Parish Council Speech to Annual Parish Meeting

Good evening everyone, and a very warm welcome to you all. It’s really encouraging to see so many residents here.

This meeting is a valuable opportunity to come together as a community, and it’s great to have you with us. I don’t believe an Annual Parish Meeting like this has been held for a number of years, so it is really nice to bring everyone together again in this way.

I’d like to begin by welcoming our guests. We are very pleased to have representatives from the National Trust with us this evening, who will be speaking later about the recent archaeological excavations at St John’s Jerusalem. This is such an important and fascinating local site, and we’re grateful to the National Trust for taking the time to share the latest discoveries and insights with us.

I’d also like to extend a warm welcome to our new local police officer, Niamh Doherty, who is unable to be with us and sends her apologies.

We are pleased to welcome Alan, our Speedwatch representative. Alan will be speaking later about Speedwatch, how it works, and how residents can get involved. A few of you have already expressed an interest in volunteering, so Alan is here to answer questions and explain how you can help make a difference in our community.

Joining us this evening are our parish councillors, and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my fellow councillors. They give their time freely and generously, driven by a shared commitment and a common goal. Before we move on, also a massive thanks to Kirsty, our Clerk, Amanda, our Deputy and Krisha, who are very front-facing for the council, and they do a lot of things to help make our community better.

We are also pleased to welcome our District Councillor, George Holt, who also serves as a parish councillor, and our County Councillor, Michael Brown.  All of our councillors are very happy to answer questions and chat informally with residents at the end of the evening, so please do take advantage of that opportunity.

I’d like to remind everyone that this is not a Parish Council meeting – it is a meeting of the parish. It is your meeting. We want to hear from you, and we are really looking forward to contributions from some of our local community groups later this evening.

We would like to begin the evening with a very special presentation. Tonight, we are honoured to present the Kent Association Community Award to Jan Peeling, in recognition of all the incredible work she has done for our community. Many of you will know Jan and her exceptional commitment to local children and families, demonstrated through more than three decades of leadership in Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, and over two decades of devoted childminding within the village.

Jan, on behalf of the whole parish, thank you for everything you do.

Turning now to the Parish Council itself, many of you will know that the last few years have not always been easy, and we have experienced a turbulent period. However, I’m very pleased to say that from the Parish Council’s perspective, we can now look back on the past nine months and say that they have been positive and productive – and long may that continue.

We have now appointed a permanent, full-time Clerk, who has been working extremely hard alongside councillors to strengthen governance, improve our administration, and ensure that the council is operating as it should. At the same time, we are actively working to resolve a number of historic and legacy issues that we have inherited. This work will take time, but real progress is being made.

I don’t wish to spend too long talking about all our responsibilities, but I think it is useful to briefly remind people that there are three tiers of local government and we all do different things!

Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley Parish Council works on behalf of its community to improve and enhance life in Sutton-at-Hone & Hawley.  We respond to residents’ concerns and liaise with the Borough/County Councils and other organisations on their behalf eg DBC on planning issues,

KCC on Highways-related matters. We are the eyes and ears of the community, We understand the issues our residents are experiencing and are best place to advocate for residents.

Apart from the day-to-day running of the Parish Council, we also have many other responsibilities, including:

• Three play areas: Parsonage, Hawley Pavilion, and Jubilee Field
• Grass cutting and grounds maintenance at Jubilee Field, Parsonage Pavilion, Hawley Pavilion (Sutton Dynamos fund the playing field cuts; the Parish Council maintains the wider areas), the Burial Ground, and Barfield Green
• Two allotment sites at Parsonage and Chapelfields
• Parsonage Pavilion
• Burials and the Burial Ground, including the administration and management of burials – not just grounds maintenance.
• The Orchard next to St John’s Jerusalem (leased from the National Trust)
• Trees on Parish Council-owned land
• The Village bus shelters
• 92 village streetlights, including all maintenance, repairs, and electricity costs
• Other community assets and open spaces that require regular inspection, insurance, and upkeep

We are also consultees for all planning applications within the villages – a responsibility we take very seriously. We also work with KCC Highways on the Highways Improvement Plan by prioritising local Highways concerns and trying to encourage KCC to make improvements where they are most needed.

PARSONAGE IMPROVEMENTS

A key priority for us is health and safety, and a particular focus has been on bringing Parsonage Pavilion up to the required standard. The challenge with Parsonage is that it is a really important community asset, but it has access issues that are not straightforward to resolve. Some improvements will require external funding, but to secure that funding we need to demonstrate increased usage – so it becomes something of a chicken-and-egg situation.

We have asked Dartford Borough Council for support, and we are also working on a promotional video to help attract more user groups. If any local groups are interested in coming to see the facilities and contributing to the long-term vision for the site, we would very much like to hear from you.

We are also working with the North West Kent River Partnership to improve the river area at Parsonage. This includes removing invasive species, improving understanding of the river, planting a new hedgerow, and opening up the space for wider use, including by the local school, which is keen to make more use of the area.

I would like to thank County Councillor Michael Brown for his support through a Members’ Grant, which we are using to install new picnic benches at the site – these will be going in very soon.

Elsewhere, we have recently installed new fencing at the front of the orchard and are hoping to secure support to improve the existing fruit trees and potentially create a wild meadow area. The National Trust has also installed some new benches for us, which is very much appreciated.

We have recently started working with the Community Payback Team to improve our public spaces. They have been carrying out litter picking, strimming, clearing areas, and more recently staining the wooden bus shelters, which are now looking much improved. We are also planning to replace the metal shelter opposite Longmarsh View & Replacement of SHIREHALL, which we have now found out has become rotten and dangerous, so this will be removed ASAP. We are just waiting for a contractor to assess the site, but we hope progress won’t be too far away.

At Jubilee Field, some of the playground equipment is now in need of replacement. As part of this process, we went into the primary school and spoke directly with the School Council to ask what types of equipment they would like to see. Their feedback has been incredibly valuable and has been incorporated into the specification document sent out to playground suppliers. We are currently awaiting design proposals from them. We have also applied for National Lottery funding to support these improvements, so fingers crossed that we are successful in securing that funding.

WEBSITE

Communication is another key priority. We have a new website which is fully compliant and accessible, and we are planning to launch it at the end of May. This will help us improve how we communicate and engage with residents.

At Hawley Pavilion, the Trust that has managed the building for many years has taken the decision to step down as trustees. There have been many dedicated volunteers involved over the years, and on behalf of the community, I would like to thank them all for their contribution. We are currently in the process of seeking the necessary approvals to establish a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, with the Parish Council becoming the sole corporate trustee. This will help safeguard the building as a community asset going forward. There is an important meeting next Thursday, 21st May, at Hawley Pavillion where this process will be explained in more detail, and we encourage residents to attend.

At the burial ground, one of the key challenges we face is the Sexton’s Hut. It is a very attractive little building, but there are significant drainage issues affecting the toilet, and the costs involved in resolving this are high. Roof repairs alone are estimated at around £6,000, and with limited use, it is an expensive facility to maintain. We need to consider a long-term future for the building, which may include refurbishment or possibly demolition. We would very much welcome residents’ views, and we plan to carry out a full consultation once the new website is live.

So what’s next for Parish Councils and local government.

As I’m sure George will touch on later, the English Devolution White Paper, published on December 16, 2024, outlines the UK government’s plan to decentralize powers from Westminster to local authorities across England and you will have seen the various models for the proposed unitary authorities which are currently being considered by government. While the primary focus is on establishing larger unitary authorities, there are several implications for parish councils but we await the detail as clarification is still needed but we are expecting parish councils to take on more responsibilities and have an enhanced role going forward. The good news is that we are ready for the challenge!

Finally, thank you once again to everyone for being here this evening. I hope you enjoy the presentations, make the most of the opportunity to meet and speak with those here, and leave feeling informed, involved, and connected to your parish.

Thank you.