Returning to our article
in the last edition of Wraysbury News, we regret to report that the plans
for a new play area have had to be abandoned for the present due to the
withdrawal of Government funding. This is very disappointing and our
thanks go to Councillor Mrs. Hughes for all her efforts on our behalf
which unfortunately came to nought.
Regarding the proposed
changes in the opening times for the mobile library, the latest
information we had was that consultation had been delayed until the autumn
but at the time of writing nothing more has been heard.
We continue to work with
the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead towards our long term goal
of seeing a doctor’s surgery re-established in Wraysbury. As part of
this process we are giving consideration to the submission of an outline
planning application for a building to be used as a surgery.
The traffic strategy in
the centre of the village and at Hythe End was completed earlier this year
and we have noted a resultant reduction in traffic speed with a consequent
improvement in road safety. We continue to monitor the situation and will
give consideration to any improvements that may be desired.
At our meeting held in
September it was agreed that the following roads would be promoted for
resurfacing in the coming year:
We are also continuing to
press for funds to be made available for establishing a continuous footway
over the bridge at Wraysbury Station. We are also seeking to protect the
funding for a cycle way from the centre of the village to Hythe End.
Following the publication
of an article written by Mr. Graham Sinclair in the last edition of this
magazine, we had an excellent response from residents who offered their
support for seeking public access to Queensmead Lake. We already had the
matter under discussion and took legal advice providing copies of all
relevant documents and information. The reply we received was that ‘the
Council is not in a position to demand public or local access but will
have to rely on persuasion and, possibly, the pressure of local opinion’.The
Parish Council considered this reply at some length and decided to write
to the Company Secretary of Veolia Water asking that he reconsiders his
previous decision to decline public access. This request was made in the
light of public opinion and in view of the proofs of evidence given at the
Public Inquiry held in 1973. We await a reply with interest.
We have considered a
number of consultation papers during the past few months. One of these
sought views on a number of ways to create more first and primary school
places in the area. The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead consider
that one option is to provide an extra 15 places per year group at
Oakfield First School, Windsor. Another is expanding either Wraysbury
Primary School or Datchet St. Mary’s CE Primary School. After discussion
the Parish Council decided to support an increase to 60 per year group at
Wraysbury as this would mean that the school would no longer need to mix
year groups if it so chooses.
Another response was made
to a consultation paper on local referendums to veto excessive council tax
increases. We are not in favour of including parish councils in this
process as if we anticipate a substantial increase for a particular
reason, our practice has always been to summon a parish meeting to explain
the reasons and seek the views of residents. Over the years we have worked
very hard to ensure that any increases in our precept are largely
restricted by the rate of inflation and we will endeavour to continue this
trend.
Many of you have no doubt
heard some details of the Government’s plans for a ‘Big Society’.
Meetings have been held to discuss what powers the Parish Council would be
interested in taking over from the Royal Borough thus dispensing with
centralised bureaucracy. A number of functions were considered and it has
been agreed that the maintenance of public footpaths and ensuring that
hedges do not cause obstruction would be seriously considered for
takeover. However appropriate funding is the main criterion to consider
and thus no detailed decision can be made until discussions with the Royal
Borough have been successfully concluded.
Over the past few months
we have received a number of enquiries concerning the new blue recycling
bins. These comments have been mainly from residents who have difficulty
in either storing the bins or have limited access. We made approaches to
the Royal Borough who are now introducing what they believe is a solution
that will make recycling rewards available to all those residents who do
not have their own individual wheelie bins including those who live in
properties either with communal facilities, where there is insufficient
storage space or where the property is inaccessible for refuse collection.
Once such households have activated their recycling accounts, residents
will tell RecycleBank either online or by phone each week that they have
recycled. Points will then be allocated to participating residents based
on an equal share of the total amount recycled in the area. Further
details can be obtained on www.rbwm.gov.uk
or 01628 663598.
In the interests of
protecting the local environment we have recently installed additional
litter and dog waste bins around the village. We hope that these will be
used as appropriate and would welcome any suggestions for other sites.
The Parish Council is an
active member of the NAG (Neighbourhood Action Group) which is currently
promoting through its community newsletter (which can be found on the
Parish Council website) that all residents consider subscribing to the
free community messaging service (more commonly known as Ringmaster)
operated by Thames Valley Police. This service allows you to be constantly
updated on what is happening in your area in relation to reported crimes,
crime alerts, bogus callers or email scams, crime reduction advice, police
appeals, etc. You can choose how you receive this information, e.g. email,
fax, text or by voice mail to your landline or mobile phone.
Interested ?? - sign up
online by visiting www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org
Please remember that the
Parish Council elections will take place in May of next year. If you are
interested in becoming a Parish Councillor now is the time to start giving
the matter your consideration. We normally meet on the third Monday of
each month and thus there is not necessarily a huge time commitment.
However you can get more involved if your time allows and with the coming
of the ‘Big Society’ as detailed earlier in this article, there could
be more opportunities. Please contact me if you require more information.
Finally a date for your
diaries: the next Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall
on Tuesday 19th April 2011.