Matters Arising, June 2019

View from the Chair
Once again, I have been voted into the chair of WPC. A chairman’s job is mainly to facilitate the work of the council’s various committees and to ensure that all councillors get a fair say at the monthly council meetings. I do work closely with our professional staff and often act as a link between various organisations, councils and the community. Contact me through The Clocktower if you ever have a question or a comment.

One of WPC’s priorities is always to make sure that Wendover gets its fair share of policing. I have good news on that front. The police have improved their communications with WPC in recent months and they have reported some recent success in dealing with antisocial behaviour in Wendover. The police do need your help though. The community needs to be the eyes and ears by feeding information into the police system. To report any concerns in your neighbourhood please email WendoverNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. This service is not monitored out of office hours and is not for reporting crimes or incidents. To report these please contact Thames Valley Police on 101, this is a non-emergency number. You can also register at thamesvalleyalert.co.uk to receive free crime alerts and info about where you live.

Another priority that I think I share with many other Parish Council Chairmen is to attract new councillors. PC’s are now more social enterprises than talking shops. They are the single most effective way that an individual can influence the way that the place that they live in develops. Things that matter, like play areas, allotments and green spaces are only part of what we do. How we relate to other strands of government on planning, transport and environmental issues. How we campaign against the things that our community doesn’t like and how we support the good things that Wendover needs. They’re all part of being a Parish Councillor. Why not try it?
Tom Walsh

Website Update & Competition
We have recently given our website a face lift and to celebrate the occasion, we are running an online competition for the month of June- Where’s Tommy?! We have hidden a picture of our Chairman, Tom Walsh, on one of our website pages. Visit wendover-pc.gov.uk and let us know where Tom is hiding by sending us a message via the Contact Us Page. You could win a prize! The winning entry will be drawn from a hat on Thursday 4 July.

Easter Hunt Winner
Thank you to everyone who took part in the Wendover Easter Hunt, there were 81 entries in total. On Monday 29 April, our Chairman Tom Walsh pulled the winner from a hat of correct entries. Congratulations to Callie who won with help from her little brother, Cory. WPC enjoyed watching the excited children searching for the bunnies on the High Street, with some distressed phone calls from parents who couldn’t find the last bunny, but their children were refusing to give up!

Playground Safety
It has been brought to our attention that children are misusing the playground facilities and putting themselves in danger. Our groundsmen often see children climbing on top of the playground equipment and were recently able to snap an in-action picture. This kind of activity is very dangerous and could result in serious injuries! Please advise and remind children who frequent our playgrounds to use the equipment safely & appropriately.