Parish Council

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click Parish Council speeding reports for the constant discussions regarding traffic control on the Main Road, Lacey Green

click Parish Council History for its history

click Councillors Parish Council for others.

Parish Council Minutes November 1934. The clerk reported that he had been asked by the Princes Risborough Council to bring the matter of the present arrangments regarding Postal Services to the notice of Lacey Green Parish Council with a view to them supporting a protest which had been sent to the Post-Master General against the adding of 'Aylesbury' to the postal address of Princes Risborough and the Upper Hamlets.

After due consideration it was proposed by Councilor Parslow, seconded by Councillor Wood that a letter of protest be sent to the Postmaster General against the adding of 'Aylesbury' to the Postal Address of the hamlets, pointing out that the delivery was consideraby longer than under the previous arrangements. With regard to Loosley Row,this could easily be confused as indicating a street in Aylesbury, and the Council is strongly of an opinion that of instead of adding 'Aylesbury', they should revert back to Princes Risborough in connecton wih the Postal address of the hamlets

Parish Council Litter pick.

Research note. Aylesbury was added to the postal address of Princes Risborough, including Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen for many years. It was later replaced with a Postcode.

Hallmark October 1983. A request from the Parish Council to reduce the Lacey Green Main Road speed limit from 40 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. has been turned down --- click Parish Council speeding reports for full details.

Hallmark December 1983. Report by Ray Gosling, councillor.

I have been invited to regularly write a brief report on what the Parish Council has been discussing, but first perhaps it would be a good idea to explain what ‘it' is and does.

Lacey Green Parish Council covers an area from the western part of Walters Ash to Brimmers Farm and from Loosley Row to Speen. It has seven Members elected for a term of four years, and despite popular belief all give their time and efforts voluntarily. The only paid employee is our part time clerk.

Our powers have been conferred on us by Parliament and no other authority can take them away.

These powers include:

* A right of consultation and comment on all planning applications made to the District Council.

* The right to purchase and administer land.

* Community street lighting.

* Footpath maintenance powers.

* Encouragement of local self-help groups by means of loans and grants.

* Representation of local opinion to statutory bodies.

* Representation of governing and charitable bodies.

Recent actions by the Council have included the lobbying of the local water authority to improve its supply which to a few of us meant just getting some. This, I am glad to say, has now been resolved satisfactorily. We have also successfully arranged with Wycombe District Council the making safe of the derelict cottage in Foundry Lane.

Now for the so far ‘not’ successful side. We have been pushing the County. Council for a reduced and extended speed limit through Lacey Green and Loosley Row. So far it seems there have not been enough serious accidents along this stretch to warrant granting our request, but we will continue with pressure wherever possible.

Lastly the Council is keen to purchase some land in the central area to develop as a ‘Village Green’ with a play area and space to hold village functions.

Unfortunately, there are two problems so far preventing us from such an undertaking.

(a) The. considerable cost which to a council as small as ours means a large increase in the Parish rate for a number of years.

(b) The lack of a suitable site.

If anyone has any views or helpful suggestions on this matter, please contact one of the councillors

Hallmark September 1985 Report by Councillor Ray Gosling

Recently we have had another accident outside the school during pick-up time showing once again how dangerous this part of Main Road can be. click Parish Council speeding reports for the full report.

The Council's energy in getting so many parishioners to support the County Council's Structure Plan was we feel paramount in the Minister's decision that Lacey Green and Loosley Row should be placed within The Green Belt, unfortunately the way these things work, there is still another period for objecting and the Wycombe District Council are to do just that. Our Council has written to everyone that wrote supporting our action to write again letting the Department know our feelings are still the same.

Hallmark February 1986 Reporting Parish Pump Politics. By Councillor Ray Gosling. (click Ray & Jill Gosling for more about Ray)

I'm starting my report with some good news, the Parish Council rate is being reduced by 25%! Unfortunately, this is a mere drop in the ocean when compared with the possibility of a 30% increase in the county rate. Our reduction only represents 0.2p in the pound. Nevertheless every little helps.

Road safety is still causing concern. click Parish Council speeding reports for full report.

Planning is once again in the local limelight. As I hope many of you already know the modified South Bucks Structural Plan was at last released by the Department of the Environment and as we all hoped the whole of Lacey Green and Loosley Row is to be brought into The Green Belt. All seemed well until Wycombe District Council objected, wishing our villages to stay as they are and to be held in reserve for possible future development. As a result there.is to.be. another public. enquiry. The Parish Council along with many local residents have written in support of the proposals and although we feel confident, vigilance must still be maintained.

On routine planning matters we are continuing to see "in-fill" where new houses are built in the grounds of larger, older properties.

Hallmark May 1986. Report by Councillor Ray Gosling

Lately, it seems the council is increasingly getting involved in environment matters....

For those of us with cars, buses sometimes represent no more than just another nuisance on the highway but to the non-mobile, the public service is a lifeline to the outside world, For many years we have been blessed with an exceptional service that would be the envy of many a small town. Currently in the legislation pipeline is the latest Transport Bill which, if enacted, would remove many of the restrictions on operators to run unprofitable routes. To safeguard’ communities the County Council has drawn up a minimum acceptable service which if necessary they will finance. We in Lacey Green/Loosley Row once again seem to be fortunate in that if recent District Council proposals are accepted we would only lose our late night and Sunday services. What do you think? If you have strong views please ‘tell one of your Parish Councillors,

Staying with transport, ‘the condition of our local roads contrives to deteriorate and to compound matters the response time to our requests for maintenance or action of any kind lengthens. Top of our list currently is the reinstatement of footways, verges and roads around the new reservoir site closely followed by a string of problems including the erosion of verges and the encroaching gravel heaps down Little Lane. If you have a pot hole in the road near you please inform one of your Councillors and we will at least try to get it repaired.

Last year the Best Kept Village Competition was judged for the first time by members of the CPRE who unfortunately misinterpreted the aims of the scheme and correspondingly Lacey Green did very badly. Nevertheless, ‘some of their comments regarding litter were relevant. So, this year the council provided waste tips for a week within the two villages so that. unwanted bits and pieces could be easily disposed of. If you feel that this should be an annual event please once again inform the Parish Councillors. We can only afford this once a year but please remember that. there is an official rubbish dump at Bledlow Ridge which is open seven days a week.

The most important event in many peoples view recently has been the suggestion by the council to make Church Lane into a Conservation Zone and the surprise closure – of Palmer & Harvey, The two events coming so close together was purely coincidental a Conservation Zone allows for the protection and preservation of a street scene, this is very different from the better-known listing of a building which only protects that one structure. If the proposal was agreed it would be an additional safeguard which would stop any detrimental development from taking place. This would not totally bar any building but would ensure that it would be in character with the existing scene. A public meeting was held at-the beginning of April to seek the views of the residents regarding the proposal, the outcome of which was, a clear "Yes". As a-result the council intends to go ahead and make ‘a formal request to the District Council. However, so popular was the idea that the 'stret' in Loosley Row was suggested as being equally worthy and should be included in our application, we therefore intend to delay further action until the views of the local residents can be canvassed. Despite this hold-up: we are confident that we have more than sufficient time to act and that no sizeable development will take place. This is due to the very good news that Lacey Green and Loosley Row have now been officially washed over with The Green Belt status. This will at least in the medium term provide adequate protection.

The Palmer & Harvey site is somewhat different. Although not within: an industrial area in the eyes of the planning authorities it is already a developed site with established. light industrial use. The District Council's policy in these cases is to encourage these areas to: be redeveloped for housing, hence we feel sure that a housing scheme will take place. The timing and plans for any ‘such development is solely with the owners of the land, all we as a Parish Council can do is to try and establish some lines of communication with the land owners and to influence them to propose a scheme. which is suited to the locality. Be assured that the Parish Council will do all within it’s powers to ensure a satisfactory outcome

Hallmark December 1986. Parish Pump Politics By Councillor Ray Gosling (Ray & Jill Gosling)

With the coming of winter the traffic situation in Lacey Green and Loosley Row has markedly deteriorated. click Parish Council speeding reports for full report.

Hallmark January 1988. Parish Pump Politics. By Councillor Ray Gosling. (Ray & Jill Gosling)

I start with a brief thank you to all of the many people who either attended one of the two public meetings or made comment on the proposals for the Parish Plan. The Council feel the whole exercise was a great success. One concern that has been expressed was that we did not allow for sufficient growth with only two major building sites designated within the plan. However, since the Public Meetings we have received planning applications for no less than seven new ‘infill’ dwellings. If half this rate were maintained and approved we would see a major increase in population within the planned period.

Following the hurricane, despite us having got off lightly, the Council is to embark on a tree planting scheme. If you have any ideas as to where the Parish could benefit from such an event, be it a single tree or a small copse, please let me know.

Gas: following our attempt at getting gas laid into the village, it has been privatised. The Council has, therefore, written to British Gas who have agreed to 're-cost' the project. If you are interested please let me know and I will keep you in touch with events as they develop.

Street Lighting: Do we want it in Lacey Green and Loosley Row? This 1s a subject that tends to polarise the community. The Council is to discuss it in an open meeting at the Annual Parish Meeting in the Village Hall on Tuesday 12 April.

This is your chance not only to have a say as to whether or not we should consider such a lighting scheme, but also to take up any other matter with the Council - so make a date in your diary.

The Council would like to make their Minutes of Meetings available easily for public inspection. They are now prepared in a slightly different form including planning committee comments and a copy will be displayed in the Post Office as soon as our Clerk can make the arrangements.

Finally, there is a requirement on the P.C. to appoint an Emergency Co-ordinator. The post is voluntary, the person selected will be responsible for the initial contact and direction of the rescue services in the event of a local disaster. If you are interested or wish to know more please contact our clerk.

Hallmark 1989. report by Randall Evans. (click Randall & Peggy Evans for more about Randall)

After 2 months in the Antipodes it was delightful to find oneself reinvolved in an English country parish.

I would like to encourage more of you to attend the Council meetings. It's the best way to get to know; 50% boring perhaps but at least 20% interesting. Is that worse than day to day life?

The planning application for housing, on the Christmas Meats site, was presented by the architect to a Council meeting in April. This produced an audience of at least 40 residents of Loosley Row. Beautifully presented, it was well received and unanimously approved. Now we need one for the Palmer & Harvey site!

Last week was the Annual Meeting of the Council (in Speen Village Hall with no public attendance). Don White was re-elected Chairman and Ray Gosling his deputy. This will be Councillor White's 5th year in the chair. Should we be looking for a change in 1990? No offence, Don!

The “litterblitz" in Lacey Green and Loosley Row run by the Council and the Residents Association together was a great success. Our thanks to all those who took part, especially the Cubs. It is gratifying to know that the quantity of rubbish gets less and less each year.

We are informed that British Gas will complete a supply to the whole village "by next winter". This is a great achievement brought about by the Council's constant nagging.

By July we have to send our tree planting requirements for next winter to the County. Ideas on where and what would be welcomed by any Councillor.

A "bottle bank" in the village has been suggested by a correspondent. He also suggested the Village Hall car park as a site. How does that grab you?

This parish is covered by a network of footpaths and these were well utilised in "Beating the Bounds" on 13 May. Probably the first time this has been done in the 55 years life of the civil parish. Councillors were delighted to be joined by over 90 people in tracing the perimeter of our 2592 acre parish.One Hambye visitor, after very little sleep, a good crowd of children and five quarrelsome bitches joined 5 Councillors (out of 7, one is unwell and one drove the ‘chuck wagon'). A lovely spring day with the Chiltern countryside looking its best made even more enjoyable the "discovery" of "new" vistas and paths in the parish.

The Parish Council would like to thank local landowners and Speen Baptist Church for their kind co-operation in allowing the walkers to cross private land. Many thanks too to all those who took part – it's a must for next year.

Hallmark May 1991. Report by Councillor Dennis Claydon

Regrettably there appears to have been confusion in the minds of some electors regarding the recent Parish Council elections. Complaints ranged from those who claimed not to have known voting would take place for Parish Councillors, to one allegation of "undemocratic'’: practice. It is true door to door canvassing on an individual basis did not take place. However, as required, "Notice of Election" posters were displayed on village notice boards. These were followed by the "Notice of Poll" giving the six names and addresses of Candidates duly nominated. Poll Cards clearly indicated polling was for both District and Parish.

Candidates were invited to submit a CV to be displayed at the Polling Station, but not all wished to do so. The Polling Officer, therefore, decreed that any number less than the full six CV's could only be displayed ‘beyond the premises’ i.e. outside the boundary of the Village Hall car park. This order was duly complied with but during the day the notice disappeared.

Nevertheless, all Candidates would like to thank those who gave their support. The results were as follows, number of votes in brackets:

Dennis Claydon (453 Elected) Chamonix, Kiln Lane, Lacey Green

Raymond Peter Gosling (441 Elected) 6 Roundlands, Lacey Green

James Patrick Grafton (350 Elected) 14 Woodfield, Lacey Green

Brian Thomas John Panter (384 Elected) Woodway Cottage, Loosley Row

George Charles Ward (354 Elected) Lane Cottage, Church Lane, Lacey Green

Thomas-Davies (300 not elected) Collins Farm, Lower Road, Loosley Row.

Number of rejected ballot papers: 48

The County Council now provides facilities for recycling of waste materials at its Recycling Centres. Our nearest Centre is at Wigans Lane, Bledlow Ridge, open daily 8 am – 7 pm (summer) 8 am to dusk (winter).

You may recycle: scrap metal, card/paper, used engine oil, glass bottles, gas cylinders, textile/clothing, bric-a-brac, garden waste. For a free information pack on recycling or for advice please telephone the County Engineer's Dept. on 0296 382412.

Hallmark July 1992. Report by Brian Panter.

Many readers may find themselves perplexed and, at times, angry at the apparent inconsistencies in planning matters. It may be small comfort to know that Parish Councillors often feel the same.

Why, it is legitimate to ask, does a modest application to extend a house for a growing family so often meet with the opposition of every piddling regulation when the applicant can see others getting away with murder? Egregious breaches of the planning rules by the big operator who is then encouraged to apply for retrospective permission (who has heard of anything being pulled down?) to regularise the position.

The modest applicant might be tempted to think that the best course is to do what you want to do and challenge the authority. If that does not work go to appeal if you can afford it and of course the big operator can! However, the modest applicant would be ill advised to give in to the temptation for almost certainly the book would be thrown at him and the Enforcement Officer would then do some enforcing.

To be serious though the Wheely Bins will be with us in October and all those unsightly and vulnerable plastic sacks will be a thing of the past. Nevertheless, questions bound to be asked; how do aged or handicapped people get their bins out, particularly in Loosley Row? The prospect of runaway bins on Loosley Hill or Foundry Lane is not an appealing thought, on the other hand Wheely Bin racing on Village Day or to follow the Pancake Race is a lively thought.

Hallmark March 1993. Report by Parish Councillor Dennis Claydon

Police Constable Richard Jones, the Area Beat Officer, wishes to record his thanks for the response from members of the public regarding the three horrific attacks on horses within our Parish. Enquiries are continuing and there is still a need for vigilance.

The deterioration of road surfaces in Lower Road, Loosley Row and Main Road, Lacey Green have caused much concern. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike have been inconvenienced. The Contractors, in an effort to temporarily relieve the problems, have maintained a regular programme of sweeping. Complete resurfacing work is scheduled to take place during April. The attention of the Divisional Surveyor has also been drawn to the excess amount of surface water in Main Road.

The Parish Council have joined the Pathwatch Scheme. The County Council consider this Scheme a step towards achieving the Countryside Commissions target of having all rights of way well publicised by the end of the century. For ourselves Pathwatch is a way of ensuring the County Council, as Highway Authority, is aware of the condition of the sixteen miles of public rights of way within the Parish and can respond to any problems should the need ever arise. Thus we can ensure all our paths are available for local people to enjoy. If volunteers would like to assist with the Scheme by walking a selected path or. paths twice a year – late spring and autumn – they would be most welcome. Please contact the Clerk, Mr G. Crombie on 0494 488240 or any Parish Councillor for further details.

Addressing the annual Parish Meeting, the Chairman, Councillor D.E. White, reported a total of thirty nine planning applications for Lacey Green and Loosley Row during the past year. Provisional returns of the 1991 Census revealed the number of Parish residents as 2350 with 853 households.

The appearance of a mysterious hole on the green in Eastlands has aroused much speculation. A possible collapse of underground services perhaps, or just a natural swallow hole? But could it be, as the shape suggests, evidence of a more sinister nature from the dim and distant past? Wycombe District Council have been requested to investigate so all will be revealed in due course.

Just one of the many diverse topics which have been tackled by your Parish Council recently.

Hallmark April 1994. Lacey Green Parish Council - Diamond Jubilee, 1934 - 1994

It was on the 17th day of April 1934 that the first inaugural meeting of the Lacey Green Parish Council took place, brought about by boundary changes, but greatly influenced by the villagers indignation of having to help pay for the new sewerage system at Princes Risborough of which tney would receive no benefit, (main sewerage did not arrive in the village until 1973).

The Council has always consisted of 7 councillors, by gentiemans' agreement 5 from Lacey Green and Loosley Row and 2 from Speen, but in 1987 perhaps thinking gentlemans' agreements where not what they use to be, the council had the Parish 'warded' now those same numbers are a legal requirement.

Up until 1949 elections to the council were by show of hands at the Annual Parish Meeting, since that time elections has been by ballot as in any other local or general election, but unfortunately seldom put into-practice through not enough candidates coming forward.

It's been very much a male dominated affair, no women councillor till 1955 and since then numbers can be counted on one hand, an anomaly that badly needs correcting.

Our cover drawing shows the Chairman's badge of office, purchased in 1980 by a local benefactor, it shows three features of the Parish – the Windmill, the Farmgate and the Beech Woods.

Many people say that Parish Councils can do very little, and that may be partly true, but we believe that over the 60 years our Parish Council, within the limited powers placed upon it, has done an excellent job, achieving a lot, one can look around and see things that would not have happened, had not our local representatives continually badgered the remote higher authorities.

We wish all power to their elbow in the future, and to the 70 odd Councillors (8 Chairman and 4 Clerks) who have served us over the last 60 years, we honour the memory of those no longer with us, others we congratulate and thank for their service to the community.

Hallmark January 1995. Report by Parish Councillor Dennis Claydon

The problem of speeding in Main Road, a subject on the agenda of every meeting over the last eight years at least, and still continues :- click Parish Council speeding reports for the full report.

Criticism has appeared in recent pages of Hallmark regarding the lack of publicity given to last year's ‘Best Kept Village’ competition. Apart from attention being drawn to the competition in two ‘Council Comments’ columns in this magazine, copies of which are delivered to every household, posters advertising the event were placed in the village bus shelters. These posters were very promptly removed within twenty-four hours of being put on display. Following this a second batch were displayed, but these also suffered the same fate. It would be interesting to know who was responsible and why? Other local government notices and posters dealing with dog fouling have suffered similarly. In fact, over the last year the noticeboards in the bus shelters have become a target for vandalism. One board disappeared after being wrenched from its fixing, another was subject to an arson attack and had to be removed. These boards were a useful aid in keeping the public informed of Parish Council affairs, also, freely available to and much used by village organisations in advertising their activities. Such wanton and thoughtless behaviour is a sheer waste of tax payers money. After further damage the police are now involved. The Parish Council is fortunate to have a number of people who ‘Keep their eye’ on these shelters and the efforts of these ‘good neighbours’ are greatly appreciated.

Some years ago the Parish Council set itself three long term objectives, (a) the supply of gas to Lacey Green/Loosley Row, (b) provide a childrens playarea, (c) remedy speeding in Main Road. Whilst 'c’ has yet to be resolved, 'a' has been achieved and 'b' is anticipated to be in operation later this year. The Parish Council would therefore welcome suggestions from parishioners on any long-term project which it might be possible to implement to enhance life in our villages. You are invited to attend the annual Parish Meeting to be held this year on Tuesday, March 14th, at 8.30pm in the Speen Village Hall, when suggestions may be put forward or matters raised on any subject affecting the Parish. The public are also welcome to attend the monthly meetings, held alternately in Lacey Green and Speen, as announced in Hallmark. A regular public forum session is held prior to the commencement of the official meeting.

Hallmark September 1995. report by Parish Councillor Dennis Claydon

Two New Councillors have recently been co-opted to serve the Lacey Green and Loosley Row Ward of the Parish Council. Councillor PB Dr T Shreeve and Councillor Mrs Cc Davis replace Mr B Panter and Mr J Grafton respectively, both of whom have resigned due to business commitments.

The long awaited outcome of the Gate Cottage site on Loosley Row was finally resolved in July. Wycombe District Council have granted permission for demolition of the existing cottage, flat, garages and outbuildings and the erection of two detached cottages, garages and the formation of a new access. A lengthy list of conditions, in the interests of visual amenities, highway safety and the privacy of the occupiers of adjacent properties, has been imposed. The width of the highway adjacent to the site will remain the same, but an increased vision splay is to be provided.

Over the last three years, the Parish Council, on behalf of the County Council, has been involved in "Pathwatch", a twice-yearly inspection of the public rights of way within the Parish. We are extremely fortunate in that our paths generally are in reasonable condition. The farmers and landowners of the Parish are to be congratulated in this respect. The odd stiles showing signs of age, or the annual growth of summer vegetation, are usually the only problems encountered.

As a continuation of this scheme the Parish Council has been invited to join the Parish Paths Partnership, Known as P3. The aim of P3 is to enable the Parish Council, with the permission of landowners, to undertake Maintenance of improvements to public rights of way. This would be carried out in conjunction with the County Council. Contractors or volunteers may be employed for this work, contractors' fees being reimbursed to the Parish Council by the County Council. The cooperation of landowners would be needed to implement the scheme. They will be kept informed of any forthcoming proposals. The possibility of the production of a free leaflet promoting our parish paths would also be available. P3 could be of considerable benefit to farmers and all those who use and enjoy our paths and bridleways.

One of the more unusual planning applications to be considered is for the stationing of "gate guards” at Strike Command. These would take the form of two static aircraft, placed at the main entrance to the site in New Road.

The County Council is asking everyone to aid the environment by leaving their cars at home and to walk or cycle wherever possible. Strike Command is actively discouraging the use of cars by staff for work. The RAF are therefore requesting provision of cycle paths to the main site. Part of the proposal, which affects out Parish, is for a shared pavement/cycle path along the western edge of New Road at its southern end. Whilst the Parish Council agree in principle to the proposal, some doubts regarding safety were expressed. In particular, a section of approximately 200 metres without a cycle path, where cyclists would be forced to join the highway. Other points of concern were cyclists emerging from an access road at New Road/Bradenham Wood Lane junction and the use of a public footpath as a cyclepath. Both of the latter are outside out Parish. It was generally agreed a safer cycle route could devised through MOD property, thus eliminating almost entirely the use of New Road.

Hallmark September 1996. Report by Councillor Tony Molesworth

We believe that we are making progress with the problem of speeding traffic on the main road through Lacey Green. click Parish Council speeding reports for this report in full.

Hallmark November 1998. Report by Councillor Tony Molesworth. "Idle Thoughts"

The matter of the speed of traffic through Lacey Green seems to be about to resurface, with the Residents Association launching a new initiative. The Parish Council only had partial success in obtaining minor safety measures such as ---- For this full report regarding speeding traffic click Parish Council speeding reports.

Whilst on the subject of road traffic, there has been a lot of talk in the media and elsewhere about the need to get people away from their cars and on to public transport. Apart from the other factors which may influence one's decision, I was curious as regards comparative costs. As I suspected, there 1s no contest! The cost per mile of running my (small) car works out at 12.4 p including everything. The marginal cost is about 8.6 p Thus, to travel from Lacey Green to Princes Risborough, about 2.5 miles, costs me at most 31 p by car, whether alone or with passengers. The bus fare is £1.10 for one person. I don't have much information for other journeys, but so far as I can tell, it is always cheaper by car, even travelling alone.

Perhaps the cost of public transport could be reduced, but by a margin rather per rater than that usually suggested (I leave you to consider how this might be achieved). In my view, the alternative, namely increasing the cost of using a motor car, would be a very negative and probably inflationary response.

On a more mundane note, we are hoping to have another second Parish notice board erected near to the telephone box in Lower Road, Loosley Row. These boards are available for use by village organisations (but not for personal advertisements). If you want to put up a notice of some forthcoming event etc., please contact the keyholder; myself for Loosley Row, Denis Claydon for Lacey Green.

Hallmark May 1999. Lacey Green Parish Council. By Linda Moorcroft

One very cold Saturday morning in early March, a full turn-out of the Parish Council (plus other interested parties) could be seen examining the width of the pavements and verges. click Parish Council speeding reports for the full report.

Many of the agenda items for the Parish Council are, well...parochial! However there is some money available for the Council to spend as it sees fit, and the best way to make sure that funds are spent wisely and where the need is greatest, is to get involved in the decision-making process! If you do not feel able to do that, then come along to the meeting anyway where you can see and hear what goes on and, at the Chairman’s discretion, speak either before or after the meeting.

Thanks to Mike Robbins’ superb work, there are plans afoot to post the Council minutes on the Internet so that the increasing number of villagers “on-line” can easily find out what is going on. Otherwise, the minutes are available to read in Princes Risborough library (And talking of libraries, we had a very interesting talk at the beginning of our last meeting on the mobile library service - something about which I knew very little indeed.) What do you think about the service? If you are at home during the day, do you use it? Why or why not?

My teenage daughters constantly complain to me about the quality of the bus service through the Village (particularly in the evenings). They have been left standing at bus stops for enormous lengths of time, when one bus after another has failed to turn up at one end of the journey or the other. As their story has recently been confirmed by others, the Parish Council would be interested to hear the views of regular bus users, and is willing to take action if the bus company is not delivering a reliable service

For those without cars it is essential that the service is reliable and increasingly so whilst we are all being encouraged to use public transport (something with which I have great sympathy, but not if it is going to line bus companies’ pockets by charging extortionate amounts for relatively short journeys - perhaps it is time for them to “get real”). What are your views? Have you had good or bad experience of local bus services? Please let any Councillor know, or write to the Clerk to the Council, Mr. G. Crombie, “Blackwells”, Great Hampden, Great Missenden, HP16 9RJ.

Don’t be backward in coming forward. Your Parish Council is there to represent you and needs to know your views. It may have limited power to change things, but some power is better than none! After all, who won.. David or Goliath?

Hallmark November 2022. Report by Tim Macgillivray. Please Bag it and Bin it!

Since lockdown we have noticed an increase in the numbers of our canine friends living amongst us in our lovely villages. Personally I’m all for this as I understand how much joy and colour they add to our lives.

Being a dog owner of course comes with a few responsibilities. Parking most of them aside for a moment, I’d just like to focus on the slightly less fragrant element – that of disposing of our pooch’s poo!

Largely most people use poo bags and either put them in the nearest public bin, which is acceptable practice, or take them home and dispose of them in their own bins for collection by the waste team – which again is acceptable practice.

However, we are still experiencing some less than savoury instances where dogs foul in the middle of lanes or on public footpaths which have no lighting – leaving people to unwittingly tread in it.

Another practice which defies logic is to hang full dog poo bags on branches of bushes, or simply dropped by the side a foot path. This is worse than leaving unbagged poo as the bag stays in the environment for much longer and is very difficult to clear up.

I get it that we sometimes absentmindedly do things like this and all | would like to do is ask you to remember other walkers and consider their enjoyment of a walk too.

For those instances when a poo bag is not available and a “download” has been left on a path, please consider the stick and flick method to clear it off the path.

The council will look at strategically placing a few reminder signs near to footpath gates in order to remind owners of their responsibilities and in order to make our villages as clean and pleasant as possible to walk through.

Hallmark November 2023. Parish Council. Report by Cllr Cathryn Davies

We are working with Buckinghamshire Council, Northwest Chilterns Community Board and the local Community Speedwatch Team and the volunteers manning, moving and downloading the information from the MVAS unit to try and make life easier for the parents of the children attending St John’s village school.

There are a lot of talks going on behind the scenes, lots of ideas and a lot of people are giving up their time freely to do this.

One of the issues that has arisen, is the many overgrown trees, hedges and footways. The overhanging trees are hiding the speed signs and MVAS units.

The hedges are causing those wishing to walk to school, to walk closer to the road than may be necessary.

Although Buckinghamshire Council has the responsibility to cut verges, these are usually those adjoining the road and we are trying to convince them that they need to be trimmed more often along the stretch between RAF Space Command and Lacey Green – we are trying!

We have a meeting scheduled to see what can be done about the overgrown footway between the RAF Base and Lacey Green, If it can be widened it would make life easier for parents with pushchairs and small children on scooters, and the runners and walkers.

Could we ask those residents who have hedges and trees fronting Main Road/New Road to ensure that they are cut back – now is the acceptable time to cut/trim hedges according to DEFRA – walking would certainly be a more pleasant experience if these hedges were cut back.

Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.