Parish Council Update, 26 May 2022
Hello,
It seems I am the new Chair of the Parish Council following yesterday’s Annual General Meeting. So in the
spirit of continuing good communications with parishioners, I thought I should report back immediately
both on the AGM and the annual Parish Assembly.
Your new parish council
With the retirement of the last of three long-serving parish councillors, we thanked Nick Woolger, Angie
Ridge and Debbie Mills for the many years of hard work they have put in on everyone’s behalf. We were
delighted to co-opt Bev Traylen as a new councillor, and we will soon be looking to make the numbers up
to five. For the moment, your parish council comprises:
• Paul Bevan, Chair
• John Scaife, Vice-Chair
• Bev Traylen
• Noel West
And between us we have divided up the following responsibilities so far:
• POLO (Parishes of the Lower Ouse) and the Safer C7 – John
• Village Hall Management Committee – Bev
• Tree warden and playground – Noel
Parish Assembly
At the Parish Assembly that followed the AGM we were pleased to receive very interesting reports from:
• County councillor Sarah Osborne and district councillor William Meyer
• Sarah Woolger, for the village hall management committee
• Christine Bentham, for the Piddinghoe book club
• Gill Davies, for The Villager
• Mary Sitwell, for the Church of St John the Evangelist.
We also received updates by email from Maria Caulfield MP, as well as from Quincy Whittaker on the
Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting scheme and a wildflower initiative. Quincy invites anyone interested
in the wildflower project to join her in a meeting with the SDNP ranger at 2:30pm on Monday 6 June at
the entrance gate to the Hoe.
Concluding the evening, Noel led a discussion amongst all those present to suggest priorities for the parish
council’s attention for the forthcoming year. Road safety was the dominant theme. Voting with post-it
notes, participants identified the following top three priorities:
• Parking in the village
• Speed of traffic through the village
• Village Hall refurbishment and repair.
Staying connected
You will find the Parish Council’s annual financial return for 2021-22 on the website (www.piddinghoe-pc.
org.uk), together with other information on future and past meetings. Our clerk Alison Stevens is the
best channel for communication with councillors; you can reach her through piddinghoepc@gmail.com
Our next full council meeting will be at 7:30pm on Tuesday 14 June; all are welcome!
Thank you.
Paul Bevan
