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ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2009
Your Representatives Were:
Cllr. F. Richards (Town Mayor) Cllr. M. Iacovou Cllr. K. Rogers Cllr. N. Lodge (Deputy Mayor) Cllr. C. Fox Cllr. P. Kraft Cllr. C. P. Liddy Cllr. D. Purdey Cllr. A. Vaughan Cllr. B. Sinclair Cllr. R. Needham
During 2008/2009 the representatives of Wivenhoe on the Colchester Borough Council have been: For Wivenhoe Quay ward: Cllr. A. Quarrie and Cllr. S. Ford For Wivenhoe Cross ward: Cllr. M. Cory and Cllr. J. Manning Cllr. Julie Young represents Wivenhoe on Essex County Council. Member of Parliament: Rt. Hon Bernard Jenkin Wivenhoe Council Staff: The Council staff during 2008-2009 were: Antoinette Stinson, Town Clerk; Christine Pettitt and Nicki Edwards job-sharing the Reception/Admin, with stand-in relief cover being carried out by Hilary Allerton during the past year; Groundsmen James Young and Andrew Hearn; Hall caretaker, Mick Wells; Hall cleaner Carol Johnston, Office cleaner Val Tipper and Litter-picker Ray Smith. ____________________________________________________________________ 2008 - 2009 A YEAR-END REVIEW: In May 2008 Colchester Borough Councillor J. Manning replaced E. Kraft on Wivenhoe Cross Ward and the Town Council also co-opted Robert Needham following the resignation of Cllr. Peter Hill, after 25 years service to the town. The Town Council was very sad to lose such an experienced Councillor as Peter Hill and a formal presentation was made to him at the December Town Council meeting. During his term he had been Town Mayor three times, each time raising a substantial amount towards local clubs and organizations. The beginnings of his involvement with the Town Council started with former UDC and Town Mayor, Miss Betsy Grasby, who said that he should stand for Town Council. Since then he has been involved with the Keep Wivenhoe Tidy Campaign, the Community Association, the Carnival Association, the Wivenhoe Landscaping Project, the start of Wivenhoe’s Christmas Lights (which were actually the lights used by Colchester Borough Council and which were put up for auction and then obtained by Cllr. Hill for £1700 20 years ago). The lights were then put up by Tony Allcock of the Wivenhoe Traders for many years. Cllr. Hill was also the driving force behind the ‘Wivenhoe First’ campaign, a promotion drive to keep Wivenhoe’s shops open, now sadly dwindling. The Town Council concluded that they would miss such a valuable member of their team very much. The Town Council continues being very busy and proactive, many new and exciting projects have been discussed and lively debated. The Town Council takes a leading role in representing the Wivenhoe community. Planning: New legislation on October 2008 resulted in fewer planning applications being processed and the housing market slow down has added to the change. Material planning considerations continue to include matters of visual impact, design, privacy, overbearing, daylight, noise, smell, traffic access, health and safety, ecology, fear of crime, economic impact and planning history but not matters of private rights, property values or loss of a view. In the meantime the Town Council has been very active in working through the practical implementations of the leases for the Cooks site, as well as ensuring that Wivenhoe’s voice is heard in the discussions over the LDF. Amongst the many priorities the Town Council gave voice to the concern on protecting the green wedge between Wivenhoe and the University echoing the concerns expressed by the Town Plan. The Town Council agreed to voluntarily register various bits of land in its ownership. To date the Old and New Cemeteries, the King George V Playing Field, the Quay Shelter and the land at the corner of Belle Vue Road, in front of the Opticians, have all been successfully registered. Work continues this year on the remaining parcels of land. The Town Council’s Planning Committee met 17 times during the year to express views to the Borough Council on 53 planning applications. The Park Hotel eventually closed at the end of November and residents should be aware of the planning application to convert the Park Hotel into flats, approved in 2006. Cooks Shipyard. Construction work has slowed due to an adverse housing market. The Town Council does not want the development to prevent the residents of Wivenhoe obtaining access to that part of the riverside. The Town Council is a party to the section 106 agreement between the Borough Council and the original developers Lexden Restorations. It was agreed that the Town Council would take on 999-year leases of the Wet Dock, the Slip Way, the car park, the Dinghy Park and a toilet with a fisherman’s store. Negotiations are still in hand with the developers to secure the maximum advantage for all the residents of Wivenhoe. Town Plan. In 2006 the then Town Mayor Tom Roberts invited the RCCE to talk to the Town Council about creating a Town Plan for Wivenhoe. In January 2009 the Town Plan was launched. This is a magnificent achievement and the Town Council’s thanks go to all on the Town Plan group, the funders, including the Lottery and to Wivenhoe residents for participating in the survey. The hardwork now starts in implementing the findings and a small team was elected at the last AGM to carry this out. Interested? Why not get involved and contact the Town Council. Forward Planning - Core Strategy. Following on from last year’s major consultation exercise the Town Council expressed its views on three documents circulated in that period by the Borough Council for comments viz. The Core Strategy for the Borough Council, Site Allocations and Development Policies and Options. Following collation of responses further consultation is now taking place and the Town Council will be making their submissions. Best Value Committee: The remit of this committee is to consider the functioning of the Council and how to improve its role as an effective Council, to improve efficiency and continually try to enhance services to local residents. It now meets monthly and is proving a useful forum for all Councillors to discuss ideas and ensure that ‘Best Value’ is achieved. Landscaping Committee: This year two of Wivenhoe’s well-known characters have been commemorated by having wooden benches placed in their memory. One along the riverbank for the late Sid Cox, Wivenhoe’s community policeman and one on the Quay for the late Val Last, past Wivenhoe Councillor and Town Mayor. The Town Council has been successful in obtaining some of the ‘Free Trees’ on offer from Colchester Borough Council. It is hoped to refurbish a few more tubs this year and thanks are extended to those businesses, organisations and individuals, who have sponsored the scheme. Anyone wishing to become a sponsor should contact the Town Council offices where they will be sincerely welcomed. Cemeteries: Following the theft of the original Victorian coping stones a replacement plan is well underway. The Old Cemetery continues to be a haven for flora and fauna and with its limited workforce the Town Council endeavours to manage it as sensitively as possible. Volunteers to help with clearing are always welcome. Highway Matters: The Town Council managed to achieve success with the Co-op ‘lake’ with the help of the Borough Councillors and it is hoped that the problem has abated for the time being. The Public Footpath access from The Folly to St. Johns Road has been re-opened but the Public Footpath access along Walter Radcliffe Way will not be re-opened until Summer 2009 for Health and Safety reasons. The Town Council is continuing to lobby the ECC Highways about poor state of the pavements around Wivenhoe, in particular Park Road. Street Cleaning: As a supplement to the Borough Council’s operations, the Town Council employs a litter-picker primarily to remove litter from the open spaces, however, he works diligently in the surrounding areas as well. Once again the amount of fly-tipping is increasing and the Town Council continue to relay complaints about this to Colchester Borough Council’s Clean-up Squad. The Teenage community:The Town Council has achieved success with the Youth Council and the re-opening of the Youth Club at the Philip Road centre for two nights a week. This evolved from partnership working with Borough Council, Essex County Council and the Town Council and thanks to the manager of the Philip Road centre for his help. Although the brainchild of the Town Council it would not have worked without the involvement of the volunteers. The Wivenhoe Youth Voluntary Group is now well established, its members well trained and looking forward to a successful year. Play Areas: New front doors and windows at the pavilion on the King George V Playing have been put in utilizing S106 monies and new fencing has been put around the dog exercise area of the KGV. The Town Council were successful in obtaining a grant for the refurbishment of the safety surfacing on the play area on the King George V Playing Field and the Town Council has worked with the Broadfields Residents Association to achieve a major grant for the complete refurbishment of the play area at Mede Way, which was officially opened in November 2008. Thanks are expressed to the Veolia Trust, Cory Environmental Trust and the ECC Community Initiatives Fund. The William Loveless Hall: Improvements to the Hall continue this year with replacement windows being put in during February and a new carpet planned for this April in the Wyvern Room. The Hall continues to be well used by all manner of clubs and organizations. It is looked after by a Working Party, chaired by Cllr. Penny Kraft, two other Cllrs, four lay members and the cleaner and caretaker. Bi-monthly meetings are held where all aspects of running the hall are discussed. Most of the maintenance is done by the Town Council’s groundstaff and some outside contractors. Wivenhoe is very fortunate to have such a facility. Christmas Lights: This year the Lighting Team completed their two-year plan by updating the electrics and adding new festoon lighting. As always, a team of heroic volunteers put up the decorations but this may be the last year for some of the volunteers - A big thank you to all involved! Anyone wishing to become involved in this scheme would be most welcome, please contact the Town Council. The official switch on took place at 6.00pm on 4th December which was the December Market at St Mary's Church and Late Night Shopping Evening. The Wivenhoe Woods Working Party This year the volunteers have again worked hard with Ranger, Richard Moulson, maintaining paths by strimming and clearing overhead vegetation, removing Sycamore in the coppiced area and replacing bridges. Work continues throughout the year. Allotments: The allotments are managed by Wivenhoe Allotments and Gardens Association with whom the Council liaises closely. The allotments are thriving. Not only is there a long waiting list, but for those lucky enough to have one, the enthusiasm amongst the holders never ceases to amaze. We are looking forward to another bumper year. The Town Council provides a skip on a regular basis for the allotmenteers and this is much appreciated by them. A new fence has been put up between the Cricket Club and the Allotments, which has been much appreciated. With officers of WAGA, Councillors inspect the allotments twice each year. The Council notes it currently has the highest number of people on its waiting list for a very long time. New Health Centre Great progress has been made during the year on Wivenhoe’s new Health Centre and it now looks expected to be open by 2010. Although planning permission has not yet been applied for - the site which the PCT have in mind is that adjacent to the Fire Station. Plans are now available for viewing. Several consultations have already taken place, hosted by the Town Council. The Town Council is closely involved with the development and will ensure that Wivenhoe residents are properly informed of developments. Community Policing: The Wivenhoe Police establishment consists of Neighbourhood Community Section Officer P.C. Neil Gibson, Police Officer general duties - PC Ben Pedro'Anica and Police Community Support Officer Louise Neville. Supervision is by Police Section Neighbourhood Supervising Officer Sergeant Lou Middleton. There will be changes in the Wivenhoe Policing Team that will be announced in the near future. This will provide an extra police officer active on the ground. Wivenhoe’s Police Team covers the University of Essex and other emergencies in Essex. All officers use mobile telephone 07966 197245 or can be contacted at 822082. Community Safety Group. Crime in Wivenhoe continues to fall – this is due to an excellent partnership with the Police, other agencies and the full support of the Town Council and its staff. Both the Community Safety Group and the Neighbourhood Action Panel meet regularly and are very well attended. The fall in crime could not be achieved without the co-operation of the fantastic community that reside in our town. Residents witnessing any problems can now contact 0300 333 4444. Cllr. Ken Rogers – responsible for community safety and police liaison. Communication with Wivenhoe residents: Apart from Town Council notice-boards, the Council’s principal means of communicating with residents is via its community website, the Wivenhoe Encyclopedia on www.wivenhoe.gov.uk Launched seven years ago, the site comprises over 900 pages of information and attracts around 700 visits per week. News, details of events, local organisations, businesses, people, Wivenhoe history and much more can all be found on it, including Town Council minutes. In addition, several Town Councillors and indeed some Borough Councillors and our County Councillor make regular contributions to Wivenhoe News The ‘Communty’ Bus: Wivenhoe’s third minibus is continuing to be very well used and provides a valuable service to the community. The Town Council helps with the maintenance costs of the bus and office staff keep the bookings diary. The Mini-bus Committee meets twice a year to discuss any problems that arise and discuss maintenance issues and running costs. The Town Council has had the current bus for over 4 years now. It was bought in November 2004 when it was a year old. It is still running well and has caused no major problems. Drivers and passengers alike are pleased with its performance and the hydraulic lift at the rear has been a great asset and is well used. Volunteer drivers, who take the elderly to the Monday Club, the Over-60s Club, or on shopping trips provide a life-line to many who would otherwise find it difficult to get about. The bus is available for the community when it is not being used by these groups. The suggested rates of donations are reasonable and a short familiarisation process enables the holder of a clean licence to drive it.
Mayor’s Charity Fund The Mayors Charity Fund (MCF ) has raised over £5,000 during the past year, most of the money will be put back into Wivenhoe to support local endeavours. This money was raised by many people at an assortment of functions which included the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, a two ‘1940s’ events, Wivenhoe Memories, a Summer Ball and the Mayor’s Ball, New Year’s Eve dance, and day trips to France and Belgium, courtesy of Cedrics’ coaches – all repeat successes of traditions begun in previous years. Also this year the auction of a Gail Cross painting raised a considerable amount for the Mayor’s Charity. The Mayor has also continued to support the student bursary, which is awarded to a resident of Wivenhoe studying at the University. The Mayor would like to thank everybody who has helped to raise this money in so many different ways. The Town Mayor will distribute the grants at the Annual Town Meeting. Finance: The Town Council's precept for 2009/2010 has been set at £145,980, an increase of 3.72.% on 2008/2009. This represents a rate of £51.93 per year per council-tax-payer living in a Band D property, against £50.07 last year, being an increase of £1.86 per household. Income from fees and charges is estimated at £24,731 with £32,454 coming from the Parish Grant. Town Council Public Access: All Town Council meetings are advertised on the notice-board outside the Council Offices. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Should members of the public wish to speak, a request must be made through the Town Clerk, Mrs. Antoinette Stinson, at least three working days in advance of the meeting. The Planning Committee meets every three weeks. It considers local planning applications as well as other development issues. Members of the public are welcome to attend. The Council Offices are located at 77 High Street, on the first floor, and are open from 9.00am to 4.00pm from Monday to Friday. Anyone who experiences difficulty in accessing these upstairs offices can draw the attention of staff by pressing a buzzer to the left of the front door. The telephone number of the offices is 01206 822864 and the fax number is 01206 827298. The website is www.wivenhoe.gov.uk and the e-mail address wivenhoe_council@btconnect.com. NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF AUDIT Local Government Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 (as amended 2006) and the Audit Commission Act 1998. Notice is hereby given that the Audit procedures for year ending 31 March 2008 took place in July 2008 in accordance with the Audit Commission's new regulations. The Annual Return and Audit Certificate have been signed by M.D. Bartlett, Audit Manager of the Audit Commission. Antoinette Stinson, Town Clerk
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