Dear Residents
It will not come as a surprise to anyone who witnessed or has heard about the vexatious behaviour of some residents there, that myself and the three remaining councillors and the clerk have all tendered their resignations
At this point, it is good to reflect on the achievements that have been made in the last three years since I became Chair:
The Neighbourhood plan is complete and the referendum is scheduled for the 3rd July.
Supported by the Council and a grant, the museum is an independent charitable trust and is looking to great things in the future.
The Allego electric charging points are in operation and bringing the council a small annual income to add to the coffers.
We have maximised the Section 106 funds to the benefit of our village with a fully refurbished play area at Earls Colne Recreation Club; enhancements to Queens Road and Hayhouse Road Allotments. Sadly, we did not get to complete the planting scheme with S106 money, but all the groundwork has been done for the any new councillors to take on.
We have established ownership rights through the land registry to give further protection to the Village Greens in the future.
The Hobbs Way Open Space is within a hairs breadth of becoming a new open space for the village.
Internal and external refurbishment of the village hall is underway, or has taken place making it more sustainable and fit for the future. It now has WiFi throughout, available for hirers, and a projector and sound system in the small hall.
We have a new portable Public Address system that can be used for Village events like Remembrance Day.
For the first time in many years, we have managed to secure grants totalling in the region of £140,000.
We have run a very successful calendar of events, with some notable favourites such as The Warm Hub, The Warm Welcome, VE Day events, Remembrance Day, and have partnerships with other local groups like the Stane Street Players and The Horticultural Society.
Our hard -working Community Workers have been provided with all the necessary clothing and equipment to fulfil their tasks, and we offer our heartfelt thanks for their efforts and their loyalty. You can see the result of this in the tidiness and general appearance of the village. We have now engaged the services of a nationally recognised body to ensure that all our Health and Safety obligations are met and that all policies and processes are kept up to date in line with rapidly changing legislation. In their first of continuing annual risk assessments, we achieved an excellent score.
The 2024/25 Annual Accounts have been finalised and vigorously scrutinised by an independent auditor and with a clean bill of health, they are now ready for submission to the Government appointed external auditor.
This has all been achieved despite never having had a full complement of Councillors and bears testament to the hard work and dedication of most of the councillors I have had the pleasure to work with, and especially our clerk of two years, Dee Ellison.
Best wishes
Nikki Spelling
Regulation 16 Consultation Version September 2024
