Broadsheet Article December 2022

Following the cancellation of the September meeting due to the sad news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, the council held a rescheduled meeting on 5th October. The council needed to elect a new Chairman at this meeting, and Adam McCormick was duly elected to this role. As Adam had previously been Vice-Chairman, a new one was required, and Philip Bickford Smith was duly elected.

The council has purchased two Tommy statues for display in the village in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday each year – hopefully you will have seen them by the Well House. We would like to thank the children at Yattendon Primary School for the wonderful poppies they made. These were displayed around the village. Yattendon has recently been asked to join the group of villages that rotate the Remembrance Parade between West Ilsley, East Ilsley, Compton, Hampstead Norreys and Aldworth. The council has agreed to take on the management side of this, organising the road closure and risk assessments, and the parade will take place in Yattendon in 2023.

Our scheduled meeting took place on 10th November. The council discussed the budget for 2023/24. The precept has been increased from £9,300 to £11,293 to reflect some increasing costs that the council has. This is a 21.4% increase. The cost for a Band D household will increase from £53.04 per year to £64.41 per year, an increase of just 22p per week. The council has agreed to continue providing a grant of £2,500 per year towards the grounds maintenance of the churchyard. For full details of the budget, please see the finances and annual audit page on our website.

The council agreed to sign up for the Civility and Respect Pledge. By signing the Pledge, the council has agreed that it will treat councillors, clerks, employees, members of the public, and representatives of partner organisations and volunteers with civility and respect in their roles, and that it:

• has put in place a training programme for councillors and staff
• has signed up to the Code of Conduct for councillors
• has good governance arrangements in place including staff contracts and a Dignity at Work policy
• will seek professional help at early stages should civility and respect issues arise
• will commit to calling out bullying and harassment if and when it happens
• will continue to learn from best practice in the sector and aspire to being a role model / champion council e.g., via Local Council Award Scheme
• supports the continued lobbying for change in legislation to support the civility and respect, including sanctions for elected members where appropriate

Yattendon Parish Council can have six members on the council. The council currently has a vacancy, and we would love to be able to fill it! The council meets four times a year in February, May, September and November with an Annual Parish Meeting in April. If you are interested in applying or would like to know more about joining the parish council, please contact our Clerk, Sarah, at yattendonparish@gmail.com.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 23rd February at 8pm in the Village Hall. Members of the public are welcome to join us. The agenda is published in the week leading up to each meeting on our website and on the noticeboard outside the Village Hall. The Parish Council website can be accessed at www.hugofox.com/community/yattendon-parish-council-13277/home