The monthly meeting of the Parish Council was held in the Village Hall on 3rd April. Five councillors were present with five members of the public in attendance.
During the open part of the meeting it was announced that Cllr Mrs J Gould had resigned from the council due to other commitments. Mrs Gould was thanked for her four years of service by the councillors and members of the public.
Cllr Mrs A. Moss also informed the meeting that she intends to retire at the end of April. The meeting thanked Mrs. Moss for her many years of service on the council.
The Village Trust informed the meeting that they were unable to hold an official meeting last month because only two members were available to attend. Two grant applications have been submitted for the purchase of new equipment for the playing field.
The new transformer installation on Lutterworth Road was discussed. It was felt that it was larger and more intrusive than the original plans had indicated and that little provision was being made for landscaping between the road and the site.
A resident of Brookside Avenue commented on the poor state of the road surface.
It was agreed to wait until the work on the council houses had been completed
before raising the matter with the WCC.
The date of the village litter pick has been changed to 22nd April because
there was a heavy demand for RBC equipment on the original date of 8th April.
Quotations have been sought for sweeping all the main roads and Brookside Avenue. A P Haulage and Sweeper Hire have submitted a quote of £195.00. A quotation is awaited from RBC.
The County Council Freight Quality Partnership has issued a Lorry Route Map which shows the approved routes for heavy vehicles delivering to the industrial estates in the area. The B4029 through Pailton is not designated as an approved route to Magna Park which should be served by the major trunk roads. The grass around the war memorial has again been damaged by a heavy vehicle. Measures to deter this are to be considered.
The Clerk agreed to attend a meeting to be held by Warwickshire Police on ‘Safer Communities’ .
In a survey by the RBC ‘Streetwatch scheme’ it was found that the only problem to be found in Pailton was the lack of parking in the village.
RBC is considering appointing a Rural Enabler for Warwickshire Rural Community Council to advise parish councils on Parish Plans and housing needs surveys. The meeting agreed to support this initiative.
WCC is to introduce a ‘speed aware’ scheme in rural villages. Illuminated signs indicating vehicle speeds in excess of the speed limit are to be provided. Members welcomed the scheme and requested signs to be placed on the three main approaches of the village.
The Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 will allow parish councils to issue fixed penalty notices for littering, graffiti, fly posting, and offences against a dog control order.
A draft copy of the Parish Plan, including the housing needs survey and the Village Design Statement, have been submitted to WRCC. This has been confirmed as successful and the WRCC have donated a further £1,800 which will fund the printing and distribution costs. Once approved, the Parish Action Plan will be distributed to every household in the parish. The next Parish Plan meeting will be held on 21st April.
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the hall on 8th May at 7.30 prior to the parish council meeting.
There being no further business the chairman thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 8.35 pm.
On Sunday 9th April a service of Holy Communion was held at St. Denis Church conducted by the Reverend Beth Smith. The service commenced with the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the churchyard gates into the church. During the service, special prayers were offered for a well known farmer John Gray who recently suffered serious injuries when struck by a vehicle after conversing with the workmen engaged in road works close to his farm. Best wishes for a full recovery were expressed by fellow members of St. Denis congregation. Prayers were also offered for the Reverend Daphne Bayford recovering in hospital following an operation.
The recently created vacancies on the Parish Council have been published on the village notice board and it is hoped that eager volunteers will come forward to apply for these important positions in our rural community.
Preparations are under way for what will be a major and momentous event in the history of our community.
On St George’s day, Sunday 23rd. April, our newly restored war memorial will be consecrated at a special service to be attended by the Mayor of Rugby and distinguished visitors and veterans from throughout he area.
A parish choir will be assembled by Patricia Barnett to lead the singing of patriotic favourites appropriate to the occasion.
The highlight of the event will be a flypast at 12.30 pm by a second world war Spitfire from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based in Lincolnshire. Wreaths will be laid in commemoration of the 15 men of our parish who made the supreme sacrifice in both world wars together with an account of their young lives and details of their service history. Any member of the community who lost a relative in the wars is welcome to lay a wreath in their memory.
Among the distinguished guests will be Mr Reg Cleaver of Brinklow who became a prisoner of war and also Squadron Leader Tony Pickering from Rugby who had served as a Spitfire pilot. All ex-service personnel and those who may have worked in the local munitions industries will be most welcome.
Following the service all guests and visitors will be invited to the Village Hall for refreshments where members of the post war generation will be eager to learn of their experiences.