please do not park in the No Parking areas particularly at road junctions you have been warned. Speed checks are regularly carried out throughout the Parish and a recent one in Dagnall showed one in five vehicles to be travelling above the 30mph limit. If you have any worries or concerns please feel free to stop and talk to the officers as they patrol the streets or give them a ring on the 08458505505 if you wish them to come and see you with regard to a specific problem. Thank you ladies for your on going support to our community.

The highlight of the past year must surely be the publishing and distribution of the Parish Plan, to every household and workplace in our three villages. To complete this comprehensive, invaluable document in such a short space of time is a phenomenal feat by Parishioners working in partnership with the PC. My heartfelt thanks go to all the Pioneering Steering Group, Committee members & parishioners who have recently come on board. Already many of the points highlighted in the plan are coming to fruition. For instance no one can fail to notice the beautiful daffodils along the verges throughout the Parish a result of the Beautifying the Villages Committee, made up of parishioners working with the PC. Another project which will need your help to succeed is the previously mentioned Speedwatch programme. So if you have a particular concern which you would like to see addressed or improved now is your chance to participate, why not join one of the many committees which have been set up, further details are available on our website www.edlesborough.gov.uk. Regular updates from EDaN also appear in Focus, this is your chance to make a difference and working together we can make this Parish a much stronger community and a truly fantastic place to live.

This concludes my report

Anne Thompson

Chairman Edlesborough Parish Council