Acton Annual Parish Meeting

Off to Acton on Wednesday evening to attend the Annual Village Meeting.

The weather was not very clement, and I have to say that although not many people attended, it was encouraging to see that a few people over and above the Parish Council were interested enough in what goes on in the village to come and have their say on a number of different matters. I thought that the level of debate was well above average, and that the evening was interesting for all concerned.

As usual there was a crime report. The attendance of a ‘proper’ police officer at these events seems to be a thing of the past, their place being taken by the almost universally female and pretty Community Support Officers. These people are trying very hard and seem to do a good job within the constraints of their rather limited brief. It is however frustrating at times to watch them at work since achieving tangible solutions to problems often remains elusive.

A theme that I fear will recur at other Parish Meetings was that of problems with ‘youth’. Large groups of young people seem to spend their evenings hanging around the village making a lot of noise, and being generally anti-social. This is particularly troublesome for those who live near the spots at which they gather. It is to be hoped that the police will be able to work with Babergh, in the way that they successfully (so far) have done at Shawlands Business Park to resolve Acton’s problems. It was however pointed out by the Chairman of the Parish Council, Chris Moss, who has many many years experience in the role, that these problems are not new. We do seem to hear more about them however.

Colin Spence, who as a County Councillor sits as a Representative on the Police Authority, tells me that there is to be a change in the way that community policing is carried out in the Sudbury area which should lead to improvements. Perhaps I will be able to obtain some details from him and make this the subject of a later post.

Another source of debate was the forthcoming Local Government Review. The prospect of having more work thrust upon them did not seem to greatly excite the Parish Council. Earlier in the evening it had been decided by them to look at co-operating with adjacent parishes in order to purchase a speed gun to combat speeding through the village. If more services have to be delivered locally, as seems probable, this co-operative attitude must be the way ahead.

I was pleased to learn that most people agreed with me with regard to the retention of telephone boxes, particularly in respect of the one in Newmans Green. The Parish Council is to look into the level of useage for the box in the centre of the village, but it is thought that this in not now much used due to the fact that it does not take cash.

Looking forward to the summer, it was announced at the Meeting that, following the success of the Parish Council stall at the Village Fete, the idea is to be repeated this year. I hope lots of people will come along to chat at the stall, which is a good opportunity to congratulate and /or complain at those who are working to make the community a better place. The Fete takes place on July 12th.