Boxley Parish Mail
CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline Bowdery ASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU
Tel: 01634 861237 email:
clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website:
www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained from the parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website
on the agenda THE future of well-used an- cient woodland is being con- sidered by the parish council. The 4.3 hectare site at Cuckoo
Cuckoo Woods PCSO contract concerns
Wood, near Boarley Lane, is popular with schools, Scout groups and dog walkers. Part of it is believed to be owned by the Crown Estate, and Burleigh Drive Residents Association has suggested the parish coun- cil could buy and take respon- sibility for that area. The residents’ group has been working with the Mid Kent Downs Countryside Partner- ship (MKDCP) to produce a draft management plan. Councillors acknowledged the importance of preserving an- cient woodland, but concerns were expressed about mainte- nance costs and the proportion- ate benefit to neighbouring areas outside the parish. Members agreed to further in- vestigations, including possible partnership working with Maidstone Council, KCC and other groups such as MKDCP, future maintenance costs and grant opportunities.
Trees protected RESIDENTS living near Walderslade Woods are being reminded that the trees are cov- ered by tree preservation orders and cannot be cut or felled without permission. Properties close to areas deemed “at risk” of unauthorised work will be subject to an information letter drop. The information leaflet is available on its website or from the parish office.
BOXLEY Parish Council has set out its position on the proposed abolition of the concurrent functions grant (CFG) scheme, which recompenses parish councils for providing certain services that the non-parished areas receive from Maidstone Council. In 2010-11, Boxley received a
grant of £47,000,more than one third of its funding, from the scheme, with the rest coming mainly from the precept. But the borough-wide grant
was cut from £500,000 to £303,000 for 2011-12, resulting
CHAIRMAN Ivor Davies re- ported on ameeting with senior neighbourhood policing officers to discuss Boxley’s concerns about the PCSO being deployed outside the parish. In return for paying 50% of
the PCSO’s salary, the parish had understood, when the con- tract was negotiated, that it would have 100% of the offi- cer’s time, operational require- ments excepted. However, Boxley’s PCSO
Andy Hawthorn was now also required to cover Bredhurst, which appeared to be in breach of the spirit, if not the precise
wording of the contract. The police argued that, be-
cause dedicating a PCSO solely to one parish was no longer op- erationally possible, the Box- ley/Bredhurst arrangement was unavoidable. In the parish council’s view, this called into question the future of the con- tract. If Boxley parish withdrew
from the contract by giving six months notice, the police would then decide how to cover the ward, which includes Bred- hurst.
Parish clerk Pauline Bowdery said: “Although the police have
Yew tree ‘causing wall cracks’
THEfuture ofayewtree whichis causing cracks inanancient listedwall at St Mary and All Saints’ Church (pictured) is under discussion by Box- ley Parish Council. The council
was asked to consider remov- ing the tree, which is behind the war memo- rial, because of fears that the wall may col- lapse.
Memberswere
surprised tolearn that old photo- graphs showthat the tree, which is a large speci- men, is only about 60 years old. It was agreed to investigate whether root pruningwould solve the problem. The tree is notownedby the parish, but is inthe closed churchyard, for
which the parish council has responsibility for maintenance and health and safety. The church will be consulted.
Opposing cuts to concurrent functions funding
in the parish council’s grant being cut to £33,200. A further 33% reduction was threatened for the current year (2012-13), but after considerable lobbying by the Maidstone branch of the Kent Association of Local Coun- cils (KALC), the allocation re- mained at the previous figure (although devalued by infla- tion).
Under MBC’s new proposals,
the CFG would be abolished and replaced with a “parish services scheme”, under which each parish councilwould have to negotiate with the borough
for funds from the various line- managers’ budgets. The out- come is expected to be little funding for parishes. Boxley Parish Council sup-
ports Maidstone KALC’s efforts to resist abolition of CFG, and if this fails, its proposed introduc- tion of differential rates of coun- cil tax between parished and non-parished areas. The parish will continue to work with Maidstone KALC to negotiate a settlement with the borough. Further details can be found
on the parish council’s website under its financial page.
to ensure that each ward has an allocated PCSO, most cover two or three wards, depending on population. Furthermore, PCSO Hawthorn was not involved in the last PCSO shake-up because of the contract.” Councillors decided to notify
the police that unless they agree to reinstate 100% cover, the parish would consider a resolu- tion at its December meeting to withdraw from the contract. Councillors were, however, concerned about the potential loss of PCSO Hawthorn, as they valued his presence in the parish.
Speed checks SPEED checks were carried out in Boxley Road/Beechen Bank Road on November 1. PCSO Andy Hawthorn said 61 vehi- cles were recorded between 8.30am and 9.30am, with five exceeding the speed limit by enough to be prosecuted. Further checks will be arranged and the PCSO will collate the figures to support a request for enforcement. The parish council intends to re- sume its Speedwatch operation, but needs volunteers. Anyone interested should contact the parish office.
Royal visit plaque A PLAQUE marking the visit of Prince Edward and the Count- ess of Wessex to the parish as part of the Queen’s Diamond Ju- bilee celebrations is being con- sidered for installation at Beechen Hall. The commemorative tablet
that the Royal couple unveiled at the Weavering Diamond Ju- bilee Orchard in June will shortly be installed near the or- chard.
Community grants THE parish council has de- cided not to award a commu- nity project grant this financial year after the two submitted ap- plications did not fully satisfy all the relevant criteria. A budget of £10,000 had been allocated to benefit local schemes. It was agreed to pro- vide funding for next year after reviewing the scheme and amend the criteria if necessary.
The chairman, councillors and staff of Boxley Parish Council would like to wish all of its residents a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
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