Chairman’s Report.

St Hilary Parish Council AGM 2015

Chairman’s Report

St Hilary Parish Council has had a busy and productive year of work.

The Council has taken care to see that the parish is well maintained and keeps a close eye on the upkeep of the public domain.

 Since last year the Parish Council has also increased its assets in interesting ways.  The Parish Council is now the unexpected owner of the telephone kiosk which is to be turned into a library.  Our Boundary Stones were christened by the vicar and welcomed by a former Grand Bard at an opening event at the Falmouth Packet last summer.  BT placed a smart green box by the Institute which will help broadband speed and paid us quite well in order to do so.

The recent Easter Saturday Duck Race was a huge success.  I’ll read out a letter of appreciation which shows the event was well received by parishioners:

“I think it appropriate on behalf of Relubbus residents,  I think) to pass on our appreciation for all your hard work resulting in a very successful event on Easter Saturday.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and in 30 yrs a resident of the village I can’t recall a time when so many of the parish residents got together and had a good old fashion ‘chin wag’ putting names to faces. Let’s hope it will be the first of many.

Many thanks again to all. ”

The Parish Council has facilitated the involvement of the parish with a big project to uncover the original Plen an Gwarry sites and also features prominently on their website and literature.  It is looking very likely that the original site in our parish was on the farm at Tregurtha Downs.

On a Cornwall-wide front, the Council has sent representation to Cornwall Council’s Local Plan and to the Leader’s Case for Cornwall.  We have attended West Penwith Community Network Panel meetings and the Cornwall 4 Change meeting, led by Chacewater Parish Council, in Kingsley Village.  I also attended the CALC AGM in Truro where the guest speaker was the Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils.

Cllr Searle and I attended the Marazion Civic Ceremony which again is a lovely chance to speak to councillors from other towns and parishes.  Happily this year St Hilary was given the honour of being called ahead of all other Councils in the parade, in recognition of St Hilary being the mother church of Marazion.

The finances of the Parish Council are in a healthy state and we have had a moderate increase in the precept to sustain this.

Councillors have as ever, worked hard for the parish in different ways.  St Hilary is fortunate to have committed councillors, and special thanks are due to Cllr Searle for his support as Vice Chairman and as Tree Warden, to Cllr Dunstan as Footpath Warden, to Cllr Baker for his work on the website, and also to Cllr Rule who is often the officer for getting things done.  Although the Lights Committee is branching away from the Parish Council we are proud to be associated and very grateful for the fantastic Christmas displays, as are the parishioners.

I spoke earlier about the new assets of the Parish and now to speak of an asset who has been with the Parish Council for an amazing 23 years.  As I said recently, when you are a councillor you think we have a good clerk but it is only when you become Chairman that you begin to realise how valuable our clerk is both to the Council and to the parish overall. Thank you Roger for your good sense, wise solutions to matters that crop up and great knowledge of the workings of our parish and Parish Council.

It has been a huge privilege and pleasure to have served as the Chairman of St Hilary Parish Council.  As I come to the end of my term in office I am grateful for the rare insight it has given me into the parish of St Hilary and local government.  Next week’s General Election may well bring in change and uncertainty but the parish of St Hilary has the benefit of stability provided by its Parish Council and of the tradition of public service provided by its councillors.

I wish my successor as Chairman every success.

Thank you

Cllr Jane Howells

Chairman St Hilary Parish Council 2013-2015

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 2012-2013 Chairman’s Report.

Councilor Stuart Taylor has stood down now as Chairman for the Parish Council and the whole council would like to thank him for his unbiased and considered leadership during his term as Chairman. Below is his Chairman’s yearly report for the last year.

Chairmans Report_2013