Notes on the meeting of Reach Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 1st October 2003

Present

Chairman Cllr Robinson, Cllrs Harrison, Summers, Moseley, and Hill; also C/Cllr Fitch and D/Cllr Cane.

Apologies

Apologies received from Cllr Aves and Cllr Pearson.

Reports

County Council

General

Cambridgeshire County Council were getting into difficulties with their council tax budgeting, mainly due to an overspend by the Social Services department.

Education

Community education would not be abolished just changed.

Social Services

The reason for the overspend was due to ‘mis-management’, according to Cllr Fitch.

However, more people were surviving to old age, as were children with handicaps.

They were ‘trying to do their best’ said the councillor.

Police

The Soham murder trial was to start in November and would last 3 months.

Fire service

This should be renamed the ‘Prevention of Fire Service’, said Cllr Fitch. Firefighters were going into schools to educate children in the danger of fire.

Retained fire fighters would soon have the same privileges as full-time fire fighters.

Transport

The proposed Rapid Transit System from Cambridge to Huntingdon and St Ives would cost a great deal. [In answer to a question Cllr Fitch said the residents of St Ives had been consulted on whether or not they wanted this.

Work on Fordham by-pass would start soon and should be completed in 12 months.

Thieves were stealing aluminium road signs and also their steel replacements. The only alternative now was plastic.

Question

PC Councillors questioned Cllr Fitch about the Harrison’s Drove Inquiry. He said he did not know why the CCC had not opposed the National Trust and commented that it had cost the Council a lot of money.

District Council

Control of council

Cllr Cane told councillors that no political party had overall control in the East Cambridgeshire District Council, although the Independent and Conservative councilors were working together. She voiced her concern that many ECDC consultations were held in secret. This she thought kept unpopular decisions behind closed doors, with those councillors not sitting on committees unable to report what was happening.

Council tax

Cllr Cane spoke at length about council tax, saying she thought the system had been in place for too long. The government were asking local councils to do more and more but they could not afford it. However, people on fixed incomes found council tax a high burden which they couldn’t afford either.

Postal votes

There were increasing concerns regarding electoral fraud. Full postal elections increased turnout, said Cllr Cane, although she thought people should have a choice in the matter.

Swaffham Prior Primary School

Cllr Hill reported that the school’s computers had been hit by a virus which had resulted in a large telephone bill. Funding was needed for a support service to avoid such problems.

Village hall committee

A public meeting was to be held to gauge public support for an extension to the village hall.

Police liaison committee

Cllr Summers re-iterated Cllr Fitch’s warning last month about distraction burglaries, which were becoming more frequent locally.

Matters arising

Minor highways scheme

CCC had written requesting bids for the Jointly Funded Minor Highways Improvements budget for the next financial year and it had been agreed to ask for a foot/ cyclepath to go around the Old Railway Bridge. Clerk had spoken to David Groom from CCC’s Eastern Highways Department who thought the scheme would be unlikely to get funding as it would cost too much and would be ‘a muggers’ paradise’.

He suggested writing to enquire about having the bridge lowered, as this wouldn’t cost a great deal more.

Parish Council assets

In order to complete the end-of-year accounts councillors discussed the PC’s assets and re-evaluated them.

Correspondence

ECDC had written about their new District Guide. Clerk volunteered to write a piece about Reach to go in the guide.

Reach matters

Planning applications

6 Swaffham Road

PC supported an application to build an extension at the rear of the house

21 Fair Green

PC supported an application to build a conservatory at the rear of the house.

22 Fair Green

Amended plans for an extension at the rear of the property were approved on the proviso that they were adhered to. As this scheme seemed to be causing problems councillors agreed that the planning department should have studied the original plans more closely before granting approval.

Burial ground

The Chairman and Clerk had met with the Honorary Tree Officer at the burial ground. Following discussion councillors agreed to remove the shed, put a seat in its place, and make a ‘cremation area’.

Unsafe highway

Comments had been received about the hedging which had been planted on the boundary to the new property at the Weirs crossroads. It was said to obstruct vision of drivers coming from Burwell. Clerk to contact the clerk at Burwell as it is in their parish.

Public Forum

Helen Platt said she wanted to hold a public meeting to discuss the National Trust buying up land in the fen. Councillors discussed inviting a representative from the NT to a PC meeting. It was agreed that this subject had not been part of the agenda when a speaker came to talk about Wicket Fen some time ago.