SEALE AND SANDS PARISH COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - ANNUAL ASSEMBLY 18th MAY 2020
This is the Chairman's report for the Annual Assembly of the Parish of Seale and Sands for the year from May 2019 until today.
A warm welcome to all those who have joined us, because of the unprecedented times we are in, with the spread of the Coronavirus in the UK, no public gatherings are being allowed. So this
meeting is being held by remote video conferencing technology. The “meeting” has been advertised to the public on the Parish Council Web site, Notice Boards and direct e-mail to interested parties. Relevant documents have either been distributed or can be viewed on the web site.
The structure of the Parish Council has remained as previous, five Parish Councillors in office and Margaret Nelson is carrying out the clerking work, on a part-time basis.
Matt Furniss is the County Councillor for the Shalford Ward and Tony Rooth is the Guildford Borough Councillor and represents the Pilgrims Ward. Angela Richardson is the MP for Guildford.
Barrie and Pauline Rimmington carry out the general maintenance of the Parish, working at both Recreation Grounds and other public areas within the Parish, as required. Mr Cliff Parrott continues to monitor the Telephone Mast activity utilising the Council’s Microwave Detector Machine.
The Parish Council has representation on the following:
• Remembrance Day Service and Procession
• Surrey Association Local Councils (SALC)
• Mrs Sue Newman, a previous Parish Councillor, continues on the Board of Smith's Gift Trust
• Act as Trustee of the Seale Recreation Ground Charity
• The Liaison Group for the Runfold SITA site
• Working Groups for the restoration of Seale Lodge
• Organises an Annual Litter Picking morning
• Sits on the Seale Village Hall Committee
The number of Meetings that took place were nine, this includes one by remote:
• Meetings are advertised on the Notice Boards, in the Village News and on the Council’s web site, all open to the public
• The web site includes all the necessary information and contact numbers needed by the community, including copies of all the official documents
• Legislative requirements covering Transparency and Data Protection are observed
• The Declaration of Non & Disclosable Pecuniary Interests are in place and Councillors declare items when applicable, recorded in the minutes at each meeting.
• A new Parish Council Web site was launched, and a new computer laptop purchased.
• The Precept was increased in 2020-21 to £19,000 and the Council Tax element per person was therefore £36.91 per annum.
• Funds in Bank Accounts collate to £86,695
• Grant Aid available to spend equates to £10,827
• The Council considered 52 planning applications during the year. Noting that the Parish Council objects to retrospective planning applications on principle.
• Seale and Sands has been designated as a neighbourhood area and a Neighbourhood Plan is being formulated. Concern is still over the number of houses in the Guildford Local Plan.
Recreation Ground activities:
• Rented by Farnham Town Football Club in both The Sands and Seale
• The Summer Show is held annually on The Sands Recreation Ground
• The Pilgrims Marathon annual event is hosted at the Sands in September
• AGM Landscapes are retained to maintain the Recreation Grounds and work on any other maintenance within the Parish
• Recreation Ground Parking is available for the use of other organised village events. The gates to the Grounds are required to be locked for security reasons.
• Storage units and shelving had been completed Issues covered throughout the last year:
• Littleworth Crossroads, several accidents occurred, new signage should be in place
• Filming on Hampton Estate, caused roadside damage, £500 was donated to the Parish Council
• Noise issue still persists in a property in Puttenham Road, EA conducting the investigation
• Concerns over development on field behind Seale Lane, adjacent to Blighton Lane
• Speeding - A Community Speed Watch Team is being set up with the help of County Cllr. Matt Furniss and local resident, Simon Lipyeat as co-ordinator
• See-saw damaged in Seale Play area, Wicksteed due to replace a.s.a.p.
• Adult Fitness Equipment on order from Freshair Fitness to be installed a.s.a.p.
• Ditch clearing and Riparian Ownership, plans in place to rectify areas causing flooding
• Seale & Sands COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Community Support Group - This voluntary service was set up with David Turner co-ordinating. Thanks to Cllr. Jason Butcher and the many who volunteered and provided help to residents who were vulnerable or alone.
• Road, Footpath and Bridleway maintenance was still a regular issue, but thanks to County Cllr. Matt Furniss an agreed Action list is in place with regular updates as to when work is taking place
• The Annual Litter Picking morning was organised in April and many residents turned up to help, which made it a lot easier. Litter and Fly tipping are a consistent problem in our area.
As Councillors, we really appreciate the support of the local residents in the community; The pressure for us all to deliver solutions with no extra funding is always a challenge, and your help certainly encourages all the Councillors. Fortunately we have finance to invest as SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK paid £45,000 to Seale and Sands Parish Council for local community and environmental improvement projects, following the agreement of an enforcement undertaking offer with the Environment Agency in relation to Seale Lodge Landfill Site. This will allow us to look into potential projects to enhance our local area for some years to come.
Once again, many thanks to all fellow Councillors, Clerk, County & Borough Councillors, and especially you residents, for your help and support during the year.
Bill Nelson - Chairman of Seale and Sands Parish Council