Chairman's Report
March, 2010
Report from Catterall Parish Council’s Chairman
Welcome to the Winter edition and what a Winter it has been, I sincerely hope that the weather did not inconvenience you too much. Let’s hope things improve and Spring brings some long awaited respite.
Again it has been a quarter of ups and downs, on the up has been the appointment of a new Parish Councillor namely Amy McCabe who at the ripe old age of 21 years is one of our youngest members ever. I would like to welcome Amy to the team and hope she enjoys her time with us. Amy brings past experience, she was formerly a Catterall Youth Councillor and a Wyre Parliamentary member and has served on a number of youth bodies over the years. To have someone who can represent the views of the younger people is a bonus for us.
The Parish Council has recently undertaken drainage works at the North end of Catterall Playing Field which should help Whitewell Close and Meadowcroft Avenue. The dyke has been cleaned out and piping laid. We hope this action will improve the draining and ease the flooding problems in that area.
On the down side was the sudden demise of not only the Post Office but also the Village Shop which effectively leaves us with no retail facility and a growing population to serve. I can assure you that the Parish Council has been very actively engaged with the Royal Mail to try and retain the facility. A lot of work took place behind the scenes to get the relief scheme off the ground and it was a bitter blow to us all when the shop closed its doors. Simply! No building – No Post Office!!
The Royal Mail have assured us that they definitely wish to maintain a presence in the Village but it could take months rather than weeks until a suitable place is found. Any reasonable suggestions from you the residents will be welcomed, just contact Gillian, the Clerk on 600689.
Many of you will have read that the Claughton Household Re-cycling Centre is potentially a candidate for closure as part of a planned review by Lancashire County Council. Both Councillors and the public fought hard to secure the centre many years ago and subsequently defended a previous threat to close it. If you feel strongly about this matter please make your voice is heard by writing to Lancashire County Council and your County Councillor. Bearing in mind that we are always being told to cut the number of car journeys we make, remind them that closure of this facility will massively increase journeys and mileage as we will have to travel further to the nearest centre. A knock on effect of such a closure may be the increase in fly tipping around our area.
On behalf of the Councillors and the Clerk may I thank you for your continued support
Dave Sharples,
Chairman