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Chairman's Newsletter - Spring 2005
Chairman: Cllr Tom Gibbs.
Your Parish Council has had a successful year in helping maintain local public services, despite facing a number of challenges. The greatest of these has been the severe financial difficulties faced by Shepway District Council requiring cuts in services throughout the District. In Dymchurch, verge cutting has been reduced to twice yearly, flowerbeds have been grassed-over to ease maintenance costs and public toilets have been threatened with closure. The Parish Council fought these measures vigorously and I am glad to say that, but for verge cutting, the threat has been withdrawn. Public toilets will remain open and verges and flowerbeds will be replanted in time for the coming season. The thought of a major holiday resort being without toilets is unthinkable.
The financial problems of Shepway have not been easy for staffing and administration. Action in reporting faulty street lights and dog-fouling problems has been inordinately slow and it has been difficult to speak to staff concerned having to go through call centre answering arrangements. Many residents report street light failures to the Parish Council but in the interests of a speedier response there is no reason for not reporting them direct to Shepway, giving the lamp column number if possible (tel.01303 858660; e-mail: mail.ess@shepway.gov.uk). Dog fouling does not improve, especially along the seawall, which is a designated area having protection under the dog fouling legislation. There are insufficient dog wardens but they have been asked to visit at the vulnerable times ? early morning and the evenings - so more prosecutions are likely.
You may have noticed that Parish Council meetings have a regular Item to consider the service provided by Shepway to enable the Parish Council to quickly respond to any concerns.
Shepway will be introducing changes to the refuse collection service. A fortnightly collection is being proposed with a greater dependence on recycling. Recycling is to be very much supported but the system must be easily manageable by residents and the collection service must be within the capacity limits of wheelie-bins and avoid overflowing rubbish on pavements.
As I said last year, a further indirect threat to local services provided by the Parish Council has been the loss of Concurrent Services Grant previously given over many years by the District Council. This was a substantial element of the Parish Council?s income and, without it, the shortfall can only be made up by increasing the Parish Council?s element of your Council Tax. However, when setting the Parish Council?s budget for 2005/06 at the end of last year it was decided to go for only a very small increase, making-up the difference out of reserves and pruning all expenditure to the minimum. New projects have been ruled out for the time-being although the Council is continuing with its tree-planting programme throughout Dymchurch. You will have seen the recently planted pines in various locations in the village from Beach Estate to the seafront car park. This is the second year of the tree-planting programme and I hope the next generation will enjoy a much greener Dymchurch!
You may wonder why, in the face of the need for economies, Shepway has felt fit to erect three art works on the seawall from Willop Basin towards the Redoubt. The Parish Council finds them unattractive but I understand they were funded through the Single Regeneration Budget and not by Council Taxes.
The A259 has become the responsibility of the Local Highway Authority following its de-trunking. It is no longer a strategic national route so the needs of through traffic no longer take precedence. KCC is the responsible Authority as from next April. It often seems to be afflicted by roadworks especially in the busy summer season, and as I write there are major works between the Burmarsh Road and Queensway junctions to strengthen the edge of the carriageway where it comes close to the dyke. I have met with the contractors and the Sands Estate Residents Association who was concerned that traffic could be diverted along Kingsway and Queensway. This has been avoided and the works should be finished well before the onset of heavy summer traffic.
The Village Plan Steering Group has been making good progress and it is hoped to have a draft consultation plan sometime after June. The Group has been dedicated to the task and towards the end of last year it undertook a sample survey of households to find out people?s needs and aspirations for the village. The results were encouraging. The Plan will need to be acceptable to a wide range of public organisations as new facilities and improvements will need to be funded and supported by them.
A start is soon to be made on reconstruction of the seawall from High Knocke to Dymchurch Redoubt. It will not be one continuous operation but is proposed to be spread over some eighteen years, a period of time which the Parish Council wishes to see shortened. Our sandy beaches will be protected by a series of groynes and rock revetements, an approach supported by the Parish Council. We will keep a close eye on construction activities and keep pressing for the reinstatement of the former slipway at High Knocke which would enable jet skiers and other water craft to access the sea away from the busy central slipway.
Last year the Parish Council was approached by a local company wishing to provide kite-surfing facilities off Dymchurch beach. This is a fairly new and growing sport and the Council has approved a designated area beyond Sycamore Gardens subject to rigorous conditions to safeguard residents. The Council has agreed to issue a licence and is awaiting the completion of formalities.
Beyond the Parish boundaries there are two major projects looming whose progress the Council is closely monitoring. Firstly, there are the wind farm proposals at Little Cheyne Court, Brookland. On behalf of the Council, I have submitted representations to the recent planning inquiry. Whilst not opposed to green energy, the Council feels that in this case there are no overall environmental benefits and it would be better to develop new electricity generation based on household waste combustion at Dungeness Power Station.
The other concern, is the suggested expansion of Lydd Airport. The Council has yet to express any views on this but is meeting with both the Lydd Airport Action Group and the Airport?s operators to hear the arguments for and against.
Public footpaths are not often a matter of concern in Dymchurch but, recently, at the
request of the Council, the KCC is considering adding the footpath from Uden?s
Bridge on the A259 at the end of Seabourne Way to Marshlands to the definitive
Map. It has been used by the public for very many years and the case is strong.
Another footpath matter concerns that running from the A259 to the seawall opposite
Country?s Field. It seems to attract litter, is often overgrown and is a place where
youngsters can congregate. The Council has now had this cleared.
Perhaps our greatest problem has been anti-social behaviour by young people. It
tends to be worse in school holiday times and in the summer. Whilst alcohol drinking
in public has been brought under control by the designation of the village centre as an
alcohol control zone, the problem of large groups of youngsters remains as does that
of damage to public property. Bus shelters are regularly damaged, public toilets are
subject to graffiti and the Recreation Ground pavilion has suffered major and
continuing damage. The police are now alerted to these problems and the Council has
installed security measures at the pavilion to identify offenders.
Sadly, Dave Hunt, our popular and effective Community Warden resigned last year
and it will not be until 29th March that his replacement, Geoff Stephens, is in place. In
the meantime, cover is being given by the New Romney Warden.
So far as Christmas decorations are concerned, the tree by the central toilets was not
lit last Christmas as it had become too dangerous with the risk of lights being
tampered with and the tree itself having lost shape. Instead, at Cllr Joyce Cockerill?s
initiative, a shop window competition was held with small prizes from the Parish
Council supplemented by more substantial ones from a generous and anonymous
donor. This was extremely successful and is likely to become a permanent feature.
Lastly, the Annual Parish Meeting this year is in the Village Hall on Thursday, 14th
April at 7.00pm. Do come along and make this a successful event. This is an occasion
when you can question Parish Councillors and hear from your District and County
Council representatives. Not that you need await this annual event to do this as there
is a regular public session during the first Parish Council meeting of the month.
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, Roger Moore, Ian Meyers, Terry Preston and Sue Turner.
Mike has returned to Council meetings after a long absence due to serious illness and Roger has replaced Barry Macrae who moved away from Dymchurch. Roger is Acting Secretary of the Village Plan Steering Group and Don is one of the Council?s two Tree Wardens ? he has been very active in the tree planting programme. I am sure the others will need no introduction being long-standing residents and long-serving members of the Parish Council.
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