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Annual Report

         

Each year the Chairman of the Council makes a report, normally in April, reviewing the year just passed.  Below is the report covering the past year 2007/08 by the Chairman Councillor Bill McGinnis.  The Chairman's period of office ends in May.

ANNUAL REPORT 2008 - NANTWICH TOWN COUNCIL

Council Chairman Councillor Bill McGinnis

Representative Duties

Over the past twelve months I have represented the Council at 56 events, covering a wide range of the activities carried on within our town.

This connection with local organisations is important as on the one hand, it signifies that the council recognises the value of the enterprise and on the other, it is helpful in informing the council on these activities, sometimes leading to the council giving active help.

The diversity of our local organisations and the sheer effort put in by so many volunteers is impressive and in my opinion, vital to the maintenance of a decent and civilised society.  The town council awards grants to many of our local groups and I do not believe that one penny is wasted.

If I may highlight just a few of my visits during the year I would chose the following:

Joining the scouts for their centenary and renewal of the scouting promise – an early morning assembly on the town square.  This is an organisation which does immense work in preparing young people for life.  Long may they flourish.

The inaugural event of the Nantwich Fair Trade Group on the town square.  The choir from Stapeley Broad Lane School performed on a freezing morning and one little chap was so cold his hands were withdrawn into his sleeves and his head almost disappeared into his coat!  Fair Trade is a concept which could do much to help others in the developing world.

Carol Service at St. Anne’s – a scene of some confusion between the little shepherds and the three wise men resulted in one of the funniest moments of my year in office.  It almost brought the congregation to tears of laughter.  A very enjoyable carol service.

The final of the Junior Schools Indoor Sports at Malbank Sports Hall – the enthusiasm and sheer vigour of the children was so infectious – if only it could be bottled!

Nantwich Players Youth Theatre – production of Daz 4 Zoe.  This was a thought provoking piece which could be described as a cross between Romeo and Juliet and “1984”.  It is so encouraging to see the work being done with youngsters interested in the theatre.

St Mary’s production of “The Davidson Affair”.  Another inspiring work asking questions as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.  The cast were magnificent and Rev. Peter Chantry seemed born to his role.  A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

My wife Lyn accompanied me to most of the events and we are so grateful for the opportunities afforded to us.

COUNCIL BUSINESS

Planning and Development Control

One of the main functions of the council is to examine and comment upon applications of development within the town boundaries.  We have dealt with over 170 planning applications this year and responded to consultation on housing, waste disposal and planning policies.  Our response on “Eco-Towns” was swift and robust.

Car Parking

This vexed question was once again prominent, as the Town Council fights to secure adequate parking for shoppers and workers.  I am pleased to report that good progress has been made this year and we can look forward to improvement in the next few months.  Nantwich Town Football Club have almost completed the legal agreement with the Borough Council and their large car park

will soon be available for use.  We anticipate that it will be mostly workers who will use this facility, thus freeing up spaces nearer the centre for shoppers.  This agreement will achieve the objective set out by the Town Council when we awarded a substantial grant to the Football Club.

Our closer relationship with the Borough Council has seen the Board of Crewe & Nantwich approve expenditure to extend and surface the Shrewbridge Road car park and bring it into use as an addition to the existing capacity. 

The Board has also approved funds for a viability study on the possibility of some type of shuttle service linking the car parks at the Football Club, Snow Hill and Shrewbridge Road to the town centre.  This is something we have been pressing for over some years and it is pleasing to see tangible progress.

As expected, decriminalisation of car parking has now happened, although it did take longer than anticipated.  It should now prove easier to deal with illegal and inconsiderate parking but it will be necessary for the town council to monitor progress.  We are pressing for early introduction of “residents only” parking areas, where local agreement is evident.

Security and Safety

The Town Council keeps a close eye on security and safety matters through the medium of our Town Watch Committee.  On this body, there is representation from traders, licensees and the police, in addition to our councillors.  The close co-operation has been of real benefit to the town and has been used as an example elsewhere.

Once again, the Council has agreed an annual payment of £14,000 to maintain an open Police Station.  We have also contributed £1500 of the £2100 cost of a new hand-held “enforceable speed gun” which will help Inspector Hassall and his team to confront dangerous driving in some well known areas.

Grants

Each year, the Council awards grants of money to a large number of organisations which have met the Council’s basic criteria, the most important of which is a clear benefit to the people of Nantwich.  These grants are important in helping our local voluntary sector and in some cases, are vital in keeping them solvent.  An exhaustive list of the grants made may be extracted from our accounts but to give some representative flavour, the following groups have recently benefited:

·        Nantwich First Responders Emergency Service

·        The Gables Senior Citizens Luncheon Club

·        The Guy Harvey Youth Centre

·        Brine Leas and Malbank schools

·        Nantwich and District Band

·        The Cricket Club

·        The Tennis Club

·        The Rugby Club

·        Citizens Advice Bureau

·        Nantwich Players

·        Nantwich Museum

·        “Nantwich Now” and “Nantwich in Bloom”

…………and many more

Council Run Functions

A few years ago, the Council introduced the “Family Fun Day” – a sort of modern carnival day out, to be held each July.  It has proved a great success and Council has agreed to continue funding for this event.  The success of this venture is due in no small measure to the work of Vice Chairman Keith Cafferty and his hard-working team of volunteers.  The Borough Council’s Direct Works Division has also been of great help.

Last year, emboldened by the success of the “Family Fun Day” Council introduced a celebration of St. George’s Day in the form of a medieval fair.  This too, was a success and it will return again on Sunday the 20th April.  Once more, Cllr. Cafferty is at the helm.

In an effort to brighten up our Christmas atmosphere, the Council increased funding for extra lights and engaged the Nantwich District Band to perform carols and festive music on the Square during the three Sundays leading up to Christmas.  On the Sunday immediately prior to Christmas, councillors were to be found dispensing mince pies and mulled wine on the Square.  It is pleasing to note that foreign visitors to our town have commented how enjoyable this was.

The Chairman’s Dance was held in the Civic Hall in November with Todd Miller and the Joe Loss Orchestra providing the music.  David Yorke aka Siljohn moved among the tables fascinating the dancers with his sleight of hand and bag of tricks.  The event was highly enjoyable and resulted in a donation of over £640 from raffle and dance proceeds to the Royal British Legion, Nantwich Branch.

Financial Accounts

This Council is well managed in its administration of our accounts and for that we must thank our Town Clerk, Mr Riddell Graham and his assistant, Mrs Jill Geldart

In brief, council tax and grant income is around £106,000.  Interest income from our capital reserve is some £56,000.  Our revenue expenditure is around £133,000.  During the year we have paid capital grants of £170,000.

For 2008/9 council is raising the precept by 25p per month on a band ‘D’ property. 

Quality Status

During this council year, the accolade of “Quality Council” was awarded to the Council.  This award signifies that the council has met certain strict criteria laid down by Government and in essence, means that Nantwich Town Council is well run and in touch with its people.  It is timely and important for the Town as, with the advent of the new East Cheshire Authority, Nantwich may be given greater scope to deal with local matters. Only councils proving to be well managed are likely to be given such opportunities.

Achievement of the award reflects upon the combined efforts of our members and our administration officers and the work of our Town Clerk in particular, is worth special mention.

Miscellaneous Matters

We are fortunate in having access to experts in varying fields who are willing to come to our meetings and share their knowledge with us.  To mention a few, we have had informative talks from Alan Millington (Planning), David Marren (Direct Works), Doug Butterill (Nantwich in Bloom), Lucy Johnson (Tourism), Ian Dale (Weaver Valley), Andrew Cliffe (plans for Brine Leas School).

Before each Town Council meeting there is an “open forum” where any member of the public may ask questions of the Council and raise issues which are relevant to our town.  This is not often the case with council bodies.  As a general rule, the public seem to be shut out of things or find too many obstacles when they wish to raise an issue.

Our meetings are held in public and all are welcome.  There are a few residents who regularly attend and raise matters of concern but I would like to see more people take an interest and see for themselves how their Council goes about its business.  In this context, I must congratulate the Townswomen’s Guild and National Womens Register for putting us on their “roster” and making visits to our meetings.  They are always welcome.

Of the many groups which serve this town I would like to highlight two:

·    Nantwich in Bloom
This voluntary group is largely responsible for the attractive flowers and shrubs which go to make Nantwich a town to be proud of .  The members beaver away in the background, often unsung and they are not afraid to get their hands dirty.  It is only justice that their efforts have brought so many awards to the Town.  This year, they are going for the big one – the Gold.  Let’s all try to help by not dropping litter or otherwise causing an untidy appearance in our town centre.

·    Nantwich First Responders
This voluntary service is part sponsored by the Town Council and is viewed by councillors as a key component in the emergency health services on which townspeople rely.  This emergency service is usually first on the scene of an accident or medical emergency and their training and expertise is invaluable in saving lives and giving comfort.  That service is currently under threat and this Council is fighting proposals which will mean a reduction in the quality of service and may lead to its disappearance.  We view this prospect with alarm and Council has called a public meeting which will have taken place by the time this report has been issued.

There have been other notable events during the year with mixed results for Nantwich:

Brookfield Caravan Site


Following upon the Borough Council’s decision to close the caravan site, a public meeting was held at Brookfield Hall (the town council offices) and, after a lively discussion and further consideration by the Borough Officers, it was decided to obtain planning permission and allocate the land for more allotment plots.  In the last week or so work has commenced on the site.

Post Office Closures

The proposed closure of the post office services at Millstone Lane and Meeanee Drive was greeting with dismay by councillors.  The Town Council held a public meeting to gauge opinion and joined forces with the Borough Council to vigorously oppose closures in the area.  Unfortunately, the decision was taken, as many feared it would and we lost our sub post offices.  We believe that this is a short-sighted policy which will later be recognised as a gross error.  In the meantime, through the Borough Council, we are examining some options which may or may not prove viable.

In conclusion, our Council has had a busy year and has done its best to discharge its duty to the Town.  We have made progress but more work lies ahead.  I am hopeful that the improvements we have seen, particularly with the new paths along riverside, the bridges and seating on the lakeside and the tackling of grot spots will be carried forward in the years ahead.

Our achievements over the past year have only been possible through the co-operation of all members of the Council.  There may be differences of political philosophy between councillors but all members have one common aim – the betterment of Nantwich.  By pulling together, we have shown what can be done when the silliness of Yah:Boo politics is thrown out.

My thanks are due to my Chaplain, Father John Daly for a memorable Town Service and for being on hand to offer spiritual comfort. I would also like to thank the Vice Chairman Cllr Keith Cafferty and

Cllr Joyce Stockton who kindly took my place when I was unable to attend a few events and, above all, a heartfelt “thankyou” to my long suffering wife, Lyn.

COUNCILLOR BILL McGINNIS, CHAIRMAN, NANTWICH TOWN COUNCIL.

 

 

 

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  Date page last updated 22/08/2008