Four Years of the Parish Council
As I write this short article, there are just 20 more days left in the life of the present Parish Council, elected in May 2000. I am sure there are a number of sceptical residents who consider the Parish Council to be an irrelevance. I am also sure that families who have recently moved to the Village from London or other towns and cities, are not familiar with what Parish Council's do. For the benefit of the doubters and for the education of those unfamiliar with the role of the Parish Council, I thought it worth recording for posterity the major milestones and achievements of this present Council, none of which would have been accomplished in the absence of the Parish Council.
Right at the start of the term of office, decisions had to be made regarding the building of the new Village Hall. The New Village Hall Development Committee (a group comprised of a number of Village Association and Parish Council representatives), had been working for a number of years previous to the life of the present Council on running up the detailed specification of a new hall but all the major decisions regarding finance and the decision to proceed were made by the newly elected Council in the year 2000. Work commenced on the new hall in the winter of 2000 and completed and opened in November 2001. I think most villagers would agree the new hall is a magnificent asset to the Village.
The Parish Cemetery stands on what was agricultural land. It has always been well kept with mown lawns but always struck an observer as an austere cold place. There was always a desire to improve the Cemetery but in 2001, we were given the opportunity to apply for a grant by Epping Forest District Council. Our plan for the Cemetery was accepted and the grant sanctioned. We employed the services of a village landscape designer and a final design selected. We then employed a local firm to carry the hard landscaping and planting of shrubs and trees. Rabbit proof plants were selected and Members of the Parish Council helped in the planting of these.
The Garden of Remembrance is now established and is maturing. So much so, that we deemed it worthy as an entry in this year's 'Open Gardens' day on the 27 June. It stands on the site of what was formerly an area of unsightly rough scrubby land to the left hand side of the cemetery. It provides those visiting their departed loved ones somewhere to sit and recall happier days in a beautiful setting.
Not so many years ago, the Village Green was not cut and flourished as an area of wildflowers and wildlife apart, that is, from the cricket table and outfield. Then it became the norm to cut it as a lawn. In so doing many of the wildflowers could not germinate and we lost the wildlife, particularly the butterflies. The Corporation of London, who owns the Green, categorise it is an area of wet meadow land. After discussion with them we decided to leave some conservation areas uncut until the flowers had germinated and the wildlife reproduced. By the end of June the whole area is cut and is available to roam and for children to play. Although unpopular with some, it does keep a tangible link with our heritage and for the greater part of the summer, the greens are cut right across.
The previous Chairman, Wilf Shales, entered our Parish Newsletter into a newsletter competition. Unfortunately we did not distinguish ourselves with our entry. Our enthusiasm was not dented. We set up a small group of Councillors, ably assisted by the editor Tony Ames, and set about improving it. After a lot of good work we have made some radical changes to the format.
We have changed the name, improved the variety of contents, included articles from a number of contributors, added colour and are really proud of the recent editions. So much so that we entered it into another competition and came first! A small group went to the prize giving and was presented with the winner's certificate.
During the life of this Council some awful tragedies have occurred, not least the Korean Airlines Boeing 747, which crashed near Stansted. By air, just minutes away from Theydon Bois. Emergency planning had been raised at government level and also by the local District Council. Spurred on by the thought that a similar disaster in our locality is not beyond the realms of possibility, the Parish Council have prepared a fully documented Emergency Response plan, to be implemented in the unlikely event that an emergency envelopes this village.
The growing menace of anti social behaviour and vandalism is one of the low points. A number of youths demonstrate a complete lack of respect for law and order, other people and their property. Intimidation across a whole spectrum of age groups is running at levels unimaginable when the current Council was elected. A decision was taken last autumn to investigate CCTV and on the 19th May 2004, it was officially launched. There are five cameras around the centre of the village. In the last week, the police have made three calls on the evidence recorded by the system and one from the Corporation of London following an incident which occurred by the Pond.
The Parish Council have integrated into the 21st century. Most committee meetings result in minutes being prepared. However, for the newly elected councillor there was not much by the way of documentation to brief them on the purpose of the various committees. This has now been rectified and terms of reference have been prepared by the chairmen of each committee. In line with commercial practice, we have also introduced an annual appraisal system for the Parish Clerk. It will give the council a chance to set targets and assess the Clerk's performance but it will also give the Clerk the chance to present their own suggestions and concerns. Should the next Council decide to pursue Quality Council status, these innovations will assist us in pursuit of our goal.
Lastly, and perhaps the most important situation
to report on, is that this Council has worked productively because it has
been a harmonious Council and it has been a pleasure to be a part of such
an effective team.
John Eaton, Chairman
Theydon Bois Community Safety Group
At a recent meeting of the Parish Council a resolution was approved for the formation of the Theydon Bois Partnership. The purpose of this partnership is the formation of a team / committee to organise and run village events, not including events run by individual organisations such as, for example, Church Flower Festivals and Fetes, Scouts Donkey Derby. It is suggested that the 'team' should include representation from the Parish Council, both Churches, the Village Association, other organisations, clubs, Schools and businesses within the village. In order to assist in the formation the Parish Council are writing to those who, we hope, will participate, if you have not yet received a letter and are willing to have a representative on the team please contact the Parish Office.
We would like to hear at this stage from someone prepared to represent the businesses in the village.
Similar partnerships already exist in other areas, such as Ongar, where they report very good results in arranging events. They act independently from the Parish/Town Council as is envisaged for the one here in Theydon Bois. One of the main events to be arranged for next year 2002 will be the VillageDay/ Jubilee Celebrations, so let us make the formation of this 'team' a success and plan an interesting and exciting future for the Village.
KEEP THE VERGES CLEAR
The Parish Council is requesting EFDC to improve the quality of the contractors work in cutting the grass on the verges in the Village. We still have problem where blue boxes and refuge bags are put out on the verges, sometimes days in advance of collecting and this hampers the cutting. Please remember bags and boxes should be placed within your property on the front boundary.
VILLAGE PARKING
A Parking Forum of local people will look at the subject of all-day commuter parking in the village. The situation is not yet clear because the law is being changed to "decriminalise" parking restrictions. This means that the District Council will be responsible for introducing and enforcing schemes, and not the Police. The exact schemes that will be available will not be finalised until next March but before that date the village Parking Forum will take soundings so as to present a "preferred scheme" to the District Council.
It seems that there will be two broad options for change. Firstly, a one hour Parking ban, which will apply to all vehicles, at a particular time during the day. This would have the advantage of being free, and non-intrusive on the street scene, but the disadvantage would be to houses and businesses without off-street parking.
The second option would be a full Residents Parking Scheme, which would involve marking out all streets with no-parking areas and resident's bays, (eg parking on one side of the street but not the other). The likely cost would be approximately £50 per car per year for residents and local businesses.
In both instances the area covered would extend to a minimum of 15 minutes walk from the station, i.e. most of the village. It is also clear that if any street was not included, eg on the edge of the village, then that street would immediately be a magnet for the commuters.
The Forum will look at both ideas, and any possible variations or mixes, and hopes that all residents with a view point will write in to the Parish Office. No scheme will be introduced without full consultation and without a majority being in favour. However it is very clear that to help solve this problem everybody would have to make some sacrifice of convenience for the benefit of the village as a whole.
Did you know that there are some 18,500 Post Offices throughout the United Kingdom today? A network which is visited by half the population every week. The Post Office is not just a shop or a place where you collect your pension or child benefit, it is at the very heart of many communities.
A Post Office is far more than just a range of services and products. It is a place you can trust, a place where you are known and feel comfortable and a place which is vital to any vibrant community.
As your Subpostmaster I am committed to maintaining this unique role, but I can only do this with your help and loyalty. As more and more of The Post Office's traditional business, such as pension payments, are being eroded it is important to realise just how much your Post Office can do for you. Were you aware, for instance, that you can get your travellers cheques and foreign currency here, arrange your travel insurance or even top up your mobile phone?
In recent months and years we have seen the steady decline in local services; how many bank branches and village shops have already closed because of cost? Unfortunately the Post Office is not immune from this commercial pressure. Just like any shop we need to sell and we need you, our customers, to use us. Only with your support can we survive and our motto needs to be "Use it or lose it." I have already mentioned some of the products and services you can get from the Post Office and in recent months we have been working hard to extend this range and provide you with an even better service. We have all seen the press and news stories about bank closures, but how many of you realise that you now have an alternative bank at your Post Office. If you are customer of any of the following banks you can make deposits and withdrawals at the Post Office: ·
And this is just the beginning.
Much has been said about the threat to community and rural Post Offices and we all know how communities can wither without a local Post Office and shop. But I am optimistic, I believe people do want their Post Office to survive, do want to preserve the unique service we provide and will ensure this by using the Post Office to deal with their everyday business.
Last Up Dated: 22nd May 2004