WESTFIELD PARISH COUNCIL

Including Chairman's report page 2,3,4,5 Annual volunteer awards page 6,7 Annual report of the Chairman of the Trustees of the Parish Field page 8 Council summary of accounts page 9 Facts about the Council page 10 Your councillors page 11 Your clerk and local service providers page 12

Annual Parish Assembly, 29th April 2014 See pages 6 and 7 for details of this year's presentations

2013-14 ANNUAL REPORT 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014

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Parish Council Chairman’s Annual Report Introduction The Council continues to meet every month, usually on the first Wednesday of the month, for both the Planning and main Council meetings. The Council meets in the Community Hall; the Planning Meeting is at 6:30pm with the main Council meeting starting at 7:00pm. Please check the parish notice boards as sometimes these dates and times may change. We currently have a full complement of eleven councillors, with Hazel Stocks having resigned in January 2014 and Min Stratford replacing her on the Council. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Hazel for her contribution and especially for organising the parish tidy sessions, and to welcome Min on board. Contact details for all Parish Councillors and the Parish Clerk are given in this annual report and are also available on the village website: www.westfieldvillage.co.uk. This information is also included in each edition of the WCA newsletter, along with a summary of the work of the council during the 3 months prior to publication.

Parish Councillors “automatically” become Trustees of the Parish Field and some time is taken up with discharging this responsibility. Elsewhere in this annual report is a summary of the work of the Trustees during the past year. Local Elections 2015 The next elections to the Parish Council will be held in May 2015. I would urge any-one considering standing for election to contact their local councillor, or the Parish Clerk, to find out more about the roles and responsibilities of the Parish Council, and how to become a candidate. Councillors should have a good understanding of local issues and be prepared to take an active role in the work of the Council. If you want to get involved in the work of your Parish Council, then do consider putting yourself forward.

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Works Supported by the Parish Council During this year the Parish Council have been involved with:

Providing financial support to the Bowls Club, Youth Group, Churchyard maintenance and flood-lighting, British Legion poppy appeal, Victim Support, Rural Rother Trust.

The completion of a comprehensive tree survey and resulting tree works; removal of some trees, and limb removal and substantial reductions where neighbours were affected.

Developing a Recreation Policy to better manage Parish facilities. Traffic matters, including responding to consultation on measures to

improve traffic flow on The Ridge, and organising a consultative meeting with Highways Agency to discuss traffic issues on the A21 especially in Kent Street and at the junction with A28.

Repairs and maintenance: Repair to footway at the Recreation Ground. Clearance of fly tipping behind Park View cleared by Community pay back

team. Cleaning of village signs and notice boards. Clearing of bus shelters. Repairs and replacement parts to swings, the toy train and climbing frame. Care of war memorial (volunteer work by Andy Saunders), with the costs

for materials and plants being met by the Parish Council. Various reports to ESCC and RDC for pothole repairs, storm damaged

trees, footpath maintenance, damage to stiles and kissing gates etc.

Westfield Down Project I am pleased to (finally!) be able to report that this year has seen the conclusion of negotiations over the Section 106 planning gain agreement (S106) for the Down Project. This follows some 4 years and 9 months of very difficult discussions between the Parish Council, the joint land owners (East Sussex County Council and the Downoak Trust) and Rother District Council.

Planning Matters The Parish Council is only one of many consultees on planning matters. It has no statutory powers to approve or dismiss planning applications. Having said that, the Council takes a balanced view of all planning applications and it tries to respond in the best interests of the Parish as a whole. The Window on Westfield section of the WCA magazine includes a brief summary of planning decisions for the preceding 3 months; full details of all planning applications can be found on Rother’s website at www.rother.gov.uk

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The documents were agreed in April, and at the time of writing have been signed by the two land owners and the Parish Council, with RDC being the final party to sign the document. It is hard to believe that it has taken so long to get this far; however, the completion of the S106 is a major milestone in this project and clears the way for the next steps in the process. The completion of the S106 agreement has also triggered the process of diverting the public footpaths that run across the future public recreation space on the Down; these routes need to be altered as one of the designated paths currently runs across the area set aside for the main football pitch. Until very recently these footpaths had been little used and the proposed diversions will not cause any significant disruption to walkers. Indeed, the development of the recreation area will mean that a large part of the land will become accessible to all. Some parishioners may be aware that the sale of the land has been advertised, with the deadline for expressions of interest that expired on the 25th April. The completion of the S106 and the anticipated sale of the land are, of course, only the first steps in the process of developing the recreation facilities on Westfield Down. Work on the recreation facilities will only start once a developer has completed the land purchase and started working on the housing development; given the current improvements in the overall financial situation, and especially in the housing market, it is hoped that work will begin in the not too distant future. However, the Parish Council has no influence in these matters, so we will have to wait and see what happens. Once a developer has taken on the project and the work has started, the Parish Council, together with Rother District Council, will ensure that the recreation works are carried out according to the specifications set out in the S106 agreement. As ever, I must thank Roger Carrier, the Parish Council’s lead negotiator, for his tireless voluntary work in support of this project, and for his drive and determination to see this project through in the face of many adversities. Finances Financial year 2012-2013 saw an overspend against budget of around £2,500, largely due to quite extensive works to replace tennis court perimeter fencing, and the installation of new playground equipment at the Churchfield site. The financial year 2013-2014 shows a significant under-spend of around £10,500. This was due to additional funds received from RDC to cover changes to the council tax support grant, and slower than expected progress with the Westfield Down project. The Parish Council still holds an ear-marked reserve of around £53K to fund the recreation aspects of the Westfield Down project. We continue to review all our items of expenditure, and seek to get the best returns on

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our invested reserve funds. Given our current level of reserves, and the generally difficult financial climate, Council decided for the fourth year running not to increase the precept for the coming financial year; your Parish Council requested to Rother that this remains at £30,000 (equating to around 27 pence per elector per week) for 2014-2015. Thanks I’d like to say thank you to all Councillors for their help and support throughout the year. Special thanks go to James Woodhead for taking on the role of vice chair of the Council and to Mark Woolley for chairing the Parish Field Trustees. Thanks also to Brian Firman and Paul Masters as they continue to do excellent work keeping the Parish safe and tidy. Finally, I am sure that all councillors would wish to join me in saying thank you to Barbara Balkham, our Parish Clerk, for the dedicated hard work and whole-hearted support that she gives to the Council. Dr Carl Richardson Chairman, Westfield Parish Council 28th April 2014 Council and community thanks to a special councillor At the Annual Parish Assembly on 29th April 2014, an award was made to a very special parish councillor. Mrs Joan Downing reaches a significant milestone in May

2014, clocking up 40 years as a Westfield Councillor. To celebrate this achievement she was presented with a bouquet and card. In addition the Council plans to install a bench with a plaque commemorating this outstanding service to her community. The bench will be installed in front of the Community Hall, and will represent a double celebration, as Joan has been president of the WCA for many years, and this autumn the hall marks the thirtieth year since it was built.

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Certificates of thanks have also been awarded by public nomination to volunteers in the community:-

Dave Pankhurst and Ralph Hobbs for setting up and maintaining the

Westfield Wildlife website

Joshua Dine

for cheerfully helping with the twice yearly village litter picks

Dave Thomas for services to village bowls and cricket

The annual Rose Bowl award has been made each year since 2005, and is presented to someone who has made a significant difference to the community over a long period of time. In 2014 the Rose Bowl was awarded to Margaret Moss in recognition of a lifetime's support to village organisations including Westfield Church and Westfield Primary School.

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The 6th of June this year marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a turning point in World War 2. When the Parish Council heard the story of a Westfield resident who had played a significant part in this military operation, it was unanimously agreed that on behalf of our residents we would p r e s e n t h i m w i t h a n acknowledgement of his bravery and thanks from his own community in this year of particular remembrance. Fred Milward's story is one of

bravery and determination to achieve the task given to him and his comrades, in the face of many difficulties. As a member of the 9th battalion of the Parachute Regiment, their job was to be dropped behind enemy lines in advance of the beach landings, and to capture the gun battery at Merville which would have been used to fire on the troops. That mission was successfully completed despite huge losses to the 9th. At the Annual Parish assembly, the Council was proud to present Fred with a beautiful framed certificate, produced by a local calligrapher, commemorating these events and thanking Fred for his part in them.

Dave Ralph Joshua Dave

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Westfield Parish Field

Registered charity number: 305325

Report for the year 2013-14

Looking after the Parish Field The Trustees arranged for the ditch along the southern boundary to be cleared again last Autumn to help reduce the risk of flooding. It also allowed the excess to escape to the main drainage outlet along the A28. In light of the recent weather this is something that the Trustees intend to keep well main-tained.

Regular inspections have been undertaken by the monitoring Trustees (three are appointed to this role each year). We were fortunate that the high winds during December and January did not cause any major damage to the many trees bordering the Field.

The Football Club The football pitch area is maintained by Westfield Football Club but frequent use and the wet weather inevitably takes its toll. Re-seeding now occurs on a regular basis.

The Club has now installed a wooden fence around the back and sides of the clubhouse which gives the structure a far better appearance.

Some of the play equipment has deteriorated further and the Trustees are in-tending to assess the case for repair or replacement.

The Parish Field charity is unfunded except through the Parish Council which this year spent £1,019.60 on general maintenance issues. Mark Woolley, Chairman

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Annual accounts summary The Parish Council’s accounts are prepared in accordance with the Accounts & Audit Regulations and are subject to both internal and external audit. Once the full audit is completed a copy of the audited accounts summary for the year 2013-14 is available on request. Any interested person may also inspect and make copies of the Annual Return and all books, deeds, contracts, invoices etc. These documents will be available on reasonable notice, on application to the clerk . Under our Freedom of Information scheme, a charge may be levied for copies. The following draft figures are provided in advance of this year's audit together with a comparison to the previous year's agreed figures

2012/13 2013/14

INCOME £41,150.14 £34,431.48

EXPENDITURE £43,579.76 £23,882.23

YEAR END BALANCES AT 31st March

Petty cash £40.24 £0.00

Current account £11,541.49 £21,158.71

Savings account £52,080.08 £53,052.35

Total £63,661.81 £74,211.06

Excess of income/expenditure

-£2,429.62 £10,549.25

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Some facts about Westfield Parish Council Did you know that your council: Has 11 members who are elected every four years

(the last election was in May 2011) Councillors give their time for free, and do not

claim any allowances Westfield has three electoral wards, Westfield

(with 1597 registered electors); Westfield Lane (with 315) and Kent Street (with 229). That's a total of 2141 electors

The Council holds from 20 to 30 meetings each year, for planning, finance, recreation and full council.

Looks after recreation spaces including tennis courts, and arranges maintenance and litter collection to keep them safe and tidy.

Community assets managed by the Council Over the years the Parish Council has added to the stock of community property to enhance the quality of life for residents in Westfield. A register of these assets is up-dated each year as part of the year's annual account summary. Westfield community assets include 11 dog waste bins 10 litter bins Bus shelters in Main Road, Church Lane, Westfield Lane, Kent

Street and on the A21 near Moat Lane Benches on the Cricket Field, A28 junction with Cottage Lane, on

the Recreation Ground and Churchfield play area, by the village centre and Westfield Lane bus stops.

Play equipment at the Recreation Ground, Parish Field and Churchfield

Public notice boards at Kent Street, Moat Lane, Westfield Lane and Main Road

The Interpretation Board showing a village map and local places of interest near to the surgery on the A28.

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Chairman: Dr Carl Richardson 20 Stablefield, Cottage Lane, Westfield. TN35 4QW 01424 754548

Councillor: Mr John Anderson 5 Moat Lane, Sedlescombe, TN33 ORZ 01424 751220

Councillor: Mrs Joan Downing Bilbrough, Cottage Lane, Westfield, TN35 4QG 01424 752463

Councillor: Mr Victor Lambert Fuggles Oast, Main Road, Westfield. TN35 4SL 01424 752526

Councillor: Mr Derrick Oakland Thala Farm, Mill Lane, Westfield, TN35 4SU 01424 755683

Councillor: Mrs Jackie Smith Dulce Domum, Workhouse Lane, Westfield, TN35 4QJ 01424 755210

Councillor: Mr Peter Stapley Rosebank, Kent Street, Sedlescombe, TN33 0SF 01424 751499

Councillor: Min Stratford (from 5.3.14) Selwood, Church Lane, Westfield, TN35 4QB 07952995743

Councillor: Mrs Hazel Stocks (to 8.1.14) Mill Cottage, Cottage Lane, Westfield, TN35 4RU 01424 756804

Councillor: Mr Richard Wallace 3 Fernlea Close, Cottage Lane, Westfield, TN35 4QQ 01424 753606

Vice-chairman: Mr James Woodhead 3 Baldslow Down, St Leonards on Sea, TN37 7NH 01424 754509

Councillor: Mr Mark Woolley 48 Baldslow Down, St Leonards on Sea, TN 37 7NJ 01424 753316

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Councillors' additional responsibilities (2013-14) Tree Warden: Mark Woolley Emergency Planning Group: Richard Wallace; Hazel Stocks, Jackie Smith, Victor Lambert. Tennis Club rep: Derrick Oakland Police Liaison: Joan Downing WCA Hall management committee: Richard Wallace Parish Hall committee: Joan Downing Rother Association of Local Councils: Joan Downing Personnel Group: C Richardson, J Woodhead, J Smith, R Wallace Other Service Providers: Bus stop and recreation area clearance: Mr Brian Firman Playground inspections & general parish maintenance: Mr Paul Masters Community Website Team: Mrs B Balkham, Mr P Tomlinson, Mr R Bowe, Mrs J Bolton, Mrs P Filsell-Page. Grass and hedge cutting: Kemp and Catt Ltd Dog-waste bins and litter bins emptied by arrangement with Rother DC Contact telephone numbers: Rother District Council 01424 787000 East Sussex County Council 0345 60 80 190 Sussex Police, non emergencies 101 Animal Wardens Ltd (to report lost or stray dogs) 0845 2417253 Rother District Council (to report persistent dog fouling) 01424 787000 Rother District Council (to report fly-tipping) 01424 787000 Your District and County Councillors Carl Maynard 01424 756586 cllr.carl.maynard@eastsussex.gov.uk Jonathan Johnson 07850360177 cllr.jonathan.johnson@rother.gov.uk

Westfield Parish Council May 2014

Parish Clerk & Responsible Finance Officer: Mrs Barbara Balkham Fir Tree Cottage, New Cut, Westfield, TN35 4RJ 01424 751531 westfieldcouncil@gmail.com Website: www.westfieldvillage.co.uk/council-papers