A meeting of the parish council was held on 7th July 2008 in the village hall. Four parish councillors were present with Cty Cllr R.P Morris-Jones, Mr.P.Hancox (Neighbourhood Watch) Mrs Lesley French (Village Trust) Mr J. Cunliffe( Parish Plan) and two members of the public in attendance.
During the open meeting Mr Paul Hancox, co-ordinator of the Neighbourhood Watch addressed the meeting giving an overview of how the local scheme worked and encouraged the meeting to re-activate the Neighbourhood Watch group which existed in Pailton some years ago. Mr Hancox stressed the importance of using ‘Smartwater’ to individually identify belongings and deter thieves, he offered to address a meeting if a Watch was convened in Pailton.
Mrs Lesley French, chairholder of the Village Trust gave a short report on the newly elected officers of the Trust and outlined the autumn programme of entertainment to be held in the hall which will include a performance on 18th Oct by the talented duo ‘Health & Stacey’, a Live and Local event supported by the local borough and county councils.
The Chairman welcomed Cllr. Karen Dent as a new parish councillor. There is still a vacancy for one more councillor to be co-opted to the parish council, nominations are being sought.
A report on the Parish Plan was given by the committee chairman, Mr John Cunliffe. The plan is now reaching its final stage. The Housing Needs survey and Village Design Statement have been submitted to the Rugby Borough Council for their consideration. The Village Survey is awaiting an update on the Post Office issue.
As the refurbishment of the Airey Houses in Lutterworth Road will soon be completed the parish council are considering a tree planting scheme on the grassed area in front of the houses and installation of posts to prevent parking on this area. The parish council is to be responsible for the grass cutting along this stretch of Lutterworth Road.
There has been no progress in the clearance of the culvert in the centre of the village. Flash flooding resulted in the area during the heavy rains of 2007. The Clerk was asked to write again to those who have offered to clear the culvert, stressing some urgency.
A new streetlight has been installed opposite the War Memorial giving much needed illumination to that part of the village.
An agreement has been signed between the parish council and Warwickshire County Council allowing funding for the upkeep of footpaths in the village for a further 12 months. Access to footpaths which are badly maintained or blocked by land owners are to be cleared and improved.
The council are to consider placing decorative, engraved rocks at the three entrances to Pailton.
Councillors will attend a meeting to be held by the Rugby Borough Council on the ‘Specific Parish Council Involvement in Quality Litter Control’.
A wish was expressed for more notice boards to be erected in the villages to enable more information and posters to be displayed for the benefit of all the residents.
On Saturday 26th July many parishioners made the short journey to the magnificent grounds of Newbold Revel to enjoy a summer concert featuring the ever-popular Bilton Silver Band performing beneath the shade of an ancient oak tree.
The large attendance indulged in enticing cream teas while basking in the gentle afternoon sunshine and listening to the delightful programme of music appropriate to a summer outing in our green and pleasant land.
The concert and a variety of stalls had been organised by the Stretton-under-Fosse village hall committee as a fund-raising event.
A special meeting of the parish council was held on 4th August in the village hall. Four councillors were present with Cty Cllr R.P. Morris-Jones and 2 members of the public in attendance.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the results of the survey seeking the opinions of the residents regarding the future of the village shop and post office.
Cllr D. Swindell, chairman of the sub committee gave a report to the meeting in which he detailed the options which they had considered.
Some ideas had been discussed and dismissed as impractical; these included having a retail outlet at the White Lion, Yews Farm, the Ex Servicemen’s club and the cottage next to the previous shop premises or a travelling van visiting several villages providing a service to a wide range of customers.
Discussions are now concentrating on the future of the shop premises. The preferred option is that the property is sold and re-established as a going concern. It was suggested that further advertising should be arranged for this purpose.
The sub committee put forward the idea that the parish council could purchase the shop premises using a Public Works Loan and either lease the shop as a commercial venture or arrange for the shop to be run by volunteers as a community project.
The sub-committee will hold a further meeting to discuss and refine these proposals after which their report will be published. A public meeting will be held on Saturday 13th September in the village hall from 11am to 3pm to allow residents to talk to parish councillors about the plans.
The on-going problem of speeding traffic and HGVs using Pailton’s roads as a through route to other areas was again discussed. The parish council endorsed the proposal to reduce speed limits on rural roads to 50 mph and arranged for a letter to be sent to Warwickshire County Council with photographs showing the congestion caused by large vehicles passing through the village unnecessarily. A request will be sent to the Warwickshire County Council ‘Speed Aware’ team for a speed camera to be installed in the village.