Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council

March

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 24th MARCH 2010 - 8 pm.

Please join us for your forum at the Free Church, Chapel Hill.

Along with The Link you should have received the papers for use at the Annual Parish Meeting which describe the work of the Council, a financial Review and future objectives.
In addition there will be a presentation relating to the Parish Plan and the recent questionnaire as well as an exhibition in the lobby on re-equipping and developing the play areas following discussions with manufacturers and after site visits.

PARKING RIGHTS AND WRONGS

The clarification and enforcement of parking regulations concern many people, with parking on pavements causing much irritation.  The Parish Council is convening a meeting with the Police and Uttlesford District Council (responsible for parking attendants).  Following this meeting it is hoped to publish details of what regulations will be enforced and where.

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR?

Following the resignation of Gaye Ellington after her marriage, there is a vacancy to be filled on the Parish Council.  The vacancy will be advertised on the noticeboards.  If more than one candidate, then Uttlesford District Council will call an election.    If there are no candidates then the Parish Council willl use its power of co-option.  May we take this opportunity to thank Gaye Ellington for her contribution over the past three years and to wish her the very best in her new home.  

COPING WITH THE COLD WEATHER

For many weeks the weather has been very wintry with plenty of snow, frost, mist and rain.  For most of us this is little more than inconvenient.  However, we would like to thank Gerard Frogley for his continuing efforts to keep the parish tidy and always with a smile.Although criticising the efforts of councils is common and can be justified, it is only right to thank the work-force of Essex County Council who gritted the main roads and footpaths in the parish.  Compared with the position in Bishop’s Stortford we were well served.  A Snow Summit has been convened by ECC during March to consider the out-turn and look to learn lessons for next winter, if necessary.

BRINGING THE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU TO STANSTED

This is a well-used service and, in these difficult economic conditions, is receiving ever more clients. It is planned to have a fortnightly morning session on a Thursday with clients being seen by appointment. The sessions will be held at the Children’s Centre in Lower Street - many thanks for their kind offer. The Parish Council will help by funding the purchase of a laptop to be dedicated to meeting the needs of the Citizen Advice Bureau here.

LITTER

Our thanks go to Gerard, our litter collector, for his hard work over the winter period.  Picking up litter at any time is a thankless task but the elements conspired to make his job that much harder.
On the subject of rubbish, a warning from Uttlesford District Council regarding our brown bins.  Whilst Tesco carrier bags are marked as biodegradable, they are actually not fully compostable and cannot be used in the brown bins.  Please use newspaper or cardboard to wrap your food waste, or the bags available from Uttlesford, the Parish Council Offices, the Co-Op and other outlets at £4.99 for a roll of 50 bags.
And finally …… dog mess.   The two beautiful nature reserves are walked by many people, with or without dogs – please be responsible and clean up after your pets.

TREES

Whilst most people realise that consent is required to undertake work to trees bearing Tree Preservation Orders, we would like to remind readers that consent is also required if you live in a Conservation Area.  If you live in such an area and are planning to undertake any work to trees, please contact the planning department at Uttlesford District Council (planning@uttlesford.gov.uk) BEFORE you start work.

STANSTED YOUTH CENTRE

The centre is now back into full swing after the Christmas break and the dreaded snow!!!The numbers are good and the young people are excited at the projects that they have got planned for this year.
Just before Christmas 6 young females took part in a 6 week Emotional Wellbeing Course, they enjoyed drama, dance, art and discussion all based around different feelings and how we cope with them. For their participation they will receive an Essex Youth Certificate.
The young people have began work on the Mosaic and Mural project that is going to brighten up the outside of the centre and our storage unit. These murals will depict well known landmarks around Stansted and from Northern Ireland where the young people visited last year. The mosaics will be of the young people themselves and the hobbies and activities they enjoy taking part in, like BMXing and fishing. The young people are also learning about Gaudi and his famous mosaic’s and how mosaics first started with the Romans. It is then hoped if funding can be sourced to take some of the young people to Barcelona in June to see Gaudis work for themselves.
With Spring hopefully nearly here the garden project will again be bursting into activity again with the initial clearing and cleaning and then planting and caring. Plans for the garden this year is construction of a giant chess board made with paving slabs for outdoor chess games and a barbque area. Our garden crew led by Tom Williams have been eager to get started and the fact that the trees surrounding the garden have been drastically cut back during the winter means less leaves to clear prior to planting and more light for the plants to enjoy.
Spring also sees our Belfast friends first visit to Stansted. 30 young people from 2 youth centres are coming to spend a week with us to see how our youth centres operate and what life is like in Essex. The young people come from the two areas of Belfast that have seen lots of sectarian unrest and are part of the reconciliation process so we hope to make their stay with us as enjoyable as possible.
If anyone would like more details about the youth centre please contact Linda Barnes on 07920466923

FLOODSAX® THE MODERN SANDBAG

Yes, you read it correctly as sandbags and sand are becoming no longer available, Uttlesford District Council is looking into purchasing a product from FloodSax® to protect your property. FloodSax®) are about the size of a small pillow but can hold up to 22 litres of water. Unlike sandbags, which can be heavy and difficult to move, they are ideal for the elderly or frail who can use them in an emergency. They can also be used for up to five years, which is considerably longer than sandbags, which start to break down and become useless after just a few months. By having them stored in the house they can be deployed at very short notice to block the water coming through the front and back doors or to prevent the unpleasantness of lavatories overflowing. They effectively act like a giant sized nappy. One kit called DoorPac includes size 4 FloodSax® (38cm x 38cm) + 1 FloodSax® (100 x 20cm)Each FloodSax® weighs 0.5kg when dry & 12kgs when energised. Capable of absorbing 12 litres per FloodSax® Each pack comes vacuumed-packed and contains 5 FloodSax® and will protect a single door against water up to a height of 6 inches.Hopefully each pack will cost less than £30. Larger kits are available for garage doors and commercial premises. More information is available at the Council Office or District Councillor John Salmon, Chairman of Stansted Emergency committee.So why not find out more information and if your house is liable to flooding buy one and keep it on a shelf handy for when you need it.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH UPDATE

On Wednesday 27 January 2010, we had a successful NhW Public Meeting.  We now have 90 co-ordinators covering the village and this reflects the hard work of the Steering Committee during the last twelve months.
Later this year you will see six large reflective NhW Signs in place at the entrance roads to the village, some old signs replaced and new ones purchased.
The ‘Observer’ magazine continues to be distributed throughout the village by the street co-ordinators, who are also available to pass on any problems that occur in your area.
To find out more about the running and work of Stansted NhW you are very welcome to attend the next Public Meeting, which will take place in Stansted Free Church Lecture Hall, Chapel Hill on Wednesday 26 May at 7.30 pm.
Contacts: Cllr Valerie Trundle - 01279 813433    Mrs Diane Roberts -  01279 813089

STANSTED IN BLOOM

Just a reminder that ‘Stansted in Bloom’ is once again on the agenda and will take place during the months of June and July this year - so it is now time to start thinking about and planning your summer gardens!
If you have any new ideas on how we can carry this event forward in the future, please feel free to contact Cllr Valerie Trundle - 01279 813433.

POLICE UPDATE

We hope that the beginning of the year has been a good one so far.  Crime wise we have been lucky and the village remains a low crime area.Although before Christmas we did suffer with a couple of burglaries, we have not had any since but we do remind people to keep their properties and cars secure.  We also ask for you to be vigilant and please report any suspicious activities to us.  We are still suffering with thefts from outbuildings in the surrounding rural villages, so please keep your sheds etc locked and any high value items out of sight for the opportunist.The Stansted Neighbourhood Watch have been doing a great job in recruiting members over the last year and practically have the whole village covered.  In the near future a web page will be launched for NhW so that members of the public can sign up for updates and view what is happening locally.  We would like to remind you that we have regular meetings for the public to attend and discuss any issues that you may have.We have the Neighbourhood Action Panel (NAP) meetings which are held every six weeks where we decide what the Neighbourhood Policing Team priorities will be for the next six weeks. Our Beat Surgeries are now being held at the Library once a month from 3-5 pm on the following dates:  17 March, 14 April, 12 May and 9 June.  All details of our meetings, the local Neighbourhood Policing Team and their priorities can be found on our website at www.essex.police.uk by looking under ‘Your Neighbourhood’ or please do not hesitate to call us on the Community Mobile: 07801 461 666. Stansted Neighbourhood Policing Team. 

NEWS FROM UTTLESFORD D.C.

I have had good news from Essex Police about parking on pavements. They are to run a campaign with leaflets to persuade people to be more considerate about where they park their cars, whether that is on yellow lines or across pavements and grass verges. Please look out for publicity on the campaign as your help may be needed. I have had complaints about inconsiderate parking in Lower Street which I have passed on to the police.
The intended developer of the old school house next to the Free Church in Chapel Hill is based in Epping. He told me in early February that he aims to start work in February. Fingers crossed! 
I know that some people feel aggrieved that the 510 bus from the airport to Stortford and Harlow does not come through the centre of Stansted. I have used the 510 and walked from Pesterford Bridge, but that would not suit many people. A review of the 7/7A bus is currently underway so I have asked whether this bus could be extended up Church Road to Walson Way when that road opens. This would then provide an interchange with the 510. I have complained about the poor timekeeping of the 301 bus. There seems to be a defect in the timetable that needs sorting out.   
Uttlesford has been trying to save costs by running some service in a partnership arrangement with other councils. This means that costs such as management and computers can be shared and so duplication can be cut out. Car parks are already managed this way under an agreement with Braintree and Colchester councils. Since last summer discussions have been underway with South Cambridgeshire to join together the two councils’ teams that collect taxes and pay out benefits. At the end of January the deal seemed to fall apart when South Cambs asked for what appeared to be terms that suited them but would be unreasonable to Uttlesford. As I write at the start of February the deal seems to be in the balance, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that common sense will prevail on both sides. After all, if upwards of £500,000 of taxpayers’ money can be saved each year for as good or better service, then the two councils should do all they can to bring off the deal. 
(Cllr Alan Dean)

Temporary Accommodation-Manor Road

At the last meeting of the Community and Housing Committee members considered a report which advised councillors to revaluate the use of land in Manor Road.  Instead of providing short stay emergency accommodation it was resolved that the garage site would be used to provide two permanent two bedroom social housing units.  Two units of council accommodation at Molehill Green, Takeley have been identified as an alternative use of emergency accommodation.  Officers have had discussions with Chelmer Housing who have confirmed that the garage site, Manor Road can provide two permanent two bedroom houses.  This is the type of accommodation in most demand by those registered on the Housing Register.

Citizens’ Panel

It is vital that Councils engage with their residents.  One of the ways this can be done is to set up a Citizens’s Panel.  I have always been a keen advocate of this and am glad it is finally seeing the light of day. The Citizens Panel a consultative body made up of residents in the district, which is representative of the district as a whole in terms of age, ethnicity, gender etc.  Officers have been working to establish a Citizens Panel for Utllesford.  It is likely the panel will contain 500 people.  About 200 people have already expressed an interest. The panel would work by sending our four questionnaires a year, initially by post but then asking if members wish to be consulted on-line instead.  It is intended that the panel commences its work during the financial year 2010/11.  If you think you might be interested in serving on the panel please contact Richard  Auty, Head of Community Engagement on 07199 510500. Alternatively, you can email him at RAuty@uttlesford.gov.uk
(Cllr Geoffrey Sell)