Willersey (From Evesham Journal)

Willersey

8:00am Thursday 12th April 2012 in V-Z

THE annual parish meeting was held at the village hall on Wednesday last week.

Chairman Maurice Andrews presented his annual report: 􀁥 Council tax precept: Although the parish council had been able to hold the precept without increase for several years, it was now necessary to seek a small increase to £10,000. This had been possible only because of the balance still held in the Hewins/Tattersill Bequest Fund.

􀁥 Council vacancies: At the May local elections four vacancies remained. The council has filled these vacancies by co-option and Trevor Beale, Mike Barnes, Nigel Focall and Don Palmer took office in September 2011.

􀁥 Meetings: The council has now decided to hold meetings every two months instead of monthly.

􀁥 Planning: Though enquiries have been received for some large-scale development, no firm applications have been received.

The council has so far resisted any large-scale development particularly on the grounds of an inadequate foul-sewer system which is in need of improvement and awaits the promise of Severn- Trent to deal with the matter.

􀁥 Stream and pool clearance: Major clearance work has been carried out on the water-course in the recreation ground and the village pool. Some pollution still exists in the recreation ground stream and is being investigated by the Environment Agency.

􀁥 Diamond Jubilee: Several groups of residents under the leadership of Coun Philip Bennett have held meetings to prepare a programme of events, and all should be thanked for their willingness to undertake this. A further open meeting at the village hall is to be held on April 17 at 7.30pm, to which all are invited.

􀁥 Thanks: Once again I must thank all those willing volunteers who look after our burial ground, churchyard and village greens.

Their exceptional efforts continue to save the local taxpayer a great deal of money which the council would otherwise have to find from the precept. Thanks, too, to the volunteers who continue to run the various community events and the village hall.

􀁥 It has been a pleasure to serve the council and village and in this connection I wish to thank my fellow councillors and the parish council clerk, Philip Ord.

􀁥 A general discussion and questions followed with no major decisions made except a general demand for more dog litter bins. It was agreed that the district council be asked to provide two more bins and to make more regular emptying collections.

􀁥 At the end of the meeting the vice-chairman Don Field, on behalf of the parish, presented Maurice Andrews with the Willersey Community Award and Certificate for 2012. Having served the parish council for 33 years either as clerk, councillor and chairman, Maurice has served on the committees of Wednesday Club, Footlights, Neighbourhood Watch and several other organisations and though he is continuing as a parish councillor until the next local elections he will stand down as chairman.