June Chair Letter: Annual Parish Meeting & GP Surgery Updates
Dear Parishioners of Bubwith, Breighton and Willitoft
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the promised sunshine, let’s hope it continues for our next Bank Holiday weekend and the half-term break.
My highlights for this month include the commencement of work on the new patio area at the Bubwith Leisure and Sports Centre (BLSC), weather permitting this will commence on the 29th May and be completed in approximately 3 weeks.
Apologies for the disruption but as you know you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. The patio will be a bonus as the Friday Family Fun nights have returned with outdoor games and music, not to mention Quiz Nights and Bingo. I know Tracey the centre coordinator is also hard at work getting food vans to attend, I’ve heard mention of Pizzas and Caribbean fare so keep an eye on Facebook for further information.
I was pleased to see Mike Suddaby at our Parish Council meeting on the 9th May, thankfully Mike is making a steady recovery.
It was our Annual Parish Meeting, which is an interesting facet of the Parish Council. Traditionally this meeting was a time for local groups to attend and engage with the Parish Council. Sadly nobody turned up and it occurred to me that perhaps we should make more of this annual event for groups to bend the
ear of the Parish Council about what is important to them within the parish. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has a view on this, although you don’t need to wait a year as the start of every Parish Council meeting is for the public to attend and raise issues.
The meeting proper included the election of officers it’s when individual councillors are identified to take the lead on various roles within the parish.
For 2024/25 these are:
Chair, Sandra Hills
Vice-Chair, Richard Falkingham
Cheque signatories remain as Barry Carpus, Richard Moore and Mike Suddaby
Other committees/representatives were elected as follows.
Allotments Officer, Malcolm Henson
Communications Team, Barry Carpus, Liz Hayes
Complaints Committee, Chair, Vice-Chair and Richard Moore
Leisure Centre Representative, Shaun Thompson
Orchard Committee, Chair, Liz Hayes and Malcolm Henson
Parish Transport Champion, Carol Hall
Planning, Chair, Vice-Chair, Shaun Thompson and John Watkinson
Policy Committee, Barry Carpus, Liz Hayes and John Watkinson
Public Rights of Way Committee, Chair, Vice-Chair, Barry Carpus, Allen Shepherd with Mary Whitworth as a co-opted member
Youth Club Committee, Carol Hall, Liz Hayes
Anyone wishing to raise matters with any Parish Councillors can do so via the Parish Clerk or look up the specific Councillor on our website where the photo and contact details for each councillor are displayed.
Earlier this year a number of concerns were raised with the Parish Council regarding a perceived difficulty in getting an appointment to see a GP at Bubwith Surgery. People were increasingly suspicious that there may be a plan to close the surgery. We have raised these concerns with the practice and I
have had a very long and detailed conversation with Rebecca Rowe from the practice whose role is to manage the appointment and clinical systems. I was personally reassured that there is no plan to close and by the information Rebecca gave me regarding the number of GP and Nurse clinical sessions held in
Bubwith and the new approach to the appointment system that is designed to provide more accessible appointments in the village. I agreed with Rebecca that I would do a feature on the Practice and it's appointment system for the Bugle.
It is my intention to do this for the next edition as I will need to verify the accuracy of on my feature prior to going to print. In the meantime hopefully you will already have experienced and improvement since the implementation of the new system last October.
There are some very observant and interested residents in our Parish and we have received a number of enquiries regarding some work being undertaken across the field adjacent to the waterworks and down to the riverbank. Although not able to offer clarification regarding this work our Parish Clerk is
in communication with ERYC regarding this work to address concerns that have
been raised.
Finally, the Spalding Windfarm Community Grant Scheme is now closed on the 12 th June and will make decisions regarding the allocation of the available £23K. My sincere thanks to all those who have submitted grant applications as I appreciate there is a considerable amount of work involved.
Now for me, it’s back to the garden where the grass and weeds have shot up by 6 inches (15.24cm) since I began writing this piece. I wish you a sunny and relaxing BH weekend.
Best wishes. Sandra Hills, Chair of Bubwith Parish Council
Email: Mob : 07748965779
https://www.facebook.com/BubwithParishCouncil
