Cllr Andy Wright
Sadly our long standing colleague Andy Wright passed away on 25th March and we would like to place on formal record, via this Newsletter in part, our thanks and appreciation for the over 40 years of dedication and service he gave to the village.
‘It’s everyone’s business’ Update
Whilst everything in this Newsletter is newsworthy, we want to put this towards the top of the list.
We have increased the coverage of our CCTV network and will continue to do so once funding streams are identified but in the interim if you witness anything you are concerned about please make sure that you report it, not only to 101 but to the Parish Council, your District Councillors and, if you are a tenant, to your landlord or housing association. The only way things can improve is if the relevant agencies have the evidence/statistics to develop action plans and take action against those people in our community who appear to have little or no regard for other people’s hard work and property.
Reporting to the Police can be done online at https://www.cambs.police.uk/report/Report-Shared/Report-a-crime.
Elections – New Council
At the Parish Council elections, held on 2nd May 2019, only 11 people stood which left the Parish Council with 4 vacancies. We have now co-opted to those vacancies and the new Councillors are getting to grips with their new roles. One more vacancy has since arisen and we will be co-opting to this vacancy at our meeting in September.
The Paddocks
The area has now been cleared of the brambles/undergrowth and the dead trees removed. The grass is being cut on a regular basis and the entire area is now completely unrecognisable from this time last year. The Clerks have created display boards with questionnaires and a few Councillors have, so far, conducted consultations with the pupils of Littleport Community Primary School and the Scouts. There will be other face to face consultations with the other schools/youth groups in the village and then a ‘drop-in’ event will be held in the Village Hall [date to be set] to further mould the ideas around what we hope can be installed there (funds permitting of course).
Grants
The Parish Council have been fortunate again this year to be awarded grants for further upgrades to the CCTV, new fencing around the Urban Art Project and are currently compiling bids for further grants for funding other initiatives which will be announced once we find out if we’ve been successful in our applications.
What’s On Website
One of the most exciting projects has been the design and “going live” of the new Littleport What’s On Website. This is a community led initiative and all groups in the village will be invited to upload details of regular events as well as one-off’s. Whilst the Parish Council is funding this site, the site is the property of the community and, we hope, will be the first port of call for anyone wanting to know what’s going on in the village.
Local Highway Initiative Bid
At the time of going to press we are working on a new LHI bid. There is a new system in place this year insofar as County Council officers will work with us on working up a feasibility study to make sure that our final application is robust when ultimately submitted to the Panel in November. We were successful in our bid last year for two further MVAS units and these are expected to be delivered and installed shortly.
Christmas Lights
Last year we received a comprehensive quote for additional lights, with the resultant additional wiring required, and this is being looked at by the new Festive Lights Working Group with a view to selecting which elements of the list we can afford to do for this coming festive season.
Collaborative Working
The Parish Council is continuing to work in collaboration with the Police, the Community Safety Partnership and other agencies with the formation of a small Problem Solving Group which meets monthly to identify and log instances of anti social behaviour of all kinds. This group is invaluable for providing “on the ground” information/intelligence to the wider Police led Problem Solving Group and enables those agencies with power to act are in receipt of all up to date/relevant information. Again, to reiterate the first part of this newsletter, if you witness anything that doesn’t “feel right” please report to the Police, the Parish Council, your District Councillors and, if appropriate, your Landlord or Housing Association. If things are not reported then no action can be taken – comments on Facebook don’t count!
Transport Plan
Work has now almost been completed on working up Littleport’s Transport Plan. It is anticipated that this will be presented to full Council in September and once accepted and adopted will be lodged with ECDC to aid them in determining planning applications that come forward for the village. Once the document is adopted it will be posted on our website and a link posted in our Littleport Parish Council Group on Facebook.
Awards
At the Annual Village Meeting held on 13th May the Parish Council awarded Mrs Joanne Coe with the Citizen of the Year award in recognition of the sterling work she has done with the younger residents of the village at ThePORT. Our congratulations to Jo and her team of volunteers.
A new allotment holder has been awarded Allotment of the Year in recognition of the diversity of planting and the overall neatness/tidiness and comprehensive planting of her allotment, so congratulations to Tanya Fukes. Tanya’s prize will be presented at the Parish Council meeting to be held in October.
Littleport Business Partnership
And lastly for this Newsletter, the new Littleport Business Partnership is beginning to take shape. We’re currently building our database and will be contacting all businesses in the village very soon. We plan on organising, amongst other things, a business breakfast as a networking opportunity to help people to grow their businesses and contacts within the village. It really could be a case of not “what you know” but “who you know”. The Parish Council will be supporting this new venture for a couple of years but it is hoped that over time the partnership will grow and become self sustaining. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook group to find out more as plans develop.
Summing Up …
With lots of plans/aspirations bubbling away the next 18 months at least are going to be very busy for your Parish Council and we hope to be able to publicise finalised plans very soon – Watch This Space!