Parish Council

Parish Council Report – 3rd November 2013

"The meeting began with members of the Parish Council joining residents in a glass of wine and a mince pie.

Crime in Nocton
The Parish Council was concerned to learn from the police representative that in the last month there had been four reported crimes of attempted theft and burglary in the village.  Heating oil had also been stolen from the tank at the Church.  It was felt that these crimes were linked to similar incidents which have been taking place in Metheringham and the surrounding area.  Additional police resources were being deployed to deal with the situation but, in the meantime, all residents were urged to take particular care over the coming festive period by making sure all doors and windows were kept securely fastened/locked and any presents kept out-of sight of windows, etc.  Anything suspicious, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, should be reported to the police by dialing 101 although if the matter is urgent then you need to dial 999!

Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
The village now has a fully operational Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (which is rather appropriate given the above item) with Councillor Graham Jones acting as the scheme’s overall Co-ordinator.  Nine local co-ordinators have now been recruited to cover most of the village although additional ones are needed for the Lincoln Road and Wellhead Lane areas and in Main Street (from the Post Office to Embsay House).  If you feel you would like to join this very important group of volunteers, then please contact Councillor Jones for more information.

Nocton Village Hall
After almost a year of hard work, a small working group of councillors and representatives of the existing Village Hall Management Committee and the Social Club produced a proposed new Constitution to govern the future running of the Village Hall.  With only a few minor changes, this new Constitution was adopted by the Parish Council and will take effect in the New Year.  Publicity about the arrangements, etc for the inaugural meeting of the new Committee will be made available after Christmas.

Grit for Wasps Nest
Following efforts by the Parish Clerk, road conditions at Wasps Nest should be much easier this winter as Lincolnshire County Council has at last agreed to provide two tons of rock salt for use by residents to keep the roads and paths clear of any snow and ice.

Village “Welcome Pack”
The Parish Council has agreed to produce a “Welcome Pack” which will be given to all residents moving into the village.  Containing a wealth of important and useful information for new people coming to live in Nocton, it will be funded from monies raised by the 200 Club.

Proposed Visit to a Wind Farm
The Parish Council, in conjunction with Vattenfall, is arranging a visit to an operational wind farm in Leicestershire so that residents can see at first hand what one is actually like.  The visit is open to residents of Nocton only and will take place on a week day sometime in May next year.  If you are interested in taking part (a coach will be provided by Vattenfall and there will be no cost involved) then please contact the Parish Clerk (preferably by email).  In the event that there are more people interested than there are places available, then priority will be given to those residents who are likely to be most affected if the wind farm was to go ahead.

Nocton Youth Group
It was noted that there had been a rather disappointing response to the advert for a person to run the proposed Nocton Youth Group.  Discussions were taking place with NKDC to see how best to progress the initiative and it was agreed to extend the deadline for applications into the New Year.

Finally, members of the Parish Council would like to wish all residents of Nocton a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Date of next meeting: Tuesday, 7th January 2014 at 7.00 p.m.

Councillor Ian Goldsworthy"

My thoughts

Village Hall Constitution
I think it will be useful to publish the new Constitution for the Village Hall after the minor amendments have been completed. I have made an offer to the Parish Council to post a copy on the blog, so that residents can see what has been incorporated in the document.

Wind Farm
'The government is to make big changes to the way it subsidises renewable energy, it has announced. Ministers say they will cut support for onshore wind and solar energy, but give more backing to offshore wind power.'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25210963

It will be interesting to see how this affects Vattenfall's plan for Nocton Fen. With regard to the proposed visit to a wind farm, I think the following link relates to the specific site concerned:
http://www.vattenfall.co.uk/en/swinford-wind-farm.htm

I think this is the Swinford Wind Farm planning application:
http://www.harborough.gov.uk/info/200105/sustainability/297/windfarms

An entry in the local newspaper - Leicester Mercury:
http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicestershire-s-biggest-wind-farm-turbines/story-16616656-detail/story.html

Wind turbines arrive at Swinford wind farm
Worth watching the video to see the size of the components and the transport involved.

'The first components for 11 turbines to be constructed on a wind farm near Swinford have arrived on site. A special road from the M1 motorway had to be laid to get the 45 metre-long blades across a farm in south Leicestershire on Monday.'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-18498322

Vattenfall - Latest Newsletter re: Nocton Fen
May I recommend you sign up for the newsletters if you haven't done so already.

http://www.vattenfall.co.uk/en/file/2013-12-10-Latest_Newsletter_Nov_Dec_2013.pdf_48709630.pdf

Funny Old World

I noticed that Councillor John Money (North Kesteven District Council) has written an article about the proposals for a wind farm in 'The Little Green Book' Issue 53, Winter 2013 - the local news magazine for the Metheringham Area. Here are a couple of extracts:

"Some people dismiss the Lincolnshire Fens as a barren, uninteresting wilderness but I do not agree. I think the Fens are just as much an asset to the character of our County as the Heath, the Wolds, and the Marshes and should be preserved as such, and not be polluted by these inefficient monstrosities."

"For residents who are not aware, Cllr Kendrick and I represent the Metheringham Ward of NKDC, which includes the Parishes of Blankney, Metheringham, Dunston and Nocton. Should any individual, group of people, official or not, wish to discuss this with me or any other Councillor previously mentioned, please do not hesitate to contact us. That is what we are here for, to represent you all in the district... I shall now begin to campaign just as diligently against these abominations as I did against the Super Dairy."

Councillor John F Money - North Kesteven District Council, Metheringham Ward
Tel No (H): 01526 320323 (M): 07775 692013
Email: cllr_john_money@n-kesteven.gov.uk