February 2006 Newsletter

This latest newsletter is linked to my website www.johnfuller.org.uk, which gives a huge amount of information about Bergh Apton, Brooke, Howe, Kirstead, Mundham & Seething.  If this is the first time you have received one of my newsletters, Welcome!  You can see previous copies at www.johnfuller.org.uk/news/newsletters

In this issue...

Gypsy Planning Application in Seething

Supporting the Credit Union

Health Walks on a Monday

New Clerk for Kirstead

Bergh Apton Tree Listed in Sunnyside

A Parish Noticeboard?

First SNHP houses completed...ahead of schedule and on budget. 

Sculpture Trail raised £50,000

High Green, Brooke - Road Closure

New Cycle Route from Poringland to Arminghall. 

Concessionary Fares

Home Composting & Brown Bins

Local PlayPark wins Grant Funding

Things Looking Good for the Brooke Parish Hall

Support Churchill Stores

The Political Bit

Gypsy Planning Application in Seething

Although it seems a long time ago now, the proposal to site a travellers encampment on the airfield at Seething was refused, largely owing to the impact on the neighbouring businesses and the effect the firms would have on the new resident, particularly the safety of their children.  I would congratulate the Seething Parish Council in particular for the dignified way in which they campaigned against the proposal.  It would have been easy for some people to make racist or offensive remarks but the arguments made were restrained and on 'policy' grounds and this contributed to the success.

This refusal then led to subsequent refusals at Harleston and Costessey in December.  A further 'Gypsy & Traveller' encampment is now hoping for planning permission at Woodton and the villagers are organising a series of public meetings to resist this proposal.

Despite these pockets of resistance, The Council does have a duty to find sites for a family currently living at Denton, who will be evicted in July.  A working party has been established to see whether an alternative site can be found and I will keep you up-to-date.

Supporting the Credit Union

There's a local ground-breaking savings-and-loan scheme in South Norfolk that is putting loan-sharks out of business.

If you want to buy a house you might go to the building society. If you want to borrow a few thousand to buy a car you’d approach a bank … but what if you unexpectedly want to borrow a few hundred pounds to replace a washing machine or you’re a student wanting to plan the purchase of a moped to get to college? You could approach the South Norfolk Credit Union!

The South Norfolk Credit Union is a savings co-operative owned by local people offering an easy and convenient place to save small amounts and access low cost loans when required. It’s registered with the Financial Services Authority so the money is safe and it’s completely independent of The Council.

Linda Sinclair of 26 St Peters Road, Brooke is our local representative and she can explain how you might benefit. Alternatively you might want to volunteer to help this social-enterprise. If you’re think the Credit Union could help you call 01508 533842 and speak to one of the friendly staff.  Alternatively, read more about it here

Health Walks on a Monday

There's a focus on healthy eating and exercise at the moment but fitness can be boring if you have to do it on your own.  A sociable alternative to the lonely visit to the gym might be to join the a local walking group, the Mundham Pathfinders, part of the Norwich Health Walks Fringe Scheme.

The organiser is Grace Cook from Mundham, 01508 528624. They meet every Monday morning. The walks last about one hour. The Group have been going now for one year. Numbers each week range from 6 to 14.  Those interested ought to contact Grace for details of the forthcoming walks. Walks tend to be in and around the Brooke/Mundham area although some recent walks have been closer to Loddon.

New Clerk for Kirstead

Jenny Cocksedge 'retired' as the Clerk to Kirstead Parish Council just before Christmas as her husband Paul and her moved away from the area.  I am delighted to introduce Lynne Rowe as the new clerk who will preside over her first Parish meeting in April.  Her address is Lyng Farmhouse, Kirstead Ling, Kirstead, NR15 1DR, Tel 01508 558163.

I'd like to thank Jenny for her service to the village over a number of years and welcome Lynn and hope that she finds her time as clerk rewarding.

Bergh Apton Tree Listed in Sunnyside

The future of the handsome Oak Tree on Sunnyside, Bergh Apton has been secured by a tree preservation order.  The tree already had some protection as it was over 6 inches in diameter and within a conservation area but I am pleased that this default protection has been extended by the District Council with a much stronger legal order.

A Parish Noticeboard?

Caistor St Edmunds Parish council received a grant to replace its parish notice boards with some brand new ones so a nearly-new Oak notice board is now available.  I have 'bagged' it for our area but now I need somewhere to put it!  Does anyone have any ideas?  It should really be for parish or non-profit use so if you have any suggestions, call or email me.

First SNHP houses completed...ahead of schedule and on budget. 

Nearly two years ago, the council transferred its houses to the South Norfolk Housing Partnership, now called Saffron Housing Trust.  And we're already seeing the benefits of this move.  A new series of affordable houses for rent have already been completed ahead of schedule and on-budget.  I'd like to congratulate Saffron for this achievement, something which would not have been possible under Council control for budgetary & practical reasons.  I know that for many people the transfer of the housing stock was a leap in the dark but the benefits are now being realised and have silenced most of the doubters.

Sculpture Trail raised £50,000

The Bergh Apton’s Sculpture Trail of 2005 has raised over £50,000. Maggie Smith, chairman of The Bergh Apton Community Arts Programme (BACAT) presented cheques to fourteen organisations that had been awarded a total of £54,418 representing the funds generated by the Sculpture Trail after all its costs had been met.

What a fantastic achievement for a small village and a tribute to the small team of BACAT who have made the village of Bergh Apton famous in arts circles throughout the country.  And what's more impressive is that the whole operation is undertaken without a penny of Government or Council grant.  You can see details of the grants made here on the BerghApton village website run by Sally Leigh. 

High Green, Brooke - Road Closure

My County Council colleague Adrian Gunson has reminded me that High Green, Brooke will be partially closed this week whilst the extensive drainage works progress.  There will be a run-around through Brecon & Coniston Road to protect access to the High Green shops and it's hoped that any inconvenience will be minimised.  We are fortunate that this work is now under-way as the highways budget will be reduced in future years owing to Government cuts to local-authority budgets.

Illuminated Bollards at Brooke Crossroads

I have received complaints from some residents that the bollards in the road at Brooke Crossroads have not been illuminated and some nasty accidents have been narrowly avoided.  Adrian Gunson has the matter in hand but are there any other near-misses that have happened that have not been reported?  If a pattern of accidents emerges, it will be much easier to take action.

New Cycle Route from Poringland to Arminghall. 

Many of you will have seen the new £120,000 cycle route between Poringland & Arminghall take shape..  With 700 houses being built behind Budgens the County Council has taken action to enable some of the new residents to cycle safely to Norwich rather than take the car.  And of course, residents of Arminghall will soon be able to cycle to Poringland too.  This is another scheme that we are fortunate to have this year given the tough financial climate ahead for road improvements.

Concessionary Fares

From 1st April those people over 60 and registered disabled will be entitled to free, yes free, off-peak [after 9.30am] bus travel throughout Norfolk.  This scheme is to be funded by the District Council from the grant given by Government.  But you've guessed it.. the Government grant is unlikely to cover the full cost so next year's Council Tax [2007] will probably have to rise to pay for the shortfall.

But in the meantime those entitled will need to apply to the Council for a special bus pass to enable them to take advantage of the scheme.  The registration process will begin later in the new year and I'll keep you informed by this newsletter.

Home Composting & Brown Bins

A recent change to European legislation means we can no longer send garden waste to landfil and almost 25% of what we throw away is garden waste.  So we need to be thinking about alternatives to dumping garden clippings in holes in the ground.  So what can you do about it?

There are two alternative ways of dealing with garden waste

1 Ask for one of the new Brown Bins

A new brown wheelie bin can be ordered from South Norfolk Council for an annual charge of £40 (£20 for those claiming Council Tax benefit, Housing benefit or Pension Credit)
Garden waste will be collected on a fortnightly basis, throughout the year. The brown bins can be shared with neighbours.  The waste from the brown bin will be taken to a specialist contractor to be made into compost.
2  Start Home-composting

The County Council will be featuring a greatly reduced home composting bin from January.   Prices start from as little as £4.   A leaflet will be shortly be sent to all households across Norfolk and remember that some kitchen waste can also be added to home composting to reduce the waste-to-landfill even further.

We all have a contribution to make towards how we manage our rubbish and help reduce environmental damage and I'd like you to think twice before putting garden waste in the black bin [not allowed anyway] when it might be composted either at home or centrally.  If I can answer your questions on this, just call me.

Local PlayPark wins Grant Funding

The Brooke Playpark has won funding from Biffa, the waste disposal people, to enhance the Brooke playpark by adding new equipment and to refurbish the aging equipment.  This adds to the generous grant given by the Parish Council.  Work is shortly to commence to upgrade the facilities for the benefit of all families in the Brooke area.

Things Looking Good for the Brooke Parish Hall

The Brooke Parish Hall Management Committee has also heard that the Regional Panel of Biffa has recommended the project to refurbish the Parish Hall Sports Facilities, toilets & changing rooms costing £40,500 to their National Panel. Hearing early June 2006.
The committee is required to submit a full Business Plan, by 1st March 2006, to support the application.  Most houses will have received a questionnaire to the residents of Brooke in an attempt to secure yet further evidence of Community need.  If you've received this, please take the time to respond as chances to bid for £40,000 don't appear often and evidence of community support is vital.

Support Churchill Stores

I try not to include commercial adverts in my newsletter but here's a reminder that the Churchill Stores in Brooke sells Sunday Newspapers.  David Coolican, the proprietor, undertakes a valuable social function by running his small shop in Churchill Place but he does need people to shop there.  Next time you need a Sunday paper, go to David rather than burn more petrol getting to Poringland!

The Political Bit

You may have heard that The Government is planning to cancel the local elections set for May 2007, just 15 months away.  They are trying to merge local councils together but make no mistake, larger councils are more remote from the people they serve and part of Mr Prescott's hated regional agenda.  Larger councils cost more and the experiment with Southend in 1995 shows that council taxes rise faster in larger councils not fall.  Don't fall for the Labour spin that local government reorganisation will cost less and deliver more!  And to suggest that cancelling democratic elections is a price worth paying is madness but is it any wonder when Labour are losing elections themselves.  Dictatorship?

I am looking forward to the elections in 2007 as I see that locally, there is a good chance to remove the current LibDem administration, who, despite receiving one of the best government grants this year of any authority in the whole country [8%] still plan to raise local council tax by double-inflation.  Disgusting!

Contact Me

Do you know anyone else who might like to receive this letter?  Please feel free to print this and give it to them or you can ask them to register their email address with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will add them to my distribution list.

Cllr John Fuller
The Old Hall Coach House, The Street, Brooke, NR15 1LB
01508 558280 telephone; 01508 558301 fax  07860 101335 mobile   skypeID  johnfuller
Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www http://www.johnfuller.org.uk

The legal bit - Promoted & Published by John Fuller The Old Hall Coach House, The Street, Brooke, NR15 1LB