Wendover Parish Council – Matters Arising, July 23

View from the Clocktower

We have been lucky enough to have experienced a period of dry and sunny weather and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

There are a lot of positive projects going on at the moment, with work starting on the canal tow path, making it a lot more accessible. During the works, sections will be closed whilst they work on them, which is a small inconvenience for a big improvement.

Coming up we also have the RAF Freedom Parade through the village on Sunday 25 June. We host the parade every 4 or 5 years and being so near to RAF Halton it is a great opportunity for us to celebrate our close relationship. The route will go from the entrance of Wharf Road to the Clock Tower and up the High Street to Dobbins Lane where it will turn round and parade back to the entrance of Wharf Road. It is always well attended but please understand that there will be temporary road closures during the parade for obvious safety reasons.

We are still looking at the feedback from the Manor Waste consultations over the past couple of years and we are hoping to be able to announce some community events in that space, particularly over the summer holidays. If you are a community group interested in how you can use the space then please get in touch with the office on estates@wendover-pc.gov.uk

As well as the Manor Waste, we have some fantastic open spaces in Wendover but, with the good weather, they have been coming under pressure to be great spaces for everyone. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in vandalism and anti-social behaviour with the permanent loss of a picnic table due to vandalism, damage to the shelter in Hampden Meadow and fires in many of the bins. All that we ask is for a bit of thought and more effort to think of fun without resorting to vandalism and arson.

We also had a resident observe a 4 or 5 year old happily running in the grass barefoot only to end up covered in dog mess. As well as being deeply unpleasant this could have potentially serious health consequences. We are collecting data on all these issues so any response will be informed rather than accusatory towards all those responsible users of the spaces. Please could everyone enjoying our open spaces be considerate and clean up after their dogs and themselves so we can keep our lovely village safe and clean for all.

A lot of people wonder about the grass cutting around the village and everyone has a view – both positive and negative! The Parish Council has been struggling to keep up – first with the very wet weather in March and then with 2 key bits of equipment failing in May. Thankfully we are back up and running and catching up. Where we can, we do leave the edges of our parks for wildlife and we don’t cut all of the grass in Wendover. Our website now has a map which shows where we are responsible for. Have a look at WHICH COUNCIL DOES WHAT? and follow the link to the Devolved Grass Cutting Map.

And Finally – we are looking for new Councillors. Do you care about Wendover? Do you like being a part of a community? Are there things you want to change? Then this may be a role for you. There are currently 2 seats available. The deadline for this month is 21st June so you are probably reading this and thinking you have missed it but another seat will become available next month so get in touch with the office on clerk@wendover-pc.gov.uk or see some background information on CO-OPTION.

Andy Smith
Clerk to Wendover Parish Council & RFO