WADHURST PARISH COUNCIL

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 8th December, 2010

Apologies and Police
Our Chairman being absent, for good reason, the chair was taken by the Vice-Chairman, Jan Pearman.  She showed sparkling form, allowing no time for interruptions, so the meeting moved at a cracking pace.  No-one having confessed to any potential conflict of interest on any agenda item, we looked at the Police Report, which was presented on paper rather than viva voce.  PCSO Matt Neve wrote of several reports of break-ins to garages and outbuildings in November and some instances of cold calling, the offenders having been sent warning letters after checks had been made with East Sussex Trading Standards officers.  Also on the warning letter front, two motorists had been issued with warning letters about reported instances of anti-social driving; if they are reported again, their vehicles could be seized and a fee levied for their release.  Matt listed three street meetings he had organised but, if you have any worries about anything, he is happy to be called on his mobile phone: 07787 685757.

News from On High
The Public were either happy, or too cold to venture forth, so in their absence we proceeded to approve the minutes of our previous meeting and then invited Bob Tidy to report on County Council matters.  There had been consideration of the most effective use of police stations.  The Ealing Comedy days when the front desk at the local nick seemed to be the social hub of mankind are long since past; most people now communicate with the police by telephone but there is still limited demand for face to face contact.  Only Brighton would continue to have a twenty-four hour manned police station; other main stations would be open during office hours, and some only from ten till two.  They hoped that manpower savings could be achieved by voluntary termination and nearly five hundred (staff, not police officers) had applied.  Similarly they hoped that County Council employee numbers could be cut voluntarily but as the level of cuts by central government had not yet been announced, the budgeting meeting had had to be postponed.  There had been a remarkable change of attitude within the South-East Seven (the seven county and unitary councils whose names regular readers of this organ will be keen to recite by rote) from mutual antagonism to total co-operation, he was happy to report.  Next, Bob Standley reported on Wealden District affairs and had a similar tale to tell.  Some services would be shared with Rother District, and they had agreed a nil per cent council tax increase (thus earning a two and a half per cent government bonus).  The number of new houses to be imposed on the district had been seriously reduced but even so infrastructure remained a problem.

Chairman’s Announcements and Correspondence
The major excitement promised under this item of business was a report on the recent Emergency Planning Conference but it proved something of a letdown; the conference had been held in a coastal town where most of the participants were local and were more interested in flooding than any other form of emergency.  The predictable message to all was that lists of locally available equipment, from farm tractors to chain saws and stirrup pumps, should be kept up to date – and that the first ambulance on the scene should not be expected to do anything more than assess the situation and report back.

Committee Matters
Not surprisingly, given the early and substantial snowfall this year, the Highways, Transport & Lighting Committee regaled us with grit bin anecdotes.  The committee had planned to inspect them before the onset of inclement weather but had been caught out by the November snow.  There are apparently twenty two grit stores in the parish, but more can be made available at little cost, particularly in areas of sheltered housing.  By this stage in our financial year, stringency is normally the order of the day, but we resolved to give the committee a small budget for any urgent action it felt necessary, nemine contradicente (the ablative absolute they would have used in Italy at the time of the first Christmas).  Stunned into silence by this unexpected bout of generosity, no-one had any problem with the Planning Committee’s activities and we cantered into the realms of the Recreation Ground Management Committee.  Its actions too received universal approval and before we had time to draw breath we were embroiled in Environment Committee matters, huffing and puffing over the proliferation of noticeboards at the Jardin d’Aubers, and how to draw attention to the rules about what could be displayed and for how long; the obvious answer was of course to put up a notice, but eventually we resisted this temptation and turned to our budget. 

Budget
Even though the parish precept forms a very small part of the overall council tax, we do not like increasing the burden on our poor parishioners and decided on a minimal increase in spite of the greater expenditure we foresaw being needed.  The possible car park at the Fire Station is one such, but the banner headline in the Courier did not fill us with dread; for one thing it overstated matters, and for another we thought it might do no harm to be seen to be addressing the problem which tops virtually every survey of our village needs. 

Finale
Finally, the topic of our winter newsletter engaged our minds.  This is not distributed to every household like its predecessor but has to be produced and made available as part of the process of maintaining our Quality Council status.  Suggestions were made as to items for inclusion; one which received universal support was the encouragement of people to stand for election to the Council in the May elections.  It seems that at least three of our current councillors are not meaning to stand again, so now is the time for all good men (of either sex) to search their consciences and see whether they could not give a little time to governing their fellows for the good of all (or pro bono publico, if we wish to triplicate our latin offerings).  Our absent Chairman was keen that we should try to streamline the committee structure, but that they should meet more regularly so we had a happy moment tinkering with the proposed dates – but even that could not last long.  All too soon, the meeting came to an end and we found ourselves sniffing the cold night air and wondering whether a little stimulant was called for.  Some of us gathered elsewhere to decide the matter.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 10th February, 2011, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual.  Do come.

Notes before the meeting held on Thursday, 8th December, 2010

Deadline
Usually, the Focus News Editor works wonders in permitting your scribe to submit his report even if the deadline is before the Council has met.  This month however, with the imminence of Christmas, the deadline is a full week before the Council meeting and even she (the FNE) cannot fix it!  So your scribe has had to find some other topic with which to fill your insomniac hours during the dark days and nights of January.

Elections
Fortunately, elections are due in May, after we return to our labours after the joys of Easter and the Royal Wedding, for places on our Parish Council; this seems therefore an excellent opportunity to consider what a parish council is for and who should sit on it.  This is not a purely academic exercise, as at least one of the current councillors will not be standing for re-election; there will therefore be one or more vacancies to be filled.  Now is the opportunity for all parishioners, young and less so, to consider whether there is any reason why they should not occasionally forgo the delights of East Enders to devote some time instead to their fellow parishioners.

Age
Your scribe, having won a gold medal (self-awarded) for political correctness and having a detailed knowledge of the topic, hastens to reassure you, gentle reader, that Wadhurst Parish Council has no truck with ageism.  So if the prospect of standing for election is a thrill you can do without, that is no reason why you should not encourage your children, grandchildren, friends and neighbours to do so.  Provided they are of age and a British national or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the European Union, they have no excuse not to consider the matter, at the very least.  Not long ago, when our current chairman offered to join the council, he calmly announced the he had age on his side, being somewhat less than half the average age of the council as then constituted – and now he is the boss, and a very good boss too.  The reason why the council is composed largely of older people is probably that it is easier to attend an occasional 7.30 meeting if one has not at that moment arrived at the station after a hard day in London; those who work locally and know Wadhurst by day on weekdays, not just at weekends, are, however, obviously more valuable as councillors.

Duties
The duties of a parish councillor are far from burdensome.  Ten council meetings a year and rather fewer committee meetings are probably the sum total of the formal requirements.  Constant followers of this organ such as you, dear reader, know that although there is no rule against politics, they are unknown in the despatch of business on Wadhurst Parish Council, and every councillor is there purely for the purpose of trying to do what is best for the community.  This of course means that one should try to find out what people think, while bearing in mind that what is best for the community does not necessarily coincide with what is best for its loudest-mouthed member; no individual member is responsible for the council’s decisions, which are taken by majority vote (when, rarely, required) and all councillors bear joint responsibility – but the decision is that of the council as an entity, separate from its members.  Because most decisions are the result of consensus, or perhaps as a result of that being the case, Wadhurst parish councillors get on well together and treat each other as friends (even opting to swop jokes and beverages after council meetings); we do not therefore have the personal insults and point-scoring that it appears other councils may have, judging from the reports in the sort of journals with which you, gentle reader, would not soil your eyeballs.  In a nutshell, our council meetings, while serious in intent, are fun – and so they should be; friendly debate is far more productive than confrontation.

Powers
Lest we give the impression that council meetings are purely the soft option compared with getting to grips with the complexities of submarine mating calls, or whatever digital challenges the ether may have to offer, it is important to point out that parish councils have some responsibilities they must assume, and others they may assume, and that (like the government in Whitehall itself, although this sometimes seems to be forgotten) they can do only what the law permits them to do.  Nevertheless, parish councils have wide powers and discretions, and Wadhurst Parish Council has a fascinating variety of roles within its limited budget.  The introductory list in a recent academic pamphlet on parish councils includes planning, highways, traffic, community safety, housing, street lighting, allotments, playing fields, community centres, litter, war memorials, seats and shelters, and rights of way.  Parish council precepts (what they get from the council tax) are currently not capped, but obviously councils wish to act reasonably in the interests of their parishioners and therefore have to determine how to spread their resources to best effect across the wealth of things on which their funds could be spent.  In Wadhurst, quite the largest expenditure is on the Recreation Ground at Sparrows Green where we run the Pavilion and provide and maintain children’s play facilities and football pitches for the benefit of the community, balancing the need to earn revenue against keeping the facilities available for the community – and the enjoyment of users against that of local residents.  The Parish Newsletter circulated to every household in the parish gives a fairly good idea of what we get up to, ranging from maintaining fingerposts and lamp-posts and the Jardin d’Aubers and its surroundings, to contributing to the community bus service and the new Library, and cutting grass verges. 

Power Sharing
Many of our powers are shared with higher authorities, with whom we co-operate and whose members report to our meetings.  Highways are maintained by the County Council in consultation with us over what is needed – particularly in relation to safety issues; planning permissions are the prerogative of the District Council who have to consult us, so our Planning Committee meets fortnightly to consider what representations we should make.

Is a Parish Council any use?
The Parish Council is local enough to be able to take more account of local wishes than even a district council; its area is small enough to make it more practicable to determine what really is in the best interests of its community – our community!  Why not get involved?

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 10th February, 2011, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground.  Do come and meet your future colleagues and see what you could be in for.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 11 November, 2010

Police
The Chairman arrived shortly before the appointed hour, to find a somewhat sparsely surrounded debating table, which was explained by three apologies for absence and two for impending lateness.  Unusually, we received one declaration of interest in an agenda item and then moved on to the Police Report.  There being no Police representative present, we were instead told of the reorganisation of Neighbourhood Watch and that police information would now be emailed direct to street co-ordinators, rendering redundant the job of area co-ordinator; unfortunately, the holder of that position appeared to have taken umbrage and was setting up a rival organisation.  The Police would deal only with the official Wadhurst Neighbourhood Watch organisation.

Public and New Clerk
The only person in the public gallery not wishing to say anything, we approved the minutes of our last meeting and decided that there were no non-agenda items arising from them.  The public speechlessness was soon explained however when press and other strays (our county and district councillors) were excluded and the lady concerned turned out not to be public at all, but to be the preferred candidate to take over as our new Clerk.  She was invited to say a little about herself, telling us briefly of her legal and local government experience, and to answer any questions we might have (just one about her sporting prowess or its absence, to break the ice); she then left the room while we debated the matter.  After being told a little more of the recruitment process and proposed terms of service, Marika Jones was unanimously appointed Clerk to the Council.

News from On High
Our County Councillor, Bob Tidy, reported that the much-fanfared Comprehensive Spending Review appeared to prescribe that County Council spending must be cut overall  by almost exactly the proportion that ESCC had anticipated, but that like all government announcements (of whatever hue) it was far from clear, and some counties might be required to cut more than others.  Once again, the catch phrases had changed and instead of the abolished SEDA, Local Enterprise Partnerships were now the order of the day; East Sussex had taken the initiative and linked up with Essex and Kent to develop various common aims and agendas.  In population terms, this would probably be the largest LEP in the country.  This did not affect the South East Seven (reported in last month’s Focus) for the provision of common services; East Sussex was taking the lead on Special Educational Needs.  Graham Wells then told us of matters currently exercising Wealden District Council, including the stimulation of growth in the District, the proposed capping of household benefits, and the need for infrastructure improvements to support the increase in social housing for which they were aiming.  Complaints about WDC to the relevant ombudsman had dropped dramatically.

Chairman’s Announcements and Correspondence
Having little of substance to announce, our doughty Chairman then presented the feasibility study by one of our absentees on setting up a parish council office in the Institute, and enjoyed the unusual pleasure of unanimous support for the conclusion that it was not practicable.  Con artists, or confidence tricksters, frequently take the form of small children asking apparently sincere but irrelevant questions to waste time; even worse is it when sophisticated grown-ups engage in the same sort of activity.  So it was that we spent over twenty minutes discussing the alternative to a parish office: inviting the Clerk to make herself available in the village at regular times.  Where?  When?  For how long?  With or without a laptop (computer, not dog)?  Weekday or weekend?  And could it be tied in to Planning Committee meetings?  This was simply the trailer for the debate which would soon follow.

Committee Matters
The first committee to report was Highways, Transport & Lighting.  As every reader knows, high-powered councillors love those rare occasions when they understand the topic under debate.  The supply of electricity to the Christmas lights which were to adorn the trees in The Walk was one such, followed by winter gritting.  Joining a main road from some side roads involves a sharp upward ramp, where people get stuck, and some a sharp downward one, where they cannot stop; deciding which is the more deserving of a grit bin was a quandary which could have engaged hours of our time, were it not for the delights to come.  The Planning Committee were concerned about apparently anti-social behaviour and noise at a property in Cousley Wood, but then invited us to consider the consequences of planning application information being received in electronic form from Wealden District Council.  “Powerpoint” was to be used to impart the requisite information, which led to a wide-ranging, lengthy and inconclusive discussion of whether we would have to buy the necessary equipment and whether the new Clerk would be its custodian and should therefore attend and keep the minutes of the committee’s proceedings.  The perennial blister of how to ensure a quorum at its meetings also bubbled up but was not satisfactorily lanced.  The general view on all these matters seemed to be that they were completely open-minded, but against.

Who?
The Recreation Ground Committee reported that an anonymous complaint had been received about the noise made by what, in these politically correct times, can only be called the Death Slide at Sparrows Green.  While determined to ignore complaints whose authenticity cannot be substantiated, and which may not even be from one of our parishioners, we agreed to see if the carriage on the slide might benefit from a dose of grease.  So we moved to the report of the Environment Committee.

Which Pond?
This committee’s report dealt mainly with the suggestion that we should take a licence from ESCC of part of the land by the Fire Station which we had thought was part of the land licensed from the Fire and Rescue Authority.  Heated debate and some unflattering epithets were used to describe the pond concerned, until it emerged that, in the absence of map-reading training for councillors, the committee had (or some of them thought they had) discussed the wrong pond; they should have addressed themselves to the rear part of the duckless duck pond, behind the sadly vacant duckhouse.  By the time the chairman had restored order, fear was beginning to grip some of us.  Were we to see a return to the days of bygone chairmen when we were given too loose a rein and the pub was a forlorn hope?  Duly sobered, we approved finance matters, including the idea of a small increase in the precept, and were released soon after ten o’clock by our by now rejovialised chairman, to re-live the battles and laughter of the evening in another place.

Next Meeting  The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 9th December, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual.  Do come.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 14 October, 2010

Police: With one apology and an unusual two absentees, we leapt into action on time, heard one declaration of interest and then turned to the Police Report.  Your scribe was very young at the time, but thinks it was Pliny who complained that, when there was nothing more urgent to occupy it, the army reorganised itself.  Our Police have of course lots else to do but have nevertheless changed the area structure in Wealden.  This means that we are now in the Heathfield sector, which is smaller than hitherto and this means we should have greater police availability and presence.  We therefore have a completely new Police team covering Wadhurst, who were all present to introduce themselves.  Sgt Ruth Hammerton is in charge and under her are PC Kelly Simmonds and PCSO Matt Neve, our new man on the ground, who is setting out to meet as many of us as possible and generally find his bearings.  We were then briefly updated on the reorganisation of Neighbourhood Watch; the Police will email urgent information and a fortnightly bulletin to street co-ordinators direct, which means that Tim Page (while staying as a street co-ordinator) will no longer have to pass messages each way and will therefore have more time for his many local interests.

Public: The next agenda item was Public Forum, which started with a brief presentation from East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre, a charity devoted to improving the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people, who apparently account for one in seven of the population.  This worthwhile cause was of considerable interest even to the younger councillors, and deserves our moral support.  After that, the Royal British Legion leapt to its feet to reassure us that the traditional Remembrance Sunday Parade would after all take place; a straw poll indicated that a fair number of us would be there to give our support.  The necessity for a road closure order was briefly debated but it emerged that our wonderful Wealden were expediting the issue of an order anyway, so all were satisfied.

News from On High: In accordance with tradition, our temporary Clerk’s minutes were approved without comment or anything arising from them, so Bob Tidy was invited to report on County Council matters.  Inevitably, this involved a recitation of proposed cuts, but first he reminded us that winter was on its way; grit bins would be replenished, and if necessary more bus routes would be treated than last year.  ESCC had been instrumental in setting up the South-East Seven (East and West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Kent, Medway, Surrey and Hampshire councils) to collaborate on the joint supply of such services as IT, waste disposal, highways maintenance and in particular services for those with special educational needs, which were currently often the subject of costly tribunals resulting in expensive procurement from the private sector.  Finally, he reminded us that even parish councils might fall within the new rules requiring a referendum to approve above-inflation increases in the council tax precept; our lightning intellects immediately realised that the cost of the referendum would require the amount of the proposed increase to be doubled.  Graham Wells, having had many of his planned points covered by Bob, pointed out the reliance of the Wealden economy on tourism, which is believed to earn some £280million a year and account for one in ten jobs in the District.  In spite of Wealden’s bad record on road deaths and homelessness, its inhabitants enjoy above-average health and life expectancy.  His final disclosure, that District councils are to be required to take note of even sparsely-signed public petitions drew mocking comment from some of our number who have identified many canine and feline signatories on otherwise poorly supported petitions, giving rise to the first of our jolly free-for-all debates of the evening.

Chairman’s Announcements and Correspondence: Cowed by the Chairman’s call to move on, we reverted briefly to best behaviour to listen to clarification of one or two items of correspondence, before considering the question whether we should have a Parish Office in central Wadhurst.  Those in favour thought parishioners needed a suitable opportunity and venue to consult with their parish council, while those against thought it would be a burden to require the Clerk to attend at fixed times, without councillors or filing cabinets to consult.  Those in favour thought all filing should be in a single PC (laptop computer, not policeman) while others suggested that a desk and filing cabinets could be moved in, with others pointing out that this would fill the space and make it unsuitable for the intended public attendance at committee meetings there.  Amidst the hubbub, common sense prevailed and no-one called for a Royal Commission; instead, there would be a feasibility study.  Unfortunately, your scribe thinks that we failed to reinforce this joyous solution by neither appointing a sub-committee to carry it out, nor agreeing a reporting date.  Nevertheless, harmony ensued and we briefly discussed the commemoration of the centenary of the battle of Aubers Ridge in 2015.

Committee Matters: After all this excitement, committee reports could be expected to verge on the boring, and so they largely proved.  The highlight, so to speak, of Highways, Transport and Lighting matters was the electricity supply for some of the Christmas lights.  The Planning Committee suffered an attack of the nits, largely picked by one member, who queried both the minutes and the system for ad hoc appointment to the committee if a quorum would otherwise not be achieved.  The Recreation Ground Management Committee had actually met for a change and prompted another debate on emergency gas cut-offs, a topic on which every member suddenly proved to be expert.  Finally, the Environment Committee had replaced the bench in Washwell Lane exactly as it had been before, which some members felt was back-to-front; some councillors are never satisfied.

Finale: The list of accounts for payment was approved once we had satisfied ourselves that the apparently modest grass cutting charge was for a month not a whole year.  And so we turned to the search for a replacement permanent Clerk, and heard how the interview process was likely to proceed.  Our final fling was a brief debate on an urgent issue; the traditional Any Other Business having been banned because “other” means that it has not appeared on the published agenda and cannot therefore be discussed, we still allow ourselves the indulgence of addressing urgent issues and one was raised: the safety of the bridge under the railway below the station when tall vehicles occupy the middle of the road.  It was suggested that a mirror to allow drivers leaving Wadhurst to see any such obstruction was an urgent necessity.  However, as always, there were differing views and some of our number thought reflected headlight glare might increase the danger.  The relevant committee was invited to consider the matter.  After just over two hours of hard intellectual labour, it was high time for refreshment.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 11 November, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual.  Do come.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 9th September 2010

New Year?
It felt like the New Year as we returned to our meeting after the summer break with a new interim Clerk in attendance and the Chairman, yet to get into working mode, called us to order at least five minutes later than the time on our Agendas.  Apologies were received from three of our number, a forth being absent without leave – but she crept into her seat some time later.  Mrs. Sarah Codling was then welcomed as our new interim clerk and the business of the evening began.

Public Forum and News from on High
Though two members of the community graced us with their presence, neither of them wished to raise any issue and so we moved on to Bob Tidy – our revered County Councillor.  Apparently, the South East has a brilliant record in reducing crime with the aid of the Safer Communities Group who co-ordinate safety measures.  With funding cuts imminent, some cutbacks will be necessary, with possible redundancies with maybe the dimming of our record to date. The controversial zebra crossing in the High Street is listed as another of the items cut, so the decision – to have, or not to have – is to be postponed for the next year or two.  Bob Standley then followed with the pleasing information that Wealden is generally a good all rounder – and came out top for Community Resilience!  At this point it was felt that the position of our new interim clerk should be ratified, with confirmation that she will be our new financial officer.

Chairman’s Announcements
Sadly, it was reported that Mrs Margaret Mailer-Howat has died.  She will be much missed by all those who knew her, not least in the many organisations in which she was a volunteer.

Other Committees
The Highways Committee has been resting on its laurels and had nothing of note to  report.  The odd light needs attention but – I feel sure I should mention that it is now a pleasure to drive down to the station and back, the road at last having been resurfaced in July.  Thank goodness I hear you cry.  Again with no summer meeting, the Recreation Committee had little to report other than that Wealden has approved the Tennis Club’s application for flood lighting.  Your scribe, however, would like to mention how actively in use the new play equipment is.  Children seem to be swarming all over the place and having a whale of a time, justifying all the hard work the working party did in obtaining a major grant to help fund the project.  In a bid to help tidy up the pavement in front of the Greyhound Pub, the two black wheelie bins have been moved to a less prominent site and in due course the green wheelie bin will also be removed.

Wadhurst Parish Council – Interim Clerk
The Parish Council has appointed an interim Clerk until a permanent appointment is made later this year.  Sarah Codling can be contacted by email: wadhurstpc@hotmail.co.uk or by post: The Clerk, Wadhurst Parish Council, Pineys, Modest Corner, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 0LS.  From Tuesday 14th September the clerk can also be contacted by phone on 01892 752111.
The next meeting will be held in the Pavilion, Sparrows Green on Thursday 14th October.

Notes in the absence of any meeting in August, 2010

Disaster
August, as every reader knows, is one of the months when the Parish Council does not meet but leaves the parish to continue ungoverned – which it normally does admirably.  This year, however, disaster struck; no sooner had we all departed for our country seats in and around Wadhurst than we were hotly pursued by a cleft-stick email telling us that our wonderful Clerk had been appointed Town Clerk of Crowborough and would be leaving us in early September.  This is no ordinary disaster, of the sort which parish councillors take in their stride; this is a devastating disaster.  In her nine years as our Clerk, Philippa has sorted out our procedures, ensured that we comply with the law and the Code of Conduct in every respect, and has run the parish with a light but firm touch; she has taken the bookings for the Pavilion at Sparrows Green and organised any work needed there, she has revolutionised our payments and accounting systems, her accounts have passed every audit, internal or external, with flying colours, she has provided wise guidance to individual councillors and to committees, and she has always been cheerful and charming with it.  In short, we shall miss her dreadfully.  But life must go on, and the process of finding a worthy successor is in train, to liven up our August somnolence.

Interests
One announcement eagerly awaited from the Government is whether it will live up to Conservative promises to reform the rules on “interests” as they affect local councillors.  We pointed out last month that a local resident objecting to noise at the Recreation Ground would, if a councillor, have a prejudicial interest preventing them from participating in debate on the topic.  The Times has recently gone further and pointed out that a councillor who had stood for election on a particular platform would be similarly constrained.  A prejudicial interest is one on which the voter on the Clapham omnibus would expect the councillor to be unlikely to be able to come to a balanced decision (eg like our hypothetical councillor, by declaring his or her position before hearing the arguments); because of natural caution, this leads in many cases to the withdrawal of everybody who knows anything about the topic under debate.  As a former Prince of Wales once said: “Something must be done.”

Is anything new?
At the end of the First World War, the government was concerned that the many unemployed, demobilised soldiers roaming the streets might give rise to civil unrest, so they swore in a good few of them as Special Constables.  The Prime Minister’s recent suggestion that people should volunteer as reserve policemen therefore has a familiar ring to it – even if the former Home Secretary Alan Johnson’s response was that volunteers are more suitable to run the Scouts than as police; he, like so many, apparently has no idea what the Special Constabulary is.  Special Constables have been in existence since time immemorial when people policed themselves, and today citizens still have a duty to support the police.  In 1831, an Act of Parliament granted Specials all “powers, authorities, advantages and immunities” as full-time serving constables, and that remains broadly the case today.  Although unpaid volunteers, Specials are fully trained and have, in most Police Forces, the same powers as their regular counterparts; they carry warrant cards, on or off duty, with all that that entails.  It is plain wrong to think that because they are not paid they are not real police; contrast this with the position of the paid PCSOs whose purpose is to provide a “reassuring presence” (in David Blunkett’s words) but who can do little except radio for police assistance.  The Prime Minister’s announcement, however, mentioned the economy, rather than Afghanistan.

European Union
Another area where the Government might commit itself is in its attitude to the EU.  We have so far heard few allegations that the trials and illogicalities of life are caused by “European Law”.  Could this signal a change?  As regular readers of this august publication will know, so-called European Law is enacted by or under the authority of our own parliament, in an expansive and usually repressive interpretation of an EU Directive on the topic.  Much time and tribulation would be saved if we could throw off this inheritance of Thatcherism and simply enact the wording of the Directive without expansion or deviation.  Our sensible judges could then interpret the law with discretion and common sense.

Turkey
Amongst the matters needing resolution within the European Union is whether to admit Turkey.  Is it, as our Prime Minister has been proclaiming, highly desirable that it should be permitted to join, or is it, as some Jeremiahs would have it, an alien place, full of Muslims from whom we should keep our distance?  This year marks the 95th anniversary of the disastrous Dardanelles campaign, when so many Australians and New Zealanders lost their lives in achieving nothing – except, it has to be said,  nationhood; it is virtually a rite of passage for young people from those nations to visit, and preferably take part in one of the annual Anzac Commemorative Services on the Gallipoli peninsular.  Mustafa Kemal was one of the Turkish commanders in the battle, showing exceptional brilliance in exploiting Anzac weaknesses.  Later known as Ataturk, he was the founder and first President of modern Turkey, converting it from an uneducated Ottoman remnant to a modern, secular state with phonetic latin script in place of Arabic symbols, but with the capital at Ankara in Asia instead of Constantinople.  He composed a poem relating to Gallipoli, which was read aloud by serving Turkish Army Officers at the Australian Service of Commemoration at their Lone Pine Cemetery, immaculately kept up like all the cemeteries on the peninsular.  The poem translates as follows: it does not smack of wild triumphalism:

Those heroes that shed their blood, And lost their lives, You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side Here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, Who sent their sons from far away countries Wipe away your tears, Your sons are now lying in our bosom And are in peace After having lost their lives on this land They have become our sons as well.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 9th September, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual.  Do come.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 8th July, 2010

Start
With one apology for expected lateness and one absentee, we set off at a cracking pace and soon called upon our PCSO for her report, which she delivered with her usual enthusiasm.  She had continued to hold street meetings, and hoped that these would stir up greater interest in Neighbourhood Watch, whose AGM was imminent.  There had been a number of crimes locally but, with the exception of one at Bewl Water, these had mostly been minor, although a drugs raid had been carried out.  Snape Woods were in the news again – this time, it was a theft, the flasher having apparently discontinued his activities.  The theft victim being deaf, it was suggested that there should be a 999 mobile phone texting facility; Tamara will investigate this for us.  Finally, she is hoping to establish a couple of community noticeboards to help keep people informed.

Public Forum
There being just one member of the public present, the floor was his for a theoretical maximum of fifteen minutes; luckily he hardly took two.  He had come to enquire about the Pedestrian Crossing, which (like WS Gilbert’s “marriage with deceased wife’s sister”) seems to be becoming our “perennial blister”; it was mentioned under three agenda items.  The position is that the County Council is drawing up detailed plans of all the works required to enable a zebra crossing to be constructed in the vicinity of Lloyds Bank rather than the site originally proposed.  There is therefore no detailed proposal in existence upon which the Parish Council or anyone else can comment; the County Council seem determined not to ask if the crossing is wanted in its new position, or at all, until the detailed work has been designed.  The result is that the proposal, and the finance already earmarked for it, has been postponed to the next financial year, when there will be increased stringency, particularly on road safety matters.

News from On High
Bob Tidy’s report on County Council matters concluded with the foregoing information about the zebra.  Before that, he had told us that the financial cuts he had outlined last month would be similar in amount to what he had predicted but different in nature, meaning that road safety would be particularly hard hit.  In future, individuals would have to be more proactive in foiling and reporting crime.  Finally, he was asked to pass on our thanks and congratulations to the Council for achieving the Station Hill works in the predicted four days without too much disruption, and to a very high standard.  Next, Graham Wells reported on Wealden District Council matters, and tried to portray an optimistic atmosphere although projections were being prepared on the basis of a 25, 35 or even 45 per cent cut in funding.  In a recent survey of 64 council areas carried out by the GMB union, Wealden’s streets had been found to be the tenth cleanest in the South-East.  Unfortunately however, hazardous waste was being fly-tipped in the area; we should all be observant to try to catch the miscreant.  House prices in Wealden had continued to rise at a very high rate, which made it difficult for those seeking affordable homes; WDC was therefore when appropriate joining up with Housing Associations to try to save and complete insolvent developments, for the benefit of local people.

Committee Matters
The Chairman’s only announcement being that he had nothing to announce, we lingered but briefly on this item and proceeded to the reports of the various committees.  The first of these was Highways, Transport & Lighting, whose chairman had already commented on the Station Hill work; nevertheless, she felt bound to comment again that the high specification had meant the new surface was very expensive but should last for many, many years.  After this highlight, we slowly sank to the level of considering ownership of buckled manhole covers in the Lower High Street, via our new friend the Fire Station car park, for which it appeared that planning permission, if needed, had not been applied for.  Planning matters, so often an excuse for wailing and sighs, produced the happy news that the forthcoming winter’s Lapland at Bewl would be in the car park and would therefore be removed promptly afterwards – eliciting the wry comment that so long as it did not snow (the cause of its financial failure this year), it should be a great success.  The Recreation Ground Management Committee had again not met, which in no way inhibited its chairman from reporting: the kicking wall had now been moved and was being enjoyed at that very moment by a couple of youths making the most of the balmy evening, and the allotment holders were apparently grateful for its change of position.  Finally, the Environment Committee, proud of the fact that it had met, reported on a number of matters, including a proposal that WDC should install its own eighteenth century style litter bins in the High Street, of which further details were awaited.

Finance and Community Engagement
Finance is in our conclave no more likely to produce belly-laughs than it does in the wider community, and this was true yet again as we turned our combined intellect to the income and expenditure for the first three months of the financial year (too early to be significant), our Financial Regulations (not bust, so don’t mend), and accounts payable (inevitable), so we moved on to the Community Engagement Strategy.  This sounds suspiciously like a last-government buzz phrase, which of course it is; it is also however a necessary part of maintaining our Quality Council status (which has a similar ring but has not yet been subjected to the coalition axe).  Fortunately, as a body whose meetings are, as required by law, open to the public (when members of the public, unlike councillors, can raise non-agenda items even when they have – and usually because they have – a prejudicial interest which would bar one of us from participating), community engagement is not a problem.  Unsatisfied members of the public have also learnt that they can lie in wait to lobby us, or bury hatchets, in the pub afterwards.  Nevertheless, one of our number raised the frequently debated question of whether, if users are represented (in a non-voting capacity) on the Recreation Ground Management Committee, local residents should not have similar representation.  It is all a question of how best to try to look after the interests of parishioners as a whole, rather than those of any particular section of them.  After a stimulating rehearsal of all the arguments, we decided to maintain the status quo. 

A couple more boring items of business despatched, we were permitted to repair elsewhere to celebrate our forthcoming August break, when the interests of parishioners continue to be in the forefront of our minds, rather than actually debated.  So it was cheering to reach the usual canine retreat and find already gathered there various locals who had also devoted a large part of their evenings to considering the interests of our parishioners, or at least some of them.

Next Meeting
The Council does not meet in August so our next meeting will be on Thursday, 9th September, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual.  Do come.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 10th June, 2010

Prelude
Nothing seems to stand still in Wadhurst, except the traffic in the High Street.  So it was that we were invited to gather half an hour early in our council chamber at the Pavilion to enjoy a display by the Bocking Collection trustees of some of the collection – and very interesting it was too.  The catalyst for this was that the collection has been found a new home in our lovely dry pavilion instead of its previous incarceration in a damp dungeon at the Commemoration Hall.  This was the trustees’ way of thanking the Parish Council for the new accommodation.  Our meeting then started with a brief reminder of who Charles Bocking was, how he came to assemble the collection, why he passed it to the Parish Council for safekeeping, and our duty in that regard to future generations.

Start
In spite of this well-spent prelude, our meeting proper started only five minutes late, when our chairman called us to order with his customary mild firmness.  The public gallery was scarcely overflowing, as it has been for other recent meetings, with but one member of the public present and no axe-grinders in sight.  We accepted the apology of our absent member, welcomed Bob Tidy back after his illness, and proceeded to consider the written report of our PCSO.  This consisted mainly of a statement of the policing priorities agreed by the Neighbourhood Panel at its recent meeting and a brief summary of the few local crimes; this included two shop thefts a couple of days earlier, for which arrests had been made.

News from On High
The Public Forum having produced only helpful information from our visitor, we approved our previous minutes without comment, as usual, and called upon Bob Tidy to say his bit.  This started on an upbeat note with the news that the new Library at the Commemoration Hall would open on Saturday 17th July and everyone is encouraged to go and admire it; as this also happens to be the Scarecrows weekend, the new facility can expect quite a mass visitation.  Unfortunately, after mentioning conservation of wild flowers on our verges, he descended into doom and gloom; the new government had instructed ESCC to cut £8million of budgeted expenditure in the current year (of which but nine months remain) and, as an encouragement, would reduce the central government grant by the same amount: Adult Care and Transport & Environment would be the chief sufferers.  Against this, some central controls and quangos were being abolished, meaning that the 200-300 additional staff taken on in each of the last few years to cope with their demands would no longer be needed.  In spite of having to cut back on virtually everything, they must maintain front line services.

Less High
Next, it was Bob Standley’s turn to report on Wealden matters; wilting violet that he is, he failed to report that he had been elected Leader of the council, and reported only on its administrative matters.  Like the County, our District Council had been instructed to make a ten per cent cut in costs, but as they had budgeted for cuts whatever government might emerge, this was less dire than it appeared; furthermore the cuts were small because they were simply a proportion of the mean and meagre grants Wealden had received under the previous administration.  To ensure that the reduction in central government direction would not be enjoyed to the full, the government were now demanding that any item of expenditure over £500 must be disclosed; the supply and publication of such information has a cost attached.

Chairman’s Announcements
So we moved on to the cabaret section of our agenda – except that on this occasion our chairman took us seriously through the draft annual report we have to make to our beloved parishioners, and then to the maintenance of the churchyard towards which we make a contribution.

Highways, Transport & Lighting Matters
The cabaret actually materialised in the report of this committee, when we had to agree to ask Wealden District Council to engage in the due process of consulting us about the time restrictions we wish to impose in the Washwell Lane car park and thirty of the spaces in the main car park; eventually we established that the consultation might extend to other “stakeholders” such as the Business Association and even the public.  This is of course part of the overall scheme of obtaining additional parking spaces at the fire station and encouraging long-term parkers to use them.  Before getting to this bundle of fun, we had had to sit through a report that the zebra crossing was not dead but might move further down the High Street after all, and the news that the Station Hill resurfacing in the first full week of July might be achieved in four days of road closure but that access to the station would be maintained somehow or other.  As with all good cabarets, there was widespread audience participation on many of the topics raised, including whether damage to fingerposts resulted from human or vehicular misconduct, and the past refusal of the railway authorities to fix an additional lamp onto their existing standard so as to shine onto the road at the station entrance to make it safer for pedestrians crossing at that point.

Other Committees
The Planning Committee report was unexceptional, but coloured by the knowledge that one local resident appeared to be seeking a phsycho-analysis of its workings to explain perceived inconsistencies in the comments it had passed as a consultee to Wealden District Council, in particular on floodlighting matters.  Next came the Recreation Ground Management Committee with three requests, all of which were graciously and rapidly approved: to move the new kicking wall to a position where it would not endanger allotment holders, to install a basket ball hoop out of the grant earned for being a Quality Council, and to permit the planting of further screening vegetation if required as a condition of any planning permission for tennis court floodlights.  Under Finance, our Clerk was congratulated on the complimentary report from the Internal Auditor, and thus ended the published agenda.  The only remaining item being Urgent Issues at the discretion of the Chairman, we were surprised but delighted when he felt this an appropriate heading under which to congratulate Councillor Gadd on her marriage the previous weekend, as do we.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 8th July, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual. 

.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 13 May, 2010

Start
As you, Gentle Reader, well know, your Parish Council has no politics other than the common desire to do what is best for our parishioners, so our debates are not coloured by whatever happens to be the prevailing hue, or lack of it, in Westminster.  It remains to be seen whether the mooted relaxation in the disclosure regime for local councillors and other measures promised to ease our plight will actually materialise; cynicism can be a great comfort at times like these.  Our deliberations at this, our first meeting since the general election, were unaffected by the change of government, apart from the occasional predictable reference to coalition.  Indeed, so relaxed was the atmosphere as we gathered that your scribe wondered whether our chairman designate (up for re-appointment) was ever going to stop dictating instructions (or so it seemed) to the reporter from the Courier and call us to order.  Silly scribe!  It was the chairman of yesteryear who eventually came to life a full five minutes late, seized the chair and asked for nominations for election to our highest office.  Tom Doyle, the only candidate, was duly and unanimously re-elected and the meeting carried on under his benign rule.

Jobs
This being our Annual Meeting, jobs had to be allocated and committee appointments made.  They were, virtually unchanged from last year.  Jan Pearman was duly reappointed Vice-Chairman.  The committees, in case they are of interest, are now composed as follows, the first-named in each case being chairman, and omitting for the sake of brevity Christian names and indications of sex.  Environment:  Whatmore, Gadd, Gates, Kent, Mamlok, Wheeler; Finance: Doyle, Monaghan, Phipson, Price, Standley, Whatmore; Highways, Transport & Lighting: Monaghan, Berger, Colvin, Gadd, Phipson, Whatmore, Wheeler; Planning: Berger, Bell, Kent, Mamlok, Monaghan, Standley, Whatmore; Recreation Ground Management: Phipson, Pearman, Standley, Whatmore (and representatives from the Junior Football Club and the Tennis Club); Personnel: Price, Bell, Kent, Monaghan, Wheeler.

Police and Public
Having accomplished our annual duties, we resumed the normal agenda of a parish council meeting and noted the three apologies for absence and the lack of any interests to declare.  Our PCSO having business elsewhere, she had submitted a written report which included the sad break-in and theft from Costcutters and four other incidents.  Then it was time for the Public Forum, when the only stranger present expressed strong support on behalf of the Business Association for the car parking proposals but urged caution in introducing them, being fully aware of the law of unintended consequences.  The minutes of our previous meeting attracting as usual no comment, we leapt into unexplored territory.

News from On High
Bob Tidy being still ill, the floor was clear for Graham Wells, whose turn it was to report on District Council matters.  This being the only possible opportunity for a political diatribe, he announced that he would talk rubbish, and proceeded to do so:  641 households in Wealden District have joined their more advanced brethren and are now composting their household waste, and the recycling scheme has been embraced with gusto by most local inhabitants.  He told us also of the possibility that the housing allocation might be reviewed by the new government, that WDC had opted to continue with a leader and cabinet rather than a directly elected mayor, and of the steps being taken to work closely with town and parish councils to achieve a greener Wealden.

Chairman’s Announcements
The Chairman reported on the visit to Aubers to mark the tenth anniversary of twinning, and the several very moving events and visits in which he had joined.  The Aubersois were already planning for the centenary of the Battle in 2015 and we should be doing likewise; it is easy for us to forget the traumas they suffered in both World Wars.  As a Quality Council, we had received a grant of £766 from the Sussex Associations of Local Councils, and we must find a good community project to which to put it.  The Chairman instructed us all to think – a novel concept in some chambers, but not in ours.

Highways, Transport & Lighting Matters
These provided two opportunities for us to engage in our favourite activity of talking at once about mostly irrelevant matters.  The first was the allegation that eight tons of material had already been used by ESCC to patch up the potholes on Station Hill; it was agreed that this must be nonsense but it did elicit the information that only a hole exceeding 4cm (just over 1½ inches to those who were educated in pre-metric times) in depth qualifies for emergency repair.  Like bad dentistry, the temporary stoppings seemed to get dislodged within hours and were therefore a fearful waste of money and effort, particularly as ESCC said it would take only four days to resurface the road completely.  Scarcely had we agreed to ask the County Council to expedite this exercise, now due in early July, before we sauntered with our eyes wide open into car parking.  The recent survey had not of course produced definitive information, and each of us of course knew in what respect it was misleading and why, but it had indicated that virtually all the Washwell Lane bays and half those at the Greyhound were occupied by all-day parkers; other users parked for a short time only – about 25 minutes in most cases.  If all-day parkers could be diverted elsewhere, the parking problem would be solved at a stroke, perhaps.  The proposal, supported by the fire authorities but not by our local firemen, to create long-term spaces at the Fire Station should be pursued.  We had approved it in principle but still awaited the detail.

Other Committees
Planning matters were approved without debate, so we heard from the chairman of the Recreation Ground Management committee of the popularity of the new play equipment – too popular in the case of the kicking wall where balls and linguistic excesses were causing a problem in the neighbouring allotments.  The committee would meet to consider the problem.  There would be a formal opening ceremony later in the month in which the Primary School would play the major part.  Environmental and Finance matters proving unusually unexciting, the meeting ended shortly before nine o’clock, when no-one seemed in a hurry to leave and only three grumpy old men seemed to need to slake their thirsts.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 10th June, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground, as usual. 

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 8th April, 2010

Police and Public
Such is the enthusiasm of our noble councillors that most of us were in our places and raring to go a good ten minutes before the appointed hour; even the apparent latecomers arrived with time to spare.  We received and accepted apologies from two of our number and from our County Councillor, Bob Tidy, who, we were concerned to hear, had been admitted to hospital.  The Police report, again being in writing and circulated before the meeting, took no time, as did the lack of interests to declare.  Public Forum elicited just one question, an enquiry as to the status of the zebra crossing proposals, on which there seemed to be no change.  So we raced on headlong and approved the minutes of our previous meeting without comment or any matters arising therefrom.

News from On High
Bob Standley reported on District Council matters, which turned out to be mostly rubbish: the introduction of recycling appeared to have gone smoothly.  Not to be cowed, a number of our members reported on little local difficulties, such as being omitted because the lorry found access difficult, and lack of space for wheeliebins.  For no apparent reason, the debate suddenly developed into a discussion on their uses, which led one of our number to divulge that she used hers to look for men.  The hilarity caused by this confession (and confusion, as it was not clear whether she hoped to find them concealed there, or by herself climbing in to peep out) and the resultant imaginings meant that the Chairman was not the only one to lose control – but eventually order was restored and business was resumed.

Chairman’s Announcements
We were to be invited to meet sixth-formers from Uplands Community College to explore matters of mutual interest, and the Chairman sought suggestions.  Litter and car parking immediately sprang to mind at our end, and particularly whether they would be happy to park at the Fire Station if that proposal proceeds; from their side of course there may be more intellectual ideas, such as the organisation of local government, or even global population growth.  We shall see.  Next our gallant chairman invited comments on the parish council website; from the responses it was evident that those of us who ever visit it do not want this fact to be known, but that it does receive a good many “hits” and seems to be user-friendly.  Apparently, many parishioners log on to read our minutes each month; what a waste of energy, when they could subscribe to this august publication and read the inside story!  He then drew attention to the certificate, granted to one of us in recognition of her litter-picking efforts, which has since been posted in the High Street noticeboard.  Finally, he brandished a communication from Network Rail intimating their intention to erect, without the need for planning permission, a sixty foot high mast at Scrag Oak intended to enable signalmen to communicate with each other and the train drivers; this caused another outburst of uproar – partly because some of our number appear to need tuition in map-reading, partly because others wished to express their incredulity, and partly because the rest did not wish to be left out.  For a brief period a good time was had by all, even if it led to no discernible outcome. 

Annual Parish Meeting
Determined to drive us on however, the Chairman cracked his whip and we looked at items raised at the Annual Parish meeting, which of course brings us back to global population growth – as irrelevant there as at our meeting with Uplands – and on to potholes, soon to feature again in our debate, and the zebra crossing.  It had been apparent at the meeting that a majority of those present were against the, and quite possibly any, zebra crossing.  There ensued a further debate on how to find out what parishioners, and in particular the intended users, really thought about it.  The 92-signature petition to which the County Council appeared to attach significant weight was not within the rules of the consultation process and contained signatures from many who had already commented.  A petition appeared to your unbiased councillors to be a form of polite mob rule: no-one dares decline to sign.  Few of those questioned in the High Street seemed to be in favour; the only way to find out what the residents of Crittles and Fazan Courts (for instance) really thought would be to ask them individually, and this we mean to try to do.  It would be wrong to permit a crossing to be imposed upon an unwilling population, but if there is a desire for one we must help find a suitable position for it.  This then became the third occasion when we all felt able to make exceptionally well informed and simultaneous contributions to the debate.  For a third time, teacher called his class to order.

Committee Matters
Highways, Transport & Lighting matters consisted of the usual report of streetlamps needing to be re-headed when we thought all that was wanted was a new bulb – and of course a brief discussion of potholes and lack of attention to them.  The report of the Planning Committee caused little excitement even though its chairman attempted to get approval of the minutes of its last meeting without circulating them first.  Thus was the way paved for the Recreation Ground Management Committee, which had circulated in advance the document to which it sought approval; this was intended to enable the Junior Football Club to seek grant aid for improving the Voelcker Field to help it maintain its programme of giving training and match experience to its registered players, currently numbering 172, between the ages of five and fourteen.  After a brief debate to ensure that the Council was not giving away anything it might later regret, the proposal was approved.  Ever open-minded, your councillors are not averse to permitting others to spend potentially substantial sums on improving the Council’s facilities.  The new play equipment had passed its safety test with flying colours and was being busily used and enjoyed.  Finally, the Environment Committee provided little stimulation, save that they hoped to plant additional spring flowers, so we moved on to Finance and approved a change in our policy for awarding grant aid; applications will now be considered twice a year instead of once only.  Our duty done in little over an hour, we went our separate, or not so separate, ways.

Next Meeting  The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 13th May, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground.  This will be our Annual Meeting when we do Very Important Things like re-(we hope)electing our chairman, appointing committee members and chairmen and selecting those to represent us on other local bodies.  All our meetings are public; do come.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 11th March, 2010

Police and Public
All bar two (both apologising, one for lateness and one for absence) of us being in our places at the appointed hour, we started by considering the Police report from our PCSO, which on this occasion was delivered on paper rather than in person.  It set out the priorities for Wadhurst: Anti-social Driving, Parking and Behaviour in that order, although enthusiasm for the last had been somewhat dampened by the recent chilly weather.  Next, the only member of the public present was invited to say his bit, which received a sympathetic hearing.  He said that the War Memorial and its environs had been maintained in the past by the Royal British Legion but that this was no longer possible with the passing years of those involved; some immediate repairs were needed, plus ongoing maintenance.  Our gallant Environment Committee were invited to take this under their wing.  This being the shortest Public Forum for some time, we launched into the meeting proper and approved the minutes of our last meeting without question and without any matter arising.

News from On High
It was therefore County Councillor Bob Tidy’s moment of glory, but rather a brief one; he said he had nothing to say other than to report the appointment of a popular new Chief Executive, and sat down.  District Councillor Graham Wells then sprang to his feet to make up for Bob’s brevity.  He started by telling us of the excellent reception the Road Safety working party’s report had received from both public and media.  The main problem was that young drivers (up to the statistical age of 24) get little practice on rural roads and easily lose control of their vehicles.  Traffic had increased 37% in the last twenty years and our road system had been developed long before that.   He drew attention to the grants available for community transport schemes, to the fitness training for those past their first flush of youth, to the 600 additional people helped by the CAB as a result of additional funding from WDC, and to the introduction of recycling collections.  Expecting a battering about the last of these, he was pleased to find that we thought it was going rather well.

Chairman and Committees
This is the point where the Chairman enjoys his moment of power, and tells us about all the things he has so far hidden from us – except that in the case of this and past chairmen there is nothing concealed to reveal.  So imagine our surprise when he told us that in encouraging attendance at the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting we should stress the serious, inquisitorial nature of the event and not simply plug the free booze.  That sorted, we turned to Highways, Transport and Lighting matters and listened in rapt attention to the committee chairman’s report on a recent ESCC Winter Maintenance conference; she had learnt that East Sussex had gritted a higher percentage of roads than any other county, fully half of the 2,000 miles in the county.  Unfortunately, the fifteen gritting vehicles have to lie idle the rest of the year but had worked flat out this winter.  The conference had confirmed that it was difficult to sue people and anyone clearing snow in a responsible manner should be applauded and free from liability.  You, Gentle Reader, will not of course be surprised by this, having read it already in the February edition of this august publication.

Tradition
It is a tradition of Wadhurst Parish Council that at some stage the Chairman loses control while members all contribute simultaneous but conflicting views on matters about which each is a self-appointed expert.  No sooner had such a debate on the evils of ice and snow and their effect on road conditions run out of puff than we started again.  This time it was the proposed extension of the existing 40 mph limit from Faircrouch Lane to Partridges Lane; the one thing upon which were all however agreed was that it was silly and the experts who had proposed it should be told so; this was the only bit of the Frant road which was safe and all the crashes take place on the hill beyond the proposed limit.  So satisfied were we with this that we forgot to question the reports of the Planning Committee and found ourselves in the mire of our old friend the Recreation Ground.

Pride and Joy
The new play equipment at Sparrows Green had now all been installed and had just passed its RoSPA inspection with flying colours.  There were sparkling new things for all ages, including slides, swings, climbing wall, logs, a cycle track, hopscotch, snakes and ladders, car tyres, monkey bars, and a practice goalmouth with basketball hoop above, all of which had been well used in their first 24 hours judging from the fresh mud upon them.  We could be proud of our play facilities.  The only snag was that they had run over budget because of the unexpected amount of additional ground works, and then safety wood chippings, required.  The committee chairman got an unexpectedly easy passage for his request that the additional funding be approved – but there was really little choice as the work had been done, and, under the terms of the grant funding, had had to be completed by 31st March.  Agreeing the new mowing contractor for the pitches was then a rather unexciting item.

Environment and Finance
Excitement can break out on the oddest of pretexts.  In this case it was the proposal of the Environment Committee that the K6 telephone kiosk outside the old telephone exchange at Durgates should be disconnected from its electricity supply.  Avid, but of course still gentle, readers will recall that we bought it for £1 when we accepted BT’s offer that it should be adopted by us rather than removed; so we took over responsibility for lighting the bulb within it.  EDF now wish to charge over £20 per month for the illumination, or £386 for cutting off the power.  Ordinary mortals would of course default on their payments until the utility executed the ultimate sanction of casting them into outer darkness, but we are neither ordinary nor mortal.  The combined intelligence of fourteen parish councillors was then directed at how to achieve the aim without the penalty; suggestions ranged from removing the kiosk, still attached, through chopping the wire, to short-circuiting it.   The committee chairman was directed to enter into gentlewomanly negotiations and report back.  After all that, the reappointment of our Internal Auditor had all the fizz of a damp squib.  Finally, we had to appoint two representatives to the new management committee for Wadhurst Institute Hall and Field, which had been set up to keep an eye on financial planning following our agreement to make a grant towards the cost of converting the back of the Commemoration Hall for occupation by the County Library.  There being a field of three candidates duly proposed and seconded, we took a signed ballot and elected two: Councillors Kent and Standley.  Just before nine o’clock, our duty done, we were allowed home, or elsewhere.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, ,8th April, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground.

Notes on the meeting held on Thursday, 11th February, 2010

Mob and Police
With the possible floodlighting of the tennis courts on the agenda, we expected a large and partisan congregation in the public gallery, so it was with wry humour that we welcomed our PCSO who arrived in good time to make her report.  She told us of the Speedwatch and Anti-social Driving enforcement measures, and the recruitment of some younger members to the Neighbourhood Panel to make it fully representative of all ages of parishioner.  In fact, although there were some fifty members of the public present, they are all to be congratulated on their good humour and courtesy; no crowd control was in any way needed.

Public Forum
Knowing that most of those present were particularly interested in the floodlighting issue, our gallant Chairman decided to invite anyone else to address us first.  The first of these told us that local traders supported the idea of long-term car parking at the Fire Station, provided that it was backed up with a two-hour limit elsewhere and some element of enforcement.  After a brief question about the current unofficial disabled parking bay, those against and in favour of floodlighting were given ten minutes each, having previously tossed a coin to decide that they should speak in that order.  The opponents reminded us of the effect of the expected light and noise on the neighbourhood and the one hundred and forty-five households which had signed their petition, the nocturnal habits of bats and other species even in winter, and the threat of planning conditions binding on the Parish Council as landlord.  The Tennis Club then called upon a youngster and an octogenarian to address us on the problem of being unable to play tennis in winter, except by transferring to clubs elsewhere, followed by a reminder of the benefits to the wider community which winter evening tennis would bring, and the technological improvements which would limit light spill and pollution.  The semi-century of eager parishioners then had to wait in silence while we tackled our agenda items in strict order.

Serious Stuff
After approving our previous minutes Bob Tidy was invited to tell us about County Council matters.  The increase in Council Tax had been cut to 2.7 per cent, in spite of the need to spend a million pounds on treating potholes and three million on free care for the elderly; we were now reaping the rewards of past financial prudence.  Bob Standley reminded us that Wealden District Council was at last to move to a single site in Hailsham and must make other savings to balance its budget; it was also particularly concerned with the poor road safety record in the District.  The Chairman then announced with great dignity that he had nothing to announce about the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting on 24th March.

Zebra, and Parking
So we moved to Highways, Transport & Lighting matters, including the outcome of the consultation on the proposed Zebra crossing.  Questionnaire responses showed that 60.7% of respondents were opposed or strongly opposed to it and only 37% supported or strongly supported it; furthermore, 50.3% thought there was no need for any pedestrian crossing in the High Street compared with 45.1% who thought there was.  There had also been a petition with 92 names on it in support but we felt disinclined to give it much credence as no investigation had been made as to the validity of the signatures nor the extent of double-counting, and if petitions had been invited as part of the consultation the opponents could also have had a whip-round.  We were therefore stunned to find that ESCC proposed to install the crossing.  They had originally said that if WPC supported it, they would go to public consultation; we did not, but they did.  The consultation having shown a considerable majority against, they proposed to ignore it: why consult?  Even our much-loved Bob Tidy said that he was determined to install a crossing somewhere but would seek a more suitable position.  After this, it was light relief to debate the proposal that we should support in principle the plan that if some thirty parking spaces were created at the Fire Station, we would share the cost; the fire authorities are keen on the idea and have promised us that our retained firemen are now happy with it.

Recreation and Floodlights
On such an evening, planning matters attracted little interest so we pressed ahead and were told that work had started on the improvements to the children’s play equipment at Sparrows Green, and that the formerly controversial kicking wall would be sited near the tractor shed.  Thus we touched upon the highlight of the evening, the appeal from the Tennis Club that we support their revised proposals for floodlighting two tennis courts, without which they would not commit the time and expense required to revive and pursue their application for planning permission.  As every reader will readily recall, two years ago WPC opposed permission which was nonetheless granted but negated when WPC refused (as landlord of the Recreation Ground) to allow it to be implemented; it was then set aside by the High Court on the application of local residents.  Clearly a matter giving rise to strong feelings!  Having debated the issue before and been addressed by both sides, we were all well aware of the arguments for and against; nevertheless, a few members felt they should let their feelings be known before a vote was taken; meanwhile those in the public gallery had to bite their tongues, as they are permitted to speak only during the Public Forum.  On the application of two members, a secret ballot was taken on the proposal that floodlighting be supported, limited to nine o’clock most evenings but six on Sunday; the proposal was approved by a majority of two votes.  Disappointed or exuberant, depending on their views, most of the public trooped out into the night.  One of our number, who had considered herself barred from participating because of an offspring living nearby and had withdrawn accordingly, trooped back in.

Environment and Finance
Suddenly almost unaccompanied, we resumed our business and discussed such mundane matters as the enhancement of the village by the planting of trees and flowers and the removal of chewing gum from the pavements.  Then the grant towards the preparation of the Commemoration Hall for the arrival of the County Library was raised again.  One of the terms upon which we had made our second payment conditional had proved inadvisable and the requisite number of councillors supported its reconsideration; so we reconsidered it and agreed a revised proposal.  By now lightheaded and thirsty, we approved without debate the accounts payable and looked to the Chairman for a lead.  With relief, he finally called order and dismissed us into the arctic conditions outside, it being fully ten o’clock.  Even then, some of us appeared less keen than others to leave but eventually the chamber emptied and a few engaged in extended debate elsewhere.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council will be on Thursday, 11th March, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground.

Notes in the absence of a meeting in January, 2010

Sniff out the Glad Tidings
After some of the frustrations we have had to endure during the past twelve months, such as wholehearted support for the improvements to the play facilities at Sparrows Green so long as the plans are changed, it is good to be able to report that work is in full swing on the new Library.  A survey (among a random cross-section of one reader) has shown that those who read this august publication also borrow books from the village Library; you will therefore be aware, Gentle Reader, that the room at the Institute is unable to house everything which the County Library Service is keen to lavish upon us.  East Sussex County Council has therefore agreed to take a lease of the former Social Club premises at the back of the Commemoration Hall provided the structure is brought up to an acceptable standard and, as was reported last month, your Parish Council agreed to chip in.  The County Council is now installing all the facilities which a good library should have.  And what is sniffy about all that, you may well ask.  The sad answer is that in future books from Wadhurst Library will no longer enjoy the musty aroma which generations have learnt to recognise and love, imparted to each volume by the climate controlled jungle-like atmosphere in the Institute; in other words, it appeared to be a fraction damp.

Risk Aversion
The Armed Forces Minister recently said that as a nation we are becoming too risk-averse.  But what about as individuals?  Why not clear the snow to help others?  Should conker trees be felled?  Should children not climb trees?  What about Health and Safety?  The law is not really as mad as people’s perception of it.

Who makes the Law anyway?
That is a question which has been debated n the parlours and public bars of England since time immemorial.  The common law of England was to a large extent made and kept up-to-date by the judges who struggled to do what was right while following the precedent of what previous judges had decided; if they wished to buck the trend, they “distinguished” their current case from its predecessor, or to put it another way they included in their judgment a statement as to why it was necessary and proper to come to a different conclusion from their learned predecessors.  The Monarch, if moved to action on a particular topic, occasionally issued a decree.  Then came Parliament, whose members decided that they had been elected or appointed for the purpose of keeping their fellow citizens under control (unlike, of course, a parish council) and statute law was invented.  This had and still has the disadvantage that judges have to follow it as written, so if it becomes out of date or proves to be unfit for its purpose a new statute needs to be enacted to amend or supersede it.  Because this became necessary with increasing frequency, and interfered with the process of dreaming up really new laws, someone hit upon the idea that it was not necessary for Parliament to debate every new law in detail – it would thenceforth be sufficient if new laws within certain parameters were laid on the floor of the House for a limited period, whereafter they would come into force if no-one had objected quickly and forcibly enough.  MPs were discouraged from taking an interest in new legislation, although they were encouraged to behave like hyenas at the zoo when budgetary matters which they did not understand were debated. 

What next?
Then we joined the European Union, where much law is not proposed or debated in parliament; the very laudable objective of trying to stop individual countries going on frolics of their own where a uniform approach would be helpful is largely left to the Commissioners.  Edicts from Brussels take two forms: Regulations, which are laws binding on EU governments which get fined if they break them, and Directives, which as the name suggests are instructions to all EU governments that they must enact local laws to the effect of the things set out in the Directive, and in doing so may include the things specified as being optional.  These local laws are to be introduced in the manner normally used in the relevant country, which means that in some countries only the compulsory things are enacted, and in a vague manner which leaves it up to the judges to interpret them in a sensible manner.  The UK however adopts the exactly opposite approach; we enact not only the compulsory bits but all the optional ones too, and in such detail that there is no room for common sense in its interpretation; to divert the resultant slings and arrows, we are then encouraged to describe it as European Legislation and blame it all on Brussels  when in fact the blame lies at the feet of our elected MPs who should keep an eye on the ball.  For a simple example, consider the “Working Height Regulations, imposed on us by the EU”; that is not even their correct name, they are the product of our civil service and legislature, and they do not contain most of what is alleged, for instance use of a tall ladder is actually not banned.

So who does?
Well, probably the insurance companies.  Margaret Thatcher’s government took the enlightened decision that access to legal redress would be much easier and more universal if, instead of relying on legal aid provided by the State, people wishing to resort to litigation could do so by sharing the proceeds with their lawyers: “no win, no fee” was invented.  To achieve this, her government effectively abolished the mediaeval laws against maintenance and champerty (aiding and abetting litigation, and sharing the proceeds of litigation respectively – or, in brief, persuading a litigant to institute a suit and then sharing the proceeds, as is now widely advertised on the Underground and commercial radio), apparently believing that because they had been in force for hundreds of years they were irrelevant und unnecessary.  The consequence of all this was that certain lawyers and special claims companies now encourage people to make spurious claims which will cost the client nothing if they fail but will enrich the client and the lawyer or organisation if the claim is successful.  The fact that the claim has no merit is irrelevant because it will be carefully pitched at a level at which it is cheaper for the insurer to negotiate a settlement than to fight it.  The payment to the spurious claimant does not mean that the claim was justified or ever came to court, just that the insurer settled for a quiet life.

So what?
So do not assume that you can be sued as easily as you think!  We all know of cases where someone got compensation, but do we know anyone who has paid compensation?  If you clear the footpath in front of your premises, this does not make you liable if someone carelessly falls on it.  They have to show that it was your fault; it might be if you used hot water which turned to ice, but it would be difficult if you acted responsibly and public-spiritedly; we encourage such initiative.  We hope the snow has melted by the time this appears in print: Happy 2010 to all our readers!

Next Meeting
Our next full meeting will be on Thursday, 11th February, 2010, at 7.30 pm at the Pavilion, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground