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Chairman's Newsletter - Spring 2004
Chairman: Cllr Tom Gibbs.
There have been many changes affecting the parish since I wrote this time last year but, firstly, may I remind you that the Parish Council comprises nine members all of whom came into office at the elections in May 2003. Candidates equalled the number of places, so there was no contest. Sid Head stood down in May and Don Gordon and Barry Macrae effectively replaced him and Tony Graham who had left the council earlier in the year.
Shepway District Council elections were held at the same time based on the new combined Ward of Dymchurch, Burmarsh and St Mary?s Bay. All three District Councillors - Shirley Maile and Terry Preston from Dymchurch and Julie White from St Mary?s Bay ? are Liberal Democrats.
You may have heard that a new Town Council is to be created for Folkestone, which will fill the gap in local council coverage for Shepway. The costs of running the new Town Council will be considerable and in consequence the District Council has found it necessary to make economies in its budget for 2004/05. In particular, the Concurrent Services Grant scheme which has been in place since 1974 is to be discontinued after this year. This scheme has provided for Parish and Town Council?s, including Dymchurch, to be reimbursed some 50% of their net expenditure but with the additional demands of the new Folkestone Town Council, Shepway has chosen to scrap the scheme. For this year, the last year of the scheme, grant will be at a rate of 20% only.
Without this important source of income, Town and Parish Councils have been obliged to either cut services or look for other ways of replacing the lost income. However I am pleased to say that the Parish Council has managed to contain its spending in 2004/05 so that it has only been necessary to increase the Parish Council precept by some ?4,000 which is probably little more than ?1 per household.
Unlike other local councils the Parish Council is fortunate to own a public car park, which generates a lot of income during the summer season. Last year, because of the weather but not forgetting the dedication of the car park attendants, income increased from this source by nearly ?5,000.
You will know from the press that Shepway?s finances are generally in a parlous state and despite having the highest Council Tax increase in the country this year, they have had to cut essential services in order to contain their expenditure.
Public conveniences are to be closed throughout the district although, following protests by the Parish Council and others, certain selected ones are to remain open for the summer season, including that in the centre of Dymchurch. Beyond the end of September, their future is uncertain. How Dymchurch would continue as an important tourist resort without public conveniences is unimaginable.
The Parish Council will not rest until it has secured their continued opening and it is in touch with Government Ministers on the matter. It is also working with other local councils to put pressure on Shepway. The Parish Council feels that residents of Dymchurch would not want it to take-over the running of the toilets, as has been offered, as the costs would have to be added to your council tax bill.
There are other serious cuts in services including the cutting of highway verges being reduced to twice/year.
The Government has recently introduced a scheme whereby parish councils can apply for Quality Parish Status which, apart from the kudos this would confer, would enable the Parish Council to claim, as of right, the devolution of certain services from the District Council, such as street lighting and grass cutting. There are various tests to be made of a council?s competence to qualify and, if granted, QPS would need to be re-applied for after four years.
A few councils are understood to have applied right-away whereas your Parish Council thinks it prudent to find out exactly what the consequences would be before considering making an application. For example, the Council?s costs could increase substantially with the additional staff and accommodation required to provide these services apart from paying the contractors. Also, would you, the Council Tax payers, necessarily get a better deal and be able to offer the same if not improvements to the economies available to Shepway who arrange these services over the larger area of the district as a whole?
If Shepway were to transfer these responsibilities they would need to put the finance in place to meet the Parish Council?s additional costs but in view of their financial problems, this is not an option at the present time.
Another initiative of Government through its Countryside Agency is to encourage Parish Councils to undertake Parish Plans, not directly themselves but through the formation of a Steering Committee of residents on which the Council is represented. Such plans will be of undoubted status and influence, committing the principal councils and the public bodies to play an active part in their implementation. They will become all-important as the mechanism for greater public investment in local communities and your Parish Council has taken steps to form a Steering Committee. The Committee has started its work, supported by working groups, and all residents should be contacted by them in due course.
Turning now to day-to-day issues, the A259 remains a matter of concern. It is no longer a trunk road and responsibility for it now falls to the local Highway Authority. This means that the need to give priority to through traffic has gone and traffic management measures may be introduced in the interests of communities along its route. The dangers from traffic remain and last year the Council started its Speedwatch Scheme in conjunction with the Police. This involves a group of volunteers checking traffic speed with a hand held ?gun?. Offenders are at risk of being contacted by the Police.
With a grant, the Council has now bought two such guns to replace the one loaned by the Police so with the better weather the volunteers will be out again.
The Speed Indicator Detector near Tudor Bends was put in place last April. Requests for a Speed Camera have been resisted by KCC in view of the costs and priorities elsewhere and we shall try to get another Speed Indicator when funding is available.
Shepway District Council continues with its environmental improvements to the A259. After the planting of the Neptune and the New Beach frontages, the Willop Basin frontage has been planted. This is not readily apparent as the tree species represented (hawthorn, blackthorn and elder) are purposely small ?whips? which are more able to grow better and stronger in this exposed location.
The next stage is imminent and involves placing various structures on the seawall of artistic interest. This will be followed hopefully by improvements to the area between the High Street garage and the junction of Seawall Road with High Street. This project may seem inappropriate in view of the wider spending cuts by Shepway but I understand that it is financed by European funding that is not otherwise available.
The beach was enormously attractive to visitors in 2003. The parish Council?s two Beach Managers, Pat Iles and Terry Robinson were there from Easter to the end of September but mainly during the school holidays. The Clean Beach Award has been renewed for 2004 but there must be some doubts concerning the expected Blue flag Award this year with the restricted availability of public conveniences. If it does go ahead, it will put the beach in the same league as some of the best beaches in Europe guaranteeing quality bathing water and off-beach facilities.
The Parish Council looks closely at all planning applications, which it is consulted upon as a matter of course. It regrets that too often permission is given at odds with the Parish Council?s views. A mobile telephone mast now in place to the rear of Messrs Young?s premises in the Hythe Road is a case in point while the Council has expressed concern at developments at Young?s which have caused nuisance to local residents especially from workshop noise. Most residents will have given a sigh of relief that the application to Shepway for a Sex Shop license for the former baby clothes shop in the High Street has been withdrawn. This raised a lot of opposition including from the Parish Council.
In order to contain costs the Council had only a very small budget for new works in 2003/04 which were restricted to tree planting in and around Orgarswick Avenue and the two car parks at either side. A couple of trees have been planted in Marine Gardens. There is a general feeling that tree-planting in the many estates would do much to improve their appearance and it is hoped that the programme will continue in future years.
The Recreation Ground still has no football clubs playing there and, as I reported last year, the Tennis Club has disbanded through lack of support. Sporting activity is limited to the Cricket Club. Through the Parish Plan, I hope that the Ground?s potential as a recreational facility for a far wider area than Dymchurch alone will be recognised and that investment will come for better facilities.
Dymchurch has suffered much from anti-social behaviour in which it is no alone with graffiti, rowdiness, intimidation and fighting. Problems are worse in the school holidays. Alcohol is a major factor underlying the problem and accordingly the centre of Dymchurch has been designated an alcohol control zone. A Community Warden has now been appointed dedicated to Dymchurch and many of you should have seen him on his beat. These two measures should do much to improve matters.
The Parish Council is grateful for the help of two local websites in getting information on its activities and membership to the community and, indeed, farther afield. They are www.romneymarsh.org and www.dymchurchonline.com. You can always find a copy of the latest Council minutes and meeting agenda on both.
The Annual Parish Meeting is in the Village Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday 6th May. Do come along to hear your councillors give their reports and to give voice to your concerns.
Your Shepway District Councillors are: Shirley Maile, Terry Preston and Julie White.
Your Parish Councillors are: Joyce Cockerill, Tom Gibbs, Don Gordon, Shirley Maile, Mike Littler, Barry Macrae, Ian Meyers, Terry Preston and Sue Turner.
Unfortunately Mike has been unwell for some time. He is a great champion of the Hythe end of the village and we miss him.
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