Council Blog
This Blog contains contributions from members of Eynsford Parish Council. Any opinions expressed are their own, not necessarily representative of other councillors.
Previous posts (up to December 2014) were made by ex-Chairman, Clive Stanyon.
Chairman's Priorities
15th November 2014
Reviewed my own parish council priorities, which now include: meeting PCSO Tim Darling on Monday evening; continuing to review the SDC Allocations and Development Management Plan; and speaking to District Councillor, Michael Horwood about getting some momentum into Speed Watch.
Darent Valley Consortium Meeting
13th November 2014
Attended a Darent Valley Consortium Meeting, with Theresa Durrant, when representatives of Farningham, Horton Kirby & South Darenth, Otford and Shoreham were present.
First, we discussed Speed Watch, and the difficulty that there appears to be in finding volunteers. Three, or preferably four, people are needed to man the equipment, one to read the speed, one to note the type of car, and one/two to record the registration number. All parish councils are very disappointed in the lack of volunteers, when we are being told that traffic speeding is a big issue. It was agreed that we would have a joint push in trying to find new recruits. However, if people do not come forward, this will be a clear indication that speeding traffic is an issue to be complained about, but not important enough to take any action. Your parish needs you, so if you have the occasional two hours, and are prepared to have an evening's training, then please do come forward.
Next, we discussed the Community Warden Consultation, mentioned by me in an earlier blog. It was agreed that, in the event of the community warden service being whittled down to such an extent that it becomes fairly useless, we would consider funding a warden between many local parish councils, provided that we could then have control over how they are used.
Another subject of discussion was Home Based Kent, a programme to help people who run a business from home with funding, advice and guidance. If you are the owner of a home based business and need a business boost, then this may well be worth having a look at. Their web site is www.homebasedkent.biz and their telephone number is 0300 0309660. Why not give the number a call. It will cost you very little and may help you a lot: nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Other topics of discussion were defribillators, the AONB Valley of Visions, and the SDC Tourism Focus Group.
Web Site
12th November 2014
Did a partial review of this new web site, and fed back to the clerks some suggested improvements, for incorporation. The main changes suggested were to flesh out the information on planning, and how we have a, Government, National Planning Policy Framework and a, Sevenoaks District Council, Local Development Framework that takes us through to 2026. Also to clarify the place in planning of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), protected for its landscape value, the London Metropolitan Green Belt, protected for its openness, and the Eynsford Conservation Area, protected for its local character setting. Finally, I suggested a note about listed buildings and the need for listed building consent.
