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REPTON PARISH COUNCIL Annual
Report and Accounts for 2007/08 Quality
Councils are required to publish an annual Report &
Accounts for distribution throughout the parish they
represent. This Report and Accounts for Repton Parish
Council contains the Clerk’s report for the year, the
Chairman’s overview, and a brief summary of the
council’s financial situation.
Additionally, contact details for all parish
council members are given on the back. Chairman’s
Overview During
the year all council procedures and documentation have
been reviewed and updated where necessary to meet the
standard required of a Quality Council. The Council
Quality Accreditation Scheme confers significant
benefits upon parish councils, the communities they
represent, and the Principal Authorities with which they
work. Parish
Councillors have the unique advantage of living in the
midst of the communities they represent. This gives them
an unrivalled insight into the priorities of the
residents and the very local issues that need attention.
I have included some examples in this statement. A
matter of great concern to many local residents is the
ever-increasing volume of traffic on our village streets
and its speed. Repton is on a rat run to the A38/A50 and
being realistic we cannot expect to be able to do much
to reduce the number of cars and vans travelling through
the area. However it is possible to control speed and
Derbyshire County Council is repeatedly being urged to
implement more traffic calming measures. Of course these
must be in keeping with the character of the area. A
full review of waiting restrictions in High Street is
required. The County Council started the process over
three years ago but to date it remains unfinished. The
Parish Council is convinced that more could be done to
improve things for the benefit of residents and
continues to press for positive action by the highways
engineers based at Matlock. Requests
for more play facilities for young children in Repton
have been met by extra equipment on the Mitre Recreation
Field. As a further village amenity more bench seats
have been ordered and are to be positioned at selected
locations around Repton. Another initiative this year
was the planting of 40 lime trees on Burton Road and 20
maples at Broomhills. Plans are well in hand to plant
more trees at other locations in the autumn. Also floral
displays are to be created at the four village entrance
signs: Repton, Historic Capital of Mercia. The
Parish Council spends a significant amount of time and
money on routine work keeping Repton and Milton clean
and tidy. These efforts are often frustrated by those
who drop litter or throw it from passing cars, with no
regard for the cost of its removal. To encourage a more
responsible attitude amongst residents and visitors
litterbins have been purchased and positioned
strategically round the village. Also some existing bins
are being replaced by larger ones. All
council work is undertaken at the most competitive
available cost. Funds bequeathed by Rhoda Hemmings are
used for
suitable special projects. By prudent budgeting and a
careful review of expenditure the increase in the parish
precept has been held below the rate of inflation. I
am very pleased to say that Parish Council finances
remain robust, however it should be noted that the
balance is artificially boosted by a sum of £35,000.
This money derived from the sale of surplus assets and
it is held on deposit for a much-needed new Village
Hall. The Parish Council is not permitted to use these
funds for day-to-day expenses. I
conclude by thanking my colleagues in Repton and Milton
for their work throughout the year. Also I would like to
pay tribute to the unstinting efforts of our Council
Clerk, Celia Bunston. Celia’s dedication for the past
eight years, often beyond the call of duty, has
contributed greatly to the efficient working of this
Parish Council. John
Shortt, Chairman Clerk’s
Report for the Year
The
year began with Parish Council elections in May 2007.
Eleven candidates were nominated, which meant there was
no contest for the eleven available seats, a useful
saving in electoral expenses. Three of the previous
councillors did not stand this time and were replaced by
new candidates. The new members are Carol Lloyd, Karen
Gilliver and Gary Steel. Repton
Parish Council is now seeking Quality Council
accreditation, as all its councillors have stood for
election and it has a professionally qualified Council
Clerk to steer the process.
As part of the improvements needed to achieve the
benchmark standards the format of most council
documentation has been updated, including the minutes,
the annual report and accounts, and the ethical code. It
is important to be able to show evidence of good
communications with the electorate, the authorities, and
the press. A monthly newsletter is produced and
distributed, and council surgeries have been introduced
to give residents an opportunity to talk to a parish
councillor on a one-to-one basis. The application for
Quality Accreditation was submitted for independent
assessment at the end of the financial year. At the time
of writing the result is awaited. A
new climbing frame was installed this year on the Mitre
Field, though sadly it needed repair following vandalism
within only a couple of weeks. Throughout the summer
holidays activities such as a Climbing Wall, Laser
Games, Sports Equipment, and Skateboarding facilities
were hired by the Parish Council for young people aged 8
to 19 to enjoy. They
will be available again this year, with times and dates
listed in the Parish Magazine and on Parish Council
notice boards. Most are free as the parish council meets
all costs. Information on these and other activities in
the area is available on South Derbyshire District
Council’s website. The
Parish Council installed larger litter bins on the
sausage area near St Wystan’s lychgate.
They were painted a subtle shade of brown to
match the village map nearby and the muted colours of
the stone walls. We
think they look very smart and they have attracted
favourable comment. New seats were purchased and are to
be placed at the corner of Willington Road, Main Street
near Broomhills Lane, Milton Road, and the grass
triangle at the entrance to Tanners Lane.
More
lime trees were planted in verges going towards Newton
Solney and the cost was met from the Rhoda Hemmings
legacy. Plans
to make a permanent copy of the Ken Ash Time Line
depicting the history of Repton in alignment with
national historic events have not progressed very far,
partly due to problems in transferring the information
onto a suitable material. However we do understand that
when these are resolved it can be installed in St
Wystan’s Church as long as it is not attached to the
walls. This is an historic piece of work of great value
to the village and its area. It is important that it is
finished this year and every effort will be made to do
so. Again
the legacy will be used to cover the cost. South
Derbyshire District Council carried out a new survey of
low cost housing needs in Repton in January. This is
part of a government initiative to assess housing
requirements in parishes with fewer than 3000
inhabitants. The outcome should soon be known. Low cost
housing (affordable housing) is intended for people on
low incomes and is purpose built by a Housing
Association for rental or shared ownership. Twelve such
houses were previously constructed at the top of
Longlands in 2002. Following
many complaints of dog fouling on public playing areas
an application was made for Dog Control Orders to be
enacted. Such Orders will ban all dogs from Mitre Field
and will require any crossing Broomhills Field to be
kept on leads. For
a number of years the west wall of Broomhills Pavilion
has suffered from damp penetration, and during this year
South Derbyshire District Council instructed contractors
to carry
out work after conducting their own investigation on the
building. The
Parish Council now has plans to have the building
decorated. Some
80 planning applications were considered and most were
accepted with little difficulty. A housing development
behind Pinfold Lane, which had previously been rejected,
went to appeal but was again refused. The
parish precept forms the major part of the parish
council’s income and is used for essential village
maintenance - grass cutting, pavement sweeping, litter
removal, upkeep of public facilities and so on. The
precept for 2008/9 was set at £13,350, an increase of
3.5%. Village
improvements such as bench seats are funded from capital
reserves. Summary
Financial Statement Balance
brought forward 1/4/2007
£66554 Annual
Precept
£12900 Total
other receipts
£21303
Staff
Costs
£5141
Total
other payments
£29468
Balance
carried forward 31/3/2008
£66148 Total
fixed assets
£32527 Total
Borrowings
£0 |