ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH OF BOXLEY


Boxley Parish Council Chairman’s Report for the year 2016/17


This is my first annual report and the full report is available on the parish council’s website. May I start by thanking everyone for their support in my first year as Chairman of the Parish Council.


It has been an extremely busy year for the parish council especially with regards to planning and the Environment Committee, chaired by Wendy Hinder has undertaken sterling work to represent the parish council, local communities and residents. The Parish Council made strong representations to the Maidstone Local Plan Public Inquiry, attending the Public Inquiry in Medway for the application for 450 houses at Gibraltar Farm. In view of the impact of additional traffic from development the Environment Committee has after a meeting with County Councillor Paul Carter, produced a highway report on the adverse impact of commuter parking in Grove Green, too much traffic on local roads and all the problems associated with all the additional development gained residents support. I appeared before the Maidstone Joint Transport Board to submit the report and the parish council is now awaiting the outcome.


The parish council still works hard to support its community and along with the grants that are made available for local organisations it decided to place in its 2017/18 budget a sum of £40,000 to pay for highway improvements and a further £15,000 for additional maintenance this is an extremely proactive stance and shows the parish council is willing to go the extra mile.


The Environment Committee are involved in many local issues and I commend the committee members for their diligence and hard work. Residents appear to appreciate the fact that not only are their concerns and views taken on board but through the community alert system they are being kept updated.


The Estates Committee ably chaired by Vic Davies has also been extremely busy planning improvements for Beechen Hall, looking after Dove Hill Allotments, the burial ground and of course Weavering Diamond Jubilee Orchard, the play area of which now has a


36 Maidstone East June 2017


magnificent slide depicting the fruits of the orchard. With the support of Kent Downs AONB a grant was received from Tescos for this and for some educational work with the local school. The installation of kestrel boxes at the orchard, allotments and on Weavering Heath I think indicates the commitment of the parish council to all its residents.


The creation of the Beechen Hall Extension Working Group to take on the project to extend the small room meant more hard work for a small group of councillors and the office staff. It is still early days but I have no doubt that with this team of able people the project will be a success. Whilst I would not generally single out individuals for recognition it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge Councillor Paul Dengate’s dedication and hard work in this group.


I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the Beechen Hall staff who keep it in excellent conditions and who are also representatives of the parish council when they meet hirers of the hall.


Our third committee, Finance & General Purposes, kept a careful eye on expenditure throughout the year and set a budget for 2017/2018 which only includes a small rise in the precept, part of which was caused by the Government withdrawing its grant to parish councils. Under the watchful eye of its Chairman Ivor Davies this committee ensures the parish council works prudently and that it also supports local organisations with grants, ranging from hundreds to thousands of pounds. The committee also plays a vital role in ensuring that the parish council works in an open and accountable way and that by the use of policies and procedures residents can, by accessing the website and attending meetings, see this for themselves. It is from this professional approach that the parish council has managed its reserves and is now able to release money to pay for the highway and additional maintenance work that is planned.


Boxley Parish is large and has many halls, beautiful areas and habitats which all need some form of maintenance. For many years volunteers have given up time, money and effort,


Bob Hinder


Chairman Boxley Parish Council 8th May 2017


often back breaking effort, to keep these facilities and areas open and safe for visitors. This is not without problems, especially in the North Ward with off road bikers, and the pool of volunteers also seems to be getting smaller so I am appealing for more volunteers to come forward to help their local groups. The parish council financially supports many of these organisations as it recognises that without all the volunteered hours our parish and communities would be poorer off.


In addition to Vinters Valley NR, Walderslade Woodlands Group, Friends of Boxley Warren, the volunteer litter pickers, Weavering, Grove Green and Sandling hall management committees there are numerous other groups including The Scouts, Brownies, PTAs, community groups etc. that add to the rich tapestry that is a community and again appreciation is given.


With the help of Councillor Paul Dengate the parish council has gradually expanded its use of the internet to reach its parishioners. With the hard work of the office staff the parish council keeps its website updated with news, agenda and minutes, Facebook is also used but in recent months due to various planning and highway issues at Grove Green the Community Alert E-mail system has proved invaluable not only in keeping residents updated but also allowing them to have an easy conduit to the parish office and therefore the council.


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