Parish Cake Autumn 2017

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update News and views from Cranbrook & Sissinghurst Parish Council, compiled by Kim Fletcher What is a Parish Council for and How Does it Work? THE CRANBROOK and Sissinghurst Parish Council is the first level of getting things done in the community. Elected councillors take decisions that affect everyone’s lives in a small way. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) makes bigger decisions, Kent County Council (KCC) takes bigger ones still, and eventually the buck stops with Helen Grant, our member of parliament. The ‘glue’ that makes all this happen is the work of the committees in the parish council, the monthly parish meeting, and the clerks who sit in the Weald Information Centre, at the bottom of the church steps. PARISH COUNCIL There are 15 elected members of our parish council, who are elected for four years, including chairman Cllr. Bridget Veitch. The parish council has a monthly meeting to which all members of the parish are welcome. Reports are given from the various committees and a vote taken on their decisions to make them binding and for your precept money to be spent. Questions from members of the parish can be asked at the end of the meeting. We have the following committees: Planning and Preservation – chaired by Cllr. Alison Bunyan This committee meets every fortnight to give feedback to TWBC on the local view on any planning applications. As Cranbrook and Sissinghurst have so many listed buildings, the planning committee work with local groups and individuals to try to maintain a balance between modern living and the historic character of the town. The committee can only advise the TWBC planning department, not instruct it. Environmental Management – chaired by Cllr. Andy Fairweather This committee looks after playground equipment, the allotments, the car parks and street lights. The countryside in the parish is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) so it balances the modern way of living with the rural nature of the parish Burial Grounds and Properties – chaired by Cllr. Brian Clifford The parish own buildings and land so this committee looks after the cemeteries, grass cutting, grave allocation and properties such as the Vestry Hall. It ensures that maintenance is done in a timely manner and that the buildings are safe. Policy and Resources – chaired by Cllr. Peter Goodchild Each sub committee has a chairman and they all sit on this committee with the parish council chairman, deputy and finance member. Members ensure the left and right hands know what is going on. It is this committee that works out finances and give the sub committees their budgets for the year. Each sub committee has a five year forward plan for expenditure, so we put money aside to pay for major projects which may occur in the future, such as painting the outside of the Vestry Hall or renewing some play equipment (each piece costs about £6,000). A reserve is also held for emergencies. Policy and Resources also looks after our most valuable assets, the parish clerks, Lori and Laura. The clerks act as the ‘do-ers’ for the parish – they report issues to TWBC, contact suppliers and contractors, and act as the front line in communication for parishioners. They work alongside Lynn from Tunbridge Wells in the Weald Information Centre, and if one doesn’t know the answer, one of the others probably does! Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) – chaired by Cllr. Nancy Warne The Parish Council is responsible for the delivery of the NDP. Led by Cllr. Nancy Warne, the NDP Steering Group is made up of councillors and non-councillors. Through public engagement events and questionnaires, parishioners are helping to create a shared vision for the future development of the parish. Details of how to get involved can be found on the website www. cranbrookandsissinghurstndp. co.uk The final plan will include a set of policies specific to the parish, against which future planning decisions will be determined. Parishioners get to vote on the plan in a referendum, which will take place in late 2018/ early 2019. 40 Parish Cake • Autumn 2017
Issues Facing the Parish FANTASTIC EVENTS BY FANTASTIC PEOPLE Nuts in May, Cranbrook in Bloom, Sissinghurst Fête, Sissinghurst boot fairs, Cranbrook Apple Fair - how can we, as a community, encourage people to keep creating the events that define the parish? Such energy and creativity can be nurtured by the parish, but it is the individuals in the community who make these things happen, so thank you! The parish council has funds that can be applied for as ‘seed corn’ for events (eg. the 5K and 10K runs organised by the Primary School), but we also hear that the Co-op now has local funds for supporting local organisations – a big thank you to the Co-op – ask in store for details! PUBLIC TOILETS We cannot be a tourist destination unless people can get off a coach and go to the loo. Unfortunately, the public toilets have been vandalised time and again by the youth of the town, to the point that TWBC has spent more money on the Cranbrook WCs than all the others in the borough put together. The issue is being debated with the borough council to find a solution. VANDALISM Some of the parish’s new play equipment has been vandalised, and if we get new WCs we need to protect them too. If you see (or hear) vandalism taking place, please call 101 immediately. If fire is involved, 999 is the number. COMMUNITY CENTRE The future community centre will need to be redesigned as the first plan is unaffordable. The NDP Steering Group is assembling views, and we still need information and evidence of what it will be used for. There is a split in the community between people who say ‘There is no need for one’ and the other camp who say ‘Build it and they will come’. HOUSING We do not know how many new houses TWBC has to build, and how many it will put in our parish. The NDP is crucial to enabling us to have a say on where they go and what they look like, so please get involved or have your say. There are decisions about to be made that will change the parish, and you do have an option to influence them. BUSINESS PREMISES With new housing comes the need for places to work, and so often businesses are not considered as they do not have a vote – they pay huge commercial rates, but have no say in the democratic process. The NDP is also considering where and what type of premises are needed – businesses need to tell us! PETKEN CONSTRUCTION LTD www.petkenconstructionltd.co.uk Undertaking all aspects of residential and commercial building works. Please contact us to discuss your building requirements. Mob. 07834 952 965 Office. 01580 441336 Email. info@petkenconstructionltd.co.uk Parish Cake • Autumn 2017 41
Page 1 and 2: IN ASSOCIATION WITH Parish AUTUMN 2
Page 3 and 4: Parish Cake YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK
Page 5 and 6: what’son The Parish Cake guide to
Page 7 and 8: Is it Goodbye to our Public Loos? F
Page 9 and 10: We have been providing expert and t
Page 11 and 12: Record Numbers at Summer Run NEARLY
Page 14 and 15: club news Cranbrook U3A THE CRANBRO
Page 16 and 17: eventnewswe are Some of the great e
Page 18 and 19: Hackett London, Scotch and Soda, an
Page 20 and 21: CRANWELLS PROPERTY SERVICES Profess
Page 22 and 23: British-made gifts, art exhibitions
Page 24 and 25: feature No Rivalry in this Team A l
Page 26 and 27: Nicholas Bussey CRANBROOK TOWN BAND
Page 28 and 29: WE HAVE MOVED Fresh Fruit & Vegetab
Page 30 and 31: For everything electrical delivered
Page 32 and 33: Your Country Lifestyle Department S
Page 34 and 35: Beginners to the more advanced are
Page 36 and 37: Get Your Oven’s Sparkle back AS S
Page 38 and 39: 38 Parish Cake • Autumn 2017
Page 42 and 43: local legend LINDA PAGE Cranbrook I

Parish Cake Autumn 2017

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