At the end of November, I presented my most recent monthly report to a meeting of St Enoder Parish Council. It covered the time period 22nd October – 27th November 2018 and was as follows:
1. Council meetings and related activities
I attended a number of formal meetings at Cornwall Council, which included the Economic Growth and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee (and an associated workshop on the Cornwall Local Plan), Central Planning Committee, the working group on national minority status, and an informal meeting about the work programme for the Electoral Review Panel. In addition, I attended the annual Conference of the County Councils Network at Guildford.
In the same period, as well as a significant number of informal meetings with council officers and others, I attended four meetings of St Enoder Parish Council.
2. Other meetings and activities
I also attended meetings of the Leader Local Action Group for South and East Cornwall, the Community-led Local Development Local Action Group for South and East Cornwall (Vice-chairman) and I helped out at the 41st annual show of the Indian Queens Cage Bird Society.
3. First World War project
It would be an understatement to say that, for me, the last few weeks have been dominated by my involvement with the Parish Council project to commemorate the First World War.
I am very pleased and somewhat relieved to be able to report that the book, principally about the 73 local men who lost their lives in the conflict, has just come back from the printers.
The replica of the Roll of Honour (previously on display in the Indian Queens Methodist Church, but which has been lodged with the Cornwall Record Office for safekeeping) was rededicated in a poignant service on 28th October. The Roll of Honour lists the 59 members of the Wesleyan congregation who served and returned, along with the nine who did not make it back from the conflict. At the service, nine silhouette figures from the “There But Not There” commemoration scheme were on display to symbolically remember the fallen.
My wife and I also helped with the service at St Enoder Church on 11th November, when the silhouette figures were also on display, interspersed with the congregation. I also had the privilege of reading out the names of the fallen at the war memorial.
On the afternoon of the same day, I worked with parish councillors David Hearl and Peter Cocks on the commemorative bonfire on Pines Tip which was also memorable. But partly, this was because the wood was delivered to the wrong location, we had a belated struggle to get the bonfire built in the correct place, and then it took an hour for the bonfire to get going – thanks to the skills of Gary Sibley.
Classes at Indian Queens Primary School studied the conflict in the period leading up to Remembrance Day. This included looking at the lives of a number of local men and they used material from the forthcoming book. On 12th November, I was pleased to host four classes (totalling 105 children) at the Methodist Chapel. They viewed the Roll of Honour and discussed the men from the congregation that they had been studying.
I also gave three talks about the fallen servicemen at Fraddon Village Hall, Indian Queens Victory Hall and Summercourt New Memorial Hall, where new boards were unveiled which list the 73 men associated with our area who lost their lives between 1914 and 1918.
In addition, a memorial plaque has been produced for the Bandroom at Indian Queens which names the four bandsmen who did not return from the First World War. Two were from Queens Band and two were from Summercourt Band. When Indian Queens Band played in the Remembrance Service at St Columb Church on 11th November, they had four of the silhouettes on display to remember the fallen bandsmen.
4. Thomas Playing Field
Since works started on the new play equipment at the Thomas Playing Field, I have been helping the Parish Clerk, Amanda Kendall, and Cllr Mark Kessell to liaise with the installers of the new equipment.
It has been extremely frustrating and, eleven weeks after works commenced, the Thomas Playing Field has still not reopened. An independent check on the equipment has been carried out and this has identified a number of things which still need to be done. We will report in more detail at Tuesday’s meeting.
Turf also needs to be laid over the muddy areas in advance of the Field being re-opened, and hopefully we can get this sorted in the next couple of weeks.
5. Traffic issues
In my last monthly report, I promised to have an update on the range of key traffic matters that I am dealing with. I had a meeting with Rachel Tatlow (Cormac) on Monday (26th November).
- Surfacing works
The following surfacing works are timetabled for the next few months:
- Trevarren – end of January 2019
- A392 (near junctions with Atlantic Reach, Tresithney and Trugo) – early February 2019
- A3076 (from Mitchell and past Gummows Shop, which is partially along the St Enoder Parish boundary) – early February 2019
Other works have also been agreed to be carried out in 2019-2020:
- Carnego Lane from Summercourt to Resurrance
- Toldish
- Watery Lane near Black Cross
- B3275 near Melbur Blockworks
- Goonabarn to St Austell St, Summercourt
- Trefullock Moor.
- Carworgie Way and Halloon Avenue, St Columb Road
- Pocohontas Crescent and Princess Park, Indian Queens
- Community Network funding
I informed Ms Tatlow that the Parish Council is keen to use the funding scheme to purchase a mobile speed camera, and she will be providing me with additional information about running costs, maintenance, etc.
In addition, I raised concerns about the need for a “feasibility study” costing £7,000 for any calming works outside Summercourt School. A meeting is being held next week to consider these issues.
- Flooding on A3058 south of Summercourt
Flooding on this section of highway is an ongoing problem and, earlier this year, improvements were made to the drainage system (taking water off the road) near Nanpean Farm.
I have raised concerns that this section of road was still badly flooded on 9th November, and there are also still problems near the bus depot which I am continuing to follow up.
- Gaverigan Farm
Cornwall Council has agreed to carry out improvements at the entrance to Gaverigan Farm which is regularly flooded. These works will be done in January 2019.
- Gritting routes
Ms Tatlow and I have been making representations about the main routes for gritting during winter periods. We have not made as much progress as we would have liked but I can report that, in the new winter service plan, the road through Fraddon and Indian Queens to the Indian Queens Industrial Estate has been added to the primary gritting routes.
- Church Lane
On 9th November, Cllr David Hearl, the Parish Clerk and Parish handyman put dye down the road drain system on Pocohontas Crescent and the top end of St Francis Road, and found that all the water is going into the ditch in Church Lane.
The ditch is being worn away and I have visited the site with Ms Tatlow and she has acknowledged that CORMAC need to take some responsibility for damage, etc. She has promised to look into this and come back to me.
- Other issues
I also raised a wide range of issues with Ms Tatlow, a number of which had been raised by local residents:
- Speeding traffic in a number of locations, including near Sea View on the B3275
- Safety issues at a number of locations including Toldish and the school drop-off point on the Drang.
- Traffic management plan for Indian Queens School agreed as part of the planning consent for additional classrooms (which I am also following up with the Education team at County Hall).
- Request for lining at western entry-point into Indian Queens to be re-painted.
- Double yellow lines
In addition, I am continuing to request that faded double yellow lines are repainted.
6. Anti-social behaviour
In St Enoder Parish, we are very fortunate that the vast majority of young people are responsible and well-behaved. Sadly, I have received numerous complaints about a small number of children who are behaving very inconsiderately. This has included misbehaviour around the Bandroom and they also disrupted a meeting of a Local Action Group that I was chairing at the Indian Queens Victory Hall. I am making representations about what can be done.
7. Housing needs survey
Last Thursday, I was informed that Cornwall Council will be carrying out a housing needs survey across St Enoder Parish. It has been commissioned by a house-building firm. Letters will be going out this week to all households publicising an on-line survey.
I was not told until the survey was ready to go out. I have raised concerns about what has happened and senior officers have already apologised to me. I will update with further information at Tuesday’s meeting.
8. County Councils Network
I was part of the delegation to the annual Conference of the County Councils Network at Guildford. This allowed me to listen to two Government Ministers, opposition spokespeople and numerous prominent representatives from the local government sector.
At the event, I made a representation about the levels of government funding for Cornwall in a post-Brexit world.
9. Electoral Review Panel
I have been the vice-chairman of the Electoral Review Panel at Cornwall Council, and we have been working on representations to the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBCE) about the boundaries for Cornwall Council divisions at the 2021 elections. The final decision from the LGBCE will be published on 4th December.
The Electoral Review Panel is now being refashioned to deal with an upcoming review of parish boundaries, though this will only focus on where there are requests for changes.
10. Inquiries
During the last month, I have helped numerous people with guidance on a range of issues.
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