December 2021

14 Buckden Roundabout December 2021 The Parish Council The Parish Council - Into the 21st Century As I move into the twenty - first century I am aware that many of the readers will already know what has been happening in the village. That said I shall try to provide an overview of what the Parish Council has achieved. I have already written a lot about planning and roads, the other three items that appear regularly on the PC ’ s meeting agendas are road safety, public Rights of Way and trees. The speed of traffic through the village has been a problem since the invention of the car. In recent years fears have fo- cused on Perry Road, Mill Road and the area around the school. In 2010 the speed of traffic on Perry Road was exceed- ed by only one other road in the whole county. Through the Council ’ s efforts, local precept funding and HDC grants, speeds have been limited on both roads and a new pedestrian crossing has been constructed at the school. The council also set up ‘ Speed Watch ’ teams in 2011 to help control speeds on specific roads. I believe that the Council is currently seeking new volun- teers for these teams. The state of the roads and pavements have also been a constant cause for concern and the Council has faced an uphill battle to convince the County Council to meet its responsibility to maintain these in good order. Buckden is fortunate in having an excellent network of public rights of way. For at least forty years the Council has had a des- ignated Footpath Co - ordinator whose responsibility has been to liaise with the County Council (who are legally responsible for the paths) and local landowners in order to keep the paths clear and suitable for walkers, cyclists and riders as appropri- ate. It is perhaps worth noting that in 1894 one of the three working groups set up was “ Footpaths and Open Spaces ”. It is the only one to have survived for 127 years. In recent years it has also ensured that some are suitable for wheelchair users. This has not been easy. The idea of a route providing easy ac- cess from the village to Grafham Water has long been a dream. Indeed it was nearly fulfilled in the early 1990s when District Council money was made available for either a path up the side of Perry Road to the reservoir or another down the side of the A1 from Buckden to Lt Paxton. Unfortunately the latter was selected and we have had to wait another 30 years for money from the A14 project to provide a path from the Brampton Road to the reservoir. Recent new funding has also enabled the Council to open a new ‘ Round Buckden Path ’ which starts at the Village Hall car park. Footpath maps have also been provided by the Council, the most recent being the Historic Buckden walk published in 2015. Readers may remember that in part 8, I wrote about the num- ber of trees planted around the village. This work has contin- ued. All Parish Trees are numbered and are regularly checked for safety. The PC also tries to ensure that the HDC, CCC, HE and private owners do likewise. The area of the old quarry at the end of Bishops Way has long been identified as a possible area for a Community Wood. In 2012 trees were planted with the aid of pupils around the boundary of the Primary School playing field. Each tree was allocated to a specific class to en- sure that they appreciated their responsibility for ensuring its safe development. Unfortunately this hasn ’ t continued but I understand a small orchard of local apple trees has been plant- ed with the aid of the Food Sustainability Trust and there will soon be other trees supplied by the Woodland Trust. I have carefully not mentioned specific names of councillors but feel that I must make one exception. In May 2014 Council- lor June Woods retired after serving on the Council for 46 years. I believe that no councillor has ever served the village longer. I may have strayed a little, so back to my chronological story. In 2001 the Council opposed a suggestion by the District Council that Brampton and Buckden should be a ‘ multi - member ’ ward. The Council won the argument and gained the current situa- tion where we have one District Councillor serving Buckden, Diddington, Southoe and Midloe. In 2014 under a Grouping Order (Local Government Act 1972) the Parishes of Buckden and Diddington were grouped under a common Parish Council to be called “ The Parish Council of Buckden ”. From its inception the Council had always had a close connec- tion with the Village school; in 2005 this link was broken when the Council was no longer required to provide a representative on the school governing body. It was not until 2006 that the Parish Clerk was provided with a computer complete with an accounts package. Plans were made for a web site but this was not formally opened until June 2011. In 2007 the Council first discussed the DEFRA booklet “ Ways to Tackle Climate Change ”. As regular readers of the Roundabout will know Green Issues are now a regular item on the agenda and “ Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity ” and Climate Change Mitigation ” advisory working groups have been set up. On 1 st July 2016 a stone to commemorate the award of the Victoria Cross to John Green was unveiled in front of the village war memorial. The formal ceremony was attended by our MP, The Lord Lieutenant and over a hundred local residents. Next month I shall complete my story and explain why I believe that the Council is as important and relevant now as at any time in its long history. - Terry Hayward The unveiling of the memorial to John Green VC in July 2016