brill parish council annual report May 2021 to May 2022

as submitted to Annual Parish Meeting, May 24th 2022

Chair: Jennifer Tuffley (previously Mark Dickinson, resigned March 2022)

Councillors: Emi Slater, Liz Springs, Miles Keeping, Steven Judge, Hannah Hulme Hunter

Parish Clerk: Bobs Daverell

PURPOSE 

The Parish Council exists to serve the people of Brill civil parish. Our aim is to make Brill a safe, happy, and productive place for residents, workers, visitors, and future generations. We resolve to do this through listening, research and careful deliberation, and with compassion and fairness.

SUCCESSES (in the last 12 months)

Community and Groups

  • Coordination of community welcome and support of Ukrainian refugees

  • Closer relationships with many village clubs, groups and charities through the actions of individual councillors, attendance at the Community Market and ‘directory’ of groups on the Parish Council website

  • A more thorough, equitable and transparent system for the application and allocation of Section 137 Grants [in progress but will be sorted after tomorrow’s meeting]

  • Enthusiastic community involvement in preparations for events to mark the Platinum Jubilee, in particular the Brill Flags for the Jubilee community art project

Environment and Amenities

  • A new action-orientated group to lead on Brill’s response to the climate emergency

  • Positive liaison with groups working on Common and agreement from all groups to move forward in consultation with BBOWT

  • A parish-wide community clean-up event with enthusiastic participation from parishioners, Clubs and Scouts

  • Appointment of a Parish Council Tree Officer to have oversight of tree planting, and maintenance and remedial works

  • Registration of Parish Council ownership of King George 5th Playing Field

  • An agreement with grass cutting services to work together towards improving areas for bees and pollinators

  • A plan to plant more trees to store carbon, give us oxygen, stabilise the soil and give life to Brill’s wildlife

Planning & Housing

  • Participation by one councillor in training provided by Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Association of Local Councils which has helped inform our response to planning applications.

Leisure, Sports & Play

  • Completion of the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) to universal appreciation particularly amongst young people - but note that almost all the work was done by the previous Parish Council

  • Support of Brill Playground Committee in their final push for lottery funds

  • A new partnership with Ramblers Restoring and Improving Public Paths for Local Enjoyment (rRIPPLE) who have already installed several new kissing gates across the Parish

Roads and Traffic

  • Renewed engagement with the community through a ‘quick poll’ identifying key priorities of parking and congestion in the village and speeding on all access roads

  • Grant application made to site EV charging points in the village

  • Order placed for two new Moving Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS) to moderate speeds on our access roads

  • Participation registered in on-going countywide rural parking assessment and action plan

  • Contact made with Bucks county representative for Community Speedwatch with a view to exploring the feasibility of establishing this service in Brill

  • A new and productive relationship with Haddenham & Waddesdon Community Board whose coordinator is a knowledgeable and effective conduit to Buckinghamshire Council Services

Communications

  • Comprehensive and accessible website which is quickly becoming the go-to resource for the community; modest use of social media, including Facebook

  • Regular presence at monthly Community Market to listen to residents’ suggestions and concerns, and digital and face-to-face polls

  • New monthly e-newsletter with steadily growing list of subscribers (also available in print)

  • New database to record digital, written and verbal communications with parishioners plus actions taken

Administration and Governance

  • New policies on Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity, Complaints

  • Database of common land encroachments to provide record for future councillors

  • Initiation of better scrutiny and oversight of requests for Section 137 grants from parish organisations

CHALLENGES

  • We are aware that our communications do not reach all sectors of the community, particularly some elderly people and those living outside the village. We hope our newsletter (digital or print) will help address this but we also know we could do much more in terms of face-to-face engagement.

  • We are also aware that many aspects of Brill are not as accessible as they could be for those with mobility issues. This includes the Parish Office (and the rest of Brill Memorial Hall), most of our pavements, and some of our green spaces. This is something we intend to tackle in the coming year and we would be very grateful for input both from residents and from those with relevant professional expertise.

  • We are immensely grateful to all volunteers; you do a wonderful job and we could not manage without you - but we need even more parishioners to help us in our work; to lend us your expertise, to provide joint leadership on new projects, and serve on sub-committees and working groups. So many people in the village have great ideas; we just need more people to help us take these further.

  • We need to move our copious records into the digital age so we can catalogue, search and retrieve information more efficiently. We would also like to contribute to the impressive collection of Brill Parish Council records held in the County Archives. Both projects require time and effort and we are exploring the recruitment of a part-time worker to work on this under the guidance of the Parish Clerk.