Our village councillors met to debate tentative proposals to replace the current building with each other and interested parishioners
I SPENT an enjoyable evening last night attending my local Hunston Parish Council meeting in West Sussex and I dashed off a quick colour piece about it this morning. Of course, I’d have written a more detailed report if I’d been working for a local paper – but I’m not sure the news-desk at my local Chichester Observer is interested in such minor local politics anymore. A pity because it was a fascinating meeting which covered a lot of ground.
I’D FORGOTTEN how much fun local reporting can be when I sat in on three very lively meetings yesterday – two AGMs at my RAFA Club in Bognor Regis and a full parish council meeting later in the day at my village of Hunston in West Sussex, chaired by Wendy, a neighbour and an experienced councillor.
The parish councillors talked in depth about some very important issues for local residents for almost two hours in the early evening – including tentative proposals for a new village hall.
Now you and I might think that they would have been crestfallen to have only received 39 completed feedback surveys (16 online and 23 paper ones) so far out of around 584 delivered to households in a village with a population of 1,000-odd residents quizzing them on the issue.
But Wendy, ever the optimist – described it as “a roaring success”. As she said: “The village hall is very much the heart of the village and we want to keep it and the social club going…”
Four members of the public attended last night’s meeting and one – Benedict Target – was co-opted as “a fresh-blood” young Hunston parish councillor.
Directly beforehand, he’d asked about the progress of the footpath/cycle route to the Free School as part of the Selsey Greenway Route project.
The parish councillors discussed an array of issues, including possible free hedging at the playing fields opposite the village hall, “rumours” about the local quarry firm Dudmans, and anti-social behaviour by “the little Herberts” – as Wendy branded them – who are causing a nuisance in the neighbourhood.
It all left the councillors, the two other residents, who had come to listen to the proceedings, and me – wondering who had spoilt other village children’s fun by setting one of the mini trampolines alight at the playing fields.
The parish councillors are due to meet in private to scrutinise the 40-odd village hall survey feedback forms on April 14th before their full meeting in May – so watch this space.
On a personal note, I don’t know about you, but I loved the parish council sketches on the BBC comedy series The Vicar of Dibley with Dawn French.
And I’ve attached this tongue-in-cheek BBC interview with parish council stalwart Jackie Weaver who was given the authority to speak.
As Jackie says, parish councillors don’t tend to set their colours to political parties but stick to local issues affecting residents.
And, I must admit, it was refreshing listening to politicians – however minor – talk common sense last night.
Long may it last.
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