PARISH COUNCIL. Councillors are taking a well-earned break this month but met as usual last month.
At the meeting, councillors agreed to implement various recommendations made by internal auditor Joan Dharamshi in the light of new regulations, requiring councils to have a system of internal control, which became effective in April.
Mrs Dharam
shi was of the opinion that 'good accounting practice was seen to exist, with all transactions open to scrutiny by members of the public and parish council' and the chairman, Cllr Margaret Aston, publicly thanked the clerk, Gill Dudley, for the book-keeping.
Village Hall. The entire roof has been inspected and advice received on the best ways of remedying problems on the different areas of roof. Quotes are to be sought for both repairing the whole roof or repairing part and replacing part.
Post Box. It was reported that Royal Mail had been asked by Mr Patel to remove the post box from outside his store (which formerly housed the post office). Councillors agreed that it could be sited on the triangle of green opposite.
Youth Centre. Cllr Aston reported that David Palmer was re-elected as chairman at the AGM. The senior youth group is going well and the (newish) junior group is attracting about three dozen children each week. The issue of the quality of the cleaning at the centre was raised and Cllr Aston said she had passed on the name of a good cleaner.
Age Concern.
It was agreed that a letter should be sent to Dorothy and Peter Williams, who recently retired as secretary and chairman of Haddenham Age Concern, to thank them for all their work for the charity over the years.
Allotments. Handyman Jim Ayers is to be asked to plant hawthorn and sloe bushes in the gaps in the hedge alongside the Sheerstock alleyway, to prevent people from using the gaps as a short cut. The council had received a letter of complaint about the crowing of cockerels on the allotments in the early hours of the morning and requesting their removal. The request was refused as the birds were felt to be an intrinsic part of the allotments and the countryside.
Church End. Cllrs Aston and Chris Young and the clerk have met with Dave Chapman from Bucks County Council to discuss the problem of erosion of the grass verge there by lorries delivering to The Marble Workshop at Manor Farm. He advised higher kerbing as the best solution but said there was no money in the budget for this year; however, the parish council could put in a bid for the 2008/9 Delegated Budget.
Road Bridge. It has been requested that a warning sign be placed on the Haddenham side of the Aston Sandford bridge. The county council will look at the request when they carry out their sign review in the village.
Overhanging Branches. The council had been asked to cut back branches overhanging the Station Road pavement from Longwall but it was pointed out that this is the responsibility of householders. Villagers are reminded that they should keep pavements free of overhanging vegetation which causes a problem to blind and partially sighted villagers, to those with prams and pushchairs and also to taller people.
Newsletter. New councillor Adrian Austin-Crowe has volunteered to take on the editing of the council's quarterly newsletter.
Planning. Cllr David Truesdale reported that the planning committee meeting had had to move to the main hall to accommodate all the villagers who had come to hear the discussion on two applications for housing developments at Townsend and to express their concerns. One of the applications - to build on the old Townsend Garage site, next door to the cottage which was recently rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1989 - raised numerous objections from the council and has subsequently been withdrawn. The other was a revised scheme for the paddock between Townsend and Mallards Croft, which has still not resolved issues raised by the council about the previous application.
The committee also discussed an application to replace the house at 4 Stanbridge Road with four bungalows and a pair of semi-detached houses. Although they had no objection to the re-development of the site, and welcomed the concept of bungalows, they felt that the proposal was overdevelopment.
Open Forum. Issues raised by villagers in the Public Open Forum at the end of the meeting included: the uneven state of paving slabs by the library and New Horizons gym; a suggestion that allotment rents be raised to make the allotments self-funding; a query about whether the light sensors in the village hall light had been removed as the light was on all day; and news that the footbridge on the path between Ponnie and Kingsey has now been repaired, very solidly, by the county council, after months in a dangerous condition.
Best Kept Village. Although the news arrived too late to be reported at the July council meeting, councillors I have spoken with are delighted that Haddenham has finally succeeded in winning the Pushman Cup for the Best Kept Village - in the larger village category. Cllr Aston, who is also chairman of the playing fields committee, said that last year's judges criticised the state of the pavilion and this has now been repainted.
She thanks the committee for organising the job and providing the paint, and the team of volunteer painters, drawn from the sports clubs which use the field, who spent a whole weekend on the task. Special thanks also go to village handyman Jim Ayers, who is now sporting a celebratory 'Best Kept Village' T-shirt, and to Cllr John Wheeler, who keeps the litter under control and can often be seen around the village with his black plastic sack and his grabber.
WALKING MAP. Haddenham Safe Walking and Cycling Group member David Bradnack has recently produced an annotated sketch map showing suggested walks around the village. A3 and A4 copies of the map are available at the library for photocopying (10p for A4 and 20p for A3) and it is also available to download from www.haddenham.net.
THIS WEEK. Visitors and/or prospective members will be welcome at any of the meetings publicised below.
Garden Party. The Darby and Joan club's annual garden party is at The Malt House, Church End, today (2.30-4.30pm) and friends and supporters will also be welcome.
Time for Tea. Thanks to David and Lizzie Banister, Haddenham Third World Link will be serving tea and cakes again in the garden of Manor Farm on Friday (3-4.30pm) (or in the tithe barn if wet). Proceeds will go to the Third World projects the group is currently supporting.
Line Dance. Pondarosa Line Dance Club's next social dance is on Saturday (8-11pm) in the village hall. Entry, on the door, is £5 and you will need to bring your own refreshments.
St Mary's Fellowship. There's no meeting at St Mary's Centre on Monday as members will be taking tea with former leader Marian Sims in Thame.
Holiday at Home. There is still time to book a place (with lunch) at the Haddenham Outlook group's 'Holiday at Home' on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If you are over 60 and unable to take a holiday this year call 290247 or 299036 to book a place. The theme is 'By the Sea' and there will be entertainment, crafts, memory lane, competition for the best seaside hat etc at St Mary's Centre, 10am-4pm each day. Transport can be provided if needed.
Author Visit. Children's author Nicholas Halliday will be reading his moving new story The Lonely Tree at Haddenham library next Thursday and signed copies will be on sale. Tickets are free but numbers are limited so apply soon at the library or call 0845 2303232.
