A brief summary of the activities of the Parish Council is contained in this report. The matters are in no particular order.
Planning - Twenty planning applications were considered for comment by the Parish. Slightly down on the 25 considered last year.
The timescales for responding to these applications, responses which can only be approved at our advertised monthly meetings still occasionally cause a problem when the deadlines fall between meetings.
2008 will see the beginning of the next stage of the Local Development Framework (LDF). This includes the review of village building envelopes. The consultation process will be long and run through into late 2009.
Admin and Financial - The Parish Council increased the Precept for April 2008 to March 2009 from £21,000 to £22,000 (-F 4.76%). Due to a change in the number of households in the Parish paying full Community Tax the complex calculation which divides the Precept up between each household resulted in an increase of 6.40%.
This increase will not cover expected expenditure in 2008.2009 but any amount in excess of the budgeted figure will come from our reserves.
As part of a programme of upgrading our street lighting stock we shall be replacing 2 of our older concrete column lights at a cost of £1,350. We have also allocated £2,500 to replace the Parish Notice Boards which are now in a very shabby state.
Audit requirements and Financial Regulations have imposed an increase in our admin~ duties and during the past year we have put in place asset registers, risk assessments and a review of our systems of financial control and internal audit. These have all been very times consuming for councillors and our clerk but particularly our clerk.
Highways - The connection of the new lights in College Drive/Brooklands funded by the Highways Partnership Scheme is still outstanding at the time of writing this report. Pressure is being put on Bedfordshire Highways and The County Council to have this work completed.
It is pleasing to report that the Highways Partnership Scheme for 2008/2009 has an increased allocation of £7,000. The emphasis will be on footway improvements and we shall shortly discussing what to spend this allocation on.
A speed monitoring survey carried out in June 2007 revealed that at the monitoring points our speed limit was not being adhered to. Traffic calming schemes are invariably very expensive and Bedfordshire Highways gives priority to areas with a history of accidents. We are in discussions with Bedfordshire Highways regarding the feasibility of raised platforms at either end of the village.
The speed at which Bedfordshire Highways attend to reported faults, pot holes and the like has noticeably improved.
Affordable Housing - The housing in Keysoe Road and rear of Paulson’s Close is now under construction.
These 24 house combined with the 6 in Kings Close, the 11 in Wells Road and 4 in Rotten Row will see the most house built in a year in Riseley for many years.
Lighting - Our programme of replacing older lights continues with 2 lights being replaced in 2008/2009 at a cost of £l350. As our light stock is getting older, repairs are increasing and will see two bracket lights being replaced at a cost of approx £1,000.
We have also commenced a two year programme to undertake a safety certification of all our lights. The cost this year being £434.
Brook - The Environment Agency has carried out some straightening and desilting work down stream of Riseley. Silting around the bridges in the village will not be removed as the silt protects the foundations of the bridges from erosion.
Ross Meadow & Allotments - There has been an increase in the demand for allotments, which for the moment we have been able to accommodate on the existing site.
Ross Meadow continues to mature and be a pleasant feature in the centre of the village. Some coppicing work will be carried out this year to the nut trees as part of a natural cycle of maintenance.
Playing Field - The installation of the two items of new equipment was installed in April 2007 and is well used. Grass cutting was a problem in 2007 due to the wet season and the grass continuing to grow all Summer.
Bottle Bank - In 2007 payments of~500 were made to both the Village Hall and The Recreation Association from profits made from the bottle bank. Transport costs of emptying continue to increase but we are still in profit to approx £40 each time it is emptied. Repairs to the bottle bank have cost £100 and it has been repainted.
Our thanks again to Bernard Clark for all his efforts in overseeing the bottle bank.
Newsletter - Our thanks go again to Deb Abel for her continued efforts in producing the Village Newsletter, all of which is done voluntarily. The cost, met from the precept of copying and delivery is just under £1,000 for 550 copies produced six times per year.
We would still like to encourage every village group & organisation to write something for each issue.
Web Site - Thanks to John & Jean Clelland who operate and update the web site voluntarily and at no cost to the Parish. The information, particularly the photographs provide a great deal of pleasure and interest. www.riseley.info
Village Directory - 2007 saw a reprint of the Directory, delivered to each household free of charge. Thanks to Tim Copping for doing all the computer work and preparation for this.
Grass Cutting - With such a wet season we needed the maximum number of cuts budgeted for. Our contractor is contracted to cut the village verges within the 30mph limits, the Churchyard and Ross Meadow every three weeks and the Playing Field every one and a half weeks.
We sold the old gang mowers for £500.
Village Tidyness - The 2007 Spring Clean was again as success but with a lower turn than 2006. It was still the best village litter pick in the Borough.
The village has never looked more litter free thanks to the efforts of Raymond Martin our Village Handyman.
School Governor - Lower School — The Parish Council sent a letter of welcome to the new head teacher.
Donations to Village Organisations — We supported the Villager Minibus, The Over 60’s Group and the Borough Council Summer Playscheme in 2007.
The Borough Council Rural Communities Grant Scheme has changed it criteria and now seeks a contribution towards any grant request from the Parish Council. This means that in order to ensure that village groups applying for these grants are not disadvantaged, we must ensure that we have sufficient reserves to accommodated possible grants.
During 2007/2008 we agreed a contribution of £2,000 towards the new kitchen in the Village Hall.
Conclusion - I thank on behalf of the Parish, our Bedford Borough Councillor Ian Clifton for all the effort and support he gives to the Parish and the Parish Council working on our behalf..
Also to Tom Wootton our County Councillor for his efforts and attendance at most of our Parish Council meetings.
To conclude I also thank our Parish Councillors who give their free time to the Parish both within the Village and attending meetings elsewhere in the County on behalf of the Parish.
Andrew Gell
Chairman of the Parish Council
April 2008.