REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE PARISH COUNCIL:-
The Parish Council have continued to meet regularly over the last twelve months with no meetings traditionally held in August and December. The Parish Council currently has nine serving Parish Councillors also being supported six Borough Ward Councillor representatives. At the last AGM, Lloyd Allison was elected as Chair, and Nicola Chapman as Vice Chair.
The Parish Council were also deeply saddened with the passing of Councillor Jon Miles, whose passion and commitment to the promotion of historic Elstow was unwavering, with the pill box and John Bunyan signage being some of the many projects which Jon was a real driving force behind and is hugely missed. The Council are working of having a Community Spirit Award in memory of his community spirit and those unsung residents in the Elstow community.
The Parish Council have welcomed Timothy Simmons and Margaret Turner recently as new Councillors, with both being already being actively engaged with their new role.
It is important to recognise that all nine Parish Councillors in situ offer their time voluntary, serving the local community as elected representatives who look to support Elstow in a range of different ways.
It has as always continued to be, another busy and productive time for the village on reflection of all that has been achieved with a range of different important village matters that have been dealt with. Whether it is the usual attention to detail given to planning matters looking at domestic and larger local commercial applications. The Parish Council have remained determined to stay engaged in the important public consultations surrounding key items, which have continued again to be an enormous focus at meetings.
As reported previously, the standout focus items for the Parish Council have been keeping a close eye on the Local Plan planning strategy framework document, the progression of the planned East West rail route, and the Universal Studios announcement. The Council has regularly engaged on all these items, attended meetings to ensure they receive updates first hand, as well as enabling them to share concerns and comments from the community to feed directly into those involved in these large infrastructure items. Whilst some of these items have not been directly impacting Elstow as much as some other local areas, the Parish Council have always monitored and made sure that Elstow is represented so these important items can be monitored.
Whilst the new Local Plan is a work in progress for the local authority, the Parish Council have been keeping an eye on speculative planning applications in other neighbouring areas, such as the application for new housing at land off Mowbray Road. There was continued engagement with the Universal Studios public consultation alongside attendance at East West Rail Stakeholders Group meetings.
It has been another busy year for domestic planning applications, with the Parish Council carefully considering each application individually, with where appropriate objections being made usually with concerns such as over development or impact on street scene.
Planning enforcement is also an area that is important, with items being reported where necessary to the local authority, to ensure there is consistency with the local and national planning policies being applied. Encouragement is given for members of the public to share any concerns they may have with the Borough Council Officers who are best placed to follow up on such matters, reporting is quick, easy and anonymous.
Parish Councillors kindly also spend their time, to support local improvements, making sure Elstow’s voice is heard, with this being done in a range of ways, such as representation at Bedford Borough Council led events like the Town and Parish Council Network meetings, and when opportunities arise, engaging with Bedfordshire Police like Coffee with Cop. The Parish Council have organised community events to allow residents to directly engage with the local community police team and local authority Officers, and are grateful to the support from the Borough Councillors who have worked to support residents with a wide range of items.
The Parish Council continue to rely on sharing of information through a range of different platforms. The Parish Council website, noticeboards and sharing on social media continue to be key platforms to raise awareness and share useful information with the village.
Elstow is fortunate to have so many dedicated individuals who share their ideas on parish improvements, act as critical friends when needed, and enable democratic decisions to be made. With there also being welcomed residents attending Parish Council meetings, engaging in the Open Forum and raising items directly. The public participation at Parish Council meetings has been very varied, resident engagement is always encouraged and it has been valuable for the Parish Council to hear from residents with a range of positive outcomes regarding items raised.
The Parish Council have continued to work hard for the benefit of the village, securing safer highways for road users has again been an item that is important to Councillors, residents and the local community. The Parish Council have continued to be pro-active to support improved highways safety across the whole parish. Also working to improve relationships further not only with the local authority as the highways authority, engaging with local residents, elected Borough Councillors support being sought, and engaging with Elstow Primary School to discuss highways safety for all users at peak times.
The Council have remained prudent with the precept calculations over the last few years, looking to maintain a low per household contribution, yet also being mindful of moving forwards with village improvements. It was another year where the external auditors raised no items to draw to the Parish Council’s attention in regards to the financial management and controls in place.
The following are just some of the recent achievements:
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Donations made to the British Legion for Remembrance Day, along with additional items purchased to mark this important occasion
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Cutting of the grass along the Wilstead Road rural footpath, which continues
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Continued funding of the Parish Council website which has enabled residents to receive news updates directly, in addition to an increased presence and use of social media to engage with residents
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Investment in play area improvements as well as maintenance of the play area near Romsey Way carried out
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Continued contribution awarded to the May Festival
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Festive lighting decorations for the parish to enjoy, with continued investment for festive lighting purchased so the decorations were improved for the community.
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Ongoing maintenance of the War Memorial
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Grant monies awarded to Elstow Playing Field Hall for improvement works
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Financial contribution to John Bunyan signage improvements
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Funding of asset maintenance work at pillbox
The Parish Council have a formal application process for organisations requesting financial assistance which is available to anyone wishing to apply for help.
The Council is pleased with the continued success of the play area on the land between Romsey Way and former Abbey Middle School, close to the existing multi-court. The area continues to be well used regularly by many children which is great and thanks go to all those who over time have inspected the area regularly and worked on improving the facility. Thanks to Cllr Sean Hinson who has carried out visual inspections and been keeping an eye on the area over the last twelve months.
The Parish Council are continually striving to ensure Elstow remains a rural and historic village, reporting highway issues, and maintenance needs within the village, as and when they arise. The Council receives updates from the Police and works with them in efforts to reduce crime and anti social behaviour in the village. Whilst previously at times it had been a frustrating process engaging with the Police in a way that is effective and that actually sees a direct local community impact, it is pleasing that local representatives are engaging and responsive with communications looking to support Elstow.