RUSTHALL VILLAGE ASSOCIATION

Annual Report May 2010

2009/2010 has been a year of slow progress regarding a Parish Council. Meetings were attended, speeches made to Cabinet, talks with officers and it is now all about to happen!

The leaflets and questionnaires will be delivered to every house in the two electoral wards next week. We hope that people will respond positively. There is much to gain for Rusthall – mainly that the money that we currently pay in “special expenses” to the town would in future come to the village and be spent on improving the village. We would be consulted as of right not courtesy on matters of importance such as planning applications. We would be able to put forward and fund our own schemes – public toilets in the High Street, monitoring the sand at Southwood Road recreation area come to mind.

I urge you all to fill in the questionnaire either on paper with the free envelope provided or online or at the Gateway in town from June 1st. There will be a public meeting in the URC Church on 30th June with councillors and officers present to answer questions. If at the end of July, there is not a clear majority in favour then the proposal will not be taken forward. That would be a great pity for local democracy.

In other matters, the committee have met more regularly this year and there arre written records, thanks to David Appleton and Jo Craik. We have been represented on the Town Forum thanks to David Morris and Jon Clark. I thank all the members of the committee for their support.

We have not done so well on newsletters lately for which we apologise. If someone would like to volunteer – that would be great. Also the website that Nigel Suckling created for us is doing well but needs a local editor to gather information from all sources and feed it to him. Is there anyone out there with the time? It's not hard – just needs an eye for detail and possible being a bit curious and willing to ask questions.

The most visible sign of progress is the newly slatted bench that we managed to get returned to the High Street thanks to Tunbridge \Wells Borough Council's Mrs. Lene Benyon. I have even seen people sitting on it!

We have continued to monitor planning applications and comment on licence applications – the latest for Rusthall Cafe's premises licence to provide alcohol with meals only which was granted last week.

We co-operated with Rev. Tony Rutherford's scheme to get Rusthall Going Green in a very successful meeting at St. Paul's School in March when over 60 people attended to learn how to save money and energy, get grants etc. We hope to have another meeting in September.

The houses and the respite centre are going up at Middlefield's site and the building has begun on the replacement for Simmonds Court – you can't fail to notice the crane which suddenly appeared to much consternation to some this week! It will be there until December. Of course this all makes for difficulties on our High Street but we have to be patient – change happens!

Thank you, Jennifer Blackburn
May, 2010