Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Burton Green Residents’ Association held on October 9th 2023 at the Village Hall
The meeting was preceded by a presentation from HS2 representatives.
Rona was unable to attend the AGM and so Janet Hickinbottom chaired the meeting. She welcomed everyone.
Apologies:
Apologies had been received from Rona Taylor, Archie Taylor, Judi Hibberd, Alan Marshall, Cheryl Wall, Liz Saxon, Eileen Nisbett and Carol Green
Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting of September 2022 were accepted.
Proposed: Deirdre Vernon
Seconded: Faith Ward
Matters Arising:
Any matters arising had been dealt with.
Chair’s Report:
A report from Rona had been circulated in advance as follows:
It has been another very busy year for the Residents’ Association working on behalf of all Burton Green residents. The size of the village is growing rapidly and we welcome the new members of the parish in the Crest Nicholson development in Westwood Heath Road. All residents of the parish are members of the Residents’ Association, unless they indicate their desire to opt out.
We celebrated the Coronation as a community by renovating the Jubilee Verge which has now been renamed the Coronation Verge. Returfing was funded by HS2 contractors and a bench and new plant troughs were funded courtesy of Councillor John Cook’s committee; many thanks to both! The mosaics were replaced and three new ones constructed by the community, under the expert guidance of Jo Edler whom we also warmly thank.
The Christmas events were a great success last year and plans are well under way for this year’s: HS2 contractors are again supplying a Christmas tree for the Verge, where they have already provided the electrical supply; students from Burton Green Academy will take part in the Christmas card competition and we look forward to working with the Balsall Common Lions to make the Santa Sleigh evening another resounding success.
The Burton Green lunches have developed a legendary reputation over the years and we were delighted to be able to organise two this year in our new Village Hall. We marked Councillor George Illingworth’s retirement at this event by presenting him with a garden table, in recognition of his twenty years’ service to Burton Green.
Many thanks to the Bugle team for providing four editions, keeping the whole community fully informed over the year. Thanks also to Peter Stanworth for taking on the role of liaising with HS2 and keeping us well informed.
Despite, or perhaps because of the devastating impact of HS2, we have maintained our priority of keeping our environment as pleasant as possible. The flower tubs always look amazing, potholes and fly tipping are reported promptly and the progress of complaints followed up. We are really grateful to the large number of residents who regularly carry out litter picks, many of them doing so on a daily basis. Thanks also to Alison and Jim Fielding who have undertaken the mowing of the Verge and watering of the Verge troughs.
We now have three defibrillators in the Village: at Hedgerow ‘s Nursery, Cromwell Lane (paediatric and adult), at the new Village Hall in Red Lane, and in Hodgett’s Lane, close to the old village hall. There is also one being planned for Red Lane. Thanks to our First Responder, Alice Hawkins for overseeing the operation of these vital pieces of equipment.
The 87 Bus continues to trundle through Burton Green each hour, Monday to Saturday. Please do your best to support this vital service when you can by leaving your car at home and going to Balsall Common and Solihull, or Canon Park and Coventry by bus. Unfortunately, the 24 Bus to Kenilworth no longer goes through Burton Green after the bus company’s analysis showed very, very low usage. This is such a blow to Red Lane residents without cars who now have just two buses a week to Kenilworth. At the suggestion of the resourceful Chloe Skidmore, a new Red Lane resident who organised a petition concerning the demise of the Number 24, we have asked Warwick County Council Transport Department to extend the patch of the IndieGo+ to Red Lane. Watch this space!
Also on the issue of buses, at the request of another Red Lane resident, we have asked the Parish Council to look at constructing a bus shelter on the site of the former Air Raid Warden’s shelter.
So many people in Burton Green work unseen for the community and it is this initiative, commitment and expertise which makes us a community to be proud of. Thanks to all!
Treasurer’s Report
Dianne advised that due to the early date of the AGM after the end of the financial year, the accounts were currently with the Independent Auditor and would be made available once they had been signed off.
Janet thanked Marlene Hills for arranging examination of the accounts and Dianne for being such a competent and reliable treasurer.
Election of Independent Examiner
Marlene Hills had agreed to arrange the Independent Examiner.
Proposed: Andy Gibbs
Seconded: Mary Webb
Unanimously agreed.
Election of Committee members:
Janet Hickinbottom, in her role as Joint Secretary, conducted this agenda item.
The constitution required that the officers and three committee members should stand down. All the officers, Rona Taylor, Mary Webb, Janet Hickinbottom, Judi Hibberd and Dianne Adams were re-elected
Proposed: Chris Langton
Seconded: Paddy Deeley
Unanimously agreed.
Three committee members also stood down and agreed to be re-elected:
Andy Gibbs, Hilary Cox, Helen Hehir
Proposed: Chris Langton
Seconded: Lesley Tacon
Unanimously agreed.
Ana Aliverti had expressed interest in joining the committee and she would be very welcome.
However, she was unable to attend the AGM because of family commitments but would plan to be present at the next committee meeting in November.
It was reiterated that new committee members or those willing to volunteer for specific projects would be most welcome and should approach a current committee member to discuss this.
Discussion of key Burton Green issues:
Village Hall
As Cheryl Wall, Chair of the Village Hall trustees, was unable to attend, the Vice-Chair, Adrian Hickinbottom, provided an update on the new Village Hall.
We moved in on 14 February 2023 and are finding all the new people coming to the hall are impressed with the facilities. The Trustees try to put on a variety of activities: some old events and new events trying to get a balance for community events and private events as we need to make sure we bring in enough revenue to cover bills – our utility bill is being monitored as we had a delay in connecting photovoltaic cells on the roof; these are now working and should have an impact.
Advertising events - in future the notice board from the old village hall will be on the Greenway and there will be a new notice board erected next to the Village Hall entrance shortly so people visiting the hall can see forthcoming events.
In relation to the use of the hall, we are mindful of the noise and disturbance for our neighbours. We are trying to control and monitor any issues and advise users of rules and requirements for noise control whilst using the hall as we do not have someone on site all the time. We hope hirers will take notice and be responsible.
Landscaping started in February with a clay field and big pond which the landscaping company has been in trying to level off. We are hoping that when the grass has grown there will not be the pond! In the next few weeks landscapers will be planting various spring flowering bulbs around the hall.
Adrian reminded attendees that the Village Hall AGM is on Monday 4 December 7:00 pm with a cheese and a glass of wine – all are welcome. If anyone wishes to be involved in running events at the Village Hall, trustees are actively seeking to co-opt interested parties and encourage people to put their names forward.
Peter Stanworth asked why the topsoil to the village hall grounds was removed and not replaced. Adrian responded that the trustees had appointed professional teams to make the correct decisions regarding their specialism and to also monitor the situations. The trustees are currently working to resolve a number of outstanding issues which are being pursued through the main contractor and their subcontractors.
A question was asked as to who owns the village hall and grounds. Adrian replied that the Trustees are custodians of the hall and if there were any issues it would revert to the Charity Commission.
Janet thanked all the trustees of the village hall for the work they do on behalf of all the residents. It is much appreciated.
Speedwatch
Pat Hehir provided information on Speedwatch in Burton Green.
Burton Green has been operating Speedwatch since 2012 when there was a sizeable group of volunteers and a significant roadside presence with a good reputation even receiving compliments from some drivers. The team felt there was an improvement and reduction in the speed of passing vehicles whilst we had a presence twice a week. The team ceased operations in 2017 due to a reduction in the number of volunteers.
At the request of Parish Council, the Team was reformed in 2022 with 5 fully trained volunteers; 2 have received police training to participate on roadside but not trained to use the laser, this is the minimum level required to operate. The current members are very positive and enthusiastic, however more help is required. The team are police trained, police supervised and operate in strict compliance with Warwickshire Police authority and all recordings are put through police for appropriate action and although no fines are given as a result of our readings those speeding can expect a precautionary letter from the police. In order to have an effective outcome the team need to have an effective roadside presence and need to be seen more frequently.
Pat thanked the members of the group, Parish Council and Village Hall for their support and if anyone wants any more information or can lend a hand, please contact Pat Hehir.
Any Other Business:
A Red Lane resident asked for BGRA support to oppose the proposed building of residential properties in Red Lane as per the South Warwickshire Plan. The action group’s aim is to (1) ensure the District Council inform people what actions are being taken, (2) obtain support from the District Councillors and (3) gather evidence against the proposed development.
Andy Gibb responded that this matter lies with the Parish Council who are in support of the residents’ concerns and once the options move to the next stage they will assist with appropriate action.
Janet confirmed the BGRA support for the opposition and as there are two Parish councillors on BGRA committee they will be kept updated on the situation.
Janet thanked all attendees.
10. Date of Next Annual General Meeting:
The next Annual General Meeting would be held on October 21st 2024 at the Village Hall.
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