East Hanningfield Parish Council Annual Report 2005-2006

Report for the year 2005/2006 from the Chairman, Les Draper

This year has been one of consolidation following the crisis activities of previous periods.

The emphasis has continued to be on making the Parish Council more approachable to residents and working with the individual organisations within the village. The PC has directly supported the village Church, Hanna’s Field Charity and the Pre-school and is looking to work closer with village groups on community fund raising projects.

The Council has not been averse to considering new approaches to situations and problems and has endeavoured to incorporate changes where it was considered necessary to improve and update for the good of the community.

During the course of the year we have had excellent support from our District Councillors, Mr Richard Poulter and Mr Ron Saunders (recently retired) and now enjoy in our midst our own village District Councillor, Mr Mike Harris.

During the year, the Council has considered 17 Planning Applications, 6 Lawful Use applications and 3 Appeals.

The most important project that is still in process is the Affordable Housing Scheme being constructed in Old Church Road. This scheme was finally awarded planning permission on the current site in September 2005 following an extensive counter application and appeal by an alternative land owner. This scheme which was originally initiated by the Parish Council will come to fruition in 2007 providing the opportunity for rental and part-purchase properties for our young family’s resident within the Parish.

It has come to PC’s notice that there might be a need for auxiliary transport within the village to cater for the inadequacy of local public transport. In order to address any problem, it is necessary to firstly determine the extent of the situation. To this end, a questionnaire has recently been distributed to each household in the village which will hopefully provide sufficient information with regard to transport requirements in order for a solution to be determined. 

Thanks to the efforts of our Clerk Karen Plumridge, the Council now enjoys a web-site and the Government’s definition of ‘Quality Status’. This will eventually allow the Council to possibly undertake additional local responsibility and is the foundation for future grant applications.

The financial standing of the Council is now gaining stability again following previous extensive costs associated with Consultancy fees etc and the statement of account for the financial year 2005/6 is included in this report.

Receipts

& Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2006

Training

The Parish Council works within a framework of statute and regulation which is constantly changing. In order to be able to work within the law and make use of the powers available it is necessary to keep up to date with regular training. During the year The Clerk attended Summer Seminars at the University of Gloucestershire, the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) Annual National Conference, the SLCC Essex Branch Annual Training Day, seminars organized by the County Council at County Hall and by the Borough Council at Civic Centre, and a refresher course in first aid. Speakers attended Council Meetings to talk on the subjects of parish charters and civil emergency planning.