Chairman's report 2018 - 2019
Your Council has remained the same this year, but behind the scenes work has been going on to enable a change. From our May 2019 meeting there will be 7 Swaton Parish Councillors rather than 5.
This continues the effort to introduce a bit of ‘new blood’ and ideas on to the Council. During the 18/19 year, we invited Judy Patrick and Charles Campion to the Council as ‘Village Coordinators’. This has been a success and Judy and Charles were nominated to apply for election as Councillors. The existing 5 Councillors were also nominated and all 7 were elected unopposed and will become Councillors from the May 2019 meeting.
Judy and Charles have attended ‘New Councillor’ training sessions and they, along with other Councillors, will continue training as appropriate.
The Play Area has progressed further with Phase 3 and the Shelter being completed. The Fete in Summer ’18 raised around £900 which will enable the next Phase to be completed before this Summer. This includes new Goalposts and 3 metre high fencing around the ‘football area’ to avoid balls being kicked onto neighbouring properties. Planning Permission was required for this, which delayed the project a little. Other grant applications for future projects are ‘in the pipeline’.
A tremendous amount of work has gone into this Play Area, ably spearheaded by Councillors Elaine Penketh and Alan Wilson with a lot of help from villagers. You know who you are - Thank you !
Charles Campion continues to keep the grass in the field in pristine condition. What a difference a couple of years of TLC can make !
A village ‘drivearound’ with members of Lincs County Council Roadways Department and our Lincs County Councillor was organised in May last year. This drew attention to the massive number of potholes in the village and after further haranguing these were later repaired. However it has been noted and reported that the potholes at the entrance to the village on Swaton Lane have since deteriorated. A drive down Parson’s Drove (I bottomed my car) gave my passengers food for thought and some repairs are now imminent.
John & June Lukjaniec continue to keep the litter cleared within the village. Thank you both. Any help for them with this task would be appreciated.
The situation with overhanging branches and overgrown hedges again raised its head. It should be noted that it is the responsibility of the property owner or tenant to ensure that branches (and weeds like nettles) do not overhang or grow into a footpath.
The exciting issue of GDPR (Data Protection and Privacy) was dealt with during the year.
The Environment Agency, LCC and Black Sluice Drainage Board continue to consult consultants and talk about our flooding problems and work that should be happening to alleviate the problems. They are now in talks with farmers about providing ‘flood plains’ to the West of Swaton.
Traffic Calming along the High Street has also been discussed at length and a village meeting was held in October with about 20 residents present. Cllr Elaine Penketh is talking to the ‘Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership’ (which we have become a member of). New 30 mph signs have now been sited and discussions continue about ‘Community Speedwatch’. John Lukjaniec continues to deploy our existing mobile speed signs for which we thank him.
In September a ‘Defibrillator and CPR refresher’ session was arranged with LIVES on a Saturday morning. This was well attended and most attendees ‘had a go’ between Bacon Butties.
In all, a busy and reasonably successful year for the Council. Loads of other formal and boring things went on which I didn’t feel were worth adding to this Report !
Thanks once again to our Parish Clerk, Shelagh, for doing her best to keep us on the straight and narrow during the year ! She steers us through the minefield of Governmental Bureaucracy - whilst hanging on to a (necessary) sense of humour.
It should be noted that our excellent NKDC District Councillor, Kate Cook, did not seek re-election at the May ’19 elections and you will all have had the chance to vote for her successor.
On this subject, after 14 or 15 years as Chairman of your Council, I am also standing down, but will remain a councillor. I feel that I am becoming ‘stale’ and that it is time for some new blood and new ideas.
Your new Chairman will be voted in at the May meeting. I thank you all for allowing me the honour of holding this ‘job’ for so long.
Please note that you can access details of forthcoming meetings, how to contact Councillors, rules and regulations, financial details etc. on the Council’s website at www.swaton.org.uk/ YOU are very welcome to attend all Parish Council Meetings.
Please contact any Councillor if you have concerns or feel that something needs to change. We will do our best to help (subject to many, many constraints !)
Sincerely
Chairman to Swaton Parish Council