Annual Report of Nash Parish Council 2009/10

1      Introduction: Much of the work of Nash Parish Council (NPC) consists of speaking on behalf of Nash residents to Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) or Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) about maintenance, planning and other issues.  NPC is responsible for the Recreation Ground and the Village Green.

2      Council Membership:  Cllr Alan Taylor succeeded Cllr Chris Tomkins as Chairman in May 2009. Subsequently, Cllr Tomkins resigned from the Council from 31 March 2010.The continuing members are Cllr Barbara Dewhurst, Cllr Geoff Culverhouse, Cllr David Gillow, Cllr Sir John Southby, Bt, and Cllr Eddie Watts. The Clerk is Mrs Margaret Hedges who has taken over Cllr Taylor’s duties as Responsible Financial Officer.  The Council is seeking to fill by co-option the vacancy caused by Cllr Tomkins’s resignation.

The Council presented a cigar case to Cllr Tomkins at the fete in recognition of his immense contribution to the residents of Nash during his thirty-nine years as Chairman of the Parish Council.  Aylesbury Vale recognised his contribution by giving him a plaque which was presented to him by the Chairman of AVDC, Councillor Janet Blake, at the July Parish Council meeting.  A key contribution to Nash by Cllr Tomkins was the purchase of the Recreation Ground in the 1970s and the subsequent development of the Play Area.  He has served on the Aylesbury Vale Association of Local Councils and was Chairman and then Vice-President of the Buckinghamshire Association of Local Councils.  He was the first treasurer of the North Bucks Parishes Planning Consortium.

3      Land opposite Causter Farm: Just at the end of the year under review, some agricultural land opposite Causter Farm on the road out of Nash towards the roundabout on the A421 was converted into a Gypsy/Traveller site. Although the site is in the parish of Great Horwood, Nash is the village most affected. The Parish Council’s actions in response to the Travellers’ retrospective planning application for this development are ongoing and will be covered in the 2010/11 report.

4      North Bucks Parishes Planning Consortium:  Cllr Culverhouse represents Nash on the NBPPC, which provides a co-ordinated response from a group of parishes to any proposals affecting North Buckinghamshire .  In the current year that has involved responding to the Government’s proposals on the South East Plan, the AVDC Local Development Framework and the Salden Chase development near Newton Longville.

5      Buckinghamshire County Council Matters: Cllrs Gillow and Culverhouse represent Nash at the Buckingham Local Area Forum. The Forum has a small amount of money to allocate for projects put forward by parish councils.  In 2008 NPC bid for a pavement at the North end of the high street because of the danger of walking in the road near the bend.  After further discussions with BCC officers and residents, it was agreed that a pavement was not the best solution to the problem.  BCC agreed, as an alternative to extend the kerbing to define the edge of the road more clearly and help to prevent the mud encroaching so far into the middle of the road.  BCC had initially intended that this work would be done in 2009/10, but then deferred it.  In 2009, Nash bid for two salt bins – for the south end of the High Street and for Thornborough Road – and we are pleased to report that this bid has been successful.

Winter maintenance survey: As a result of problems caused the severe winter weather BCC has invited Parish Councils to complete a survey about the problems they faced.  In summary NPC responded by saying that, generally, it was satisfied with the salting/gritting of major roads but, given the length of time that the snow lasted, more could have been done to help rural communities such as Nash.

Parish walk: In September, Cllr Gillow and Mrs Hedges spent a morning walking round Nash with two BCC Officers.  This resulted in a greater understanding on both sides of the level of service that BCC will provide and how big potholes had to be before BCC would put them on their repair list (40mm deep and big enough to hold a dinner plate).  As a result of this visit, BCC dug back the edges of the paths near the Pond which was a great improvement.

Area 14 Speed Review: The speed review for Area 14, which includes Nash is about to start – the initial briefing meeting was in April 2010.

Walk your paths initiative: NPC is grateful to Stephen Loxton for agreeing to walk all the village footpaths and to report on any repairs needed to BCC.

Bus Services: BCC have stopped the bus service from Nash to Buckingham because of the small number of passengers.  Residents are encouraged to use the Winslow Community Bus or subscribe to Aylesbury Vale Dial-A-Ride.  The latter is particularly useful for those who require some form of assistance.

6      Planning:  NPC is invited to comment on all planning applications on land within Nash.  The application for 10 houses on the Church Farm site which was a key concern last year was withdrawn on 21 May 2009.  During 2009/10 twenty-six applications were submitted to Aylesbury Vale – including fourteen for planning permission, six for listed building consent and three for work to trees.

7      Nash Environs

a)   Recreation Ground:  The Council continues to maintain the Recreation Ground and the Play Area. The annual inspection took place in May.  It is inevitable that moles are active in the Recreation Ground.  The Council has adopted a policy of employing a mole catcher in February (at the start of the nesting season) and again, if required at the start of the school summer holidays. Due to the heavy use of the Play Area, some 20 of the fencing pales were broken during the year and had to be replaced.

b)  Litter: The litter collection round the hedgerows and pavements has become an annual event and smartens the village for the spring – NPC appreciates the ongoing collection that many residents do for the rest of the year.  Dog litter remains a problem, particularly given the number of small children in the village and the Council urges residents to ensure that all dog mess is picked up. The Council is grateful to AVDC for providing the refuse freighter service twice a year.

c)   Street Lights:  The Council continued its replacement programme and put a new, more energy efficient light, outside 24A High Street.  The Council intends to continue its programme of installing more energy efficient street lights over the next few years as funds permit.

d)  Notice Board: The Notice Board by the Village Hall was repainted and moved to the edge of the Village Hall car park, thereby improving the visibility for motorists leaving the car park.

e)   Tree Warden:  John Hamilton has served as a voluntary Tree Warden for Nash for the last few years, advising on trees on land owned by NPC.  He has resigned and the Council is looking for another volunteer.

8      Children’s entertainment: AVDC provided the annual Village Entertainment in Nash Village Hall in August.  The Hall was packed and the show was enjoyed by children and adults alike.

9      Neighbourhood Action Group:  Mrs Gloria Chaplin, assisted by Mrs Sarah Thirtle, continues to represent Nash on the local Neighbourhood Action Group, which monitors road traffic and other problems in the villages in North Buckinghamshire .

10  Whaddon Chase Green Infrastructure Plan: Councillors have participated in Workshops to prepare this plan. The plan is largely aspirational with sixty particular aspirations identified. There are four that directly concern Nash, namely the possibilities of a Public Footpath linking Nash & the North Bucks Way to College Wood, the upgrading of the North Bucks Way between Great Horwood and Nash to Public Bridleway, landscaping/ planting to mitigate against noise and visual impact of Moto-X site and the possibility of extending Nash Recreation Ground to provide additional facilities, perhaps tennis courts.  NPC has registered an interest in pursuing these but has indicated that it has limited resources in respect of finance or time to pursue them.

11  Finance: Nash’s precept – the share of the Council Tax - was kept at £9k for 2009/10 but was increased to £10k for 2010/11 to ensure that the Council’s was in a position to continue its programme of updating the street lights and maintain adequate reserves. Bids to BCC for developments stand a greater chance of success if NPC offers to pay a proportion of the cost. The total income in 2009/10 of £9,645 was the precept plus the VAT repayment of £641 and £4 bank interest. There was surplus of £561 of income over expenditure. The breakdown of the expenditure of £9,084 is shown in the diagram.