Spend Spend Spend

Well it would appear that the parish council has bought the old library site, which on the face of it looks a good deal.  I'm rather surprised really bearing in mind that they had two other offers, which I suspect would be more than the parish council offered.  What was actually offered seems wreathed in secrecy.  Taken from Notts County Council website:

Demolishing a building or two with asbestos in is not cheap and it's not as if you can  reuse the materials.  Creating a car park just for local residents of Wharf Road, don't think that will go down too well in the rest of the village.

The final piece, seeking funding to build new parish council offices etc.  Bearing in mind that grants usually have to be covered by a similar amount of cash from the parish council.  Even the Homes and Community Agency pot of gold available, asks for 10% .  There are also hoops to jump through and this parish council doesn't like jumping through hoops or they would have got Quality Accreditation back by now.

Information taken from the Homes and Communities Agency website:

How do community organisations apply for funding?

An application pack is downloadable from the HCA site.
There is an expectation that applicants should contribute at least 10% of the estimated costs to developing their proposal to the point where a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Application can be submitted.
All applications must include evidence of community engagement and support (e.g articles in the local newspaper, minutes of community meetings, flyers to promote the proposal). Applications will be assessed on the level of community engagement and support shown. Applications which can show higher levels of community support will be more likely to receive funding than a similar proposal with little evidence of support.
There is an open bidding process so applications can be made at any time. However, in view of the time needed to prepare and apply for a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Permission, it is unlikely new applications will be accepted after October 2014.
- See more at: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-build/financial-support/#sthash.du4uUh43.dpuf

Better get a move on or this pot of gold will disappear and then you might have to match any grant.  A little suggestion, put the ladies in charge, things might happen then, instead of being all talk and little action.

How do community organisations apply for funding?

An application pack is downloadable from the HCA site.
There is an expectation that applicants should contribute at least 10% of the estimated costs to developing their proposal to the point where a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Application can be submitted.
All applications must include evidence of community engagement and support (e.g articles in the local newspaper, minutes of community meetings, flyers to promote the proposal). Applications will be assessed on the level of community engagement and support shown. Applications which can show higher levels of community support will be more likely to receive funding than a similar proposal with little evidence of support.
There is an open bidding process so applications can be made at any time. However, in view of the time needed to prepare and apply for a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Permission, it is unlikely new applications will be accepted after October 2014.
- See more at: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-build/financial-support/#sthash.du4uUh43.dpuf

Of course you have to ask yourselves, do we really need a village hall.  They do well in small communities, but we are not small and we have other places to place our bums.  Church, Church Hall, the Granary, Methodist Hall, Social Club.  All vying for use and our money. 

They had better be careful how they spend our Parish Reserve because if you they don't we'll tan their backsides.

How do community organisations apply for funding?

An application pack is downloadable from the HCA site.
There is an expectation that applicants should contribute at least 10% of the estimated costs to developing their proposal to the point where a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Application can be submitted.
All applications must include evidence of community engagement and support (e.g articles in the local newspaper, minutes of community meetings, flyers to promote the proposal). Applications will be assessed on the level of community engagement and support shown. Applications which can show higher levels of community support will be more likely to receive funding than a similar proposal with little evidence of support.
There is an open bidding process so applications can be made at any time. However, in view of the time needed to prepare and apply for a Community Right to Build Order or Planning Permission, it is unlikely new applications will be accepted after October 2014.
- See more at: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/community-right-to-build/financial-support/#sthash.du4uUh43.dpuf

Bully Boy Tactics

Well you know what they say, everything comes to those who wait.  Little snippets have now reached my ears regarding a parish council meeting, the one where they appointed members to committees, usually volunteers.

Our top of the poll councillor put her name forward for the Newsletter Group and was promptly told by the chairman that he didn't want her on, didn't get on with her etc., etc.  Now I've done a bit of research and according to LinkedIn, our district  councillor is shown as a recently retired Communications Manager for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.  Which means she is vastly over qualified for this particular task and certainly a lot more qualified than the overbearing chairman.  Her own Newsletters as the District Councillor are evidence of her skill in this department in getting the message across.

What was more interesting was that in his previous speech (or whatever you want to call it) he blathered on  about the new council working together.  So after this latter display of vindictiveness, our other top of the poll lady promptly gave him a bit of a bollocking and hopefully told him he was a two faced so and so.   I have complete faith that she will truly be a massive thorn in his side and not be too fussed about being too polite in the face of such aggressive behaviour in the future.

Do you remember the parish council's last Newsletter, the one where the main author (chairman) tried his best to discredit our DC, because he didn't want her to win the election for either DC or parish council elections.  What was going on there, parish councils are not supposed to be political and to be honest the end result told him what we thought of his petty Newsletter.  Then there were the comments in the Keep Misterton a Village manifesto, very libelous


This is the guy who famously told the parish council that public relations to the parish council were like myxomatosis to rabbits.  He was wrong at the time, but since being elected in 2010 has done his best to live up to his remark.  I do hate poor losers, especially when it affects what is best for residents and bringing personal grievances into the parish council is not what being a good chairman is about.

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Moving on quickly.  Have you seen a black greyhound running around, one is lost after jumping a fence.  Julie Warburton would like him back as soon as possible.

Is it this weekend the Co-op shuts for a WEEK, how are we going to manage?

Road Closures

Are you one of the residents who have had a letter from Network Rail?  I haven't but I have seen it and it looks like a lot of inconvenience for some people who wont be able to have access, other than walking backwards and forwards to their homes.  Just how will that work.  Will they have to leave their vehicles on the other side.  I am of course talking about Soss Lane, where there is one way in and one way out.  They talk about full road closure with access maintained for residents with transport provided between residents houses and the  bridge area.  Are they going to provide a car park on the village side where they can pickup and leave their cars?  Let's not forget we have a doctor down Soss, although everybody is just as important, and business people. 

It's going to be a bit noisy on Station Road with the noise of lorries and machinery and at some point they are working 24 hours a day.  I don't suppose for one moment they are going to raise the bridge, that would create a vast expense in raising the track on either side for miles.  UB/92 they call Gainsborough Road bridge, surely that should be Marsh Lane bridge or Misterton bridge, where does Gainsborough Road come into it?

Will Stobarts bring in the new bridge to UB/92, if so will they remember to come in on the right side?  Or will they do it by cranes from the track.  Last time they brought in a crane on Soss Lane, they got stuck, wrong crane ordered. Logistics not good. They started all this last year and had to run the job, will this year be more successful.  Well we should be back to normal by the 17th October, according to the letter.  Shall we have bets?

Still it should all be very interesting to watch and see how your taxes are spent.

More of the Same?

Let's hope not.  The chairman of the parish council is the same as it was before and  so is the vice chairman.  Elected you might  say, but from what I've heard in the past there is some back door campaigning going on, to be polite, which is not on.  It was common knowledge that 'they' had decided to move the chair around to different individuals each year, so what has happened this year.

There are  some very competent ladies sitting on the council and  bearing in mind that they got most of the votes I would have thought choosing a new chairman they would have taken this into account.  Still at least when the shit flies we know which way to send it.

I'm a bit confused as well.  We had an Annual Parish Meeting in June when the the new chairman and vice chairman were elected along with committee members.  According to the agenda for the 8th July, there is another Annual Parish Meeting where there is now going to be committee reports and of course that elusive chairman's report.  Somebody dropped a whatsit or what.

On another completely different matter, no good having a low bridge sign on Marsh Lane when it is covered up by tree foliage.  Surely wouldn't it have been better to have it sited somewhere near that ridiculous roundabout than where there was no room to turn round other than using Albion Place to shunt and take the corner wall down.

Old Accounts

Well I never, information received about the old accounts, which make interesting reading.  Some people want to take a hard look and remember times were hard.  If you were the clerk, you didn't get a pay rise then and if you did, it had to be deferred.  How different now, with a balance brought forward of £19,139.74! 

MISTERTON PARISH COUNCIL                   RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS SUMMARY 2007-08                   Balance brought forward 01/04/07       19,139.74               Add total receipts       85,580.61   Less Haxey Gate income     -147.75 85,432.86               Less total payments       -84,565.13   Add Haxey Gate expenditure     124.78 -84,440.35 Balance carrief forward 31/03/08       20,132.25                             These cumulative funds are represented by:                       Reserve A/C     9,756.36     Less closing balance on Haxey Gate Account -157.98 9,598.38   Current A/C       50.00   Poors Fund (Capital)       90.00   Poors Fund A/C       70.82   National Savings A/C       13,797.71   TMC Petty Cash Imprest     50.00   Groundsman's Petty Cash Imprest     30.00             23,686.91   Less Unpresented Cheques     -3,554.66             20,132.25               Note: With effect from 2006-07, figures for trusts where the Council is sole   trustee are excluded from Section 1 of the Annual Return.  The Council is sole trustee of the Haxey Gate Endowment, which does not have a separate bank account.  The working balance both at the start of the year and the end of the year, together with income and expenditure during the year, have been removed from the above account for accounting purposes.  The capital invested with the COIF has also been removed for the same reason.                     The Council is also sole trustee of Misterton Community Trust, which, at the end of March, 2008 had cash assets of only £200, from the sale of a snooker table. The Council spent £6,697.74 on trust assets in 2007-08, which, for accounting purposes, is treated as a donation to the Trust.  The Trust's only assets are the Victoria Institute and the Village Hall.                       The Poors Fund is not affected as three individual councillors are trustees.                               Signed......................................................... Chairman                     Signed......................................................... Clerk to the Council                   Dated 13th May, 2008

Money Matters

For some reason we never have a breakdown of what's what in our little community bank account like we used to get.  They do of course put it on the web site, presumably hoping nobody will look.  Why they should start cutting corners on something that residents would actually like to see I do not know.  Perhaps now we have a new council certain things might change.  Anyway here is the first page for your edification.  The rest of the nitty gritty you will find on the website

I would dearly love to have had a copy of the accounts prior to the inclusion of the sale of the 'Packet Inn' piece of ground, because I understand that prior to then things were a bit hand to mouth with no opportunity for vast spending projects.  Looking back on this sale someone had a lot of balls to stand up to developers intent on skinning us alive and leaving us with nothing.

Still not heard of any fall out from the last parish council meeting yet, which is strange, although I have not seen my usual little gossiper.

Still there is always the village Gala on Saturday, bound to be someone there with loose lips!  Might hear something about the library site as well, as that appears to be dragging on.

Scuttlebutt

Terrible isn't it when you have to rely on scuttlebutt for your information, even more so when nothing is coming to the surface like it usually does at some point or another.  I think I ought to go out more.

Which means I'll have to concentrate on what I do know.  Since the VI is now a done deal the money should flow into the  coffers shortly.  So what next.  Are they going to stuff it into the bank account and just leave it there to fester and  grow (pitifully slowly), give it away (means testing) or build something that might be useful to one and all.  What about this, suggested by a parish councillor many moons ago but still relevant and will always be of use and meet with the original terms of the trust.  Would probably get oodles of grant money to assist in the purchase as well.

Doesn't she look beautiful and very very useful.  Patented by the city of Portland.

Well don't laugh, you get down the street and feel the urge, where the heck do you go?

Demolition Men

Well from what I hear the Victoria Institute will be demolished and a residential building going up in it's place.  Based on what the refurbishment costs were, produced by the trustees, which to me seemed a load of rubbish for the size of the building, this would be the best way forward.  I do hope we don't get some whingers wanting it to look like VI Mark II because that would be a complete disaster.  Well they could always pinch a brick as a souvenir to four years of total stupidity and money down the drain.

Anyway good luck to the purchaser in the project.  With a fair wind we should get a good looking corner at last instead of an absolute eyesore.  I suspect we shall all watch progress with interest.

August should see even more demolition with our railway bridges being replaced at a cost of umpteen millions.  I wonder if Stobarts will fit them into place?  Especially given that the drivers know them well, too well, since they keep coming back and having to turn round when they can't get under, communication skills obviously not in their job description or they just don't talk to each other.

Nothing yet on that parish council meeting.  I suppose I shall have to wait like everyone  else until we get the parish mag to see if there was any blood on the carpet.

What Next

Despite my best efforts I have still not heard anything regarding the last parish council meeting. So don't know whether the male members through the towel in and let the ladies take over or whether we are going to have more of the same for the next four years.  Trouble with some men is they don't know when to fade into the background and play a supporting role.  Anyway I suppose bits will dribble out eventually, they always do.

Moving on.  Now we have sold the VI, what about the money?  Currently it seems we have a lot of 'friends' in charge of this pot and to me that does not seem right since they are not a public body.  They wasted money while they did have a hand on the  tiller prolonging the agony of not selling when they should have done.  What are they going to do with the money once it is in the bank account?  I can see it either festering for years with either nothing done because they can't make their minds up or being spent on something not fit for purpose in a village.  Perhaps they will apply for another grant for a feasibility study.

The right thing to do now is pass the trusteeship back to the parish council where it belonged in the first place, then at least then there is a structure in place locally where if it goes wrong we can show our displeasure at a public meeting instead of at a secret meeting held at someone's home.

Class of 2014

Well Tuesday night should be interesting, the Annual Parish Meeting with the new lineup of members.  The KMAV members have been put firmly in their place with the election of Hazel Brand to the District Council as well as top of the pops in the parish council election.  Gutter politics doesn't belong in a village like Misterton and perhaps the level of interest shown over the last few weeks and the  eventual results indicates what residents really feel about the attack on Hazel Brand.
 
So it should be an interesting night, although I suspect they will be an unrepentant bunch.  Still they want to think themselves lucky that things didn't turn out differently because you know what they say, hell hath no fury etc.  We might have finished up then with another election very shortly.

For a start they might think about a grovelling apology, if only to get themselves out of the mire.  Regrettably that is doubtful, but then it just goes to show what kind of people they really are.

Getting back to the Annual Parish Meeting, I was looking through the agenda and noticed something that was conspicuously missing, the chairman's annual report on what has happened during the year.  Where is it and if not why not.  Surely a few words could have been strung together from someone who is normally very verbose at promoting himself.  That's my description, the description I was given was even more illuminating.

Lets hope there is a good turnout for this meeting, like there used to be at the Annual Meetings under the previous administration when the room was full (and yes I have been so this is not all talk).

Enjoy!