The Chairman's Report
June 2007

This has been a very busy year for all of us in the Parish Council.  Since the meeting last year, all Councillors and other members of sub-committees, working parties and groups have all been working hard on the behalf of you all.  I would like to thank them for all the unpaid work and time they have given, without any thought for themselves in a very generous manner to make our lives better in the Parish.  They really do deserve some recognition from all of us for not just talking about an idea, but taking action as well.

Since the Annual Parish Meeting there has been an election in the Village Ward (Woodham Ferrers). Congratulations to Lucy Carroll, Ray Blanks and Geoffrey Woricker on their election. We offer our congratulations to our new councillor Albert Mair from Bicknacre. We also said a sad farewell to two councillors who retired after many years of service.  On behalf of the rest of the council, and I am sure the Parish, we thank Jennifer Rushworth and Tony Dawkins and send them our best wishes.  Thank you for all your time and input over the years, you will be missed. This leaves us with a vacancy in Bicknacre Ward for a councillor, if you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, please contact myself or Karen so we can discuss your application by 30th June 2007.  Alternatively you are welcome to come along to a council meeting, as these meetings are open to all.

Bicknacre & Woodham Ferrers Community Project

After the vote in May 2006 to proceed in investigating the possibility of building a Community Centre (with sports facilities, meeting rooms, café, children’s play centres, organised groups for our teenagers and our elder residents) the Bicknacre & Woodham Ferrers Community Project group was formed.  A complex survey was carried out and the plans were revised to take into account the views and opinions expressed by the local residents. 

On 19th January 2007 another meeting took place where the revised plans were made available for inspection and questions could be answered.  A final vote of confidence was asked for and was given by an overwhelming show of hands.  Since this meeting the plans have been compiled, but there is a lot more work to be done with some highs and lows ahead.

Other members of the group have been investigating, and applying for grants to help pay for the building of the centre.  This is a long process and we wish them the best of luck in their work.  Part of the plan was to erect a building as ‘green’ as possible, with low energy costs and insulation.  We envisage water ducts to keep the costs as low as possible for the running of the centre. 

We anticipate organising local markets, jumble sales, dances, and will encourage as many local organisations to make use of the centre for a wide range of activities.  I believe we are well on that road and I look forward to the future with lots of confidence.

For the latest news on the community project, click the link to the left.

Community Pay Back

This is where people who have committed an offence are instructed that they will do their sentence in the community.  I have been able to acquire the help of this group for the benefit of the Parish over the past year.  They have helped replace the pathway into the village hall and school, helped with St. Mary’s Churchyard, the Congregational Church, repainted St. Andrews Church and helped with the fields in the villages. 
They have been a great asset and I would like to thank them and their supervisors for all of their help and for the quality of their work as well. 

Traffic Calming Measures

Over the past year we have been, once again, talking to Essex County Council highways department on helping us with traffic calming measures and we have finally made some progress.  You would have noticed the traffic island near Priory School and soon you will also see Speed Indicator Devices in Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre.  Our thanks go to Lord Hanningfield, Cllr. Rodney Bass and our local Borough Councillor, Richard Poulter, who has been striving for achievement on our behalf.  We also have new bus shelters in Woodham Ferrers and new bus stops installed throughout the villages.
Owing to the opinions expressed with some of the speakers in the Annual Parish Meeting I would like to make an offer for you to come forward and be part of a working party to look into the traffic calming for the villages and bring it to the Parish Council Committee.  We will invite the representatives of the Essex County Council and Chelmsford Borough council to attend a meeting where you can present your findings and recommendations on what you think is the way to solve the problems.  We will also inform Lord Hanningfield about the proposed meeting to ensure representatives will be sent. So if you feel you wish to be part of this, please contact Karen or Myself to put this working party together.

Have your Say

The dates of the meetings of the Parish Council are always posted on the notices boards so why not come along and see how the PC works for the Community?  If you have something to input, there is always time at the start of the meeting for anyone to address us on any matter.  The meetings are the 1st Tuesday of the month (Parish Council) and the 3rd Tuesday (Planning), but do check the boards.

Vandalism

Vandalism in the village seems to be reaching its heights again after the winter.  I would ask you all to report to the police any vandalism you see.  Please don’t wait for the next person to report it pick up the phone, as this costs us as a community thousands of pounds which we as community tax payers all pay for.  This money could be spent on much better things. The main places for the attacks are our open playing fields at the Hooe where we have a BMX ramp.  This has been the site of many acts of vandalism together with the play area’s, so please be extra vigilant.

Dog Waste

Our next problem with our open fields is dog waste which is not picked up by the owner.  The Hooe, Priory Fields and Lodge Road have the  most problems and we have installed dog bins at these locations.  We even supply doggie bags for waste so there is no excuse for not picking up after your dog. 

There is an £80.00 fine that can and will be imposed! Our children are running round these fields and they should be kept clean.

Barry Arnold
Chairman of the Council