ASPLEY GUISE PARISH

COUNCILNews update:

September edition

In this edition:

• Welcome• Say hello to your Councillors• Planters and Play Areas• New benches• Great British Spring Clean and Dog poo bins• Grants, Noticeboards and the War Memorial• Micro Library and Defibrillators• Latest Finances• Contact Details

Welcome to the latest edition of Aspley Guise Parish Council news. Firstly, let me apologise for the delay in issuing our latest copy of the AGPC newsletter, we hope to be back on track again now: with quarterly printed newsletters and bi-monthly e-newsletters.

Every 4 years (with 2019 being the latest) local elections take place for Parish Councillors and Ward Councillors. Although the Parish Council was an uncontested election, we still saw a change in some personnel, with 4 Councillors deciding to leave the Parish Council. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Harbottle and Gill Richards for their long-standing contribution to AGPC, and Jayne Owen and Jenny Spurr for their much shorter but albeit noticeable contribution whilst they were with us. You will all be missed. I would also like to welcome Tim Raper, Saran Andrews and Huw Lewis to the Council, who all recently joined as co-optee’s.

I would like to congratulate John Baker on his new role as Ward Councillor and look forward to working alongside him to achieve good things for Aspley Guise. John has offered to lend his weight and energy to our Traffic Calming initiative and is liaising with CBC about potential ways to progress matters. We are very much looking forward to hearing the results.

The Parish Council have been busy over the last few months, with new planters, new benches, and plenty going on behind the scenes, read further for all the details.

We were pleased that Mazars, the external auditor, completed their review of AGPC’s Financial records for the year ending 31st March 2019 with no findings. We hope this goes to show the diligence of the Council with regards to our Finances and the latest view of this year Financial position can be seen later on in the newsletter. We are committed to be being completely transparent with our Finances and all aspects of the Councils decisions.

As always you are more than welcome to attend the Parish Council meetings to see first-hand what goes on, these are held on the 1st

Monday in the month at 19.30 in the Village Hall.

Stewart Bailey, Chairman of AGPC

Say hello to your Councillors

Stewart Bailey Matt Bird Vacancy Barrie Plasom Pauline Hawley Tamsin Lee-WoolfeChairman Vice Chairman Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor

Tim Raper Saran Andrews Huw Lewis Vacancy Vacancy VacancyCouncillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor

New PlantersEarlier in the year AGPC purchased 10 ½ Barrel planters which have been located at various places around the village. Volunteers filled them with lovely spring flowers and more recently with lovely summer displays. In order to maintain the displays for as long as possible, if there is a planter near you it would be fantastic if you could water them when needed and deadhead the flowers as required. Thank you.

Play AreasThe annual playground inspection took place in May at Townlands and the Recreation field by RoSPA. The report highlighted a number of low and medium risks within both areas (there were no high-risk issues identified), and we have appointed a contractor to repair all of the issues categorised as medium. This is expected to take place in September, we will keep you posted on exact dates via our Facebook page as soon as we know them.

CongratulationsWe would like to congratulate our Councillor Tamsin and her husband on the birth of their baby daughter Evie. May she bring you joy and happiness (and not too many sleepless nights).

Benches A few months ago, one of our Councillors undertook an audit on the benches and picnic tables around the village to assess what maintenance was required. It was decided to replace two of the benches, one outside of St Boltophs Church and the other at the junction of West Hill and The Mount. There was a lengthy delay in the delivery of the benches, but they are now in place and hopefully you will agree how great they look.

In addition, it was agreed that 13 other benches/picnic tables were in need of some tender loving care, and a contractor has been appointed to repair (where needed) and rub down and re-stain/varnish these seats. This is expected to take place in September.

Outside St Boltoph’s Church. Before and After Junction of West Hill & The Mount. Before and After

Great British Spring CleanAGPC took part in and organised a Great British Spring Clean in April, as part of the national incentive to tidy up the places within which we live. 11 volunteers took part and collected numerous bags of rubbish, weighing in at 84 kilos. This was a great achievement, and we hope to run another event in spring next year.

Dog Waste BinsDuring the Great British Spring Clean between 100-200 used dog poo bags where collected along Mill Lane, where they had been discarded into the hedgerow or left on the footpath. Whilst this was not a pleasant part of the spring clean for our volunteers it highlighted the need for a dog waste bin along this part of Mill Lane. We contacted CBC, who have since installed a Dog waste bin along the lane. In addition, Councillor Hawley spoke to CBC about the need for additional poo bins on the Recreation field and a replacement poo bin nr Swallowfields Lower School. Both were subsequently installed by CBC.Please can we remind all dog owners to clear up after their dogs and use one of the many bins around the village.

GrantsEvery year the Parish Council awards grants to organisations and charities that benefit the residents within Aspley Guise. This year grants were awarded to Aspley Guise Village Hall, Helping Hands, Aspley Guise Lower School, Parochial Church Council AG, Aspley Guise Sports Trust, and Woburn Sands Library.If you run an organisation or charity that could benefit from receiving a grant from AGPC, the window for applications opens on the 1st April 2020 and closes on the 31st May 2020. Details can be found on our website or by contacting the Clerk.

War MemorialFor those of you that don’t know, Mrs E A Downes who lived in Aspley House gave up part of her land and paid for the War Memorial to be built, in memory of her two sons who were killed during the 1st World War, along with many other men from the village. They are all listed on the Memorial.Unfortunately the Memorial is now in need of some repairs: we are informed that part of the wooden structure has wood worm, the roof needs some repairs, and the stone base and statue of Jesus are in need of a good clean. We are currently in the process of obtaining quotes for the repair work and also looking to see if grants are available to help fund this repair work.

NoticeboardsEarlier in the year the Council agreed to replace the Noticeboard that had fallen down in Trunk Furlong and install a new one along Spinney Lane at the entrance to the Village Hall car park. Both new Noticeboards are of Aluminium construction. The board at Trunk Furlong will have two enclosed display cases, one for Parish Council use only (lockable) and the other for residents use. The board at Spinney Lane will be for Parish Council use only and will be used instead of the board out the front of the Village Hall. It is hoped it will see more footfall with the school traffic. Agendas, minutes, vacancies etc.. will be posted in here. The boards are on order and we hope they will be in place very soon.

Micro LibraryWe hope by now you will have been able to make use of the new micro library that popped up overnight in the old telephone box at the end of Spinney Lane on the Mount Pleasant junction. It was the brainwave of Councillor Hawley and her daughter Jo, who both gave the box a through clean, whilst a volunteer, Ray Stammers, kindly installed shelves to hold the books and DVDs. The books and DVDs are free to take away, all we ask is that you put one back in place for others to enjoy.

DefibrillatorCouncillor Hawley and Jo have also been fund raising for defibrillators for the village. It is hoped to install two at key locations, one being in the micro library phone box. Currently they have raised enough money to purchase one, and we are in the process of engaging with an electrician to ensure it can be fitted within the old phone box. Once we have the defibrillator on order, we hope to run an awareness course on how to use this life-saving equipment and will post details on our Facebook page and in later newsletters.

Finance updateAs at 27th August 2019

For further detailed information see our website, under council documents, agendas, Full council meetings or email clerk@aspleyguiseparishcouncil.gov.uk

Forecast

Reserve type

B/F 31st

Mar 2019 Precept Interest

Misc

receipts Net Expenditure

Closing Bal 31st

Mar 2020

General Reserve 27,626.06 70,000.00 90.00 100.00 (71,421.79) 26,394.27

Highways Reserve 25,500.00 0.00 (25,500.00) 0.00

Streetlight Reserve 0.00 10,000.00 (9,387.80) 612.20

Planning Reserve 12,500.00 10,000.00 (22,500.00) 0.00

Total 65,626.06 90,000.00 90.00 100.00 (128,809.59) 27,006.47

Forecast

(30,000.00)

(25,000.00)

(20,000.00)

(15,000.00)

(10,000.00)

(5,000.00)

0.00

5,000.00

FY1920 AGPC Forecast expenditure vs. Budget

Forecast Budget

12%

8%

9%

18%

7%

7%

0%

1%

20%

17%

FY1920 cost types as a % of total forecast expenditure

Staff Costs

Grants Awarded

Admin Costs

Village Maintenance

Street Lighting

Project Iffley

Defibrillator

Net VAT

Highways

Planning

Other newsWe have re-energised the Neighbourhood development Plan Committee and are currently seeking funding to support professional advice in order to help move this forward. If you would like to help on the Committee please contact the Clerk via the email address.

Our Chairman has now joined the SEMK expansion advisory / stakeholder panel (South East Milton Keynes), in addition we are keeping a close eye on the East West Rail Link (EWR) and the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and will share relevant news as and when it occurs

Next editionIn the next edition of the newsletter we will update you on progress with looking at restoring the structure in the village square and Project Iffley: which is a long term street light replacement project, as well as the naming of a footpath after Ian Pickering who served on the Parish Council for many years.

Useful contactsHelping Hands Aspley Guise: 07923 490001Grand Union Housing emergency repairs: Jeakins & Weir: General repairs 01525 722290Weldons: Plumbing & heating (Phone menu option 3) 0800 1777003Central Bedfordshire Council Main switchboard: 0300 300 8301Anglian Water General enquiries and emergencies: 0845 714 5145Electricity emergencies: Western Power Distribution 0800 6783 105

Contact Details for the Parish Council:

Parish Clerk: Lynne SimonsEmail: clerk@aspleyguiseparishcouncil.gov.ukMobile: 07579 809474Website: www.aspleyguiseparishcouncil.gov.uk

If you would like to be kept up to date with news from AGPC and be sent our bi-monthly e-newsletter, please email clerk@aspleyguiseparishcouncil.gov.uk and type subscribe in the subject box.

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ASPLEY GUISE PARISH

COUNCIL