March 2023

Thimbleby Annual Parish Meeting

 

Chairman’s report 2023

 

In autumn 2021 the council stated its top 3 priorities; these remain as:

 

  • asset maintenance,
  • speeding and traffic,
  • village hall.

 

Traffic & speeding. Following careful budgeting and accrual of funds over multiple years, plus a welcome donation from the owners of Thimbleby Court, the Council are in the process of procuring 2 Speed Indicator Devices, which will be deployed within the village in locations as advised by Lincolnshire Road Safety Manager. Placement and periodic movement of these will be managed by the Speedwatch group, who continue to seek additional volunteers to join the group.

 

Asset Maintenance. The parish council has received a quote for cleaning / sanding / painting the 2 bus shelters and 3 benches. We await any further expressions of interest, including noticeboard renovations, before awarding the contract.

 

Village Hall. Parish Council notes that the overwhelming majority of residents who attended the open day voted to retain the hall. The funds required to address the building issues are significant, we have been made aware of levelling up funding that may be available as match funding. The council will work with the VHC as appropriate.

 

Broadband - The latest update from the LCC upgrade team is that we are unlikely to see any significant uplift on speeds until 2024; The Council expressed their disappointment upon receiving this news, but have little to no influence.

 

Local elections take place on 4th May 2023. Thimbleby Parish Council should have 5 Councillors, however we have been running with only 4 for some considerable time, therefore there remains a vacancy should any resident wish to join us and make a difference for the village residents.

 

I remain grateful to the unsung village residents who keep both their own property in good order, but also public areas, for instance by way of litter picking, cleaning the phone box, weeding the village hall front garden, cleaning the church, spreading rock salt.

 

Finally grateful to my fellow councillors, some of whom also carry other responsibilities in support of village life…