June 2021

18 Buckden Roundabout June 2021 After the War Articles always wanted! Are you a budding writer? Buckden Roundabout is always looking for articles to be included in the magazine. • Maybe you have something interesting to share about the history, geography or nature of the village? • Do you run a local group, society or activity (that is essentially non - commercial) and are looking to either attract new members or raise the profile of the group? • Do you have a short - story, poem or fan fiction to share? Whatever the topic, send your articles to editor@buckdenroundabout.info for consideration. The Parish Council - After the War In the last part of my story I mentioned the preparations that were taken in case of emergency during WW2. It is in- teresting to note that in 1951 the council was still discussing the need for civil defence and plans for the accommodation of refugees - this time, of course in the context of the Cold War which was going through one of its hotting - up phases, the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. This wasn ’ t to be last time that emergency plans for the village were to be discussed. During the late 1970s and through the 1980s plans were formulated in case of an accident on the A1 involving vehi- cles carting nuclear w eapons for the RAF. But back to the 1950s. In January 1952 the Council called a special public meeting to discuss ‘ Londoners for Huntingdon- shire ’. This was in response to a London County Council sug- gestion that Londoners should be re - housed in Huntingdon- shire over a period of twenty years. The meeting was not in favour of the plan. Those present decided that it would not be good to put city dwellers into a rural county and that ‘ Foreigners ’ in London should be repatriated and emigration to the colonies should be considered. There was no sudden influx to Buckden and local villages but Huntingdon, St Neots and Peterborough all grew substantially to absorb the influx from London. Throughout the 1950s the minutes record increasing com- plaints about the speed and volume of traffic through the vil- lage. Parking on the Great North Road was also a problem (the village High Street was then still part of the main route to the North). Rumours of a proposed Buckden bypass were rife. At a well - attended public meeting there was unanimous approval for the Council to strongly oppose the plan to build the bypass close to the village (this is, of course, its current course) This was because the accident black spots to the north and south of the village would still exist and the proposed new road would effectively cut the village in two. The Council proposed a route from Diddington Hill to just south of Brampton Hut, thus avoiding the village completely. (It is interesting to note that this is still the route favoured by Highways England should any future decision be taken to re- route the A1). In the event, the minister responsible decided that there was no point in holding a formal enquiry because thirty - nine villagers and seven of the councillors had, in spite of the majority decision of the Council, written to him in favour of the route close to the village Most of the councillors involved owned businesses in the village and feared that the re - routing of the A1 away from the village would adversely affect their passing trade. At the next meeting of the Council the Chairman reminded councillors of their corporate responsibility and resigned! Later in the mid - 1980s in a conversation with the then Chairman about the problems involving the roundabout he apologised for the failure of the Council to protect the vil- lage. If the right decision had been made the bypass would not have been opened in October 1962 and the village would not be suffering the problems that the current Coun- cil is trying to solve concerning the roundabout and the in- creasing amount of traffic on the A1. A situation that will become increasingly worse when the new A428 is con- structed. Villagers had always been welcome to attend council meetings as observers and were, on occasions, allowed to speak. There had also been the opportunity for the chair- man or a group of electors to call a Parish Assembly to dis- cuss matters of concern to the community. It was not until the early 1960s that it was decided that one should be con- vened annually. At this meeting the Council and village char- ities reported their activities and the public had the oppor- tunity to question, complain and suggest ideas for the fu- ture of the village. Since then the meeting has been expand- ed so that District and County Councillors can also give a presentation and be questioned on the activities of HDC and CCC. In recent years it has also become customary to invite a guest speaker. There had always been the opportunity for women to be elected on to Parish Councils but it was not until the 1960s that Buckden elected its first female councillor. Next month I shall go back ten years to explain how main drainage came to the village in the 50s before moving on to recount the partnership between the Council and the Vil- lage Hall Trust. - Terry Hayward