The Pond featured in the last report and has again been a centre of attention. Whereas late last year the collapse of one of the larger willows required remedial work and vegetation had to be reduced, this past period saw a change to the demography of the pond. In late February two of the four types of fish were removed. The carp and feral goldfish were taken to new homes while the perch and rudd were left. This was on the advice of the contractor, who we intend to ask back as a speaker on a suitable occasion to explain the characteristics and ecology of the pond. He explained that carp are bottom feeders and stir up the mud contributing to the murkiness of the water. There were fewer carp than he had expected which was explained by evidence of, probably nocturnal, anglers as a number of Polish beer bottle were found on the bank! He has suggested that the high acidic level of the water be reduced and attempts made to feed the ducks with grain rather than bread.
On other aquatic matters, we have tried to interest the County Council to do something about the 'lake' by the War Memorial but, at a time when somewhat more serious flooding nearby persists, we have to accept that this problem ranks low in their priorities. We have established that there is a blockage and I hope that volunteers may achieve a solution.
The triangle at the bottom of Barrack Hill continues to be a feature of our meetings. Our County Councillor, Tim Butcher, has been trying to help our efforts to persuade Bucks C.C. that this road feature needs attention but both he and we are forced to realize the budgetary pressures that all councils face. While there is little doubt that its present condition is unsightly it is more questionable whether it presents a danger to motorists and thus rated as a priority matter in the roads budget. However, Tim has kindly made available £600 from his portion of the Community Leadership Fund to us to pay for an audit by the traffic department to determine what should or can be done. As a result of pressure from the Parish Council, and especially Dave McGhee, the demonstrably more dangerous deep ruts on the left side of Sampson's Hill as you leave Barrack Hill on the way to Winchmore Hill have been filled in and we are grateful for Tim's help with that problem.
At a recent Parish Council meeting, a villager asked if we could all think a little more about our external lighting and what we might do to reduce its impact. She felt that outside lights were often left on unnecessarily throughout the night and security lighting was frequently set too sensitively. While we all need safety and security when it's dark, it's undoubtedly the case that light pollution is an increasing problem. As well as interfering with our own pleasure in observing a clear night sky, artificial lighting can also adversely affect the natural behaviour of insects and birds.
Another issue mentioned from time to time in the democratic period concerns dog fouling. Although the bins on the Common and Jack Adams' Field have certainly had a positive impact, the impression is that dog owners are not always as tidy elsewhere. The verges around the Pond seem to suffer especially and all of us who enjoy looking at and walking round the Pond would be grateful if dog owners would do all they can to minimize the problem.
I mentioned our intention to have the War Memorial cleaned in the last report. We still intend to do this but it was considered sensible to see if we could get a grant from The War Memorials Trust. It will not surprise readers that in 2014 the demands on their budget mean an award of a grant cannot be known for a while so we have put the cleaning on hold until we learn how our application has fared.
On more mundane, but important, matters our clerk, Linda Collison, and Elaine West, our Responsible Financial Officer, have ensured that a number of standing documents required by law or by our auditors, such as Financial Regulations, a Fixed Assets Register and a Risk Assessment schedule, have all been updated. To these we have added a Calendar of Events to be produced at each meeting itemising actions to be taken throughout the year. The purpose of this is to ensure that actions, such as renewal of our insurance policies, do not rely solely on individual councillors or the clerk and thereby run the risk of being overlooked.
Our RFO has also introduced some sensible changes to our budget process incorporating the practice of reserving for six months' operating costs (a General Reserve), providing for an Election reserve, a Legal reserve, a Locum Clerk reserve (to cover three months' costs) and a Maintenance reserve. As a significant portion (over 60%) of our budget is needed simply to run the Council (i.e. the clerk's wages and costs & insurance premiums), leaving very little to fund projects, we were keen to try and ensure that we do not lose too much flexibility, were unexpected items to present themselves.
One further initiative has been a working party to examine the worth of, use of and possible changes at, Jack Adams' Field. The Council as the freehold owner of the land is mindful that, were the Cricket Club to give up their lease of their portion of the land, the Council, and thus the village, would have the cost of the extra maintenance required to keep the area in reasonable order. There will be a meeting to discuss this matter, to include the health of the Cricket Club, in The Red Lion on March 11th. As some positive developments came out of the initial meeting on February 25th I am hopeful that this next meeting can bind the club and the village closer together.
Returning to the budget, that for 2014/15 was ratified at the January meeting and the result is that there will be no change in the Parish's element of this year's local tax bills.
Terence Prideaux
Chairman