On Tuesday 13th February meetings of Cheveley Parish Council and Cheveley Pavilion & Recreation Ground Charity were held in the Garden Room at Cheveley Parish Hall.  All eight Councillors were present together with District Councillor James Lay.  A member of the public was also in attendance for a short time.   In the absence of the Clerk, Mrs Sally Hughes, through illness, Vice Chairman Rob Treanor took the minutes.

The evening opened at 7.30 p.m. with the Cheveley Pavillion & Recreation Ground Charity meeting.   It was reported that minor maintenance issues had either been dealt with or would be in the near future.   These included the replacement of a broken tap from which drinking water for dogs was provided.

Other issues including replacement of two emergency lights at the pavilion were in hand.  The padlock on the retractable bollards had seized up.   Following discussion it was decided to postpone any action regarding this and review the situation later.

The Cheveley Parish Council meeting swiftly followed at 7.45 p.m.   A grant application from a local group could not be considered as the deadline for these had been missed.

The Neighbourhood Plan had been submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council and the process was now nearly complete to reach the stage where a referendum on it could be held.

The contract for ground maintenance throughout the Parish was due for renewal and it was agreed to award it to McGregor Services who presently undertook the work.

Minor repainting of road markings would take place at the Broomstick Corner junction in an attempt to alleviate ongoing safety issues.    The portable speed signs would concentrate on Park Road and Duchess Drive.

The notice board in Centre Drive would be repaired.

It was noted that the two phone box libraries, both situated in Cheveley High Street, had become very tatty and untidy.   Initially the caretaker would be asked to clean these up occasionally prior to consideration of other ideas to make use of them.

Booking forms and Terms and Conditions for renting both the Parish Hall and the Pavilion had been reviewed and amended by Councillors Jackson and Marvin who were thanked for doing such a good job on these.

Research into the cost of installing a projector at the Parish Hall had made it clear that the large expense made it impractical to go ahead with this.

Enquiries as to whether an offer for a defibrillator applied to the Parish Council were ongoing.

It was agreed to take independent evaluation on the role of Clerk at Cheveley Parish Council.

It was agreed to hold the 2024 Annual Parish meeting in the Garden Room of the Parish Hall on Thursday 23rd May at 7.00 pm when refreshments will be served prior to the commencement of the meeting at 7.30 p.m.   As most parishioners will know, the McCalmont Cup, given to someone providing excellent service within the community, and the award given to the Young Volunteer of the Year, are both presented at this event.   Nominations for both these awards close on Wednesday 1st May and the Parish Council looks forward to hearing of anyone deserving of these in both categories.   If you know of anyone who has given exceptional service within the community or know of a young person in the Parish who has given their time freely to help please send details to the Parish Clerk, Mrs Sally Hughes, whose contact details are below.

The next meetings will be held on Tuesday 12th March at 7.30 p.m. in the Garden Room of Cheveley Parish Hall.   For information on this or any other matter please refer to the website (www.cheveley-pc.gov.uk) or contact via: clerk@cheveley-pc.gov.uk, or telephone 07483 107014.