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21 October 2024
I have less than 6 months to go as a councillor at Hughenden Parish Council – and I can’t pretend the Council is anything less than truly appalling.
But I will, as normal, simply provide some facts, as I see them, and let you make up your own mind. The blog is long but there are some pictures to keep you going.
GREAT KINGSHILL – COCKPIT HOLE
Background
In June 2023, the Chair of Hughenden Parish Council, wrote to councillors telling them he thought it necessary, as Chair, to remind them of HPC’s Standing Orders. He said that, in order “to avoid confusion in the minds of our contractors and potential contractors, and to avoid wasting staff time, councillors should (and I paraphrase here) not deal with contractors or potential contractors; that was the responsibility of the Clerk.
Curiously, at about the same time, Cllr Jones and Ms Main, who was then a councillor, approached Chiltern Rangers with a view to contracting it to prepare a site management plan for Cockpit Hole.
Cockpit Hole is on the corner of Stag Lane and Cockpit Road in Great Kingshill and Cllr Jones and Ms Main represented this ward.
A picture of Cockpit Hole showing the pond is below. Water drains into the pond from the surrounding land and roads.
At this time, Council didn’t think Cockpit Hole was owned by the Council.
In July 2023, Cllr Jones and Ms Main duly put a motion to Council asking it to approve the preparation of a site management plan by Chiltern Rangers for Cockpit Hole costing £1200 for 2 days work.
No other company was asked to provide estimates for the work, contrary to HPC’s Financial Regulations.
The supporting paper, prepared by Ms Main, said management of Cockpit Hole was needed because it was “neglected” and because activities around the Hole “have provided a welcome point of connection and blossoming friendships at this shared space.”
The supporting paper continued: -
“Interest in this area has been growing with a local yarn bombing group, showing their care by adding some bunting and carrying out some small jobs including sweeping, raking, cleaning the white safety rails, cleaning the seat and table, and adding some colour with summer flowers in pots. All generously donated by villagers. The response from the neighbours was overwhelmingly positive. One neighbour even volunteered to water the flowers regularly.
"As a direct result of this community involvement, we are starting to see villagers sitting once again at the bench catching up for an informal coffee/chat together, as the area is more inviting”.
Council accepted the proposal with me voting against.
Chilterns Rangers was paid £1404 in November 2023 presumably for the management plan. (I can’t confirm this as Council did not authorise the payment and Mr Truppin, HPC’s locum Clerk, refuses to provide invoices).
Cllr Main invited Chiltern Rangers to give a presentation of its management plan at the next Council meeting in September 2023 (to Council’s surprise). The plan proposed immediate action of two days of community work at Cockpit Hole to be carried out by Chiltern Rangers.
The cost for the first day was £580 plus VAT; the cost for the second day was unspecified.
No alternative estimates for the work from other companies were obtained.
The Council approved the proposal, with me voting against.
I know the first community day took place because, on 9 October, Ms Main posted a news item on HPC’s website with photographs showing Chiltern Rangers and residents at Cockpit Hole.
10 days later, Ms Main resigned from the Council after an argument with Cllr Jones.
I don’t know if a second community day took place. I assume it did as Chilterns Rangers was paid £2088 in January 2024 presumably for the two community days. (I can’t confirm this as Council did not authorise the payment and the Clerk refuses to provide invoices).
In January 2024, the Council’s Environment and Services Committee, chaired by Cllr Cadwallader, a ward councillor for Widmer End, recommended to Council that it should include expenditure for up to £1,400 in the 2024/5 budget for “an artist’s time and materials to produce a nature-themed art for the wall” at Cockpit Hole. The proposal was that Chiltern Ranger would arrange for the artwork (a mural) to be done.
Council referred this recommendation back to E&S Committee to find a more cost-effective solution.
At the June 2024 Council meeting, Council had a personal report from Cllr Cadwallader proposing to extend the contract with Chiltern Rangers, yet again, without obtaining alternative quotes. In order to do this, Cllr Cadwallader proposed temporarily suspending HPC’s Financial Regulations.
He proposed a four- year extension of the contract with Chiltern Rangers for £17,000.
In the end, Council agreed funding for this financial year only i.e. for £1800.
So, this is a total of £5,298 spent, or to be spent, on Cockpit Hole so that residents, according to Ms Main, can have a “welcome point of connection and blossoming friendships”.
Value for money?
HPC has a very poor record of monitoring the work of contractors to see whether they have actually done the work they were paid to do with taxpayers’ money. So, I thought - well I’ll go and look for myself.
What Chiltern Rangers said they would do on their community days is below in italics. My comments are in bold.
First community day :-
“1. Vegetation Management clear central open zone. Comment – I don’t know what this means.
2. Divide the Reed bed central area into 4 roughly equal blocks and one block should cleared. Comment - I estimated that about a quarter of the water was open, so this activity was presumably done.
3. Engage with the community on the restoration on the site providing educational material. Comment – I don’t know how many of the community were engaged or if educational material was provided.
4. Make Bat and Bird boxes for later installation Comment – I don’t know if bat and bird boxes were made but see comment on the second day below.
5. Seek engagement on Artwork idea. Comment – presumably the proposal for the mural put to Council in January was the result of this activity.
Second community day:-
1. Trees to be cut back and removed. Sycamore and cherry from the back of the pond felled and stacked. Ash too if it has die-back. Comment - There is no sign of any trees having been cutback and removed, or of a sycamore and cherry (or ash) being felled and stacked. I don’t know why Chiltern Rangers proposed cutting the trees down.
2. Vegetation to be cleared starting with creating the open area bit in October and then in November the second zone - dominated by reed sweet grass, is reduced. Comment – I estimated that about a quarter of the area was cleared so I do not think this activity was carried out.
3. Hedgerow to be planted. A mixed of native hedge to provide another priority habitat of Hawthorn (40%), Blackthorn (10%), Buckthorn(10%), Wych elm (5%), Spindle (5%), Guelder rose (10%), Field maple (10%), and hazel (10%).
Planting guidance: Approx 1m from white post and rail so you can access both as required.
Rotavate or turf strip the length of the hedge… 5 plants per metre double row. Woodchip about 5-10 cm deep and 30cm either side.
Hedge plants £2 ea x5 per metre 35m= 175 plants = £350.
Comment – I had difficulty finding this hedge. In the end, I found about a dozen small plants in a row on the verge.
Here's the densest part of the hedge.
There should have been another 160 plants. So, they have either died or not been planted. Grass and weeds were growing round the plants so I do not know whether the strip had been rotovated and woodchip put down. Contrary to Chiltern Rangers' planting guidance, I think the hedge will restrict access to the white post and rail - that's if it grows.
I don’t know why a hedge was needed in the first place and, if it grows, it will need to be maintained by HPC adding to the costs.
4. Plant 2 cherry trees to reflect the heritage of the area. Cherries to be planted along the verge of Cockpit Road. … probably grown on ¾ stock so it doesn’t get too big. Comment – two cherry trees planted. One had a label saying it was a half standard, the other had no label.
5. Install bird and bat boxes on trees and walls. Comment – I could only see one bird box. I may have missed others. Happy for someone to tell me where they are.
6. Yellow rattle seed should be sown to parasitise the grass, reducing the yield which will help flowers to thrive. Comment – I was puzzled by this as I couldn’t see where the wild flowers would grow; the grass leading up to the water and the grass on the verges was neatly cut.
It was difficult to see what, if anything, had been done of the additional work agreed in June 2024. The £1800 approved by Council was for: -
- £300 for up to 10 waterings between April and October;
- £750 for bulb planting on the Old Allotment site (I couldn’t see if or where the bulbs had been planted when I walked through); and
- £750 for “Cockpit Hole Spring Summer (May/June). (I don’t know what this entails).
Nor will I be able to see what Council gets for the money on present form because – you’ve guessed – the Council doesn’t authorise payments and the locum Clerk refuses to provide invoices.
I will leave you to consider whether the Council has got, and is getting, value for money from these contracts.
You might also like to think what it says about other Council contracts - and the way in which Council will propose to manage its other 20 or so sites, most of which are much larger than Cockpit Hole.
I think it is going to cost a bomb.
Safety Concerns
We now know that Cockpit Hole is the responsibility of Hughenden Parish Council (see below at *** if you are interested).
So, HPC should be concerned about the safety of the public, particularly children, at Cockpit Hole
First, the wooden walkway around and over the pond is slippery in wet weather. There is a risk, particularly to toddlers, that they could slip and fall into the water. I don’t know how deep the water is but I would think it is deep enough to be a risk to a small child. There is no sign at Cockpit Hole telling the public how deep the water is and warning about the risk.
Second, there is a gate leading directly into the water with no warning sign.
Third, there is access at the back of Cockpit Hole which looks as if it is used by children/young people. It goes down a steep slope into the water - clearly a hazard.
The Council hasn’t carried out a risk assessment on any of its properties or activities for years. It has been told to do this by the Health and Safety Executive but has ignored this. This assessment needs to include Cockpit Hole urgently. I will write to the Council.
I will leave it to you to think what sort of Council is more concerned about planting bulbs than the safety of children.
Speaking of safety……
WIDMER END – STREETLIGHTS
I have blogged many times about the streetlights in Widmer End.
The Council decided to turn off the streetlights in July 2022 unless Bucks Council or the Windmill Estate Maintenance Company would take them over (they wouldn’t).
Residents in Widmer End had to campaign for months, writing e-mails and attending meetings, to get Council to change its mind.
It took further campaigning and a lot of work to then get the Council: -
- to accept it owned the streetlights;
- to agree the procedures for day-to day maintenance;
- to agree a longer-term approach for getting the old streetlight columns replaced; and
- finally, to agree which columns should be replaced and which repairs should be done this year.
That took 2 years to July 2024.
Along the way the residents had to fight to retain sufficient illumination when the light bulbs were changed.
And I had to repeatedly ask for motions on the streetlights to be put on the Council agenda.
For example, the proposals on Cockpit Hole to plant bulbs and water plants went to the June 2024 Council meeting without any effort. On the other hand, Mr Truppin failed to put a motion on that agenda about the streetlights. Neither he nor Cllr Jones would explain.
The specific repairs agreed at the July 2024 Council meeting were delegated to Mr Truppin in consultation with 2 councillors – Cllr Jones and myself.
The first step is for Mr Truppin to get three quotes. Despite frequent reminders, residents and I are still waiting.
I wrote yet again last week saying “You will understand residents' frustration that after years of campaigning to keep the streetlights when the Council decided to turn off the lights, it now finds the Council so slow to effect the necessary repairs.”
The response? Was there a response letting me and residents know how the work was progressing? No, of course not. Was there any support from fellow councillors? No, of course not. Just an e-mail from Cllr Jones saying:-
“You might be more careful with the veracity of your statements. The council did not decide to turn off the lights. A working group I was on put up options one of which was to stop maintaining the lights if the alternatives were not possible, but was never taken forward.
"You are very aware of the staffing shortages we have suffered over the past year or so which has restricted activities, but now we are better resourced we can pick up other activities such as the WE lights as you have been informed by the locum clerk.”
You can decide for yourselves about the veracity of my statements but I have no doubt that the Council decided to turn off the lights – and it was on the basis of a proposal from 2 councillors, one of which was Cllr Jones.
I have reminded Cllr Jones that Council has a statutory responsibility for the safety of the streetlights and that at least one light has been temporarily repaired by a resident because electricity wires were exposed.
This is a safety issue.
So too is progress on cutting hedges in Widmer End – not only to provide access to the streetlights but so residents are not forced onto the road.
But nothing has happened on this either for months, despite reminders.
I do not know what staff HPC has because – guess what – Mr Truppin has refused to provide that information. However, my understanding is that Council has had at least, if not more, staff, than HPC has ever had; traditionally HPC has had one and a half staff and never more than 2.
However, if there have been staff shortages, then as I have said many times, the Council needs to prioritise, including setting priorities to its staff.
However, Council has no strategic plan, no objectives and no priorities.
Work gets done, or doesn’t get done, when and if staff decide.
I will leave you to decide what should be a Council priority. Is it: -
- planting bulbs and wild flowers and watering plants at Cockpit Hole or
- the safety of residents, including children.
***For anyone interested, the land at Cockpit Hole was allotted as “a public pond or watering place” by an Inclosure Award in 1855.
A Commons Commissioner decided in 1979 that he “was not satisfied that any person owned the land” and it therefore remained subject to the protection of S.9 of the Commons Registration Act 1965.
S.9, covers the protection of unclaimed common land which now falls to Hughenden Parish Council.
A resident provided the relevant documents to the Council about a year ago. The Council didn’t thank the resident for the work and the resident received no acknowledgement.
I am grateful for the resident’s detailed research on this issue which has saved the Council time and resources as the Council was going to seek legal advice on registering the land. And this proved not to be necessary.
A truly appalling Council.
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