Wickhambrook Parish Council

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page updated 3 May 2008

Parish Council Meetings are open to the public so why not come along? You may or may not enjoy it but you should find it interesting and at least it will keep the Councillors, your representatives, on their toes

There is still the opportunity for you to join the Parish Council as we have a position vacant. If you are interested please contact the Parish Clerk

The Parish Council is seeking a VILLAGE EMERGENCY OFFICER - find out more details

>> FIND OUT ABOUT HEDGEROW SURVEY HERE (added 08.04.07)

Awards Initiative from St Edmundsbury Borough Council

>> FIND OUT ABOUT AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Date of next Parish Council Meeting:
15 May 2008 - Annual Parish Meeting Agenda (available shortly before meeting)

Date of Next Parish Council Estates Committee Meeting:
6 May 2008 - Agenda (available shortly before meeting)

NEWS ITEMS

Affordable Housing Survey

With the Feb/March edition of the What's On you have received an envelope containing an Affordable Housing questionnaire and supporting information. Your opinions are important so please complete and return it in the freepost envelope to Suffolk ACRE. Individual returns are anonymous and confidential but the overall result will be published in the village newsletters.

Speed limits in the village

Community Speedwatch is a schemewhich sharesthe responsibility for addressing speed-related offences between the police and the community. Volunteers monitor vehicle speeds at selected locations with speed detection devices. The details of offending vehicles are then passed to the police who send out letters of caution. Volunteers should be prepared to contribute a minimum of one hour per week and will be trained for the task. Should we adopt this scheme in Wickhambrook?
If you have an opinion please contact any Councillor (details on parish notice boards) or the Clerk on 821861 or email on parishclerk@wickhambrook.org.

The Parish Council Wickhambrook is allocated seven Parish Councillors who are elected for a period of four years or co-opted to fill vacancies as necessary. The Parish Clerk is employed by the Parish Council to undertake the Council’s administration.

Correspondence for the Parish Council should be sent to The Parish Council Clerk, 6 Coltsfoot Close, Wickhambrook, Newmarket, Suffolk. CB8 8UP. (if you wish to correspond directly with one of the Parish Councillors, then please contact the Clerk for details).

The Parish Council is made up of the following Councillors

>>read RURAL NEWS FROM ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL

Parish Council Clerk	Roger Medley	01440 821861	parishclerk@wickhambrook.org
Chairman	Jeff Claydon	01440 820327
Vice Chairman	Paul Bevan	01440 821313	Tree Warden
to send an email direct to the Parish Council Vice Chairman -
to send an email direct to the Parish Council Tree Warden -
	Jeff Claydon	01440 820327
	Kerry Merritt	01440 820808	Estates Committee
	Julia Walker	01440 821137	Estates Committee Chairperson and MSC Representative
	Julian Wilson	01440 820395
The Parish Councillors can be contacted either through the Clerk as above or by sending an email to: parishcouncil@wickhambrook.org

Wickhambrook is one of the parish's of St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Suffolk County Council

County Councillor	Jane Midwood	01440 821428
District Councillor	Derek Redhead	01440 820441
St Edmundsbury Borough Council Website		Suffolk County Council Website
POTHOLES - VERGES AND HEDGES The Parish Council invite you to report problems of potholes, verges and hedges FIND OUT MORE

The Parish Council is responsible for the upkeep of Parish Council property. This includes the Cemetery Chapel, the Children’s Playground, the lower part of the Recreation Ground, known locally as ‘The Six Acres’, and the new ‘Teen Project’ skate park and games facility. Also for the cutting of the grass and trimming of the hedges of the village greens, the Cemetery and the All Saints Churchyard. In addition the Parish Council takes responsibility for the grass cutting and hedging of the whole of the Recreation Ground and the areas around the Memorial Social Centre and the WI Hall. The Parish Council is also consulted on various Borough and County Council policies as well as planning applications.

Responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of the Parish Council’s property is delegated to an Estates Committee. This committee is comprised of three Parish Councillors and four non-voting lay members.

The cost of meeting the Parish Council’s responsibilities, as well as other administrative costs, is met by the Parish Precept, a local portion of Council Tax, plus grants from the Borough Council. The Parish Council is responsible for setting the annual Precept based on a budget for the forthcoming financial year.

The Parish Council, and the Estates Committee, meets monthly and a notice of each meeting is posted on the Parish Notice Board at Thorns Corner. All meetings are open to the public who are invited to speak on issues of concern. The Parish Council acts as one body, decisions being made by majority vote. Minutes of meetings, once they have been confirmed as a true record, are posted on the Parish Notice Board. The local Borough and County Councillors attend most full Parish Council meetings and the Community Beat Officer attends when duties allow.

The Chairperson of the Parish Council is elected at the Annual Parish Council Meeting, which is normally held in May. At this meeting representatives to other village organisations, such as the Memorial Social Centre Committee and the United Charities, and to outside organisations are made.

An Annual Parish Meeting has to be held between 1st March and 1st July each year. This is not a Parish Council meeting, although the chair must be taken by the Chairperson of the Parish Council if present, it is an assembly for all members of the parish to express their views and concerns.

Parish Council Minutes

Parish Clerk Reports