Parish Council Report for submission in the
February 2010 parish magazine
Written by Cllr Claire Jones on behalf of Silchester Parish Council

First of all, a very happy new year to you all.  May 2010 bring you all much happiness and good health.

The parish council has continued its work over the Christmas period and many action items within the village are in hand. The door on the notice board by Flex Ditch has been replaced; the water leaks in Little London Road and Bramley Road are still being progressed although weather conditions are delaying any efforts currently. A grant was obtained for new tools for the volunteers and working parties for the maintenance of Silchester Common; and two grants have been obtained for making improvements at each end of String Lane (major entrances to the Common); it is hoped (weather permitting!) that these works can be completed prior to the end of March. A questionnaire was distributed to residents of Tinkers Square as SPC feel that there could be some improvements to the landscaping and so Cllr Richards and Cllr Chandler are currently pursuing this. As Cllr Pragnell reported in the last edition, the Heritage trail is now completed and a launch date will be announced shortly, so look out for that one – fingers crossed for more pleasant weather conditions!

I am also the point of contact for rural policing and although Silchester is fortunate to have low crime levels, there has been a slight rise in recent months, particularly in opportunist thefts either from cars or from houses. Villagers are reminded to always put valuables out of sight and to remember to lock doors and windows. Any concerns over rural policing can either be put to myself or directly to WPC Mandy Jewell, either through emailing her, calling her or seeing her when she is in the village. Neighbourhood Watch Schemes exist within the village and members of the scheme are reminded that they can purchase a Smartwater valuables marking kit at a reduced price through their scheme – this is similar to the fluorescent pen from the 1990’s but a bit smarter, so it has a unique ‘DNA’ like identification contained within it. This also helps act as a clear deterrent to would be burglars – we plan to install signs at the entrances of the village to show this. If you don’t have an active scheme and would like to run one, then do contact Mandy Jewell or me and we can help set one up in your area.

Finally, onto the parish plan. A parish plan is something that is developed by the parish for the parish. It is not ‘owned’ by the parish council, it is owned by the residents and is the opportunity to influence and shape what Silchester will look like in 2, 5, 10, 20 years time – a real time to help lay plans for you and future residents futures. As such, we really need residents to get involved – do you want a village shop? Or a mobile post office? Do we need better transport links to train stations? Do your children or teenagers want specific facilities or clubs? As residents of the village, we do have an obligation to look after Silchester; after all, we all live here for a reason. If you want to get involved – it doesn’t have to be time consuming as if we get enough volunteers and from the wider part of the village boundary then we will be able to work together to get a plan together in no time! If you are interested, please do contact either myself or Cally Morris as the clerk.

So, I look forward to hearing from you in 2010
Cllr Claire Jones