Notes PC mtg 26-11-2019
At the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 26th November, District Councillor Gina Blomefield reported that the next meeting of Cotswold District Council would be held on Wednesday 27th November. Key items on the agenda included the Glover Report and the possibility of the creation of a Cotswolds National Park and measures related to climate change, in particular the possibility of power points for electric vehicles in the Cotswolds area. District Councillors were also concerned about the approximately 660 empty houses in the Cotswolds. Given the need for housing within the district, the issue of compulsory purchase orders was to be considered.
Parish Council agenda items included financial commitments for the end of 2019 and for 2020. Whilst the parish was in a good financial position much of the balance of funds was earmarked for the Village Hall car park (mainly covered by grants), improvements to the play area and the additional speed sign on order. It was agreed that, because it is several years since the views of residents were sought, consideration should be given to a new questionnaire in 2020 to give parishioners the opportunity to suggest important projects for the future.
After the continued spell of wet weather the obligations of riparian owners were reinforced. Residents with boundaries reaching Coombe Brook are responsible for keeping these clear of debris so that the water is able to flow freely whilst ditches should also be kept clear. It was agreed that three quotations should be requested for digging out the ditches from the Reading Room down the length of Church Street. Fortunately the brook has managed to remove excess water very effectively over the last few weeks and to return rapidly to low water levels but this should not lead to complacency. The ground water store is full and any additional rain may lead to the threat of flooding.
An on-going project for the Parish Council is the compilation of a centralised catalogue of information about the history of Weston-sub-Edge to ensure that as much documentation as possible is retained within the village, to make this information available online and to put key documents on display in the Village Hall. If you have any documents, records or photographs that might be of interest please contact the Parish Clerk or come along to a Parish Council meeting to share these.
Minutes of all Parish Council meetings are posted on the village notice board at the bus stop and on the village website, www.westonsubedge.com. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 28th January 2020 in the Village Bar at 7.30 p.m.
Councillors would like to take this opportunity to wish all parishioners a happy and healthy 2020.
