Annual Parish Meeting Coningsby 21st April 2016
Chairman Mayor Cllr Matthew Mason opened the meeting welcoming everyone, remembering our Queen ; Queen Elizabeth 11 on the occasion of her 90th birthday, long may she reign.
Notes of the meeting held 17th April 2015 had been circulated to the guests at meeting, Paddy Donnellan proposed they be accepted as a true and correct record of that meeting, seconded Mary Walker, all agreed minutes were signed and dated.
Police report – delighted to have with us tonight PC Dave Mills the beat Manager and PCSO Ali Evans , PC Mills gave a full report covering Tattershall and Coningsby, crime in our parishes is down , Lincolnshire has seen an average increase of 5.7% across all areas of crime. Certain crimes arson attacks for instance down from 11 in 14 - 2015 to 1
Q. C O RAF Coningsby – what are the biggest concerns locally?
A. Without a doubt, Hare coursing, poaching and the theft of fish.
PC Mills explained that as beat manager for a rural area his main aims are to provide safety for the public- combatting anti-social behaviour etc. Thankfully there are no “hot spots” in the villages at the moment, the re-opening of Charlies Bar was a slight concern but this has been proven unfounded as the new tenants are very proactive in engaging with the local police and this venue as well as others in the villages is visited regularly by the police in a professional capacity and are thankfully well received.
Q. Dick Johnson – You mentioned household burglary has increased what are the actual numbers locally?
A. In 2014 -15 there was 16 reported and 2015-16 we have had 20
Q. Glyn Olive – Looking at speed issues with the latest being the properties on the High Street being hit by a vehicle can we expect any more assistance from the police to try and combat this, I ask because we are well aware of the diminishing numbers of officers out there?
A. Several practices are currently being implemented, data measuring shows no evidence of need for a camera of any kind, PCSO Ali Evans does go out with the speed gun and to random checks on various roads, C O RAF Gez Atteridge pledged support and is able to deploy some staff to help with manning the speed guns and recording VRM’s; warning letters can be sent out following reports, C O also agreed to station some RAF police vehicles around the perimeter of the base during events to discourage people from parking inconsiderably on these narrow roads.
PCSO Ali Evans thanked the Council and the community for continuing to help with her role by providing information and practicing good citizenship; many thanks to the parish clerk Kathy, it is a really great working relationship between the council & police.
Rickard Trophy -Chairman Matthew Mason – presented the silver cup donated by the Rickard family this is awarded as a token of thanks to the person or group nominated for service to the community, this year’s winner nominated by Helping Hands is Donna Powell, a local lady who over the past years has raised thousands of pounds for various local charities and continues to do so; I am not going to say anymore at this point as I am aware that Donna wishes to get back to the Bingo calling that she has just left to be here with us; congratulations Donna a worthy holder of this award, thank you for all you do for the joint communities of Coningsby & Tattershall.
Donna responded – Thank you all, I am honoured to receive this cup and will display it proudly but I do not do these things alone and must mention the whole team of volunteers who work with me to raise the funds and give people some entertainment along the way not least of them my husband and my mum thank you to everyone who helps, I accept on behalf of the team.
Ranshaw Shield – John Ranshaw seeing the efforts being made by businesses in Coningsby decided to dedicate an award; John cannot be here tonight but chose this year’s winner to be “The Ginger Cow, Coffee House” in his words, “they are a wonderful asset to the village both visually and socially, thank you to the owners and all staff, keep up the good work”.
Thank you to Paddy Donnellan for taking the photographs of tonight’s presentations.
Chairman introduced Group Captain Gez Attridge Station Commander RAF Coningsby and Jim Robinson RAF communications officer.
C.O. – I have served a good few years here in Coningsby first tour in 1991 eventually coming back last year as Station Commander. Coningsby is one of only two bases left in the UK protecting our capitol, we can be deployed to defend any country wherever needed; there are only 5 active squadrons left 2 of these are based at Coningsby. We are privileged to have BBMF here and the Typhoon display team, all have restricted flying times and are extremely regulated in what they can do whilst in the air, the Typhoon pilot will have completed at least 5 successful simulator runs before being allowed to take to the air to fly a display routine, contrary to belief pilots are following a strict regime, not free to do as they please and most of the flying is done over the sea.
BBMF flight are even more restricted to hours flying due to age and maintenance of these very precious planes.
Development for the future of Coningsby; well the air force are not going to be moving out , the base is safe from the defence cuts so we are here to stay!
Q. parishioner concerned about the flight path of the display routes asked if the team could be deployed elsewhere in the country for some of the practice runs.
A. No, this is the home of the Typhon and the flights have to be monitored from the ground and there are only a few personnel trained to do this work, it just could not be done, information is available on the times of flying , although in extreme cases this has had to be changed at the last minute this is not the norm and residents who are signed up for the information service would be aware of all flihts.
Q. Traffic congestion and problems Old Boston Road – could some courtesy be shown by personnel when leaving the base , residents of the estates and OBR cannot leave their properties at certain times of the day or indeed cross the road due to drivers with only one thing on their minds getting away from the base.
A. Leave this with me I will put out some messages to highlight this, maybe we could have some signs put on the lamp posts reminding drivers to be courteous to those waiting to join from side roads or driveways?
C O is willing to put more guards in place on gates to get traffic through if this will help.
Coningsby Charities accounts – print outs were provided for the meeting, Chairman asked that we ask the Chairman of the Coningsby Charities along to a council meeting to bring the accounts books along for verification also maybe the members of the Coningsby Charities Committee could attend the next APM.
Coningsby Helping Hands – have had another good year, lots of fund raising and people helped with the provision of wheelchairs walkers and other disability aids, accounts are at the council office to view. Chairman Debbie Money had not received an invite and apologised for not preparing a report.
Chairmans report –
Report - April 2016 - Matthew Mason
After serving as a councillor and then deputy mayor from July 2013, my first mayoral year began following being elected in May 2015, which was a roller coaster time when local elections took place for 13 candidates to stand for 11 local council seats to serve for that year, (the last time this took place was some 20 years ago).
We are fortunate to still have onboard councillors who have served for many years, one to mention is Councillor Mary Walker who I must say a special thank you to, and to have two councillors who also stand as District Councillors for ELDC.
---
While serving as Mayor, Coningsby Town Council have strived to improve things and worked hard for the local community who have benefited from some of the following:
The Allan Barker recreation ground has seen major improvements including a newly resurfaced car park and perimeter car park fence.
The cemetery has gained a new ashes plot.
Speed awareness signs have been installed on many main roads in Coningsby to try and slow down drivers after numerous complaints from parishioners. Also on the main New York Road at Hawthorne Hill, following residents safety concerns, local Council liaised with County Council and gained four warning signs to help make this a safer road for all.
Council surgeries have taken place at the local Methodist church coffee mornings in order for parishioners to speak to councillors on a personal level with any concerns about the community.
Coningsby Award Book and Maps are going to be uploaded on to the Coningsby Town council website and the books/maps dated 1850 will be stored at Lincolnshire archive to preserve them from damage. A special thank you to Cllr Marlene Wilson and her husband Roger who have spent many dedicated hours in making this possible.
Coningsby town council and some of its members have volunteered to work as emergency incident and flood wardens along side some of the existing parishioners who also serve as wardens. A big thank you and welcome to newly appointed assistant clerk Sarah, who has worked very hard in compiling this emergency plan.
CTC fought long and hard to bring back free car parking at Silver Street car park to encourage shoppers to return to the town and further stop cars parking on nearby streets, this will benefit all.
CTC purchased a brand new notice board to replace the old deteriorated one which is located in silver street car park on the police station wall.
CTC have rekindled communication with RAF Coningsby having regular meetings, liaising with them about issues which affect RAF personnel and the local community.
CTC decided to sell a small area of land in the play area to Matrix Medical to extend Coningsby Doctors Surgery, this was necessary as the existing one is far too small and is at breaking point
CTC have appointed a part time assistant Clerk in Sarah Kulwicki who will assist Kathy on a part time basis, helping out with the day to day duties, and she is doing a brilliant job.
CTC and its Councillors have been working hard along with Lorna Curtis of the local luncheon club to provide a commemorative afternoon tea for the elderly, to celebrate HRH the Queens 90th birthday in June.
Acting as Mayor to CTC, I have regularly met with Highway Officers to discuss ongoing issues relating to pot holes and pedestrian safety and some issues have been acted upon. I will strive to continue to carry on these meetings as I think this is of high importance to protect taxpayers money, and make sure it's well spent.
December 2015 saw light up Coningsby as a huge success, seeing more businesses buy festive trees and lights in celebration. I would like to thank some of the community who volunteered their free time in helping us to decorate them and make this possible.
During my term as Mayor, I have thoroughly enjoyed this prestigious appointment, representing this lovely town and its people, attending many civic ceremonies and charity events in Coningsby and the surrounding area. Some of these include:
The annual RAF Coninsby Group Captains reception.
Coningsby and Tattershall Lions club sight awareness day.
Coningsby Helping Hands group AGM.
Royal British Legion armed forces day.
Princess Diana Awards trust at Barnes Wallis Academy.
Barnes Wallis Academy annual prize giving awards.
Remembrance Day service.
Wreath laying ceremony at Butts Bridge, Commeration of the 70th anniversary of the loss of the crew of 97 squadron Lancaster PB422, where I was privileged enough to meet two veterans of the Second World War whom I chatted to and they shared their stories of yesteryear. This was incredibly moving and I thank them for their service and bravery.
On a personal level I have thoroughly enjoyed my term in office and would like to thank my wife/Mayoress Claire, daughters Isabella and Emmy, and extended family for supporting me in my term of office. At times this role has been challenging as I have only served as a councillor for three years, but I extend my thanks to all my colleagues who serve on the council for their continued support and guidance.
A big thank you to the Clerk, Kathy Roberts for all her help and guidance enabling me to carry out this role, also on behalf of Coningsby parishioners may I take this opportunity to thank Kathy as well.
I would also like to thank the past deputy mayor Phil Brown who served as a councillor for part of my term in office but who had to leave due to personal circumstances, current stand in Deputy, Cllr Glyn Olive who puts up with my constant questions and is my main source of local information. Thanks also to County Councillor Colin Mair, District Councillors Foster, Avison and Flitcroft for their help and support towards CTC, and a big thanks to our emergency services who protect us all, mainly PCSO Ali Evans who tries to make this a safe community.
Thanks also go to all staff who are employed within CTC and carry out day to day duties to help maintain local amenities, they do a great job.
And on a final note it has amazed me how much good work all the local groups and charities do in giving up their free time to run life changing groups all over the community.
Thank you
Cllr Matthew Mason
Refreshments served – meeting closed .