Yapton Parish Council

Chairman’s Report 2008/2009

 

 

Introduction

 

This report covers the period since the last Annual Parish Meeting on 12th May 2008.   It is my second report to you as Chairman of the Council.      

 

Over the last 12 months there have been six meetings of the full Parish Council and a similar number of meetings of the Planning Committee.  The Planning Committee normally meets to consider any planning applications on the same evening as the Parish Council but on occasions special meetings may be called to deal with important local or perhaps controversial issues.   

 

At the Annual Parish Council meeting in May, I was re-elected as Chairman with Andy Faulkner being re-appointed as Vice-Chairman.   There has just one change in the membership of the Parish Council over the last 12 months: Des Mills was co-opted on to the Council and joined  us in September to fill the casual vacancy following the death of Eunice Abbott.  

 

Sadly I have to report this evening that Laura Wallbridge has just offered her resignation from the Parish Council due to increasing personal commitments.

                                                                                                           

Over the last year we have had the continued support of Christina Freeman, our local County Councillor and Emma Neno, who alongside me is one of the two members representing the Yapton ward on the District Council. 

 

Last year’s precept

 

The cost of running local services particularly in these difficult times always figures prominently in everyone’s minds.   I am pleased to report that the Council last year kept the precept (this is the sum which is set aside in the Council tax to pay for parish services) at £40,000 for the 5th year running.    This was without any reduction in the quality of services provided.  Indeed by vigorously pursuing grant applications and other sources of income, once again we were actually able to spend significantly more than the precept on improving local services.

 

More about these improvements later.  Just to add on the finances that in real terms over the last few years the income we receive from various sources more than equates to the salary we pay to our part-time Clerk – so he certainly provides excellent value for money!

 

Planning issues

 

The proposal by developers to build 5000+ houses at Ford as part of the Government’s eco-town programme has naturally dominated the planning scene and our minds over the past year with the risk that the villages of Yapton and our neighbours at Ford and Clymping could all be swallowed up by urban development if the proposed  eco-town at Ford gets the Government’s go ahead.  

 

The campaign group CAFÉ was quickly set up by residents from Yapton, Clymping, Ford and Arundel, supported by our two MPs, Nick Herbert  and Nick Gibb, to lead the local opposition  to the proposal.  Since then masses of paper has been churned out by the government machine as part of the “democratic” consultation exercise.   A March and Rally on the playing field was organised in June by CAFÉ attended by upwards of 2000 people.  Caroline Flint, the then Housing  Minister, paid a whistle-stop visit to Yapton last July and heard for herself the strength of the  local opposition.  The District Council set up a Select Committee to consider the proposal and hear evidence from all concerned  and throughout Andy Faulkner, the Chairman of our  Planning Committee, has represented the views of the Parish Council attending numerous meetings set up to consider and respond to the issues involved.   

 

The Council is immensely grateful to Andy for his hard work and continuing commitment to the campaign. We are also appreciative of the work of CAFÉ and in particular the tremendous amount of work undertaken by local residents, Terry Knott and latterly Vickie Newman, in co-chairing the local campaign group alongside  Nick Herbert MP.  

 

Margaret Beckett MP has since taken over from Caroline Flint as Housing Minister. She, together with Cabinet colleagues, will, we understand, shortly be considering the Government’s response to the second round of consultation currently taking place on the now 11 proposals for eco-towns nationwide.  In the interim of course the country has been hit by the recession and the downturn in the housing market but how far this will impact and influence the Government’s decision we will obviously have to wait and see. 

   

Last year I reported that the proposal to build 59 houses on the Bilsham Road Industrial Site was to be the subject of a public enquiry following an appeal by the developers Glaydale against the District Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the development.   The 3 day hearing held at the end of July in the Bognor Regis Town Hall was well attended by local residents.  Andrew Knight spoke for the residents and Andy Faulkner represented the Parish Council.  Unfortunately the Planning Inspector subsequently allowed the appeal citing amongst the reasons for doing so the fact that the development would help towards meeting the significant deficit in housing land supply and the need for more affordable housing in the District.

 

More recently the Planning Committee has been involved in preparing a response to the District Council’s widespread consultation exercise on “Options for Growth” which is aimed at deciding the best way to meet the expected demand for thousands of new homes in the future.   In its reply the Parish Council has stressed its reasons for rejecting Option 2, the proposal for an eco-town at Ford, and supporting Option 1, urban extensions to Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, albeit with some reservations.

 

Over and above all this, during the course of the year the five members of the Planning Committee (Andy Faulkner, Mark Andrews, Frances Barnes, Peter Jones and Laura Wallbridge) have carefully reviewed some 53 planning applications for Yapton and where appropriate  the Committee has made comments to the District Council.   Our thanks to them all for their hard  work.        

 

Recreational facilities for children and young people

 

The recreational facilities provided on the playing field for our children and young people continue to be popular and well used.  This year the Council decided to enhance the facilities for the older youngsters by installing floodlights for the basketball/hardplay area so that it could be used on an all-the-year round basis. 

 

I am pleased to report that the floodlights have been a great success.  Yapton even saw its first floodlit football tournament staged on the field just before Christmas!  A keenly fought contest featuring five 4-a-side teams was organised by Hugh van Driel from Yapton Free Church with the trophy being presented to the winning “Yapton Stars” team, by Andy Faulkner, Vice Chairman of the Parish Council.   It is hoped that the tournament will now become a regular event with perhaps some basketball teams competing next year for a separate trophy.

 

        To help discourage vandalism the Council also decided to install CCTV security cameras to monitor the children’s play area particularly at night.  The cameras installed on the two lampposts are protected by anti-vandal paint, so if you come across someone plastered in black paint, he/she will have some explaining to do!  

 

 

 

Bus Shelter in Bilsham Road

 

The Council decided that the well-used bus shelter at Sparks Corner which was acquired second-hand some years ago had become shabby and an eyesore and had outlived its useful life.  With the help of a grant from West Sussex County Council we were able last year to replace the shelter with one of a timber built construction which is much more attractive and in keeping with its village setting.  

 

Allotments

 

Our allotment site in Cinders Lane continues to be well managed under the ever watchful eye of Mick Caiger.   Due to the recession it is reported that over the whole country waiting lists for allotments have never been longer and the situation is no different in Yapton.    To deter the odd bit of poaching which takes place from time to time, Mick has planted hedging around the perimeter of the site, again with the aid of grants from WSCC.

 

Working with the Neighbourhood Police Team

 

Regular liaison meetings continue to take place involving representatives from the parishes of Yapton, Ford and Clymping.     Neil Billingham is the local Police Community Support Officer and PC Steve Self are the main points of contact for policing issues in the village.   Anti-social behaviour and incidents of vandalism still occur occasionally often unfortunately being directed at the village hall. This of course is a community facility which is part funded by the Parish Councils of Yapton and Ford and as such the cost of repairing any external damage to the building is paid by us all in our Council tax.   Please therefore do be alert and assist in identifying the culprits and bringing them to justice by contacting the police on 999 should you see or be worried that an offence is being committed.    

 

Reaccreditation as a Quality Parish Council

 

In 2004 Yapton Parish Council was amongst the first 50 local councils in the country and the first in Arun to successfully apply for recognition as a “quality council”.  Quality Council status is awarded for a 4 year period and the Council had recently to apply for re-accreditation and provide supportive evidence that it is continuing to be “properly managed, that it is representative of and actively involved with the whole community”.  I am delighted to say our application  was successful and we are grateful to John Godfrey, Chairman of the Accreditation Panel,  which examined our portfolio of evidence,  for being here this evening to present the Council with its certificate.          

 

Yapton & Ford Village Hall

 

The Village Hall Management Committee has just celebrated its 20th Anniversary following the rebuilding of the hall on the King George V Playing Field in 1989.  We congratulate the Committee on reaching this milestone and wish them well for the future particularly at a time when their main source of income, income from hirings, has dropped considerably. 

 

We have three representatives who serve on the Management Committee – John Bryan, Laura Wallbridge and myself. Laura especially is to be applauded for her commitment to the Committee particularly in seeking alternative sources of funding and for the considerable efforts she has made to raise funds for the village hall over the past year.

 

Keeping the village tidy

 

It would be remiss of me in writing this report not to mention and publicly thank Jo Smithers and her husband Alan once again for the excellent work they do on our behalf to keep the village looking so tidy.  Litter collection is a task which many of us would shy away from but Jo and Alan do it with great spirit and enthusiasm throughout the year and in all weathers.  They are to be warmly commended for their efforts.  

Yapton News & Views

 

Also to be warmly thanked are the volunteers who help to deliver the Council’s newsletter, Yapton News & Views, to households around village.    The newsletter is now of course well established and we believe it is well read and appreciated not only by local residents but those who live further afield including a number living overseas.   Do please support the local businesses who advertise in the newsletter as they obviously help to defray some of the production costs.  

 

The Clerk who edits the newsletter for us is always pleased to receive articles on village life and photographs from residents and in particular would like to hear of the activities of the various clubs and other organisations who regularly meet in the village.   It was good incidentally  to hear from Jackie Newey (one of Betty Gomersall’s daughters) who emigrated to Australia some years ago.  Jackie paid a surprise return visit to Yapton in February to mark her sister Joan’s 60th birthday – it was a surprise for Betty too!    

 

Conclusion

 

Finally, in closing, I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my thanks to all members of the Parish Council not only for their support to myself as Chairman but also for the interest they have shown in various ways in the needs of the village over the past year.  

 

It is always of course invidious to single out individuals for special mention but I must thank  Laura Wallbridge for all the work she has done on the Council over the last few years.  Laura always gives of herself 110% to helping out in the community and, as one of our representatives on the Village Hall Management Committee, she has of late devoted herself to the cause of fund raising at a time when the village hall is under particular financial pressure due to reduced hirings.  Because of home pressures unfortunately Laura has recently had to resign from the Council but we hope it will be a short-lived break and we look forward to welcoming her back in the course of time.      

 

Looking forward to the immediate prospects, clearly a great deal hinges on what decision is made by the Government on the Ford Eco-town bid.   Whatever the outcome however you may rest assured that the Parish Council will continue  to strive to represent your views and aim to do what is best for our thriving village community.  Although sadly two of our pubs have now closed, we are fortunate to still have an array of shops and even a Post Office which nowadays many villages would give an arm and a leg for!

 

Our meetings are well advertised and members of the public are welcome to attend.  Always included on the agenda there is a Public Question Time when residents can air their views or question councillors on any matters of concern.    We hope you will follow with interest the work of the Parish Council via our newsletter and our website (where the agenda and minutes of all our meetings are published) and we look forward to seeing you at future meetings of the Parish Council.      

 

 

Stephen Haymes

Chairman of the Parish Council

11 May 2009