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From time to time during the course of the year the Parish Council produce and distribute to every household newsletters. Below you will find the most recently produced newsletter that was distributed in November 2008.
From the Parish Council Chairman
Following our Special Parish Meeting in August to discuss the issues affecting Westerfield from the options provided by the Boundary Committee on the provision of Unitary Authorities in Suffolk, a response was submitted that is now being considered along with the many other views from local authorities and individuals. It appears that only a minority were in favour of the proposal for North Haven (a Greater Ipswich) and a Rural Suffolk. Most support was for the One Suffolk option although many favoured the three unitary option of Ipswich, East Suffolk, West Suffolk (For those with good memories-how it was before 1974). Not surprisingly there were many comments to suggest leave it as it is (Known as the Status Quo). There are many rumours about the likely outcome but there has been no indication from the Boundary Committee and it is now wait and see until after Christmas when the decision will be announced. Hopefully we will be able to give more details at the next Parish Council Meeting in January.
Many of you contacted me about the planning application for a Parkland Burial Ground at Tuddenham. We were not formally consulted but obtained the details and considered the information put forward by the developer. The access to the site can be designed for safety but the impact of the extra traffic generated on roads in the surrounding areas could be considerable if the level of usage was to approach the upper limits of 5 burials per day as in the application. The Parish Council were concerned about the possibility of extra traffic on Moss Lane, Church Lane and Lower Road and also regretted the loss of such a large area of arable land at a time when we should be looking to increasing our own food production. These views have been submitted to Suffolk Coastal District Council as they seek to determine this application.
Finally, it is with regret that one of your Parish Councillors has had to resign due to continuing ill health. Alan Banks had spent many years working abroad and having settled back into Westerfield he was looking forward to serving the village when he joined the Council in the summer of 2007. He has been unwell for some months and has reluctantly offered his resignation from the Council. We thank Alan for the work he has done on our behalf and we remember Alan and his family at this time as he struggles with his illness.
This leaves a vacancy on the Parish Council to be filled and any parishioner who would like to be considered to serve in this way should contact either myself or the Clerk to discuss the requirements and procedures for nomination.
Notice of Vacancy on Parish Council
Any parishioner requesting an election to fill the current vacancy should notify the Returning Officer, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Melton Hill, Woodbridge, IP12 1AU by December 8th 2008. An election will be called on receipt of ten requests. If an election is not called the Parish Council may fill this post by co-option.
Community Speedwatch
Westerfield PC are hoping to co-operate with other local parishes to obtain and operate a Speed Gun in a bid to reduce speeding in our villages. Volunteers are needed who will be trained by Police and will operate within strict guidelines. All equipment will be provided and all sites will be approved by the Police. Please discuss with a Councillor if you are interested in being a part of this project to increase our safety.
Broadband Access in Westerfield
BT Has acknowledged that improvement is needed in the village but a push from users was needed to get the work programmed. Many people said they are unsatisfied but only 11 signed a petition organised by Jeff Rolph (Tel 211015) that would have urged BT to get this work done. This would hardly influence BT to change the current programme and it appears that we are well down the list of priorities and will have to live with our present problems.
From Yvonne Maynard
I Hope I have contacted everyone who is interested in a village oil buying syndicate-with all the price changes and the volatility of the market, the timing wasn’t right for this year. I could have probably made a saving of £10 per household but I didn’t think the saving was sufficient to take the responsibility of deciding when to make the purchase as the pricing was changing daily. However if you wished to purchase oil with a neighbour, I think there could be some small savings to be had – and one less delivery at least. I was thrilled to get such a fantastic response and disappointed that the ‘market’ had changed. I am very willing to have another go next autumn and will contact everyone. The whole process did help on sorting our payments and delivery maps (each household can pay separately etc) so a good learning curve, just didn’t save money or the environment this time. Look out for more ‘green’ initiatives next year.
Peter Miller(Chairman)
Longways, Main Road,
Westerfield. IP6 9AJ.
Tel 01473 212316.
Pmiller357@aol.com
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